‘Prevent’ defense nearly prevented a win

A few observations and questions from Saturday’s win over South Carolina. …

As tough as Willie Martinez’s mostly zone defense was in the red zone Saturday night, it was pretty hapless between the 20s.

Stephen Garcia attempted 53 passes, completing 31 of them for 313 yards and not only did the Dogs only get to him a couple of times, they hardly exerted any pressure on him at all. And thanks to the cushion our defenders gave the Gamecock receivers, South Carolina was able to engineer one long, clock-eating drive after another, resulting in their time-of-possession advantage being 34:21 to Georgia’s 25:39.

On WNGC’s “Fifth Quarter Show,” A.J. Bryant and Kelin Johnson described how Martinez was constantly making adjustments on the sideline, but it was hard to see any evidence of that on the field. …

Branden Smith still plays at times like a true freshman, as we all saw when he again ran a kickoff out of the end zone that he shouldn’t have and then dropped the ball, one of several instances where Georgia mistakes gave the Gamecocks a short field Saturday. But he’s already a special player, getting time on offense and special teams as well as defense, and he’s going to be one of the stars of this “no star” team. A 61-yard touchdown run stood out on a night of big plays. …

I thought that first quarter, which ran just under an hour, was never going to end. When the Dogs took the field with 4:59 left in the quarter, the offense had only had the ball two plays at that point.

Turnovers played a part in how long Georgia’s defense had to stay on the field, but that soft zone that give up first downs with regularity had something to do with it, too. …

A.J. Green emulated the departed MoMass with the way he was able to shake off that fumble on Georgia’s second play and come back to notch six catches for 86 yards, including a clutch touchdown where he went up high for the ball between two defenders in the back of the end zone and managed to stay in bounds.

He’s a big weapon and it’s easy to understand how Mike Bobo and Joe Cox are tempted to rely on the pass, but Georgia again left tailback Richard Samuel out of the mix for too long in the second half. When the run is working and is called for, it’s not a good idea to switch the call; that resulted in Cox getting blindsided and fumbling, stalling a drive and preventing the Dogs from putting the game away. …

Seemingly it’s either feast or famine with Georgia’s special teams. They blocked a PAT but gave up a safety when a snap sailed over punter Drew Butler’s head and out of the end zone. After Smith’s early fumble, the Dogs did great on kickoff returns, setting a school record with 252 yards. But then they fell asleep on South Carolina’s fake punt and gave up another big kick return. No consistency. …

It was raining yellow flags Saturday night. OK, a couple of them were bogus calls, but some were just a result of careless play. Two offsides on the defensive line? And they’re costly, not just in yards but in the fact that the Dogs extended two of the Gamecocks’ scoring drives in the first half with penalties on third down. Mark Richt needs to put a stop to this now. …

Finally, Blair Walsh showed that he can indeed put the ball in the end zone on kickoffs. When his first kick resulted in a touchback, one of my stadium neighbors cracked, “We must have fired Fabris!” Walsh got another touchback and put another couple of kicks into the end zone. The rest followed Jon Fabris’ preferred directional approach. Walsh seemed to be lobbying his coach after the game when he noted that he’s “always been able to get the ball to the end zone. … I’d like to do it more.”

Georgia fans would like that, too. A lot.

214 comments Add your comment

Mike

September 13th, 2009
10:45 am

We’ll take the win Bill. Something else of note – even when we blitzed and brought pressure, SC picked it up and Garcia saw even more space in the middle of the field. Seemed to me the blitz’ needed to come from the edge and not the middle.

Dr M

September 13th, 2009
10:46 am

In the final analysis, it’s about wins and losses. An SEC East win works for me.

Saint Simons

September 13th, 2009
10:48 am

hahahahahahahahahahahaha long yr for uga!

BuzztheKiller

September 13th, 2009
10:50 am

Good win UGA. Not pretty, but just like Tech’s in Thu, you gutted it out.

Mike

September 13th, 2009
10:50 am

hahahahahahahahahahahaha Tech can’t hold a lead and barely beat a bad Clemson team!

Bryan G.

September 13th, 2009
10:51 am

Why did we insist on playing zone that last drive? That was painful.

Please let BW kick the ball in the end zone.

And Please stop having Samuel disappear for quarters on end.

CHARLOTTE DAWG

September 13th, 2009
10:57 am

Now the offense does pretty well and the defense so, so and special teams a so, so. Can’t figure this team out…or their coaches.

Seriously, Samuel looked to be having a break out game(to my surprise) and then they went to the air. SC went to the air with the underneath patterns b/c they had to and that is all the Georgia Defense was giving them. We could have pounded the ball much more and might not have had the turnovers or time of possession issues. Can’t go away from the run Bobo! It almost cost us the game.

I’m a little disappointed in C. Thomas’s playing but perhaps they are putting him in bad situations. You see, when you put that little guy in, the defense knows he is not in there for pass protection. So the defense just tees off on him and he can’t really get into space. I think he can contribute but it might have to be in other ways.

Which brings me to my next point. Why is Ealey still not ready in terms of understanding our offense and pass protection plays when B. Brown for UT is already a solid back up to Hardesty? Are we seeing bad coaching…..again? Or is it Ealey that just can’t figure it out. Bottom line…we are going to need him and C.King back to mix it up.

I still don’t think CWM is making adjustments. But his troops played good enough to win and really didn’t give up that many points in the second half. It was the offense and special teams that did that.

Something like 23 of SC’s points came from Georgia miscues. No other team does this guys! What is our freaking problem?!

Aside from Cox throwing the pick, he had a decent enough game to lead us to victory and put the ball into his playmaker’s hands which is what he was expected to do.

Still think Grey should play more but Cox showed he is capable of managing the game and made some good throws.

I had a sick feeling before the game that Garcia would come into his own. Why do we always let that happen? It seems like every QB has their “break out” game with us.

Average team with some heart is my analysis at the moment. C- to the coaching staff.

