Fan talk: Dawgs running the spread, Butler’s kick, radio out of sync
Let’s wind up a week in which we learned that Mark Richt and my wife have one major thing in common (pocket dialing) and Coach T apparently already has had his way with Isaiah Crowell by checking some Junkyard Mail …
Could Aaron Murray be effective in the running spread offense? (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
Josh Cuevas writes: As a UGA alum I love your measured analysis on the Junkyard Blawg. Much better than the staff writers. My question spins off your question concerning what the Dogs have to do to reach lofty expectations. Do you think it’s time for Richt to throw caution to the wind and install something like a running spread offense?
I love old school smash-mouth football, but Georgia’s personnel this year doesn’t seem able to sustain that kind of play.
Here are my reasons for considering a running spread-type offense:
1) a mobile quarterback who has shown he can make good decisions
2) a blue chip running back, but one who doesn’t seem to have the physique to be an inside bulldozer and could probably utilize his speed better and hit some creases if the defense was forced to spread out since the o-line may not open many holes as is
3) a solid but not spectacular receiving corps without a star that would probably benefit from a game plan that spread the ball around
4) an offensive line that is not expected to be able to dominate many defenses at the point of attack
It would be a huge change (and controversial), but it may be the best way to utilize UGA’s personnel. We could still throw it 25-30 times a game and run it about the same, depending on what’s working best, and it could keep defenses on their heels a little instead of letting them pin their ears back and dropping our skill players in the backfield before the play develops.
I just don’t know if the offensive line is going to be strong enough to allow Murray the time to throw or to open holes for Crowell. If they’re not going to be able to do that, the game planning must compensate. Thoughts?
While Urban Meyer had a lot of success in the SEC with a running spread — at least, as long as he had Tim Tebow running it — I’ve never been convinced it’s a great base offense in this league and I think defenses have gotten a lot more adept at handling it. But more than that, I’m not sure the run spread would be the best use of Aaron Murray’s talents. Yes, he has the ability to run, but I think he’s able to use it more effectively with play-action in Richt’s pro set. Also, I’m not sure Murray could take the pounding that he’d have to endure in the spread. However, I do think introducing more spread into the Dogs’ offense on a spot basis would be a great idea. It would make Georgia less predictable — a real problem at times with Mike Bobo calling the signals.
Let’s throw the question to other fans: What do you think about Georgia and the spread?
Huck writes: Hey Bill … Have been enjoying your blogs, as always. Need a question answered and thought your memory might be better than mine. I know that the first “modern era” night game was against Clemson — but do you know if the 1984 “100 thousand mile” Butler field goal game was a night contest? Thanks!
I was pretty sure the game where Kevin Butler’s last-minute field goal broke the hearts of Clemson fans was a day game and UGA sports communications director Claude Felton confirms it: “No, it was not at night nor televised. Kickoff time for that game was 1:30 p.m.”
Claude adds, “In these days we live in, it’s really hard to imagine back in the early ’80s there were very few of our games on TV. People can’t believe it when I tell them that in 1980, our first game on TV was the 8th game of the season!”
Mark Edgar writes: Bill, I’m trying to find out who to contact to encourage the UGA radio broadcast to sync with the TV broadcast. I like to listen to Scott and Eric but also like to watch the action on TV. Unfortunately, the radio broadcast is several seconds ahead of television. If this syncing could be done, I bet the radio broadcast ratings would increase because I’m sure that I’m not the only Dawg fan who would appreciate this change.
I know what you mean. My brothers and I have tried listening to the UGA radio broadcasts with Scott Howard and Eric Zeier while watching the game on TV, but having the play be just about over on the radio as it’s just starting on the TV is just too distracting.
Unfortunately, there’s really no way for the UGA radio network to sync up with the TV broadcast since the amount of delay varies depending on how you’re receiving your television signal. Cable adds a delay and a satellite service like DirecTV delays it even further.
