Dogs lost this one in the trenches
Tavares King scores, but it was too little, too late. (Associated Press)
There’s no point in dancing around it. Georgia just doesn’t have a very good football team this year.
I know, some will point to the first half, when UGA moved the ball pretty well between the 20-yard lines and had 100 yards more of offense than Mississippi State and will say Mark Richt’s Dogs beat themselves. And for that half, that’s true. Had Washaun Ealey not committed yet another goal line fumble in his bid to be the Jasper Sanks of this era, and had a terrific catch and run by Kris Durham for a touchdown not been negated by a holding call on Marlon Brown, Georgia would have led 14-7.
But those mistakes were made. And many more, as the game went on.
However, in the second half, it wasn’t a case of Georgia beating itself. It was, unfortunately, the maroon Bulldogs delivering the beating to both of Georgia’s lines.
The UGA defense couldn’t seem to get off the field in that interminable scoreless third quarter, as MSU continually ran it up the gut. As Fox Sports South analyst Tim Couch said, Georgia knew what MSU was going to do, they just couldn’t stop it.
And on offense, playcaller Mike Bobo went strangely conservative in the second half, trying in vain to establish a running game behind our misfiring, criminally underachieving offensive line while eschewing the shots downfield that offered Georgia’s only real hope until the game was out of reach. And all this amid a shower of penalty flags that unfortunately were deserved. (Can’t blame this one on the Dogs’ old nemesis Penn Wagers.)
The head coach, who noted after the game this “is new territory for me,” pretty much summed it up when he said Georgia has failed across the board as a team and “until we get it all together, we’re not gonna win.”
September isn’t even over and the Dogs already are not only irrelevant in the SEC East, they’re the worst team in the conference. Even Vandy has a conference win. At this point, it’s beginning to look like Georgia’s streak of 13 consecutive seasons going to a bowl game might even be in jeopardy unless Richt and company are able to turn things around.
Yes, A.J. Green will be back next week. But with the Richt era Dogs having sunk to new Goff-ian depths, I’m not sure that will be enough.
I’ll be back Sunday afternoon with more thoughts about what went wrong, and where the Dogs go from here.
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318 comments Add your comment
Just get Stupid Drunk
September 26th, 2010
4:08 pm
Dawg fans should follow the lead of their players and just get drunk…stay drunk,..never lose an opportunity to chase sobriety from the front lawn.
SteveW
September 26th, 2010
4:17 pm
Fumble at the 1 – TD called back with penalty – and then the real killer (I thought we were in control of the game until this) – 24 yard line of MSU – then we get a 15 yard penalty – takes us out of FG range – punt to the 7 and MSU drives 93 yards to break our backs. If we don’t get the penalty there – we at least kick a FG (Blair Walsh is one of the few good things on this team) and make it 10-9 with some momentum.
Sound like Richt is unhappy with Bobo also – comments about calling running plays blindly. I think this is Bobo’s last week. I think Richt is loyal enough to say see what you can do with AJ back. If still bad, I think he’s gone. Last year at SC and Ark. Bobo won it for us. Now he’s terrible for the most part.
The defense will be fine. We’re learning the 3-4 a whole lot quicker than the geniuses at Tech!
Fire Bobo and maybe Searles, and in ‘012 we’re in the National Championship hunt.
SEC1
September 26th, 2010
4:20 pm
Soft, lethargic, uninspired, passive, tentative. Any others?
Richt’s team approach for the football season is like that of a couple’s retreat – let’s meditate, hold hands, go swimming, and get to know each other a little better. We will runs some plays later.
Saban/Meyer appear to be all business, all football, and focused on winning.
I get the impression that a player called in to Richt’s office might say something akin to, “hey Mark, thanks for the hug, I’ll try to do better next time”.
On the other hand, Saban’s player has a bowel movement in his under armour’s before entering the doorway.
Sometimes fear is a good thing.
still a dawg fan
September 26th, 2010
4:27 pm
Hey SEC1—your 1st line describes this team perfect–GOOD CALL
Basic, so basic in the SEC is ........ line play
September 26th, 2010
4:31 pm
High recruiting rankings may not necessarily mean that we signed high quality linemen. Understand?
UGA could get fabulous rankings and does for signing QBs, tight ends, or FG kickers like Walsh and flankers and corners like B Smith who add nothing to the mix or that Carlton Thomas who NEVER should have been recruited by UGA …… ever.
Where oh where is the BEEF?? Yes, we get one or two fairly decent kids like a Ben Jones but we do not sign them in high numbers and then, we do not develop them. Here is THE PROBLEM and we saw it last night.
Both lines of scimmage for UGA are sub standard and have been for awhile. Secondly, we have let the good state of Georgia backs get gone. We have no running backs worth spit beyond the two fullbacks and maybe, maye that Boo Malcolm kid.
