How long will the losing coach have? I wish Georgia was playing someone other than the Bears this weekend since we
have to play them next weekend.
<div class="wl-title-block"><div class="wl-title"><h1>Georgia entering heart of SEC play</h1></div></div><span class="updated" style="display: none;" title="2011-09-20T18:01:48-04:00">September 20, 2011 - 06:01pm</span>
<div class="entry-title" style="display: none;">Georgia entering heart of SEC play</div>
<div class="wl-byline">
</div>
</p>
ATHENS — Mark Richt says he enjoys football “business trips.”</p>
That’s good, because it’s time for his Georgia team to hit the road, where it hasn’t had recent success.</p>
Georgia
(1-2 overall, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) plays at Mississippi on
Saturday to begin a stretch of five straight SEC games. Four of the five
will be played away from Athens.</p>
“I do enjoy road games,” Richt
said Tuesday. “You get your 70 guys and you go on a business trip and
there aren’t a lot of things you have to do other than go and play the
ballgame.</p>
“So it is nice just to gather up the team, gather up the troops and get busy.”</p>
The
Bulldogs’ only remaining home before November is next week against
Mississippi State. After games at Tennessee and at Vanderbilt, Georgia
has an open week before its neutral site game against Florida in
Jacksonville on Oct. 29.</p>
Richt says Georgia, which lost its SEC opener to South Carolina, must beat Ole Miss to remain in the Eastern Division race.</p>
“There’s
a sense of urgency in that if we want to stay in this Eastern Division
race, we’ve got to win, that’s just the way it is,” Richt said. “It’s a
mathematical equation now.”</p>
Senior punter Drew Butler said team
leaders already have made sure all the players can’t be thinking about
the difficult challenge of winning five straight conference games. He
said the focus must remain on this week’s game in Oxford, Miss.</p>
</p>
Staying focused </p>
“I
think that makes it almost easier for us to take it one game at a time,
because we’re not going to win five games in a row if we don’t win the
first one,” Butler said. “We all understand that and I think the
leadership of this team has put that in front of the team and I think
the team has accepted that.</p>
“It all starts this week in Oxford and
that’s what we’re focused on. We’re not thinking about what we did last
week and we’re not worried about what’s ahead. Nothing can happen
without a good start in Oxford.”</p>
Richt’s 34-10 record in an opponent’s home stadium was better before last season, when Georgia’s only road win was at Kentucky.</p>
Since
beating Texas A&M in the 2009 Independence Bowl, Georgia is only
1-7 in games played away from Athens. That stretch includes a Liberty
Bowl loss to Central Florida last year and a loss to Boise State in the
Georgia Dome to open this season.</p>
Richt said Georgia had strong
road success before last season because quarterbacks David Greene, D.J.
Shockley and Eric Zeier “really handled the pressure of the
communication in those loud stadiums.”</p>
Richt said the quarterbacks also stayed calm “if some little thing goes wrong.”</p>
“Our quarterbacks have always had nerves of steel,” Richt said. “They handled all that type of pressure really well.”</p>
</p>
Simulated crowd </p>
Richt
said Georgia will practice in Sanford Stadium on Thursday, with
simulated crowd noise blaring through speakers. The practice will be
designed to help sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray and the Bulldogs
practice the signals they will use in their first true road game of the
season.</p>
“Our guys have done a great job of learning the signals
and communicating the signals, so I feel comfortable they’ll know what’s
going on,” Murray said Tuesday.</p>
“I don’t have to yell to them.
It’s just going to be working on that more this week, especially with
the younger guys who don’t know what it’s like to be in that kind of
environment.”</p>
The atmosphere at Ole Miss (1-2, 0-1) could be
affected by the Rebels’ 30-7 loss at Vanderbilt last week. Like Richt,
Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt is facing pressure from impatient fans.</p>
Mississippi athletic director Pete Boone said Monday he met with Nutt on Sunday.</p>
Richt managed a smile and said he wasn’t offended by the game being called the “Hot Seat Bowl.”</p>
“I
knew that would happen,” Richt said. “No. That was pretty easy to
predict. You think they could have thought of something better than
that. I think a couple of kindergarteners could have figured out that
one.”</p>
have to play them next weekend.
