Due to family obligations, my posting will be a little light today, but I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to update the Mark Richt Victory Watch after too lengthy an absence.
Because Coach Richt was 40 years old at the time he was hired as the Bulldogs' head coach and he studied under Bobby Bowden, who continues to coach in his 70s, it is likely that Coach Richt's tenure in the Classic City will be long enough and strong enough for him to surpass Vince Dooley as the winningest football coach in school history.
Accordingly, I am counting down each victory en route to that milestone, so I am pleased to report that the Mark Richt Victory Watch now stands at 58. Coach Richt needs 143 more wins to tie Coach Dooley for the top spot in the Georgia standings.
With 73 games under his belt, Coach Richt has posted a 58-15 ledger, which represents by far the best record by a Red and Black coach at this point in his career. At the same juncture in their respective coaching stints in Athens, Harry Mehre was 46-24-3, Wally Butts was 50-21-2, Vince Dooley was 47-22-4, and Ray Goff was 42-30-1.
While Georgia's ninth straight victory over Mississippi State was too close for comfort, it snapped a two-game losing streak. Naturally, there is blame to be assigned as well as praise to be offered, to which I will get once time permits, but, for now, let's enjoy the win and appreciate the fact that the 'Dawgs are eligible for their 10th consecutive bowl game, a feat which would match the longest stretch of postseason appearances (1980-1989) in school history.
Go 'Dawgs!