Masters of PR

I guess you haven’t been happy with the media, fellas, but this seems a wee bit ham-fisted:

After the meeting a security team brought in by UGA for the night prevented the media from talking to most players. They got between media members and players, and at one point told the media to move across the street, which the media refused as the area is public property.

Jenkins left the building with fellow outside linebackers, and was willing to talk to the media. He said Sunday night’s meeting included Richt, players, and most of the coaches and staff members.

“It just was jacked up. Not everybody on the team is sitting right with us,” Jenkins said. “But we’ll find out more stuff tomorrow.”

At that point a security member came up to Jenkins and ordered him to get in his car.

Jeez, if you’re that insecure about the decision, why did you make it in the first place?

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Off the road again

Georgia works the recruiting trail with a skeleton crew.

Most of the Bulldogs assistants have been called off recruiting duties, a source told DawgNation on Sunday night.

At least three UGA staff members – recruiting coordinator Bryan McClendon, running backs coach Thomas Brown, and Todd Hartley, the director of player personnel – will still be representing the Bulldogs on the road this week.

However, the rest of the regular coaching staff will stay put.

I’m curious as to who made the decision.  And even more curious about what kind of instructions those three have received.

Best faux tweet ever

This wins the Internet today, for sure.

#Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino has expressed interest in the #UGA vacancy, source tells @FOXSports

— Bruce Feldman (@BurritoBrosShit) November 29, 2015

The best part, of course, is you can’t entirely discount the possibility that’s actually happened.

Stay classy, AJ-C.

This may be a new low.

A look back at some of Mark Richt's most memorable losses at Georgia https://t.co/viD6ro2Td1 pic.twitter.com/C4Bq6Q4Nk0

— AJC (@ajc) November 29, 2015

Good times, eh?

And you wonder why you get the crap thrown your way that you do.

Because we all need a laugh right now…

Really, this is perfect.

Mark May says UGA should hire Mack Brown. That's exactly who everyone else in the SEC is hoping for, no doubt.

— Keith Niebuhr (@Keith247Sports) November 29, 2015

Although, maybe it’s just that May wants to get Brown off ESPN as much as I do.  Well, not that much.

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UPDATE:  This is about as comical.

“This was all about Kirby.”

This is the Georgia Way.

Persons close to the Georgia football program who are acquaintances with Smart said the Bulldogs could not afford to sit by idly as “one of their own” took another head coaching job, possibly with a rival program.

Good grief.  I wonder how those people felt when Florida hired Will Muschamp.  Must have been a real kick in the nuts.

As most of you know, I don’t think Georgia needs to hire a coordinator over an established head coach.  But if Smart is the choice, I’d sure like to think it’s for some other reason than that.  Unfortunately…

Writing on the wall?

Per Dan Wolken,

Though Georgia rallied to win four in a row — none impressively and all against weak competition — the decision had been made. According to one person with knowledge of the situation, Georgia quietly made moves to start a coaching search over the last week. And McGarity, according to another person with knowledge of the situation, was not part of the locker room celebration after the Auburn win, which was noted by the coaching staff.

The next day, when Richt flew across the country for a very public meeting with the Bulldogs’ future starting quarterback, it signaled he knew sentiment of Georgia’s most prominent supporters had turned against him.

None of that surprises me.  I just hope McGarity’s been putting that time to good use.

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UPDATE:  Nice touch, this.

By the way, Richt had to know he was in trouble when McGarity made him fly commercial to Washington to visit Jacob Eason

— Mark Schlabach (@Mark_Schlabach) November 29, 2015

The Georgia Way hits the recruiting trail.

This is… awkward.

Jeremy Pruitt was recruiting to the bitter the end.

Georgia’s controversial defensive coordinator was in Elbert County with five-star recruit Mecole Hardman when the news broke that Bulldogs’ head coach Mark Richt had been fired.

“I’m here in Elbert County. I was in church with Mecole,” Pruitt said around 1 p.m. Sunday. “I’m just recruiting. Not sure what to tell you.”

Pruitt said he had bad service and the connection broken when he was asked if the news caught him by surprise or he knew it was coming.

If that’s awkward, this is just plain weird.

Georgia’s assistant coaches have been asked to remain with the program and continue coaching and recruiting through the bowl game. The Bulldogs are off for the next two weeks before resuming bowl practices.

Yeah, they’re still on the company dime.  I get that.  But without knowing who’s staying or coming, what exactly are they supposed to sell – hang on, something better’s coming than what we’ve been promising you for the last year?

He’s gone.

Georgia has fired Mark Richt, a source told https://t.co/IUb98wmtlA

— Mark Schlabach (@Mark_Schlabach) November 29, 2015

This should get interesting.

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UPDATE:

McGarity: "Richt and I met Sunday morning to discuss the status of our football program and we mutually agreed that he would step down."

— Jason Butt (@JasonHButt) November 29, 2015

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UPDATE #2:

McGarity: I know all UGA supporters will look forward to celebrating the successful conclusion of his coaching career at UGA in a bowl game.

— 11Alive Sports (@11AliveSports) November 29, 2015

You gotta admit it’s a novel way to sell bowl game tickets.

A trend worth noting

I don’t think I have to delve into much deep analysis to make a point about the job Jeremy Pruitt’s done on the field, just recite a few numbers.

Total Defense

• 2013:  375.5 ypg (45th nationally)
• 2014:  337.2 ypg (17th nationally)
• 2015:  298.0 ypg (10th 8th nationally)

Scoring Defense

• 2013:  29.0 ppg (79th nationally)
• 2014:  20.7 ppg (16th nationally)
• 2015:  16.9 ppg (8th 10th nationally)

That, for want of a better phrase, is what a top ten defense looks like, folks.  And keep in mind that while some of the improvement in the 2014 numbers came from brilliant management of field position and turnover margin, both of those factors were not the case this season.