The Mark Richt Victory Watch

Despite an underwhelming offense bereft of its top three tailbacks for the bulk of the game, the Georgia Bulldogs were able to rely upon stout defense and solid special teams to card a win over the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday afternoon, as a result of which I have the pleasure of updating the Mark Richt Victory Watch for the ninth straight Saturday on which the Red and Black were in action.

The Mark Richt Victory Watch now stands at 105, putting the Bulldogs’ present skipper 96 wins shy of the all-time school record. No head football coach in Georgia history had as many wins (105), as few losses (36), or as high a winning percentage (.745) as Mark Richt after 141 games. After as many Saturdays spend on the Classic City Canines’ sideline, Wally Butts was 94-40-7 (.692) and Vince Dooley (whose 141st game at Georgia also was a win over Kentucky) was 94-42-5 (.684).

As a result of today’s victory, Georgia has finished no worse than tied for first place in the Eastern Division five times in the ten years from 2002 to 2011, and, two weeks hence, the Bulldogs will appear in the SEC Championship Game for the fourth time in the last decade. No other conference club can make such a claim, though the LSU Tigers may match that feat to set up the third meeting in the Georgia Dome between the Bulldogs and the Bayou Bengals in the last nine years.

For what it’s worth, Mark Richt won this division title without so much as a single one of Jim Donnan’s players.

Go ‘Dawgs!