Dogs running out of time
Richard Samuel remains the starter despite a lack of production. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
It’s football coaches’ job to think and talk positive, so the official line from UGA this week has been that if the Dogs win out, they’ll take the SEC East, and they’re the only team besides Florida that can still say that.
Right. And if I win the lottery …
But as the Dogs and Vols meet in Knoxville Saturday with neither team ranked in the polls for the first time since 1937, the other side of that coin is that Georgia needs a win to avoid slipping down into Peach-fil-A or Music City Bowl contention.
The Georgia defense has stepped it up the past couple of weeks, but the offense has faltered. And with the Dogs’ running game ranking last in the SEC, gaining an average of only 98.8 yards per game (the only team averaging below 100 yards), the pressure on Joe Cox and A.J. Green to provide whatever point production Georgia has is growing.
Especially since an uncalled illegal hit by LSU’s Rahim Alem broke Caleb King’s jaw and gave him a concussion, making him unlikely to play this week against Tennesee.
That means the spectacularly unproductive Richard Samuel, who didn’t even play in the second half last week, probably will start again since the Georgia coaches don’t think true freshman Washaun Ealey is quite ready for prime time.
Ealey will play more, however, they say. Considering the spark he provided the offense when he came in midway through the third quarter against LSU and the ferocity with which he hit what holes the offensive line gave him, that’s one of the surest bets around.
The only question is whether Ealey is ready to shoulder the full load. Last week, he was taken out of the game on passing downs because of lingering questions about whether he knows his blocking assignments well enough.
I sense a bit of finger-crossing on Cox’s part when he talked about Ealey at Tuesday’s media briefing. “The best thing about him is he is hungry,” Cox said. “He’s wanted to play and finally got his chance. You could tell he was running really hard and that he was just excited to be in the game. A lot of times that is the type of spark you need is having somebody that just really just wants the ball in his hands. Hopefully, he can be that player all the time because I’m sure he’s going to be getting a lot more carries as the season goes on.”
Unfortunately, there’s more to the equation than just finding the right tailback. As the Athens Banner-Herald’s David Ching points out, Georgia’s offensive line, highly touted in the preseason with Phil Steele rating them the third best in the nation and Lindy’s ranking them No. 2, largely has been a bust.
Oh, they’ve done alright at protecting Cox, but their run-blocking has been pitiful, resulting in the 105th ranked rushing offense in the nation. And with teams increasingly crowding the box to shut down the Dogs’ anemic running game and daring Cox to beat them with the pass, that’s making it tough for Mike Bobo to keep the offense balanced and defenses wondering.
Mark Richt blames the loss of Trinton Sturdivant and Tanner Strickland and the residual effect of last season’s injuries but admits improvement is needed, though he points the finger at the tight ends and fullbacks as well as the offensive line. “There are times that the offensive line does it and the tight ends get tossed around. Every once in a while we’ll have everything blocked to the T, then the fullback takes an edge off a linebacker and doesn’t go right down the heart of a guy. Our run blocking needs to improve, and as I study our runners, we need to continue to mature and see these blocking schemes and understand them better and hit it where it needs to be hit. When they get in situations where it’s just one guy, we need yards after contact. So it’s a little bit of everything right now in the running game.”
In Knoxville, Cox says, the Dogs will face a team that aims to “stop the run first. They like bringing down safeties into the box and being able to have that extra run support. A lot of times you can tell they are just lining up saying ‘you are not going to run the ball’ or ‘we’re going to make you beat us throwing the ball,’ so that will be tough because you want to have a balanced game plan. We’re just going to have to find ways to open up holes for fun game against all their looks and still be able to be effective on the ground.”
We’re nearly at the midway point of the season and the Dogs haven’t yet found a way to do that. It had better happen soon.
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133 comments Add your comment
NC Dawg
October 7th, 2009
10:39 am
First?
Saint Simons
October 7th, 2009
10:41 am
20 – 13 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahaha
The glass is half full
October 7th, 2009
10:43 am
LSU beats UF
UGA beats UF (UGA has bye week)
UGA loses to Auburn
DAWGS WIN EAST…! Just a thought.
Paul H
October 7th, 2009
10:45 am
It would be good to see Ealey get a lot more carries. We have nothing to lose. UT’s run defense is stifling but we can beat them in the air. UT’s offense can’t hang for 4 quarters. They will be mildly productive and come up short against UGA just like they have against everyone else this year.
