Question: Will it ever get better for Mark Richt at UGA?
Has Mark Richt run out of steam? (AP photo)
AUBURN, Ala. — On the weekend of Cam-demonium, the Georgia Bulldogs were rendered a footnote. But one snippet of semi-news did emerge Saturday morning, courtesy of the Denver Post: Colorado is apparently interested in Mark Richt to fill its coaching vacancy.
And that might be the best for all concerned: Richt to the Rocky Mountains and a new challenge, Georgia spared a decision no program wants to make. Namely, when and how do you say goodbye to a man who lifted your program but seems incapable of further lifting?
In Year 2 under Gene Chizik, the Auburn Tigers clinched the SEC West by winning Saturday. In Year 10 under Richt, the Georgia Bulldogs fell to 5-6.
Said Bacarri Rambo, the safety: “I never thought the University of Georgia could be 5-6.”
Said Akeem Dent, the linebacker: “That would not make sense to anybody.”
It doesn’t make sense, but it’s grim reality. Georgia was 8-5 last season, its worst under Richt, and it will be worse this time — worse with 10 of 11 offensive starters returning plus a hotshot quarterback making his debut, worse with a $750,000 defensive coordinator hired as a presumed upgrade.
Georgia took a 21-7 lead on the nation’s No. 2 team Saturday, whereupon Todd Grantham’s defense yielded touchdowns on six of the next seven possessions. Yes, Auburn has a great offense, and yes, after days of uncertainty the famous Cam Newton not only played but played beautifully. Still: Had the Bulldog defenders even practiced?
Linebacker Justin Houston on Newton: “He didn’t do anything special.”
Then, asked how Auburn could score seven touchdowns and amass 463 yards: “Blown assignments — that’s what has been going on all season.”
How could a defense still be making mistakes in its 11th game? Have players not yet learned the scheme? Houston again: “I guess not. Some guys are not as focused as they need to be.”
That indictment of Grantham is a greater indictment of Richt. The failing of Georgia this season hasn’t been skill or desire but stamina. Players appear to tire, and even the coaching seems to flag.
Georgia had it going Saturday. The Bulldogs were throwing deep off play-action — Auburn doesn’t play much D, either — and running hard, and then coordinator Mike Bobo ordered a direct snap to receiver Branden Smith that gained nothing on second-and-five and blunted a second-quarter drive. Why throw a change-up when they haven’t hit your fastball?
Soon the game was tied, and Richt lost his nerve. Georgia took the ball at its 21 with 51 seconds left in the half and one timeout remaining. It ran a draw to Caleb King and let time expire, content in the belief that it would take possession to begin the second half.
“I guess we didn’t want to make a crazy mistake,” said A.J. Green, who to that point had caught five passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns against Ted Roof’s overmatched secondary. “We took the safe way out.”
Only it wasn’t safe. Chizik called for an onside kick. Auburn retook the lead without Georgia touching the ball. Richt said he told his kickoff-return squad to be wary of such a maneuver. He also said: “I guess you could only tell them so many times.”
Make no mistake: Auburn was the better team. But Georgia had a chance here, and its coaching failed. Same as in Jacksonville. Same as in Starkville. The same thing, again and again.
Richt on this saddening season: “A few key plays, if they went the other way, we win.” Then: “Teams that win championships win close games. We haven’t won a close game yet.”
For the record, Richt spoke in the same room that housed his triumphant press briefing Nov. 16, 2002, the day Georgia beat Auburn in an excruciatingly close game to clinch the SEC East. There was a time when Richt’s teams were the aggressor throughout, when they made the requisite plays at the end. No longer.
Asked about Colorado, Richt smiled and said: “Georgia is my home.”
Asked about Richt, the newly minted Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said: “I’m really looking forward to working with him.”
And yet you wonder if it will ever get better for Mark Richt at Georgia, if we haven’t already seen his best work. His Bulldogs had a chance to grab the nation’s attention Saturday, and they led by 14 points. They lost by 18.
They got weary. Then they got beat. The same thing, again and again.
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1,438 comments Add your comment
SUFFER REDNECK UGA HILLBILLY FANS
November 13th, 2010
11:44 pm
AFDAWG GO SUCK ON MARK RICHT CUTS!
Herschel
November 13th, 2010
11:45 pm
You can’t spell Thuga without U G A! What a bunch of thugs punching Nick Fairley. I hope Tech somehow finds a way to beat the Thugs so your sorry team doesn’t go to a bowl. If not, the Thugs don’t deserve a bowl being 6 and 6, but I hear Shreveport is nice for the Holidays.
