Richt on changes, Tech rivalry, Powerade bath
There was no answer to the big question –- call it The Willie Martinez Question -– but there were some interesting comments on Mark Richt’s weekly radio call-in show Monday night.
If you missed it:
– The first question, not surprisingly, was about any plans for changing coordinators or other assistant coaches.
Richt’s reply: “I’m not going to make any comment about anything like that. I think people think that just because we need to get better or make some kind of change — they think it always involves changing of people, too. And that’s not always necessarily true. But, you know, we’re going to get things back on track, I can promise you that.”
– Richt was asked about his angry reaction to a slightly premature attempt to drench him in Powerade near the end of Saturday’s victory at Georgia Tech.
He said he had told the players at halftime that he didn’t want to see anyone smile until there was no time left on the clock. “Sure enough, it’s a minute and 20 [seconds] or whatever left and we get the ball back and they decide they’re going to dump me, figuring the game is over,” Richt said. “But I had my jaw set still and I wasn’t smiling or celebrating until that [clock] went to zero zero and we got the victory. And that’s why I got upset, and Bryan Evans basically got the brunt of it, and I love the kid dearly. I love all those guys. He was a little taken aback at my attitude, but afterwards I got a chance to hug his neck and tell him I love him and all that good stuff.”
– A caller said Tech coach Paul Johnson downplayed the importance of the Georgia game early last week and asked Richt, who is 8-1 vs. Tech, his thoughts on the magnitude of the rivalry.
“All I can tell you is our boys and our coaches don’t need a whole lot of motivation, I guess, to get fired up about this game,” Richt said. “And I’m not going to sit here and deny that what happened a year ago [helped] fuel it. It did; there is no question that it did. Them tearing up our hedges and doing some of the things that they were doing after the game at our expense didn’t sit too well with us. And we wanted to do something about it, and we want to continue to do something about it in years to come. And I’ll say this: I’ve always had a respect, a very healthy respect, for Georgia Tech and their football program, and we will continue to have that respect because they are an outstanding team and they do a great job over there. But it’s very, very big to us.”
– Richt had much praise for safety Reshad Jones’ performance on Saturday – his interception, his tackling, his pass breakups on Tech’s last series and the way he never gave up in chasing Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas on Thomas’ 76-yard touchdown.
“There were a lot of guys that made great plays, but I want to pay a special tribute to Reshad Jones,” Richt said. “I thought Reshad did such a great job of tackling, such a great job of making that interception. And also at crunch time he had to cover a couple of those deep balls and did a beautiful job of that too. I thought it was great for Reshad, considering all the grief he caught a year ago for that same ballgame.” (Jones, as you know, got much grief for botching a tackle on Tech’s game-clinching touchdown against Georgia last year.)
– And finally, the show’s last caller cited statistics on how many more times the Bulldogs have allowed 30-plus points under Martinez than under predecessor Brian VanGorder.
Richt’s reply: “You’re definitely going to win a whole lot more games if you can keep people under 30, there is no doubt about that.”
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316 comments Add your comment
this game meant everything to tech.....
December 1st, 2009
7:52 am
yeah Buzz Blogger..there is always next year….you flag boys are adept at saying that ..at least 8 out of 9 years…course last year your win in athens was a FLUKE………….Tech will finish the season 10 and 4…Georgia 8 and 5 in a rebuilding and a restructuring(coaches) year….. some things never change in the State of Georgia…..!
this game meant everything to tech.....
December 1st, 2009
7:54 am
It is definitely HILARIOUS!!!!!! 30 TO 24, WHETHER tech was flat, whether they choked or whether the little flagboy techie players were just plain SCARED, kinda the deer in headlights look!!!
this game meant everything to tech.....
December 1st, 2009
7:56 am
Will Georgia or South Carolina win the Acc championship this year?????????? lmfao
this game meant everything to tech.....
December 1st, 2009
7:57 am
sorry, typo, A she she championship,,,,,now i’m rolling on the floor and lmfao
tech losers?
December 1st, 2009
8:01 am
your are calling us losers????? we beat Duke, wake , virginia, jacksonville state, vandy and Miss state, wait they all were losers too…didn’t we beat Mary and William..no but we should have scheduled them instead of Georgia….lmfao
tech losers?