Apparently the only way to really match the UGA radio broadcast with a live television broadcast is to watch on your computer and use a program like Griffin’s RadioShark for the radio signal. It works like a Tivo, recording the broadcast so that you can pause it and pick back up where you were, and this allows you to time-shift the radio coverage to sync it up with the TV picture. At least, that’s what they claim. You can find out more about RadioShark here.
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300 comments Add your comment
polskidawg
June 18th, 2011
3:08 pm
Spread? No thanks. It’s either full-time or none to be successful.
Butler kick in 1984 was day game, as mentioned by several. I thought the upper deck was going to fall on the lower deck when it went through the goal posts (it would have been good for 70 yards, truly).
Help me out 40’s and older Dawgs – I thought the first night game at Sanford was the UCLA game of 1983? I was a painted, medicated sophomore at the game. It rained cats and dogs, I believe in the second quarter. Wasn’t that the first night game?
JDawg1785
June 18th, 2011
3:17 pm
Good to hear that Joe T. is having his way with Crowell. This ought to pay dividends for him come September.
7576DAWG
June 18th, 2011
3:20 pm
#1 recruit don’t get special treatment
Thanks for the update. At least we know the kids aren’t being treated like it’s summer camp. It’s nice to think the coaches are taking their failures last year serious and that they seemed to have been embarrassed as much as the Bulldawg nation was about not being physically fit enough to compete in the SEC.
nick rails
June 18th, 2011
3:28 pm
‘84 game was not on because of Clemson’s probation…you’re right ours was not til ‘85 but the ‘85 Florida wasn’t onTV because of our 85 probation.
Never play the game
June 18th, 2011
3:33 pm
ONE obvioust thing of QB short gunning is the D will not blitz as much. And his height is no longer his is handicapt, just a common sense right?
nick rails
June 18th, 2011
3:35 pm
The ‘84 clemson was NOT televised.If anyone has a video tape it would have been some type of tape delay rebroadcast.Or a game film.I think if anyone would know Claude Felton would
tom
June 18th, 2011
3:35 pm
Good info on the weight room. no big deal about crowell puking. gotta find out if he is tough now. that is what the weight room is all about. mental toughness. those SEC defenses aint gonna take it easy on him, glad Joe T aint either
nick rails
June 18th, 2011
3:37 pm
‘84 game was not on because of Clemson’s probation…you’re right ours was not til ‘85 but the ‘85 Florida wasn’t onTV because of Florida’s 85 probation.
Dawg 1
June 18th, 2011
3:38 pm
Forget the spread. You have a smart QB and an average line (at least this is what we are being told). Focus very hard on conditioning and run the ‘no huddle’ in the heat. Wear your opponent down and be patient, knowing you might fall behind early.
CMR wanted to run the no huddle when he first came to UGA and the refs pretty much wouldn’t let him do it – always slowing the play down to allow the defense to catch up. You see more and more of in the SEC now and he has gone from the rookie to the Dean of the coaches in the league. Run the ‘no huddle’…
Never play the game
June 18th, 2011
3:44 pm
Sorry for extra t and is.
huh?
June 18th, 2011
3:47 pm
Uh, Tide Roll they tried Samuel at RB and it didn’t work. Quit posting on things you know nothing about. Like football.
ugakev
June 18th, 2011
3:55 pm
Its june 18th and NO ARREST…..GO DAWGS!!!
DIT
June 18th, 2011
4:12 pm
@polskidawg
I remember that UCLA game! It did absolutley pour during that game, yet not one soul left that stadium. It was loud. I remember Donahue, UCLA coach, that next day say that he has never been in such a loud stadium before in his life. He could not wait to get out of Athens!
bigcalidawg
June 18th, 2011
4:18 pm
TideRoll,
Are you as familiar with your own team, as ours? I question your intelligence, integrity, and believe you have nowhere else to go than on our blog.
