Georgia Bulldogs Football: Has Mark Richt Stopped Expecting "Perfection" from His Team—Self?

This post may seem odd given the fact that the Georgia Bulldogs are coming off a 55-7 drubbing of the Idaho State Bengals. After all, a win is a win, Georgia did what they were expected to do by pounding an inferior opponent.

However, before we go talking about what Georgia has to do to beat Auburn, something that many fans (on both sides) don't feel the Bulldogs are capable of doing this weekend, we should answer the simple question of whether or not coach Richt has stopped expecting perfection from his players?

There was a time when anything less was unacceptable to him.

As a young man of 40 years, coming from an environment (Florida State) where winning meant everything, coach Richt didn't like to settle for average seasons. He wanted national championships, division titles, and Top 25 finishes—every year.

That's what he preached and that's what he felt his team could do if they executed perfectly each and every week.

Are those standards still present now?

Let's take a little walk down memory lane, shall we? The time and place, July 2001, Birmingham, AL—SEC Media Days. Coach Richt was in his first season as the Georgia Bulldogs head coach and he chose Curt McGill, Georgia's starting center, as one of the team's representatives.

McGill, green to the nuances of handling such a large media contingency, was open and honest about the differences between his former coach, Jim Donnan, and the new guy—Mark Richt.

The most interesting parts reveal some startling similarities between the Jim Donnan of 2000 and the
perception some now hold of Mark Richt:

"In the past, you'd get to know how a coach was going to be and how far you had to go for him,'' McGill said... I felt guys rested on their laurels a little bit thinking, 'I played a lot last year, I won't have to push myself hard because I'll be guaranteed a spot next year.' With new coaches, that all changed."

He said Richt expects more out of his players than Donnan ever did.

Hmm...where have we seen that sense of entitlement before? It's definitely reared it's ugly head several times in the last few years (refusal to sit Bryan Evans, redshirting Knowshon Moreno, keeping Aaron Murray on the bench in light of Joe Cox's struggles, etc.).

At some point, coach Richt seemed more intent on giving the veterans their time to shine—regardless to better alternatives—rather than rolling the dice on the guy who was performing at a higher level.

Another interesting tidbit from the interview was in regards to how important it was that the team be accountable on every play. Coach Richt expected "perfection" and he required hard work and concentration from every man on the football field:

The example McGill used was running "perfect plays" that they must now run every day in practice.
   "We do them over and do them over until we get them right, which is a big key,'' McGill said. "I felt like last year if something went wrong our concentration would slip and the other team would take advantage of it. These new coaches saw that on film and are drilling that in our heads."
   McGill said the attitude has changed from being self-centered to a team concept. He said he saw it take place with the off-season mat drills, which he called "the toughest thing I've ever done in my life.
   "If one person messes up, the whole group goes back, and then you kind of get on each other,'' McGill said. "You say, 'You can't slack off or we're going to do it again.' I guess that carries over to the game [emphasis added]. If they get a penalty or mess up a play, that hurts everybody. That's the whole idea."

Imagine that, a team where accountability and responsibility are part of the team mentality.

Has Mark Richt's philosophy changed or has everyone else in the SEC gotten that much better?

Perhaps it's both and the effect of that transition is a team that struggles to make it to bowl contention and a coach whom some feel has lost his winning touch over the last three-years.

Either way, at present, this is still a team that is searching for answers about who they are and who they can be.

Their next chance to show the world what they are made of comes this Saturday against the Auburn Tigers. And, despite what many believe, they have the talent, the coaching, and the ability to win this game—they just need a little more perfection.

Georgia Bulldogs Football: Breaking Down The Bulldogs Bowl Picture

There are three games left this season for the Georgia Bulldogs, and they need to win two of them to be bowl eligible. At 4-5, things have gotten tight for Mark Richt's team and a margin of error that seemed miniscule three-weeks ago seems non-existent now.

While there is chatter that a 5-7 SEC team could make it to a bowl game, thanks to the extra locales added this year, it would be far better to see Georgia actually make it to a legitimate bowl game this year—despite their record—and do so because they actually earned the right. 

If you're a fan or follower, you want to see the team finish strong. This weeks matchup against the Idaho State Bengals will be just what the doctor ordered for these tired Bulldogs as that game should offer the team a chance to catch their breath and prepare for the remaining schedule ahead—which includes both Auburn and Georgia Tech.

There can be no guarantees made that Georgia can beat both Auburn (on the road) or Georgia Tech (at Sanford), but if they do, they will have a legitimate shot at seeing their bowl options open up quite nicely. Either way, if we assume they finish with the necessary six wins, here are some possibilities for their postseason. 

The Liberty Bowl—December 31, 2010 at 3:30 pm

If Georgia were invited to play in this game, they would likely be matched up against the Conference USA champion—the University of Central Florida—and the payout would be in the neighborhood of $1.7 million.

