Read all about it: UCF 10, UGA 6
A roundup of the AJC’s coverage of Georgia’s loss to Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl:
My game story on another sobering loss in a lost season:
MEMPHIS — Georgia’s football season ended as it began. Badly. Very badly.
The Bulldogs, who started the season by losing four of their first five games, lost their finale here Friday, falling to Central Florida 10-6 in the Liberty Bowl.
The loss — to a Conference USA team that had never before won a bowl game — dropped Georgia’s record to 6-7, giving the Bulldogs their first losing season in 14 years and punctuating a dismal year on and off the field for the UGA program.
“It’s embarrassing to be part of a losing season. It absolutely is,” said kicker Blair Walsh, whose two field goals accounted for all the points the Bulldogs could muster against Central Florida.
Jeff Schultz’s column, which asks if Georgia’s coach can fix his broken program:
MEMPHIS – Mark Richt says he is disappointed. He says he has to make changes. He says the Georgia football program is not where it needs to be, and when a once-respectable SEC program ends its season by failing to score a touchdown against a team from Conference USA, nobody is going to dispute that.
Here’s the only matter up for debate: Does anybody believe Mark Richt can still get it done?
My notebook, including items on Aaron Murray’s gloves, Richt’s decision to settle for a field goal on 4th-and-1 from the UCF 3-yard line and this:
Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green, widely expected to enter the 2011 NFL draft, wasn’t ready to declare his intentions after the Liberty Bowl.
“Not right now because I’m not clear-minded,” he said. “I’m just going to give it a couple of days, let it pass through, and go from there.”
And a photo gallery from the game, including this shot of the post-game handshake between Richt and UCF coach (and former Georgia Tech coach) George O’Leary:
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490 comments Add your comment
NOBODYYOUKNOW
January 1st, 2011
9:02 am
There’s too much fan base and funds comming into the UGA program to put up with this for long. I’m no die hard UGA fan but that program represents the state of Ga. in football. All ways has and all ways will. Everything will quiet down now that the season is over. But guys we don’t know whats going on behind closed doors. I would’nt be surprised to see a coaching change. But it better be soon the recruiting wars have already started and I can assure you the rivals will use these problems against UGA. UGA will be back. But who knows when?
dawggone
January 1st, 2011
9:02 am
Oliar has that “I beat your 5 star recruits” grin on his face…
dawggone
January 1st, 2011
9:03 am
Is Richt looking at Oleary’s package????/
Derick Richards
January 1st, 2011
9:06 am
AS I told my wife in the closing two minutes of the game, “This team’s character will show,” and it certainly did — as I expected. These games were lost back in the summer of 2010 when players showed they had more important things to do than get their mind set on a football season. Other schools’ players were working harder than were the Georgia Bulldogs and it showed on the field. I may be pushing 60 years of age, but some things about the game have never changed and the commitment level to become a team is one of those things. This team had no character — at least no good character. It falls to the coaches and the trickle down to senior leadership. One of your readers has asked the question of Mark Richt’s statements which went something like this: “there are reasons for why we finished as we did, and we’re going to correct them.” “What were the reasons and how are you going to correct them?” Those answers I’d like to know.
georgia87
January 1st, 2011
9:08 am
We had a Georgia player over on Christmas Eve, and upperclassman. I asked him about Central Florida. He said that they had watched film and that they were not very good. He said we would destroy them. After he left, I told my wife that we would lose. I think Coach Richt has lost the ability to put the fire in the belly of these kids to win. If I am correct, we didn’t even use our allotment of 15 practices. Apparently, we didn’t need to. We saw nothing new on offense last night at all, after a month of preparation. Coach didn’t even have a plan to deal with the extra 35 minutes before kickoff, though we have started slow and lost games because of it all year. (According to what he told Chuck Dowdle). I just think that he has lost the desire to put all his energy into it.
I don’t blame him. College football coaching demands every minute. It takes away from your family and having a regular life. That is the reason you get $3 million a year. But I do blame him if he won’t do the job and still takes the $3 million.
Central Florida called it their Super Bowl. Our kids thought we would win easily because we were in the SEC, despite our 6-6 record. Who outcoached who?
Snake Doc
January 1st, 2011
9:12 am
To all you brain dead morons who continue to pine for LeMay to come in and be the savior of UGA football and MR – LeMay will have not played in a year, his senior season in H.S.. What makes you think he can come in and play as a true freshman at a major college level?
