Richt: ‘I think we’re a team that is on the rise, but we’ll see’
After losing two games to highly ranked opponents, then winning one over an out-manned opponent, Georgia now enters the grind of its SEC schedule.
Saturday’s game at Ole Miss will start a stretch of four SEC games in four weeks for the Bulldogs, all but one of them on the road.
It should be a revealing patch of schedule.
“The thing I like is, we’re a team that is getting better as we go,” UGA coach Mark Richt said Sunday evening. “We do have a lot of room to grow yet. The last couple of performances, minus the huge mistakes, four or five plays that really got us [against South Carolina], I felt we were making a lot of progress. As you watch tape, it’s still pretty obvious we’ve got some youth and inexperience that still needs to improve.
“Overall, I think we’re a team that is on the rise, but we’ll see,” Richt said. “We’re going to play that first SEC game away from home and get a better feel for what kind of progress we have really made.”
That game is at 12:21 p.m. Saturday in Oxford, Miss., against an Ole Miss team that has the same record as Georgia (1-2 overall, 0-1 SEC) but is coming off a particularly dismal defeat.
While Georgia reveled in a 59-0 victory over Coastal Carolina in Athens, Ole Miss suffered through a 30-7 loss at Vanderbilt -– the Rebels’ ninth loss in their past 10 SEC games and the Commodores’ largest margin of victory over an SEC opponent in 40 years.
Ole Miss’ starting quarterback, Zack Stoudt, was poorly protected by his offensive line and threw five interceptions. The Rebels’ defense allowed Vanderbilt to rush for 281 yards.
For Georgia, the trip to Ole Miss is followed by league games at home against Mississippi State on Oct. 1, at Tennessee on Oct. 8 and at Vanderbilt on Oct. 15. Then, following an open date, the Bulldogs face Florida in Jacksonville on Oct. 29.
“There’s a sense of urgency in that if we want to stay in this Eastern Division race we’ve got to win,” Richt said. “Right now we’ve lost control of our destiny in this thing [because of the loss to South Carolina], but there are so many more games to played. Our goal is just to win our first Southeastern Conference game this year, period; that’s all we’re worried about right this minute.”
His players’ confidence seems high despite the losses to Boise State and South Carolina.
“I think we’re ready to get back into SEC play and get going again,” quarterback Aaron Murray said. “We have a lot of guys playing great football right now, and we think we can play with anyone.”
The confidence, Murray suggested, stems not so much from the rout of Coastal Carolina, an FCS opponent, but from the 45-42 loss to South Carolina the week before and the Bulldogs’ belief they would have won handily if not for three turnovers and a fake punt.
To succeed in SEC play, Georgia will need to minimize turnovers and, according to Richt, improve defensively inside its 20-yard line.
“The one area where we’ve just got to get better as we get into more of the Southeastern Conference play is red-zone defense,” Richt said. “We just have not done a great job there yet, but that’s going to be a point of emphasis to see if we can force some field goals instead of some touchdowns when people do happen to get in there.”
Except for the continuing absence of starting inside linebackers Christian Robinson and Alec Ogletree with foot injuries, the Bulldogs appear to be relatively healthy.
Richt said Sunday that he hopes backup tailback Richard Samuel, who sat out the Coastal Carolina game with a heel injury, will be able to play this week. Richt also expects wide receiver Marlon Brown and offensive guard Kenarious Gates to return from ankle injuries and possibly defensive end DeAngelo Tyson from a strained back.
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400 comments Add your comment
WDE
September 19th, 2011
1:35 pm
GT Joe 1-9 and your talking crap…you give us all the facts..but refuse to answer the question of how many top 25 teams your bunch has played this year so far….and hint Kansas’s not one.
JB
September 19th, 2011
1:35 pm
I’ll tell what 4 years of probation does do. Get one little hair out of place in four years and watch what happens. It appears Tech has a history of not following the rules ( to be so smart and all) and I’m sure the NCAA is keeping a close eye on Mr. Fish fry, punch’em in the mouth Johnson. Facts are he got an inquiry about said benefits, and with the Georgia game, the ACC title game and the BCS bowl game coming up, he made, along with doo-rag, an internal decision to play them. Like it or not, Dems the rules. Ask AJ.
GT Joe
September 19th, 2011
1:37 pm
Contractor: “As much as you want it to be, an SAT score does not mean you are smarter than the guy next to you.”
Spoken like a man who got an 700 on the SAT!
The SAT is the only comparable metric, because they all take the same test, everyone recruit in the country.
And yes, not all high schools are created equal. A 4.0 at a top school is not the same as a 4.0 in the inner city or in the boonies. Which is why Ivy league schools pay attention to the SCHOOL you attended, in addtion to the GPA, when determining admission.
JB
September 19th, 2011
1:39 pm
contractor, next time you fly Air Tran, after you get your bags, holler out, How bout them Dawgs………and watch all the dirty looks…….. Of course, if you get Reggie and have more than 4 bags, you’re own your on, just say’n.
