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5 takeaways from historic Georgia comeback, glance into Kirby Smart's future

SystemSystem Posts: 11,195 admin
edited January 2021 in Article commenting
image5 takeaways from historic Georgia comeback, glance into Kirby Smart's future

Georgia's thrilling come-from-behind win over Cincinnati represented the biggest comeback of Kirby Smart's 5-year head-coaching career

Read the full story here

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Comments

  • DawgTattooDawgTattoo Posts: 422 ✭✭✭✭ Senior
    edited January 2021

    "Smart has put together a championship-level program, the pieces in place, and now it’s just a matter of catching the right breaks and trusting the inner circle assistants around him."

    Someone please explain how this is so much better than what we had with Richt. Compare the first 5 years of each coach.

    Richt: 52-13, 2 SEC Champ., ranked in top ten: 4 out of 5 years

    Smart: 52-14, 1 SEC Champ., ranked in top ten: 4 out of 5 years.

    Almost identical records except Richt won 2 SEC Champ.

    And Smart won the Rose Bowl in 2018 with mostly Richt recruits.

    And Smart's getting better recruiting classes than Richt did and can't get better results.

    When was the last time we lost only 1 game? 2002. We have lost 2 or more games every year since then. That means we are losing to either Florida, LSU, Alabama, Tennessee, SC and/or a Bowl game every year. Are we content with that? I'm not. Alabama would fire their coach after 3 seasons if they lost 2 to 3 games a year.

    Richt never won another SEC title after 2005 and won the division only 3 more times after 2005. So, if the argument is "let's wait and see what Kirby does after his 5th year", then okay, let's see. But I would only give him 2 more years to win another SEC title, knock Alabama from their perch, and get in another NC game.

    I think Kirby is a helluva recruiter, but you can't argue with the end results: we still aren't in the same class as Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State. Why?? Do those teams have a better eye for talent? Or do they just develop the talent better than we do? Better coaching? Maybe all of the above? I think I speak for the majority of Dawgnation when I say that I am frustrated. I've watched the Dawgs since 1965 and I want to know why we have won only one NC. With the talent we get and the money we pay for coaching, we should have had more success by now. I've heard all of the arguments. Primarily the one about having to compete in the SEC and particularly Alabama. If we had played in another conference maybe we would have been in the hunt for more playoff spots.

    Maybe next year. That's what I say to myself every year.

  • DawgTattooDawgTattoo Posts: 422 ✭✭✭✭ Senior

    People are voting down my comment below, but I don't see anybody offering a counter argument. Please point out where I'm wrong. I would love to hear some encouraging words. I would love to be excited about next year. But we will probably lose to Clemson and again in the SEC CG. That's 2 loses and probably a top ten ranking again. Same old thing, every year.

  • SmartsTheManSmartsTheMan Posts: 1,532 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    A couple of things are different. Richt didn't have to compete with todays Nick Saban during his SEC championship years. 2002 and 2005.

    Saban didn't get to Alabama until 2007. Richt lost to Saban's 2003 LSU team. Yes, Saban was at LSU 2000-04, but he hadn't become the coach we see today at Alabama.

    After the 2005 season, Rich't recruiting dropped off, and he made some coaching hires that simply didn't work out. Richt never dominated his rivals, Florida and Tennessee like Kirby has.

    Richt: 52-13, 2 SEC Champ., ranked in top ten: 4 out of 5 years.

    First 5 years was a good run. After that" (06) - lost 4. (07) - lost 2. (08) - lost 3. (09) - lost 5. (10) - lost 7.

    Georgia had a good to great coach in Mark Richt, but UGA simply didn't give Richt and the program what it was going to take to compete. I put Richt's fall more on the administration than on the coach. Richt and the program deserved better.

    Kirby Smart now has as much support as just about any coach in CFB. Kirby will be able to do better because of it. Like the article said, it really is just a matter of "catching the right breaks."

    KIrby is a young coach and like Saban, will only get better with more experience. UGA is very fortunate to have him.

  • David1David1 Posts: 860 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    DawgTattoo, I disagree with you, also. You can’t speak for the majority of people that read and comment on DawgNation. Maybe the writers could do a poll to see how the majority of DawgNation readers do feel. Richt was a good coach and an even better Christian man, but he hit his coaching ceiling in 2005, with the exception of 2012. We’ll have to wait to see how Kirby does this year to continue that argument. Go Dawgs!!

  • reddawg1reddawg1 Posts: 3,794 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Kirby will become a much better coach after Saban leaves, if he ever gets bored of winning National Championships or until one of his protégées starts beating him . Until then Saban is the Jedi Master.

    For all of our recruiting prowess under Kirby can anyone say we are right there with BAMA? I wish we could, we can hope to be next season when BAMA loses about 6 of their starters to the 1st round of the Draft. But we all know what BAMA does, they simply reload, hire another great Offensive Coordinator and see you in the playoffs next year.

    Honestly, that's not us. We aren't plug and play, yet. Think Jim Cheney, and the guy last year. We are a perennial top 10 finisher under Kirby so far. Not a bad thing at all. But I believe we all want more than that. We get talked about in preseason by the pundits, "Is this the year that UGA finally puts it all together?" It will be the same talk again this coming year, again it's a good place to be. But let's all hope we do "Finally put it all together."

  • ugambaugamba Posts: 6 ✭ Freshman

    I think team captains have to vow not to opt out. That’s just a bad look for leaders. Don’t take a leadership role if you’re willing to leave the team.

  • ItchyZItchyZ Posts: 182 ✭✭✭ Junior

    Two things:

    1. I tired early, of hearing the ESPN merry magpies who, though they lacked Cincy cheerleader togs, seemed annoyingly persistent in wanting a Bearcat win. So I muted them for the rest of the game.
    2. Kickers win games. So, I think good ones do deserve a scholarship and it is not a waste. Quality, not quantity.
  • Dawg365Dawg365 Posts: 1,109 ✭✭✭✭ Senior

    Thanks for the article Mike, well said!

  • rhbatchrhbatch Posts: 730 ✭✭✭✭ Senior

    Mike, the only thing I disagree with is "Before you know it.....". It's going to feel like forever until next season, always does. Then it's "Before you know it, the season is over".

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