We can dismiss any notion that LSU will be overlooking the game with their place in the BCS Championship a virtual lock. Despite the opinion that this game is now somehow without meaning, playing for an SEC title means quite a bit to anyone who puts on a uniform. Georgia’s absence from this game since 2005 has been noted, but LSU has experienced a lesser drought of their own. Few on the team were around in 2007, and everyone else has watched either Alabama or Auburn represent the West for the past three seasons. They’re about as likely to make light of their opportunity to be champions of the conference as Georgia was to overlook Tech last week.
In one of the more puzzling statements after the loss to Boise, the Dawgs claimed to have been rattled by the crowd noise in what was more or less a home game. Just so we’re all clear on this: LSU will have more fans on Saturday than Boise had. LSU fans are known for being a little loud. Hopefully the Dawgs will be more prepared this time.
We know both teams have a good defense. With that in mind, individual matchups are more interesting. Is Georgia well-seasoned enough up front to deal with LSU’s tailback rotation and pounding running game? Can they keep Jordan Jefferson’s mobility from being a factor? Rueben Randle is a beast, but only two LSU receivers have over 20 catches on the year. Can Georgia afford to cheat a little on Randle and Beckham?
When LSU gets into its power running game mode, they like to do it from one-back ace formations with two TE or from two-back sets. Against Arkansas it was noted that the Tigers often split out a third receiver instead of using that second tight end or blocking back. Because Arkansas wasn’t especially strong up front, LSU could get away with spreading the field without betraying their running game. The spread field opened up additional opportunities with the passing game and the occasional option play.
Georgia is certainly much stronger up front than Arkansas, so LSU will be faced with a few choices. The running game is still their bread and butter, so we could expect to see more power formations in order to establish the run against a good defensive front. At the same time, they’d forego the spread formation that made them more versatile and explosive against Arkansas. All of that depends on Georgia’s front playing as expected. If LSU can have early success running the ball, they’ll be able to spread out and put a lot of pressure on Georgia’s back seven or eight in pass coverage.
All sorts of things come to mind when Georgia has the ball. Can the Georgia offensive line that’s been so good in pass protection this month deal with a pure speed rusher like Mingo? Will the tight end be less of an option in the passing game if he’s needed to shore up the edge? Murray’s been much more efficient lately, but accuracy has never been his calling card. Can he get away with that against such a good secondary? Does that secondary lead Georgia to lean more on shorter passes, and can guys like Figgins or Charles be productive?
Can any tailback be counted on enough to develop a rushing strategy for this game? Will LSU’s Eric Reid be back? It looks that way. He’ll give them a more physical defensive backfield and make it tougher to run.
Will Georgia try their hurry-up? It was a train wreck in the season opener, but they’ve used it with more success during the year. It’s a reach to compare Georgia’s higher-tempo offense with Oregon, but the Ducks were able to put up yards on LSU. Just not points.
Turnovers and big special teams plays might seem like random events, but LSU has relied so consistently on them this year that they’re just about as reliable as 100 yards from a good tailback. We’ve seen everything from the fake punt against Florida to the kickoff return at West Virginia to a pivotal interception and punt at Alabama to the punt return against Arkansas. LSU can afford to get outgained in traditional yardage because it’s been so good at the margins. You don’t have to drive 80 yards when you’ve flipped field position with an interception or a long punt.
The challenge for Georgia isn’t just winning turnovers or avoiding special teams mistakes, though that matters. It’s doing those things in a way that create, if not points outright, an advantage that leads to points or changes how the opponent operates. That’s what LSU has done so well this year. Like a good defensive basketball team depends on a press to create easier transition chances, LSU effectively uses defense and special teams to score in spurts that bury an opponent.
Georgia has blocked a punt in both of Mark Richt’s SEC Championships. With Georgia retreating into a punt-safe shell after a couple of successful fakes, we’ll probably have to see if the Dawgs can win a title without a blocked kick. The Dawgs do at least look solid in the other areas of special teams. This is what I was just talking about though – it’s not enough to play neutral with few mistakes. Georgia needs those positive and point-producing plays from its defense and special teams to have success against an opponent of this quality.
If you look over the LSU schedule, the one game that gives more reason for hope than any other is the Mississippi State game. I don’t like comparisons using games from months ago – both Georgia and LSU are different and improved teams since then. That game though is the formula that gives Georgia its best chance to win. Play solid defense, don’t give up scores on big plays, make it a game of field goals, and do your best to get to the 4th quarter. Of course every other team has seen that film, and only Alabama was able to duplicate it.
The rubber-stamp nature of the 2011 SEC Championship game has been accepted since summer. The conventional wisdom has been correct to this point – the season was more or less a matter of seeing who of LSU or Alabama emerged and then which team from the East would serve as the sacrificial lamb in Atlanta. It’s no surprise then that this storyline continues on into championship week. CBSSports had a nice poll up last night asking whether LSU should rest its starters in the SEC Championship. Such is life when you’re a double-digit underdog in a championship game. Dawg fans are characteristically whining about respect and indignant about falling in the BCS standings, but that can all be taken care of this weekend.
By this point, we shouldn’t need anyone else’s validation. A ten-game winning streak against any schedule is impressive, and everyone in the Georgia camp has seen the improvement for themselves. They’ve pulled off wins against their top four rivals for the first time in nearly 20 years. I don’t really care in what state those programs are. There’s nothing about which to apologize or feel anything less than a sense of real accomplishment for the Georgia program.
Dawg fans are acutely aware of the schedule, and we’ve noted the possibilities opened up by such a schedule since it came out. Nothing new there. I’m fairly sure though that last year’s Georgia team would not have done as well against this schedule. Mississippi State and Auburn proved to be lesser than they were a year ago, but on whole this slate wasn’t much easier than the one that gave Georgia a losing record in 2010.
Same with the outcome of the SEC East. It played out pretty much as expected, only with Florida and Tennessee a little weaker and Vanderbilt a little stronger. If anything changed, it was the assumption that a relatively weaker division meant more margin for error for the team that emerged on top. Credit to South Carolina for keeping it together and producing a quality season by anyone’s standard. They survived the midseason loss of their starting quarterback and tailback and still won ten games, besting their rival and former national contender Clemson in impressive fashion.
South Carolina’s refusal to budge made Georgia’s job clear but tough: win. The Dawgs couldn’t afford to regress to 2010 quality even against the worst of their competition. They didn’t. Georgia and South Carolina both lost to the best SEC opponent they faced this year – Georgia to South Carolina and South Carolina to Arkansas. As both teams kept winning, their seasons and prospects in the SEC East came down to a single common opponent: Auburn.
As Saturday wound down, this was the question on my mind: was South Carolina’s 16-13 loss to Auburn the most shocking SEC regular season outcome in 2011? The Tigers lost to Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Arkansas by a combined 170-45. None of those teams scored fewer than 38 points, none gave up more than 14 points, and none won by fewer than 24 points. South Carolina picked a bad time to have a poor game against a team that was a whipping boy for the rest of the top of the league. What’s more, they flopped at home and with Lattimore and Garcia in the lineup.
