Georgia’s top dawg always believes his team can win. Even if it doesn’t.

The most peculiar thing about Mark Richt is his “aw, shucks” disposition: It’s unexpected from a two-time Southeastern Conference coach of the year. He doesn’t know how to use his iPod—in fact, he doesn’t even know what iTunes is—and his speech is punctuated with Southern expressions like “heck” and “gonna.” Watch him on the sidelines at any college football stadium in the country, and he’s the same guy: a controlled, take-charge man with a knack for winning football games—and the hearts of his fans.

In his eight seasons as the University of Georgia head football coach, Richt has developed a reputation for high athletic standards and strong family values. While his record isn’t perfect—police arrested eight UGA players last season for various misbehaviors—Richt is a perpetual optimist.

As Georgia gets ready to kick off its 2009 season on September 5 against Oklahoma State, Richt is reflecting on the pitfalls of last year and trying to figure out how a team that started the season ranked No. 1 in the nation finished it with three big game losses. Richt took a timeout in Savannah for an appearance at a Savannah Bulldog Club gathering. He spoke with The South about life without his starters, players growing up, and meeting fans on their home fields.

The South magazine: You’re in the middle of a road tour, visiting Bulldog Clubs across the state. Why spend your time doing this?

Mark Richt: I think the road tour is designed to tell the people of Savannah and Macon and Atlanta—and wherever else we go—thank you for supporting our sports programs, in particular, football. Everybody tends to come visit Athens a lot, so we feel like it’s a good thing for us to come visit everybody on their home turf once in a while and get a chance to celebrate Georgia athletics.

TSM: What do these clubs mean to the team?

MR: I think all support of Georgia football is very important. And there’s a lot of excitement that’s generated from these types of clubs—and loyalty. So I think they’re very important.

TSM: Several players from Savannah and surrounding towns are on your roster. What do they bring to the team?

MR: Well, [Demarcus] Dobbs, he has grown up so much: as a player, as a person. I’m really proud of him. He’s done well academically. I think he spent a year or two trying to figure out if it was worth doing it the Georgia way. And now I think he’s really bought in and is enjoying life a lot better now and has become a leader and a very productive guy. I would say he’s one of the leaders, if not the leader, of the defensive end group right now.

And, of course, [Jamie] Lindley has a chance to compete for the kick-off job. He was not able to win it last year but he was our number two guy. [Justin] Houston has grown as a player; he’s really come on, and he’s got a chance to make an impact for us, I believe.

TSM: You had the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft this year, with Matthew Stafford. That must have been exciting.

MR: Yeah, that was exciting. It wasn’t exciting that he left us, but it’s exciting for him and for Georgia to know that your player could be considered the very top pick in the NFL draft. And we also had the No. 1 running back that was taken in the draft, with Knowshon Moreno, and that was fantastic. But you know, six guys drafted, six more in [NFL] camps, that’s 12 guys—some seniors, some not—that are in camps. And we hope they all make it. That would be wonderful for them to realize that dream.

TSM: You lost some key players to the pros. What’s your outlook for this season?

MR: I think any good company is going to evaluate what they do. You can’t say, ‘Well, we’ve always done it this way, so we’re going to keep doing it this way.’ I’m always very optimistic. I feel like we’ve got very talented young men, outstanding coaches. I’m a realist, and I know that we play in one of the toughest leagues in America, and we are playing probably one of the toughest out-of-conference schedules in the country. And so I know the games are gonna be hard-fought and everything, but I always go into the season believing we can succeed. Our goal is always to win the Eastern Division. And that’s what we got our sights set on, and of course, if you win that, you can play for the SEC championship. And if you win that, who knows: you might end up in the big game.

Follow UGA Coach Mark Richt on twitter at www.twitter.com/markricht. For the complete Bulldog season schedule, check out www.georgiadogs.com