Richt, Bulldogs brace for massive recruiting weekend

by Chip Towers

A staggering number of prospects will converge on Athens and Sanford Stadium this weekend as Georgia plays host to Auburn.
Bulldogs coach Mark Richt couldn’t say exactly what will be the number, which includes recruits and their family and guests. But in general such weekends can range from 250 to 400.
“We’ve got a lot. It’s big. It’s very big,” Richt said this week. “It’s about what you’d expect for Georgia-Auburn. I couldn’t even tell you the number that it is. But I know as we cover the names that are coming in, not only is it a long list but it’s a list of outstanding players.”
There is a little bit of it all in this group. There will be at least five 5-star prospects on campus. There will be three players that rank No. 1 at their respective positions by at least one recruiting service — linebacker Jeff Luc (pronounced Luck) of Port St. Lucie, Fla., cornerback LaMarcus Joyner of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and safety Matt Elam of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
There will be unofficial visitors and official visitors, such as linebacker Deon Rogers and wide receiver Kenny Shaw. There will be committed prospects, uncommitted prospects and prospects that are committed elsewhere such as defensive end Corey Crawford (Clemson) and Telvin Smith (Florida State). There will be 2010 targets, 2011 targets and even 2012 targets.
That’s the good news. The bad news is the Bulldogs will be hosting so many people that it will be a challenge to give them all the attention they deserve.
“It’s going to be a day that’s going to be very difficult to manage because you want to spend time with all these people,” Richt said. “You want to let them know how much you care about them and how much you think about then. When there’s such a massive number it’s very difficult to give everybody the amount of love you feel they they deserve. But that’s a good problem to have.”
Good thing the Bulldogs have a 7 p.m. game. Richt and his coaching staff will be in full-blown recruiting mode early in the morning before shifting into game mode the last couple of hours before kickoff.
“If it’s a 12:30 kickoff it’s so difficult to get that many people where you need them and to spend the time with them,” Richt said. “A lot of times at 12 o’clock or 12:30 many of them are showing up after the ‘Dawg Walk.’ You may see them only briefly on the sideline as you’re warming up. And afterward it’s very hard for me to see anybody because of the media responsibilities and the coach’s show responsibilities that I have. So the best shot I have to see some of these young men and their families is if it is a later game.”
Georgia hasn’t had such a massive recruiting weekend since it played Auburn in 2005. That year was similar to this one in that Georgia had played the majority of the previous month or so away from Athens and had not had a comparable marquee game when it was at home. The Bulldogs have played just one game at Sanford Stadium since hosting LSU on Oct. 3 and that was Tennessee Tech last week.
“I believe that was as big as we’ve had,” Richt said. “I know that was one of the biggest we’ve ever had as far as trying to manage a large, large number of people and a large number of very highly-regarded prospects.”
That game didn’t turn out so well. Georgia lost 31-30 in a dramatic finish. But there was a happy ending in recruiting. The Bulldogs’ Class of 2006 was ranked No. 4 in the nation.

UGA vs AUBURN

Although this game isn't the matchup it has been over the past decade, the good old fashion hatred should still be there. Both teams admit they aren't the national powerhouse they looked to be when joining either university. The reason they joined the SEC is rivalries like this.

Questions that will be answered on Saturday:

Auburn Defense vs UGA Offense. Will a healthy A.J. Green able to expose a defense with noticeable holes in it?

Will Richt's new stance on penalties prove to show a difference in Georgia's discipline? He sat any player who committed a penalty in the Vanderbilt game for the rest of the series. (Not likely that Curran will be sitting if he commits a penalty early in a drive)

Can the Dawg's poor tackling team find a way to stop an explosive Ben Tate.

I predict that the game being in Athens and Blair Walsh will be the difference.

Between Dogs and Jackets, only one is dressed for success

GREAT ARTICLE FROM THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION by Jeff Shultz

Georgia Tech showed up to play a football game Saturday night, wearing just its normal white road uniforms and gold helmets. Success, it seems, is dictated less by a program’s costumes than it is the athletes and the direction they’re moving in. Go figure.

We’ve seen for weeks how Tech and Georgia are moving in opposite directions. It hit home more than ever Saturday. The Jackets were not great at Vanderbilt. They actually found themselves trailing in the second half, 31-28, to an inferior team that had been averaging 8.7 points in its six losses. But Tech’s offense couldn’t be stopped. In the end, it pulled away. It’s what good teams do.

Georgia, meanwhile, hung with Florida for nearly a half, then self-destructed. It’s what bad teams do.

The differences between Tech and Georgia don’t stop there.


Mark Richt is losing the local battle to Georgia Tech but he lost the SEC battle to Florida and Urban Meyer a long time ago. (Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com)

One team is 8-1 and may go to a BCS bowl. The other team is 4-4 and needs two wins just to qualify for Shreveport.

The Jackets have the confidence to come back in games, even when they’re not at their best. The Bulldogs lack confidence and resolve. Why? Because they’re soft, either mentally or physically, or possibly both.

The Jackets, to their advantage, are a reflection of their coach. The Bulldogs, to a disadvantage right now, are a reflection of theirs.

When Paul Johnson sees something he doesn’t like in a Georgia Tech game or a practice, he tells you, sometimes in short, stinging verbal jabs. (Saturday: “I’m disappointed in the way we started. We missed some tackles and that just killed us. They hit a ton of big plays.”) We assume Mark Richt sees many things he doesn’t like. But it sure would be nice to hear and see him breathe a little fire once in a while. Peel paint. Make everybody believe you’re as angry as they are.

Johnson has not been to an ACC championship game yet, but nobody doubts him. Richt has won two SEC championships, but doubters are increasing in large numbers.

Johnson has a defensive coordinator (Dave Wommack) that every Georgia Tech fan would like to drop from a roof top. But there’s a belief that the head coach will mandate improvement or make a change, friendship and loyalty notwithstanding. Richt has a defensive coordinator (Willie Martinez) that every Georgia fan would like to drop from a roof top. But there’s a concern that Richt will do nothing because he has done nothing before.

Georgia Tech has a quarterback, Josh Nesbitt, who is beginning to master his team’s option offense and has developed into a nice passing threat (two touchdown passes against Vanderbilt). Logic says he will be even better as a senior. Georgia doesn’t really have a quarterback. Richt’s plan was to use Joe Cox as a bridge to Aaron Murray and/or Zach Mettenberger next season. Cox might’ve been OK if he wasn’t surrounded by chaos. But he’s not going to make a bad team better. And now why should we assume either freshman will be ready next season?

Georgia has a wide receiver, A.J. Green, who has “NFL star” stamped on his forehead. He is 23rd in the nation in receiving yards (732) with 44 catches, six for touchdowns. Georgia Tech has a wide receiver, Demaryius Thomas, who for some reason nobody is talking about. Playing one more game, but in a run-dominated offense, he is ahead of Green and eighth in the nation in receiving yards (823) with 34 catches and five touchdowns.

Johnson calls every play in the Tech offense. The Jackets rank 17th in yardage and 12th in scoring in the nation. Mike Bobo calls most plays for Georgia, with Richt monitoring. The Dogs rank 97th in yardage and 73rd in scoring.

Tech is redefining the pecking order in the ACC, this year beating Florida State and Virginia Tech, last year beating Florida State and Miami and nearly winning in Blacksburg. Georgia has fallen to a distant fourth (maybe) in the SEC, behind Florida, Alabama and LSU.

In two seasons, Johnson has built a program. He is winning games. In the same two seasons, Richt has manufactured black jerseys, black pants and black helmets, while his program is in decline. He is losing games. Not difficult to tell which school is making the fashion statement.