December 1st, 2009
8:02 am
loss saturday at Grant Stadium will hurt for a long time!!!!!!!!!
my post on these blogs every morning for 362 more days
December 1st, 2009
8:03 am
GEORGIA 30 GA TECH 24….NOVEMBER 28, 2009
my post on these blogs every morning for 362 more days
December 1st, 2009
8:04 am
thats what the record book will show from now on………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Ed
December 1st, 2009
8:05 am
Tech guy here, went to the game. Face it fellow Jackets. We NEVER stopped them. They ran the ball up the middle at will. Over 300 yards rushing! Dawgs just too big and strong up the middle on both sides of the ball. Let’s not make excuses. They beat us in a competitive game. True we had a chance at the end and may have pulled it out if Demarius caught the ball. But he didn’t and Georgia deserved to win.
Changing the subject, I actually have more questions about CMR AFTER the win. Why didn’t he scap that giveaway offense he lost with all year and scheme like he did at Tech? The pro-style only works with a reliable QB, which Joe is not.
Sautee Dawg
December 1st, 2009
8:08 am
Order your UGA- Ga. Tech Rings now.
One side of the ring has an inscription of Washaun Ealey running the ball, the other side has an inscription of Paul Johnson throwing the ball.
Dawgfan
December 1st, 2009
8:16 am
Ed.to your question, I don’t think the same game we played against GT would work against most SEC teams..they have Def tackles and linebackers that are bigger and aren’t going to give up yards that easily..we also stared the season with Samuels who really didn’t have RB insticts..
Simple Simon
December 1st, 2009
8:18 am
On Monday Kirk Herbstreit commented that the ACC Champ game “is totally irrelevant now with both schools losing to mediocre schools and it will only have mid level interest in the homestate of each.” Atlanta ( downtown ) and Greenville SEC tv sets will be tuned to the game played in front of 18,000 fans put in there by the waffle house execs all tech grads. Over easy on those greasy eggs, please.
hahahah
gooooooooooooooo Dawgs
Get a grip Hilarious!
December 1st, 2009
8:19 am
hilarious your comments are so funny… how can a team be obsessed with a team that they have totally dominated… you are a second rate football team… you dished it out for 365 days when you won last year ( no let me correct myself georgia lost- cause you didnt win that game it was given to you… and you won by 3pts… ) and yes we won this game by 6pts; but, if you watched this game they left at the minimum 14pts out there: 2td passes clearly dropped with the widereceiver streaking down the field… tech flat please spare me… and you had a week off to play the worst georgia team in 25yrs… come here and let me slap you back into reality… oh wait there goes ealey and king again… your high school offense will only get you so far- you had a good year in a watered down acc- fsu down… wake down… miami up and down— oh wait they kicked your a@#$… oh well you get the idea… enjoy your little championship game and good luck…that offense is a dog and pony show that compensate’s for your shortcoming’s which are many…LOL… and the thing about i am a georgia southern alum and i went there when pj was coaching and leading us to the national championships– great… the offense compensated for lack of size when we couldnt recruit… he is going to set your school back yrs recruitng all then 258lb offensive tackle’s…oh and enjoy 365 days of eating crow!!! 30-24 and 8 out of 9yrs and total domination… ” who owns who “
JB
December 1st, 2009
8:27 am
Our worst team in over a decade comes off one of our worst losses in a decade. Said squad goes TO Tech and beats one of their best teams in a decade and all the bulk of them can come up with is lame excuses. Funny!
BTW, I doubt we put the score on some jewelry. Even though we DO consider winning that game to be important.
HBTD!!!
Dooley's Cardiologist
December 1st, 2009
8:31 am
this game meant everything to tech…..
I forgot; what conference championship will you be playing in? What BCS game will you be playing in??? If that game meant everything to any team it was UGA. If they drop that game, then there is a strong possibility they have a losing season. It is funny to watch you squirm, even after you won. Run along puppies, the kiddy game is down the street… Us grownups are talkin.
jacket3
December 1st, 2009
8:32 am
Well – this next year is going to be very interesting….there is a real fire in the belly of Georgia Tech now. I hope Georgia does real well next year…..because now we have a real game to watch. Not like in years past – of course they are always exciting…but maybe we end up swapping wins on each others turf for a while..If all our kids come back next year then we stand a good chance of returning the favor.
