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Vance Leavy
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It’s now officially okay to talk about the monster game this Saturday in Sanford Stadium versus the Alabama Crimson Tide. And in my humble opinion, it’s impossible to do so without having Nick Saban and Mark Richt at the center of the conversation. Without question, both men have amassed amazing records over the last two decades, with each coach accomplishing excellence with their own unique style.
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For this reason, when I was looking through our photo archives this past week for a cover idea, I knew I had struck gold when finding Rob Saye’s awesome photo of Coach Richt and Coach Saban from the 2012 SEC Championship coaching luncheon that was held the day before the title game. Capturing both men laughing shows a side of them that’s rarely seen. But what I like most about the photo is the clear respect that is shown between the two men. And that’s exactly how it should be as both Nick Saban and Mark Richt have been stellar at their profession since arriving to the SEC in 2000 and 2001.
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Now, as everyone in the Bulldog Nation knows, the one thing that our coach hasn’t reached that Saban has is a national championship. To me, that slight divide (as Jeff Dantzler also writes about in his column on page 5), began on September 20, 2003 in Baton Rouge. Richt and company dominated the first half, but squandered opportunities and went into the locker room trailing instead of up two to three touchdowns. Saban and his Bayou Bengals would hang on to win the game 17-10 on their way to being the eventual national champion.
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From that day, Coach Saban and his teams found their championship swagger and Coach Richt and his unit took on the label of being very good, but falling just short of greatness.
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In 2008, Saban arrived to frenzied Athens in his second year at Alabama. ESPN GameDay was on hand and a Black Out was in effect for the Bull-dog Nation. But beyond all the hoopla, the game itself was a litmus test to establish which program was a pretender and which was a true contender. In a shocking first half assault, the Crimson Tide marched into the locker room up 31-0. Ouch. Thankfully, Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno and their teammates made it respectable with the final score only being 41-30 Bama.
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However once again, Saban and his team took the next step towards championship greatness, with Richt’s Bulldogs being a rung below.
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Four years later, Richt and Saban would meet for the sixth time when Bama and Georgia squared off in the 2012 SEC Championship. Unfortunately, for all of us that bleed red and black, the devastating loss still stings. Once again, Saban had earned the up-per hand (and the hardware that came with it), and Richt was literally just five yards short.
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Now, my reasoning for looking back on tough memories is not to wallow in negativity. Rather, I’m simply laying out the facts as Coach Richt and Coach Saban once again do battle in an enormous statement game. As our cover says, only one man will be smiling after this one.
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For Richt, a victory over Saban and Bama on Saturday would alert the nation that this 2015 Georgia team is different. Yes, they are very good, but more importantly they have what it takes to win the monster games. This of course is easier said than done when dealing with Nick Saban, whose Bama teams haven’t lost two SEC games in a season since 2010. Yes, it’s certainly a tall task!
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While I have spent most of this space on the two coaches, of course we all know that the outcome will mostly come down to the performance by our players on the field. Is our offensive line legit enough to stand up to the mighty front seven of Alabama? Will our receivers be able to get off the line of scrim-mage with the Bama DBs popping them at the beginning of each play? Can Nick Chubb and Sony Michel continue their prowess for yards after contact? Will our defense be able to withstand the pounding style of the Bama offense when the fourth quarter arrives? Will our secondary remain opportunistic, without forgetting to never let the play get behind them? Will our coaches be crisp with their decision making in the biggest moments? Who will win special teams?
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I could go on and on, but I think you get the drift that the 2015 meeting between Georgia and Alabama has all the makings of a classic. I know our fan base knows how significant its role is in this contest. My hope is our players are ready to put their coach on their shoulders and do what is necessary to take the next step towards excellence and remember only one coach will be smiling after this one. That coach needs to be Mark Richt.
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Enjoy this issue of BI and please rest up in preparation for Saturday’s afternoon kickoff. It’s going to be epic, may the best coach, team and university win!!!
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Make sure to check out Bulldawg Illustrated’s latest print edition: Saban vs Richt – Only one man will be smiling after this one, digital issue available for free online click HERE.
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