Georgia's Richt discusses showdown with OSU
Published: 8/25/2009 9:40 AM
Last Modified: 8/25/2009 9:40 AM
During a national interview on Sporting News Radio, Georgia coach Mark Richt discussed his team's Sept. 5 date with Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
"They're a great football team," Richt said. "They're certainly ranked higher than us preseason, and I'm sure they'll be favored to win the ballgame. Rightfully so. They've put themselves in position to do that.
"This is one of those years where (the OSU coaches) say, 'This is our year,' and I think they believe that this year is their year. We'll have to go in there and battle the crowd, battle the distance and battle the fact that (the Cowboys have a new defensive coordinator, Bill Young). We won't be 100 percent sure (of) what they're going to do. And I'll say this – their special teams are rated by some as the No. 1 special-teams unit in all of America. So we've got our work cut out for us."
While OSU is No. 9 in the Associated Press' preseason poll, the Bulldogs are 13th. Georgia also had a preseason ranking of No. 13 when it smacked the Cowboys 35-14 in the 2007 opener at Athens.
The Bulldogs are driven by a new quarterback in fifth-year senior Joe Cox. Asked whether Georgia might underrated, Richt replied, "We have a chance to be extremely good. If we come out of (the Oklahoma State) game with a victory, then all of a sudden we're in the Top 10 and gain all kinds of momentum in just a matter of one week. If they take it to us, people won't think we're underrated."
Richt enters his ninth season as Georgia's head man. In true road games, Richt-coached Bulldog teams are 30-4.
"It's kind of unbelievable, what we've done on the road," he said. "It's a tribute to our quarterback play and guys who aren't willing to fold to the pressure."
-- Bill Haisten
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
