Mark Richt isn't going anywhere -- Georgia and its fans would be stupid to let the Bulldogs head coach go -- and his staff is equally safe at this point in the season, Georgia athletic director Damon Evans told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia stands 4-4, its worst mark since 1996, with Auburn and Georgia Tech still ahead on the schedule, along with this weekend's "breather" against Furman. The Bulldogs could as easily be 2-6 had some late breaks gone South Carolina's and Arizona State's ways in Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

Then, there's that 52-41 loss the Arkansas Razorbacks suffered at the hands of the Bulldogs in Fayetteville on Sept. 19. The Hogs will be looking back for quite some time on that one that got away. That was a beatable Bulldogs team and Arkansas let them back in the game with personal foul penalties and mental mistakes.

And, really, why was a certain third-team defensive back who looked bad against Eastern Michigan last week even on the field that night trying to cover the likes of A.J. Green?

Could anyone imagine a 1-6 Georgia?

Georgia fans should be happy to be 4-4, in fact.

Considering the talent that went early to the NFL instead of hanging around for a senior season, the Bulldogs should have been expected to struggle. Yes, the defense has been a problem. But is it totally because of the coordinator or the fact that Georgia's usual recruiting areas haven't been producing the kind of defensive players the Dawgs are known for? See any Richard Seymores or David Pollacks out there? See any big-time defensive backs suiting up?

Sometimes the talent runs in cycles. And sometimes the talent leaves too early, in the case of some offensive stars who would have made a difference, such as Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno.

Nevertheless, Evans felt like he needed to speak up on behalf of Richt and the staff. And even if there are problems that this staff wasn't going to overcome without recruiting it to campus this off-season, Richt is likely to be forced to make some difficult decisions with his staff, particularly his friend, Willy Martinez, the Dawgs' defensive coordinator.

"We are in a business that is very public," Evans said in an interview with the AJC. "When things go wrong, there are different reactions that come from people. But our head coach is very good at what he does, and I have the utmost confidence Mark Richt will continue to lead us in the right direction.

"I have confidence in our head coach to make decisions with his program, as I always have. ... I don't think right now is the time for us to talk about staff changes or anything of that nature. What we need to focus on is the task at hand. ... I know [Richt] will evaluate his program at the end of the season, as he always does."

When that time comes, Evans said, "I am here to provide advice and things of that nature and to work with him in any way that is appropriate. But I have utmost confidence in [Richt]."

Probably most disturbing to Georgia fans was not necessarily the 41-17 loss to a Florida team that previously had been struggling offensively, but the 45-19 wipeout at Tennessee when the Vols were going nowhere on offense.

"All programs go through a level of adversity," Evans said, "and I believe [Richt] will lead us through this adversity we are experiencing. And I believe there are better days to come."

We have to admit being surprised when reminded that Georgia had lost 17 of its last 20 games to Florida in the "world's largest cocktail party." (We refuse to bow to PC rules to stop referring to the cocktail aspect of the annual showdown in Jacksonville, Fla.) That's worst that some Arkansas droughts against the likes of Texas.

"It is a sore spot," Evans said. "I don't like to lose. I am a very competitive person. You got to give credit to Florida; they have come out and put together a good run against us. I'd sure like to be on the winning side of it.

"But I'm not going to lose faith in the fact that we will be able to compete with that program. ... We have to compete with that program."

They'll do that with better players. Better players will choose Georgia if the sense that all is well. Changes may only tell the more talented players in Georgia's backyard that there is much more stability with the likes of Tennessee and Florida, who also recruit the area heavily.

Lane Kiffin has already made inroads and has been showboating in his recruiting after his Vols' win over Georgia, even arriving at a big Georgia prep showdown via red helicopter. 

No question Mark Richt has some work to do to stay up with the big boys in the SEC East.