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​It is the opening week of the 2016 PGA Tour schedule and the Scott Hamilton Golf Academy has several players who made the cut and are chasing leader Brendan Steele heading into Sunday’s final round in Napa, California at the Frys.com Open at Silverado CC. Hudson Swafford and Russell Henley are both six shots behind the leader and tied for 20th. Brendon Todd is in a tie for 39th after a 68 on Saturday, while Aaron Baddeley and Boo Weekley are tied for 61st going into the final round. Chris Kirk, Ben Martin, and Steven Bowditch are Scott Hamilton Golf Academy players who played this week but missed the cut. Former SHGA player and Acworth resident, Jason Bohn shot 64 and moved up 25 spots Saturday to a tie for fourth. Scott Hamilton is the Director of Golf at Cartersville Country Club and is coach to many prominent professionals on the PGA Tour, Champions Tour, WEB.com Tour, and LPGA Tour. Hamilton also provides links to Bartow Sports Zone to his online instructional programs. Use the menu at the top of this page to view his latest videos and link to On Tour Golf.

The Bartow County Recreation Department currently is accepting registrations for youth basketball and wrestling. Basketball registration is open to girls and boys ages 5-17. Age groups for basketball include: 5-year-old instructional co-ed, 6-year olds co-ed, 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, and 17U. Registration fees vary by age level ($40 - $75) and continue through November 7. Games will begin November 9 and continue through February 6. Registration is available online at the BCRD website -- www.bartowparksandrec.org. You may also register at the Hamilton Crossing Park offices or call 770-387-5149 for more information. A new youth wrestling program is also offered at the South Bartow Youth Facility beginning November 9 through February 27. The wrestling program is available for girls and boys ages 5 to 14 and the registration fee is $80. For wrestling program questions, see the BCRD website -- www.bartowparksandrec.org, stop by the South Bartow youth Facility Main Office (6505 Glade Road, Acworth 30101 / Office hours: 8a - 5p) or call Joe Salvatore at 770.974.3255.

REGION 7-AAAAA Division A……… Reg ..….. All Games Dalton …………… 4-1 ………. 6-2 Creekview ….…… 4-1 ………. 5-3 Sequoyah ……….. 2-2 ………. 2-5 Cass……………… 2-2 ………. 4-3 Rome ………….…. 2-2 ………. 4-3 Woodland ……….. 1-3 ………. 1-6 River Ridge ……… 0-4 …….…. 0-7 October 16 results: Dalton 56, River Ridge 14; Rome 62, Woodland 0; Creekview 38, Sequoyah 35. October 23: Dalton at Woodland; Rome at Sequoyah; Cass at River Ridge; Creekview idle Division B ……….. Reg ….. All Games Cambridge ……… 4-0 ………… 6-1 Riverwood ……… 4-1 ….……… 6-2 Kell ………………. 3-1 ………… 5-2 Sprayberry ……… 3-2 ………… 5-3 North Atlanta ……. 1-3 ………… 3-4 Forsyth Cent. …… 0-4 ………… 2-5 North Springs …… 0-4 ………… 1-6 October 16 results: Cambridge 35, N.Springs 19; Kell 31, Riverwood 3; Sprayberry 9, Forsyth Cent. 0 October 23: Cambridge at Riverwood; N. Atlanta at Kell; N. Springs at Forsyth Cent.; Sprayberry idle __________________________________ REGION 7-AAAA …. Reg … All Games Cartersville ………… 4-0 ……… 7-0 Pickens …………….. 3-1 ………. 6-1 NW Whitfield ………. 3-2 ……… 5-3 Heritage ……………. 2-2 ………. 4-3 SE Whitfield ……….. 2-2 ………. 4-3 Ridgeland ………….. 2-2 ………. 3-4 Gilmer ………………. 1-3 ………. 2-5 LaFayette …………… 0-4 ……… 1-6 October 16 results: Cartersville 58, NW Whitfield 13; Ridgeland 35, Heritage 21; Pickens 52, Lafayette 0; Gilmer 28, SE Whitfield 17. October 23: Cartersville at SE Whitfield; Ridgeland at NW Whitfifeld; Heritage at Pickens; Gilmer at Lafayette ___________________________ REGION 6-AAA ……. Reg ….. All Games Calhoun …………….. 5-0 ………. 7-0 Adairsville ………..… 4-1 …….… 6-1 Sonoraville …………. 4-2 ………. 5-3 North Murray ……….. 3-2 ………. 3-4 Murray Co. …………. 3-2 ……… 4-3 Ringgold ………….… 2-3 …….… 3-4 Coahulla Creek …….. 2-3 ………. 2-5 Gordon Central ……… 1-5 ……… 1-7 Lakeview-FO ………… 0-6 ……… 0-8 October 16 results: Adairsville 48, LFO 13; North Murray 30, Coahulla Creek 7; Sonoraville 41, Ringgold 33; Murray 40, Gordon Central 7. ​ October 23: Calhoun at Murray Co.; Adairsville at North Murray; Ringgold at Coahulla Creek; Sonoraville at LFO; Gordon Central is idle.