Richt ain't going anywhere
November 13th, 2010
11:45 pm
your school does NOT have 9 million to pay off CMR and his assistants, so your stuck with him, end of story, you can all beat your chest on here but unless one of you wants to donate the going away money it ain’t happening, nobody cares how you feel
bama
November 13th, 2010
11:45 pm
MikeP,
Florida also runs the spread- 3 pts. Miss state runs the spread-10 pts. We’re not worried about a program that hasn’t won a national title in 53 years. Come and get your whupping boy.
Herschel
November 13th, 2010
11:46 pm
AFDAWG and Scam Speaks, Your thug team SUCKS!
SUFFER REDNECK UGA HILLBILLY FANS
November 13th, 2010
11:46 pm
THE MUTTS WILL NEVER WIN A TITLE BECAUSE OF KARMA HICKS!
Scam speaks
November 13th, 2010
11:48 pm
1- laptop thief
2- cheating 3 times in school and transferring right before being expelled
3- saying that I had no knowledge of my dad shopping me when my behavior clearly indicates otherwise.
yep. I’m a real winner. Lots of integrity.
lifer dawg
November 13th, 2010
11:51 pm
Test Test
The Ole Ball Coach
November 13th, 2010
11:52 pm
How did The AJC’s beloved Yellow-jackets do today?
Scam speaks
November 13th, 2010
11:52 pm
i’m all about integrity.
BTW- anyone know a good source on the internet that I can copy a termpaper from?
BTW- anyone know someone who i can buy a latop from- preferably someone selling them out of his car trunk.
fair and Balanced
November 13th, 2010
11:53 pm
I think I remember us all talking about firing Richt if GA failed to go at least 9 – 3. That record looks pretty good now compared to where we are huh? Let him go to CO. Nice place to live – and GA does not have to go 4 – 8 and fire him next year.
lifer dawg
November 13th, 2010
11:53 pm
Richt and his staff wont SNIFF the SEC game again ever. For those of you supporting him, I guess you don’t care about UGA going all the way do you? I want UGA back where it belongs and should be with our $$$/talent it is a no brainer.
K.B.
November 13th, 2010
11:54 pm
Very sad to say it but it’s time for Richt to go. I’ve never been on this bandwagon before, but again, sad to say, but it’s time for a change.
Scam speaks
November 13th, 2010
11:55 pm
Suffer,
Yeah. And the laptop and academic cheating never occurred either did they? Ooops. I guess they did.
Scam speaks
November 13th, 2010
11:58 pm
Since when did academic cheating have anything to do with race?
Scam speaks
November 14th, 2010
12:00 am
When the Miss st guy interviews with the FBI Tuesday and all the truth comes out and Cecil admits shopping him again then its obvious he will have to sit the bama game. Who gonna be your qb for that game?
Scam speaks
November 14th, 2010
12:00 am
hello barrett trotter
Derek
November 14th, 2010
12:01 am
Mark,
Everyone knows you do not like Coach Richt. You cut him week after week. You look for any evidence that he is on the decline. What is the deal? Why don’t you have a cup of coffee with Coach Richt and find out what makes him tick? You are not going to get your way on this one. Richt is back next year. AD basically confirmed that today. Lots of teams interested in Richt; Miami, Colorado, Clemson, South Carolina (if SS retires and son leaves), Penn State–just to name a few. Mark, have you ever considered writing a totally positive column on Richt. Look at the stats at this point in his career. He is the finest coach in UGA history and yet week after week you find ways to undercut him. We are blessed to have Coach Richt and I for one am glad that he is back next year.
Scam speaks
November 14th, 2010
12:01 am
I guess Florida is racist also since they were going to expell this cheater.
Buck
November 14th, 2010
12:03 am
I have to say one thing about Richt he won’t put up with a bunch of thugs on the field. Chizlk and the officals lost complete control of the actions of a bunch of thugs in the last few min of the game. When t. King used bad judgement and got a penalty Richt was in his face. I would much rather have a coach with princpales than a border line thug for coach. The SEC should look at the officating crew in this game.
boots
November 14th, 2010
12:04 am
UGA will win this game – it will just take 9 months and a NCAA investigation to make it happen. I’ll bet you $180,000.
Herschel
November 14th, 2010
12:05 am
You can’t spell Thuga without U G A !
Auburn/Delta
November 14th, 2010
12:05 am
Hey Scam, sorry, didn’t realize that was the backup. Figured the way he was playing he had to be the same McElroy who went 6 for 11 for 58 yards in the national championship game. HA HA!
Now, there ya go scam. How do you know he was about to get expelled? Who said that? Thayer Evans? Who said he wasn’t? Inside sources at UF. So you can believe Thayer Evan’s inside sources who committed a felony or the one’s who said there was no such record and either way, you wouldn’t know, would you?
boots
November 14th, 2010
12:06 am
I agree with Buck. Why was Auburn finding it necessary to provoke so many fights and have so many personal fouls – about six of which were not called. I hope Alabama clobbers them.
