What's Wrong with Georgia Football?

     In a time of 'what have you done for me lately' the scrutiny of big time college football coaches is more prevalent than it has ever been.  Some would argue the fairness of such scrutiny and others would point to the compensation of head coaches as justification.  Certainly the stakes are high in terms of investment and return and in today's 24/7 news & information cycle there is no relief in terms of time for head coaches to show adequate progress.  Every coach is vulnerable to this scrutiny, but over the next couple of weeks I'm going to focus on three coaches at big time programs who seem to suffer the most scrutiny fairly or unfairly.  This week we'll focus on Mark Richt and the Georgia program which has in recent years suffered turmoil which has ultimately effected the product on the field.

     Coach Richt has compiled 111-39 record, won two SEC Championships, and is 2-1 in BCS Bowl games since he took the helm for the Bulldogs in 2001.  So what is the problem?  To have a clearer understanding one has to understand the circumstances of the Georgia program during the time that Richt was hired.  Georgia has a rich tradition of winning that reached it's height during the late 70s and early 80s under Vince Dooley and Herschel Walker.  In terms of their hated rival Florida, the Bulldogs dominated during those two decades winning 15 of 20 contest.  That came to a screaming halt in 1990 when Steve Spurrier entered the equation. Under HBC's watch,  Florida dominated the series winning 10 out of 11 games during Spurrier's tenure at Florida.  After Dooley retired in 88' Georgia compiled a 86-53-1 record and didn't win any SEC Championships, it was clear the Dawgs were craving for the glory days of old! 

     On the other hand Mark Richt was coaching during the golden age of Florida State football where he was part of two National Championships as an quarterback coach and the offensive coordinator for the 99" National Championship Seminole team.  Clearly it made sense for Georgia to counter the likes of the Florida contingency that saw an offensive genius in Spurrier run rough shot in the SEC with his innovative Fun' & Gun' offense.  If Georgia was to become relevant again, the Gators had to be de-throwned! 

     Once Richt took the reigns of the Georgia program in 01' things began to immediately look up with an 8-4 record and Music City Bowl appearance.  But over the next six years things really started to flourish when Spurrier left the Florida program in 02' for greener pastures in the NFL.  Between 02' & 07' Richt led the Bulldogs to four SEC East division titles, two SEC Championships, three Sugar Bowl appearances, and flirted with the National Championship on several occasions .  The only black mark against Richt was his inability to beat the pesky Gators- only accomplishing to best the Gators three times during his 11 years at Georgia!

     So how could something so good turn so bad?  It can be documented starting from the infamous Blackout game vs Alabama in 08'.  The Bulldogs were flying high coming off the 07 season in which many believed that a two loss Georgia team should have played for the National Championship..via a two loss LSU team that beat Ohio St for the National Championship.  The 2008 season was suppose to be the coronation of the mighty Bulldogs with the likes of Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford leading the way on the field.  The Bulldogs came into the game #3 and heavily favored over Saban's up and coming Crimson Tide.  After the coin toss the game was effectively over as Alabama jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 41-30 win proclaiming the beginning of Saban's dominance at Bama and the end of Richt's at Georgia.  Since then Richt has only won 54% of his games, to include the rebound of last season that started out in the Georgia Dome with a thud against Boise St and ended in a resounding beat down in the SEC Championship at the hands of #1 LSU.  The program has been marred by numerous discipline issues and suspensions, issues that seem to occur in a coaches first year when they are setting new standards and running out old problems, not a decade into their tenure.  It seems as if the Georgia team lacks the mental toughness to compete at the highest levels, they always seem to be a no show in big games.

      So what is wrong with Georgia football?  Is it bad luck, cyclical, or is it ultimately coaching?   Richt historically has signed top five recruiting classes - so one would think talent isn't the issue.  But what is interesting to note is the fact that Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer joined the SEC in 05' with Nick Saban following on 07'.  Meyer and Saban are recognized as relentless recruiters and Spurrier is obviously no slouch, effectively surrounding the state of Georgia and plucking their pick from the litter.  Still- Richt has been able to corral enough top talent in Georgia in recent years to hold his own.  The difference seems to be what happens to the talent once on campus, in other words - player development! Could this be the issue?  Who knows, but the facts are the Bulldogs are recovering from the Spurrier woodshed and are preparing for a Cocktail Party in Jacksonville with an upcoming..hungry..Baby Gator team that seems to enjoy such occasions with the Bulldogs!  One undeniable fact is that the clock is ticking - Coach!