The Bartow-Gordon Middle School Athletic Association first round football playoff scores from Super Saturday, October 17 at Calhoun. Cartersville 59, Ashworth 0 Red Bud 48, Woodland 6 Calhoun 49, South Central 8 Adairsville 7, Cass 0 Thursday, October 22 Adairsville (#3N, 3-4) at Red Bud (#1N, 6-1) Calhoun (#2N, 5-2) at Cartersville (#1S, 7-0) Thursday, October 29 BGMSAA Championship Game at highest seed Note: If both #1s win semifinals, Cartersville would host.

​The Woodland Middle School at Euharlee girls cross country team won the Georgia State Middle School Cross Country Championship two-mile run Saturday at Bleckley County Elementary School in Cochran, GA. The Woodland girls finished 24 points ahead of second place E.T. Booth Middle School in the large school division that included 22 teams and 176 runners. The Woodland boys finished second in the large school division in an extremely close finish. Burney-Harris-Lyons School edged Woodland and Piney Grove Middle School by only one point, but the Wildcats placed second by virtue of a tie-breaker. The large school division included 21 teams and 181 runners. Cartersville Middle School boys finished third in the medium size schools division behind Westminster and Marist. The division included 18 schools and 150 runners. Cartersville Middle School girls were eighth in the medium division that included 16 schools and 129 runners. Woodland won the mixed (boys and girls) large school JV race taking eight of the top ten spots. The large school mixed JV race included 13 teams and 202 harriers. Cartersville won the mixed medium schools JV race by taking six of the top eight scoring spots. The medium mixed JV race included 11 schools and 210 runners. Race results: WOODLAND MS AT EUHARLEE GIRLS TWO-MILE LARGE SCHOOL DIVISION Carli Clymer, 6th overall, 12:46.64 Rylee Evans, 7th, 12:47.55 McKenna Trapheagen, 12th, 13:21.44 Makenzie Stephenson, 33rd, 14:07.46 Avery Hull, 38th, 14:10.10 Marlee Bowles, 50th, 14:23.38 Grace Webb, 96th, 15:27.21 WOODLAND MS AT EUHARLEE BOYS TWO-MILE LARGE SCHOOL DIVISION Caleb Jones 22nd overall, 12:20.86 Christian Gough 31st, 12:26.45 Dylan Stermer, 42nd, 12:40.91 Graham Lee, 45th, 12:43.94 Stanton Bedwell, 55th, 12:58.54 Phoenix Cramer, 78th, 13:15.45 Tommy Duke, 88th, 13:21.70 CARTERSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS TWO-MILE MEDIUM DIVISION Davis Williams, 24th overall, 12:17.03 Bill Archer, 28th, 12:27.34 Alan Thacker, 29th, 12:29.91 Joel Zazueta, 42nd, 12:48.72 Tyler Earick, 44th, 12:49.61 Mack Morris, 54th, 12:57.53 Banks Wilson, 92nd, 13:30.98 CARTERSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS TWO-MILE MEDIUM DIVISION Brianna Kim, 36th overall, 14:35.85 Alice Terry, 37th, 14:36.53 Gracie Hill, 46th, 15:00.19 Isabel Tucker, 76th, 15:41.00 Kaitlyn Dailey, 80th, 15:51.30 Ansley Holton, 85th, 15:59.52 Trista Kelly, 86th, 16:02.28 WOODLAND JV BOYS Will Huhes, 1st overall, 13:01.78 Patrick Bullwerk, 2nd, 13:07.97 Bryce Van Order, 3rd, 13:23.31 Charles Doran, 4th Bryant Knox, 5th J.T. Forsyth, 7th Ben Novo, 9th T.J. Grimes, 10th Jacob Cass, 30th WOODLAND JV GIRLS Gisselle Carrasco, 17th overall, 14:20.11 Syney Molinaro, 22nd, 14:42.74 McKinzie Tompkins, 24th Anna Payne, 25th Ciara Bernowski, 26th Lexi Bubrick, 29th Lilly Pelow, 35th Angie Carasco, 36th Cayley Stantz, 37th Piercy Gierlak, 38th