Cudos to #2 Boykin – he certainly contributed all over the field on Defense and I wish we had him. Classy young man.
That said – why did CMR wait till the last game of the season to install a terrific running game- those kids sat there all season long. If the game plan was changed earlier – Georgia might have just been playing Alabama or Florida for the SEC cup.
Please Help Us Evans
December 1st, 2009
8:32 am
I am very excited for the win but this was not a complete game. Willie still failed to make any adjustments in the second half again making our highly talented players look like crap because he doesn’t have the ability to change anything! If it works great but teams make half time adjustments unlike us! I don’t think Willie changes anything because he plans the first half because he isn’t smart enough to plan two half’s of football in the SEC. In the first half our D allowed “3″ points, anyone remember the second half number? “21″ Willie has got to go and if CMR won’t do it Evans needs to step up and show us fans he will do his job!!!!
JB
December 1st, 2009
8:34 am
Maybe because it was one of the few times that he knew he could run it down the throat of a weak D? One doesn’t get that opportunity on the SEC. You, on the other hand, have a weak D. Is what it is.
HBTD!!!
SEARCHING
December 1st, 2009
8:38 am
I’m still searching for UGAY in the college football polls. Can one of you UGAY fans help me locate them in ANY poll?
Upon further review: Georgia-Georgia Tech. I’m still in savoring mode, thanks. « Get The Picture
December 1st, 2009
8:42 am
[...] off, I love this quote from Mark Richt. – A caller said Tech coach Paul Johnson downplayed the importance of the Georgia game early [...]
jacket3
December 1st, 2009
8:42 am
Hell yes we have a weak defense…known that all season long and CMR exploited it to a T. That will be fixed, I guarantee you.
The Other St. Simons
December 1st, 2009
8:43 am
Wait!!! Willie gameplanned and beat possibly the BEST OFFENSIVE MIND OF ALL TIMES, PAUL JOHNSON. We have to keep him!
Wait…no, he just beat a gimmicky HS offense. See ya Willie.
(((((((((((((30-24)))))))))))))))) Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
inside source
December 1st, 2009
8:45 am
I have an inside source that told me this morning that kirby smart is coming to UGA after the SEC championship game. They already have the deal worked out and are just waiting until after the game to announce.
JB
December 1st, 2009
8:48 am
Searching, I guess we should either BE ranked or maybe Yech was over rated… Ya think?
Jacket – If you say so. You will probably lose your best DL. I don’t know what you see in what’s left that will turn things around, not to mention your DC, but we look forward to running the ball against you, again and again and again. Our entire OL, RB’s and AJ Green, come back.
HBTD!!!
JB
December 1st, 2009
8:49 am
Inside Source – I heard the same, back in Sept. Not with the specificty of it being after the SECCG, though. I like it.
HBTD!!!
SHOCKED
December 1st, 2009
8:53 am
Is anyone shocked that UGAY is NOT listed in any football polls? Oh,,,wait Tennessee,,,Kentucky kicks their butt. UGAY barely gets by GT and of course this defines their season,,,so UGAY fans think this is GREAT,,,even though you will never find this UGAY team in any college football poll. Ending season records UGAY 7-6,,,GT 12-2!!!
JB
December 1st, 2009
8:56 am
Yeah, we’d have much rather lost. Ya know, cause this game isn’t all that important to us.
Run along now.
DawginLex
December 1st, 2009
8:58 am
hey thwg,
I understand that the institute has hired several UGA agriculture specialists to look into the situation with the turf at the Joke by Coke. It seems there is a 6-8 inch track in the middle of the field running from one end zone to the other that was created Saturday night. The size of the prints that created the track match perfectly to the shoe size of Ealey and Caleb King.
Preliminary reports indicate that overuse of the field in the same direction was the cause. (You know back and forth and back and forth)
Final report to be issued in December.
UGA Agriculture Specialist
December 1st, 2009
9:04 am
DoginSex,,,watch what you say!!! We work for a GT graduate he owns the company!!!