Some of you morons continually show how truly stupid you are for even thinking LeMay can just come in and save us all! Plus, he is suspended for some type sexual offense. Of course to you morons, a pervert and deviant is just the type of player MR recruits and who you can’t wait to be your football god.
What does that say about your intellect and your character? You boneheads lack the intelligence to evaluate which is better a Big Mac or Whopper let alone evaluate football talent or character.
Dawg Man
January 1st, 2011
9:19 am
With all these super recruits we have coming in, uga will be National Champs the next 5 straight years–bet our opponents are trembling, look to see some forfeit rather than be run off the field by the dawgs!!!!
Mike Singletary
January 1st, 2011
9:21 am
I will be the next coach at UGA.
Big Dawg 97
January 1st, 2011
9:21 am
Snake Doc, but with that said we are in trouble if Murray is the future. He has very little upside and would regress next year not having the best wideout in college football to throw to.
Haggerty
January 1st, 2011
9:22 am
Man, we really need a new head coach! And NOW!
Haggerty
January 1st, 2011
9:24 am
I would love to see what O’Leary could do with the talent at UGA.
Marv
January 1st, 2011
9:25 am
The problem is UGA does not KNOW how to win. Look at Bama and UF, two programs that only settle for the best. Until UGA can start thinking in this mode its just going to be same old, same old. Richt is BURNED OUT, he is more concerned about his assistant coaches ( Martinez & Bobo) than putting winning first. I have heard about how unfair it is to coach at places like Valdosta, Buford, Camden County because they only care about winning, but is that not what you play for and winning it all should be the ultimate goal.
Samuel L. Jackson
January 1st, 2011
9:26 am
@Mike Singletary
Come on board. At least you would bring the passion and discipline this team has been lacking.
Snoop Dawg
January 1st, 2011
9:28 am
What do you folks expect? You have been slobbering all over da Preacha Man Markt Wrecked ever since he pulled into town on the Marlboro Horse. Great logo, that Richt! Oh, doesn’t he represent UGA well?!? Well, he was a faker, a total imposter from day one. You were so in love with the football CEO that you didn’t mind paying him and his Water Girrrl about $30 million over the past ten years when all the perks are calculated in. What did you get? He looked good while he ran Donnan’s gas tank dry. Hired on all his incompetent buddies. Look in the mirror. When intelligent and caring alumni wanted him replaced, all everyone heard about was a bunch of drivel about what a nice man he is, a Christian man! Now Richt and the Water Girrrrl have so much money they couldn’t care less. They have a full time accountant just looking over their estate for them. It will take years to rebuild the UGA football program, and in this day and age it remains to be seen if the idioitic UGA administration has the brains or desire to do this.
Let’s say Richt fires Bobo, Searles, maybe Garner tomorrow. What quality coach in his right mind would sign on to a coaching staff with Richt in the Captain’s chair? Answer: Nobody, except second rate types looking for a way to meet a mortgage. Word has been out for some time in the coaching community about Richt. Actually, he was known to be what he was before we ever hired him. Why else do you think he spent 15 years on the FSU staff. Tallahassee is not that fun of a place to live, folks.
The big bucks will dry up fast now that the balance on Richt has shifted. We will go one of two ways: We will either hire some flash in the pan assistant with UGA football mafia ties like Smart, or we will have the best in the business hire the best PROVEN HEAD COACH in the country come to Athens from a wheelbarrow full of UGA money and give him a blank check with which to hire a staff. If we take route number one, be prepared to watch a continuation of the status quo. If a miracle happens and we see option number two, then we will win a NC within three years and the revenues generated from success will dwarf the salaries we paid for some real quality coaches who know how to recruit and train and plan for a gaime and motivate and discipline players.
Folks, you are in charge. What are you going to do?
DawgForLife
January 1st, 2011
9:29 am
Hey I like the idea of Singletary at Georgia. As long as he doesn’t keep bobo on the staff!
Dawgaholic30286
January 1st, 2011
9:32 am
I’ve been a UGA season ticket holder for 35 years and have seen a lot of good and bad games, players and coaches….Last nights game reminds me of Donnan’s homecoming loss to Vanderbilt…the team quit on the coach….because the coach didn’t believe in the team….Proof? On 4th and 1 after a 95+- yard drive in the 1st quarter against a team UGA should manhandle, Richt threw in the towel and kicked a field goal……That set the tone for the game………which was the whole season wrapped in one game……….bad blocking, bad tackling, bad play calling, bad coaching…After all that, 6 points for UGA was about right…The talent is there, they just are not well coached…..and lastly, anyone who thinks Todd Grantham will EVER put a real defense on the field of Sanford Stadium is either a lunatic or a crack head or Coach Mark Richt.
cg
January 1st, 2011
9:32 am
If Caleb King had been a responsible person and was able to play, they would have made a first down on 3rd and 1, UGA would have gotten a touchdown and won the game and everyone would have been saying we have turned the corner. He is the loser and such a highly touted recruit let this team down more than once this year. Simple as that.
