Richt says Georgia will be ‘knocking on the door’ of greatness
"Hot seat, huh? A little cold water will take care of that!" (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Tampa – Back in July he was being asked if he could turn it around. On the first day of 2012, Mark Richt was asked if Georgia had turned it around. And he said …
“I think so. I don’t think there’s any doubt we’re in a good place. We won 10 games, and when you win 10 games you’ve done well.”
Here he smiled. “Though 11 is better.”
Richt’s team can win its 11th game of a rebounding season by defeating Michigan State in the Outback Bowl on Monday. It won’t be easy — the Spartans rank fifth nationally in total defense, two spots behind Georgia — but being paired against a ranked opponent here beats the heck out of spending the holidays in Memphis readying to lose to Central Florida, which is where Georgia was 366 days ago.
A year ago we wondered — and by “we,” I mean “me” — if Richt was still the man for Georgia. Calendar 2012 begins with Richt negotiating a contract extension, which tells us Georgia believes he is. (About which Richt said: “We haven’t said anything [publicly regarding his contract] since we said we love each other.”)
The Bulldogs have been saying that the Outback is really the first game of 2012 on more than just the calendar, that it could propel them to a Top 10 preseason ranking, that the season ahead could be bigger and brighter than the one about to conclude. And it just might. Seventeen starters are scheduled to return, and some key figures among the Dream Team recruiting class haven’t made their collegiate presence felt.
Said Richt, speaking at a Sunday news briefing: “Some people believe in momentum. We have good positive momentum. In the future, we’re going to be in good shape. We had a taste of playing in the SEC championship game. We need to be able to finish, but we got the taste.”
A bit later, Richt was asked how he handled the criticism that stemmed from Georgia finishing 8-5 in 2009 and 6-7 last season. “As the leader of the program, I can’t act like I’m fretting or I’m mad about something,” he said. Then this:
“We’re going to be knocking on the door of the greatest success you can have in college football, and if you knock long enough you’ll eventually break through.”
There was a time when a national championship seemed Richt’s manifest destiny. He came close in 2002, when his 12-1 Bulldogs missed the BCS title game only because Miami and Ohio State finished unbeaten, close again in 2007, when Georgia was excluded from the championship tilt but finished No. 2 in the Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs entered the next season ranked No. 1 but lasted only one week there, and the thrashing they were dealt by Alabama on Sept. 27, 2008, marked a watershed moment for both programs.
Alabama started playing for SEC and national championships again. Georgia went from the Sugar Bowl to the Capital One to the Independence to the Liberty, and Richt, once a hot young coach, was suddenly neither. He was on the far side of 50 and hadn’t won the SEC since 2005 and hadn’t taken his team to the BCS title game ever. The SEC is about to annex its sixth consecutive national championship, and Georgia has had no hand in any part of the run.
But that, too, could be changing. It’s true that Georgia didn’t play the most testing schedule — it won’t next year, either; is Richt living right or what? — but it’s also true that the Bulldogs began to win the sort of games they’d come to lose. They even gave LSU a go for a half. They weren’t quite ready to win such a game, but next year they might be. All things considered, you’d rather be Georgia than Florida or Tennessee or even South Carolina today.
“We’re in good shape going into the offseason,” Richt said, and Georgia undeniably is. But it wouldn’t hurt to beat a Top 25 team to round off this turnaround. (Though Georgia is favored by a field goal, Michigan State is ranked higher in the AP and USA Today polls.) Winning 10 games in a row was nice. Winning an 11th would be better still.
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
351 comments Add your comment
TampaGator
January 2nd, 2012
10:53 am
JB……
Here is the “church bus” schedule Florida faced in 2008:
Hawaii
Miami
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Arkansas
LSU
Kentucky
Georgia
Vandy
South Carolina
FSU
Alabama
Oklahoma
Yep……schedule loaded with a bunch of teams getting of “church buses.” Really????