Stephanie Carasco, 42nd Callie Jones, 43rd Mckinsey Spinks, 48th CARTERSVILLE JV BOYS Gyles Turner, 1st overall, 13:15.83 Matthew Wilson, 3rd Austen Dabbs, 6th Griffin Shaw, 7th Max Florance, 8th Jackson Merritt, 9th Jackson Brennan, 13th Clay Ross, 14th Garen Jones, 16th Jacob Smith, 17th Jose Ruiz, 18th Camden Carpenter, 25th Will Simmons, 31st Sam Peters, 37th A.J. Menery, 40th John Robinson, 43rd John Blackhall, 49th Kevin Barnhart, 53rd Jake Roberts, 62nd Carson Hornberger, 64th Tyler Raines, 65th Ben Camara, 68th Jeffery Alridge, 82nd Isaiah Davis, 85th CARTERSVILLE JV GIRLS Alyson Menerey was the top female finishers for Cartersville in 15:49.84. She was followed by teammates Shaylee Graves, Juliana Choate, Tatum Amerson, Molly Miller, Ali Dyke, Kennedy Elliott, Maddy Baggett, Alyson Dailey.

Bartow County Recreation Department and Cartersville Parks & Recreation Department Youth football Saturday, October 17 12U results at Old Cass High School CALHOUN CANES 30 BARTOW BEARS 21 Cooper Harmon returned the game's opening kickoff 65 yards for a touchdown and rambled 48 yards for a second half touchdown to lead the Calhoun Canes past the Bears. Camden Charles scored on a 5 yard run and Johnny Washington added a 15-yard scoring burst for the Canes in their win. Trailing 16-0 early in the second quarter, the Bears kept it close with a Bobo Wynn 5 yard touchdown run and a Santino Jones 53 yard scamper. Those drives cut narrowed the margin to 16-13 at the half. After Calhoun extended the lead in the third period, Santino Jones answered on the ensuing kickoff with a 65 yard return for touchdown. That cut the Canes lead to 24-21, but would be as close as the Bears would come. CALHOUN BULLDOGS 20 BARTOW TIGERS 6 T.J. Printup capped the Tigers opening drive with a 42-yard scamper to take a 6-0 lead, but the Calhoun Bulldogs would shutout the Tigers the remainder of the day. Calhoun scored on a 1-yard keeper by Brendan Gray, a 72-yard interception return by Jaden Brock, and a 20-yard, fourth quarter rush by Brett Bradley. Jacob Ray, Patrick Shelley, and Noah Standridge were defensive notables for the Tigers. 10U results at Old Cass High School ​ 8U results Hamilton Crossing Park BARTOW FALCONS 33 BARTOW COLTS 32 Ja’Kai Baldwin scored five touchdowns to lead the Falcons. He had scoring runs of 45, 25, 50, 35, and 45 yards. Jakez Baldwin and Kelson Mitchell converted extra points for the Falcons. Reed Ezell matched Baldwin's performance with five touchdowns for the Colts. He had touchdown runs of 6,12,18, 24, and 30 yards. Colby Edwards had the conversion on one of those scores for the Colts. BARTOW PACKERS 19 BARTOW JETS 0 The Packers defense shutout the Jets while Treshaun Reed scored a pair of touchdowns. J'Vain Ledbetter punched in the Packers first score from one yard out. Reed's scoring runs were 30 and 10 yards. Ledbetter added one PAT. 10U results Thursday, October 15 at Old Cass High School CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES PURPLE 35, BARTOW FALCONS 34 CARTERSVILLE HURRICANES WHITE 24, BARTOW STEELERS 6 ​Scoring information for these games was not immediately available. We apologize for the inconvenience, but will add this information as it become available. Youth football reports are provided by CPRD and BCRD and are presented on Bartow Sports Zone by CiCi's Pizza of Cartersville.

