UGA’s Richt volleys ‘must-win’ questions, players defend their coach
Georgia coach Mark Richt found himself on the defensive for a brief time in Tuesday's press conference. (Photo provided by DawgTime.com)
ATHENS – Just three days after Georgia’s season-opening loss to Boise State, Georgia’s Mark Richt is already getting the type of questions reserved for November of a horrific season.
Twice Richt was asked during his weekly press conference Tuesday if he felt Saturday’s game was critically important to him as the Bulldogs’ head coach.
Phrased a different way by two different reporters three minutes apart, Richt gave the same terse answer.
In the first case, Richt was asked if he viewed the South Carolina game as “pivotal for you and your program.”
“I view it as a very important game,” he said, without further elaboration.
A short time later, a reporter from a South Carolina newspaper asked if Richt felt like it was “a must-win game.”
“Didn’t I just say it was a really important game?” Richt snapped back.
“But is it a must win?,” the reporter repeated.
“I think it’s a really important game,” Richt said, now glaring. “You want to ask me again? Because you can, and I’ll answer it the same way.”
And so the tone was set for this week’s SEC opener against No. 12 South Carolina (1-0) at Sanford Stadium on Saturday.
It could be argued that the game was already markedly more important than the opener against Boise State. But after the Bulldogs (0-1) fell 35-21 to the No. 4-ranked Broncos, the perception is that Richt’s job is on the line against the Gamecocks.
That’s certainly the message that Georgia’s players are getting. And they left little doubt Tuesday as to where they stand on the issue.
“We always try to play for Coach Richt, seeing how much he’s done for us,” said junior defensive end Abry Jones.
Said senior tight end Aron White: “I feel like we’re defending Coach Richt just like he defends us. We’re playing for him just like he’s coaching for us. We’re behind him 100 percent. I have complete confidence that all the players on this team are playing for Coach Richt, regardless of what we might agree with or not agree with. He’s still our coach, we’re still his players and we’re in this together. We have full support for him, We’re pulling for him, we’re playing for him, we’re doing everything we can.”
The fan reaction to the Bulldogs’ loss on social media platforms and blogs has been prolific and vitriolic. Likewise, it has been nearly impossible for players and coaches to avoid the negative feedback.
“I didn’t even check my Twitter account,” tight end Orson Charles said. “We know everybody we have in that team meeting room is all we have. If things are going right everybody’s going to jump on board. If they’re going wrong then that’s when things start breaking down. I just pray that the fans stay behind us. Yeah, we let them down in that first game. But I don’t see us letting them down the rest of the season. We just have to come out there and bounce back from this loss.”
Said White: “We catch a good bit of it, now more than ever. I remember coming in in ‘07 and they were coming off disappointing season and there were a lot of people saying a lot of crazy stuff back then. It just comes along with the territory. You have a bad season, you lose games and people are going to talk. You’ve just got to rise above it. You’ve got to tune it out and realize you’re playing for the guys in that locker room.”
Regardless, the players insist fan sentiment and negativity won’t have an effect on how they play against the Gamecocks. As always, it will come down to blocking, tackling and execution.
“We’re not trying to worry about that,” quarterback Aaron Murray said of the hot-seat talk. “We’re just taking it one game at a time. We just know it’s a big game just for ourselves, to get back rolling in the right direction, to get a win under our belts and to get a big win against a great opponent in an SEC game. It’s a huge game. We definitely don’t want to start 0-2 an you don’t want to start 0-1 in SEC play, especially against a team like South Carolina that’s predicted to win the East. We just want to get the ball rolling and get a big win this weekend.”
– Chip Towers
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813 comments Add your comment
kerryb
September 6th, 2011
8:38 pm
I don’t know why my comments are not being posted but it is irritating.
Tdawg
September 6th, 2011
8:39 pm
Castle Pines Corine crap if they want to hit someone, why not try hitting those guys standing right in front of them on game day? Shoot my old ares could shake the DB’s for 1/2 hour before they could get close enough to hit me.
kerryb I would agree with you, but with a bigger, faster defense, why weren’t we shutting down the Broncos like they were shutting us down? Somehow I truly think that the talent level of these kids were way over rated coming out of high school. The dawg are without a doubt the worst tackling team in the SEC. It ain’t even close. We have a QB that overthrows way to much, a 220 lb running back who tries to tip toe through the line of scrimmage, reciever’s who can’t catch the ball if their lives depended on it and a big ole fat offensive line that can’t move d-linemen out of the way that they out weight by 40 to 50 lbs. I saw only two bright spots for the dawgs, not counting the kicking game and that was Crowell and the Mitchell kid. The rest can ride the bench for all I care.