The game is held in Memphis, TN at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium—home of the Memphis Tigers and the Southern Heritage Classic.

The Outback Bowl—January 1, 2011 at 1:00 pm 

Don't laugh, the Outback bowl would be a legitimate possibility for a 7-5 Georgia Bulldogs team. The payout is substantially better at $3.3 million, and the location would be amenable to many of the traveling Georgia Bulldog fans—the game is held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. 

Their most likely opponent would be either Iowa or Illinois.

The Birmingham Bowl—January 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm

The formerly-named Papajohns.com Bowl pits the No. 8 or 9 finisher in the SEC against the Big East's No. 5 finisher. The payout is a paltry $900,000, and the location is Birmingham, AL.

As of now, it would seem that the expense of traveling to this game would hardly be worth the trouble.
However, it is doubtful that Georgia would dismiss any bowl bid they are offered this season, regardless of the amount of prestige that is, or is not, attached.

The Music City Bowl—December 30, 2010 at 6:40 pm 

There seems to be a good bit of buzz surrounding the possibility of Georgia heading to this one. The Music City Bowl is held in Nashville, TN and the Bulldogs last appearance there was 2001—when they lost 20-16 to Boston College.

The Chick-Fil-A Bowl—December 31, 2010

A win over Auburn would, at least, place Georgia in the conversation for this one. It would be a welcome gift considering most fans, at this point, don't think Georgia has a chance of staying within striking distance of the Auburn Tigers this season—not with Cam Newton patrolling the field.

However, if they can steal one from The Plains, they could be an attractive candidate for the Chick-fil-A  bowl committee as the game would be close to Athens, GA and Georgia fans, historically, have traveled very well to this venue.

Georgia Bulldogs Football: 10 Things You Should Know About Idaho State

Sure, it's Idaho State and no one is under the misguided notion that this game will be anything more than a makeshift bye week for the tired and tattered Georgia Bulldogs.

However, it's become as much a habit as anything to do a "10 Things..." for every opponent that Georgia will face this season—no matter how insignificant they might seem.

That said, this will be a less in-depth analysis of their opponent as...well...there won't be too many Georgia fans who give two cents about Idaho State—post-Florida.

So, let's just get this out of the way...shall we?

1. They play in the Big Sky Conference.

The Big Sky is the I-AA conference that's also home to Montana State. The same Montana State that beat the Colorado Buffaloes in their 2006 season opener. Idaho State lost to Montana State in overtime this past weekend.

The Big Sky is 0-5 against the SEC—as a conference. 

2. Coach John Zamberlin has not done a very good job. 

In 2009, John Zamberlin received a two-year contract extension. His overall record at Idaho State is 6-36—that includes a 1-7 record this season.

He is, currently, on the hot seat at Idaho State as he wore out his welcome long ago. One fan of the program even suggested that the Idaho State Athletic Association return the team's new scoreboard since Zamberlin's offense has failed to utilize it very much during his tenure—ouch. 

3. Their defense is awful. 

Ranked a disappointing 103rd in the nation, the Bengals are giving up a generous 411 yards per game (ypg) as the opposition is scoring better than 28.0 ppg against them this season.

4. Their offense isn't that much better. 

Currently, the Bengals are 113th in the nation in total offense—managing a shade under 231 ypg—and struggling to score 17 ppg.

5. Tavoy Moore is the most visible and productive part of their offense. 

The junior running back accounts for 80 percent of the Bengals offense. He's as all-purpose as they come. He's at his best when returning kickoffs. He's already accumulated 700+ kick return yards—scoring twice—placing him at 17th in the nation in that category.

6. They utilize a two-quarterback system.

Both Kyle Morris and Russell Hill have seen an almost equal amount of snaps this season—neither has been all that impressive. Combined, the two have as many interceptions (11) as they do touchdowns (8).

However, the senior, Hill has more mobility.

7. A.J. Storms is their best defensive player. 

The linebacker already has 99 tackles on the year (good enough for 3rd in the nation) and, coming out of high school, was quick enough to play as a defensive back (he runs a 4.4 forty). He is currently one of only two players on the Idaho State roster with NFL potential.

8. They are horrific on third down. 

The Bengals have converted 29 percent of their third down attempts (30/105). They are, surprisingly, better at converting on 4th downs (55 percent).

9. The game will be televised—locally. 

The game is scheduled to air at 12:30 on WSB-TV Channel 2.

10. Chris Holmesly has been another defensive bright spot. 

The 5'9" defensive back has been all over the place for the Bengals this season and has an impressive stat line to show for his efforts. The feisty senior has 70 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups, 5 passes defensed, and 2 quarterback hurries.