ADAIRSVILLE 48, LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE 13 Bartow Sports Zone Torrey Hale, Sidnee Johnson, and Roger Redd ran for two touchdowns each to lead Adairsville over LFO, 48-13. Dallas Cannon of the Tigers added a 10-yard scoop and score of a botched punt attempt and fumble. Adairsville led 35-0 after one quarter and held a 42-0 lead less than two minutes into the second period. AHS 7-0..1Q.. 10:51.. Torrey Hale.. 9-yd TD run (Honea kick) (4 plays, 54 yard drive) AHS 14-0 .. 1Q .. 8:17.. Dallas Cannon.. 10-yd fumble return following high snap to punter (Honea kick) AHS 21-0 .. 1Q .. 5:14 .. 37 yard Roger Redd run… (Honea kick) (2 plays, 66 yards) AHS 28-0 .. 1Q … 3:04 .. 37-yd TD run, Sidnee Johnson. (Honea kick) (2 plays, 57 yards) AHS 35-0 .. 1Q .. 0:00 … 11-yard run, Torrey Hale… (Honea kick) (4 plays, 23 yards after a failed fake punt attempt/ turnover on downs) AHS 42-0 .. 2Q .. 10:04 .. 17-yard run, Roger Redd .. (Honea kick) (3 plays, 67 yards) LF0 42-7 .. 2Q .. 8:44 … 72-yard pass, Noah Flowers to Haydin Griffin.. (Chris Davis kick) (3 plays, 74 yards) LFO 42-13.. 2Q .. 3:53 … Devin Duncan 67-yard run.. (kick failed) (1 play, following A’ville punt) AHS 48-13 .. 3Q .. 8:38 … 44-yard run, Sidnee Johnson (kick failed) (67 yards, 5 plays) The Daily Tribune News http://www.daily-tribune.com/sports/item/3769-adairsville-rips-warriors-48-13 NorthwestGeorgiaNews.com http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/prep_central/high_school/football/football-adairsville-takes-down-lfo/article_b864aed2-7497-11e5-a439-c3be529a4a22.html CARTERSVILLE 58, NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 13 The Daily Tribune News http://www.daily-tribune.com/sports/item/3768-canes-big-play-passing-attack-trumps-bruins-58-13 Dalton Daily Citizen http://www.daltondailycitizen.com/sports/hurricanes-wipe-out-bruins/article_2f1ed742-7488-11e5-9d01-8bb16f779eaf.html ROME 62, WOODLAND 0 The Daily Tribune News http://www.daily-tribune.com/sports/item/3767-wildcats-have-a-tough-night-in-a-hostile-environment Atlanta Journal-Constitution http://highschoolsports.blog.ajc.com/2015/10/16/rome-62-woodland-bartow-0/ NorthwestGeorgiaNews.com http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/prep_central/high_school/football/football-wolves-blank-wildcats-at-home/article_99102dc0-7499-11e5-8222-4f25350d872f.html

Brad Stephens brings his own Southern flavored sports perspective and humor to Bartow Sports Zone. He is a Bartow County native and has his own law office in Cartersville, but he's mostly a Georgia Bulldogs' football fan. ________________ “What a long, strange trip it’s been…” This very appropriate line from the Grateful Dead’s megahit “Truckin’” can apply to any journey in life. A great college experience, a memorable friendship, a meaningful career or especially so, a sports season. Perhaps no team in college football can attest to the applicability of this line more than the Georgia Bulldogs. A season that began with question marks became one of promise, then quickly reversed itself into one of despair. The Dawgs have had glimpses of greatness followed by moments of utter confusion. A pass rush that went from daunting to haunting. An NCAA passing record followed up by the inability to grip a wet football. A blowout of your arch-nemesis to a disappearing act at home that left Dawg fans in the lurch. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Jerry Garcia said it all: “sometimes the light’s all shining on me, other times I can barely see.” Georgia (4-2, 2-2 SEC) continues to be a no-show in the big game, a reputation that sadly precedes them now. Gone are the days of Greene & Pollack, the Hobnailed Boot and Blackouts that actually work. They have been replaced by games where the Crimson Tide freshmen get game experience and unwanted three-star Georgians in Knoxville, Tennessee hang an “L” on their five-star counterparts from Athens. The entire season is now up in the air and the team’s best player can only play football on a Playstation. Woe, thy name is Georgia. ​ There is a glimmer of hope, strangely enough. Missouri is falling back to earth after a couple of appearances in the SEC title game. Florida’s upstart quarterback, Will Grier, will be on the couch for a calendar year after testing positive for some drug that may have enhanced his performance. Ligandrol? That sounds like a character from “The Lord