That Gamecock performance against Auburn is a good illustration why it’s so hard for any team to sustain winning over the course of a season. On any day, your starting quarterback can go 9-for-23, or your stout defense can give up 141 yards to a good tailback that didn’t manage but 67 YPG against the top four teams in the league. If Georgia had one of those games against, say, Florida, they were able to find a way to overcome it and still win. That’s why Georgia is representing the East this week, and they deserve to do so.
Though Georgia has won ten of the last eleven against Georgia Tech, relatively stress-free wins have been infrequent. Georgia hadn’t enjoyed a double-digit win over their rivals since 2007, and even that game was within six points in the fourth quarter. Saturday’s game certainly had its tense moments, but Georgia’s dominant third quarter made it increasingly clear that this would not be another nail-biter. Some more notes from a cheerful afternoon spent reasserting the natural order of things…
With only 128 rushing yards, "we run this state" might not be the best theme for the game. Maybe "we passed them by?"
After a frustrating outing against Kentucky, it was important for the offense to get off to a good start. Tech is always easier to handle if you can get up on them, and Georgia avoided the scenario that put Clemson in a hole in Tech’s only significant win of the season.
Aaron Murray’s typical game usually starts slowly, but he was on from the beginning of this one. His only first quarter incompletions were a catchable throw to Marlon Brown on a tightly-defended route and and interception off a throw on which Murray was hit. He was a perfect 4-of-4 on Georgia’s first scoring drive and 5-of-6 on Georgia’s next scoring drive in the second quarter. His 32 touchdowns in 2011 has obliterated the Georgia single-season record.
Murray’s fast start was made possible by outstanding pass protection. There was a breakdown on the intercepted pass, but generally Murray had as much time as he needed to pick apart a porous pass defense. It was a little more crowded on running plays, but that was a function of Tech’s decision to stuff the run and count on another shaky start by Murray. Fortunately both Murray and the playcaller were prepared to exploit those opportunities in the passing game.
Was that particularly smart strategy by Tech? Murray threw all over the Yellow Jackets a year ago. Taking away the run might seem like first principles in ordinary circumstances, but this was a Georgia running game without its top two options and little faith in its third. The Dawgs were putting cornerbacks in the backfield. If you’re going to overload resources to take away an element of the Georgia offense, is the running game really what you’d choose?
With the focus on the passing game, it was enjoyable to see the running game take over to ice the game. Any hope Tech had of a quick shift in momentum with six minutes remaining in the game disappeared as Georgia started to pound the ball. Though the Dawgs ended up with no points, the five-minute drive was a giant dimmer switch on Tech’s chances of a miracle comeback.
Speaking of that final drive, it was gratifying to see Ken Malcome contribute. His talent wasn’t so much the issue keeping him off the field. If he’s starting to put the issues that led to his near-transfer behind him and working to earn playing time, we see that he brings something to the table. With the status of Crowell, Samuel, and even Thomas changing on a week-to-week basis, the opportunity is there.
Moving to defense, Georgia had pretty good success stopping the dive play – the lynchpin of any option attack. They held David Sims to only 36 yards on 12 carries. Garrison Smith’s play in relief of Tyson was huge, but the entire defensive front did a great job holding down the middle.
With the dive covered, the next big job was avoiding the big play. Tech’s longest run was a 27-yard gain on a pitch, but they only had one more run longer than 20 yards. Workhorse backs Jones and Smith couldn’t manage anything longer than 14 and 16 yards.
Tech had some success with inside handoffs, but Grantham soon added that to the list of effective adjustments he’s made this year.
In another nod to coaching, the tendency for Tevin Washington to keep the ball on plays close to the goal line had to be noticed. Georgia was ready for the keeper on that early third down on their own two, and Washington was hit for a loss. Holding Tech to 3 instead of 7 there kept Georgia out in front and let them open up an 11-point lead on their next possession.
Special teams had a second straight quality performance. Georgia was bailed out on a poor field goal operation by Tech’s timeout, but otherwise it was a solid day. Both Walsh and Bogotay buried kickoffs. Butler is back. Boykin had one of his best kick returns of the year.
Watching LSU turn their Arkansas game on a punt return, it’s an unfortunate development this year that Georgia has all but abandoned the punt return or punt block as a strategic weapon. Some of Richt’s players (Gray / Flowers / Henderson) just about made their names returning punts. Being burned several times on fakes has led Richt to default to punt safe in all but the most extreme 4th down situations. With field position so important in LSU’s games this year, ceding 10 or so yards on each punt by choosing to defend the punt rather than return it is something to watch next week.
I love scores that bookend halftime. It’s the biggest payoff from winning the coin toss. Georgia turned a close 14-10 game into a more comfortable 24-10 margin without Tech’s offense touching the ball.
So many directions we could go after such a complete and enjoyable win Saturday. We’ll let others guide our thoughts…
“We’ll see how Georgia plays when they know they have to win. I have a feeling something good is going to happen to us.” – Steve Spurrier, following South Carolina’s win over Florida
Spurrier was right and wrong. Yes, his team’s win earlier in the day and their solid 6-2 SEC record meant that Georgia absolutely had to win its final two conference games in order to advance to the SEC Championship. They would get no more help from the Gamecocks. But what Spurrier missed was that Georgia has played knowing it must win ever since that disappointing night in early September. The program and its coach have been in a must-win situation for almost a year now.
“We all knew how important this game was; we hear what everyone says…You can say you’re not thinking about it, but deep down you know what’s at stake.” – Aaron Murray after the win over Florida
So if Spurrier was trying to apply the screws, he’s late to the party. Pressure is the normal condition for any major program, but the urgency at Georgia has been especially intense since the disappointing 2010 season ended on a stormy day in Memphis. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The survival instinct that kicked in led the staff to make some difficult but unavoidable changes behind the scenes. As Georgia imposed their will in the second half, I couldn’t help but think about the choices made and the work done in the offseason.
“We’re OK on the run game…” – Gene Chizik, discussing his defense in his interview heading into halftime
Chizik was pleased with his run defense after the first half, but he lamented Georgia’s success on the downfield passes to the outside. True enough, Georgia struck often in the first half on back shoulder routes to the outside that were almost stop routes. Georgia hit one of these routes at the end of the Florida game, and they served Murray well again. Auburn almost always over-ran the routes even when, as illustrated by the CBS crew, there was another layer of coverage over the top.
Chizik’s confidence in his run defense was short-lived. The Bulldogs were successful running the ball right from their first possession of the second half. As a result, Auburn was limited to four drives in the second half. That’s not a good place to be when you’re down four scores to begin with. Georgia’s success on the ground meant that every Auburn drive had to produce points, and of course not one of them did.