<div class="wl-title-block"><div class="wl-title"><h1>Georgia entering heart of SEC play</h1></div></div><span class="updated" style="display: none;" title="2011-09-20T18:01:48-04:00">September 20, 2011 - 06:01pm</span>
<div class="entry-title" style="display: none;">Georgia entering heart of SEC play</div>
<div class="wl-byline">
</div>
</p>
ATHENS — Mark Richt says he enjoys football “business trips.”</p>
That’s good, because it’s time for his Georgia team to hit the road, where it hasn’t had recent success.</p>
Georgia
(1-2 overall, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) plays at Mississippi on
Saturday to begin a stretch of five straight SEC games. Four of the five
will be played away from Athens.</p>
“I do enjoy road games,” Richt
said Tuesday. “You get your 70 guys and you go on a business trip and
there aren’t a lot of things you have to do other than go and play the
ballgame.</p>
“So it is nice just to gather up the team, gather up the troops and get busy.”</p>
The
Bulldogs’ only remaining home before November is next week against
Mississippi State. After games at Tennessee and at Vanderbilt, Georgia
has an open week before its neutral site game against Florida in
Jacksonville on Oct. 29.</p>
Richt says Georgia, which lost its SEC opener to South Carolina, must beat Ole Miss to remain in the Eastern Division race.</p>
“There’s
a sense of urgency in that if we want to stay in this Eastern Division
race, we’ve got to win, that’s just the way it is,” Richt said. “It’s a
mathematical equation now.”</p>
Senior punter Drew Butler said team
leaders already have made sure all the players can’t be thinking about
the difficult challenge of winning five straight conference games. He
said the focus must remain on this week’s game in Oxford, Miss.</p>
</p>
Staying focused </p>
“I
think that makes it almost easier for us to take it one game at a time,
because we’re not going to win five games in a row if we don’t win the
first one,” Butler said. “We all understand that and I think the
leadership of this team has put that in front of the team and I think
the team has accepted that.</p>
“It all starts this week in Oxford and
that’s what we’re focused on. We’re not thinking about what we did last
week and we’re not worried about what’s ahead. Nothing can happen
without a good start in Oxford.”</p>
Richt’s 34-10 record in an opponent’s home stadium was better before last season, when Georgia’s only road win was at Kentucky.</p>
Since
beating Texas A&M in the 2009 Independence Bowl, Georgia is only
1-7 in games played away from Athens. That stretch includes a Liberty
Bowl loss to Central Florida last year and a loss to Boise State in the
Georgia Dome to open this season.</p>
Richt said Georgia had strong
road success before last season because quarterbacks David Greene, D.J.
Shockley and Eric Zeier “really handled the pressure of the
communication in those loud stadiums.”</p>
Richt said the quarterbacks also stayed calm “if some little thing goes wrong.”</p>
“Our quarterbacks have always had nerves of steel,” Richt said. “They handled all that type of pressure really well.”</p>
</p>
Simulated crowd </p>
Richt
said Georgia will practice in Sanford Stadium on Thursday, with
simulated crowd noise blaring through speakers. The practice will be
designed to help sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray and the Bulldogs
practice the signals they will use in their first true road game of the
season.</p>
“Our guys have done a great job of learning the signals
and communicating the signals, so I feel comfortable they’ll know what’s
going on,” Murray said Tuesday.</p>
“I don’t have to yell to them.
It’s just going to be working on that more this week, especially with
the younger guys who don’t know what it’s like to be in that kind of
environment.”</p>
The atmosphere at Ole Miss (1-2, 0-1) could be
affected by the Rebels’ 30-7 loss at Vanderbilt last week. Like Richt,
Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt is facing pressure from impatient fans.</p>
Mississippi athletic director Pete Boone said Monday he met with Nutt on Sunday.</p>
Richt managed a smile and said he wasn’t offended by the game being called the “Hot Seat Bowl.”</p>
“I
knew that would happen,” Richt said. “No. That was pretty easy to
predict. You think they could have thought of something better than
that. I think a couple of kindergarteners could have figured out that
one.”</p>
