Losing another Cocktail Party would be last straw for Richt
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| Richt started his tenure at Georgia with a 34-11 record against ranked teams. (US Presswire) |
First, a few facts about Mark Richt:
Mark Richt has been the head coach at Georgia for 137 games. He has won 101 of them.
When Richt arrived at Georgia in 2001, the Bulldogs had not won an SEC championship since 1982, Herschel Walker's final year. Richt won a conference title and went 13-1 in his second season. In his third season, Richt played for the SEC championship again, losing to LSU, which went on to win the BCS national title.
In 2005, Georgia won another SEC championship, beating LSU in Les Miles' first season as coach.
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In 2007, Georgia finished No. 2 in the final polls. If Tennessee had not beaten Kentucky in quadruple overtime, Georgia would have played LSU for another SEC championship.
In 2008, Georgia was the preseason No. 1 team in the nation.
Given that track record, it's hard to believe Mark Richt enters Saturday's game with struggling Florida, really, really needing a win to garner enough public support to return for this 12th season. Athletics director Greg McGarity will not call it a "must" win, as in he must win it to save his job. Let's just put it this way: Richt is 2-8 in his 10 meetings with Florida and it would really, really help his quality of life if the Bulldogs did not stumble to the Gators again.
"When you come to Georgia, you know that this is one of those big games that everybody watches," said Richt. "Our guys know how important it is. I know how important it is. Nobody wants to win it more than we do."
Georgia's path (5-2, 4-1 SEC) is pretty clear. The Bulldogs need to win their final three conference games with Florida, Auburn, and Kentucky to finish 7-1 in the SEC East. Georgia also needs for South Carolina (4-1, SEC) to drop one of its final three conference games at Tennessee, at Arkansas, or at home to Florida. If those two things happen, Georgia wins the division and gets back to the SEC championship game. And that, we must assume, would finally calm parts of the Bulldog Nation who have not been happy with the past three seasons and feel strongly it is time for a change in leadership.
To recap: Georgia was a preseason No. 1 in 2008 with quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno returning. But the Bulldogs were hurt badly in the preseason with injuries, particularly on the offensive line, and they finished 10-3. Ten wins usually makes people reasonably happy, but when you're the preseason No. 1, it is seen as a disappointment. It didn't help Georgia's mood to lose to Florida and watch the Gators win their second national championship in three years.
In 2009, Georgia went 8-5 and Richt's team got blown out by Tennessee (45-19) and Florida (41-17). Then last season the Bulldogs simply weren't very good and finished 6-7, losing to UCF in the Liberty Bowl in what could only be called a very poor effort. Georgia suffered its first losing SEC record (3-5) in 10 seasons under Richt.
In the offseason, McGarity, a Georgia grad who came back in August of 2010 after 18 years at Florida, told Richt that he was going to take everything off his desk that didn't relate to football. Richt was encouraged to make a change in his strength and conditioning program, and so he reassigned one of his best friends, Dave Van Halanger, who came with him to Georgia from Florida State. Georgia did not have a nutritionist on the staff. McGarity hired one.
"My job is to help our coaches and give them what they need to be successful," said McGarity. "I am here to help Mark."
Richt dialed up the intensity in spring practice and preseason practice. Every player was put on notice that those who didn't get with the program would be gone. Some chose to leave. Others were encouraged to leave.
Richt and his staff redoubled their efforts on the recruiting trail last February and signed what became known as "The Dream Team," featuring the state's best players like running back Isaiah Crowell, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell, and defensive end Ray Drew. Crowell and Mitchell are already starters, and Drew is destined to be a star.
But Georgia started 0-2, losing to No. 5 Boise State 35-21 at the Georgia Dome and then dropping a heartbreaker to No. 10 South Carolina, 45-42, in Athens. That loss continued a disturbing trend for Georgia fans. Mark Richt started his career at Georgia with a 34-11 record against ranked teams. He has lost 10 of his last 12 games against teams in the Top 25.
"That one hurt," Richt said of the South Carolina loss. "We made too many mistakes and gave that game away."
That game, where South Carolina had a pick six, a fumble return for a touchdown, a fake punt for a touchdown and a long interception return that set up a touchdown, could be the one that keeps Georgia out of Atlanta. The Bulldogs have since won five in a row, but one of those was against an FCS team (Coastal Carolina). The other four were against teams (Mississippi, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Tennessee) that are currently a combined 1-15 in the SEC.
So winning against a Florida team (4-3, 1-3 SEC) that is struggling mightily is very, very important for the psyche of the Bulldogs and their fans. Richt was 0-1 against Steve Spurrier, 1-2 against Ron Zook, and 1-5 against Urban Meyer. He cannot afford to start 0-1 against Will Muschamp, the Gators' 39-year-old rookie coach and a graduate of Georgia.
And it doesn't help the mood of the Bulldog Nation to remember that the last time out, Georgia had to stop two plays at the end of the game to preserve a 33-28 win at Vanderbilt. Vocal Georgia fans look at the state of the SEC East, which is not very good, and ask: "If not now, when?"
Those fans remember the Vince Dooley era (1964-88) when Georgia literally owned Florida in Jacksonville. Dooley went 17-7-1 against the Gators. But Dooley retired in 1988, and Steve Spurrier arrived at Florida in 1990. Since then the Gators are 18-3 in the series. With Meyer now in retirement, Georgia fans feel it's time for them to take control again. Some wonder if Mark Richt is the man for the job despite his 101 wins. They have watched four different SEC teams (Florida, Alabama, LSU, Auburn) win national championships since Georgia last won an SEC title.
There is a nagging sense from some Georgia people that Richt's time has come and gone. The SEC East is as weak as it has been in a generation with new coaches at Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky and Vanderbilt, and with Spurrier having some issues at South Carolina. There is an opportunity for somebody to step up and become the dominant program in the division. Richt has to make the case that he is capable of getting Georgia back into that position.
So Richt needs to win against a Florida team that is limping into Saturday's game. It doesn't matter how good or bad Florida is. It's Florida. Richt can't go to 2-9 against the Gators. He just can't.
"I have felt good about this team all year and we've gotten better each time we have gone out," Richt said. "We'll be ready."
Watch The Tony Barnhart Show Wednesday at 8 p.m. on The CBS Sports Network.
