A clue to what’s been missing in Dogs’ running game
Nobody at UGA worked harder than Thomas Brown. (Associated Press)
While a lot of fingers have pointed at departed Georgia assistant coach Stacy Searels’ underperforming offensive line as a big reason for the Dogs’ running game being only the 10th best in the SEC this past season, there obviously was more to it than that.
The fact that thanks to injuries and disciplinary problems Georgia rarely had both its top two running backs, Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, playing in the same game was a factor. As was Mike Bobo’s tendency to abandon the ground attack for long stretches and his insistence on trying to run Carlton Thomas up the middle at inopportune moments in close games.
But at times there also seemed to be something lacking in the effort of the backs themselves. Rarely did you see Ealey or King break tackles.
And I think maybe you can get an inkling into why that was the case from comments made Friday by former Georgia tailback Thomas Brown, who’s joined the new strenth and conditioning staff under Joe Tereshinski.
The diminutive Brown, who battled for playing time with Danny Ware, Kregg Lumpkin and Knowshon Moreno, played like he was much bigger than he was thanks to his phenomenal strength and competitiveness. In talking with the media about the decline in the Bulldogs’ strength and conditioning in the three seasons since he departed, he said: “I think you can solve most problems with more competition. I think that’s one of the biggest things that’s different from when I was here as a player and here now.
“When I came in, I was highly recruited, the No. 1-rated running back in the state of Georgia, No. 3 or 4 in the nation. I came in, I was No. 7 on a depth chart of eight running backs. I had to compete, and I think that kind of makes guys raise their level of expectations. I think it’s harder for guys to be motivated when they know they’re kind of guaranteed to play. So I think … bringing in guys to compete with those guys will make everybody a lot better.”
That fits in with what Blair Walsh said after the Liberty Bowl disaster about some of the players on the team having a sense of entitlement. Ealey runs his mouth a lot and King thinks he’s too cool for school, but rarely has either looked like the hardest-working back in the game.
Whether or not Georgia signs Isaiah Crowell, that’s got to change if the Dogs are going to consistently run the ball in the SEC.
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480 comments Add your comment
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
11:57 am
Ingram averaged 5.5 ypc, and scored 15 td’s, Ealey averaged 5.2 ypc this season and got 11 td’s. Ingram is better, but not a lot better.
monty
January 22nd, 2011
11:58 am
It’s never just one thing. It’s a combination of everything. We ran through Tech at the close of 2009 like a hot knife through butter with Ealy and King. That led everyone to believe that we would run big in 2010 but that simply didn’t happen.To be honest there wasn’t many decent holes to run through to have such an experienced line, but when there were, it did seem like we were one handed tackled alot. Other team’s runningbacks were literally dragging our linebackers for more yards. Everyone of our running backs ought to have to watch the video of Bama’s backs in their bowl game against Michigan State. They ran over and through the defense. Very impressive to watch, something we lacked all year. Of course, maybe it wasn’t just desire but strength too.
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
11:58 am
Ingram scored 13 td’s, Ealey 11.
Paul in RDU
January 22nd, 2011
11:59 am
I didn’t realize that Ealey was the 2nd coming of Herschel Walker.
Someone else must have been wearing Ealey’s jersey in these games
South Carolina – Ealey had 19 carries for 75 yards (avg 3.9) – plus a lost fumble
Arkansas – 18 for 87 yards (4.8)
MSU – 10 carries for 36 yards (3.6) – plus he fumbled at the 1 yard line
Florida – 11 for 37 (3.4)
UCF – 16 for 60 (3.8)
He also sat out a couple of games for disciplinary reasons
mrsportsjunky
January 22nd, 2011
11:59 am
can we just put him in a a washaun ealy or caleb king jersey and let him play
St. Bernard
January 22nd, 2011
11:59 am
What game did Ealey win for us? Not one. You can’t point to any game he single-handedly dominated.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
12:00 pm
THANKS OLD COACH:
THE SOLUTION IS NOT TO FIRE ALL THE COACHES..WHAT GET KIDS READY TO PLAY THE FOLLOWING YEAR IS WHAT JOE T AND COMPANY ARE DOING NOW IN THE WEIGHT ROOM. ITS NOT ABOUT THE MOTIVATION SPEECH IN THE LOCKER ROOM THAT LASTS ABOUT 2 PLAYS TILL YOU GET THE DOODOO KNOCKED OUT OF YOU…THESE COACHES DIDN’T FORGET HOW TO COACH IN 1 YEAR…WHEN WE HAD MCWHORTER HALL WHERE ALL THE ATHLETES STAYED, YOU HAD A BED CHECK SITUATION AND COACH KASEY WAS THE CHECKER..YOU OUT CAROUSING AND MISS BEDCHECK, THEY WOULD SEE YOU AT 5AM FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS IN THE STADIUM DOING STADIUM STEPS AND YOU RAN STEPS UNTIL THEY GOT TIRED, NOT YOU. WHEN IN THEIR GREAT WISDOM THE NCAA DID AWAY WITH ATHLETIC DORMS, THAT ONLY MADE THE JOB OF THE HEAD COACH HARDER…HOW DO YOU BED CHECK THEM NOW WITH THE GUYS LIVING ALL OVER ATHENS…YEA, THINGS HAVE CHANGED…
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:01 pm
Alabama & SC both had a better O-Line coach than Georgia, yet Ealey still hangs with both Lattimore & Ingram.