Mike Singletary
January 1st, 2011
9:33 am
I wasn’t quite right for NFL coaching, since NFL coaches are stoic, but I would fit in perfectly as a college coach
Mike Singletary
January 1st, 2011
9:35 am
I’ll fire Grantham and coach the defense myself; believe me, I KNOW DEFENSE!
UgaVII
January 1st, 2011
9:39 am
I’m following in my predecessors’ pawprints and taking the easy way of this mess.
Someone pass the barkbitchuates.
SugarHillDawg
January 1st, 2011
9:40 am
cg, ck ain’t no difference maker.Weak post dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Barry Gibb
January 1st, 2011
9:43 am
“We have to make some changes. We have to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future. Now when I say change, I don’t necessarily mean personnel or anything like that. I don’t want to light a fire.” – Mark Richt after the defeat to UCF
This is exactly why we are 6-7 this year.
cg
January 1st, 2011
9:44 am
He would have gotten one yard, which would have been a first down. Game changer right there.
vannie
January 1st, 2011
9:48 am
The players throw themselves under the bus. Don’t blame the coaches for players’ bad behavior. Blame the coaches for poor coaching.
cg
January 1st, 2011
9:50 am
You people are so simple minded you have only one solution — fire the coach. If these players get to this level and aren’t self motiviated then they don’t deserve to play on this level. I”m sure they weren’t recruited with the idea that they would have to be followed 24/7 to be sure they are meeting their off-field obligations, and that they would have a fire lit under them to play their best in a bowl game…or any game. These posts don’t say much for your UGA education, if you even got one.
Hobnail Boot
January 1st, 2011
9:51 am
I am sick of this crap. I will keep my season tickets but will be putting them on Stub Hub until we make changes. I am so sick of spending hundreds of dollars at tailgate every week only to come home in a bad mood. I have always supported CMR but I too have changed my mind about him. I think he needs to step down. We need a fresh start with someone that has some emotion. He looks depressed on the sidelines. UF got our coach and imagine what he will do with all of that talent.
atltiger15
January 1st, 2011
9:52 am
If Fla hires Weiss to run the pro style offense and recruit drop back passers and elite WR’s like he did at Notre Dame, Fla may continue to dominate SEC East for years. We all know the Defense will be good with Muschamp throwing his nose in their regardless who the D coordinator is. Florida is also close to hiring former Miami WR’s/Recruiting coordinator Aubrey Hill. Fla appears to be building a new machine that excellent recruiters. Not a FLA fan here, but UGA beter make changes because everyone else is, at least the teams that need to that is
Pago Pago Dawg
January 1st, 2011
9:54 am
The DAWGS drive the length of the field and can’t go for 4th and 1?
That was the game….
And actually, what coach is out there wanting to come to UGA!
Barry Gibb
January 1st, 2011
10:00 am
atltiger15 – you are absolutely right.
We could have hired Muschamp, but failed to do it. There is no imagination in Athens–except in the music scene. Maybe we should hire Michael Stipe as Athletic Director!
UGA's finest
January 1st, 2011
10:01 am
Repeat after me…….”Do you want the value size?” “is that with or without cheese?” “Pull up to the next window to pay” “Do you need condoms?” Oops…..I meant condiments.
chainz
January 1st, 2011
10:02 am
Call Mayflower, someone needs to get ta packing…..he needs to go to Tech…where winning is not expected……
cg
January 1st, 2011
10:04 am
They didn’t make it on 3rd and 1. Why would you think they would have made it on 4th and 1?
Ernest T Bass
January 1st, 2011
10:06 am
I almost feel sorry for you guys but then……….not so much. You’re still the best 6-7 team in the state so hold your head high. How Bout them Dawgs!
Mark Richt won with Donnan players and BVG
January 1st, 2011
10:13 am
Im so sick and stilll in a daze because Ive been told that CMR would turn this program around. Instead I have been right again that Mark Richt won with Donnan players and BVG.
Big Al
January 1st, 2011
10:16 am
Great Balls of Fire!!! Richt does not appear to have any fire left in his belly. I could not believe we kicked a field goal with only inches to go for a first down on the first possession of the game. What message did that send to the players? We gonna find out what our new athletic director is made of. Is he going to continue to put up with this crap?
