Mark Richt is by any measure the anti-Gator: a former Miami quarterback, former FSU offensive coordinator, and now Georgia head coach. All he's missing is some sort of grad assistant tenure at Tennessee.
He also is by any measure the best head coach in Athens since Vince Dooley. Not that surpassing Ray "Goof" was going to be that difficult, and on close inspection Jim Donnan's record isn't quite as good as it looks.
By the time he's done, Richt may end up surpassing Dooley himself.
Since Richt arrived in 2001, it's hard for any Bulldog fans to complain about his record there. Except, of course, that he hasn't won a national title. And he's 2-5 against Florida. And he lost to Vanderbilt.
You know what? Let's just move on to his record as a whole.
Here is the tale of the tape by venue for Mark Richt:
| Site | Wins | Losses | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 34 | 7 | 41 |
| Away | 25 | 4 | 29 |
| Neutral | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Bowls | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Totals | 68 | 19 | 87 |
If you're counting along at home, he actually has a better road record percentage-wise than his home record.
He's been good in bowls, with the West Virginia blitzkrieg and a loss to Boston College in his first year as his only blemishes. That neutral site record includes his 2-5 record against Florida and his 2-1 record in SEC title games.
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That home record could stand to be shored up some, but two of the losses did come in 2001 with Jim Donnan's players. The away record loses some of its sparkle if you include his record in Jacksonville, but with the crowd there being split 50-50, it truly is a neutral site game.
Here is his record based on quality of opponent. As with before, first tier is any team that finished the year .750 and up, second tier is .500 to .749, third tier is .250 to .499, and fourth tier is .249 and below.
| Tier | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Avg. Scored | Avg. Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | 9 | 10 | .474 | 24 | 21 |
| Second | 32 | 8 | .800 | 28 | 18 |
| Third | 18 | 1 | .947 | 28 | 13 |
| Fourth | 9 | 0 | 1.000 | 37 | 14 |
Richt's record against the first tier is pretty good, though nowhere near Bob Stoops's 17-10 mark. The second tier record is good, showing that he wins four of every five against the group directly below him, as Georgia has been a first tier team five of his seven years. The one loss to a third tier team was to Vanderbilt in 2006.
It is somewhat puzzling to see that his teams don't average 30 points a game until you get to fourth tier opponents, considering how explosive his offenses at FSU were. It goes to show that as a head coach he's been a bit more conservative on offense.
It's also interesting to note that he averages a 24-21 win against the first tier if you look at points, while he's just 9-10 against it. Part of that is due to the fact that he has some large blowouts over first tier teams (Hawaii in 2007, Auburn in 2006, and Tennessee in 2003 to name a few), and part is due to the fact that he generally doesn't get blown out himself.
For you pattern watchers out there, he's 0-2 against eventual national champions but 2-0 against defending national champions.
That makes for two interesting weeks in a row when Georgia plays at LSU on October 25 and Florida on November 1, given what LSU did last year and the preseason magazines' fawning all over the Gators this year.
Mark Richt has been good. He's not been Bowden/Spurrier in the '90s good or Bob Stoops at Oklahoma good, but not many are. He has two SEC championships, a 13-1 season (which wins a national title nearly every year except 2002, when he posted it), and for the most part he beats everyone he's supposed to beat.
He's also an all-around good guy and will have the Georgia job as long as he wants it. Putting partisanship aside, it's good for college football to have him at a high-profile program like Georgia, and he likely will continue to be one of the game's top coaches.
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about 1 month ago
Great stuff, as always, David.
I'm definitely looking forward to how he handles the upcoming season, both the schedule and the hype.
about 1 month ago
Loved the article. I also cant wait to see how Richt handles himself this year with all the hype about a national championship.
about 1 month ago
Georgia is obviously sitting pretty. Lot of pressure for sure. That game at Arizona State will be Georgia's first road game outside the Confederacy since 1965. Lacking experience through time zones might be their achilles heel.
from about 1 month ago
Perhaps, but the Arizona State offensive line nearly got Rudy Carpenter killed last season and Georgia has a great defensive line. That's something that will have to be addressed if the Sun Devils are going to win.
about 1 month ago
Mark Richt is my hero...well one of them at least. He shows that nice guys can win big, which is contrary to the philosophy of many coaches.
about 1 month ago
Great coach and it shows in the way he keeps Georgia competitive year after year.
about 1 month ago
Awesome article, GET EM DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
about 1 month ago
Nice article. Dawg fans just love the guy. Great coach, great person, great family man.
about 1 month ago
Mark Richt is a great guy and a great coach. Like you said he does have 2 sec championships and a 5-2 bowl record is pretty good. Of the top of my head he has been to 3 BCS Bowl games too.
about 1 month ago
Go Richt
hes a terrific coach, hes been good consistently. And hopefully it stays that way for a long time
good article by the way
about 1 month ago
Baby Tate. Ga beat Clem 31-0 in 02 at death valley, minus the time zone differance.
Boise st and Colorado came to Athens with high hopes, it will be intersting to see how the dogs handle a good team that far away.
about 1 month ago
coach richt is a good coach, but an even better person. i wish him and the georgia bulldogs the best in every game this year except when they play my beloved Crimson Tide
about 1 month ago
Awesome as usual.
Confession....Richt is my "freebie." My husband's freebie is Salma Hayek, so I'll let you figure out what that means...suffice to say, if the opportunity to spend some "quality" time came up with Richt, there would be no questions asked. Under any circumstances. Same with hubby and Salma.
I think the Dawgs will have trouble in Tempe. They haven't ventured out of their state for a regular season game since the mid 60's. And Arizona in September will suck the life out of you. It's going to be a heckuva game.
about 1 month ago
Awesome as usual.
Confession....Richt is my "freebie." My husband's freebie is Salma Hayek, so I'll let you figure out what that means...suffice to say, if the opportunity to spend some "quality" time came up with Richt, there would be no questions asked. Under any circumstances. Same with hubby and Salma.
I think the Dawgs will have trouble in Tempe. They haven't ventured out of their state for a regular season game since the mid 60's. And Arizona in September will suck the life out of you. It's going to be a heckuva game.
about 1 month ago
David,
Good article on a great coach, enjoyed it very much...
Just nit-picking but coach Richt's record at UGA is 72-19..
No biggie, just giving coach his props...
G.A.T.A.!!!! R.I.P. UGA VI
about 1 month ago
David, Coach Richt's record by year at UGA....
2001 8-4
2002 13-1
2003 11-3
2004 10-2
2005 10-3
2006 9-4
2007 11-2
total 72-19 won 79.1% not too shabby
from about 1 month ago
I left out games against I-AA competition. That's why my given win total is below yours.
28 days ago
It could be that rather than conservative that it's a question of conference defense quality.
Also, I may be wrong on this, but I think he's never lost a game where UGA scored 30 or more. So if he can make that a goal, maybe it'd help out getting past the first tier.
Also on his conservative calling and early on questionable clock mgmt, I am SO glad he passed the play calling on to Mike BoBo. BoBo can run an offense like no one's business.
11 days ago
Great article. Tremendous Coach, great man. Hope he stays at UGA for 25 more years.
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