The gold standard for soul-crushing drives remains the 11-minute monster that ended the 2002 Ole Miss game, but this weekend gave us something even better: three drives – all 10 plays or more and averaging nearly six and half minutes each. The Dawgs held the ball for over 21 of the 30 minutes of the second half. It might’ve been more entertaining to put up 50 or 60 points, but the act of watching Georgia run over and over for the entire half was thoroughly satisfying.
“I thought I went deaf for a second there.” – Bacarri Rambo describing the noise following his interception returned for a touchdown
I was trying to think of a moment when I’ve heard Sanford Stadium louder. It’s tough. We can debate decibels, but it was one of those electrifying moments we’ve only had a couple of times in the past few years. There was no uniform gimmick. There was no coordinated celebration, just a spontaneous moment of enthusiasm after Rambo’s score.
It was a similar scene last year when Justin Houston scooped up a Tech fumble and scored. Houston’s score opened up a 14-point margin on the Yellow Jackets, and Sanford was rocking. But Georgia couldn’t maintain the momentum, and we were soon back in a one-point game. It was a similar scene against South Carolina earlier this year. Every good play was matched with a catastrophic turnover or breakdown that led to points and, ultimately, to the loss.
I won’t declare all that in the past because we’re only a couple of weeks removed from some pretty big momentum-killers against Vandy and Florida. For one night at least Georgia not only took advantage of opportunities to gain momentum; they also responded on those few occasions when momentum might be lost or even shifted back to Auburn. It started early with a strong response to Auburn’s lone touchdown. Murray was at his best, engineering a drive on which he went 5-for-5. His third down completion to a tightly-covered Orson Charles was placed perfectly, and the touchdown pass to Bennett was as good of a throw and catch as you’ll see.
Georgia remained stingy with what they allowed Auburn. There were no kickoff returns of note – itself a noteworthy accomplishment. Auburn didn’t have a chance at an onside kick after the first quarter. Georgia abandoned any notion of returning punts and gaining field position with their punt-safe defense, but that was the trade-off for closing the door on any potential fake punt. The Georgia defense also held firm after Crowell’s fumbles. Georgia scored 14 points after Auburn turnovers; Georgia’s turnovers turned out to be nothing more than speed bumps.
“You’ve got to make plays on defense this day and age. You’ve got to go stop people. To do that, you’ve got to attack them, be relentless in your effort and prepare during the week. If you do that, you have a chance to go make plays.” – Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham
In a game full of so many big moments, you can’t really say the game turned on any one of them. Some are subtle: a favorable spot on Georgia’s very first series kept the opening scoring drive alive. Others are obvious: Rambo’s interception broke the game open. Though the game was already 35-7 at this point, I really liked what happened just before and just after halftime. If you go back to last year, this was the point in the game where Auburn flipped things in their favor. Trailing 21-14, they tied it up inside of a minute left in the second quarter. The Tigers executed and recovered an onside kick to start the second half, and soon Georgia was the team playing from behind. It was a huge 14-point swing that turned the game.
Late in the first half on Saturday, Drew Butler shanked a punt into the Georgia sideline (‘sup wid dat?). Auburn suddenly had their best field position since their scoring drive and an opportunity to grab a shred of momentum before regrouping at halftime. As Grantham exhorted, Georgia’s defense got the stop and didn’t even yield a first down. The Dawgs also held on the other side of halftime. The kickoff was a touchback. Auburn got 17 yards on one of Dyer’s few productive runs of the night, but Auburn’s attempt to open the second half with a score ended there. Georgia forced a punt and began to dictate exactly how the second half would go. Though Georgia’s drive stalled and ended with a short field goal, the Dawgs made it clear that there would be no huge swing of momentum in Auburn’s favor this year.
“We’ll hold out a little hope, but Georgia is playing awfully well now. You always have some hope. That’s a game we have no control over, so we’re not going to worry about it.” – Steve Spurrier, on his team depending on a Kentucky win over Georgia
We’ll be magnanimous and let Coach Spurrier have the final word. He’s right: Georgia’s job is unfinished. Kentucky might be the SEC equivalent of a two-foot putt, but it’s still a shot that has to be made. It wasn’t nearly against the same odds, but two years ago Kentucky left Athens with their first win at Georgia since 1977. Part of my enjoyment Saturday night was the realization that Spurrier had to sit there and watch it, and hopefully he’ll have an equally-enjoyable viewing experience this Saturday.
With pretty much every Georgia tailback headed to a one-game suspension or to the injured list, we’re faced with the practical challenge of fielding a running game this weekend. The good news is that Georgia is up against the nation’s 111th-best rushing defense rather than an SEC foe. Hopefully the line can create holes that random members of the Alumni Band could run through. But in terms of who will actually carry the ball, reports have focused on these three options. It’s not a stretch to imagine all three being used at some point.
1) Stick with the tailbacks on the roster
Brandon Harton and Kyle Karempelis are the two tailbacks on the roster who could see playing time. Harton is a former walk-on, and Karempelis still is. Neither are especially big guys (5’6″ and 5’9″, respectively.) We’re more familiar with Harton – he had some carries in garbage time against Coastal Carolina.
2) Use the fullbacks
Ogletree and Figgins haven’t carried the ball much, if at all, this year, but they’d be an option to run the ball especially in short-yardage situatins.
3) Look to other positions
Here’s where the fun starts for those of us playing fantasy coach. There are plenty of talented guys on the team who would love a shot at carrying the ball. It’s not likely to be someone from elsewhere on offense. Receivers are thin enough as it is, especially with Mitchell still out. They’re also not likely to waste the redshirt season of someone who hasn’t played yet. So we look to the other side of the ball. A couple have already carried the ball this year. Rambo has been an effective option quarterback for the scout team; we know he can run the ball.
Of the names fans and media are throwing out over the past day, one name – Nick Marshall – intrigues me the most. Follow my thinking here:
I’d be hesistant to use a front line defensive player on all but a couple of carries. You don’t want to risk losing Boykin, Smith, and Rambo if the game can be won with other players. Even Swann is seeing more time on defense, so I’d hesitate to pull him over.
Marshall has already burned his redshirt.
The coaches have already considered Marshall on offense. I know this is mostly offseason recruiting bluster, but Marshall’s possible use in a “Wild Dawg” look was a topic back in May.
Marshall, though a defensive back now, was an accomplished running quarterback in high school who would be comfortable running the ball. This isn’t high school, but it’s not as if he’s going up against Alabama’s run defense on Saturday.
If Marshall gains some experience on Saturday, this needn’t be a one-game experiment. With Samuel down for a while, there’s still a need at tailback going forward.
Edge contain. Yes, Ole Miss only gained 34 yards rushing (the running backs had more like 60 on 16 attempts), but the edge players were bailed out time and again by Williams and Rambo. Washington and Vasser had a couple of nice stops, but both sucked inside too often.
