by MICHAEL DIROCCO , Florida Times-Union

Fans are complaining about defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, quarterback Joe Cox, and the possibility of missing a bowl game.

Richt, though, isn't bothered or surprised by any of it. It's just the price of coaching at a high-profile program in the Southeastern Conference.

"I think if you don't think it's going to happen, then you've got your head in the sand," Richt said. "I think that college football is a great game because you've got fans who care, and you've got fans that are passionate. We all know what separates us from maybe any other league is the rabidness of our fan bases. It's just not as exciting unless they care, unless they're there, unless they're cheering, unless they're spending their money to be able to do these types of things.

"So when their team doesn't do well, they get hurt. Some get sad. Some get mad. Some want to know what the answer is. Some want to tell you what the answer is. I think it's just human nature."

For the first time, fans are questioning Richt. He wants to use the turmoil as a learning tool.

"Our jobs as coaches are still to educate these players about life lessons and all that," Richt said. "Myself, our staff, we want to model how to handle adversity. We want to help our players understand that there will be adversity in life, and you've got to learn how to handle it properly."

NUTTS ABOUT MOVIE

The movie "The Blind Side," based on the book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game," by Michael Lewis, opens Nov. 20.

It's about All-American Michael Oher, the former Ole Miss star who was a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens.

Oher was virtually homeless in high school when he is taken in by the Tuohy family. He went on to become one of the most sought-after recruits in the country.

Several current and former SEC coaches have cameos in the movie, including current Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt. He said he was awed by the preparation and attention to every detail - sort of like coaching.

"Even our little three-second shots, everything was just to perfection," Nutt said. "Tim McGraw, Sandra Bullock, the producers, everybody, just class, class people. It was really a very good experience."

A lot of the scenes with the coaches were shot on the same day.

"I was in a room with Tommy Tuberville and Lou Holtz and Ed Orgeron, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and basically you're just kind of waiting on your turn to go do your part. We were always talking a little football , talking about the movie. It was good," Nutt said.

This story contains information from interviews, other beat writers, Web sites, and news service reports.

michael.dirocco@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4500

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