Print

Richt says he has no interest in Miami job

By The Associated Press
Posted 8:51PM on Sunday 28th November 2010 ( 13 years ago )
ATLANTA -- Mark Richt said Sunday he has no interest in leaving Georgia for another job - even at his alma mater.

The Georgia coach also said he plans no changes to his staff of assistant coaches following a 6-6 regular season.

Richt is a former Miami quarterback and has been mentioned as a possible candidate to succeed Randy Shannon, who was fired as the Hurricanes' coach on Saturday night.

Richt said he does not expect the Miami position to be a distraction as the Bulldogs await a bowl bid, possibly to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. He said his answer is the same as when he was mentioned with the Colorado opening earlier this year.

"I don't think it will be a distraction because I've got the same answer for that I had for the other one," Richt said. "Georgia is my home and it's where I want to finish my career."

Asked if he fully expects to be Georgia's coach in 2011, Richt said, "Absolutely."

He said he has not been approached by anyone from Miami.

Richt averaged 10 wins in his first nine seasons at Georgia. Now in his 10th, he's stuck in a three-year trend of disappointing seasons.

Georgia was the preseason No. 1 team in 2008, when the Bulldogs finished 10-3, including a loss to Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs fell to 8-5 last season, including a 4-4 record in the Southeastern Conference.

Georgia became bowl-eligible by beating Georgia Tech 42-34 on Saturday night. The .500 season included a 3-5 SEC record. Georgia Tech also is 6-6 and awaiting a bowl bid.

Richt reworked his defensive staff after last season, bringing in new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and two more new assistants.

Might Richt make changes to his offensive staff this year?

"Am I considering changes on the staff? No," Richt said firmly.

Georgia has scored more than 30 points in seven straight games. Offense wasn't the problem against Georgia Tech, as the Bulldogs gave up 512 yards and 32 first downs.

Washaun Ealey rushed for 118 yards with two touchdowns, Aaron Murray threw for three touchdowns and the Bulldogs held on late to beat Georgia Tech.

Richt noted he was second-guessed by fans when he was the offensive coordinator at Florida State.

"Whoever is calling plays gets criticized," Richt said. "That's the nature of the beast."

Richt said he plans for offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to continue calling plays.

"All I can say is if I'm not mistaken we broke some kind of school record for consecutive games over 30 points," Richt said.

Georgia's offense has been productive behind freshman quarterback Murray.

He completed 15 of 19 passes for 271 yards against Georgia Tech and it was his sixth game with three TD passes. He has 24 touchdown passes this season.

Murray is only one TD pass away from Matthew Stafford's school-record 25 in 2008 that he set on his way to becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL draft.

Murray's 2,851 yards passing is a record for a Georgia freshman and the second-highest total for a freshman in SEC history. Kentucky's Jared Lorenzen passed for 3,687 yards in 2000.

David Greene had 2,789 yards passing as a freshman for Georgia in 2001 before leading the Bulldogs to the SEC championship in 2002.
Georgia football coach Mark Richt

http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/11/234117

© Copyright 2015 AccessNorthGa.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.