of the Rings.” In any event, the Gators’ season is now in turmoil and they are headed to Death Valley to take on the LSU Fighting Fournettes. It could be ugly. Auburn is struggling in their third year on “The Gus Bus” and Georgia Tech is currently enduring a four-game skid that has Jacket fans already talking about basketball season. Kentucky has some momentum but lost at home to Florida and struggled against Eastern Kentucky two weeks ago. The Wildcats have nowhere to go but up, but how far up remains to be seen. That leaves Georgia Southern, a team the Dawgs should be able to beat….but ask the Gators about that one. Strange things seem to happen when the Dawgs get backed into a corner. In 2007, after two inexplicable losses and a season going straight into the toilet, Richt’s squad turned around and smashed their way to a #2 ranking at the end of the season. The 2012 team saw a blowout loss to South Carolina followed up by a run at the National Title that was ultimately thwarted by Alabama. Last season was discarded after Todd Gurley was suspended, only to have the emergence of Nick Chubb revive the team to finish much higher than anticipated. If Florida goes into the tank, Tennessee loses to Alabama and the Dawgs win out, we could see Georgia in Atlanta once again. Is it time to rejoice if that happens? Frankly, the outlook would not be rosy. The Georgia Dome has not been kind to the home team in recent years and the SEC West is absolutely dominating the SEC title game right now. This season looks to be no different. Georgia has lost its last three December visits to the Dome and all signs point to a loss again – the leaders of the West are far more physical and Georgia simply is not responding to punches in the mouth these days. It has even spread to the fanbase. In fact, I overheard a Georgia fan remark that his “degree was worth more” to an Alabama fan as I left Sanford Stadium. Oh man – that is vitriol you hear when you leave Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech after winning. Are the Dawgs resorting to academia in the trash talk arena? Maybe we can compare SAT scores and pocket calculators at halftime. I am not sure what will happen at this juncture. The offense looks anemic, the defense is porous and the kicking game is as reliable as a Land Rover engine. Richt’s seat is heating up, Pruitt is facing his first criticisms and Mike Bobo has probably gotten a few “we miss you, Dawg” tweets. Players who were supposed to step up have disappeared, tackling seems optional and the injured are being stacked like cordwood on the sidelines. I sound like Larry Munson mixed with Cormac McCarthy. The Dawgnation will have to don their rose-colored glasses and prepare for the “long, strange trip” that will be the rest of the 2015 season. ______________________ What do you think? Post your comments on the Bartow Sports Zone Facebook page or on Twitter @bartowsportszon Use #bradstephens

Bartow County Recreation Department and Cartersville Parks & Recreation Department Youth football results Thursday, October 15 8U results at Dellinger Park HURRICANES GOLD 6 HURRICANES BLACK 0 In a defensive battle, Maverick Madonna managed the game’s only touchdown on a 5-yard rush for Hurricanes Gold. HURRICANES PURPLE 21 HURRICANES WHITE 6 Miles Mitchell scored on touchdown runs of 5 and 7 yards to lead Hurricanes Purple. Maddox Frazier added a 4-yard touchdown run and an extra point run. Davis Waddell scored on an extra point pass. Hurricanes White got a 60-yard touchdown scamper from Baylon Long. 8U results at Hamilton Crossing Park BARTOW BEARS 39 BARTOW COLTS 0 The Bears defense shutout the Colts and the offense was explosive in a 39-0 victory. Isaiah Livsey scored three times on touchdown runs of 50, 16, and 1 yards. Talan Nix ran for a 29-yard touchdown and connected with Logan Shrewsbury for a 25-yard touchdown pass. Casen Cochran added a 60-yard bolt for a score and Cameron Cochran hauled in a PAT reception. ​​​ BARTOW PACKERS 25 BARTOW RAIDERS 12 Treshaun Reed scored on long runs of 60 and 30 yards for touchdowns to lead the Packers' attack. Anterrius Hames scored on a 4-yard rush and an extra point run. J'Vain Ledbetter added a 15-yard touchdown run. Aiden Caylor scored both Raiders' touchdowns on runs of 40 and 25 yards. Youth football reports are provided by CPRD and BCRD and are presented on Bartow Sports Zone by CiCi's Pizza of Cartersville.