Gainsville Dawg, it’s not the fact that Boise State beat our dawgs, while it was disapointing to lose to them, it was more off the way we played than we simply lost. If you watched the same game that I watched then you saw a team that did not even remotely resemble a team that could compete for the SEC title, let alone the National Title. We looked like we did not even belong on the same field with Boise State. Taking nothing away from them, because they are a very good team, but no way should they have dominated us the way they did.
Just because I chastise our dawgs doesn’t mean that I am a banwagon jumper or what ever. A bandwagon jumper is a person who roots for the team of the moment. In other words a team that is doing very good. No, I will and have always pulled for the dawgs through thick and thin. However don’t expect me to get on here and sugar coat what I say and what I saw Sat. nite was dang right pathetic.
CHDawg
September 6th, 2011
8:41 pm
Flat tire, pretty funny, but you need to watch the tape again on a few of those issues. We tackled much better, and shut the run down much better. We didn’t allow much of anything deep. The only thing we didn’t do well on was underneath routes–I’m not sure we had more than a couple of those covered, and of course, pressure on Moore. On O, our blocking had such big problems, I’m not sure you got to see the play develop to distinguish it–they all kind of look the same when the back is fighting to get to the line. The D linemen were unbuckling Crowell’s chin strap as soon as he was handed the ball. I don’t have an excuse for J. Jones’ chin strap, but man, can that guy play football! Great motor. I also like Garrison Smith’s motor on a couple of plays–very strong pursuit and hustle. The SAT for tackling comes this Sat.
kerryb
September 6th, 2011
8:41 pm
Tdawg, the defense was shutting them down but they were on the field being gassed the whole first half. Look at Boise’s first three possessions. They couldn’t move the ball at all. You can only burn about 1:30 off the clock on offense and send the defense out so many times before you wear them out.
Todd - Dacula
September 6th, 2011
8:44 pm
Most Georgia Fans on this blog are not Georgia Fans. They are a bunch of morons and ‘A-Holes’.Perhaps each of you should try to coach this team!!! Hey, wait; most of you will not qualify to coach a Middle School Team more or less a college team.
UGA lost to a team that professionals ranked #5. What was expected actually happened.
So, all of you ‘A-Holes’ and Morons just shut your trap and go root for Kent State or some other team, or perhaps Target or Walmart, wher most of you probaly work.
Flat tire on 95 is a homer!
September 6th, 2011
8:48 pm
Dude you seriously have no clue! You are so dillusional it’s sickening! You my friend are a bigger enemy to this team than any other NCAA team. I can almost guarantee you that you were picked on in high school and wouldn’t have the faintest clue how to put on a pair of shoulder pads let alone be able to properly put on a jock strap without having your mom throw ice on your putridly small junk and show you how to step into it one leg at a time. It’s pathetic people like you that make people in the Northwest believe that Georgian’s actually do sleep with their sisters or at the very least a first cousin. The best thing you could do for the entire UGA nation is give up your so called loyalty to the Dawgs, oh wait, you already have with your negative blogs! You sir are a vaginal blood fart!!!
Old Dawg
September 6th, 2011
8:48 pm
Dawg fans, this is a MUST read if you want to understand what the facts say about CRM
http://coachesbythenumbers.com/should-richts-backside-really-be-on-fire/
Dumb Jean shorts
September 6th, 2011
8:52 pm
Lose he is out. If the players want to defend him then win the game period.
kerryb
September 6th, 2011
8:53 pm
I just hope because of those ugly uniforms that no one will remember that it was us that got beaten by Boise State. At least we didn’t lose in our traditional uniform.
UGAer
September 6th, 2011
8:54 pm
kerryb, did you put some cream on it?
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 6th, 2011
8:54 pm
CHDawg
No arguments with you bud
I will say this I was sitting in the upper deck in the endzone and quite frankly I like sitting there when I can because I can see where the players are on each play
Had we tossed sweeped to Crowell more with Figgins leading the way and our recievers doing offset blocking he would have gotten way more yards the play was the there
Also had we done exactly what boise did with crossing routes to with our TE’s and recievers more you would have see big yardage gains just like you saw when we threw to White and Charles on those very few big plays that were made
But no the famous sideline pass and deep balls was what we kept doing with draw runs to the Tail back with no blocking
Hey Kerry B! Listen up
September 6th, 2011
8:55 pm
I have no problem with being upset about a teams performance, hell we believed that we should’ve played Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl last year but our kicker Brotzman missed a few field goals. We didn’t blame our coach or our team, it’s football and it happens. The problem with your fans is, you lost your first game to the then #5 team, now #4 in the nation and you find ways to complain. Hell we lost to the #22 team in the nation and we were over it the next day. Your fans have three choices, and they are: Back your team, Don’t back your team or quit being a fan and take your happy ass down the road. But don’t bash your team on blogs, Pathetic my friend, totally pathetic!!! I am the newest Dawg fan, because obviously they need a real fan!!!! GO BRONCOS+ GO DAWGS!!