GT Joe
September 19th, 2011
1:39 pm
WDE: fact, we haven’t beat a top 25 team.
Fact, UGA hasn’t either.
Fact: GT IS IN THE TOP 25.
jerry
September 19th, 2011
1:41 pm
Rise up! Rise up while the Gators and Vols are down or never rise up.
@ GT Joe
September 19th, 2011
1:41 pm
If your players are the smartest in the country, then why did they decide to go to a program that isn’t even talked about outside of I-285? I guess genuises love obscurity and playing in front of 2,700 season-ticket holders.
GT Joe
September 19th, 2011
1:43 pm
JB: you sure know a lot about baggage handlers at airtran. Do you pick up the trash in that area?
Your reggie ball stories are great, too bad he is currently playing in the Indoor Football League. Doesn’t leave much time for baggage handling, eh?
JB
September 19th, 2011
1:43 pm
Alex, for football and $500, who said the following after a beat down in a rival game, “it’s just a game Dog”…….
Who is Reggie Ball…. Ding ding ding……..
You are correct. Be back after a commercial break.
Beast from the East
September 19th, 2011
1:43 pm
JB,
What’s your take on the game with Ole Miss?
KB
September 19th, 2011
1:44 pm
Did PJ have rings made for the victory over Kansas ?
JB
September 19th, 2011
1:44 pm
Yes Joe, I’m the trash picker upper with my Georgia degree and my 1050 SAT score….LOL
GT Joe
September 19th, 2011
1:45 pm
KB: yeah, he had rings made. I heard about the plaques that Richt made for that special 6-7 season last year. LOL.
GT Joe
September 19th, 2011
1:46 pm
1050 on the SAT JB? wow, you’d be an average dude on the GT football team.
But an absolute genius on the UGA team.
1 more time....
September 19th, 2011
1:46 pm
KANSAS IS A POWERHOUSE!!!!!!!
DJ Dawg
September 19th, 2011
1:46 pm
Beast from the East – Im not sure abot JB but I for one think we will win but Im afraid as usual we will get off to a slow start. Just hope we dont dig a hole to deep that we cant get out of.
JB
September 19th, 2011
1:46 pm
Beast, from what I’m hearing, that team has quit on him. I say it’ll be close for a quarter and Dawgs win say 35 to 21.
GT Joe
September 19th, 2011
1:47 pm
I’m pretty sure Kansas and MTSU beat Vandy and ole miss.
JB
September 19th, 2011
1:47 pm
Darn DJ, good minds think alike…..
Beast from the East
September 19th, 2011
1:48 pm
DJ Dawg,
I think ya’ll will win going away IF you take care of the ball. We all know turnovers are the great equalizer. I would expect Nutt to pull out his bag of tricks. He’s gotta know he’s on his way out the door soon if he can’t right the ship.
Rennie Curran
September 19th, 2011
1:49 pm
Hello. I got blocked for what…..?
JB
September 19th, 2011
1:50 pm
Better question, where does Nutt end up? I think he’s just in a no win situation over there. He’s not a bad coach. He’s made some money. He may end up in the booth on TV. I think they will owe him 2-3 years payout.
Beast from the East
September 19th, 2011
1:51 pm
“Hello. I got blocked for what…..?”
Rennie,
There’s a heighth requirement!
Dawg Fans for Anthony Weiner
September 19th, 2011
1:51 pm
I’m a believer now. We’ve righted the ship and everything is fine. I see us running the table, winning the SEC and then making it to the national championship game…just like LSU did a few years ago with 2 loses.
DJ Dawg
September 19th, 2011
1:51 pm
JB- Amen brother, also concerned about 11:30 am start time. Got to be ready to go!!!!!
1 more time....
September 19th, 2011
1:51 pm
TECH COULDNT.
Tinker Bell dawgie
September 19th, 2011
1:52 pm
I hope nutt comes to georgia!
Rennie Curran
September 19th, 2011
1:52 pm
Well, well….after 3 weeks, UGa out of the rankings, GT in. Woof-woof, your a_ _ .
Beast from the East
September 19th, 2011
1:52 pm
JB,
Yeah, I thought Arkansas was crazy to get rid of him at the time. He sure has underperformed at Ole Miss. He’ll probably end up Coaching somewhere like USF after Skip Holtz gets scooped up by one of the larger programs.
JB
September 19th, 2011
1:53 pm
Gotta pull for North Carolina this weekend, or GT joe will end up on here with 500 post rather than the usual 200 or so.
Washon
September 19th, 2011
1:54 pm
As you watch tape, it’s still pretty obvious we’ve got some youth and inexperience that still needs to improve.
“Overall, I think we’re a team that is on the rise, but we’ll see,” Richt said
Still Blaming his Players! What A leader!
Contractor
September 19th, 2011
1:55 pm
GT Joe,
I will throw my SAT scores, high school GPA, College GPA, Undergraduate degree, and MBA degree up against your accomplishments all day long pal. I’ll say it again, Georgia Tech’s football players are no more intelligent than other programs in question here. Hold on to that glimmer of SAT hope, but when was the last time your SAT score got you a job? I’m gonna say never, so your graduation rate applies more so than ever. Choke on that nerd.
