After too long a delay, we now resume the countdown to Mark Richt's inevitable ascension to the top of the all-time Georgia victories list.
With his 59th career win at Auburn earlier today, Coach Richt moved to within 142 positive outcomes of tying Vince Dooley's school record of 201 wins.
The victory also placed Coach Richt in a two-way tie for third place on the all-time school list, alongside Harry Mehre, who posted a 59-34-6 record at Georgia from 1928 to 1937. Only Wally Butts and Vince Dooley won more games with the Red and Black than Mark Richt has won in his career in Athens.
76 games into his tenure in the Classic City, Coach Richt has achieved a 59-17 ledger, surpassing the marks of Harry Mehre (48-25-3), Wally Butts (53-21-2), Vince Dooley (49-23-4), and Ray Goff (44-31-1) at the same point in their respective careers.
As I noted this morning, there has never been anything wrong with being a Georgia Bulldog that beating Auburn couldn't fix . . . and now, suddenly, a 1973-like season seems not just realistic, but likely.
(I hear Georgia Tech clinched the championship of the weaker division of the weakest B.C.S. conference with a thrilling 7-0 victory over a one-win team that just fired its head coach. Wow, they must be really proud over at the Flats. I know I speak for the entire Bulldog Nation when I say: "Bring on the nerds!")
By avoiding his first-ever three-game losing streak and his first-ever back-to-back road losses, and by doing so in dramatic fashion against the No. 5 team in the nation in a rivalry game away from home and hedge, Mark Richt silenced the doubters and confirmed what we already knew to be true: Coach Richt is the finest head football coach in University of Georgia history, bar none, no exceptions.
Go 'Dawgs!