Richt's greatest game

Yesterday Gentry Estes explored Coach Richt's top five games. I spent some time yesterday reflecting on his choices, both the ones that made the list and the ones that just missed the cut. I'd have to agree but couldn't help but wonder what the greatest win is. I hope that it still lies in the future of course, but after the last couple seasons that crystal ball is pretty cloudy.


However there's no arguing that Richt has brought some flair to the UGA resume. And I think the 2002 victory on the Plains is the greatest. Why? Well, for all the reasons that we currently sit here so hungry for winning football again. That one game had everything in it that we seem to have lost the last couple seasons.

• Desire - There was a clear intent and an evident need to win that game. You didn't see a group of guys hanging their collective heads when we were down 11 points at two different points in the game. Afterall, there was still time on the clock.
• Strength - We played 60 whole minutes. When we needed a play at the end to grab the lead, we got it. And when we needed a stop to finish them off, we got that too. No moral victories here in facing a good team on the road and hanging with them for 58 minutes. Moral victories are for DBs who get burned by a 70XTakeoff.
• Playmakers - Michael Johnson was never a slouch of a receiver by any means. But the dude went off in this game to the tune of 13 catches for 141 yards, most of which were in the second half. And Sean Jones was a factor from the get go, getting an INT on Auburn's first possession and a fumble on an early punt return.
• Perseverance - There were plenty of mistakes and a lot of poor play, especially early. Greene barely had any completions the first half and the defense tackled poorly until finding a rhythm after halftime. But Tuberville's squad could never pull away completely which set things up for a nice comeback.
• Confidence - When you face 4th and 15, down 4 points and there's only 75 seconds left...and you score from the 19 yard line...that's confidence. Good coaching, great playcalling and ability on the field.

Plus the game had a TD by an offensive lineman; Jon Stinchcomb recovered a David Greene fumble in the endzone. So I guess we could also include Luck as a category.

BTW, Estes flips the coin this morning and will look at the five worst losses for Richt. I'm sure we all have a few in mind.