The 2015 Bartow-Gordon Middle School Athletic Association football playoffs begin Saturday at Calhoun High School with four first round games. The event, dubbed Super Saturday begins at 10 a.m. In the opening round, the two divisions square off against one another to play cross-over opponents based on regular season seeding. The Super Saturday winners advance to the semifinals on the higher seeds' campuses Thursday, October 22. The semifinal winners will play for the BGMSAA Championship Thursday, October 29. 10am — Calhoun (#2N, 4-2, 2-1) vs. South Central (#3S, 3-3, 1-2) 11:30am — Cass (#2S, 3-3, 2-1) vs. Adairsville (#3N, 2-4, 1-2) 1pm — Cartersville (#1S, 6-0, 3-0) vs. Ashworth (#4N, 1-5, 0-3) 2:30pm — Red Bud (#1N, 5-1, 3-0) vs. Woodland (#4S, 0-6, 0-3)

In a back-and-forth battle, the Franklin County Lady Lions outlasted the Adairsville Lady Tigers Thursday night to win Game 3 of their Class AAA state softball playoff series, 7-5. Adairsville won Game 1 Wednesday in the series played at Franklin County, 8-3. The Lady Lions came back in the Wednesday nightcap to win 9-1 and send the series to a deciding game Thursday. Adairsville held an early lead in Game 3 at 1-0 and led 5-4 after five frames, but Franklin Co. scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to seize the victory. Franklin County advances to the second round and will host Peach County next week in another best-of-three series. The winner of that series will advance to the double-elimination Elite 8 in Columbus October 29-31 at the South Commons Olympic Softball Complex. GAME 3 FRANKLIN CO. 7, ADAIRSVILLE 5 ADAIRSVILLE ——— 1-0-0-3-1-0-0 — 5R | 10H | 5E FRANKLIN CO. ——- 1-1-0-2-0-3-x — 7R | 7H | 3E Adairsville hitters: Emily Collum — 1R, 1H Hannah Knapp — 1R, Sac, 1BB Alyssa Hughes — 2H, 2RBI Morgan Deboard — 2H Bailey Robinson — 1R, 2H, HR, 1RBI Havyn Isaac — 1H Natalie Burrow — 1R, 1H Victoria Davis — 1R, 1H Adairsville pitching: Loren Haris — 6 IP, 7H, 7R, 4ER, 1BB, 3K Franklin Co. wins series 2-1 Franklin Co. record: 27-5 (Franklin Co. will host Peach Co. in 2nd rd.) Adairsville record: 17-18

Chris Bruton is your typical southern sports fan who loves to offer his unique view on athletic events, even if no one asks him. He is a husband, father, UI/UX designer, and a mental health therapist. ​Internet connectivity and social media has empowered individuals to have a greater voice in the public sphere. Twitter mobs and users in web forums use their collective power to shed light on the faults of individuals’ in ways that was unavailable ten years ago. Gaffes that would have people sent to their human resources department for disciplinary action now have consequences exponentially more severe. With respect to sports, organization’s general managers, athletic directors, and presidents now have greater access to the ire or praise of their fanbase. Mark Richt’s tenure has occurred in this era of increased communicative interaction, and his fate may be sealed in this new era. “Fire Mark Richt” has become mantra of a large portion of the Bulldog faithful over the last few years, and as a result, has created a civil war between Richt defectors and loyalists within the fanbase. Anyone living in or near the state of Georgia has read Facebook comments or tweets either defending Mark Richt, or calling for his dismissal. Conversation that used to be left to the barber shop or water cooler is now hyperlinked, categorized, and searchable worldwide. We know everything about our players, opponents, and the blotter sections of our digital news sites. We have unprecedented information and communication in which to judge our players, coaches, and opponents. To be comprehensive, let’s breakdown Mark Richt’s career at the helm of the Bulldogs (fans may or may not want to skip this section). Starting in 2001, Mark Richt has compiled a 140-50 (0.736) record with nine 10+ win seasons. He has two SEC Championships (2002, 2005). He has represented the SEC East six times in the championship game (2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012). He has led the Dawgs to three Sugar Bowls, winning two (2002, 2007). He has been the SEC Coach of the Year twice (2002, 2007). Thirty years ago, this resume would have had him casting a bronze statue, but Georgia has yet to win that elusive National Championship that is now at 35 years and waiting. It is this reason, and this reason alone, that Richt finds his coaching seat hotter than ever. Why is it that Mark Richt’s legacy is his failure to win a national championship, trumping what is arguably the best comprehensive era of University of Georgia football? Here is where the curious case of Mark Richt originates. Let’s first look at the close calls. The 2002 season shot the Bulldogs out of the Donnan era and into the sphere of national title contenders. Much like Urban Meyer later, Richt’s second year at the helm brought prosperity that UGA had not seen since the Reagan administration. That team came within