JB
September 19th, 2011
1:57 pm
Beast, it’ll be interesting going forward watching Muschamp and Weiss recruit backs. Meyer in the spread always went for the Rainy types. I assume they will be looking for a Lattimore type?
dawggie dawg
September 19th, 2011
2:00 pm
Hey Dawg hater.get a life.Georgia will continue to get better and I hope they extend Richt’s contract and having said that I hop they fire Bobo.Bobo is clueless.
just a fan
September 19th, 2011
2:00 pm
I am posting a link to an article that states WVU submitted paperwork to join the SEC
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bbh4G
Contractor
September 19th, 2011
2:01 pm
And all of this coming from a guy who’s school signed people like Javaris Crittinton, Stephon Marbury, Reggie Ball, to name a few, and an atheltic director that signed all time most overrated Coach Paul Hewwitt to an ever rolling contract with a buyout of $7 million dollars when they decided they wanted to fire him. A lot of intelligence coming from Historic Grant Field or the Thriller Dome. Atleast y’all got Paul Johnson right.
Beast from the East
September 19th, 2011
2:02 pm
JB,
UF has commitments form Matt Jones and Mike Davis. Both are listed at 200 pounds are are well-suited for the pro-style he wants to run. Weis might change his outlook on smaller backs after coaching Rainey and Demps. He’s learning quickly that speed does kill!
RedandBlackDawg
September 19th, 2011
2:02 pm
beat in the east,
I was not dismissing anybody but of course, you didn’t bother to read, just get offensive. It was my evaluation based on what I saw from Saturday. I think if you check around with the other sports agencies outside of Florida you might find a lot of what I put down in the blog, makes sense. Unlike you, I at least give a reason for my statements, other than, “Tenn. might just make mush out of UGAS”. What do you base your opinion on. Facts, should be used, not silly statements. UF right now on offense is two RB’s, and if not for them, exactly what would your QWB’s statistics be. Who accounted for over 200 yards on offense for your team against Tenn? Your Rb, as I said. As I also said, Tenn. has no running backs and now they have lost their star receiver. Now, given out your well thought out comments that you always state, with lost of supporting statements, why is Tenn. going to make mush of UGA wehen they play? Try to support your ststements with substantial suporting material, not your opinion. In other words, don’t let your hate of a team cloud your perception, if you have any, and back it up with facts, when you take the time to evaluate.
GO DAWGS and GATA
AltamahaDawg
September 19th, 2011
2:03 pm
One thing you can be sure of with the trash picker uppers. They are man enough to know not to “lol” themsleves in a sports blog.
Beast from the East
September 19th, 2011
2:04 pm
just a fan,
Thanks for the link. I’d much rather the SEC went after Missouri but we’ll just have to wait and see how all this mess plays out.
JB
September 19th, 2011
2:08 pm
Yea Beast, Dawgs thought they had Matt, but I guess the positive vibes coming out of the Gator camp vs the negative vibes and Richt’s tenure was to much for him. I believed he camped at UGA and was coming. Not now.
1eyedJack
September 19th, 2011
2:09 pm
GT Joe is great at baiting Dawg fans. In fact, I think we can all agree on one thing, GT Joe is a master baiter.
Beast from the East
September 19th, 2011
2:10 pm
RedandBlackDawg,
You posted nothing other than your opinion. No facts. My opinion is that UT will be the best passing attack ya’ll face all year besides BSU and ya’ll didn’t fare too well in that one. I also know that UGA hasn’t played worth a flip in Knoxville recently. Those two things alone would give ME pause about playing UT. Dismiss UT if you’d like based on ONE GAME on the road against a top 20 team. That’s just like everyone dismissing UGA after the BSU game. Not a wise thing to do.
Big Dirty Dawg
September 19th, 2011
2:11 pm
GT Joe has officially become the new “Tide Roll” on these blogs!!! lol
JB
September 19th, 2011
2:12 pm
Heard today that Big wide out of theirs that got hurt on the first play for Tenn. is gone for the year.
Beast from the East
September 19th, 2011
2:14 pm
JB,
That was a feak accident. He just cam down wrong. No contact at all. It’s a shame to see anyone get hurt. He’s got a bright future.
DawginLex
September 19th, 2011
2:15 pm
Vandy has a real coach now and would also be 3-0 playing Tech’s schedule.
Even the most ardent Tech supporter realizes Tech has played no one and the real games begin now.
just a fan
September 19th, 2011
2:17 pm
I have 2 extra tickets to the remaining home game if you are interested email me at fantasynfl3100@yahoo.com
just a fan
September 19th, 2011
2:19 pm
@beast from the east
If you don’t want Matt Jones UGA will take him I have seen him play and he is quite good will be a good player for you
AltamahaDawg
September 19th, 2011
2:19 pm
Well at least he tore it on on the field, and not in a bar fight.