Brian

September 13th, 2009
10:58 am

I’ve been saying this for the past two years, GET RID OF WILLIE MARTINEZ! He’s allowing way to many points to allow or offense to score. Why the hell didn’t he put a spy on Garcia? He’s about to drive me crazy.

DunwoodyDawg

September 13th, 2009
10:58 am

I agree completely. I would be willing to give CWM some latitude if I ever saw him TRY something else. If you’re DE’s can’t get pressure in the first 3 seconds, then play a littled bump & run to give them more time and disrupt routes. If the soft zone keeps getting burned by the same player (in the same spot) over and over…CHANGE SOMETHING! You don’t always have to play total zone or total man coverages…there are combinations. At least play man to man on the tight end that caught 100 balls in the middle of the field. Martinez has been over his head for a long time and he will cost us more games down the line.

By the way, we also had a ton of potential recruits there to see that. Let’s hope the atmosphere impressed them because the coaching surely scared them all to death…on both sides of the ball.

bronco

September 13th, 2009
10:59 am

Let’s kick the ball into the endzone. Play defense like we are in the red zone all the time. And run the ball when we are leading. We have terrible decision makers in the coaching booth. It is really disheartening to think that our coaches will cost us a game. I wonder sometimes about our playcalling and schemes. We are constantly being outcoached. However, we do have some talent.
Let the ends put some pressure on the quarterback. Give Sammuel the ball.

Jake

September 13th, 2009
10:59 am

Take the win you stupid mutts. You should be happy, UGA is going to have a bad year. Be happy while you can.

Mikey

September 13th, 2009
11:00 am

A W is a W as they say…
Game balls to Blair Walsh, Joe Cox and A J Green.
I still say that soft Willie will be CMR’s downfall.

savannahdawg

September 13th, 2009
11:03 am

I will take the win but we have a lot of issues to work on.

BULLIEdawg

September 13th, 2009
11:03 am

last nites games was like the clash of the 2 worst teams in the history of this sport! even the officiating was terrible! Yep it seems obvious that UGA is going to lose to florida and GT again this year!! I wish i didnt have to say that but we effin suck! There is no way why we should let a pitiful team like SC scare us! And Joe cox sucks but i guess thats all we have!

Jeff Houston

September 13th, 2009
11:03 am

Bill, you need to be a football coach. You must have a ton of playing and coaching experience gained while taking breaks from listening to your little Beatles records.

Manhole Stealer

September 13th, 2009
11:07 am

The dogs won, what are you guys going to complain about now. Defense on the field for 90 plays and we made goal line stands twice in 4th quarter. NO TD given up after the 1st quarter. We are good guys, not great but we are good.

Cox looked good except for a couple of plays. Like Stafford, Shockley, Green before him. If they all were good, why do you not think Cox is. He made some big throws, and good reads.

Look at the schedule it doesn’t get any easier, so stay behind the dogs, Dance with the one whom brung you.

GTFANFOEVA

September 13th, 2009
11:08 am

Nice win UGA! I guess a WIN is a WIN!
And the state of Georgia swept the state of south carolina this week!
Now lets see if we can sweep the state of florida!-LMAO
But nice game played

Kevin

September 13th, 2009
11:08 am

SC passed all night on the 7 yard dump pass to the TE. Wouldnt you think UGA would of stopped that. UGA has a lot of work to do on offense and need to find a good runner.

BobDog

September 13th, 2009
11:09 am

I saw #88 for South Carolina in my sleep last night sitting in the zone in the middle on third down conversion one after the other.

Branden Smith and Brandon Boykin are electrifying players. SC finally got smart and quit kicking it to Boykin, but we got good field position as a result.

Georgia played a very sloppy game in which we should have won by three touchdowns.

Dawgs2009

September 13th, 2009
11:11 am

I am glad we won, but I am very concerned about the program. The only thing good that happened last night was that we beat Spurrier. Other than that, I do not understand how Willie Martinez can keep his job. At what point does somebody step up and correct this? It is getting worse each game. This cannot continue!
Who will make a decision on this problem? It will have to come from Damon Evans or President Adams because CMR will not remedy the problem….he may be a large part of the problem himself.

RonDawg

September 13th, 2009
11:11 am

Not enough pressure from the D-line and WAY TOO MANY short yardage passes allowed!! We hadn’t stopped Garcia all night, and I knew that last drive with 4 minutes was going to be the death of the Dawgs. Replay of the last down showed that Garcia threw their game away, trying to force it in the middle when the back out of the backfield would’ve given them a first down, if not a TD. Something’s got to change in our defensive strategy. This game made me a nervous wreck.

Did anyone see SC’s punter?? Did he even make the trip??

Castle Pines Canine

September 13th, 2009
11:13 am

Just remember, we were down, and came back. We were up, and kept the lead. We got a win. You can’t change what happens after the game, you can either win or lose. But good coaches find ways to keep improving. Like I said last week, keep improving, and you can win. The coaches know what they are doing, let’s see how it works out there. Same players that make big good plays usually make big bad plays. The reason, they make big plays.

Let’s see how they do in Hog Town.

Castle Pines Canine

September 13th, 2009
11:17 am

Whine and cry, bend but don’t break. “We have to fix the D” They did not give up a TD after the 1st quarter. Only one of those was a drive! If we can swap field goals for TD’s I’ll take all day long. We will win for sure. Remember, Darth Visor, is still Darth Visor, he hates UGA, we cost him to NC as a player, and he will always want to kick our tail Wake up gang, these dogs can hunt.

Ali Akbar Allah

September 13th, 2009
11:17 am

Long year in store for your Dawgs, first you lose convincingly to a team that got killed by Houston. Then you barely hang on to win against a team that scored 1 TD last week. I can’t wait until Turkey time to stick a fork in the mutts AGAIN.

Maretta

September 13th, 2009
11:20 am

It’s past time for Richt to go. And why did so many people blame Damon Evans for the loss to Oklahoma State. Richt is the one who had done a poor job of preparing and recruiting. And why does Richt have a almost retiree as our quarterback. Why not have someone who we can develop for the future. If we’re going to lose, we may as well lose with someone we can possibly help us in the future.

