You are correct about the accomplishments in a relative sense. His predecessors were certainly duds, not to mention the ncaa troubles they had to deal with a few years back.

Did Miami really get to the point where a "meh" 9-win season & lower tier bowl win are accomplishments? Still a head scratcher how far they fell. You don't even need to leave the nearest 3 or 4 counties to have top talent, & Richt has certainly proven he can get top 10 classes in a talent hotbed.

In an absolute sense, however, I stand by it only being a decent season vs that schedule. West Virginia & Ga Tech. That's the high points.

As to whether or not he has "changed" something as a coach... 2 things:

(1) You can't really compare his 1st year here & there. He was a raw rookie HC with zero experience here. Not to mention he had a RFr QB. At Miami he had 15 years experience under his belt, and he inherited a SR NFL QB.

(2) I do believe he has changed some things. I think he is re-energized and will give Miami an effort that we didn't get here since the early years of his tenure. No doubt he had gotten complacent.

How long will his burst of energy last, that's the question. I think part of it is ego, getting fired & developing a chip on his shoulder. But Richt is getting older, and his other life interests will demand his attention before long. If he doesn't do something big at Miami in 3 or 4 years, I don't think he ever will.