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Jeff Schultz

Georgia gets needed win but leaves room for improvement

6:30 pm September 24, 2011, by Jeff Schultz

Isaiah Crowell rushed for 147 yards but felt Georgia should've capitalized on more scoring chances. (AP photo)

Isaiah Crowell rushed for 147 yards but felt Georgia should've scored more touchdowns.

OXFORD, Miss. – Since the first two games of the season adjusted everybody’s expectations, let’s start with this: Georgia won a game on Saturday. Over an SEC opponent. On the road. These things aren’t taken for granted any more, not after a 2-6 stretch in the conference on non-hedged fields.

So in that sense, the Bulldogs’ 27-13 win over Mississippi was a step forward. It just wasn’t quite the sledgehammer maybe some had hoped for.

This was Ole Miss, one of the worst teams in the nation. It lost to Vanderbilt 30-7 last week. One group among the program’s normally relatively staid fan base, whose greatest focus generally is on picnicking in The Grove, even was moved to purchase full-page advertisements in five area newspapers. In so many words, they asked the school’s administration to strap coach Houston Nutt to a catapult and fire him into the gulf. Even angry Georgia fans haven’t gone that far when it comes to Mark Richt.

So the bar should’ve been set high Saturday for the Bulldogs. In many ways, they dominated an inferior opponent. They killed in real estate. The final yardage totals: 475 to 183. First downs: 25-8.

If this was Monopoly, the Dogs had hotels from Pacific Avenue thru Boardwalk, while Mississippi was mortgaging Baltic.

But the fact that Georgia struggled to score touchdowns and put this game away reaffirmed some of the team’s flaws. The Dogs scored three touchdowns (in the first six possessions). Then they fizzled. By game’s end, they had attempted five field goals (Blair Walsh missing three).

Richt accurately summarized, “When we get a defense tired, we need to stick a fork in them, and we weren’t able to do that.”

A road SEC win is better than losses to Boise State and South Carolina and a win over some pipsqueak from Myrtle Beach. But to beat Mississippi State, Florida, Auburn – maybe even Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky – Georgia will need to be better. Because every other conference opponent is better equipped than the Rebels to make you pay for a mistake.

Some of what happened could be attributed to the usual: dropped passes, missed blocks, etc. But some of it is on Richt. He didn’t send a great message to his players at the start of the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-1 from the Rebels’ 30, he sent in the field-goal team. The Dogs led 24-13. It seemed like the perfect time to try to pound the opponent for a yard and pass up a 48-yard attempt (hardly a sure thing). Richt played it conservative. Walsh missed.

Question: When a team starts the season 0-2 and the only win thus far has come over Coastal Carolina, shouldn’t there be a more aggressive approach?

Players tried to convince Richt to go for the first down. He later explained, “What I told them was if you want to get a first down, do it in the first three downs.”

Oddly, on the Dogs’ next possession, Richt took a huge gamble when he decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Dogs’ 44. Richard Samuel “made it by a thumbnail,” Richt said. (He later second-guessed himself, saying he should’ve punted.)

Georgia never was in danger of losing this game. It just never had the look of a wrecking ball, which is what you would’ve hoped for. Ole Miss had two touchdowns called back by penalties. Richt conceded, “It was a two-score [lead], and all it would’ve taken was one big play for them and it could’ve gotten really nasty and ugly, but the defense never allowed them to do that.”

There were positive signs. The defense was solid, allowing only one touchdown. Isaiah Crowell is turning into a game-changer. He rushed for 147 yards on 30 carries, including a 29-yard gain on third-and-9 from the Georgia 2 that launched a 99-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter that Richt called “the biggest play of the game.”

But even Crowell, after the biggest day of his young career, found himself talking about flaws.

“I’m happy with how the team played, but I thought we could’ve played better in the second half,” he said. “We should’ve scored [more] points.”