Preston

September 13th, 2009
11:21 am

The defense is terrible. CWM needs to take a head coaching job at a smaller school so everybody’s happy. He’s a great recruiter but he’s just not getting the performance he should with all this talent. Best of luck down the road coach. Adios!

Really

September 13th, 2009
11:21 am

Saint Simons

September 13th, 2009
10:48 am

hahahahahahahahahahahaha long yr for uga

Not as long as it’s about to get for that hapless team over on North Avenue. Your season of hell begins Thursday night in Miami.

41 38 49 38 45 24 37

September 13th, 2009
11:26 am

This was South Carolina a mediocre football program at best while the blind homers who refuse to believe Okie State was really a joke still dont get it. Willie and Boo Boo are both inept.

old dawg

September 13th, 2009
11:26 am

I have seen this one before. Dawgs have to score more than 40 points a game to have a chance to win. More if they are playing the better teams in the SEC. The defense cannot bring consistant pressure on the QB. They have all day. The “experts” say 8 and 4 this year. After 2 game, I will tell you that 8 and 4 will be a stretch. Will someone please logically explain, how a team that lands recruiting classes in the top 10 every year, can look so inept, inconsistant, and lacking emotion?
I am OK with Cox at QB if he is the best we have. The top coaches in the country put the best on the field regardless of years in the program. If I hear that a player is playing cause he has been in the program for 5 years and has therefore “earned” the right to have the position again I am going to turn in my season tickets and turn on mexican soccer.

JIMMY

September 13th, 2009
11:27 am

DEFENSE = UNDERACHIEVED. IS IT COACHING? UNSURE, BUT I SAW NO ADAPTATION TO SC’S DINK & DUNK PASSING AND QB RUNS. WHY CAN’T WE EVER PUT ANY PRESSURE ON THE QB? PLEASE LEARN TO MIX IT UP AND SHOW SOME CREATIVITY ON DEFENSE. IT IS HARD TO WATCH!!

41 38 49 38 45 24 37

September 13th, 2009
11:28 am

Erk Rusell is rolling in his grave because Sanford Stadium is becoming a bastion for opponents to score style points!

Mitch Cumstein

September 13th, 2009
11:33 am

Big plays and lucky defense saved our butts last night! Bozo and Martinez are fools, or ar ewe the fools for accepting this from them. What remedy do we as fans( cash paying, team supporting coach paying fans) have to correct the situation? No quarter I’m afraid. We’ll wallow in mediocrity as long as Bozo and Martinez are there, and that will be as long as Richt is there unfortunately!

Weak Sisters of the SEC

September 13th, 2009
11:35 am

Wow we were really excited to have our newest member in UGA live up to its billing in last nights Classic game of the Weak. We are also excited for an upcoming divisional game in a few weeks. UGA at Vandy which should be another logo stomping classic!

Big Dawg

September 13th, 2009
11:36 am

Poor Defense. Flags out the wazoo. Sounds alot like last year. It’s gonna take several more losses for CMR to do anything about Martinez, unfortunately. We’re in for a long year.

Joey

September 13th, 2009
11:38 am

Willie M’s defense may give up an AVERAGE of 30 points per game this year. What will it take for Richt to see something is wrong with him?

Terry

September 13th, 2009
11:41 am

For one thing all week long everything I read said SC had one of the best defense, also they said that SC had talent on offense they just needed their QB to play like he was capable, well it looks like he did for a change, and by the way the defense done petty well considering they were on the field all night long, plus the team that won out coached the team that lost the, and the coaching staff has nothing to do with turnovers that’s the players responsibility to hold on to the ball if we can quit turning the ball over I see a very good team in the making. Just my opinion

Chained Dawg

September 13th, 2009
11:42 am

Urban Meyer is really smilling right now because he will really punch Markie boy some more in the mouth big time for that endzone celebration. Meyer wont let UGA forget that ploy and payback is gonna be forever as long Meyer stays at Florida.

Not Disappointed!

September 13th, 2009
11:43 am

You won the game. The pups are a better team today than last week. Good unluck until late November.

Ramblin Wreck

Chained Dawg

September 13th, 2009
11:43 am

Terry……. welcome to the blind homers club!

SOS Dawg

September 13th, 2009
11:46 am

SC s QB played against Willie defense. That is what made Garcia look good blind homies!

FLADAWG

September 13th, 2009
11:47 am

Ugly Win is right, and unless Cox stops telegraphing his passes every win will be ugly. Oh yeah, let’s not forget we need a pass defense!!!

Dawgs2009

September 13th, 2009
11:48 am

Mark Richt is a very weak man. He is soft and it shows on the field. Willie Martinez is the biggest problem for this program and the man in charge will not do anything about it. There were comparisons with last night’s game with games form 1995 and 1991 as far as high scoring affairs. Gentlemen, it seems just like 1995. We are in for some dark days in Georgia football. It makes me sad to think that the problem is so obvious and no one will do anything about it!

GeorgiaGrad2000

September 13th, 2009
11:52 am

Even though South Carolina lost, I still give props to them because of their coaching. They are lucky in that they have a very passionate Steve Spurrier calling the offense and throwing his visor when players mess up or do not give 100%. You MUST love that fire in a coach!!!! On the other hand, us in the Bulldog Nation have good ol’ Mark Richt as our head coach. I am a fan of his faith and ethics, but I’m sorry to say that he lacks the passion for the game that Spurrier has. How many years must we settle for being 2nd best before we finally step up and put a real program together???????? I’m 32 years old now and so God willing… it will hopefully be sometime during my lifetime that we turn this ship around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO DAWGS!

jaxdawg

September 13th, 2009
11:57 am

After getting down 17-7, we went on a 31-7 run…not too bad IMO. I really thought things were looking up for our D after last weeks game against OSU, but I have now come to the realization that we are just mediocre. I always tried to give Willie M the benefit of the doubt, but it is clear as day to me now that he is just terrible! We tried blitzing all night and it never worked. Every time we blitzed, USC’s line would pick it up and Garcia would throw a dump pass to their TE or RB out of the backfield. It was really painful to watch. We’re never going to be serious contenders unless we get a different D coordinator.