Old Dog
December 1st, 2009
9:05 am
I know this post is pointless, but here goes. Georgia lost last year to Tech. We lost, we got beat, we lost. Tech lost last year to Georgia, they got beat, they lost. That is all there was to it. A great deal of hatred beat Ga & Tech got started up right here on these blogs. I always pulled for Tech to win, except against Georgia, until I read these posts this last year. I am 61 years old and have always done this till last year. I would hope that some of the Georgia people that post, quit doing it in the classless manner that ONLY A FEW of the Tech people did last year. It was not the whole Tech Nation, just a few people using multiple names. Let’s get back to showing some class. We are used to winning and need to start acting like it. When you get beat, you take it, reguardless of how you think it happened. You don’t continue to taunt the other team all year. Some of the best people that I have ever known were Tech and Clemson people and years ago after games, we had a gathering at whatever location we played. It was tough when you lost, but no one taunted you. It would go on to 11:00 or 12:00pm at night and a cross word was never passed. Remember, you may be the one that loses the game next year. I know that no one cares about this post, but that is the way it should be.
HBTD
December 1st, 2009
9:09 am
Dooley’s Cardiologist
December 1st, 2009
8:31 am
this game meant everything to tech…..
DC.
NO SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME OR BCS BOWL GAME FOR THE DAWGS THIS YEAR. DOES SEEM STRANGE SINCE WE’VE PLAYED IN BOTH SO MANY TIMES THIS DECADE. WE’VE GOT A FAIRLY YOUNG TEAM THIS YEAR THAT’S GONE THROUGH SOME GROWING PAINS AND ITS BEEN FRUSTRATING FOR ALL, BUT IT WAS A LOT OF FUN SATURDAY WATCHING ALL OUR YOUNG GUYS BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THE NERDS AND GETTING THE STATE OF FOOTBALL BACK IN ORDER. AFTER YOU NERDS GOT YOUR ONCE IN A DECADE WIN LAST YEAR AND STARTED TALKING ALL THAT SMACK, IT’LL BE VERY SATISFYING REMINDING YOU AND ALL THE OTHER NERDS OF IT EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT YEAR!! GO DAWGS!!!
JB
December 1st, 2009
9:09 am
Old Dog – For what it’s worth, I don’t taunt the Tech fans I know. Just these diots, who say this foolish stuff, here.
They deserve it.
HBTD!!!
Great Point
December 1st, 2009
9:10 am
Old Dog,great point. However, these classless people you’re referring to are trailer park trash!!! They couldn’t point out Georgia on a map much less Athens.
gatorman
December 1st, 2009
9:14 am
thwg, I believe that you changed your name from St. Simons; you are just like the rest of the ACC; weak. We (SEC) destroyed any chances of a ACC top finish and I can’t wait to see how many nerds show up in Tampa. One bus will be able to handle all of your fans and I bet the BCS bowl that your weak conference is tied in with is praying that Clemson wins because at least they travel to bowls.
gatorman
December 1st, 2009
9:16 am
It amazes me that people like SHOCKED can actually celebrate their record. YOU LOST HEAD TO HEAD AT HOME YOU FOOL!!!
G-E-O-R-G-I-A
December 1st, 2009
9:29 am
SEARCHING and SHOCKED – you are checking the wrong poll…check the state of Georgia poll where you are at least 2nd…possibly 3rd…no wonder you are SHOCKED and SEARCHING for why your coach left highschool coaching.
Nick Papagorgio
December 1st, 2009
9:30 am
Yes, I know. The game wasn’t important to UGA. It’s not like the players doused the coach with powerade. Just admit it. It’s important. Congratulations on the win.
Dawg Tired
December 1st, 2009
9:30 am
Georgia didn’t wait until the last game of the season to install a great running attack. Tech’s defense sucks. Georgia could not run the ball like that against Tenn., Florida, or LSU. I can’t believe that Martinez is the only DC in the state catching real heat right now.
Sterling Smith
December 1st, 2009
9:31 am
thwg sure has a short memory. He does all the “if-only” and “almsot” and “just abouts”… I wonder why he doesn’t apply that to last years game? Losers can always come up with reasons they should have won. Sure, Tech will go to a better bowl that UGA, they play in a cream-puff conference. This past week showed what a STRONG conference they are. They had 3 games against the SEC and lost them all.
