Florida in Jax: Big for UGA, it’s even bigger for Mark Richt
"Did you know my darn strong football team is 6-1?" (AP photo)
The surest sign that Mark Richt is miffed: He cites numbers. He did it back in 2006, when Georgia was 5-0 but coming off shaky victories over Colorado and Ole Miss. (Those Bulldogs would lose four of their next five games, FYI.) He did it at the end of the 2008 season, which began with Georgia ranked No. 1 but wound down with Richt trying to make 10-3 sound like a major achievement. He did it again Saturday night.
Responding to a question (mine, actually) about the possibility that the halting performance against Kentucky had been a function of focusing more on the Florida-South Carolina score than the opponent at hand, he stopped in mid-answer. “Know what?” he said, his voice rising. “I’m happy with the victory. We’re 6-1. That’s not bad.”
Know what? He’s right. Georgia is 6-1, and 6-1 isn’t at all bad. (It’s good enough for 10th place in the BCS standings.) But now comes Florida, and this game will do more than define the Bulldogs’ season — it will shape the remainder of Mark Richt’s tenure at Georgia.
Richt has been in place since January 2001. He has — here we cite numbers for him — taken Georgia to two conference championships and four SEC title games. He has presided over seven 10-or-more-win seasons and seen his team finish in the Associated Press top 10 five times. Twice the Bulldogs under Richt have come close (in 2002 and 2007) to playing for the BCS title.
That said, his greatest successes came early, and not since 2007 — Richt’s seventh season — have the Bulldogs given their fans reason to believe the long-sought national championship is within reach. Thus have significant achievements come to be taken with a grain of salt. Winning the SEC East in 2011 was nice, but how nice is a season that features losses to the four best teams on the schedule? Being ranked No. 10 in the BCS is not nothing, but 17 days ago the Bulldogs were ranked No. 5 in the land, and not much good has happened since.
The question for Georgia and Richt is no longer about winning mere games; it’s about winning games of consequence, the games this program has ceased to win. South Carolina has become such a game, and the Bulldogs were embarrassed in Columbia on Oct. 6. Florida is another such game, though technically Georgia beat the Gators last season. But now the repellant reptiles are roaring again, and the Bulldogs under Richt still haven’t whipped a first-rate Florida team. (Richt’s three victories in Jacksonville have come against Gators who would finish 7-5, 9-4 and 7-6.)
If Georgia loses Saturday, it won’t repeat as SEC East champs. Given that the Bulldogs were picked to win the division in preseason, that would be a major disappointment. It would make last year’s return to prominence seem an aberration, not the new normal. Even worse, it would fuel the loaded question: If the 2012 Bulldogs, who came equipped with a bunny schedule and a seasoned quarterback and what seemed a mighty defense, couldn’t play for a conference or a national title, what Georgia team will?
Mark Richt is 52, which is considerably younger than Nick Saban or Les Miles, but a 10-2 season that doesn’t yield at least a division title would not play well among the noisier precincts of his constituency. That doesn’t mean Richt would get fired: There’s no way those in power would move to dislodge a coach who’s again winning 10 games a year. Still, the quality of life for Richt’s remaining seasons as Georgia’s coach would surely be lessened. The emphasis wouldn’t be on the many games Georgia has won but on the magnitude of the games it hasn’t. (No victory over a Top 10 team since 2009, et cetera.)
That the Bulldogs looked awful against South Carolina and awfully unimpressive against Kentucky could benefit the cause. Richt’s biggest victory over Florida — the Gator Stomp of 2007 — came when Georgia wasn’t expected to do anything except its usual Jacksonville flop. Now Florida, picked No. 3 in the SEC East, is ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings. Now this is considered Florida’s game to win.
But make no mistake: This is a game these Bulldogs and their coach need in the worst way. There have been breakthrough victories for Richt over the past 11 1/2 years — Tennessee in 2001, Auburn in 2002, Auburn again when Georgia had lost those four of five in 2006, Florida in 2007, maybe Georgia Tech in 2009 — but none lately. If Georgia wins, Mark Richt won’t need to invoke the record to remind us how good his program is. The record will again speak for itself.
Further reading: If you missed today’s Heat Check, it can be found here. (Georgia is mentioned.)
By Mark Bradley
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608 comments Add your comment
Sloppy
October 22nd, 2012
7:53 pm
Please name the teams in the top 25 that UGA would beat on a neutral field?
There are some but the list will surprise you.
George Stein
October 22nd, 2012
7:55 pm
The sky isn’t falling, Dawg fans. Y’all have a good team, but y’all gotta that defense fixed. I wish I knew what the difference between last year and this year was.
RunninWithTheDawgs
October 22nd, 2012
7:56 pm
Sloppy @8:43 — We might end up with a 8 –4 season this year !
