ATHENS, Ga.— With the 2015 Georgia Bulldogs football season not going the way that many drew up, some are calling for changes to be made within the program. FoxSports.com’s Bruce Feldman reported earlier in the week that key decision makers at UGA were already discussing plans to move the program forward without head coach Mark Richt.
The Bulldogs are 5-3 at this point of the season and have a 3-3 record in SEC play. Even worse, those three losses came in the month of October where they went 1-3 against Alabama, Tennessee and most recently Florida.
With all the conjecture facing the program right now, Richt has been around for 15 years to endure his fair share of criticism. He understands that things don’t always go your way.
“Some jobs you might have a bad day at the office and maybe three people know,” Richt said. “We have a bad day at the office in our line of work and millions of people know and millions of people have an opinion, and a lot of people know football. A lot of people think they know football, you know, so there’s a little bit of everything.”
Richt has nine seasons with at least 10 wins on his resumé. He has also won two SEC Championships (2002 & 2005) in five trips to the game.
The Bulldogs missed the championship game for the third straight year and that has some of the critics upset with him. Especially given the fact that Florida and Tennessee have been down in their success during that time.
Remember back to the 2011 season when people were calling for Richt to be let go after losing their first two games of the season to Boise State and South Carolina? This was also coming off a 6-7 season, where they capped it off with a loss to Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl.
Senior wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell was on that team and remembers how they reacted to the possibility that the program could be on the verge of change.
“The team back then rallied together,” Mitchell said. “We came together, had a meeting and said if we continue down the path we’re headed… They’ll make a change. That’s the same thing we’ll have to do.”
Georgia has four games remaining with two against rivals in Auburn and Georgia Tech. If they win out, they’ll finish with a second straight nine win regular season. A win in the bowl game would match their win total from last year as well.
Player Off The Field Trouble
Many woke up this morning to see the news that Georgia was dealing with a recent arrest of two players. Freshmen defensive end Chauncey Rivers (Stephenson) and linebacker Natrez Patrick (Mays) have been suspended for the Kentucky game, after they were charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
According to reports, Rivers/Patrick were arrested by UGA Police after 2 a.m. ET. Later in the morning, the school released a statement from head coach Mark Richt.
“They made a very poor decision and I’m extremely disappointed,” Richt said. “They will be disciplined in an appropriate manner and hopefully have learned a valuable life lesson that will benefit them moving forward.”
As of right now, it is thought the players will be eligible to return next week for the Bulldogs game at Auburn. No word yet on whether or not they will be held out of practice.
Injury News
Last week against Florida, senior outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins returned to the field for the first time since his groin injury that sidelined him for much of the Tennessee game. Also, running back Sony Michel broke a bone in his right hand against the Gators.
Both players are expected to play this week against Kentucky. Michel is going to be wearing a cast on his hand and anticipates carrying the football primarily in his left hand.
Jenkins says he played about 10 plays in last week’s game, but was in a regular practice jersey on Tuesday to signal that he could be a full participant.
More Reps For Offensive Players
Senior running back Keith Marshall “could be in position” to get some more playing time in the final four regular season games this season. He has primarily been in a back-up role to sophomore Sony Michel and junior Brendan Douglas for carries since sophomore Nick Chubb got hurt in the Tennessee game.
Marshall only carried the ball three times for 16 yards in their 27-3 loss last week to Florida.
Sophomore offensive guard Dyshon Sims could also be playing his way into the offensive line rotation from here on out according to Richt during his Tuesday press conference. He says they have been impressed with the recent work that Sims has put in on the practice field the last couple of weeks.
Sims was getting first team reps at right guard during Tuesday’s practice.
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