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
DawginLex
September 6th, 2011
3:13 pm
btGT
Nah richt can count to four. He can count all the way to 10 as in 9 out of 10.
Just think if we had a real coach?
Dawg of the Day
September 6th, 2011
3:14 pm
Fans are mad at the coaches, not the players.
cmac22
September 6th, 2011
3:16 pm
Ken, if he is such a great recruiter & a great coach, where are the great wins in the last 5 years? The last quality win in a game that meant something was the 2005 SEC Champ game. That’s over 5 years ago!!!. The coaches are overpaid & the players are either overhyped or undercoached.
shut up...
September 6th, 2011
3:16 pm
georgia fans…just stop with the negative comments…you really think these kids can perform when they feel like they are letting down people? Im as big of a fan as you can find but in the end we dont play…we dont practice…we do nothing but celebrate a win or whine about a loss. The boys and the coaches are the team. not us. so what better can we do that just send them support and help them get out of the funk they are in rather than add to it. we are turning on our own beloved bulldogs and doing more damage than help. so enough is enough. GO DAWGS!
Geaux Gators
September 6th, 2011
3:16 pm
Please, oh please give Richt a lifetime contact. Please!!!
Nothing Could Be Finer
September 6th, 2011
3:17 pm
IF we get the start ECU got this Saturday, SC won’t come back on our defense. A little better than ECU’s
—————————————–
Most definately.
SC lost 4 fumbles in the 1st half.
That won’t happen again.
JB
September 6th, 2011
3:17 pm
Geaux Gators………Muschamp has proved nothing yet. You don’t know what you have. Play someone first.
cmac22
September 6th, 2011
3:18 pm
Bible thumpin richt is basically stealing from ugaly with the money he is paid for the results he is producing.
P-Man
September 6th, 2011
3:18 pm
I’m with you, Mr. Dawg. I support the coaches and the players 100% until they are no longer our coaches or players. And then I support the next guy(s). You will NEVER see me calling out or criticizing individuals on a blog, especially individuals who are doing their best for MY university. I’m the same way with my Braves and my Falcons. To me, that’s a true fan.
Does that mean I am always happy with how things go? No. Does that mean I fully support my team? Yes! I was appalled when Florida fans never gave Ron Zook a chance, and continue to be disturbed when similar things occur around the country.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: while I want to win a national championship (or World Series, or Super Bowl) as much as the next guy, the ultimate goal is to play hard, play fair, and to enjoy the experience. I am sure many of you would give up the 14 straight years of division championships for the Marlins’ 2 World Series victories, but I wouldn’t. I enjoyed every minute of those 14 years, just as I am enjoying this year.
Back to the Dawgs: I have no doubt that everyone connected with the Georgia football team is doing what they think is best, to the best of their abilities. Maybe if we supported them fully, instead of tearing them down at every opportunity, they would be more succesful. Character is revealed by how you deal with adversity, and I, for one, am ashamed at “fans” who criticize individuals on twitter, facebook, blogs, etc. Let’s get behind them and give them our FULL support, in victory AND defeat!
treyingeorgia
September 6th, 2011
3:18 pm
…are you freaking serious Ken… being a Christian— who give’s a rat ass if someone is or isn’t… we want a GD Football Coach and that is it… that’s the damn problem… football is lining up and beating the hell out of the opponent plain and simple… if you hurt them so be it… this isn’t paddy cake you moron… it is a game of controlled violence which is something that Georgia severly lacks… they are a reflection of their head coach… this is Football not Sunday School idiot!!!! their is no accountability for screw ups- no in their face…nothing.. sad sad state of UGA Football…
JB
September 6th, 2011
3:18 pm
Finer……………”That won’t happen again”………….Oh really.
whattsamattayou
September 6th, 2011
3:19 pm
Of course the fans have the right to complain.
They are paying huge amounts of money to support this program and follow their team. Any university would rather take the complaining over everyone just quietly and politely going away and taking their dollars with them.
In their hearts, the administration would say “Complain all you want! Just don’t take away your financial support!”
