Georgia, Coach Richt Keeping the Faith

Mark Richt couldn’t help himself: After Georgia clinched a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship with an improbable fourth-down touchdown pass, he blurted out his thanks to God.

“I was overwhelmed by the journey God had taken me on,” Richt recalled Friday. “By no means was I saying, ‘Thank God for letting us win.”’

Even so, some people were miffed that Georgia’s deeply religious coach -- he once fasted for 40 days -- had chosen to go public with such a personal issue. Indeed, the connection between faith and football can be tenuous at times.

Just listen to one of Richt’s players, All-American defensive end David Pollack. Around campus, the sophomore wears a bracelet with the letters “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do). Adorned with pads and helmet, he morphs into a trash-talking, swaggering player who wants to put a hurtin’ on his opponent.

“You’ve got to balance the two,” Pollack said. “I’m nuts on the field. Off the field, I’m pretty calm. You’ve got to have a switch you can flip on and off.”

Certainly, he can’t be worried about tenets such as forgiveness and love thy fellow man when going mano-y-mano with some 300-pound offensive lineman.

“I guess you could be soft on the field, but you’re not going to be a very good player,” Pollack said. “Like I was saying, you’ve got to be able to flip that switch on.”

While Richt’s religious faith is well known, he rarely talked about it publicly during third-ranked Georgia’s run to the Sugar Bowl, where the Bulldogs will meet No. 16 Florida State on New Year’s Day.

The exception came on Nov. 16, shortly after David Greene threw a fourth-down, 19-yard touchdown pass to Michael Johnson that beat Auburn 24-21 and clinched the SEC East.

Clearly overwhelmed by the moment, Richt started his postgame news conference with comments that seemed better suited for the pulpit than the gridiron. Afterward, he received a few letters complaining it was an inappropriate time to bring up religion.

“I knew we had done something special,” Richt said, standing on the field at the Superdome before a morning practice. “But I offended some people. The last thing I wanted to do was offend anyone. I apologize for that.”

In all fairness, Richt isn’t one of those guys who praises the almighty every time his team wins a big game. That doesn’t mean he considers the subject off-limits. After all, most religions are centered on the concept of spreading the faith.

“I try not to make a big deal out of it,” Richt said. “But when I’m asked about it, I’m not going to deny it.”

The second-year coach has made religion a big part of his program. There are devotionals, chapel services and close ties with groups such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. If fact, the team attended an FCA breakfast before its Friday practice.

Richt stressed that all of those activities are voluntary. For him, faith is something that each of his players must discover on his own.