Dirty Dawg
November 14th, 2010
12:06 am
I’ve never before felt hate for your school or program Auburn, until now. My belief is that Cam Newton’s Daddy, with Cam’s full knowledge, accepted money from somebody connected with Auburn…that the truth will come out…and, I hope, that Auburn’s awareness of it will bring the NCAA down on ‘the pretty little village on the plains’ with the worst possible penalty – and to borrow a phrase from that Rainey guy – Time to die, Auburn…as in the death penalty.
Sorry, but your team pissed me off today and if wishes come true you’re gonna have a bad time from here on out.
The cops
November 14th, 2010
12:07 am
Buck,
Perhaps Richt should be in their faces a lot more- 11 arrests just since the spring and something like 44 since 2007. What a joke of a comment. Richt runs the biggest thug program out there.
Auburn/Delta
November 14th, 2010
12:07 am
Buck
November 14th, 2010
12:03 am
I have to say one thing about Richt he won’t put up with a bunch of thugs on the field. Chizlk and the officals lost complete control of the actions of a bunch of thugs in the last few min of the game. When t. King used bad judgement and got a penalty Richt was in his face. I would much rather have a coach with princpales than a border line thug for coach. The SEC should look at the officating
—-
Weren’t two players ejected? Didn’t look to me as if the Auburn players ran from their sidelines and started punching UGA players who had taken a knee in prayer. I think some UGA players needed to be ejected as well, don’t you?
surfdawg
November 14th, 2010
12:07 am
Nice one BOOTS
Eric C.
November 14th, 2010
12:10 am
Mark, this is one of the most depressing commentaries ever…thanks.
reality check
November 14th, 2010
12:10 am
Looks like $180,000 was a steal. Seems Cam’s worth much more than that.
Go DAWGS
Scam Newton
November 14th, 2010
12:13 am
Dirty Dawg,
his dad allegedly said he asked for money for Cam from MSU without cam’s knowledge. This is really unbelievable that Cam didn’t know. And if he didn’t know then he would feel incredibly betrayed by a dad selling him out like a slave trader. Does Cam carry himself like someone who is distraught or upset upon learning that his own dad sold him out? Uh, no. The reason is because he knew full well that his dad was wheeling and dealing on his behalf.
The last time this happened was the famous Albert means case at bama where a booster paid the kids high school coach to steer him to Bama. Means regarded the coach as a father figure since he didn’t know his own father. Upon finding out what happened he became depressed, distraught, withdrew from Bama and went to Memphis and a year later was out of football completely. That is the human nature of how a young man would actually behave if he suddenly found out his father betrayed and tried to sell him without his knowledge. The reason Cam exhibits none of this behavior is because he was complicit. He knew what his dad was doing. End of story.
Derek
November 14th, 2010
12:14 am
Eric, you are right. Depressing commentary from a depressing writer at a depressing paper that is barely in business. I have never seen a State Paper so down on the home team as the AJC writers are. Don’t understand why Richt never gets a positive column from Mark or Jeff. Always doomsday with these writers.
Scam Newton
November 14th, 2010
12:17 am
Auburn/Delta,
I don’t think McElroy needed to pass in the bcs title game with 2 tailbacks each running over 100 yds each and a couple of tds each. You talk as if you’ve won a national title lately. Have you? Uh, that would be no! And you won’t win it this year either. bank on it.
Boca Baby
November 14th, 2010
12:18 am
Todd Grantham is either not what he was cracked up to be or UGA has some of the stupidest defensive players in college football. I am perplexed to decide which is which.
Auburn/Delta
November 14th, 2010
12:19 am
Scam Newton
November 14th, 2010
12:13 am
The reason Cam exhibits none of this behavior is because he was complicit. He knew what his dad was doing. End of story.
—-
Actually, I think a Georgia fan posted something about pay for play is being investigated by the FBI and has been for a while but Auburn is not implicated. I think what clearly happened was, since Kiffin and Stoops also inferred that there was no request for money from the Newtons at UT and OU, that the Newton’s were offered money by boosters and walked. MSU was not in in on it and kept recruiting him right up until he signed with Auburn. Then the boosters made allegations that were unfounded. MSU failed to provide follow up when requested for seven months. Then MSU gave some info in July, Auburn reviewed it, SEC reviewed it, NCAA reviewed it, Cam Newton is still playing.
But you are free to make up any story you want based on no facts whatsoever, especially on an anonymous board. It hasn’t stopped Mark Bradley from doing it, why should it stop you?
Scam Newton
November 14th, 2010
12:20 am
Auburn/delta,
You had a good year. Too bad its about to end. And that’s if you even get to keep Cam eligible. Its all going to come out and you all know it. AU may not have been complicit but its obvious Cam and his dad were shopping his svcs and that truth is bound to come out. And when it does Cam is going to be ineligible. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it.