And Ealey had a freshman QB who wasn’t accurate of the long ball, so folks brought 8 in the box, especially SC & Miss St.
St. Bernard
January 22nd, 2011
12:02 pm
Those fumbles against SC and Miss. St. may have lost both of those games.
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:03 pm
Ealey’s 5 td game against Kentucky wasn’t too bad.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
12:03 pm
TONY:
DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHO SAID IT BUT SOMETIMES IT IS OH SO TRUE:
“STATISTICS ARE FOR LOSERS”
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:04 pm
Nope, not anymore than Murray’s 4 to’s cost the Florida game, or 23 to’s cost the UCF game.
TRemember, AJ was out in the SC & Miss St game, so Murray didn’t have the DB’s doubling anybody, so they brought 8 in the box, and Murray only connected on 1 long pass in those 2 games. I’d put both of those losses, and Florida & UCF, on Murray.
St. Bernard
January 22nd, 2011
12:07 pm
How many of those tds were of the 1 or 2 yard variety after Murray who “can’t throw the long ball” completed a long pass? Carlton Thomas could have scored 5 tds running the ball in that game. Ealey’s just lucky, Munz didn’t get those calls. Take those 5 away, and how does he compare to those other RBs you mentioned.
You can’t win this debate friend, but I hope Ealey turns out to be as good as you/he think he is.
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:08 pm
Ealey would have won the game against Colorado, but Bobo sat his best back on the bench. King fumbled away that game.
Ealey would have won the Arkansas game, he was getting 4.8 ypc, but Bobo went to the pass at the end of the game.
Richtard Simmons
January 22nd, 2011
12:08 pm
I’m tired of hearing about Bopbo averaging 30 pts a game, all 6 of the teams had LOOSING records. And when we needed to score, we couldn’t to save our lives or finish up the game. Just run 120 lb Carlton T;homas up the middle in close games, that was what really got it done,Oh Yea.
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:09 pm
Ealey’s 157 yards & 5 td’s won the Kentucky game.
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:10 pm
Bobo’s has a tendancy to abandon the run if the backs arn’t producing early. Spurrier didn’t do that with Marcus this year, and that’s why SC won the SEC East.
Anytime Ealey has ever gotten 20 carries, Georgia wins.
Ealey brings a swagger when he’s in there, and the energy drops when he’s not in there.
St. Bernard
January 22nd, 2011
12:11 pm
What were the average distance of those td runs tony?
82Dawg
January 22nd, 2011
12:13 pm
Tony has a crush on Ealey, someone needs to warn Ealey about Tony….
monty
January 22nd, 2011
12:13 pm
Ingram was hurt much of 2010 year and only ran about half as many times as he did the previous year. He ran for over 1600 yards last year. He will be a high round selection in the draft. He is a powerful back with speed,not so much Ealy. I doubt seriously Ealy gets drafted, but maybe he’ll turn things around.
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:14 pm
Ealey’s per carry average was better than Lattimore’s. They count the td’s, whether 1 yard, or 1 inch. How about the 157 yards against Kentucky and the per carry average against Kentucky in a MUST WIN game.
St. Bernard
January 22nd, 2011
12:17 pm
5 td runs for Ealey covered as distance of 10 yards. 3 yd run, 2 yd run, 2 yd run, 2 yd run, and 1 yrd run.