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
10:55 am
I thought Richt needed to finish in the top 25 in the AP Poll to stay employed at UGA,
If he loses this game, and he has gone 0-8 against last 8 top 20 ranked teams, then UGA will drop out of the top 25 AP Poll, and I think Richt will be fired.
Deservingly so.
TampaGator
January 2nd, 2012
10:57 am
Horbunckledog….
I aplogize…..you are obviously not a Dawg fan.
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:00 am
Lose this game, extend record to 0-9 vs. top 20 AP teams, fall out of the AP top 25, and I don’t see how Richt keeps his job.
What would his case be–we beat Coastal Carolina by 40+ points?
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:02 am
lose this game, and Richt finishes 0-4 against top 20 ranked teams in 2011, after going 0-5 in 2010.
Richt calls that improvement?
Dawg48
January 2nd, 2012
11:09 am
Tampa gator
Heard florida is going to be without another O line tackle today…..
Mike Bobo 17 INT
January 2nd, 2012
11:10 am
Does anyone really buy into this? UGA has the weakest schedule in the SEC, gets drilled by LSU and now they are knocking on the door or greatness? This guy is a marketing genius!!! Just in time to extend that contract….
Dawg48
January 2nd, 2012
11:11 am
Hornbuckle
Go spew your crap somewhere else troll!
Mike Bobo 17 INT
January 2nd, 2012
11:12 am
TampaGator
You have to understand that UGA always try to throw something against the wall to see if it sticks…..
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:13 am
Be neat to see if UGA could find a QB who trusts their teammates, instead of trying to be the Brett Favre of the conference. Sort of like LSU does.
Murray tries to win the games by himself, he doesn’t trust his top 5 defense, or his All American special teams unit.
And Richt will stay with the kid. The 0-8 against ranked teams QB.
Mike Bobo 17 INT
January 2nd, 2012
11:14 am
Dawg48
Now that is a typical defensive UGA response….take your medicine like a big boy….
sportzfan
January 2nd, 2012
11:15 am
Old Dawg……so Dawgs get S.C and Missouri on road and you think that makes S.C. have an easier shot to win SEC east? How about S.C. playing Arkansas and LSU on road? Face the facts, you’ve been handed the easiest schedule in SEC for second year in a row.
Columbus Dawg….anyone who pays for the AJC or internet site has a right to post on this site. Maybe you should read some of the blogs in Florida, S.C. Tenn, and Alabama and see if the Dawg fans there get off their sites…..get real !
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:15 am
IF AD Greg McGarity had ANY sense, he would evaluate Coach Richt by 1 thing:
WINS against ranked teams.
Beating up on Coastal Carolina, really?
Dawg48
January 2nd, 2012
11:16 am
Mike
Just practicing for today!
Lol
You can leave to!
Pete
January 2nd, 2012
11:16 am
how can he say Georgia has turned it around when they still haven’t beaten a top team; winning 10 games when you have the easiest schedule in the SEC isn’t anything to brag about; and their schedule next year is even easier.
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:21 am
How can Richt’s contract possibly be renewed, if he loses the Bowl game again, and finishes out of the top 25 for the 3rd straight year?
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:22 am
2011
0-3 against ranked teams
10-0 against unranked teams
Is that good?
Joey
January 2nd, 2012
11:22 am
“Beating up on Coastal Carolina, really?”
********************************
Yeah, and that pathetic Ga Tech . . .
Dawg48
January 2nd, 2012
11:23 am
Hornbuckle
Get some new material your trolling is getting repetitive!
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:25 am
I guess Richt think beating Coastal Carolina
And going 10-0 against unranked teams, and WINLESS for the 2ND STRAIGHT YEAR against ranekd teams,
IS……
kNOCKING ON THE DOOR OF GREATNESS…
Richt has a vivid imagination.
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:27 am
knocking on the door of greatness????
I think Richt was talking about Steve Spurrier, or Petrino…..
Mike Bobo 17 INT
January 2nd, 2012
11:29 am
It is all about marketing in Athens, not winning….