As Georgia tries to go above .500 in conference for the first time in nearly two years, I had a similar thought. If Georgia showed a weakness on defense at Ole Miss, it was on the edge. The Rebels didn’t have the players or scheme to exploit it, but the next opponent does. I’m confident in the interior line to slow the dive plays and even the inside zone-reads of the MSU spread option. It’s when the outside defenders bite on the dive and the option develops outside that I get a little more concerned.
You can see a bit of what I’m talking about on MSU’s first score against Georgia last year. (Sorry for the video quality – it’s the only clip of the play I could find.) The inside fake draws in the defense. Though the quarterback is covered, the pitch isn’t, and it’s an easy score.
Georgia’s pursuit on defense can be a blessing, and it’s a big reason why Ole Miss could do so little on Saturday. They got after everyone. It’s a fine line between GATA and overpursuit as we saw on the punt return reverse. Georgia will at least study and practice against the MSU offense this week, so the need to stay at home and pay attention will be driven home a lot more than they would against a random trick play.
At the same time, Georgia’s defense – even with Robinson back – will have a lot of young guys who are seeing these option plays for the first time, and they’ll have to make good decisions all afternoon. Cheating inside leaves you vulnerable on the edge, and watching the edge leaves the middle open for tough runners in Relf and Ballard. Georgia’s objective will be to limit gains on early downs and force MSU into longer second and third downs where the Mississippi State passing game becomes much more predictable and inefficient.
It was our first game back in Sanford Stadium since the Dawgs sent Tech home with a loss last November. What did you think?
The Scene
Traffic wasn’t bad around town even at 11 AM. Though central campus was pretty thick with tents, we were still able to navigate down Milledge and Lumpkin without much standstill. We must’ve been between the early arrivers and the last-minute crowd. Postgame traffic wasn’t terrible after an hour or so. Downtown was packed since the ~8:00 finish allowed for things to move right into a full evening of Athens nightlife. I saw a lot more charter buses than I remember in the past, and they didn’t help things move through downtown.
It was unfortunate to find the Visual Arts building blocked off for renovation. The College of Environmental Design will benefit from the refurbished building, but it will affect some nice tailgating spaces on the eastern edge of North Campus. Otherwise, I didn’t see many problems in and around North Campus. It was a perfect day for a tailgate and a nice change from the typical blast furnace of a Georgia-South Carolina game.
Scoreboard
I liked the new scoreboard. At a cost of $1.4 million, I hope you did too. The display was crisp, the animations popped, and no one in our eastern perch had a problem seeing anything. The board looked great when it went full-screen. I had to remember to look at the scoreboards rimming the upper deck to see time as well as down and distance when the main display went full-screen, but that’s not a problem. Some constructive criticisms:
If you’re going to run scores, keep them updated. I think there are still 7 minutes left in the Auburn/MSU game. Those running the show must’ve realized the problem because we started seeing the sides of the scoreboard increasingly used for stats, and I prefer that anyway. You have this large screen with its best feature being the dynamic repurposing of areas of the display. Some individual stats mixed in would’ve been nice, too.
The live video on the board was cropped too closely. I tried to watch a bit of the 3rd quarter on the board since it required less looking directly into the sun, but it was difficult with the shot so tightly zoomed in on the QB. Pull it back a bit and let us see the play.
There’s a fine line between augmenting the game with the videos and music and going into ACC territory. I’m not even talking about the blatent ads that pay the bills. Keep Zombie Nation out of our stadium.
Redcoats
I have mixed feelings about moving the band to the west stands. The point was to project their sound to more of the stadium, and that worked. Of course the sound isn’t going to be as strong in my part of the stadium as when they sat three sections over from me, but I think they project well to all corners now. It’s not an ideal arrangement with the visitor’s band so close – the result more often than not was just indistiguishable noise.
Another problem was the separation of the band from the cheerleaders and main block of students. You lose a bit of punch there without the cheerleaders, band, and students in the same corner – coordination starting and sustaining cheers was tough on Saturday.
The new pregame was a welcome refresh. The only hiccup was the attempt to start a GEORGIA-BULLDOGS cheer, but that will work itself out as fans get used to what’s going on. It’s necessary but not good that the band has to exit the field in the east endzone and hoof it along the track all the way back to the west stands. I think it was the midpoint of the first quarter and several series into the game before they were able to play much of anything from the stands. You can only do so much with the congestion of that narrow track corridor, but the pace of getting them back into the stands after pregame has to pick up.
This was a great touch:
The Crowd
For the most part, the back-and-forth flow of the game led to an involved and supportive crowd. Of course there were people around who were overserved or had their minds made up about players and coaches a long time ago (easily identified with the clever and original nicknames they used like “Booboo”.) I can only speak for myself, but a lot of the optimism with which I left the stadium despite the loss came from observing how the people around me handled the events and outcome of the game. If the tone after the Boise game (from those who even bothered to stay) was one of torches and pitchforks, the tone Saturday was one of disappointment tempered by anticipation of what this team and its young stars can become.
Much will be made of Georgia’s inability to finish the game on several occasions, but neither team could get the other off the field. What’s keeping Georgia from the driver’s seat in the East is themselves. Killer penalties at the worst times, a missed field goal from our money kicker, 14 points handed directly to SC, and another undefended fake kick all contributed to the loss.
And yet I’m not as despondant as I was a week ago. Am I nuts? We saw a lot of improvement, many mistakes to be sure, and an effort that can win a lot of games this year.
If there’s one stat from the Boise game that gives me hope, it’s this:
Doug Martin: 24 carries, 57 yards. Long 9.
Martin is a legitimate tailback who averaged 6.3 YPC in 2010. You saw how good he can be on his touchdown run – he bounced outside and beat Branden Smith to the corner. He wasn’t the reason why Boise State won.
You didn’t hear a lot from Geathers, Jenkins, or many of the Georgia defensive linemen on Saturday, but that’s not unexpected. The usual role of the DL in the 3-4 is to get a push and watch the linebackers clean up. Sure enough, there was Christian Robinson with a career-high 13 tackles and Jarvis Jones with an impressive 11 tackles (and 17 helmet adjustments) in his debut. Somewhere in there was pretty solid play in the middle by the defensive line. The Dawgs were rarely, if ever, gashed for long runs up the middle. Tackling, though there were a couple of breaks and misses, was generally solid. Put another way – for the problems they had getting worn out, covering the short routes, and dealing with the loss of Ogletree, they weren’t the “soft” group that they were a year ago.
The disappointing part is that Georgia didn’t come with much pass pressure behind that line, so we’re left with a perception that the line play was less-effective than it was. Georgia did have some success when they brought overpowering numbers, but apparently that’s not to be considered a most-of-the-time strategy. Boise’s up-tempo system certainly also contributed to Georgia’s lack of pressure. Against a quarterback that’s potentially mistake-prone, you’d hope they would be more aggressive.
Marcus Lattimore is too good of a back to neutralize, but Georgia should at least be more disruptive against inside runs and the zone read play that killed them a year ago. Can they be effective enough to force Garcia to have the kind of game that Kellen Moore put up a week ago?