Al Beeski
October 7th, 2009
10:46 am
No way around it, I’m a fan, but also a realist, this team just has too many holes NOT to be Music City bound. I almost want us to lose if CMR will go ahead and play the youngsters and say screw the season & let Ealey, Wooten, Marlon Brown, & whoever (Gray, Murray, Mettenberger) play out the year, because this is NOT an elite team in the SEC, more or less the nation.
SaintSimonsLover
October 7th, 2009
10:46 am
It will not happen with the current staff. Maybe if Richt would look in the mirror and blame himself and his staff instead of throwing the players under the bus the situation would improve. Richt is standing on dangerous ground. The more and more we look like FSU the farther we get from contending. You now have 4 programs in the SEC that are better than us. UF, Bama, LSU and Auburn. You might even put Carolina and Ole Miss right there with us. We are a middle of the road SEC team and if one more dumba$$ says that is because of injuries or lack of talent then you need your head checked you Disney Dawg Homer! We haven’t had a recruiting class ranking out of the Top 10 in years. Every other team in the Top 10 wins many more big games than we do. Gee, I wonder why?
L- Dawg
October 7th, 2009
10:46 am
GLORY GLORY TO OLE’ GEORGIA!!!!
SO MUCH FUN CHEERING FOR MY TEAM AS OPPOSED TO BOOING/ENVYING/STALKING ANOTHER!!!
GO DAWGS!!!!
3 SHORT DAYS TIL WE REBOUND IN KNOXVILLE!!!!
Paul H
October 7th, 2009
10:47 am
I wish UGA scheduled games against Duke the way Tech does against Miss State and then tries to claim the ACC is for “real!”
Lets be honest
October 7th, 2009
10:49 am
Saint Simons – 33-17!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!
1 win in 8 years!!!!!! BWHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!! Glad those 7 CONSECUTIVE years still hurt!! HAHHAHAHAH!!
NC Dawg
October 7th, 2009
10:51 am
The glass is half full – don’t overlook Kentucky.
Joey
October 7th, 2009
10:54 am
Gosh, Bill, great (or feeble) minds do think alike. I just made the same statement about Dogs winning out and the lottery on Barnhart’s blog. As I wrote there, I can’t see them beating UT, UF, AU, or Tech. And we barely beat UK and Vandy last year with 3 NFL starters on offense. Speaking of which a bunch of former Dawgs had great games Sunday: Stafford, Knowshon, Mo Mass, Champ Bailey, and Ben Watson.
DBalcer
October 7th, 2009
10:55 am
I am glad the team doesn’t feel like you do because if they did why show up to play. I believe they will go into Tennessee and play with heart and win big. I hope Caleb King heals quickly. It seems the referee crew missed another big call.
RAMBLE ON!!!
October 7th, 2009
10:57 am
Capt. Kangaroo is still alive and come out of his crying, er I mean protest over a meaningless call.
“uncalled illeagal hit”….I’d say cry me a river, but yall already have.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_F0PFKd_Xo&feature=related
Dale
October 7th, 2009
11:02 am
Get the freshmen in the game. If we’re going 7-5 do it with underclassmen.
Cuz
October 7th, 2009
11:03 am
Yeah Ramble, I am getting tired of the whine and cheese crowd.
Actually should be a good game to watch this weekend. I heard the Goodyear blimp was going to be replaced by the ReMax Realty balloon.
SaintSimonsLover
October 7th, 2009
11:04 am
Saint Simons,
Please do us all a favor and go to another bath house. I here all of your queer lovers are waiting for you in the Midtown gay bars! Go get the Bird Aids while you are at it!
JB
October 7th, 2009
11:06 am
You go after a job, you present your Resume. Vegas, to establish a line, looks at current status of team..i.e., their resume thus far…………………………………………………………..
We are last in Rushing in the SEC, 105th in div1…………….close to last in most defensive stats………
Return yards and special teams play near or at bottom of SEC. Can’t stop an average QB from lighting us up…..out of the top 25, so nobody who knows football thinks much of us…………We can rah rah all we want to, and we all love our team, but it is what it is………..We will be better…..
things don’t stay good or bad forever. But, In Athens , Ga…..today…….this team and staff have issues…………I wouldn’t begin to think I know…………We struggle to beat lesser talented teams. I’,m at a loss for more words………….
