Mark Richt's consistency an underrated asset
Following Georgia’s 38-20 loss against an unranked Florida Gators team back on Nov. 1, UGA fans vocalized their displeasure with head coach Mark Richt and some even called for him to be fired.
The common argument pointed toward Richt’s frequency of losing games he shouldn’t or not showing up in the big game.
And while Richt has underachieved in spots, the calls for Richt’s job from UGA fans with unrealistic expectations distract from one of Richt’s greatest assets — his consistency.
Time after time, year after year, Richt has his team in the mix.
Proven record
Since arriving at Georgia in 2001, Richt’s record is one of distinction and sustained success.
Mark Richt’s coaching records at UGA
*Per UGA communications
- 134-47 over 14 seasons
- 46-14 in road games
- 4th winningest coach among active FBS coaches
- 13 straight bowl appearances
- 2x SEC Coach of the Year
- 2 SEC titles in 5 SEC Championship appearances
Richt’s amassed eight 10-win seasons since 2002 and has never finished worse than third in the SEC East. He’s the longest tenured coach in the SEC at 14 years (tied w/Gary Pinkel).
Yet, Richt’s mild-mannered coaching style and yearly success often gets overlooked due to poorly timed losses during the season. For example, this year the Bulldogs are currently a top-10 team but they have suffered two losses — Florida and South Carolina.
While both teams always play UGA close, they are still two of the most disappointing SEC teams this season and should have been wins. But this season has also presented Georgia with some immense challenges, which is also where Richt’s brilliance comes into play.
Success in the face of adversity
Prior to the season, Richt was forced to deal with the dismissal of multiple defensive players, giving him an even younger and more inexperienced group to coach up.
Halfway through the season, the ‘Dawgs lost their star running back for four games because of an NCAA rules violation. How did Georgia respond in their first game without Todd Gurley? A 34-0 shutout of Missouri … on the road.
Despite facing much adversity, here they are — the Bulldogs are 8-2 on the year and primed to reach another double-digit win season. If UGA gets some slight help from Missouri (by way of a loss) and it wins out, Georgia will likely get an opportunity to take down a top-5 team in either Mississippi State or Alabama in the SEC Championship.
Richt’s squad has underperformed at times this season, but the Bulldogs are playing their best football of the season right now. With how the College Football Playoff committee has been evaluating teams this season, an SEC Championship victory by a two-loss Georgia team could sneak the ‘Dawgs into the playoff. Quite an accomplishment for Richt.
How does the other half live?
If Richt’s record and the coaching job he’s done this season isn’t enough to prove Richt’s value, perhaps looking at what others schools have had to endure throughout Richt’s tenure may shed some light on just how valuable Richt is to Georgia.
Richt was hired on Dec. 26, 2000. Since that day, there have been 27 different head coaches in the SEC. Will Muschamp’s eventual replacement will make it 28 changes.
Just in the SEC East alone, teams other than Georgia have had 16 different head coaches (excluding Missouri).
And while the SEC East’s other top teams like Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida have all had their periods of irrelevancy, Georgia has remained immune to those valleys. With the exception of a 6-7 season in 2010, UGA has finished with at least eight wins in every season during Richt’s tenure.
Richt is far from a perfect coach. He’s yet to win a national title at Georgia and his lack of an SEC Championship since 2005, despite two appearances since then, has been frustrating for UGA fans. But when you examine just how unique Richt’s consistency is in today’s world of college football, it helps set Richt apart as one of the sport’s better coaches.