a Terrence Edwards reception of an undefeated season. Playing arguably the best football in the country, Georgia missed out on a chance at the national title because Ohio State and Miami were undefeated. Miami’s roster was what remained of what may feel is the best college football team of all time, the 2001 version of the Hurricanes. They had immense talent at every position. Ohio State’s perfect record included six wins that were determined by a touchdown or less. That’s right. The Buckeyes were within one score of losing half of their games. Credit to them for winning them all, but Richt was one bounce, one play away (six times, mind you) from Ohio State losing and the Bulldogs facing Miami with the chance to win it all. I’m adding the 2005 version of the Bulldogs to the argument because they were the SEC champions that year. In what would become a trend of Richt losing his best player to injury in a year where there is a chance to have a special season (because the chance to have a “special” season comes, at most, every few years for a team the caliber of the Dawgs), D.J. Shockley goes down in the Arkansas game and misses the Florida game, a loss which otherwise should have been a win, and comes back at less that 100% in the Auburn game, where an Auburn fluke fumble-out-of-the-endzone ended in a one-point loss. But who are we kidding? If Shockley plays all season and UGA finishes 12-0, they pull a 2004 Auburn and watch USC and Texas play for all the marbles. USC was in the middle of one of the greatest dynasties in college football history, going for their third consecutive national championship. Texas had a generational player in Vince Young that proved to be better than the USC defense that year. Mark Richt did not have a prayer in 2005, and what may be most frustrating is that for a nine consecutive year span, UGA was the only SEC Champion to not play for or win a National Championship. Jump to 2007, the beginning of the Richt-loses-inexplicable-games era. Honestly, before this point, the stats on Richt was his outstanding out-of-conference record and victories over quality teams. The South Carolina and Tennessee games were just inexcusable; if either was won, UGA wins the National Championship that year. Furthermore, even with the two losses, all UGA needed was a Tennessee loss to give them the opportunity. The result was three miracle wins for the Vols over South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky (make the darn field goal!). Yes, the Dawgs should have taken care of business, but do not neglect to consider the terrible luck that accompanied that 2007 team. A two loss LSU team won the title that year. Georgia was unable to play for it because national pundits felt that a team that did not win their conference should not be able to play for a national title. Please note that this a reversal in opinion and theory from 2001 Nebraska and 2012 Alabama, where neither won their conference but were given the chance to play for the title. Everyone knew a two-loss UGA was the best team at the end of the year; intentionally unreasonable voting in the polls had UGA’s computer ranking fall to third that final week. The 2008 season may be the worst on Richt’s resume. He had a team with Matthew Stafford, A.J. Green, and Knowshon Moreno...and he lost three games; two to his biggest rivals. Granted, Willie Martinez was coaching that defense and there lied the team’s fault. The Bama Blackout Game still lives in lore as it was the arrival of the Bama Dynasty and the death of Georgia’s hopes. Well, at least for four years. In many ways, UGA is still reeling from that loss, feeling like the little brother to the Bama bully. In 2008, Florida paid them back for the celebration incident from the previous year with an absolute beatdown. Then a reeling and dejected Georgia team forgot how to tackle against Georgia Tech. The 2008 season started with high expectations, only to end in reoccuring heartbreak. The Georgia football legacy became one of losing big games and having underwhelming performances. August of 2008 was the summit of Richt’s opinion ranking. It has been falling ever since. The 2012 team. Bama. A deflected pass. Five yards. Is there something in my eye? ARE THOSE TEARS? NOT AGAIN….STOP....JUST STOP! I need to take a moment...okay, I’m back. Side note: How sad is it that Chris Conley, one of my favorite Dawgs of all time, will be most remembered negatively for actually catching a football? It is so weird that a receiver's negative legacy results from actually catching a football (i.e. the anti-Terrence Edwards). Maybe if Conley was playing Florida in 2002...here come the tears again! In my opinion, Mark Richt has fielded five teams capable of winning a national championship in fifteen years. That’s an average of one elite team every three years. It’s just unreasonable to think that you can field a team to win it all year-in and year-out, unless you are a robot like Nick Saban. An average of