PT
October 22nd, 2012
8:07 pm
Go Vols
October 22nd, 2012
7:53 pm
We want to improve on our past or at lease become somewhat relivant.
gunter
October 22nd, 2012
8:09 pm
I’m a Georgia fan since 1965, season ticket holder. I’m always amazed at some of our fans. This is college football not life and death. We’ve got a pretty good season going. Got waxed and were not ready to play South Carolina two weeks ago just as SC wasn’t ready to play Fla last week. It happens when you play a game with 18 – 21 yr old young men. If we get hammered in Jacksonville , I’ll still be a Fan of the Team and Coach Richt. Bradley, your opinion doesn’t matter to me at all……………….just saying!
JB
October 22nd, 2012
8:10 pm
Will meet all of you back here Saturday evening…..and the moaning will be louder than ever.
PT
October 22nd, 2012
8:10 pm
least*
Bill E Rubin
October 22nd, 2012
8:10 pm
@ Bad Dawg…I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time! Keep up the good work!
JB
October 22nd, 2012
8:11 pm
Ole Miss and Auburn are not gimmies. Lot’s more talent than Kentucky. Lot’s more.
Tndawg
October 22nd, 2012
8:12 pm
Bet on Gators to win and TAKE money!
JB
October 22nd, 2012
8:12 pm
George Stein….. We are 6-1 and highly ranked and all pi$$ed. Can you believe it.
Smitty
October 22nd, 2012
8:19 pm
People that bet for a living have Florida by 3….that is not much. I trust them more than what I hear on this blog.
Smitty
October 22nd, 2012
8:20 pm
Vegas does not care about either team. Only the money.
slydog
October 22nd, 2012
8:21 pm
#1: There’s no way those in power would move to dislodge a coach who’s again winning 10 games a year.
This precisely the problem. Either the powers that be have low goals, such as focusing on only winning the SEC East (yes, it is a low goal, because that’s Vanderbilt’s and Kentucky’s goal also, not Florida).
#2. “…it’s about winning games of consequence, the games this program has ceased to win…”
This statement represents a contradiction from what the writer stated in quote #1. Why was Mike Shula, Ron Zook, Tommy Tuberville, Phillip Fulmer, etc. fired? Not because they sucked, but because ” “…it’s about winning games of consequence.”
#3. And finally..”Richt’s three victories in Jacksonville have come against Gators who would finish 7-5, 9-4 and 7-6.”
Florida is the biggest rival next to Tech, right? I mean, we have agreed to play them in Jacksonville every year just to give that s__t hole town some revenue, so it’s not like it’s exactly a tough road game. The answer is simple: If you want to be on the path to winning championships, then you have to force him to resign or fire him. If hoping to back door your way into the SEC Championship game when other teams have down years, then keep him and don’t be so upset with all of the blow outs against teams who actually care about winning.
slydog
October 22nd, 2012
8:23 pm
George Stein
October 22nd, 2012
7:55 pm
The sky isn’t falling, Dawg fans. Y’all have a good team, but y’all gotta that defense fixed. I wish I knew what the difference between last year and this year was.
It’s easy: We have a coach who does not care about winning or losing, as long as the guys had fun and learned some valuable lessons out on the field.
Go Back
October 22nd, 2012
8:24 pm
Go back and read the pre-season commentaries, predictions and expectations. And now, we’re already talking about next year!
trueblueeagle
October 22nd, 2012
8:25 pm
Georgia loses to Fla. and Ole Miss.
slydog
October 22nd, 2012
8:26 pm
What if the Falcons said” all we care about is 10 wins and making the playoffs?” Not winning the Super Bowl, but just 10 wins and a playoff game….lmao. Tell that to Arthur Blank. Oh, wait a inute. Just figured out what the problem is: Michael “The Enabler” Adams. As long as that spreadsheet looks nice, who cares about being embarrassed on national television? Certainly not him.
George Stein
October 22nd, 2012
8:29 pm
First world problems, JB. It could be worse; you could be us!
C’mon, slydog. You don’t work 100 hours a week and not care. Richt cares, but he also has enough confidence to know that the sun will rise in the east if he doesn’t win. I admire that about him.
AJ
October 22nd, 2012
8:30 pm
UGA offense total yards ranks #30 in nation,
Florida #112
UGA offense ranks #17 in scoring
Florida #54
UGA offense scored 10 more points a game than Florida.
UGA offense throws for 140 more yards a game than Florida.
007
October 22nd, 2012
8:30 pm
I agree with Jethro Bodeen.
Here we go
October 22nd, 2012
8:32 pm
slydog—You are right 100% when it concerns Adams.It’s all about the money.
AJ
October 22nd, 2012
8:33 pm
2012 defense at UGA is a little better than 2011.