In a way, I’m glad that the offense has been under such scrutiny this week. Not that the defense is perfect, but I place special emphasis on the offense against South Carolina. Georgia’s output in Columbia last year was their worst against South Carolina since 1904. Lattimore or no, that’s not going to win games.
Despite the anemic output, the Dawgs were still in the game entering the fourth quarter. (This was another game where the failure to finish goes back to the failure to start.) You can point to the killer fumble or the absence of A.J., but you don’t expect to be in such a hopeless position when you only allow 17 points. This isn’t to discount the Garcia-Lattimore-Jeffrey show (not forgetting wildcards like Sanders). Their presence and ability makes it even more imperative that Georgia score more than the 18.1 points they’ve averaged against the Gamecocks under Mark Richt.
To that end, it looks as if Richt and Bobo will be sticking with the no-huddle approach that didn’t work so well a week ago. There are some good explanations why it wasn’t effective. Boise’s hurry-up offense, as explained by Kellen Moore, aimed to “get the defense into more base coverages and base defenses. They don’t have time to throw in their unique blitzes and things like that when they only have a short few seconds to call plays.” Sound familiar? Georgia’s approach to the no-huddle didn’t look to gain that same kind of schematic advantage. Instead, Georgia was focused more on the quantity of plays run. But by using a slower no-huddle that “90 percent of America” uses according to Coach Richt, they still let the Boise defense dictate the play and ended up running only 60 plays with little to show for them.
If no-huddle, damn-the-torpedoes it is, all is still not lost. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with the shotgun or hurry-up, but there are problems if it plays against Georgia’s advantages on offense. (It’s fair to say that these “advantages” are still theoretical since we haven’t seen much of them.) Georgia’s primary formation against Boise was the shotgun, three receivers, one TE lined up tight, and one back.
The use of three receivers exposed one of Georgia’s weaker positions. King didn’t have his best game. Mitchell was a revelation but still got lost on a few routes (the perils of playing a true freshman.) Brown, Wooten, and King combined for 4 catches and 28 yards. Hopefully that will be the low-water mark for the group, but it’s significant enough to ask whether Georgia would have been better off trading a receiver for Figgins more often. There was a tangible benefit in the running game, Figgins also could have helped in pass protection, and we know he can catch the ball. If Charles is, more or less, going to be a third receiver, treat him like one and add a fullback.
The Dawgs altered that grouping on Boykin’s touchdown run. Figgins replaced the tailback. Boykin shifted to give Georgia a two-receiver, two-back look just before the snap. The tight end blocked inside, and the right tackle, along with Figgins, pulled outside to give Boykin the lane he needed.
Granting the fact that Figgins is still new to the fullback position, this is the kind of stuff that got fans and coaches excited thinking about the possibilities of an experienced tight end in a full-time fullback / H-back role. We saw precious little from Figgins Saturday after Boykin’s run, but it’s hard to do much from the bench. Yes, there’s a trade-off: someone has to sit, and there are matchups to consider. I’m just not so sure that with Charles in the game, the receiver situation what it is, and the need for better protection that Figgins shouldn’t see more time.
The shotgun look Georgia ran against Boise doesn’t have to be as vanilla as the Dawgs made it out to be. Murray isn’t Cam Netwon and can’t take the constant pounding running the ball that a 240 lb. quarterback could, but he’s still a rushing weapon. Georgia’s running plays out of the formation were all to the tailback and usually into the teeth of the Boise defensive line. There were many opportunities where a zone read option for Murray might have produced a big play.
The tailback also has a role in the passing game beyond blocking. On Monday night, I liked how Maryland used swing passes out of the backfield with some success. Their tailback ended up with four receptions from such passes – that would have been second-best for Georgia against Boise and more than any wide receiver. Crowell supposedly has above-average hands, but the offense didn’t do much to get him out in space where he’s at his most dangerous. Samuel had Georgia’s only two receptions out of the backfield, and only one late in the fourth quarter went for any yardage. With Crowell’s hands and Figgins’ experience at tight end, Georgia should be able to augment its receiving corps and attack aggressive defenses with more passes out of the backfield from its spread look.
1) Can Georgia match Boise’s intensity from the start? Though most of the offseason emphasis was on finishing games, we looked at how Georgia had their best games last year when they started well. Auburn was the only exception. In Georgia’s other six losses, they scored a combined ten first quarter points. Boise, on the other hand, likes to start quickly. Until their bowl game, they scored first in every game and never trailed at the end of the first quarter. And then there’s this…
2) How will Georgia handle adversity? There’s never a leadership problem when things are going well. Hopefully, Georgia can play mistake-free ball and get a lead they’ll never surrender. That would make for a nice opener. But how will the team handle a turnover? Or a deficit? Or momentum swinging to Boise in a comeback? Georgia has done the right things in the offseason to forge its leadership and get everyone “on the bus.” Will they stay on board if the bus looks to be breaking down, or will they stay to get it running again?
3) Can Georgia hold off the Boise comeback? I see a lot of Ryan Mallett in Kellen Moore (apart from the significant size difference). I keep thinking back to the end of the Arkansas game last year and the effortless way Mallett led Arkansas to the win after Georgia had recaptured momentum. Georgia’s defense surely contributed, but you got to see what happens when a team believes in its veteran quarterback at the end of the game. Kellen Moore is every bit that kind of clutch quarterback. Even in their 2010 loss to Nevada, Moore drove the Broncos into position for the win. He engineered the drive that beat Virginia Tech. It’s a dangerous situation when a team never thinks it’s out of a game. Georgia’s preseason emphasis has been on finishing games, and they might not get a more stubborn opponent this year.
4) How will the freshmen handle the stage? There’s no doubting their ability. Reports from practice are glowing. It’s different when you step in front of 80,000, even if they’re on your side. The best thrive, and it’s not too soon to expect an impact: Mark Ingram announced himself to the world in 2008 against Clemson in this very venue.
5) How have the coaches adapted? From Mitchell to Smith to Figgins to Charles, the offensive coaches have no shortage of versatile weapons with which to create mismatches and advantages. The defensive coaches have speed across the board and an intriguing set of combinations on the defensive line. They’ll be contrasted with one of the game’s best at getting efficient production from his talent.
Most of this will be familiar if you’ve paid attention to the team over the summer. I’m just putting this up to clear my head before the opener.
When we last left them…
Georgia was last seen in a lifeless effort against Central Florida, losing 10-6 in the Liberty Bowl. The defense did well against a decent UCF offense, but Georgia’s own offense petered out after a promising opening drive. Georgia’s coaches chose to lay up for a field goal in sight of the goal line, and that decision would prove to be a lightning rod for criticism after a disappointing 6-7 season.
A year after completely revamping the defense, Mark Richt decided not to make any coaching changes after 2010. Instead, he felt a cultural change was necessary. It started with a change in the conditioning program. The men appointed to the job weren’t exactly known for modern cutting-edge methods, but they were living and breathing symbols of the toughness and attitude Richt wanted back in the program.