BE#3

September 13th, 2009
12:00 pm

The D went 3 quarters yesterday w/out giving up a TD. Ya’ll should all know by now that CWM is going to use that bend but don’t break crap. Take away the TO’s and safety and it’s a blow out. 18 points off turnovers and the safety. Even with that, Georgia finds a way to win. We could whine all day but history shows that when we beat Carolina we’re still playing ball in January.

Castle Pines Canine

September 13th, 2009
12:02 pm

So when Stafford throws a pick six which loses the Tech Game, it’s ok. When Cox does it and still wins, you want his head. We were up by 3 TD’s against Tech when that happened and the whole game turned around. That wasn’t the same result against USC. Give it a rest and get on special teams case. Now there were some good plays by special teams, but some bad ones too! This D held them for 90 plays, and still won. Learn the game guys, and then make sthe same comments.

jaxdawg

September 13th, 2009
12:03 pm

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Jutin Houston will be back next week. He should give us a much needed boost at the DE position!

Dawgs73

September 13th, 2009
12:04 pm

Ok, I think that we all agree that we would much rather have a “W” as opposed to an “L”, but the same theme remains with this coaching staff/team…penalties, turnovers, and NO ADJUSTMENTS ON DEFENSE. I can live with a tough nosed win against a quaility opponent, but I can’t live accept the lack of any improvement on the above mentioned miscues. What is it going to take for this coaching staff to instill the type of discipline this team sorely lacks? How does anyone explain this type of sloppy play in almost EVERY GAME???

Now to the defense…WTH kinda of a performance was that last night? Are we going to buy into “South Carolina is one of the more explosive offenses in the SEC” or are we going to pin this on the responsible party…WILLIE MARTINEZ. There is NO EXCUSE for this passively soft zone defense against a team (USC) that just scored SEVEN points against NC STATE. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I have stated before and I will state it again, WE NEED A CHANGE AT THE DC POSITION. This team has had Top ten recruiting classes for the past 4 to five years, and yet still we have this BOZO as our coordinator.

eprosdawg

September 13th, 2009
12:07 pm

Samuel was about to have a “break out” game? Are you serious? This guy is not a running back. A short yardage back at best. He has no moves, hips are tight and he stops his legs at the point of contact. That could be the reason for his absence. Fire Richt and his staff. We have too many athletes to be this sorry. It’s all about coaching. Hire Spurrier. If he had better athletes, that game wouldn’t have been close. Uga will lose every big game this year. I played at UGA and I left the game last night depressed. We are lousy. We have the worst defense in college football.

MIKE ON LAKE HARTWELL

September 13th, 2009
12:07 pm

the defensive players did a nice job. they gave excellent
effort. the offense will stop putting the D in bad situations
and we will be fine.
I AM PROUD OF MY BULLDOGS!
GO DAWGS!
BEAT ARKANSAS!

Castle Pines Canine

September 13th, 2009
12:08 pm

Maybe you guys would like for us to get Ted Roof to come over, how about Ellis Johsnon, 10 years ago, they wanted Charley Strongs Head at UF. Not now! Monte Kiffin looked great against UCLA didn’t he. How about Muschamp, Mickey Andrews, Last year, the big coach was supposed to be great VPI, well Alabama showed him didn’t they. Let Coach Richt tweek this staff and team. Let the coaches work, they are professionals. We are too, just not as coaches.

AZDawg5

September 13th, 2009
12:09 pm

Simply put, I believe the “win is a win” crowd is a bunch of BS!! That was the luckiest win I can remember in the past 30 years….

The Good – 1 & 8 more than made up for there early mistakes, 2 is a heck of a player and we actually had a kickoff reach the end zone. 22 obviosly read last weeks blogs and had some good second efforts! 35 is a stud!!!

The Bad – Willie Vanille (aka the Fraud) swiss cheese defense was in full force. Not sure if the clown made a single adjustment the entire game. You know we have some serious D talent out there…and I mean serious athletes…I am now 100% convinced they are being coached to be in the wrong position during most game situations…and why the heck do they coach the D backs to let the opposing wide outs fly right by??? Absurd!! Also is there anyway to dial in the slightest of pressure on an opposing QB?? I won’t even comment on Mike BOZO the clowns play calling, not worth the migraine headache…just curious if he knows how to dial in a basic screen pass??? Coaching is borderline pathetic….including CMR

The Ugly – Simply put…Joe Cox….Joe has done one thing very well in his tenure at UGA…wear a ball cap and carry a clip board…it is pretty apparrent that Joe will remain BOZO’s and CMR’s boy for the balance of the season so maybe they could start working on a few “Pop Warner” level fundamentals…First, can someone show him how to grip and release the ball to create a tight spiral? by default it will increase the balls velocity…Wounded birds were flying all over the stadium last night…second, please convince Joe that when you call a play there are second and third options…stop locking in on receivers of choice!! What a bozo comment that he knew Norwood was out there and I could see him but I threw it anyway…are you kidding me…that is not the guy I want leading me into battle!! Also, I would love to know what Ben Jones said when he was lighting Cox up for the muffed third down sna in the gun?? Jones was hot!! Finally, the receivers can only bail Joe out from lobbing balls into double and triple coverage so many times per game…Redshirt Murray and start the rebuilding process….bad choice!!

GT fan ...

September 13th, 2009
12:11 pm

A win is a win is right.
I’m a GT fan, and hate to see the dogs win, but I agree with so many people who are questioning WM. I obviously don’t want him fired, but then again you are UGA, and if you want I guy gone, you’ve got plenty backing to get that done. Hell, it took GT 6 years to figure out Gailey was a joke. I don’t see WM lasting too long at GA, but a guy can hope.