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:29 am
0-8 last 8 games against ranked teams….
Knocking on the door of WHAT?
Black Mountain NC Bulldog
January 2nd, 2012
11:30 am
I am excited about the future, of this team. The Bulldogs have all these players coming back. And even if as I expect O C goes pro, they are still well stocked, at every position, on the team. And lets face it. The schedule sets up very nicely, next year!
P.S
I wish Larry was here.
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:31 am
If Richt loses the bowl game, finishes outside of top 25 for 3rd straight year, is that improvement, or knocking on the door of greatness?
HornbuckleDog
January 2nd, 2012
11:33 am
Should have a #18 team playing in the SEC Championship when LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, and South Carolina are all ranked higher than Georgia.
UGA is #5 best team in the SEC. Not knocking on anyone’s door.
Yup
January 2nd, 2012
11:45 am
Anyone know, how does Murray do in Bowl games? Did he play last year against the Central Florida team, MAC USA team, did we lose 10-6. How did Murray play in that Bowl game? Can’t remember?
SlowRacer
January 2nd, 2012
11:50 am
Aaron Murray in his last Bowl game?
16 for 38, 2 interceptions, 0 td’s. Failed to convert on two 4th & 1 quarterback sneaks.
Offense put up 6 points.
SlowRacer
January 2nd, 2012
11:54 am
Georgia Tech was #25 ranked this year when they faced Georgia, and Auburn was #24 at the time of the game with Georgia. I know they’re both unranked now, but back when they played Georgia, both were ranked. And Murray played well in both of those games.
Columbus Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
12:18 pm
Hornbuckle, your posts show your lack of intelligence, and lack of football knowledge. SEC Division Champions are determined by the number of League losses a team has. Georgia had one SEC loss, and South Carolina had two. Simple math D.A. Now that I have educated you on what it takes to be named Division Champion, let’s move on. Now is it cowardice, or something else that causes you to hide behind your little keyboard and refuse to show your allegience? I’ll go with cowardice.
Now let’s look at this another way, UGA wins today, comes out and runs the table in 2012, returns to the Dome, and beats the West Champion. Then I believe that the door would then be , as they say, kicked in. I will not be foolish enough to say that I know the outcome in 2012, but I do believe that UGA will be better equipped for the challenge, and has a sporting chance. I do know that the more desperate Florida folks get, the more nonsense they will spew. The bridge jumping will not be far behind. Makes you wonder what Foley was thinking, does it not? Same could be said of Old man Dooley with his Goff and Evans hires.
One does wonder if there is anything to this Saban to Penn State rumor. man talking about folks jumping off of bridges…
i'm from Columbus, GA
January 2nd, 2012
12:21 pm
an we are proud to be known as the dumb *ss capitol of the world!!!
ShaNaNa
January 2nd, 2012
12:45 pm
columus Dawg, oh my, you like losing to ranked teams, and are impressed with wins over Vanderbilt, New Mexico St, Coastal Carolina, Ole Miss, Tenn, and the other five unranked teams UGA won against? Most true fans don’t see the world as rosy as you.
SEC Headlines 1/2/2012 | My Blog
January 2nd, 2012
2:36 pm
[...] Mark Bradley: “All things considered, you’d rather be Georgia than Florida or Tennessee or even South Carolina [...]
ken bell
January 2nd, 2012
5:27 pm
all we need is a coach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TideTime
January 2nd, 2012
5:29 pm
Still knocking on the door to greatness? Try representing the SEC like the rest of the conference does. Bookend losses to Boise and Michigan State. Good Grief!!