Richt’s credibility received a huge boost in early February when Georgia hauled one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. It was arguably Richt’s best group of incoming players, and it happened at a very dark time for the program. The class was looking shaky in January with several key names still uncommitted. Even former Georgia players were questioning Richt’s ability to salvage a recruiting class after such a bad season. It was a good year for high school talent in the state, and Georgia’s recruiting strategy focused on this “Dream Team” of elite in-state talent. A big announcement from a pair of Valdosta players late in January got the ball rolling, and other Dream Team targets continued the momentum right up through Signing Day.
The off-season has been relatively quiet. There have been few run-ins with the law, but there are several players no longer with the team. Some hung up the cleats due to chronic injuries. Others didn’t see eye-to-eye with the changes being made and transfered. A couple were, to put it bluntly, weeded out. But the vast majority have spent the spring and summer dedicated to the new conditioning program and arrived ready to reverse the course of the program.
Key Losses and Departures
WR A.J. Green: The most talented receiver in Georgia history is in the NFL now. Green was playmaker, magician, and security blanket.
DE Justin Houston: As he became more familiar with Georgia’s new 3-4 defense, Houston became an increasingly dangerous pass rusher. He finished the year with 10 sacks, second only to Nick Fairley in the SEC. Unfortunately we only got to see Houston shine for one year in this system. His departure leaves a void at a key spot in Georgia’s scheme.
Strength coach Dave Van Halanger: With criticism mounting on Georgia’s conditioning program, Coach Van accepted a transition to a mentoring role and opened up room for changes in the weight room.
Tailbacks Caleb King and Washaun Ealey: The duo that formed the core of Georgia’s running game over the past two years is no more. Ealey was disgruntled over playing time, and King hadn’t made sufficient academic progress to return for his senior season. With their departure, Georgia suddenly had a big problem with both depth and experience at tailback.
LB coach Warren Belin: Coach Belin was only in Athens for a year, but his contributions were seen not only at the linebacker position but also in much improved coverage units on special teams.
OT Trinton Sturdivant: Sturdivant’s injury-plagued Georgia career came to an end in the spring with another knee injury. Senior Cordy Glenn will move from guard to handle the important left tackle position.
Impact Newcomers
RB Isaiah Crowell (#1): There’s no beating around the bush: Crowell was a must-sign for Mark Richt. Heralded as Georgia’s next great tailback, Crowell will get a chance to contribute from the start. With such expectations comes an enormous amount of pressure, and how Crowell handles the spotlight will be as big a part of his story as how he handles defenses. He’s already grown up quite a bit in the short time he’s been on campus. Reports from camp haven’t been over the top, but they’ve made it clear that Crowell looks every bit as advertised.
OLB Ray Drew (#47): Drew’s reputation as one of the best high school defenders in Georgia led every major program in the area to his door. He also is expected to play early. But his value to the program will go beyond his play. He’s already an ordained minister. Call him “The Pastor of Disaster” or the “Pastor of the Pass Rush,” but Drew has already asserted himself as a leader of the future for Georgia football. He’ll be one of the players looked to as a solution to replace Justin Houston. He’s wearing #47 in honor of (and with the blessing of) David Pollack.
WR/DB Malcom Mitchell (#26): Georgia’s “Dream Team” incoming freshman class has a lot of talented players, but few are as interesting as Mitchell in terms of how the coaches might use him. He could easily be one of the better cornerbacks on the team right away, but Georgia has good depth at that position. Mitchell will get his first opportunity at wide receiver. Though he’s technically not a starter, Mitchell has the speed and hands to get on the field early. He can be used as a straight-up receiver or even like Branden Smith on running plays.
Strength coaches Joe Tereshinski II and John Kasay: It’s laughable to consider these guys “newcomers” as each, in various administrative roles, has been associated with the Georgia program for decades. But these were the men charged with the revitalization of Georgia’s strength and conditioning program. With the support of the new athletic director, the new conditioning program has involved everything from nutrition to just making sure the players are accountable and in the gym. There’s definitely a different, leaner look to the team, but we’ll have to wait until the season to find out if that leads to better play at the end of games.
DT Jon Jenkins (#6): Georgia’s switch to a 3-4 defense last year lacked one important piece: a big plug in the middle of the defensive line. DeAngelo Tyson was talented enough to hold his own, but he was undersized against better opponents. Jenkins, a JUCO transfer, was the answer. He’s a big prototypical nose tackle with impressive speed and agility for his size. Jenkins won’t start, though. His arrival lit a fire under Kwame Geathers (#99), and Geathers got into shape and earned the starting job. So Georgia went from a big hole at a key defensive position to having two promising solutions. You’ll see plenty of both of them – maybe even at the same time.
LB Jarvis Jones (#29): Jones, a Columbus native, spent his first season at Southern Cal. His freshman season was cut short by a neck injury, and the Trojans wouldn’t clear him to return. He chose to transfer to Georgia, sat out last season, and the neck is fine. His arrival was an instant shot in the arm to the linebacking corps, and he’s already a starter.
Watch out for…
LB Alec Ogletree (#9): Ogletree played safety as a true freshman last year and eventually earned a starting job. This year he’ll be moving to linebacker – a Thomas Davis in reverse. He’s known as a devastating hitter and will be one of the first people on the scene to make the tackle after Jenkins or Geathers clears the way.
WR Marlon Brown (#15): Brown arrived two years ago as one of the top high school receivers in the nation. Though he didn’t have the immediate impact of an A.J. Green, Brown is finally a starter in his junior season. If he can play to his potential, it will give Aaron Murray another nice option and draw defensive attention away from other top targets Tavarres King and Orson Charles.
S/CB Sanders Commings (#19): It might surprise some people to not see Bacarri Rambo starting at safety, but Commings has versatility on his side. Not only is he the starting safety, he’s listed as one of the top backups as cornerback. He has the size to make the hits as a safety, but he also has the speed and coverage skills to play at cornerback. If the front seven can get decent pressure, Commings might end up as one of the team’s interception leaders.
The tight end position: most everyone knows about Orson Charles (#7), but Georgia is deep enough at the position to consider redshirting one of the nation’s best incoming TEs. Aron White (#81) is another pass-catching threat with a senior’s experience. Arthur Lynch (#88) sat out last year to improve his receiving and strength, and he gives Georgia that big, tough prototypical blocking tight end. With the receiver position a little more thin than usual, expect to see more out of this position in 2011.