TampaGator
September 6th, 2011
8:55 pm
What RIcht needs, or should have done, was hire Charlie Weis as his OC…….and Quinn as his DC. Unfortunately, Georgia didn’t hire Muschamp either….and got neither of the other two.
P.S. Georgia dominance over Florida, in the polls, lasted exactly one week.
But……concerning Georgia. Dawg fans need to shut up and go out and support their team big time on Saturday night. For no other reason than the Gators need the Dawgs to win that game.
Taco
September 6th, 2011
8:58 pm
Orson Wells or Orson Charles I hate to tell you Rosebud is dead and so is CMR’s future.The natives are restless and they want their pound of flesh. You can Twit or Tweet this ship has sailed. You can get on your scooter and join him if you wish.
UGAer
September 6th, 2011
8:58 pm
kerryb, I disagree. The new uni’s are fantastic! Love’m.
trey
September 6th, 2011
8:58 pm
FIRE BOBO
trey
September 6th, 2011
8:59 pm
I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN UGA’S COACHING TO DEFEAT USC
Taco
September 6th, 2011
9:00 pm
Turncoat Fairweather Dawg Fans are expected…….the average IQ of a rabid hyena. The Georgia Hyena’s? Has a nice ring to it. Join the WAC and become a factor again?
trey
September 6th, 2011
9:01 pm
BOBO’S PLAYBOOK:
1ST DOWN-RUN UP THE MIDDLE FOR 1 YARD
2ND DOWN- SCREEN PASS FOR 2 YARDS
3RD DOWN- HAIL MARY
3RD AND LONG-DRAW PLAY
Warhorse
September 6th, 2011
9:01 pm
The absolute sign that a coach is in deep peril: when his players come to his defense. A coach and fans never should put young men in that position. The mark of great coaches, e.g. Spurrier and Saban, is that they are the lightning rod for criticism and players can just play the game.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 6th, 2011
9:02 pm
trey
You forgot
Punt
Drew
September 6th, 2011
9:03 pm
I love Georgia football as much as the next UGA grad. I feel sick for days when we lose, and I’ve literally lost sleep replaying parts of the Boise game in my head since Saturday. But I also remember being a fan back when the idea that my Dawgs would even give the #5 team in the nation a game was unthinkable. I just don’t see what we all gain by turning on our players and coaches. It’s bad for recruiting, it’s bad for the psyche and moral of our team. Everybody’s attitude stinks right now, and that negativity is dangerously contagious. I think we all need to take a deep breathe and realize that Richt’s fate will be determined by the totality of this entire season in due time. Until then, we should do what we ask of the players: suck it up and GATA – and the T in GATA signifies the OPPOSITION, not our own players and coaches. Just my 2 cents — if you feel better whining and complaining about the myriad shortcoming of our program then have at it!
kerryb
September 6th, 2011
9:04 pm
Boise dude you obviously know nothing of the plight of a UGA fan the last few years so just go away back to potato land. It has nothing to do with losing to Boise. It’s about your program declining to the point of being a second tier program to Alabama, LSU, and Florida. It’s about watching, of all teams, Auburn win a title last year and knowing your team should be as good as theirs when you’ve beaten them the last 4 years in a row. UGA fans believed they were going to see a better team this year and got exactly what they saw the last 3-4 years. That’s why you are seeing the comments that you are seeing.
David
September 6th, 2011
9:04 pm
HAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!!!!!
kerryb
September 6th, 2011
9:05 pm
UGAer, you have absolutely no fashion sense at all.
Hey flat fat tire on 95!