Scoring, 2012 is giving up 1.9 more points a game than 2011 but
holding teams to top 15 best in nation in second half and 4th quarter scoring.
None of the other stats matte ron defense except for;
scoring (1.9 more points than 2011)
2nd half scoring (8 points a game, better than 20110
4th quarter 4 pints a game (better than 2011)
AJ
October 22nd, 2012
8:35 pm
All the pressure is on Muschamp. Muschamp is 0-1 vs. Richt. Go 0-2 and people start talking. Go to 2-7 vs. ranked teams in first 2 seasons and people REALLY start talking. Muschamp has eneormous pressure to win this game, and so far, he hasn’rt handled pressure well with a .330 winning record vs. ranked teams.
DawgNole
October 22nd, 2012
8:37 pm
Dawggie
October 22nd, 2012
5:54 pm
When your defense sets you up with a short field for three of your possessions in a half, and you convert each time, you won’t have a ton of offensive yards that half. In the third half, I think UF had 135 yards against Carolina. In the fourth quarter, it was garbage time. Not saying that FL tore it up on offense, but stats can be deceiving.
_______________________
“In the third half, I think . . . .”
I don’t think you were thinking at all if you think there were three halves in any game.
Fools Gold
October 22nd, 2012
8:37 pm
Its so comical to see that some fans here still insist on drinking the Kool Aid. Like I said for years now its the same ole same ole… another year of FOOLS GOLD.
DawgNole
October 22nd, 2012
8:40 pm
Sam Robards, Dawg Fan
October 22nd, 2012
6:01 pm
Also, Mark, what the devil are you trying to intimate here:
“Florida is another such game, though technically Georgia beat the Gators last season.”
“Technically” isn’t needed here, and it’s clear that you put that term there to try and diminish that win, which we NEEDED to get to the SECCG. WE FLAT-OUT BEAT FLORIDA LAST YEAR. No qualifiers necessary.
__________________
Wondered if anyone else would notice that not-so-subtle dig.
Loser alert
October 22nd, 2012
8:42 pm
I’ve never seen so many nut cases on one blog. It is a sad day when “winning” is more important than anything else in life. The Petrino lovers validate my point. He is a good, possibly great coach, but he totally sucks as a human being…..and has let folks down at his last 3 coaching stops. There is more to life folks than a NC which can be a very fleeting pleasure…..just ask Auburn
Here we go
October 22nd, 2012
8:43 pm
I hope some UGA players and coaches read these comments.It would piss me off big time.Maybe it would light a fire under the team and cause a “let’s show the world who we are-UGA football” Oh well only day dreaming or is it time to go to bed before the debate.
George Stein
October 22nd, 2012
8:44 pm
Petrino hasn’t ever won a damned thing, either, Loser Alert. I’ve never understood the fascination with him.
DawgNole
October 22nd, 2012
8:44 pm
JB
October 22nd, 2012
6:12 pm
At what point Saturday does Mark start staring at the sky with that emotionless look on his face.???
______________________
During pregame warmups.
Fools Gold
October 22nd, 2012
8:44 pm
Next Year Really gets bad for the Dawgs when the season starts out at 0 – 2. Buh Bye Mark Richt!
Obama Dawg
October 22nd, 2012
8:48 pm
I so glad the the dawgs look really bad… takes the heat off me…. Gettin ready for the debate!
Smitty
October 22nd, 2012
8:48 pm
Fools Gold….good thing games are not based on your dumb a$$ comments
Smitty
October 22nd, 2012
8:49 pm
Fools Gold…go back to the rock you crawled out from under….
Smitty
October 22nd, 2012
8:52 pm
Oh yea there is a debate….how many crazy people are there on this blog…
Drew Carey dropped 80 lbs
October 22nd, 2012
8:53 pm
and the dawgs are gonna drop another one to the Gators!
Smitty
October 22nd, 2012
8:57 pm
Drew…right Dawgs drop a bomb on gators
NCDawg
October 22nd, 2012
9:02 pm
Mr Bradley… I think you under estimate Mr McGarity. 10 wins and 2 losses of huge consequence will doom Coach Richt. This week is do or die for his staff and I hope someone tells them so. Lose to UF and you are gone. Why? Because the program has hit a juncture where it can not progress without the big win. Our recruiting will suffer because every rival will elude to the fact that they beat us every year. This program has a cap on it now and that, if you will remember, is what Mark Richt was brought in to do.. blow the cap off this program. The program cannot afford to lose Saturday. Period. Excellence is not about the number of wins. It is about the quality of wins. UGA can win 9-10 games and not break a sweat. Mr.McGarity has to be eying those losses to quality opponents and figuring up what toll those losses takes on the program…the whole athletic program that is under his authority. He gave Coach Richt a pass last year because there was measurable progress. This year will be a failure if we don’t return to the GA Dome. I am quite sure he has already set that as the bar and justifiably so.