Hip Hop Dancing Sanford Dawg
January 1st, 2011
10:20 am
We Be ALL DA WAY TURNT UP…. ALL DA WAY TURNT UP…. NOT…..
NoFKNdog
January 1st, 2011
10:23 am
Well, well. My point has been proven. I have posted numerous times regarding that fuga could win every game and championship known to man until the world ends. But the greatest trait of all fuga fans and anything associated with fuag is that you all SUCK. It matters not that you slam Jacket fans,et al. You will alays SUCK. Post another photo of the Skipper. If I was a dog fan I would know I SUCK.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
NGADAWG
January 1st, 2011
10:24 am
All the guys complaining about Grantham and the defense must not have watched the same game I did. When you give up 10 points with the only td coming in the 4th qtr, you should win.. Change must come on the offense side!!!! I am tired of seeing the same plays week in and week out. NO MORE SCREEN PASSESS!!!!!!!!!!! Bobo can not make in game adjustments. UCF’s D did the same thing all game long and we did not change..Clean house on the O side of the ball. 3 weeks to prepare for a game and we looked like UGA Dawg Poo.. Changes must come now or bye CMR.
6 points and a cloud of Bobo
January 1st, 2011
10:27 am
Bobo and Grantham both need walking papers.
saban
January 1st, 2011
10:28 am
Doesn`t look like Georgia belonged on the same field with CENTRAL FLORIDA.
No wonder the little UGA`S did UGA VIII in and removed his manhood.
DAWGS deserve a girlid DAWG as a mascot.
Chris
January 1st, 2011
10:31 am
Is there anyone on here that would like to say that we will loose recruits if Richt is fired??? They’re already gone! Who the helll wants to play for a sorry team with no passion on or off the field, loaded with a bunch of ignorant players that give maybe 50% of their ability, and a school and athletic department that doesn’t give a darn about the state of the football program.
That is exactly how Georgia looks to any recruit. FIRE RICHT NOW!!!! Why do we have to go through another year of this. Nothing will get better.
Here’s looking forward to 2012!
Mark's Rectum
January 1st, 2011
10:31 am
Only a fool would sign with uga, where 5 star football players go to die!
georgiadawgg
January 1st, 2011
10:34 am
it is time for the thugs to go back to prison, now that the season is over. reverand richt can go back to saving souls.
Old Tiger Fan
January 1st, 2011
10:35 am
This old Tiger Fan will give you Dabo Sweeny, Clemson Head Coach, for Mark Richt. Then we can fire them both.
BreakingNews
January 1st, 2011
10:37 am
still@thebar: do the world a favor and go play frogger on I-75
MikeP
January 1st, 2011
10:37 am
Look at it this way: UGA now gets to embarrass the SEC in two consecutive games….the Loss to the Lightweights last night and a Beatdown by Boise to open next season. Way to go, DullDawgs!
Hobnailbooty
January 1st, 2011
10:42 am
6 points and no touchdowns against a CUSA team. WOW…. As a long time season ticket holder (since the late 50’s) I am at a loss for what is going on in Athens. No more tailgating (thanks Adams) losing games= noon kickoffs thus no fun in Athens – just ask the local businesses how they did on football Saturdays. This is an absolute train wreck and with the hartman fund due in 6 weeks it will be very interesting to see the results. If you all remember before the 2008 season and theh #1 ranking (which was a joke in retrospect) it cost $10k just for the priviledge of purchasing tickets. The 2010 entry point was just over $2k. What do you think the entry point will be this year?? I bet $0… When I started getting season tickets they couldn’t sell out the games – I bet that happens again this year and if so it is bye bye Richt. Adams can go as well. McGarrity good luck with this train wreck. With next years schedule anything less than 10-2 is unacceptable. To me 8-5 is no improvement because there is no reason to be 6-7. PATHETIC and players you are to blame as well.. how does it feel to be 8-5 and 6-7. I am on the fence for getting tickets next year as it has become a pain in the a$$ to go to the games and watch us lose and be home by 6 on Saturday. I would rather watch the games on TV. That said GO DAWGS always
steve
January 1st, 2011
10:42 am
NoFKNdog, well said about uga fans. LOL. Damn, I love it so much I am adding it to my email signature.
GatorNation
January 1st, 2011
10:44 am
Florida runs this loser state.
LakeDawg
January 1st, 2011
10:53 am
Any truth to the rumor that Richt is gone by Sunday?