September 6th, 2011
9:05 pm
Wow Flat Tire since you’re sitting in the endzone and know so much, how come you don’t put on a headset and forward your observations to Coach Richt? I’ll tell you why! #1 you’ve never played a game of football in your life, #2 UGA obviously hasn’t received your stupendous resume, #3 I have caught fish that were smarter than you, #4 you are still a vaginal blood fart. You are so funny that you are the main reason I stay on this blog, because with all the movies I’ve seen about inbreeding, I thought most mentally challenged kids because of inbreeding couldn’t actually spell good, let alone type on a blog! But you my friend are an exception to the rule!!!
akitadawg
September 6th, 2011
9:08 pm
Old Dawg; Interesting article, but it doesn’t reveal that offenses within the SEC are scoring more then they did in 2005. I would submit that if BVG was the coach today, his current defense would allow more points per game then it did in 2005 as well. In a more pass friendly era, only having 1 defensive back drafted says a lot. I will not argue that BVG wasn’t a great defensive coach, but there are some major systemic problems in the program if both Willie and Todd Grantham couldn’t/can’t get the job done. Currently, the Dawgs have 2 NFL defensive coaches on staff. No one can tell me that they have no clue. With regards to Bobo, he has had better skilled position players than the 2001-2005 Dawgs. Stafford# 1 draft pick, Green # 4 draft pick, Moreno #12 draft pick and so on. He should be scoring more points. Just a few thoughts.
oledawg
September 6th, 2011
9:10 pm
Herschel Talker = Irrelevant Opinion
suwanee dawg
September 6th, 2011
9:10 pm
The line play on both sides is concerning. Only chance against Chickens is to throw often but no hurry up, and on occasion some reverses and receiver screens to Boykin and B. Smith. I really thought we would be able to pressure the other QB and to establish a smash mouth running game. Oh well, only chance is to throw often against fairly weak SC secondary.
Hey Kerry B, I can respect some of the fans
September 6th, 2011
9:12 pm
I can respect your response, but I don’t respect 90% of the fans responses. You don’t brow beat your team in blogs and/or your coach. It’s dooshes like Fat Tire on 95 that give your fans a bad name. Your team would be better off than to have a fan like this negative turd!! My problem is that this is a game and most of your fans, not all, are just trashing these kids and these coaches and there isn’t one of those fans who could do a better job! I bet you maybe 5 total bloggers on this site have even played a single down of college ball! The one’s who bitch the most about their team, know about or played the least football!!!
UGA98-GSU03
September 6th, 2011
9:12 pm
Can’t wait for the Panthers vs ODU Saturday, gonna be a great game be there!!
GO PANTHERS
Eddie
September 6th, 2011
9:13 pm
I simply want to say that I am with the coaches and the players 100%! There is no point in arguing with the whiners and those who feel like they deserve something—kind of the attitude in our country right now. I believe in Coach Richt and what he stands for and I believe that the these players will give a huge effort against South Carolina. Go DAWGS!!!
Real UGA Fan!
September 6th, 2011
9:15 pm
It’s great to be a GEORGIA BULLDOG!!! Born and raised in Georgia, I support the Dawgs win, lose or draw! Anyone who is used to UGA being a winning program has become a fan in the last 10 years. It saddened me deeply that so many fans walked out on those young men Saturday night! How many of you perform your job perfectly everyday? You think you have the right to bash people for not meeting your expectations but are probably the very same people who complain that your bosses expectations are too high! Go Dawgs!
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 6th, 2011
9:15 pm
Hey flat fat tire on 95!
If you want to call out someone on there spelling then how about correcting your grammer on that stupid paragraph you wrote
Please Please oh please give a reason as to why this program is heading in the right direction oh wise one
Please tell us why no more trick plays were run after Boykin or why the best reciever in the nation was hardly thrown too in the UCF game.
Lets start there Mr. Teach of mentally challenged kids
Hit A Single
September 6th, 2011
9:15 pm
I could care less what the players think. That is what is wrong now. I always hoped Coach Richt was at UGA as long as he wants to be and I still feel that way. But I do wish he would go back to the way he did things he did when he got there. First of all he made Tony Gilbert get a hair cut, I would make Jones and Crowell and anybody else that needs one get a hair cut. That was embarrassing the way Jones’ helmet kept coming off and he kept chasing the ball. How do you put a helmet on somebody when you don’t have one on. Go back to the I Formation and run the damn football. We won a SEC Championship with Musa Smith gaining over 1000 yards. Get some offensive linemen that can move. Saturday was emabrassing. I agree Boise State is good but UGA should not lose to them and be that dominated. Quit the dancing and start playing football. And once again I could care less what a player thinks.
