Florida Football: Gators Still Living Rent Free In Mark Richt’s Head

Black Friday is perhaps the biggest unofficial holiday in the United States.

Set the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday is recognized by retail businesses and consumers as the biggest shopping day of the year.

This year’s Black Friday will be an even bigger deal in the sunshine state, as Florida football travel to Tallahassee to take on no. 18 Florida State. There is no love lost between fans, former players, and even former coaches when these two college football titans meet on the gridiron annually.

One former coach in particular that is looking forward to this year’s rivalry game is Mark Richt.

The former Florida State quarterback coach and offensive coordinator (1990-2000) has lately been working as a football analyst for ESPN’s ACC Network since 2019. While it is generally good practice for members of the sports media to remain neutral and unbiased when commenting on upcoming games, Richt did not bother to hide his disdain towards the Florida Gators this past Saturday night.

While speaking with current Florida State head coach Mike Norvell shortly after the Seminoles’ 38-3 road victory against Syracuse, Richt double-downed his hatred for the Gators by asking Norvell to deliver him a gift on Black Friday.

“Coach I’ve played at Miami, I coached at Florida State, then I coached at Georgia, then I coached at Miami,” Richt said to Norvell. “Will you do me a favor and kick the Gators’ ass? Will you just do me that favor?”

The fact that Richt still has disdain towards Florida football should come as no surprise for anyone in Gator Nation.

Since his first year as an assistant coach for FSU back in 1990, Richt has coached against the Gators a grand total of 27 times. His combined all-time coaching record against Florida is 13-14-1.

The Gators were always a challenge for Richt to deal with. Especially when he became Georgia’s head coach in 2001. His record as a head coach against the Gators was a staggering 5-10.

Even when the Bulldogs were winning the SEC championship back in 2002 and 2005, they still managed to lose to the Gators in Jacksonville in both of those seasons, thus preventing them from competing for a BCS championship.

But on the rare occasions where Richt and the Bulldogs found themselves victorious over Florida football, they celebrated as though they won their first national championship in decades.

Perhaps the biggest example of this came in the 2007 chapter of the Florida, Georgia rivalry. The Bulldogs struck first on their opening offensive drive, following a Florida fumble, when running back Knowshon Moreno bulldozed his way into the end zone.

Mere seconds after Moreno scored the opening touchdown, the entire Georgia roster cleared the sidelines to join the offense in celebration down in the end zone.

Richt would pay for Georgia’s antics the following season in Jacksonville. Despite the Bulldogs entering the game ranked no. 6 in the country with eventual no. 1 overall draft pick and Super Bowl MVP Matthew Stafford at quarterback, Richt and the Dawgs were completely outmatched against the Gators.

As Florida football held a 49-10 lead heading into the final minute of the game, Florida head coach Urban Meyer decided to rub salt in Georgia’s gaping wound by calling a timeout after two consecutive first downs on the ground.

Richt’s final confrontation with the Gators came in 2015. In a battle of below-average quarterbacks, the Gators obliterated the Dawgs 27-3. Known as possibly the worst starting Georgia quarterback in the 21st century, Faton Bauta went 15-33 for 154 yards and four interceptions against the Gators that day.

Less than a month after Richt’s 10th loss to the Gators in 15 years, it was announced that he would not return as Georgia’s head coach following the Dawgs’ regular season finale.

This year will be only the second time Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell has coached against the Gators.

In 2021, the Noles traveled to Gainesville as both teams competed for the right to be bowl eligible. Despite Florida entering the game with an interim head coach and having lost their last four games against Power 5 opponents, the Gators emerged victorious 24-21 against Norvell and the Noles.

Both teams will enter Black Friday’s game bowl eligible for the first time since 2016, with the Gators holding a three-game winning streak against the Noles.

Richt’s fist bump with Norvell after his publicly made request on Saturday night can be perceived as a metaphor for him transferring his coaching mojo over to the Noles head coach. If Norvell did actually inherit Richt’s mojo against the Gators, it may be several more years before the Noles experience another win in the Sunshine State Showdown.

Keep up with Florida football at Hail Florida Hail.