Richt: ‘We’ve got to look within, starting with me, as to the things that have kept us’ from success
For a complete roundup of the AJC’s coverage of Georgia’s loss to Mississippi State, please click here.
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Partial transcript of Mark Richt’s news conference following Saturday night’s 24-12 loss to Mississippi State:
Opening comments: “We’re definitely in a position that I’ve never been in as a player or a coach. . . . It’s certainly not a good place to be, but we are where we are. We’ve got to stay together, and I’ve seen no signs of change in my mindset that we’re a close-knit family. But we’ve also got to look within, starting with me, as to the things that have kept us from having the success that we want. That’s what we’re going to do.” (Later, asked for specifics, Richt said: “I’m not going to say anything right now, because I’m not sure. I need time to watch and reflect.”)
“I want to congratulate Coach Mullen and Mississippi State on the great job they did. They came out ready to play. They played hard, and they did what they had to do to win the game. Their fans did a wonderful job of supporting them.”
On Georgia’s lack of scoring: “We had a turnover inside the red zone and a penalty on a touchdown that got called back, so that’s at least one touchdown and possibly two touchdowns right there that got taken away.”
On where the team is: “If you go by watching film down by down, you’d say we’re not as far off as some people might think, but if you look at the record, then we are pretty far off of where we want to be.”
On Mississippi State’s defense: “They were blitzing a lot and out-numbering the running game and trying to pressure the quarterback. They were blitzing the quarterback a lot because he was a freshman, but they blitz a lot anyway, period. My guess is that there were a higher percentage than most of their games. At times we just called running plays blindly. We were going to run the play no matter what, and there were times where we had success and times where we got hit in the mouth.”
On being 0-3 in the SEC: “I never would’ve predicted it, but that’s where we’re at.”
On Mississippi State’s opening touchdown: “You’d like to get a stop and get points on the board yourself. It’s a 60-minute football game, though, so it wasn’t the difference in the ballgame. It was good for Mississippi State to build momentum, but we didn’t feel like that had a tremendous effect on the football game.”
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727 comments Add your comment
RECRUITING IS LOST
September 27th, 2010
11:11 am
the season has been destroyed and all of the decent commits will probably decommit now we will be battling ga state for prospects by the end of the year.
Shankit
September 27th, 2010
11:16 am
Does Gainesville and Tuscaloosa have an AJC?
Surely, the players and coaches read all this
crap that the Dawg fans are saying and have
been set up by the AJC. It would be hard to have
any passion to coach, play and win reading all this crap.
vol4ever
September 27th, 2010
11:25 am
I believe you guys are exactly like we were at the end of Fulmer days. Right before the ax falls he would pull out an 8-4 season and everyone would say how can we fire him at 8-4 ? That will eventually get you to 5-7 believe me I know. With the talent you guys have recruited there should be no excuses. Just like Tennessee weve got the resources and the fans therefore no excuses. Would your boss pay you for a sub par job for 4 years. NO WAY just sayin.
Dr. Phil
September 27th, 2010
11:29 am
The main thing Richt needs to look at is himself. It’s in the Bible, Mark. Look it up.
Jim007
September 27th, 2010
11:32 am
Richt is nothing but a Mega Hyprocrite.
I guess he should be he, learned form the king ( Bowden ) at FSU
Suspends Ealey gets one game ?
The kid on Sunday with a DUI ( Baker ) gets kicked off the team.
I guess we have different rules at the Athens Correctional Facility ? ? ?
Adams & McGarity ( new AD ), I hope you two are paying attention to this
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2010
11:36 am
Does the wandering in the desert start now, or do the past 8 months count toward that?
Nashdawg
September 27th, 2010
11:45 am
Simple. Put on the headset coach,.
The Ref
September 27th, 2010
11:45 am
Dancing in the end zone should solve all of this.
Lord of the Swamp
September 27th, 2010
11:56 am
Excuse me please. Dont give me this crap about the Gators. We kicked Cam Newton off the team for steling a computer. He is now starting at Auburn. Chris Rainey is off our team. Yet Green stands on your sidelines like a hero. You people are sick.
UAB fan
September 27th, 2010
11:57 am
Hey vol4ever…… great win Saturday!
Saban OWNS you pathetic vowwwwwels (so will everyone else this year).
Buck Belue wears a toupee
September 27th, 2010
11:59 am
Every coach in the country wants this UGA job… you name ‘em we can get them…
Saban
Urban
Peterson
Gruden
Bill B.
the Bear
Bobby Bowden
Go dawgs 2030 nat’l champs!
vol4ever
September 27th, 2010
12:01 pm
Hey UAB fan why dont you tell me something we dont know already? We are down but atleast we have a tradition to be down from you moron.
vol4ever
September 27th, 2010
12:02 pm
Oh wait UAB fan your really Bama boy going under a different name after i B*tch slapped you
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2010
12:06 pm
“Richt: ‘We’ve got to look within, starting with me, as to the things that have kept us’ from success”
No need to go any further than the “me” part of that statement.
Golden Dawgs
September 27th, 2010
12:10 pm
Keep The Faith.
IF we beat TENNESSEE and FLORIDA, all will be forgiven.
JUST BEAT FLORDIA. And you’re the toast of the town.
This is what we have to play for:
An eight game winning streak. In January, we’ll be 9-3 Overall and 5-3 in the SEC.