Black eye Dawg
October 7th, 2009
11:08 am
Mark Richt blaming this, blaming that?!?!?!?!?!
He has no one to blame but himself. Urban Meyers always say, “BEST MAN” gets on the field. Don’t matter how old they are. The rest, WATCH AND LEARN.
Richt, “WATCH AND LEARN”. Meyers has 2 NC’s. Richt has “NONE”. Go back to Ol’ Bobby will ya????
McDawg
October 7th, 2009
11:09 am
stop running toss sweeps w/ Samuel
L- Dawg
October 7th, 2009
11:12 am
Bill King…..
Please have your I.T. support set up your blog to where your links you provide are opened up in a new window.
This will help tremendously.
Ramble…. please stop stalking and envying our program. We are not sorry that we have dominated you for over half a Century, if not longer. Good luck to you in the ACC… now go over to your blog and support your team. You sure do spend a lot of time reading about our Program to hate us so bad. I bet you secretly have a Big Red G pillow. Thanks!
JB
October 7th, 2009
11:13 am
not a loss for words now………………………………………………………….This team and program needs some new “creativity”. We are pretty dull and predictable……………EVERY WEEK………
Joey
October 7th, 2009
11:15 am
Hey Glass, I think the glass is half empty – of Jack Daniels! I still have hope when I’m drinking with Jack too! When sober, though, it’s depressing.
FLA DAWG
October 7th, 2009
11:18 am
The first time in my adult life I cannot pick a winner in the GA / UT Game. The Dawgs either forget to bring their Defense or forget to bring their Offense or forget their Special Teams or more than one of the aforementioned.
UT plays with alot of guts and despite their losses they are an improving team. The Dawgs could beat them if they play ball but who knows?
And frankly I don’t give a damn.
jack bull
October 7th, 2009
11:19 am
still say samuel is on the wrong side of the ball…would love to see him at safety myself.. the king injury will have an effect.. he was coming into his own, and i have been impressed with his pass blocking… but ealey should get a very heavy load,,heck,at this point, i also say play one of the young guys at qb a lot more.. they really need to be getting some experience.. still haven’t been really impressed by cox, to this point.. i thought he was supposed to be accurate?
and i’m really scared this week, who do you favor,,,,Bobo or Monte Kiffin?? i’m thinking we may get 4 qtrs of what we saw in the first half last week…3 and outs…
GO DAWGS…
senoiadawgs
October 7th, 2009
11:20 am
Play the best players… How terrible of a notion. Mark Richt’s thoughts:
Do you dumb fans have any brains, the older guys are the best players we have. All we have to know is how old they are and if there is a SR. or Jr. beside their name. That is who plays at UGA. Nobody else is smart enough to learn the plays because it takes us 1 to 2 and sometimes 3 years to coach them up. Why do you think we can’t put Gray in the game? The only plays he has been able to learn is a fair catch and QB run option from the gun. Murray my goodness a freshman, he can barely throw the ball over the line scrimmage and has just learned how to take a snap from under center. Ealey, all he knows how to do it to take the ball from the QB and run right or left. Why in the world would I put these young guys in? Brian Evans and Reshad Jones clearly know how to play in space with nobody else around. And please stop talking about my assistants, I say it every week the players are just not doing what they are coached to do. Even though they do the same things over and over it is not what we are coaching. Don’t you know the kickoff out of bounds works great. My goodness don’t you know that on 3rd and 6 you run fly patterns to fool the other team. Willie’s Zone is beautiful we have to give the other team wide open receivers so they get a chance to celebrate some too. I have the most brilliant assistants in the world in Fabris, Martinez and Bobo. Urban, Stoops, Johnson, Carrol, Saban, Miles and Kiffin call so much wanting to hire them I can’t go to church on Sunday’s after they watch us play on Sat. from my phone ringing. It’s our players stupid, they suck and I tell you all that every week.