once every three years is beyond reasonable, in my opinion. Could it be that the issue is not with Richt’s performance, but with expectations? Once again, Mark Richt’s legacy may be the victim of circumstances. In his fifteen years, the SEC’s dominance has risen to unprecedented heights. Historical heights. Of any conference. Ever. In all of football. Thus, Richt’s tenure came at a time where his competition is at a higher level than any other time in history. Then, when looking at this dominance, you have to consider the National Champions that occurred during this fifteen years. Not only did the SEC become a never-before-seen-machine-of-football-dominance, the rest of the conferences took a nap. Nine national champions have come from the SEC during Richt’s time as head coach: LSU (2003) 13-1 Florida (2006) 13-1 LSU (2007) 12-2 Florida (2008) 13-1 Alabama (2009) 14-0 Auburn (2010) 14-0 Alabama (2011) 12-1 Alabama (2012) 13-1 Now let’s examine Richt’s dumb luck. From 2002-2012, two thirds of Richt’s tenure mind you, four SEC champions have not played for a national title (UGA, 2002, 13-1; LSU, 2003, 13-1; Auburn 2004,13-0; and UGA, 2005, 12-2). Of those four teams, LSU was awarded a national title 2003 anyway, and rightfully so, in my opinion. That leaves three SEC champions in that eleven-year window to fail to win a title, Auburn’s scenario being the worst offense. In Richt’s two SEC championship years, he had the gall to lose one and two games. I mean, before 2006, it was generally considered that to win a title, you probably had to go undefeated. To his luck, there were two undefeated teams in those years where he had losses. Look closely at the records of those SEC to national champions. Out of the nine, only two were forced to go undefeated. To this day, Urban Meyer has never finished a season undefeated, and he has three national championships. The great Nick Saban? One undefeated season, four title. Even Steve Spurrier couldn’t win them all on his way to his only championship. Les Miles can’t even manage a game clock correctly and he has two. This is where the ire towards Richt begins. It’s just highly unfortunate that Richt lost games with his elite teams in the years he did. To amplify his bad luck, two UGA rivals have won three national championships during Richt’s time. Add Alabama and that number doubles. In those cases, UGA has competed against two of the greatest SEC players of all time in Tim Tebow and Cam Newton. He has competed against two historically accomplished coaches in Urban Meyer and Nick Saban, who have won a total of six titles during Richt’s tenure. Georgia fans see their rivals making it to the promised land, all the while, Richt is unable to come through. If any other team in the nation wins in 2006, 2008, and 2010, would we be as angry? What if 2002 Georgia happens any other year (besides 2004 and 2005)? They win a title. What if the rest of the country steps up and one and two loss SEC teams miss out on the title game? To be conservative, what if half of those teams with a loss are not given the chance to win it all? Does Florida, LSU, and Auburn only having one championship and Bama have one, maybe two change Richt’s expectations? Probably not, but it is a window into the poor luck and incredible era in which Richt has coached. Should Richt be fired? If you would have asked me at 7pm last Saturday, I would have said yes. I may still say yes. However, I have to take in the context of the Richt era and the potential demand of a national championship by UGA fans. Has the SEC’s historical run of dominance created unrealistic expectations? Do Georgia fans overestimate UGA as a program? I mean, since 1947, context shows that it took the greatest college football player of all time to deliver just one national championship to Georgia. Do we think too much of ourselves? This blog post is not an argument on whether to fire Mark Richt or not. However, it’s a contextual view of the regional and national landscape in which Richt has coached. Mark Richt may never win a national championship at Georgia. However, pitiful luck, accompanied by a few subpar performances is the only reason why were are not having a discussion of “Can Richt win another one?” In my opinion, it’s Richt’s dumb luck to have coached in this time period. The unprecedented success of the SEC and historical titles of our rivals, accompanied by his opponents’ possessing some of the greatest playing and coaching talent of all time, that has Georgia fans asking, “Why not us?” The answer to that question might not lie at the feet of Mark Richt’s faults, but in us fans’ unprecedented and possibly incorrect conclusion that winning it all is must be easier than we imagined. Richt’s tenure in the 80s or 90s would be celebrated. It appears Richt’s greatest failure has been timing. _______________________ ​ What do you think? Post your comments on the Bartow Sports Zone Facebook page or on Twitter @bartowsportszon Use #chrisbruton