Don’t forget USC’s 2 TDs that were called back b/c of THEIR OWN doing – illegal man down field, and holding – or that is 2 more against WM (and image Garcia’s stat line then)!

A win is a win – take’em any way you can get’em. Especially divisional conf. games! SC is now in big hole if they had any dreams of winning the east. I for one say keep WM, it’s only good sportsmanship that GA pay GT back for the Gailey debacle. But I just don’t see that happening. Great game last night though!

Denver Dog

September 13th, 2009
12:12 pm

Like I said last week “I gave up and so did you” Larry Munson, 1980 after the Lindsay Scott play. There is nothing wrong with you guys analyzing, but you keep running down the coaches and the players (how stupid is that) Let ’s see the team again this week. UGA is a good team, let’s see if coach Richt can make them a great team.

URA Tool

September 13th, 2009
12:15 pm

Why is it that we have an incredible freshmen class with two of the top 5 QBs according to the recruiting gurus and two of the top rated receivers and their butts sit on the freakin bench. Looks like the only coach with any intelligence is the TEs coach who has played his two top recruits and look they freakin contribute. If I’m a top rated guy in HS I don’t go to UGA simply because you don’t get to play. USC, UF, Okla and numerous others get it . If you’re a stud as a freshman we will find you a place to play . I’m sick of watching great athletes come to GA to die …but become great young men.

coach smith

September 13th, 2009
12:15 pm

The lack of football knowledge by sooooooo many posters is SCARY

Anyone calling for RICHT’s head is the absolute LUNATIC FRINGE that gives football fans a bad name (that goes for Saint Simons too b/c I’m sure his stupidity does not reflect all tech fans)

Georgia is consistantly a TOP 10 program with top 5 recruiting classes and is in the mix every year for SEC Championships and National Titles

So many of you (most who live in mommy’s basement) are so obssesed with the NC

well let me tell you…the getting to the NC game is about a lot of LUCK

Look: LSU lost their last game (2 losses overall) and made it because of the rest of the teams that year

meantime in 2002 UGA lost one game by one TD and didn’t make it becasue there were 2 undefeated teams from weaker conferences….the NC game is about LUCK

What is NOT LUCK is being a consistantly ELITE PROGRAM…and thanks to Richt…GEORGIA IS!!!!!!!!!!

PTC DAWG

September 13th, 2009
12:18 pm

21-17, and folks would have been happy. Frankly, I’ll take the 1-0 in the SEC. Beat Ark.

Johnny DangerDawg

September 13th, 2009
12:22 pm

Those directional kickoffs have sometimes resulted in big returns for UGA’s opponents. As long as the straight-back-in-the-endzone thing is working, why not try it every game?

how2fish

September 13th, 2009
12:23 pm

I saw the USC QB running for his life half the game..he had without doubt the best game of his career….I mean my god USC was completely taken out of a running game and Garcia had to scrabble or run to stay alive which he did a very good job at..yes he completed a lot of passes and it seemed like his safety value was open all night but we held them when we had to and WON the game we showed a lot more “fire” than any game I can remember last year…now we tweak roles and personnel and get ready for the Hogs..oh and just where was that “strong” USC defense? We looked real good on offense at times also..hey we are headed into the 3rd week of the season and the Hogs are better than USC..I for one am not afraid we can lose the game..but I don’t see this bunch quitting..and if I’m sure of anything I’m positive that if we were 2-0 and had not allowed a point scored the number of CWM and Joe Cox bashers would be about the same..if you think we will win every game in blow out fashion…I have to ask what you are smoking.. can we play with any team we face this year..I really think so and I say that after last night these Dawgs could have easily just quit..they didn’t and we shouldn’t either.the Bugs will continue to push to get rid of CMR..because after Thursday they know they have no chance of streak of wins while he is at the helm…CPJ looked as lost as last years Easter eggs for 3 quarters..with the foes that they face the next 3-4 weeks..Woe to the Bugs Woe!

Dawgs73

September 13th, 2009
12:26 pm

coach smith –

“well let me tell you…the getting to the NC game is about a lot of LUCK”

Truly great posts…I was wondering where you were born…oh, HOMERSVILLE. On the flip side, LOSERS like you, that’s right, LOSERS like you are the reason CMR takes ZERO heat and is our glorified leader. You are not willing to see the fault within UGA’s program and willing to ACCEPT (which in football or in life) is a LOSER’s mentality. If you are an OBJECTIVE fan, you will root like he!! for your team and not ACCEPT anything but the best. We should all be motivated by one thing, BEING THE BEST…that goes for fans, players, coaches. If you honestly believe the crap your writing then I guess living in “mommy basement” would be ACCEPTABLE by your standards.

fan

September 13th, 2009
12:29 pm

this is for reshad jones saw you play at washington still would like to see you do some thing man make more plays i no rodney cofield and coach hunter showed you how to make plays you got to show up before leave uga do something btw

how2fish

September 13th, 2009
12:35 pm

Dawg73 your a moron how can anyone even a Bug come on this blog and state CMR takes NO HEAT..if your only measure of success is winning a NC EVERY YEAR what planet are you on? Objective ?? You wouldn’t know Objective if it bit you….we and by that I mean the Bulldog nation have the most consistent WINNER in the SEC since he got here…where were you when we went 20 years between SEC titles?? Loser??..look in the mirror and you’ll see one and a Bug too I bet. Was anything Coach Smith stated not true ?? Did not both instances he cited happen just like he stated them? And that makes him and every one else we a shred of sanity Losers..please.

Tim Tebow

September 13th, 2009
12:37 pm

I’m looking forward to seeing that defense on Halloween.

TW

September 13th, 2009
12:38 pm

fan – yeah, but how sad is it that Rashad should have to reach back to high school days for some coaching?

The farther from high school our studs get, the worse they become.

g

September 13th, 2009
12:38 pm

Great win glad to see the dawgs wake up.