Sumter Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
5:32 pm
Murray should be voted Michigan State’s MVP with Walsh running a close second. How can you be starters and be that bad? I am sorry but someway Georgia needs to get mental as well as physical.
mimi
January 2nd, 2012
5:33 pm
Hows that Greatness working out for you Richt !!!
mdawg
January 2nd, 2012
5:40 pm
I didn’t go to UGA but I root for them. I’ll have to say that was lame. Except for a couple bombs, the offense was nonexistent. What’s up with sitting on the ball at the 25 – horrible coaching. Good thing UGA had a cake schedule this year, or they would have gone 7-5 at best. Not so convincing wins against UT, UK, Vandy. Pretty unimpressive I hate to say. Long offseason.
roc
January 2nd, 2012
5:45 pm
I love UGA, but Damn we have lost to all ranked teams! WTF. I’m so tired of this!
David Granger
January 2nd, 2012
5:52 pm
And therein lies our problem.
You don’t “knock on the door of greatness” and wait for it to be opened for you. You stride up to it and kick the damn thing off its hinges and go stomping in, daring anyone to try and keep you out.
LawDawg
January 2nd, 2012
6:04 pm
Knocking on the door of the worst called game in history. I have been a big defender of Murray and Bobo, but Murray has some weird ADD version of bipolar where he has to throw INTs when we are ahead or he gets bored and Bobo called one of the worst games in CFB history today. F-in embarrassing loss.
greatness
January 2nd, 2012
6:18 pm
still knocking??? hello??? knock louder!!!!!!
SEC: Florida, Georgia and USC look for bowl wins today | My Blog
January 3rd, 2012
1:06 am
[...] Richt says Dogs knocking on greatness’ door, writes AJC’s Mark Bradley. [...]
Newnan Dawg
January 3rd, 2012
8:30 am
We’re not even in the driveway of greatness under Richt.
just sayin'
January 3rd, 2012
10:05 am
play calling showed very little confidence in the ability to control the ball…went for the bomb and got lucky a couple of times…need a new scheme or a new play caller…
UGA: SEC please get us easier bowl games!
January 3rd, 2012
1:18 pm
After 11 years you’re still knocking on the door.
Review, how many years was Chizik at Auburn before they slammed the door open? 2. How about Saban? How many years at LSU before they won? 4. At Bama? 3, now year 5. How about Meyer? 2. Then came back in year 4. How about Miles? 3. Then repeated 4 years later.
How about UGA with CMR?
But I don’t mean to pick on the guy, he’s a great guy, probably the best coach you can get. After all you are UGA. You recruit a lot of thugs from Georgia and Florida and have an unrealistic fan base ready to commit hara-kiri at a missed FG or interception. I think the SEC knows this and that’s why it allowed some easing of UGA’s schedule in 2012 in the hopes of getting them to the BCS National Championship. But it’ll never happen, it’s UGA.
UGA: SEC please get us easier bowl games!
January 3rd, 2012
1:24 pm
knocking on the door of greatness… and greatness opened the door, looked at UGA and it’s fans, thought it was a knock knock joke, laughed then slammed the door closed.
BTW, Alabama vs USC will be what ESPN and company will aim for for 2012. There will be no room at the inn for UGA and why should there be? UGA automatically will win the east? South Carolina has a better coach, QB, running back and defense and is ranked in the top 10 (and won their bowl game). South Carolina was ranked higher than UGA when UGA went to the dome.
Even if UGA won out, SEC fatigue will kick in and the pundits would say “but if UGA won out then it’s because the SEC is down, let’s have Oklahoma St vs Southern Cal or Oregon or something.” And they’d be right.
UGA: SEC please get us easier bowl games!
January 3rd, 2012
1:25 pm
BLOCK THAT KICK! BLOCK THAT KICK! BLOCK THA… HA HA HA HA, they did.
UGA: SEC please get us easier bowl games!
January 3rd, 2012
1:37 pm
The only way for UGA to win the East requires that UGA not play the top half of the SEC West, to have South Carolina play the top half of the SEC West and for the rest of the SEC East to suck. That’s how they win the East, it’s a proven formula.
UGA: SEC please get us easier bowl games!
January 3rd, 2012
1:38 pm
I need to add… DON’T FIRE RICHT!!!!