The defensive front: With Geathers and Jenkins anchoring the middle, DeAngelo Tyson (#94) moves back to end, a position that’s a more natural fit for him. Holding down the other side is Abry Jones (#93), a junior coming into his own. There are also solid backups like Derrick Lott, Garrison Smith, and Mike Thornton. The capabilities of the players allow for some creative situational combinations. If they want a massive front, they can play a line of Tyson-Geathers-Jenkins. Or in pure pass-rush situations, they can have Geathers and Jenkins in the middle with outside linebackers Jones, Drew, or Washington moving up to the line as Houston did often last year. Don’t be concerned if you don’t see big numbers from this group. The defensive line in a 3-4 scheme is often asked to fill gaps and occupy the offensive line while the linebackers clean up the tackles. You’ll know the DL is doing its job if you see Jarvis Jones and Ogletree wreaking havoc in the backfield.
WR Michael Bennett (#82): If you’re looking for a darkhorse to contribute on offense this year, consider Bennett. He redshirted last year, but there’s always room on the field for someone who can catch.
The Schedule
The consensus is that Georgia’s 2011 schedule lends itself to a good year, but that was the case in 2010 also. You still have to play the games. Georgia again avoids Alabama and LSU. They swap Arkansas for Ole Miss and Colorado for Boise State, and those are about the only real differences in quality. Another reason why people like Georgia’s schedule is that many of the tougher games are at home or at least at neutral sites. Boise might as well be a home game, and South Carolina, Miss. St., and Auburn all come to Athens. Georgia’s SEC road games are at Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. If they can get past the first two games, the schedule looks very manageable if Georgia is really a better team this year.
Concerns
Depth at offensive line: The starting unit looks pretty good with only one real newcomer. Hope they stay healthy. Redshirt sophomore Dallas Lee is the first off the bench, but after that you start playing true freshmen.
Receivers: Tavarres King (#12) is about the only proven guy on a roster of just six scholarship receivers. True freshman Mitchell should help, but Georgia really needs its upperclassmen – Brown, Troupe, and Wooten – to improve their productivity and consistency. The luxury of a deep tight end position is nice, but it’s no substitute for a lack of receivers.
Pass rush: Houston, the team’s sack leader, is gone along with several linebackers. Georgia has options here, but they’re young and/or unproven. Jarvis Jones, Drew, and Cornelius Washington will be three guys at the key outside linebacker position who will try to create pressure and generate sacks.
Confidence: It’s been a good offseason, but the team and its leaders haven’t faced adversity yet. How will this leadership and feel-good talk hold up to a real test? Georgia fans haven’t forgotten about last season, but most would like to see Richt succeed. It won’t take long for them to turn if it looks as if the problems from last season persist. On the other hand, winning the first two could give the team momentum it hasn’t had since late 2007.
Reasons for Hope
Aaron Murray: He has the temperament and skills you want from your quarterback. Murray has established himself as a leader off the field. Now he has to do it on the field. He hasn’t had that defining 4th quarter moment yet, but you have to think it’s coming soon.
All the right pieces on defense: Georgia lacked several elements to run a successful 3-4 this year, but they seem to be in place now. You have the stout defensive line, fast linebackers that can hit, and not many holes in the secondary. These pieces still have to mesh, and there are several players without much experience either at their position or playing together.
Some of the best special teams in the country. Walsh and Butler are unmatched. Boykin is always a threat to bring a kickoff back. Coverage took a big step forward last year. Georgia’s special teams will be the difference at some point this year.
The newcomers: Georgia had a lot of questions after last year, and they got answers to nearly all of them. You’d rather they be upperclassmen veterans, but Georgia doesn’t have the luxury. Still, several of them can contribute right away. It’s going to be enjoyable watching this group over the next 3-5 years.
The leadership: I’ve had it too – enough with the offseason stories about working harder than ever (we mean it this time!). Most of us are numb to them by now. That said, Georgia does seem to have some of its best and deepest group of leaders in several years. Underclassmen like Murray and Christian Robinson have earned a position of respect. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Butler, Tyson, Boykin, and Ben Jones are your senior captains. I couldn’t imagine getting on the wrong side of Ben Jones. Importantly, you’re also seeing some of the newcomers be very vocal about their role in Georgia’s turnaround. Ray Drew is a natural. When you see true freshman center David Andrews quote Erk Russell, you know that the right messages are getting through. The team has used the Jon Gordon book to build unity and align the direction of the team, and they’re not shy about calling out players who have strayed. Again, all of that won’t matter until it passes the tests during the season.
Mark Richt: Yes, the embattled coach. Call it reinvigoration, recovery, or just desperation – Richt has to know that he’s running out of time to return Georgia to the top of the SEC. That kind of pressure can be destructive, or it can be motivating. Athletic director Greg McGarity is making sure that Richt has everything he needs to run the program his way – you can see that in the new conditioning program, the nutrition staff, and especially the new weight room and football facility. Richt gives credit to McGarity’s support, and he recently told an interviewer that it “has revived me in a lot of ways. I’m energized right now and feeling great.” That’s encouraging, but it also means Richt is just about out of things to change with the program. He has the coaches he wants, a good level of talent, and he has the full support of the athletic department behind him. The rest is up to him…
Q: Surely some things have changed. How much would you say is different?
A: I’d just say the signals mainly; actually the whole play-calling situation. We’re doing a lot of no-huddle and a lot of high-tempo stuff, and that’s new to us. There are a lot of sight adjustments, so you have to be paying attention and focused and listening and hurrying up.
Georgia isn’t the only team in the game that might speed things up. Boise is hardly known for its tempo or no-huddle look. Their identity is much more about motion, misdirection, and getting superior numbers. But one game last year gave future Boise opponents a lot to think about.
In a November game against Hawaii, Boise State put up 737 yards of total offense (a school record), and Kellen Moore threw for an otherworldly 507 yards – in just three quarters – by breaking out the no-huddle. Before you start with the “yeah, but the schedule…” stuff, Boise’s output was more than twice what Hawaii allowed on average. That would be impressive for a team running a system that it had spent all year perfecting, but Boise’s gaudy production came via a gameplan on offense that was “a little bit outside of who we are,” admits coach Chris Petersen. “It’s hard when you don’t major in that.”
It’s important to note that Boise’s use of the no-huddle was a strategic counter to Hawaii’s tendency to use multiple looks on defense to create confusion. By speeding things up, the tables are turned, and the defense is forced into a reactive mode. Kellen Moore explains, “The tempo helps get the defense into more base coverages and base defenses,” he said. “They don’t have time to throw in their unique blitzes and things like that when they only have a short few seconds to call plays.”
If Georgia’s defense is effective early at disrupting Moore, don’t be surprised to see the Broncos try to speed things up to get Georgia’s defense back on their heels. Offensive coordinator Brian Harsin plans to have the no-huddle ready to use. “I think it’s a good changeup for us to have in there,” Harsin said. Georgia should have a little more familiarity with their defense in coordinator Todd Grantham’s second year, but there are still enough newcomers at all three levels of defense to cause missed assignments if there’s much pre-snap confusion.
There’s a down side to speeding things up on offense. If you’re not successful sustaining drives and scoring, your defense is put right back on the field. Worst case for Georgia? A reprise of two common 2010 maladies: a defense that hasn’t solved its third-and-long problems coupled with a an up-tempo offense that struggles out of the gate could have the Georgia defense sucking wind by halftime. Forget finishing strong – Boise is a team that has been very effective at jumping out on their opponents, and a no-huddle strategy that turned out like the scenario above would look a lot like this.