GT fans, like thwg and Saint Simons need to realize just because they have one good game or season doesn’t mean they’re a great team. Hawaii was the same…. Had a good record and thought they were a great team. NOT!
Let’s see how many 10 win seasons ina row they have. How many bowl games they win in a row (How’d that work last year GT?) and how long it’ll take them to beat UGA 3 or 4 years in a row. Winning 1 in 9 isn’t a very good record.
415 yards of a$$whooping!!!
December 1st, 2009
9:31 am
Sounds like Willie is sticking around. I’m not upset with that. Without the offense gift-wrapping the ball for the opponents on our own side of the field all this year, we’d have a few more wins. Not Willie’s fault
JB
December 1st, 2009
9:32 am
Nick, we completely agree that it’s important to us. It wasn’t our coach who said it wasn’t but yet, last year, put the score of said unimportant game on a ring.
HBTD!!!
D
December 1st, 2009
9:33 am
I think it’s hilarious how all these Tech nerds are now acting like the Georgia game wasn’t that big a deal anyway. If they’d won, they’d be everywhere running their nerdy mouths! But of course, they comment about anything OTHER than this game. Sorry geeks, but going 10-2 in the ACC has proven to mean ZERO. When the top two teams in your conference get easily handled by two of the mediocre teams this year in the SEC, that says it all! We’ve heard you talk trash all year, and especially this season, and now it’s our turn!
Keep on crying nerds!!!
December 1st, 2009
9:35 am
Buzz,
Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure buddy. Yech REALLY didn’t want that win as badly as UGA. You seem to forget, UGA is the team that’s a quarter century up in the head-to-head contest, so if anybody wanted that win more, it’s the tools from the Trade School with BCS dreams. But please, keep posting your pathetic excuses. I can’t stop laughing!!!!
Tech fans have pen!s envy!
December 1st, 2009
9:35 am
HA HA HA HA HA WE OWN TECH!
You all can talk about your 10-2 record. Everyone in the country knows that it came against a VERY SOFT ACC schedule!! The ACC is a national joke, much like Georgia Tech!
30-24
8 out of 9
60-37 all-time
I didnt think the Tech game mattered to UGA
December 1st, 2009
9:36 am
I guess Bill King is a moron… who would have thunk it?
Tech fans have pen!s envy!
December 1st, 2009
9:37 am
Hey SHOCKED, don’t get too ahead of yourself…I see 10-4 in your near future…
Kentucky is the DADDY
December 1st, 2009
9:41 am
Gatorman,,,appears to me that KENTUCKY of all teams is UGAY’s DADDY!!! LOST to them HEAD TO HEAD AT HOME!!! YOU’RE THE FOOL!!!
Ginger
December 1st, 2009
9:45 am
Something very telling in those comments–Richt talking about Bryan Evans and saying “He was a little taken aback by my attitude”…Here is a major problem…..Evans was not respecting authority…Richt said at Half time…no smiling until it is zero zero on the clock…Now I take that to mean no smiling until zero zero….so Evans and some other players decided to dump powerade on the Coach…and CMR was right to show anger….Players not respecting the word of the coach…Evans has made a lot of stupid stupid mistakes and penalties this year…Maybe the whole problem was that He did not respect authority…undisciplined person does undisciplined things on the field……..So Coach Richt—-learn from this….make sure you teach UGA players to respect authority and sometimes the only way to do it —is to show anger. Kids can be hard headed if you are too nice and think that you don’t mean stuff….show a little more anger and show them that you mean things…Being nice and compassionate is good…But you have to be strict at times or they will run all over you.
JB
December 1st, 2009
9:47 am
Ky – One win does not make you anyone’s “DADDY”? Sheesh!
HBTD!!!
Mike (original formula)
December 1st, 2009
9:49 am
I feel no pity for any of you tech fans. There have been several of you get on here and ask where UGA is in the poles. We are not anywhere near your ranking (which is still overrated). However, we did beat you in YOUR HOUSE. That should be embarassment enough. And I believe it was SHOCKED who said something about this win defining our season. Well SHOCKED, last time I checked we didn’t have any plans to have rings made to celebrate beating tech for the first time in eight years. You guys lived in the glory that was a three point win last year, so prepare to have the favor returned.