Pago Flyer
October 7th, 2009
11:21 am
We’re scared to death of the VOLS..
nemov
October 7th, 2009
11:22 am
The offensive line’s problems are a combination of issues. A shaky QB, the loss of Knowshon, an injury, and the lack of a good RB. Knowshon made our line look a lot better than it was and our poor stable of backs is making it look worse.
adsgasdgads
October 7th, 2009
11:22 am
I hope we have to same refs, they were so awesome against LSU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gdawginkalamazoo
October 7th, 2009
11:22 am
Oh please stop bashing the program. Really, that is getting so old. Richt knows how to win football. He knows how to evaluate talent. He knows how to lead people. So we are having a bad start to the season. So what if we go 7-5 this year and end up in the Music City Bowl. Richt can have a down year. He will look everything over at the end of the year and proceed to make corrections. A hugh step was taken in that LSU game. We found out that our defense can play and keep us in a ball game when it matters. We got to see a new #24 who might have that same spark as old #24. Maybe we Gray out there some more. Richt will get moving in the right direction. Leave him alone.
senoiadawgs
October 7th, 2009
11:23 am
jack bull… do you realize you just posted that you are impressed with RB’s blocking??? now we are really reaching… I remember a coach telling us Knowshown couldn’t play because he couldn’t block. Remember that’s why Brown played so much. Knowshown was one of the best blocking RB’s I have seen at UGA. I believe nothing these guys are saying.
SOUTH GA DAWG FAN
October 7th, 2009
11:23 am
I agree about the play being very predictable every week no matter who we are playing you know its going to be a close enough game that we can lose . Why do we play close with good and bad teams whats the answer ?
Time has run out this year PLEASE PLAY THE YOUNG GUYS AND GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!
jack bull
October 7th, 2009
11:23 am
oh yeah, did anyone see Lane Kiffins press conference yesterday? kinda thought he took a little shot at Mark Richt myself.. he made a comment about stopping our offense,,he said” they’ve been doing the same thing for 15 years under Richt, going back to when he was at FSU. It’s not like we don’t know where their guys are going to be, they do the same thing year after year….” don’t sound so bad in writing, but he did have a tone in his voice…
George G.
October 7th, 2009
11:25 am
“Slip to Peach-Fil-A Bowl contention”
- Memo to UGA fans…you’re already there.
jack bull
October 7th, 2009
11:26 am
yes, i know, that was a stretch, huh? man, wish i had a mulligan on that one…
senoiadawgs
October 7th, 2009
11:26 am
Yep are defense played well… 360+ yards to the number 105 offense in the country who had played nobody prior to UGA. Yep Defense played real well. Oh yeh there is also that thing of letting LSU drive 88 yards for the first go ahead in the 4th Quarter and we all know what happened on the last drive.
Defense played real well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joey
October 7th, 2009
11:27 am
Just don’t see why you don’t throw Aaron Murray in there. He was the best player in the spring game. He out-classed the others in the Elite Eleven event last year, and one of those guys started for USC in their opener. Hell, surely he knows the playbook (what, 10 plays?) by now. Richt is doing the same thing he did with Joe T / Stafford, letting his feelings for Joe (T) Cox override his football knowledge. Just give Murray the damn ball – we’ll be better off for it the next few years.
Will
October 7th, 2009
11:27 am
None of this matters because we still have Coach Fabris coaching special teams. My friends we have the worst kick off team and punt return teams in the county. Bar none. Case and point, after AJ scores the winning touchdown Coach Fabris decides to huddle bunch the kick off team then after poor tackling we get a 5 yard penalty to put LSU into field goal range. Coach Fabris sux! I am sick of the fair catch crap. Why didn’t we have a return on when we had LSU pinned back on the 1 yard line on the first possession of the second half? Why didn’t we rush the punt?
And why did CMR use the excuse of wind being are problem on special teams after all of this. I am sick of it. I don’t mind getting beat by better teams but our clipboards are sucking big time and are killing us. Coach Fabris must be fired immediately.
pup
October 7th, 2009
11:27 am
WE HAVE NO COACHING!!! What would SOS do with our players? Hell we can hardly beat him at SC. Our Athletic Director said we needed to raise the bar because of FL . WELL HELL someboby GATA!!!!!
senoiadawgs
October 7th, 2009
11:28 am
I watched the press conference yesterday from Kiffin and posted the same thing. He was certainly throwing a shot across the bow. Personally I think what Kiffin is doing is great. He is opening up some eyes and even though his team is losing he is keeping them in the media. Very smart man.
senoiadawgs
October 7th, 2009
11:30 am
Will, yep that punt when LSU punted from the one and Miller fair caught it. He had a huge wide open lane right up the middle of the field. Remember the players are not doing what they are coached, even though they fair caught nearly every punt in the game and we rushed the punter zero times
RAMBLE ON!!!