By Jeff Schultz

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719 comments Add your comment

Pollyanna

September 26th, 2011
7:51 am

Aaron Murray for 2011 avg 7 carries game for avg minus – 1 yds carry
Aaron Murray Career avg 7 carries a game for an avg 1 yards a carry
Aaron Murray for 2011 has 4 fumbles in 4 games
Aaron Murray Career 13 fumbles in 17 games
Aaron Murray for 2011 has 3 Interceptions in 4 games
Aaron Murray Career 11 Interceptions in 17 games
Aaron Murray 112 carries for 129 yards is NOT a Dual-Threat QB is it?
Aaron Murray has been here now 3 years
Aaron Murray has not beat any team with a winning record
Aaron Murray TD Passes vs losing record teams 24 ten games
Aaron Murray TD Passes vs winning record teams 11 seven games
Aaron Murray for 2011 is # 89 in nation at getting sacked holds the ball
Aaron Murray for 2010 is # 72 in nation at getting sacked holds the ball
Aaron Murray for 2011 is # 43 in nation in passing yards
Aaron Murray for 2010 is # 40 in nation in passing yards
Aaron Murray 8-9 record.
Aaron Murray 0-7 vs 7 teams who finish season winning record
Aaron Murray 8-2 vs 10 teams who finish season with losing record

UGA for 2011 is # 13 in nation Total Defense
UGA for 2010 is # 23 in nation Total Defense

UGA for 2011 is # 37 in nation Total Offense
UGA for 2010 is # 56 in nation Total Offense

bill

September 26th, 2011
7:53 am

Lost to the only good teams they’ve played, win at Costal Carolina and a 1 win Mississippi team and suddenly they’re a team to be reckoned with in the SEC…..right. Way up Georgia, there is a 4-0 team in the state that plays football as well and better than GA.

Dawgfan in FL

September 26th, 2011
8:14 am

Murray snagged Pollyanna’s girlfriend!

LHarding Dawg

September 26th, 2011
8:15 am

bill – You must really be a “dud” as a person. Get a life, get away from your boyfriend and make something out of yourself.

Win P.

September 26th, 2011
8:15 am

Fact,we beat Ole Miss. Fact,Ole Miss is not a very good team and may be the worst team in the conference. IMO UGA’s level of performance against Ole Miss. is not good enough to win against remaining teams on the schedule (with one exception).

IMO, UGA looked better losing against S. Carolina than winning against Ole Miss.
The performance against S. Carolina was encouraging. The performance against Ole Miss. was discouraging. Some of the players are very talented. Some are young without a lot of game experience. Some have game experience but don’t play like they have learned anything from the experience. The “go to” receiver, Charles, dropped two of the 1st three passed thrown to him. They were both catchable. One resulted in an interception. Sammuel, has the experience but he can only get 1,or 2 yds. consistently. With Thomas and Sammuel as backups to Crowell, I can only wonder about the next back up sitting on the bench. He must be very bad. Richt has a thing about rewarding less talented players with game time, because they have paid their “dues” and are 2nd or 3rd year players. Most coaches will reward these type of players, but not while you are still trying to win.

For coaches and teams remaning on this years’ schedule, definitely include fake punts and miss directions plays in your game plan. UGA does not run or defend those plays well.

Aaron Murray had to run for his life

September 26th, 2011
9:13 am

QB Murray needed roller blades vs. Ole Miss. He was constantly bull rushed, shoved, harassed and chased by this very, very sub par Ole Miss D. team and that shows us how horrifc our O line is. We are in deep T folks with our awful O line.

MSU is a physical, solid, hard nosed, well coached squad and if UGA is not up to being physical, it will be ugly. Murray needs to roll out of the pocket and release the freaking ball or he will be dog stew by game’s end, I fear.

We need to move the chains on MSU by hitting our FBs and our running backs and flare passes. If we try to go with Murray’s 45 yd bombs, Murray will be dumped and will always be in 3rd and 16 situations.

We can no longer trust Walsh either. He has become a head case.

Go Dogs. UGA Dogs, that is.

TechBzzzzz

September 26th, 2011
10:05 am

Tech’s rolling to the ACC title–the offense is unstoppable! Tech beats Ga this year—book it!

honky talkin'

September 26th, 2011
10:22 am

Ole Miss may not win 3 games this year. We know how Georgia looks against real competition….another mediocre season for CMR and his prayers.