We’ve got two pushovers (Vandy, Kentucky) and two mountains (FL and Auburn) and one toss-up (TN) left to play in the SEC.
In the SEC East,
South Carolina will loose atleast three more (Alabama/ Arkansas / Florida) and finish with four SEC loses. Auburn already beat em Saturday.
Tennessee will finish with four or five loses (Florida already beat them, as will LSU, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina).
So then, we’re second in the SEC East behind Florida. Florida will lose to Alabama, hopefully to LSU. So IF Georgia wins the balance of their games, beating FLORIDA. Both Georgia and Florida could have three SEC loses. The Head to Head Victory could amazingly put still GEORGIA into the SEC Championship game.
That’s just LIFE IN THE SEC.
Drew dawg
September 27th, 2010
12:11 pm
Something needs to happen I’m not sure what it is but it needs to happen NOW!
CrazyDawg
September 27th, 2010
12:31 pm
This article was written two weeks ago… Do you think Richt can win a title? Even now? http://pricezack.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/can-georgia-win-a-championship-with-mark-richt/
Wayne Jenkins
September 27th, 2010
12:33 pm
I am as disappointed as anyone in Dawg Nation. However, if you really want to fire Mark Richt, you’ll have to replace him with someone that is better than him. I’m not talking about better than him right now, but better than him for the next 10 years to come.
Any coach worthy of leading the Dawgs on the field and excelling in recruiting is already locked up (in the NCAA or NFL) and is making more than Richt’s $2M. Add to that, any qualified coach is already running a winning program. There is no incentive for a top coach to leave a great current job, to come to UGA.
Sure, we’re a storied and tradition-rich program, but imagine how we’ll look to the nation and all potential coaching candidates if we fire a coach who has 90-plus wins in 10 seasons. That makes the job seem like a position in which no one can succeed.
We need to fix the program inside-out. Richt will have to make tough choices–during this season and the offseason–to get the Dawgs back on track. Truth be told, we are still implementing changes he initiated this past offseason. Nobody expected us to be world beaters on defense with a completely new scheme.
Let’s stay the course with Richt. He has earned a little grace around here. Or, we could just be short-sighted, rash and impulsive. Worked out pretty good for Tennessee, huh?
Go Dawgs!!
gdawginkalamazoo
September 27th, 2010
12:39 pm
Golden Dawg, I fear the term “mathematically still in it” is not one to use with this team. Saturday night was a very good indication of it. 1 freaking TD in junk time against Miss State? Odds are we end up at 6-6 if we are lucky and I have no idea other than Idaho State who we could beat at this point. I would love to eat my words at the end of the season because I still love the dawgs but…..
HeHateGator
September 27th, 2010
1:29 pm
Yes, I hate the gators, but I hate so-called Georgia fans that accept mediocrity even worse…Richt was paid millions to not let this program get where its currently at…
'94 UGA Grad
September 27th, 2010
2:28 pm
Hey AJ,
Thanks for the 1-3 start. We’d be 3-1 if you hadn’t decided to sell your jersey. I hope it was worth it. Not that you care anyway since all you care about is $$$ and you’ll go on and make your millions in the NFL.
GT76
September 27th, 2010
5:34 pm
Wow, dawgfan says”lets stick with Richt”. I say let stick rick up dawgfan’s fanny! What a self important toooool!
GT76
September 27th, 2010
5:39 pm
@ Golden Dawgs:
“Keep The Faith. IF we beat TENNESSEE and FLORIDA, all will be forgiven.
JUST BEAT FLORDIA. And you’re the toast of the town.
Yea, if pigs could fly they would be eagles! do you beleive this guy? Lot of confidence “IF” we beat UT. Yea, if you beat UT you still in last place. Hey, wise up and go be a GSU fan!
Common Sense
September 27th, 2010
9:19 pm
For all you dummies posting to being back Donnan.
Dumbo Donnan lost too many to Tech, played favorites with his players (ala Q. Carter and Greer smoking weed all the time with no consequence), and was an all around nightmare with the Boosters.
Richt won 2 SEC’s and played for another.
No comparison.
Preston
September 27th, 2010
11:59 pm
Can’t remember who I noticed posting that Richt “has an amazing record at UGA”, but whoever you are, 90-31 isn’t amazing. 2 out of 3 ball games isn’t good enough for the talent pool that UGA draws. And losses to the likes of Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and now 2 to South Carolina are unacceptable. A few years ago his win percentage was great with a couple of SEC championships to boot. Since, he’s been terrible because he didn’t build on that success. He’s lost it. Nice while it lasted, but it’s over. You don’t rebuild after 10 years with the same coach. 10 years is a good run but he’s taken us as high as he’s going to take us. Plain and simple. BTW, crabapple is an idiot. Green isn’t overrated and the celebration penalty that was called in the LSU game last year was BS. Even the goons on ESPN knew it. Hate the refs (that eventually got suspended by the SEC) in that game, not AJ. He actually won that game for us if the refs hadn’t made that horrible mistake.
dawgfan_1977
September 28th, 2010
10:06 am
*drum roll* Annnnnnd the winner for “best at dodging questions and redirecting answers goes tooooooooooooooooo…….”
Austin Powers
September 28th, 2010
12:39 pm
Seems Mr Richt has lost his mojo.
Yeaaaaaaaa Baby