I do appreciate all 5 of those runs though.
Clawdawg
January 22nd, 2011
12:17 pm
Comparing Ealy with Herschel is absurd, even with Moreno is absurd! Herschel won the Hiesman, Moreno was a 1st round pick. But lets not forget our History, GA used to be known as tailback U not TE U. Walker, Hampton, Hearst, Musa Smith, Moreno, and the list goes on. Our standards should not change for Ealy and King. They are a huge dissapointment. We need a player like Crowell. we dont need a Herschel, although that would be nice,but we need someone like Musa Smith who can run between the tackles and get the tough yardage when we need it and break tackes. Ealy and King seem to run right in to defenders and fall down on first contact. Play Action isnt effective unless there is a real run threat. We got away with it this year becuse of Duram and Green, but we dont have those types of mis matches any more. An every down back is the biggest catalyst we need for the offense and for Gods sake let Murray run too!
Spike
January 22nd, 2011
12:18 pm
TB, GATA!! Get rid of Caleb King. Run his arse off and kill two birds with one stone. It would get rid of his underachieving fumbling play and bad attitude. Second, it would get the rest of the teams attention. Thomas Brown is proof that it is not the size of the dog in the fight, but rather the size of the fight in the dog!!
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:18 pm
Lattimore got:
3.9 ypc aganst Southern Miss
2.4 against Auburn
2.7 against Ark
2.1 against Clemson
St. Bernard
January 22nd, 2011
12:19 pm
What did Ealey do against Aub and Ark?
Sorry, I’m beginning to lose interest….
82Dawg
January 22nd, 2011
12:20 pm
Lattimore also got a ring……….
Duh
January 22nd, 2011
12:21 pm
Lake Oconee you are a fool if you thing Bobo is a good play caller, The Offense scored points despite Bobo thanks to talent alone. You know nothing about football if you can’t see that. Bobo is the most incompetent and predictable play caller I have ever seen at any level.
SG
January 22nd, 2011
12:21 pm
Did Walsh really say those things about the RB’s? The big mouth and too cool for school?
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:21 pm
IngraM GOT:
3.9 ypc vs. Fla
3.7 vs. SC
2.9 vs. MSU
3.6 vs. Auburn
asa
January 22nd, 2011
12:22 pm
HAVE TO AGREE ON RICHT STAYING WITH SAME PLAYERS EVEN THOUGH HE HAS BETTER PLAYERS ON BENCH NEEDS TO GIVE LEMAY A CHANCE AT QUARTERBACK AND ANY OTHER FRESHMAN A CHANCE ALSO MUST FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET TD,S IN THE RED ZONE STILL THINK HE MADE A MISTAKE ON TAKING BAILEY KID FROM EAST HALL AND NOT GO AFTER AJ JOHNSON AT GAINESVILLE AND THINK OUR FIRST RECRUIT 2012 FROM NORTH HALL IS NOT SEC MATERIAL BUT WHO ARE WE TO TELL RICHT WHO CAN PLAY AND CAN’T
monty
January 22nd, 2011
12:23 pm
One thing to Tony’s credit, Rarely has CMR ever tried to lineup and play rock-em sock-em football.(establish run 1st) He’s a finesse guy,a trademark of his teams.How many games did CMR start out with 2-3 passes on the opening drive,several of which we through deep on the very 1st play(never worked) and now we are 2-3 possessions into the game before we even try to establish the run. For several years now we have been a pass 1st, if that doesn’t work, try run up the middle team.
Clawdawg
January 22nd, 2011
12:25 pm
If im not mistaken, Lattimore was a true freshman and King and Ealy are Junior/Sophmore respectively. He was better than they were combined. I would trade all of them for him in a heartbeat. But give me Crowell and Boo and we will be back!
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:25 pm
Aub & Ark? Glad you asked.
Ealey got 4.8 ypc against Ark, Lattimore got 2.7 ypc
Ealey got 7.3 ypc against Auburn, Ingram was 3.6, Lattimore 2.4
Hiram Dawg
January 22nd, 2011
12:25 pm
Dawgs problem is coaching, not players. Richt doesn’t believe in the running game, and therefore never uses RB’s effectively. Crowell will find that out as soon as he gets to practice and has to block for the QB, not run.
St. Bernard
January 22nd, 2011
12:25 pm
Tony,
Ealey had 44 yards against AU for 7.3 per carry and 87 against Arkansas for 4.8 per carry. Funny that I don’t remember any of them.