Pollyanna

September 26th, 2011
12:28 pm

1.DE Justin Houston – would have been senior 2011
2.RB Caleb King – would have been senior 2011
3.WR AJ Green – would have been Senior 2011
4-ILB Brandon Burrows RFr waited until Fall Camp for surgery lost for year
5-RB Dontavius Jackson transferred to UAB
6-WR Lonnie Outlaw – failed Qualify 2010, WR Ga Military
7-WR Walter Hill – kicked off team or would be Senior 2011
8-OL Chris Little – transfer NW C College then Southern U then ineligible academics
9-OG Ben Harden – would be Senior 2011
10-WR Logan Gray- Senior Transfer Colorado
11-DE Montez Robinson – would be redshirt sophomore 2011, kicked off
12-QB Zach Mettenberger – LSU,would be redshirt sophomore 2011, kicked off
13-DL Chris Mayes – Dream Team 2011 failed Qualify, MS Gulf Coast Nose Tackle
14-LB Kent Turene – Dream Team 2011 failed Qualify, Jireh Prep NC
15-DE Jalen Fields, failed to Qualify 2010
16-OL Brent Benedict, RFr. — Transferred to Virginia Tech
17-SS Nick Williams – Senior 2011, transferred North Alabama Strong Safety
18-OL A.J. Harmon, Jr. — Transferred to Alabama State
19-TB Washaun Ealey, Jr. – Transferred to Jacksonville State
20-LB Marcus Dowtin, Jr. — Transferred to North Alabama
21-FS Jakar Hamilton – Senior injured, transfer out
22-OG Kolton Houston R Fr NCAA eligibility
23-OT Jonathan Owens – Redshirt Junior 2011, medical disqualification
24-DE Jeremy Longo, Jr. — Medically disqualified
25-OL Tanner Strickland, Sr. — left program not playing senior year injury
26-OL Trinton Sturdivant, Sr. — knee injury
27-CB Derek Owens – flunked out bowl game transfer 9/26

scdawg

September 26th, 2011
1:23 pm

Is this the football season we’ve all been looking for all year? Georgia is not even a part of the conversation anymore.

Dawg Tired

September 26th, 2011
1:49 pm

Why do we only get three tries the first time and then get 4 tries the second time coach?

Ron Smith

September 26th, 2011
1:53 pm

Second half was miserable. Play & coach that way against Miss St, Florida,Auburn, GA Tech, Tennessee and lose big time. Dawgs situation looks hopeless. Maybe GA should not be on TV for a while. The big question in the UGA locker room after the game was,”Exactly what does the term blocking mean”? Sad

Gdawg 2407

September 26th, 2011
2:34 pm

I agree with pollyana…..these players need to cut out the jawing on twitter in between Saturday’s…..if I were coach richt that sh#* would have stopped a long time ago…just shut up and win the game on the field…. I think the infamous “blackout” with bama showed our mind games aren’t working

Jim in Augusta

September 27th, 2011
4:42 am

UGA consistently ranks in the top ten nationally in recruiting, yet look at the results. If you get the players, what else can it be? Coaching, duh! Enough said.

PowerDawg

September 27th, 2011
8:41 am

Had to respond.

Please everyone, ignore the ignoramus Pollyanna. He gets his stats from the computer in his mom’s basement and has no personal knowledge of anything college football other than than what he reads.

Malcolm Mitchell buried on the depth chart? He is the starting flanker, you moron. That statement alone proves you don’t know your a$$ from a hole in the ground.

Go back to watching cartoons. SEC football is too complicated for you.

Attention UGA Fans

September 27th, 2011
12:28 pm

UGA Fans – You think you got it bad, try being a University of Memphis fan(football that is). We couldn’t beat Agnes Scott on a rainy day with a 25 pt lead. But hey, basketball is right around the corner and we are loaded. When Calipari left, we just reloaded, preseason ranked #7 with sophmores and freshmen. In football we SUCK, being sucking since the 60’s. In baskeball, we’ll knock your block off. Keep your heads up UGA fans, it will get better. That’s what my doctor Jack Daniels tells me on Saturday…………….LoL

BOBBY

September 27th, 2011
7:40 pm

UGA WON THE GAME AGAINST OLE MISS BUT THEY SHOT THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT IN THE SECOND HALF 3 MISSED FIELD GOALS BY BLAIR WALSH, UGA GOT TO PUT TOUCHDOWNS ON THE BOARD.

Ron Smith

September 28th, 2011
2:07 pm

Field goal after field goal after field goal. Tackle, block, special teams – At UGA? get serious; 3rd & 10 – run the ball; beat a team with a winning record sometimes this season. Season losses: Boise State, South Carolina, Mississippi State, GA Tech, Auburn, Florida, maybe Tennessee, maybe Vandy Sad

Hornet22

October 1st, 2011
9:33 pm

Schultz, Please continue to pick against Clemson!

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