Of course the opposite is what Georgia hopes will happen, and that was the story of the 2005 game. If the Bulldog defense can get stops, it will give its own offense a chance to set the tempo. None of this is groundbreaking stuff (who knew defense likes three-and-outs?), but the Bulldog defense will have a lot to say about whether Georgia’s offense can run at its preferred tempo. That’s why Blutarsky had this reaction to Samuel’s news: “Richt likes what he’s seeing out of the defense.” You can’t use tempo as an attacking strategy if you’re having to use tempo in a defensive way to preserve the legs and lungs of your defense.
Fundamental to any successful up-tempo offense is communication from the sideline to the field and a quarterback who can process the play and the defense in a few seconds. The quarterback’s job is a little easier if the defense is forced by the tempo into more basic looks, but he still has to be familiar enough with his own system to get everyone lined up and adapt from play to play. That’s not much of an issue for Boise State. Kellen Moore is about as experienced as they come in college, and he should be on the same page with Petersen. Aaron Murray isn’t as experienced within his system as Moore, but he’s at least settled in now. Richt won’t have to limit the scope of what he asks from Murray, and Murray should be able to make his own adjustments.
Something any successful organization learns is to not ignore your strengths while trying to improve weaknesses. Few questioned the Georgia offensive line or its coach heading into last season, but it hardly turned out to be a dominant unit. With that in mind, I’m thinking about three veterans who are all starters and fan favorites. They’re all being counted on to be a big part of the 2011 season. Each has a big question to answer though.
Aaron Murray: Can he be as big of a leader on the field as he is off the field? There’s no question that it’s his offense, and his freshman stats would have been impressive for a senior. The next step is turning those stats into meaningful plays and wins. We’ve talked about Murray and his self-administered “C” grade for last season, and making the big plays is what will vault him to the top of the class.
The 2001 season is known for the Hobnail Boot play, and it established (among other things) David Greene as a clutch quarterback. We forget that the Dawgs lost three games that year at the end. Those losses to South Carolina, Auburn, and BC would be right up there as case studies in this year’s emphasis on finishing the 4th quarter. Georgia and Greene took that step forward from 2001 to 2002. Georgia started winning the close games and getting the plays at the end – a fumble at South Carolina, a drive and clutch FG at Bama, a gutsy 4th down call against Tennessee, and of course the miracle at Auburn. Of course all of those outcomes weren’t all to do with Greene, and plenty of other areas have to improve along with Murray for Georgia to become better at finishing games. It needn’t be as dramatic as the 2001 Tennessee or 2002 Auburn endings, but we still haven’t seen the offense rally around Murray for a big finish. It nearly happened in Jacksonville last year.
Tavarres King: Is he really ready to be the man? No one is asking King to be A.J. Green, but they are asking the junior to be the leader of Georgia’s receiving corps. The questions around Georgia’s receiving corps haven’t been about King – they’ve been about filling the other roles. Will the light come on for Marlon Brown? Will one of Wooten or Troupe step up? Can Mitchell and Bennett make an impact as newcomers? King’s place in the order of things has been quietly set in stone since last year ended. Is relatively little news a sign all is going well? Holding the starting job and being the team’s go-to receiver are two different things. It’s going to take a big step up from the 27 receptions, 504 yards, and 3 TD he had a year ago.
Bacarri Rambo: Um…what’s going on? With Jakar Hamilton out fror the year with a foot injury and Alec Ogletree moving to linebacker, Rambo was one of the few known entities at a thin and inexperienced position. He had a nice debut season in 2009 with big plays against Tennessee and Auburn, and he quickly became a fan favorite because, hey, we’ve got a guy named RAMBO playing defense. Now Rambo seems in danger of losing his starting job. More curious, Rambo is one of the few players unavailable to the media during the preseason. Something isn’t quite right there…
2) It didn’t answer any of the questions most of us have about the team (except maybe for one big one on the DL).
3) It more or less affirmed what we thought to be the strengths and weaknesses of the team.
With the number of small injuries, the draft format jumbling up the cohesive units on offense and defense, and the anticipated contributions of freshmen and newcomers, there wasn’t much cause for getting too worked up over the highs and the lows of the game. So we’ll take up some more minor points.
I have to admit I expected to see more written about Derrick Lott. He had two sacks by my count, including the safety, and was in the backfield nearly as much as Geathers was. We focus a lot on what the nose can do in the 3-4, but opportunities for the ends can be a byproduct of an effective man in the middle. Lott’s G-Day came after a spring in which he impressed coaches and teammates. If Lott keeps it up, the Geathers/Jenkins battle won’t be the only competition for playing time on the DL worth watching this August.
LeMay ran an effective scoring drive, but what caught my eye were a couple of zone read runs. The zone read isn’t a new play at Georgia – even Stafford shocked us a few times when he kept the ball (including one glorious play at Tech in 2007). It was interesting though to see the way LeMay executed the play. Georgia’s quarterbacks haven’t eaxctly resembled Pat White on the play. LeMay looked different – he attacked the line before making the option decision. He made a good decision whenever he ran the play, and his keeper was a solid run up the middle. I don’t suggest this is something we’ll see much of any time soon; Lemay himself might even be redshirted. It’s just something to keep in the back of our minds if LeMay ever gets the reigns.
He’ll earn inevitable comparisons with Kris Durham, but Michael Bennett could have an impact larger and earlier than Durham. Bennett has good hands and speed, and he showed Saturday impressive blocking on the outside. That will get a young receiver on the field a lot sooner. After King, the receiver rotation is really still up in the air. We’re all waiting for Brown, Wooten, and Troupe to make their moves as veterans, but someone like Bennett could easily slide in there. None of this is news – we know what the depth situation is at receiver. It pretty much played out that way on Saturday. The same opportunities that are there for Bennett are also there for Malcolm Mitchell and other newcomers.
We didn’t see much from the downfield passing game. With the strength at TE and with guys like Smith (and even Boykin!) involved on offense, that might be a trend that continues through the season. King should remain a solid target when the Dawgs choose to go deep. That’s not to say that there weren’t a few shots – I can recall a nice pass to Bennett that was well-covered and another more promising pass that was just dropped by Chris Conley.
I have to be careful of letting what I had heard going into the game influence what I remember, but I was especially interested in watching Caleb King. He didn’t disappoint. His production and time was limited, but he had two nice runs to the outside that looked faster and smoother than anything else on the field (except maybe Branden Smith). Speaking of Smith, I’m glad to see people talking about the stiff-arm he used on his touchdown. Defensive coaches aren’t happy about the missed tackle, and that’s something we’d dwell on more if it were an opponent that scored on a play like that. The sight of Smith as something more than just a speed guy was about as promising of a development as there was from the offense.