All the best to you and Ealey. I really do hope he becomes something special.
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:28 pm
I doubt any RB will become something special under Mike Bobo, unless all the other RB’s get injured, like happened with Moreno.
tide roll
January 22nd, 2011
12:28 pm
I wish Uga could find a way to start Burnette at Center, move Bean Anderson back to right guard, thus allowing Kenarious Gates to move to Right tackle. You’re pretty much set on the left side with Sturdivant and Glenn. Hate losing Jonathan Owens and Tanner Strickland though.
tide roll
January 22nd, 2011
12:29 pm
Not!
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 22nd, 2011
12:30 pm
It doesnt matter people
Dont you realize that if Herschel Walker was a freshman this year for us he to would sit the bench until next year because he has to get in the weight room, learn the playbook, and run block
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:36 pm
Ealey’s only had 1 team who has held him to under 3 ypc, Tenn, both seasons.
Latitmore was held to under 3 ypc, 3 times, this season ALONE.
Bill Goldberg
January 22nd, 2011
12:41 pm
I’m not sure what Tony’s relationship with Ealey is but he does have one thing right. Ealey has more potential then anyone we have. With TB’s help, he could turn out to be a good featured back.
One other thing he is right about, Murray cost us a lot of games this year! He needs much improvement.
Big Canoe
January 22nd, 2011
12:44 pm
QUICK NOW!….Who was Herschel’s backup at running back? Don’t remember? Maybe because Herschel ran the ball 30-35 times, and more, per game. Duh!
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
12:45 pm
Hiram Dawg AND Monty:
HOW TO YOU HANG YOUR HAT ON A RUNNING GAME WITH A RUNNINGBACK WHO CAN’T BREAK A TACKLE? SEEMS THEY RAN IT A FEW TIMES WHEN THEY HAD KNOWSHON…THROW IT TO GREEN OR HAND IT TO EALEY? WHAT YOU GONNA DO, COACH HIRAN DAWG? or give it to Carlton Thomas? Staff has known all along they couldn’t count on Caleb King, so don’t even factor him into the mix…
edumacated
January 22nd, 2011
12:45 pm
Tony,
Apparently you have never heard the term “there are lies, there are damn lies, and then there are statistics.” If you had, then you would have enough sense to quit spouting them off about Ealey. Anybody who watches football can tell you that Ealey and King both cannot break tackles. They are only good when they have a hole big enough to drive a truck through. An offensive line can make a back look bad? Well, backs can do the same to the O-line.
edumacated
January 22nd, 2011
12:49 pm
Even the idea that someone would compare a no-name back to Herschel is crazy.
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:51 pm
Fumbles usually happen, when you’re trying to break a tackle. Ealey’s fumble against SC was just that, so was King’s spin move against Colorado to try and avoid a blitzing LB.
So, do you want yards after contact, or fumbles?
Tony
January 22nd, 2011
12:53 pm
Ingram lost a fumble to blow the Auburn game, it happens when you’re trying to get more yards.
7576DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
12:54 pm
asa
To clear thing’s up about us not wanting A J Johnson from Gainsville, was all Martinez’s stupidity . Martinez didn’t think he was good enough to fit in a UGA and didn’t even contact him for anything. Johnson liked Georgia and wanted to maybe come here .
After Grantham was hired one of the first thing’s that he did was contact Johnson and ask him to visit Georgia which Johnson refused to do. Grantham wanted Johnson real bad because only someone blind wouldn’t see how good this Linebacker was but Martinez had burned that bridge and Grantham could not build it back.
The screw up for not pursuing Johnson lies with Garner who is suppose to be the recruiting coordinator and is just one example why he should be replaced. He along with most of the coaches have become very complacent and lazy over the last 4 or 5 years.
As much as I don’t like Bobo as offensive coordinator I think he would be a very good recruiting coordinator.
monty
January 22nd, 2011
12:54 pm
In Bama’s 2009 NC championship year they ran for over 3000 yards. Same for Florida in 2007 and 2008.Auburn ran for almost 4000 yards this year! Oregon Ducks 3500 or so. Hello!!! ANyone see a trend here or is it just me? Georgia numbers this year 1853yds.,2009-2093yds,2008-1928yds(knowshon’s last year)wow-very telling. Never gone cut it with the big boys CMR.