1. 15 carries for Samuel??
2. Up ten in the fourth why are you throwing especially when the D has been on the field all game. Run some time off the clock! Then punt who cares.
3. Play some man coverage mix it up. The ole ball #### made Willie look silly as far as I’m concerned. Willie made Garcia look like an all american wich he is not.
4. When we expand the stadium are they looking to make it louder move the fans closer especially on the visitors side. I know it was rocking last night but lets make it the loudest get the echo effect of the swamp?

DamntheButcher

September 13th, 2009
12:40 pm

Same sorry Defense. No pressure on the QB, 1 sack. Give up more than 35 points. FIRE THAT SORRY SOB WILLIE MARTINEZ.

senoiadawgs

September 13th, 2009
12:41 pm

What in the crap are the corners doing throwing their hands up in the receivers face? Turn around and catch the ball or bat it down. It is obvious they are coached to do this as every one of them does it. They look like 5 yr olds trying to get their parents attention.

MiltonDawg

September 13th, 2009
12:44 pm

good read BK. Game was an emotional rollercoaster last night. Turnovers are killing us!! How many is that in the past 2 games? Like 7 or 8? I think the O is headed in the right direction, still to make a lot of adjustments. D needs to get nastier.

Zach

September 13th, 2009
12:49 pm

If anyone needs to fired its Fabris (def. ends and special teams coach). Ya’ll give Willie a break. It is not his fault Green, Cox, and Smith fumbled and gave them a very short feild and on one a 6 points.

DamntheButcher

September 13th, 2009
12:50 pm

I have been saying this multiple times the last 2 weeks. “Coach Smith” is a idiot. Probably the only thing he was ever allowed to do on a football team was suck the juice out of the players jock straps after the game.

DamntheButcher

September 13th, 2009
12:52 pm

Everybody talks about how GA turns the ball over and and gives it to the other teams deep in GE territory. This is true but don’t you think that the defense should be able to stop the other team every once in a while?

Not Welcome Here

September 13th, 2009
12:53 pm

Impressive escape against a team that laid waste a great Encie State bunch. If Garcia did all that against UGA’s great defense, wait until the doggies play Florida.

DirtyDawg

September 13th, 2009
12:53 pm

I suppose our reliance on a ‘loose zone’ – or whatever you call it – that seems to say to defenders ‘don’t move to the ball until after it’s caught and whatever you do don’t try to get close to the receiver until after it’s caught either, is a given. What it says to me is we don’t believe we have good enough ‘cover’ d-backs to get their jobs done so we’ll just have to hope that our ‘red-zone’ stuff will be good enough. It sure does make you come away from a ‘win’ with an empty feeling though, don’t it?

As for Mr. Walsh’s desire to kick-off into the end-zone, after watching him ‘run away’ from the returner on that long KO return in the 3rd quarter, it would appear that he’s afraid that he might have to actually make a tackle, so who can blame him. Maybe that’s what Coach Fabris (sp?) meant when he said that we need to step up to the challenge of actually making plays rather than hoping for a favorable wind.

Calicajack

September 13th, 2009
12:53 pm

Open field tackling was also a big problem. Several times UGA would hit a SC reciever after they had caught the ball and that’s all. We need to start wraping up when we tackle. I love that we hit hard a play physical but we have got to tackle better and wrap up!

hugedawgfan

September 13th, 2009
12:55 pm

first, MAnhole stealer-USC took their own scoring opportunities away-nothing we did at all. Poor decisions on Garcia’s part. And yes, I’m complaining about the D being on the field for 90-95 plays(you see that and it says one of 2 things-that your O is scoring quickly or they are unable to move the ball much and the D stays on the field alot and they can’t stop much of anything.) No goal line stances, Garcia scores at the end if he decides to tuck the rock and run (especially the way we tackle or don’t tackle.) As for Cox, A couple of bad plays on his part (decisions) puts the offense in a bad spot and gives new life to USC. You actually compared Cox to Mr. Green, Mr. Shockley, and Mr. Stafford? Really? Then why didn’t he start ahead of Shockley and Stafford (And don’t say he did. Being redshirted and starting one game against Ole MIss is no answer. He didn’t finish the Miss game, too.) His reads aren’t reads. He looks at his target from snap to release and the D’s take all but one series to recognize this and, well, Norwood pick six or DB bats down ball. So Manhole stealer, look at the comments. It must have been lonely at the game where you were watching because it wasn’t the UGA/USC game I saw on ESPN2. NOw for this Castle Pines or Pinhead or whatever: The coaches know what they are doing? Really, you made this comment, Really? Garcia throws for 313 yds, there are no adjustments made, no pressure on him, DB’s unable to recognize SC’s routes, and the proper schemes or packages are not called to defend him and the receivers all nite. Piss poor coaching. Period. It was STEPHEN GARCIA for cryin’ out loud and it was USC putting 37 on us at home. Once again, Martinez’s ineptitude comes shining through. Don’t even mention special teams coaching ( or lack thereof). I thought word over summer was due to the limited # of injuries this yr that tackling drills were more a part of spring and summer practices. Huh. guess we forgot already. No, I’m not OK with Staff throwing INT’s and especially ones returned for TD’s. But if the D is playing to their potential, this should be the only way an opponent can get into the endzone so it shouldn’t be much of a concern (on a normal team with a normal staff). Once again BooBoo and Martinez along with Jancek and Fabris almost succeeded in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. I whole-heartedly agree with 41 38 49 38 45 24 37 (well put guy)

shards1967

September 13th, 2009
12:55 pm

One reason that UGA is so horrible on defense, especially with pass coverage is that Martinez is one horrible recruiter. The great kids ( B Smith and B Boykin ) that we do get are due to Searels or Garner on certainly Mike Bobo. Mmartinez is a lousy, lousy recruiter and everyone knows this to be part of the problem at UGA. Great D. players basically avoid him.