Harold Bare
November 14th, 2010
12:21 am
Please keep CMR. CMR is the best thing for Tennessee and the rest of the SEC.
surfdawg
November 14th, 2010
12:22 am
SCAM NEWTON you are right and the fact that the father already admitted “shopping” Cam around, the damage is already done. Thats all the NCAA really needs.
dawgs_girl1996
November 14th, 2010
12:22 am
Mark Richt is a wonderful person and coach. He has accomplished many personal feats making our guys better people and players. Every team has bad years. We are having one this year. When every thing you do is perfect, you will have the right to criticize. Our time will come again. GO DAWGS!!!!!!
surfdawg
November 14th, 2010
12:24 am
HAROLD BARE your 50 some odd points you got today has you feeling good
Auburn/Delta
November 14th, 2010
12:24 am
Scam Newton
November 14th, 2010
12:17 am
Auburn/Delta,
I don’t think McElroy needed to pass in the bcs title game with 2 tailbacks each running over 100 yds each and a couple of tds each. You talk as if you’ve won a national title lately. Have you? Uh, that would be no! And you won’t win it this year either. bank on it.
—-
Well, one thing Alabama showed us all is that if you can knock the opposing QB out of the game early you can win. By the way, don’t discount Alabama from being implicated in the pay-to-play scheme… again.
Oh, and you know one thing LSU showed everyone? Alabama is overrated.
46-40
November 14th, 2010
12:24 am
BRADLEY, 2 WORDS: YOU SUCK.
FIND SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT & STOP STIRRING THE POT.
RICHT IS STAYING IN ATHENS.
GOOD DAY.
AU4EVR
November 14th, 2010
12:25 am
Dirty Dawg…sorry for your anger but Auburn is in the clear. Both Stoops and Kiffen came out this week to defend Newton that he did no wrong-doing in THEIR recruit of him. And neither did Auburn. The ONLY guilty party in all of this IS MSU!!! Just get over your anger and realize you can’t win EVERY year. AU IS the better team this year. Man up and give props with no excuses of every reason from the weather to robbing banks as the reason AU is 11 and 0.
Scam Newton
November 14th, 2010
12:25 am
Auburn/Delta,
WSB reported that Cecil newton admitted shopping Cam. That is the straw that will end up breaking the camel’s back. He has also lawyered up. Innocent people as Bob Davie was pointing out want to scream their innocence at the top of their lungs- a consciousness of innocence. Guilty people tend to remain silent and lawyer up- a consciousness of guilt. That’s just basic human nature. If you were ever accused of doing something you know you didn’t do then I guarantee you didn’t just sit there and take it. You probably were very loud in proclaiming your innocence. Again- human nature. Plus we all know from Cam’s academics at Florida and from the laptop deal about his character.
CS22
November 14th, 2010
12:26 am
Mark Bradley…you may the biggest d@#che ever but I correct myself after seeing Gene Chiziks behavior. Any Auburn fan who says stop complaining can kiss it because trying to take away the career of a young qb intentionally is not acceptable by anyone. Auburn fans I hope you can find a trailer park big enough to keep your sorry assess in Atlanta. If not…we can call FEMA for you disgusting fans !!
Objective Observer
November 14th, 2010
12:28 am
No comment on Auburn’s cheap shots, late hits, etc.?
Your silence is in support thereof, Mark Bradley.
AU4EVR
November 14th, 2010
12:29 am
Surfie…sorry but the NCAA would have sat CAM out after their meeting with him Thursday night if they had anything on him. He showed. He answered. Just like an earlier Bama blogger wrote…Means was ineligible at Bama and was bushwhacked from the team. But that didn’t make him ineligible at MEMPHIS where he went on to play. Same situation. Papa Newton solicited cash from MSU but not Auburn where Cam is playing. He would have been ineligible at MSU but IS eligible at AU. Just because you WANT AU to be guilty doesn’t mean they are. From all accounts, they are CLEAR. Just ask their compliance officer…the Number 2 guy they hired from the NCAA!
Scam Newton
November 14th, 2010
12:29 am
Auburn/Delta,
Your time is coming. You will not win a national title for one simple reason- you have no defense. Championship teams have defenses. You don’t and that means you will surely lose either to Bama or South Carolina or both. I seriously doubt South Carolina will committ 4 turnovers in the 4th qtr again to give you a lucky win. Only so many times you can dodge a bullet. What will it be then….54 years without a national title. What a joke you guys are.
surfdawg
November 14th, 2010
12:30 am
AU4EVER keep telling yourself that when you are turning possible National Championship and Heisman trophies back in.
Scam Newton
November 14th, 2010
12:31 am
Auburn/delta,
I’m out. But if you ever do actually win anything again let me know. Otherwise I figure you will be due a title in about 47 more years 2057.