The Official Countdown Towards Mark Richt's Firing

[AHF]

UGA is 3rd in the SEC in total offense: http://espn.go.com/n.../sec-conference

Bobo is doing this with a sophomore QB and 2 true freshman as his best play-makers (Crowell and Mitchell) and paper thin offensive line due to injuries. This offensive will be even better next year with Crowell and Mitchell as sophmores and Murray as a junior.

This is team could exceed expectations this year even with the injuries on offense. I think most true UGA fans expected a 9 - 3 season and would not have been suprised with 8 - 4. If they can beat Tech and Auburn to end up 10-2 that is just a big cherry on top of the season.

I am not a Bobo fan and think they the stats a bit inflated since we don't play the best defenses in the West.

It is skewed in our favor because of selection bias. Our actual scoring outputs have been pretty average against some subpar competition:

475 yards against 0-5 Ole Miss - WORST OUTING OF THE YEAR FOR MISS OPPONENT (all other SEC teams scored more)

443 yards against 1-4 Vanderbilt - GOOD RESULT (2nd best by SEC opponents)

354 yards against 2-4 Florida - MIDDLE OF THE PACK RESULT AGAINST UF

336 yards against 0-5 Tennessee - SECOND WORST OUTING OF THE YEAR FOR TN (all but 1 SEC team scored more)

315 yards against 1-4 Miss St - GOOD RESULT (2nd best by SEC opponents)

To get away from the statistical games:

Do you think any credible team would hire Bobo as their head coach?

Do you think any credible team is trying to hire Bobo away as their OC?

Me neither.

[Eddielives]

42 points in one quarter. Wow! That alone deserves a go Dawgs even if it was against an inferior school. I must say, after the week of suspensions and Mitchell and Samuel still being out, I thought this game might be a little closer than it would normally be. I was definitely wrong about that.

And with South Carolina losing, Dawgs control their destiny to face LSU in the SEC championship. Auburn always makes me nervous though. Hopefully everyone is healthy. We need Mitchell for that game.

[coachx]

Do you think any credible team would hire Bobo as their head coach?

Depends on your idea of credible. If you mean traditional top 25 programs then the answer is no.... but I could see a credible programs like Ole Miss, Kentucky, Maryland, etc. giving him an interview.

Its pretty rare for a man's very first head coaching oppurtunity to come with a traditional top 25 power (Richt, Stoops, and Muchamp are the exception rather then the norm).

I simply believe Bobo has gotten too much blame in the past among fans. UGA's defense under Willie Martinez held them back far more then the offense over the last few years. We are all glad to see the defense stepping up this year now that TD has the pieces for a 3-4 defense.

Edited November 8, 2011 by coachx

[AHF]

Depends on your idea of credible. If you mean traditional top 25 programs then the answer is no.... but I could see a credible programs like Ole Miss, Kentucky, Maryland, etc. giving him an interview.

Those are credible teams in my mind. I would be absolutely shocked beyond belief if any of those teams come calling for him this offseason. We'll see if he gets hired by that type of team or even an interview. I am betting against it.

Having an assistant like Richt is the goal for an elite program. He was highly desired by lots of teams and when Florida State lost their elite assistant coaches the program tanked. UGA's severe downgrade in assistant coaching talent likewise has been a huge part of the recent struggles for a team that was previously among the elite.

I simply believe Bobo has gotten too much blame in the past among fans. UGA's defense under Willie Martinez held them back far more then the offense over the last few years. We are all glad to see the defense stepping up this year now that TD has the pieces for a 3-4 defense.

I don't think Bobo has gotten too much blame but Martinez was definitely a liability rather than an asset the last few years.

Edited November 8, 2011 by AHF

[coachx]

Those are credible teams in my mind. I would be absolutely shocked beyond belief if any of those teams come calling for him this offseason. We'll see if he gets hired by that type of team or even an interview. I am betting against it.

Just to be clear I never said I'm betting any of those teams would give Bobo an interview..........I simply said I could see it happening......meaning I would not be suprised if he got a call from a school like them.

Having an assistant like Richt is the goal for an elite program. He was highly desired by lots of teams and when Florida State lost their elite assistant coaches the program tanked. UGA's severe downgrade in assistant coaching talent likewise has been a huge part of the recent struggles for a team that was previously among the elite.

Agree that a huge part of their recent struggles was a down grade in assistant coaching.........and the only real down grade there has been with assistant coaching is losing VanGorder for Martinez on the defensive side of the ball.

The downgrade in the offense was pretty obvious to me. It was not coaching as much as it was a dropoff in talent on offense. UGA lost Stafford (junior) and Moreno (rs sop) in the same season and their replacements were simply not up to par (Cox, Ealey, C. King).

Of course elite programs want their Offensive Coordinator to be head coaching material of top 25 programs b/c the only time it happens is after National Championship runs......and even then its very rare.

Danny Mullen went from Florida's Off Coord. to Miss St. (hardly a top 25 program)

Richt did it from UGA to FSU

Skip Kelly got promoted from within at Oregon.

Gus Malzahn got interviews from the Vanderbilts of the world, but stayed put at Auburn.

Off the top of my head I can't think of many more offensive coordinators who jumped into head coaching with a traditional top 25 program. I'm all for setting the bar high but the standard your setting seems too high for offensive coordinators considering I can only think of a couple of examples. (I'm sure there are more examples but I'm havibng a hard time comiong up with them.)