A new coach will need 3 or 4 years to right this ship and it will not be a quick fix. Look for UGA to be back maybe in 2012 or 2013. Sorry.
Go Dogs.
UGA class of 71 & 73
buzz
September 26th, 2010
4:47 pm
10! BAAAAAAA UGA has turned into a feeder program for the Mean Machine at Wrightsville …….!
I fumble this state
September 26th, 2010
4:49 pm
even our opponents don’t fear sanford and son stadium
VahiDawg
September 26th, 2010
4:56 pm
Muschamp
Smart
Chris Petersen
Dan Mullen
better have their phone’s handy
Forget the MSU game look back @ Arkansas
September 26th, 2010
5:06 pm
Folks, this season was best accentuated by the poor UGA coverage of an Arkansas punt that was initially bobbled after rolling to the punter and then, after he quit laughing at UGA’s NO RUSH, he ran 16 yds for the first down. They scored later on that drive.
This play best captures what this year has been and will be like. UGA is an incomplete football team and anyone beyond a non football fan knows it by simply viewing them for awhile.
UGA defeated an outmanned Arkansas team in the Dome for CMR’s first SEC title by RUSHING AND BLCOKING A PUNT IN THE SAME SPOT. In that game UGA scored and Arkansas never recovered.
Different D coverage got us beat. That my friends is a lack of coaching.
Change will be coming in mid season for a couple of coaches.
Go Dogs.
just saying
September 26th, 2010
5:07 pm
“Just get Stupid Drunk
September 26th, 2010
4:08 pm
Dawg fans should follow the lead of their players and just get drunk…stay drunk,..never lose an opportunity to chase sobriety from the front lawn” NOW THAT IS FUNNY I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA
Old Dawg Fan
September 26th, 2010
5:26 pm
The real problem is this “season” has been coming for a few years. Poor coaching, discipline will ‘rear it’s ugly head” and it has in Georgia. Richt says it is time to look “inward”! “WOW” HOW PROFOUND CMR”. How about “I have embarassed Ga. Football, I have embarassed the fans” but “NO” we don’t hear that from CMR. The “only way” Richt should keep his job is if he “fires” his entire staff” and starts over-which he won’t do. Adams has to step in. McGarrity is too new to take this type of “bold step to fire CMR” but Adams can do it and he just might if the “arrest” continue with the “football players”.
Mobile Dawg
September 26th, 2010
5:34 pm
Two scenarios:
Mark Richt does some soul searching, decides to do what’s necessary to build a winning program, i.e. change his coaching style. We’re looking at a two to three year “process” to rebuild the foundation and restock the shelves. That said, how hard is it for someone to change their personality traits. If you don’t have nerve, backbone, guts, do you just mature and grow them? They are intangible traits and I believe you either have them or you don’t.
McGarity believes the latter, fires CMR at the end of the year, or worse yet, gives him another year, then fires him. The new coach will then need two to three years to rebuild.
These are trying times to be a Georgia Bulldawg. Things could always be worse, so be thankful for all that you have.
wildbill
September 26th, 2010
6:23 pm
Seeing CMR slam his playbook to the turf last nite was the highlight of the game. I’m glad he is feeling frustration too, just like the fans. One big dif, he is making 2 million samoleons!!! Maybe after a nite or two of sleeping on it, he will go to work with some spit and vinegar and call out his so-called coaches. He should use more than darn and heck in the process. Then, he should call out his under performing players and have a MR. T lookalike bodyslam a few of them to make his point. That is, SORRINESS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!!!!! Then MR. T should bodyslam CMR to bring the point home.
Jimmy
September 26th, 2010
9:15 pm
If Richt turns this around this year…it will rank as one of the all time great comebacks. It won’t happen. Wish it would…
Jimmy
September 26th, 2010
9:17 pm
On the penalties:
It doesn’t matter if the penalties were deserved.
Penn Wagers has a grudge against UGA.
Miss. State committed a ton of penalties that weren’t called by that crew.
Texas Dawg
September 26th, 2010
9:53 pm
Mike Leach as OC would be very interesting in the SEC.
droopydawg
September 27th, 2010
10:17 am
This should say that we lost “these three” in the trenches. Our offensive line is so soft it is almost unbelievable. There was one play in particular during the first half when the RG and RT (not sure who they were) got up into their A pass blocks just as three MSU defenders overloaded that side. Decent OL would have blocked two and left one player free and let the RB block him if there was one, or make the QB scramble. What actually happened is both players looked left, looked right, saw they couldn’t block all three, and ended up letting all three go through untouched. It should be noted this WAS NOT a screen pass. It was one of the most pitiful performances i have ever seen by an OL.
nc dawg
September 27th, 2010
10:23 am
Absolutely right about losing it in the trenches. In particular, the defensive trench was virtually nonexistant for UGA. We’re getting manhandled completely out of the picture on simple dive plays that then gain 8 yards.