School Daze
September 6th, 2011
3:19 pm
Dawg of the Day: “Fans are mad at the coaches, not the players.”
No, you’re wrong about that. The players are as stinko as the coaches.
Nothing Could Be Finer
September 6th, 2011
3:19 pm
Finer……………”That won’t happen again”………….Oh really.
—————————-
LOL
yes, it was too gutwrenching to watch!
boss dawg
September 6th, 2011
3:20 pm
shut up; Just shut up ! yes we do celebrate the wins and whine about losing. We want to see our team win every game and smash somebody in the mouth doing it.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
September 6th, 2011
3:20 pm
dawg of the day,
Dont be naive. Plenty of posts moaning and whining about players not blocking, running hard enough, catching well enough. Plenty of posts have been highly critical of players. So fans need to back off just a hair .
3/75 Rangerdawg
September 6th, 2011
3:20 pm
This team is too young for the expectations placed on it. Period. UGA fans need to change their tampons and quit whining. We played a better team full of 5th year seniors who have won on the big stage.
My hope is that the team and coaches, which do have a lot of potential doesn’t listen to the whiners and tinker with anything esle….
We havent had depth in 5 years. We need to establish depth and coach them up….then consistent winning seasons will ensue.
Blame roster mismanagement, lack of depth, and lack of inexperience to the decline if you want to point at anything.
Dissappointment means you care….which you should continue to do in a supportive role.
Quit all the whining….jeezus I didn’t know I lived in a state full of cry babies and whiners, complainers, know it alls and doomsayers….
Any real men left in the south? Open your eyes and quit listening to the hype pimps at ESPN, etc…your expectations may actually come in line with the team you should know, love and support.
Nothing Could Be Finer
September 6th, 2011
3:22 pm
Didn’t watch much of the Ga game, but saw ORson make some plays.
He should do fine against SC.
cmac22
September 6th, 2011
3:22 pm
Yea, you dumb fans … just shut up & support the team, no matter the results! Keep paying your money & time to support the fantastic effort being put forth this fine bottom tiered football team!
shut up...
September 6th, 2011
3:22 pm
Well do you want to be like tech and be as bandwagon as they come…remember when they won the acc and tech shirts couldnt even stay in stock??? i would rather consider myself loyal…sure disappointed but why tweet the kids, why boo the coaches during the game…because the boys feel that it is directed towards them…remember the article last year about that?
Winder
September 6th, 2011
3:23 pm
Mark Richt is a good, spiritual man but more importantly he’s a heck of a football coach. We are all aware that we have lost 9 of our last 14 SEC games and 14 of our last 29 games overall, but Richt has proven what he can do. He deserves our support and none of the boos and empty seats that were all over the dome on Saturday night in the 4th quarter. Shame on my fellow Dawg fans! (though I can’t say I’m surprised any more with today’s “what have you done for me mentality”)
Nothing Could Be Finer
September 6th, 2011
3:23 pm
Also, heard about your linebacker. Sorry to hear about the injury.
Nothing Could Be Finer
September 6th, 2011
3:25 pm
We should expect a more substantial load from Crwell on Saturday, right?
whattsamattayou
September 6th, 2011
3:26 pm
Players and coaches come and go, but it’s the long-time supporters and donors who own the team. It’s not the players team. 90% barely chose UGA when they committed. Could just as easily be playing somewhere else. The “team” is the guy sitting in the 3rd row who has bought season tickets for the last 50 years.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
September 6th, 2011
3:26 pm
Well said Rangerdawg!
da rock
September 6th, 2011
3:26 pm
All I ask this Saturday…win or lose
LOOK LIKE A FOOTBALL TEAM PREPARED / READY TO PLAY A SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL GAME. nuff said
mountainman
September 6th, 2011
3:27 pm
Frankly, CMR should have been let go last yr. – this soap opera just keep playing with uninterested coaches getting paid tremendous salaries and continually disappointing Ga. fans across the country. Nothing will change this program til UGA gets a top caliber head coach who is fanatical about winning and is equipped to coach in the current SEC talent pool. Richt ain’t that guy and will never be that coach – time to start making major changes, better late than never!!!
shut up...