Why do not get big name linebackers ( thank you for being a gutsy and GREAT COLLEGE player Rennie Curran ) nor 6′1″ true corners or safeties like Sean Jones was. Prince Miller is too small but he too he is a gutsy player, but he is really too small. The entire failed D. scheme of allowing 30+ in all of our last 6 games is simply unacceptable. Mich. State in the Tangerine Bowl did not score 30 but KY did and tech and OSU almost and now a poor SC team. Recall the 08 Auburn game? Lucky we were, just like last night. Lucky, not skilled.

When will it change on D at UGA??? Kirby Smart at Bama wants $$$ to come home to mama. Lets go get him and groom him for the big job.

Frank Lane

September 13th, 2009
12:58 pm

If I were the coach at Georgia, I would do more of what SC did. I would control the ball with runs and short underneath passes which we could complete all night to receivers, each of whom is a break away threat. Then when the defense least expected it, I would go down field with the kind of passes we tend to throw now. The one thing I would add to the offense is misdirection runs, not reverses just slight misdirection dives and cross bucks. We have to get our backs in the open some. As for defense, I would play man to man except when I was blitzing. We have the athletes. Man to man is natural. One has to coach zone, which we just don’t play well.

Alabama Jack

September 13th, 2009
1:00 pm

Hogs put up 591 yards of offense against Missouri State on 9/5 and have been resting ever since. Martinez boys better pack a lunch, and a dinner, and a breakfast, and some snacks…..

Zach

September 13th, 2009
1:01 pm

Take away a pick 6, two fumbles inside the 30, and a botched snap on a punt and there’s 18 points.

Zach

September 13th, 2009
1:01 pm

Take away a pick 6, two fumbles inside the 30, and a botched snap on a punt and there’s 18 points. Give Willie a break.

Big Dawg

September 13th, 2009
1:04 pm

Fellow Dawgs we are not a good team right now, we continue to play undisplined football with way too many penalties. We continue to play players who should be on the bench as once again we got little to no push from our DEs with one particular DE having terrible technique, slow off of the ball and can’t separate himself from the other team’s OL or RBs but yet he is still playing most of the time. Joe Cox stares the receiver down and then wonders why he gets intercepted and/or should have been intercepted a couple of other times. We continue to play these soft zones and can’t seem to make adjustments to what the other team is doing. Then we get to the play calling these guys just can’t seem to help themselves we were pushing South Carolina all over the field running the ball then they start passing on every down thus destroying our rythym and once again keeping the D on the field way too much. These coaches do not seem to have a feel for the game. One thing that has become obvious too me both last week and this week is we have the talent to compete and beat any team we play. The only question will this coaching staff adapt, become better and stop accepting mediocrity from themselves and the players? Only time will tell

Go Dawgs

41 38 49 38 45 24 37

September 13th, 2009
1:05 pm

We should all lighten up on CMR. I think he should give the guys a couple 3 days off before we play Arky. These guys have had a tough spring and fall practice. Take ‘em swimming and bowling CMR the players need more coddling. Give Wille and Boo Boo a raise too.

aladawg

September 13th, 2009
1:10 pm

If we can keep winning until we get the kinks worked out, we’ll be fine. Fans need to keep supporting and quit being so critical. No matter how ugly a win is, it’s still a win. The Dawgs played with a lot of heart last night. I was extremely discouraged at times,and also extremely impressed. Don’t forget Alabama was barely beating a cupcake at halftime and they are supposed to be one of the best teams in the country.

hugedawgfan

September 13th, 2009
1:12 pm

Coach Smith, Stop accepting the mediocrity. yes, 10 wins a season-good. But only good for stats sake or to get CMR in CFB HOF. It has been 29 yrs since NC-when the Hell does lady luck show back up? Oh yes, She’s getting porked by UF, LSU, and any other team not called Georgia. She needs to mapquest Athens and bring her a– back. and speaking of 2002 and the one loss, best way to remedy that is not to lose because when you do lose late in the season like that (I know it was to UF so late Oct or early Nov) you take yourself out of the equation. Face it, LSU got there by a series of events that will never happen again. Saying that, if LSU would have taken care of business and not have some brain farts (face it, Les has them often) those series of events would not have had to happen in order to get there. So some of us do now what we are talking about. Believe me, it was on CMR’s face last night–he now is showing it with smirkes and body language that he is going to have to do something to right the ship and get us on track for a NC.

Mike S

September 13th, 2009
1:15 pm

All I have to say about last night can be said in 4 words:
FIRE WILLIE MARTINEZ NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cuz

September 13th, 2009
1:17 pm

First place in the SEC east. Let’s enjoy it while we can.

big dawg 89

September 13th, 2009
1:21 pm

a win is a win is a win…sure we gave up the short pass all nite, but i thought other than that the D played pretty well considering their O was again starting deep in our territory.. they scored 37..minus 7 for the pick 6,(30) minus 7 for the fumble on our own 8,(23) minus 7 for the fumble at the beginning of the game. that puts it more realistically at 17 or so.. i can deal with that.. i know i know, turnovers are part of the game,,which we obviously need to STILL work on, but we’ll be fine i’m telling ya!!!

DawgGirl32

September 13th, 2009
1:30 pm

The negativity on this blog never seems to end. The positives that I took from this game are:

1. We have some young studs that are going to be great when they develop a little more. Branden Smith is quick as lightning and Orson Charles made some pretty clutch passes. I do still wonder why Marlon Brown and Rontavius Wooten were not used.

2. Minus the interception, Joe Cox I thought looked very poised and made some great throws. I think he showed great improvement from last week. There’s a reason why he’s starting and Gray and Murray aren’t and it has nothing to do with loyalty.

3. Blair Walsh has really impressed me. Those field goals he made were clutch and I’m so glad to see we’re finally kicking it into the endzone. Maybe Fabris isn’t as stubborn as we all thought.

4. Richard Samuel looked great. He’s starting to really look like a runnung back. Arkansas has a pretty suspect defense and I can see him having a breakout game against them. Once King is healthy, I think we’re going to have a pretty scary backfield.