Rabid Dawg'84
September 6th, 2011
9:16 pm
I am a grad from the same time Herschel was there. I have loved the Dawgs since. I will not watch the Dawgs SAT, but will DVR it. IF we win, then I will watch and see how. I can’t invest 4 hours on SAT to torture myself. All the bloggers can talk all summer about a 270 lb fullback and a 240 tailback wearing BSt out. Bobo doesn’t call that play. Most of our lead plays were up the middle where all the bodies were. When we took it outside, we gained 3 to 5 or more yds. I was yelling at the TV, “Why can’t we run off tackle?” Also, the BSt RB was running full speed at a hole at the snap, our TB was standing still next to Murray in shotgun and had no momentum to bust loose or juke a defender and often had no lead blocker. TOO FRUSTRATING!!!! ON D, WHY DO WE STAND AROUND IN ZONE GUARDING GRASS WHEN THESE LUMBERING WHITE GUYS CATCH THE BALL IN OPEN SPACE? 28 0F 34!!!! We have great athletes USE THEM to cover the slow white guys of BSt and the rest can get in KMs face.
kerryb
September 6th, 2011
9:23 pm
Mark Richt needs to side step Mike Bobo and get hands on with this offense. When he was an OC he was known as a good creative play caller. I don’t believe Mike Bobo has it in him to be one. He was a very good QB coach who coached David Greene and D.J. Shockley. I just don’t think he has it in him to be a good OC or the capability to stay one step ahead of the defense and keep them on their heels.
typical dawg fan
September 6th, 2011
9:23 pm
we gonna win agin them chickens. we gotta win, cause i bet one of my 4 wheelers that we was gonna beat them taterheads an i gotta get it back. i bet my 12 gauge an a picture of gordon solie we gonna win this week.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 6th, 2011
9:24 pm
Hey Kerry B, I can respect some of the fans
Show me where I have trashed the players moron
And coaches; trashed them really. I didnt know questioning there play calling was trashing a person
The real fans are blogging now! GOOD!
September 6th, 2011
9:25 pm
Hey to you real UGA fans, Way to go! I am a Bronco fan through and through and it is good to finally see some blogs telling those fickle fans that have been blogging that you are willing to stand by your team win or lose! I love it! I am now a Dawg fan, after my Broncos of course, but I will be rooting for you guys! FAT TIRE ON 95 IS NOT A FAN!!! He probably starting watching the Dawgs after he went to his boyfriends trailer and noticed the UGA pajamas the man was wearing, that stole his hole!!!! Stick by your team and by your guns! Yes you can be disappointed in your team but never blog about it. If your wife made you mad, would you blog about it? Nope and you shouldn’t do it with your team either, that is if you’re a real fan! GO BRONCOS-GO DAWGS!!!
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 6th, 2011
9:26 pm
Rabid Dawg’84
Your trashing the program with that statement according to several of these kool-aid drinkers
SuperB
September 6th, 2011
9:27 pm
WIN— or go back to Miami
Linda
September 6th, 2011
9:29 pm
Did anyone ever stop to think that all of this negative talk is bringing the team down. It would be really nice and probably helpful if we all started to rally around and support the team. Lets be supportive and stop whinning.
dolla dolla bill
September 6th, 2011
9:29 pm
if they let me in for free, i got no right to complain…but they don’t so i do. when people would complain to spurrier about his gators running up the score, he would say “all they gotta do is stop us”…want the complaining to stop, “all you gotta do is win”
Mobile Dawg
September 6th, 2011
9:30 pm
We did that the last eight months Linda. Where have you been?
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 6th, 2011
9:32 pm
The real fans are blogging now! GOOD!
and other kool-aid drinkers
I never new the definition of a fan meant that you continue to except mediocrity year end and year out
You except mediocrity until you become a program like GT who once was on the level of top programs but has been a has been for years..
Yep thats what I hope to see from UGA
I wonder if the NY Yankee organization would except this nope oh yea thats right they have won what is it 27 or 28 World Series
How about AL nope oh yea they have won 13 NC
Hit A Single
September 6th, 2011
9:33 pm
I hope we didn’t waste money or detergent on those uniforms. They made the night just that much worse.
Say What!
September 6th, 2011
9:33 pm
This is the same overrated South Carolina team give or take (same ole overrated ball coach anyway) that got their butt handed to them in the worst loss of the SEC championship history. What 20 games. A fluke. They were better. They then lost the bowl game last year.
GA being measured against SC like that means something. What a freaking joke.
Spurrier has been horrible since 2000 or before. Pro or college.
He has as many National Championships as Levell Edwards at BYU has.
Kit Cursin
September 6th, 2011
9:33 pm
Vince Dooley had 11 seasons out of 25 with his team unranked, 11 seasons with 4 or more losses, 8 seasons where the Dogs were out of the top 4 in the SEC, 1 losing season, 3 seasons of 5-5, 6-6, or 5-5-1. In the 6 years from 69-75, UGA was only ranked once at the end of the season. Almost all the poor years were BEFORE he won the National Championship. Fortunately Joel Eaves didn’t listen to the “Dump Dooley” idiots.
SmartNTough
September 6th, 2011
9:34 pm
UGA will be “just fine”…..after they lose to South Carolina.