October 7th, 2009
11:36 am
Cuz, your Whine and Cheese crowd, headed by Billy King, is going to run the best head coach yall have ever had, out of town.
Okefenokee Dawg
October 7th, 2009
11:36 am
I just got hit on the head with a piece of falling sky.
Joey
October 7th, 2009
11:37 am
Right, Will, either have a punt rush or a return. We have neither….
SSI gator
October 7th, 2009
11:37 am
gdawginkalamazoo
“Oh please stop bashing the program. Really, that is getting so old. Richt knows how to win football. He knows how to evaluate talent. He knows how to lead people. So we are having a bad start to the season. So what if we go 7-5 this year and end up in the Music City Bowl. Richt can have a down year. He will look everything over at the end of the year and proceed to make corrections.”
Isn’t that what he promised last year? And the year before that and before that and . . .
Some things never change – UGA do less with more.
Joey
October 7th, 2009
11:38 am
No Oke Dawg, just sand from that hole you’ve got your head in.
TallyDawg
October 7th, 2009
11:45 am
Bottom line folks: CMR and his coaches are pretty good recruiters who depend on the talent they bring in to overcome their glaring inadequacies in coaching and game planning. Players love the “no consequences” coddling attitute that CMR and Co. have toward off and on field mistakes. And their Momma’s and Grandmomma’s love the Holy Rollin’, Jesus lovin’ BS that CMR and his disciples spout. As long as these preachers posing as coaches keep getting the talent to walk down the asile every winter, they’ll continue to scrape the Bulldog Nation’s offering plates clean year after year and point toward a promise land that is forever out of reach.
senoiadawgs
October 7th, 2009
11:48 am
Another note about gdawginkalamazoo’s post.
I would be fine with a 7-5 season at least if we are preparing for next year. Instead we have to let Cox take every snap, we have to commit 7+ penalties per game, we have to continue to get no pressure unless it’s from our front 4 or a late blitzing corner, we have to continue to watch our D get crushed, we have to watch our special teams look like 7-8 year old pop warner team and have playmakers littering the field on offense with no imagination as to how to get them the ball.
Now somewhere I have heard of these same things happening before and like others say we have heard they will get corrected before. What makes you think they will after this season? What makes you think the best players are our starting team?
Dave Schools
October 7th, 2009
11:49 am
“Georgia’s offensive line, highly touted in the preseason with Phil Steele rating them the third best in the nation”
I thought Phil Steele knew it all. That’s all I heard back when the preseason rankings came out and he had the Jackets unranked and UGA at 13.
HA!
UT96
October 7th, 2009
11:50 am
Dawgs, score 10 points and you’ll win the game. We have no QB, nada and some of the sorriest receivers I have ever seen on the hill. Our defense keeps us in the game but unless we gain 400 yards on the ground, we won’t win this one. Thanks Fulmer for running our program in the ground.
Hungry Dawg
October 7th, 2009
11:51 am
LSU loses to UF
UGA beats UF (UGA has bye week)
UGA beats Auburn
DAWGS WIN EAST…! Just another thought.
All this gripping and moaning reminds me of 2007 when we lost to South Carolina in a close one and then got taken to the woodshed by UT. It was the end of the world and the Dawg’s were going to have a losing season. What happened though was the Dawg’s showed no quit, got fired up and won 7 straight games and beat a favored UF team in Jacksonville (after a bye week). That year UT won the SEC East due to UGA having 2 SEC East losses one of which was to UT who won the tie breaker with UGA. If UGA runs the table from this point forward like 2007 then we only have one loss in the SEC to a Western Div. team and win all tie breakers in the East. Yes I know that this scenario is far fetched, but so was our run in 2007. Just like in 2007 our defense the first 5 games looked iffy, but exploded the last 7 games which our defense is showing signs of doing again. Our offense in 2007 ran hot and cold all season, but came through the last 7 games. Yes I know we had Moreno and Brown in 2007 to stiffen our running game, but Ealy just might be the spark to get our running game back on track. To listen to many of the fans on this blog you would think that the team is totally inept when in reality the team is really close to playing lights out on both sides of the ball.
Go Dawg’s Sic em, Woof Woof Woof!!!