5. Our run defense looks great. I don’t think anybody’s going to run on us this year. Now if we can only get some pass rushers….here’s hoping Justin Houston is what we need in that department.

6. Brandon Boykin is an unbelievable athlete. We are fortunate to have him and he’s only going to get better.

We obviously have a lot to improve on but I can only see us getting better. If we had Florida’s schedule, I could see us easily winning 10 games. Have a great day everyone.

potatodawg

September 13th, 2009
1:47 pm

The good news is we proved we can score putting up 41. Now we need to cut out the costly mistakes.Lets how we make more improvements at Arkansas.

balddawg2

September 13th, 2009
1:49 pm

,Several points here, first of all, Mark Richt is not a weak man. True, he does need to get rid of Willie. The problem as I see it is there is no motivation….Erk Russell was the motivator under Dooley, Van Gorder was a motivator. The Defense has not been the same since Van Gorder Left. We need a motivator on that staff…it does not have to be the head coach by any means. As for the playcalling, I am sick and tired of seeing us run for a first down then throw on first. Samuel needs the ball more and Brandon Smith needs to be in the game more, even as a decoy. Last, for all of you enemies of Joe Cox: Do you remember the mistakes Stafford made his first year??? interceptions, etc; and don’t come back and say it was because Stafford was a freshman. It is about actual playing time and experience, Cox has not had that. Give him a chance.

DR

September 13th, 2009
1:50 pm

The nerds blew a HUGE lead to a crappy Clemson team!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH–long year for the Nerds!! (Good luck to all the big bad ACC teams you have to play…….Tough schedule!)

shane#1

September 13th, 2009
1:53 pm

CWM has actually coached a very good defense the past two weeks, turnovers on offense have resulted in most opposistion points, and even then the Dawg D has forced FGs after several turnovers in the red zone. I see cutting down on turnovers as priority # 1. Cox has to be more aware on some of his passes and MUST learn to throw the ball away,legally. Two ints and two fumbles in two games are not acceptable. Unless Cox cuts down on his turnovers his stats will be the same as the rookie Stafford. Pay attention Joe, you are a five year senior, so act like a five year senior! Priority #2- I understand the concept of the change of pace back, but when Samuel is busting his arse out there, reward him. Keep giving him the freakin’ ball! A break now and then is necessary, but not the whole third quarter. Carlton Thomas is a good reciever and can get yardage in the open field, how about more screen passes for Thomas? Oh, and when you are backed up against your own endzone, why not give the ball to your power runner? Simple things really, but if Cox and Bobo take them to heart UGA can have a very good year.

Chained Dawg

September 13th, 2009
2:01 pm

Looks promising in some areas I admit and glad to get the win but Willie is gonna have to clamp down on the pass defense or we will be a tired defense as the season progresses!

barneyb

September 13th, 2009
2:10 pm

I’ll say it again…..it will be a long season, maybe 8-4 if we are lucky
Mediocre at best, both coaches & players.

Idiot with a Tivo

September 13th, 2009
2:12 pm

David, great analysis but its time we quit trying to be “half glass full” on the Defense. Without the unusual blocked PAT, then SC would have kicked a field goal and we would have been 41-41 going into overtime — against a mediocre to terrible quarterback and offense! We gave up 467 yards to this offense! That is not the way to be a champion. Everyone knows this Defensive scheme won’t win championships, and just because those weaknesses didn’t cause us a loss this game (school record return and return yards) doesn’t mean more “Ls” aren’t on the way. This defensive scheme is terrible and is going to get ripped apart by better offenses….any idiot with a TIVO can see how bad and predictable these D schemes are…

41 38 49 38 45 24 37

September 13th, 2009
2:19 pm

You Blind Homers ……. this was South Carolina for Christ sakes! If we were playing LSU,Alabama Tenn. or Florida it would have been very disastrous. We were very lucky to say the least. South Carolina beat themselves as they usually do. They have a history of that and if you dont believe it google it they are 1 game under .500 all time.

41 38 49 38 45 24 37

September 13th, 2009
2:25 pm

We had four teams hat made the Dawgs look pathetic yesterday – Okie State, SC, Houston and the DAWGS!

Cuz

September 13th, 2009
2:46 pm

I’m confused. Did we win yesterday? I swear after reading some of these comments that we lost.

What year did we have it so easy that we never sweated any games. It is not in my memory banks and I am a man, I’m fifty.

BlewsDawg

September 13th, 2009
2:50 pm

Here is the Richt reality. He is the best we’re going to get. As much as we don’t believe it – UGA is NOT considered and elite program around the country. We are highly respected, but we are not considered in the same ranks as USC, TExas, Oklahoma, Mich, Oh St, etc. Yes we have the talent to win every year and threaten the whole ball of wax periodically; but we are not on anyone’s list of dream coaching jobs other than Richt and Bobo. Richt has done a great job in recruiting and has not lost many games by his coaching. Do we need some coordinator changes? Probably. Bobo does abandon the run at the wrong times and kills momentum. Martinez doesn’t make near the quality adjustments that Van Gorder did. But run Richt off and we are a lot more likely to end up with a Donnan, Goff, or even Dooley (record not near what Richt’s is especially in the non-Herchel years) than we are to land Saben, Meyer, or Carroll. I mean come on, the guy has awesome statistics IN THE SEC. Let’s keep the dialogue flowing, but get off the guy’s back before we are looking at Dennis Franchione in Red and Black and seeing UGA go the way of Texas A&M or Nebraska.

Dawgfish

September 13th, 2009
2:58 pm

I hate to complain after a win. All our guys played great, defense include. However, bottom line is, our offfense had to win the game once again. Willie M’s zone defense would have lost the game for us if we hadn’t scored 41 points. this offense won’t be able to keep up that pace all year. you simply cannot blame the players for this. they are doing exactly what they are told to do. Willie has to stop other teams from putting up 30+ points if we want to win.

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