This is the Last Time Mark Richt and Georgia Will Fool Me!
Here is my confession. I bought in completely that Georgia had a shot of winning last week’s game against Alabama. I had the wool pulled over my eyes.
Georgia, you got me.
Georgia losing this game isn’t the story. I mean, it kind of is. How do you get beat like that (38-10)? Again? At home? But more importantly, it’s how the Bulldogs lost. It’s the way in which they lost. It’s not showing up for the game at all. I had every intention in writing an article validating my five reasons why I thought Georgia would win. Instead, here I am writing an article on how my prediction looked as bad as Georgia’s entire team did. I actually believed in Greyson Lambert. In Mark Richt. In Jeremy Pruitt. What was I thinking?
I Mark Richt’d that prediction. It may not be a thing yet. Give it time.
I got caught up in the moment. I have no shame in admitting that. I thought it would be close. I thought Georgia would make Alabama work for it. You know, it being a home game and all. With the remnants of 2008 looming large and Georgia actually having a chance to put Alabama out of College Football Playoff contention, I thought, finally this is the year Richt will get a signature win.
Boy was I wrong.
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Again, it’s not even the fact that they lost. The Georgia Bulldogs didn’t even show up. I thought Lambert was going to make big-time throws today and put Georgia in a position to win. And I thought Jake Coker would look rattled just like he did against ULM. I mean Coker has looked good in games against better competition in Wisconsin and Ole Miss but he has struggled in games he shouldn’t have. And then against Georgia all Coker did was go 11-for-16 with 190 yards and a touchdown. That may not look like gaudy numbers but he doesn’t need them when the other team doesn’t show up.
And then there was Lambert. “Put him with better talent” they said. Watch him do better in a better system” they said.
Nope. He went 10-for-24 for 86 yards and an interception and was pulled before halftime. Why was he pulled? Because he looked rattled. He couldn’t make a pass down the field after the Bulldogs' first drive and he had no command of the offense. Simply put, he was awful. After a couple of days to think about what I saw on Saturday, I can safely say that I will never fall for a Richt-led team again.
Ever.
Richt hasn’t won an SEC championship since 2005. He has found more ways to lose games than he has to win them. Is Richt a great guy? Yes. Is he a good coach? Yes. Will he ever be considered a great coach? Not a chance. Games like Saturday show you exactly why the Nick Sabans and Urban Meyers are so heavily regarded in today’s college football world. It’s because these types of games don’t smother out the talent that is so visible on each and every Saturday. Georgia’s season is certainly not over but it took a big hit on Saturday. Georgia could still get to the SEC Championship Game but you have to wonder, if THAT Georgia team shows up again, could it really beat anyone from the West? I doubt it.
— Written by Justin Nails, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @justinnails.
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