I hope we find the next Skip Kelly too............but I can't see Richt giving up control of the offense. With Bobo he get his guy running the Mark Richt offense.........with a new offensive coordinator he loses that. I guess you could say that I see Bobo as an extension of Richt.

I don't think Bobo has gotten too much blame but Martinez was definitely a liability rather than an asset the last few years.

I took your original comment about getting rid of Bobo to mean that you see him as a liability.

Edited November 8, 2011 by coachx

[AHF]

Just to be clear I never said I'm betting any of those teams would give Bobo an interview..........I simply said I could see it happening......meaning I would not be suprised if he got a call from a school like them.

I would be shocked to see a school from the SEC or ACC (or similar level school from another BCS conference) give him an offer as their head coach.

I took your original comment about getting rid of Bobo to mean that you see him as a liability.

I do, which I why I don't think he has taken too much blame.

[Eddielives]

Well how about that? In a game I thought would be dangerous for the Dawgs to prove they're playing as well as their record indicates, they basically cakewalk! Do we have a chance against LSU? I think one has to believe we're at least competitive now with a decisive victory against a ranked team.

[jhay610]

Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. -- Mark

Well how about that? In a game I thought would be dangerous for the Dawgs to prove they're playing as well as their record indicates, they basically cakewalk! Do we have a chance against LSU? I think one has to believe we're at least competitive now with a decisive victory against a ranked team.

LSU still has to beat Arkansas. I can tell you this: Georgia will have the better quarterback on the field and their defense looks better every week.

If they can play their best game, we must now acknowledge that UGA can be competitive with anyone in that game. LSU defense is scary, but their quarterback situation is not so much.

Arkansas would present a whole different set of problems.

[AHF]

That game was at an entirely different level from any performance this season for Georgia and it was great to watch. I just kept watching our stats during the game (red zone conversion rate below the national average, 3rd down conversion rate below the national average) and then watching our superb performance and wondered where this kind of consistency has been this season.

This is the first sign that we could be competitive if we make it to the SEC championship and show up with our "A" game.

[frosgrim]

This is the first time in years that I've felt good about UGA. That performance v. Auburn was amazing. I didn't expect that level of dominance, but man it was fun to watch.

I agree with AHF, I actually think they can play with LSU at this point.

[coachx]

They were throwing out some cool historical stats on the post game radio show for the drive home after the game. Here are some I remember them covering.

- Largest margin of victory in a UGA / Auburn game since 1946. (UGA was National Champions that year after winning every game by double digits.

- 1st time UGA has won against Tennessee, Florida, and Auburn in the same season since 1982.

- UGA is now the 1st and only school to play in 4 SEC Championship Games in the last 10 seasons.

- 1st time UGA had two rushers break 100 yards since the 2009 Ga Tech game. (No telling when the last time this happened vs. and SEC opponent).

- Murray broke Stafford's school passing TD record for a season. Murray still has 4 games to add to that school record.

- Murray is on pace to break Danny Weurffel's SEC Conference Record for career passing TDs.

Edited November 15, 2011 by coachx

[AHF]

- UGA is now the 1st and only school to play in 4 SEC Championship Games in the last 10 seasons.

Let's wait until UGA actually beats UK before trumpeting this one. We barely escaped against Vanderbilt and I am not ready to say this team is too good to have a stinker of a game just because they had their first complete game of the year.

[coachx]

Let's wait until UGA actually beats UK before trumpeting this one. We barely escaped against Vanderbilt and I am not ready to say this team is too good to have a stinker of a game just because they had their first complete game of the year.

With both Crowell and Mitchell finally healthy UK does not stand a chance. Vegas is favoring UGA by 29 points to signify how bad this mismatch is.

Edited November 15, 2011 by coachx

[AHF]

With both Crowell and Mitchell finally healthy UK does not stand a chance. Vegas is favoring UGA by 29 points to signify how bad this mismatch is.

It should be a big mismatch given how bad Kentucky has been. That said, I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch.

[Eddielives]

It should be a big mismatch given how bad Kentucky has been. That said, I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch.

I'm not worried about Kentucky but I firmly believe the Dawgs better take the game seriously. Stranger things have happened.

Edited November 17, 2011 by Eddielives

[jhay610]

I'm not worried about Kentucky but I firmly believe the Dawgs better take the game seriously. Stranger things have happened.

Are you guys kidding? When UK sees those red helmets with the black G on them they will involuntarily evacuate their bowels due to primal fear, just like they do every year [/sarcasm].

[frosgrim]

OK, UK and GT are now Ws and the Dogs have a 10 game win streak. Simply AMAZING considering how the season started and all the drama with the running backs.

I really like the way the defense is playing this year. I mean I REALLY like it. UGA football is great defense in my mind.

Now onto the SEC Championship game. I think the Dogs have more than a fighting chance in the game. In fact, UGA has the better QB, which can be the difference in these sorts of games.

In all, i have to say "hats off" to Richt and his staff for the season. Truly an amazing turn around.

[jhay610]

Maybe the thread should be renamed "The Official Countdown Towards Mark Richt's Contract Extension".

[lethalweapon3]

So, when does the official countdown over here at Gimmick Tech start?

~lw3

[coachx]

Maybe the thread should be renamed "The Official Countdown Towards Mark Richt's Contract Extension".

I do think a new thread is in order but I do not want to temp the football gods with a jinx.

Edited November 28, 2011 by coachx