September 6th, 2011
3:28 pm
whattsamatta…youre the problem. you think this last recruiting class all just happened to be DAWGS??? youre crazy…they wanted to come. youre an idiot.
shut up...
September 6th, 2011
3:28 pm
there are 10000 people who could replace you.
Big Dawg
September 6th, 2011
3:29 pm
Outcoached, outplayed, and out of condition after eight full months of prep time. One week to get ready for Spurrier? Not a chance.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
September 6th, 2011
3:29 pm
Finer,
This looks to be that AM will have to buck that trend of losing games he throws the ball 30+ times. Our running attack will be hard to find I believe. It is going to have to be through the air. I think 40+ attempts are instore to win the game. Spread the field and dink, dunk and over the top would be my game plan. Use the passing game as your running attack.
richie
September 6th, 2011
3:30 pm
I have heard for yrs.UGA has to play big out of conf.games.Well they do and here goes the crying.They were better,We losted get over it. dah
Soon 2B Idaho resident
September 6th, 2011
3:30 pm
I would say that the majority of you drink a lot of beer and are couch potatoes who never played legit college ball. Believe me- I meet a lot of your type with the job I have. Two questions-
1. Why does the coaches poll(voted on by quality coaches who actually know the game and are in the trenches) ranked them up so high?
2. For those who say they can’t do it week in week out in the SEC but say they are a great team with time to prepare but not if back to back grind. Why can’t you then admit it’s not a terrible loss for UGA?
No disrespect is meant but come on- have some rational though. And yes, I believe the Dawgs will soundly defeat SC.
Coach MB
September 6th, 2011
3:31 pm
Oh, so it’s blocking, tackling and execution that wins games……I thought it was lack of preparation, predictability and arrogance. My bad.
shut up...
September 6th, 2011
3:31 pm
lowcountry…i think you may be on to something until the line develops…
dawgfacedboy
September 6th, 2011
3:31 pm
P-Man- people were still supportive 4 years ago. They’ve gotten progressively worse over the past 5 years and there was nothing Saturday that made me feel any different. I would assume that Richt and Co. feel they are doing what they feel is right, that doesn’t mean they are doing a good job. How many other people keep their jobs when they underperform just because they do what they feel is right???
How did getting rid of Zook work out for UF by they way??
When is enough enough? How bad and how long does it have to be bad before some of you are ready to go another direction?? 3 or 4 more years of 7-5 ball maybe??
DawgLifer
September 6th, 2011
3:32 pm
My fellow Georgia fans have dissapointed me.
OldFan
September 6th, 2011
3:32 pm
All the things that need to be said seem by now to have been said. We’ll probably lose to SC, because they’re on an up-surge after many years of mediocrity. We’ll lose to UF, just because they’re UF. MS will be a challenge and a likely loss. With the exception of a couple cakewalks, the rest are on the bubble. l say we let them play. Don’t force a siege mentality on a bunch of young men who have pride in themselves and want to us to be proud of them. But make it absolutely clear to CMR and his staff that if they fail to give these players the coaching they deserve and the preparation they need, then they will all be gone at season’s end. The wins and losses will take of themselves. As fans we can live with that. But just flat out not doing your job, and not having the means to correct that, is another matter entirely.
treyingeorgia
September 6th, 2011
3:32 pm
Winder who care’s if he is spiritual— this is football you idiot…. and this isnt Sunday School… we want a football coach…and if is someone who cusses and swears and gets the W’s then I am fine with that.. enough with this sissy ball… I can’t remember a time when they really beat the hell out of someone… I mean beat them down and then put their heal on their throats… yea right that hasnt been seen in years…
Nothing Could Be Finer
September 6th, 2011
3:32 pm
Lowcountry, that’s the way to do it vs. SC’s secondary.