If there had been a rash of injuries that had diminished the potential of this team then perhaps he could overlook it. But we have talent and it is noticeably under performing. There is no excuse this time. The dead weight was jettisoned. The team returned a ton of starters on defense. There can be NO excuse at all for continuing to lose to quality programs.
The long and the short of it is simply… beat UF or it is time for a regime change.
slydog
October 22nd, 2012
9:11 pm
“@Here we go
October 22nd, 2012
8:43 pm
I hope some UGA players and coaches read these comments.It would piss me off big time.Maybe it would light a fire under the team and cause a “let’s show the world who we are-UGA football” Oh well only day dreaming or is it time to go to bed before the debate.”
I think you have missed the point of all these vents: It IS TO LIGHT A FIRE UNDER THEM since the Dalai Lama of the SEC can’t, won’t, and does not possess the ability to do it.
@George Stein and Loser Alert:
I admire that about him too; Winning is not the end all be all. But what is he coaching football for? To have fun and make $3 mil a year? Football is a competitive sport last I checked. The powers that be record wins and losses, not whether all the boys showed and had fun. Football is about trying to win and not trying to lose. It’s as simple as that. So, what if your boss, after continuous f’ ups and lost company money, said, “The sun rises in the east tomorrow. Don’t worry about it dude?” …lol. What if your coach gives off the attitude to the team that winning “this” game doesn’t matter, we have 6 more to play? C’mon fellas, being a pacifist is for non-competitive activities.
Ghost of Sinkwich
October 22nd, 2012
9:14 pm
When the Gators hit us, in the mouth, and they will. We must hit them back even harder, or the score will be like the SC score and another opportunity lost.
Mark2
October 22nd, 2012
9:15 pm
Bulldog born, Bulldog bred, and when I get to Jacksonville, Muschamps wife will be in my Bulldog bed. TO HELL WITH FLORIDA.. WE WILL WIN THIS GAME.
Alpharetta Dave Got It Right
October 22nd, 2012
9:32 pm
Amen. Perfect assessment!
———
Alpharetta Dave
October 22nd, 2012
3:38 pm
Reasons why UGA isn’t able to beat an elite program and will never be able to do so unless these deficiencies are eliminated:
1. We never seem to play with passion, i.e., we don’t want it bad enough. Oh, I’m sure that we want to win in our heads but not in our hearts.
2. We always sell the players on our past glory and legacy and we just seem to think that we are entitled to greatness. Well, we can’t cash that check anymore.
3. Special teams excellence is not emphasized and it shows in our performance.
4. Our strength and endurance, especially in the OL and DL, does not match up with an Alabama, L.S.U., S.C. or Florida. It probably wouldn’t against Miss. St. and it almost didn’t against Tennessee and Kentucky.
The bottom line is, even with great coaches, players and fans, we live too much in the past and we don’t truly and completely commit to what must be done to built an outstanding program and team. Fix these 4 things and win championships.
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JB
October 22nd, 2012
9:47 pm
Tuberville, Fulmer,Hatfield……. All where Richt is now. Winning 8,9, 10 games….just losing the wrong 2 or 3 EVERY year. End of story.
JB
October 22nd, 2012
9:51 pm
I think the “blow outs” in prime time of our Dawgs have affected all of us. Losing a nail biter 35-28 in a slug fest, We can take……..The blow outs beginning with the blackout….and then on top of that really unfocused poor performances against much lessor foes is tough to watch. This team hardly ever has a complete game. Vandy this year was.
JB
October 22nd, 2012
9:54 pm
beating Tech 10 of 11 to me is the ONLY reason he is still our coach. You throw in 5 or 6 losses to Tech, He’s in South America somewhere tonight.
JB
October 22nd, 2012
9:58 pm
Hard to fire a coach who’s 20-4 regular season for two years. Him hanging it up is the only hope of a new era…….And there’s ALWAYS that gamble. With the talent in this state, I doubt we would see 1-6 like Auburn this year. OUCH. Hope Van Gorder is renting
Dawggie
October 22nd, 2012
10:04 pm
DawNole – so, a typo is the equivalent of not thinking? Lol. I don’t think you know much about college football, I’ll have to agree that you are blessed with superior secretarial skills.
cloudodust
October 22nd, 2012
10:11 pm
Florida won’t be playing to keep the heat off the team or it’s HC. UGA does have a shot but they better be better than they were at USCe. To date, that has been UGA’s only real test and they failed. According to the talley sheet this one is bigger for Georgia that that one.
cloudodust
October 22nd, 2012
10:16 pm
Dawggie—looks like I just failed the typing test