SC will still bring a heavy dose of Latti, but after seeing Garcia run for two nice TD’s last week, you might see him run more than normal.
14 Games 6 W's, 8 LOSSES
September 6th, 2011
3:32 pm
CHIP
Did anyone ask Richt about having the players close their facebook and tweeter accounts?
I suggest they spend their time in the film room.
Also, I just saw a dumb tweet by Aaron Murray reported on ESPN NU. He posted “Next stop the Georgia Dome. It’d time! I’ll hit ya’ll up later, it’s time to kick some a**”. Looks like his a** was the only kicked on the last sack. We already knew about Boykin disrespecting the Boise coach and then JJ trashes the fans.
THIS IS WHAT I CALL A LACK ON DISIPLINE BY RICHT——-HE APPEARS TOUGHER ON REPORTS DOING THEIR JOB THAN ON THE PLAYERS THAT AREN’T DOING THEIR JOBS———GO FIGURE.
richie
September 6th, 2011
3:33 pm
Mountainman WHO would u like to be our head coach.
McDawg
September 6th, 2011
3:33 pm
really wanted to see ‘Tree play against Latimore -oh well–
my only complaint regarding coaching is if you don’t have the personel you need to change the scheme
forget the red shirts the O-Linemen need to step up
we need a RT and a LT-switch glenn back to Guard -the freshmen can’t be any worse
JB
September 6th, 2011
3:33 pm
I think since our loss Saturday to Boise, I’ve counted 219 post saying what a good man Richt is. That’s what the rest of the Conference is counting on.
McDawg
September 6th, 2011
3:33 pm
it doens’t matter who the coach is or the RB for that matter-we do not have SEC caliber personel on the O-Line
Smokedawg
September 6th, 2011
3:34 pm
I totally disagree with those posters saying to can the negativity. I do agree that comments insutling a person as a human being and the such are completely uncalled for on her or anywhere for that matter.
The truth is, I have stuck by Mark Richt in company through all of this. The hard truth is that they no longer deserve our support. I spent the entire off-season drinking the kool-aid, believing in change, and supporting this team. Football may not come into play as a “real problem in life”, but I am tired of defending my Dawgs the last three-years.
At the end of the day, I got my hopes up, drank the kool-aid, spent $300 for tickets, parking, food and drink, and was thanked by being the witness to one of the most embarrassing sports events ever. It is one thing to lose, but we got drubbed. Boise could have beat us by 50 if they chose to do so. Three penalties on the first drive, throwing deep on 1st down only to follow with a run up the middle, not capitalzing on 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1, missing blocks, calling a time-out since we were winded, etc., etc.,
Everything we were told in pre-season was a bold-faced lie. If it wasn’t, then our coaches are again showing what they do not know about this team and competing in the SEC. The fans have not let down the coaches and players. The coaches and players have continued to let us down. It is unacceptable and I can no longer continue the blind faith that I have carried for so long. I will feel compassion for Ogletree, I will wish Richt well in all of his endeavors, and I will root on my team this Saturday and every Saturday to come. With that being said, the program is broken. We need change and we need it now.
atltiger15
September 6th, 2011
3:34 pm
Not a Dawg fan here, but good grief guys. You act like an opening season non conference loss to a top 5 team is the end of the world. You have a skeptical carolina team coming between the hedges and the conference opener. You make the biggest improvement from week 1 to week 2. I look for the Dawgs to show a sense of urgency and win this game at the end. SEC east far from over regardless what happens Sat
mike
September 6th, 2011
3:35 pm
I’ve been a Dawg fan for 40 plus years. You fair weather Dawgs embarrass me. I love Coach Richt. We’re gona have a pretty good year wheither be beat SC or not. I think most of the folk including Bradley and Schultz have never played a down and are pretty clueless with their comments.
JB
September 6th, 2011
3:36 pm
Wonder how we would play with no coach’s on the field. I’ve always said that would work in the NBA.
JB
September 6th, 2011
3:36 pm
Mike, you’ve got about 11 more weeks to love him. Enjoy.