Have a blessed day
chickenman
June 18th, 2011
4:25 pm
Crowell for Heisman
'Real Dawgs eat gator meat (kool aid is foolade) drink POWERADE 2 !!....
June 18th, 2011
4:29 pm
This is nonsense, talking about the Dawgs running a spread offense because they don’t have the personnel, offensive line or coaching to run it. I have been in observation of MR’s fast break dump pass first offenses for over 20 years and even when it was working it had to be heavily altered for Charlie Ward to use all his elusiveness and agility to keep plays alive after protection broke down. The truth is that Richt coached offensive lines simply cannot run block effectively and consistently to pound the ball down opponents throats SEC-style. The Miami Hurricanes used to relish playing against MR’s finnese, rabbit punch, fast break offense, that closely resembled the old Buffalo Bill’s K-gun attack that slaughtered inferior opponents during the season, but lost four consecutive Super Bowls against well coached, well prepared teams. Georgia in a spread attack ? Get real ! We all saw Florida struggle last year with the wrong personnel running the wrong offense. The results would be identical at Georgia and they would be lucky to go 5-7. The current offensive coaching staff already has enough problems Bill, please don’t give these rocket scientists any new ideas to continue screwing up Georgia. Good try but this is just more desperate, delusional, and wishful thinking, which is virtually useless to clean up the offensive mess at UGa. Right now the HotSeat rules are on in Athens.
double dawg
June 18th, 2011
4:35 pm
To 1962 Dawg-It’s always good to hear from another vet! I bet there was some spilled beer that day at the VFW post! A lot of adult beverages were spilled arond my seats the moment the ball was airborne-as other people have said, the kick immediately looked good. At the time no one imagined Kevin and Perry would be teammates and Super Bowl champions the next year.
I hope all of you have seen the list of Dawgs KIA-it’s at the northeast corner of the practice fields across from the coliseum.
JCuevas
June 18th, 2011
4:41 pm
Murray wouldn’t actually have to run that much or take that many extra hits. We would just run a lot of three or four wide receiver sets, split the TE either wide or into the slot regularly, and have the O-line increase their spreads. Orson Charles is the perfect TE to split wide and he’d create nightmare matchups for LBs and strong safeties. He’d have a ton of room in the deep creases if the LBs are spread across the field. If the defense chose to use only two LBs, then Charles would manhandle the smaller DBs.
Murray could work from the shotgun a lot and roll out frequently, getting the ball out of his hands quickly into zones that would be flooded with numerous receivers and backs. He’d only run if he had a lot of room and the receivers were able to drive the defense 10-15 yards off the ball. This would also open up screens and sweeps for Crowell.
I just don’t see play action or the I-formation working well if we’re getting stonewalled at the line of scrimmage regularly.
mgdawg
June 18th, 2011
5:40 pm
I like the pro style, first of all if the pros are using it then it has to be the best imo. Also, the more your offense is like the pros the better the chance your players get drafted and the better the chance you get highly touted recruits. I know there are exceptions, but overall I think this is true. I read an article last year that the offensive point totals have increased ever since bobo has taken over the playcalling, the problem is in the consistency imo. I don’t really know what to attribute that to. I love a running football team, but last year the run just wasn’t working and the pass was working so good and I couldn’t understand why it would take till the fourth quarter to start passing more. There was a bunch of games, and I think it was during that bad streak of games at the start of the season, where every first down play was a run. It was so predictable and it showed by getting only a couple of yards or losing yards.
As for the radio being out of sync, it started I think during one of munsons last years and made it really hard to do the tv radio combination. If it was the other way around and you had a dvr I guess you could rewind it afew seconds. If there was a radio with a function like a dvr that maybe the best bet.
Paddy
June 18th, 2011
5:46 pm
Let us hold our critisism of Crowell till we get into the season. Let him get his feet under him and know what is expected of players at UGA. This is true of almost all freshman. Give it sometime. My guess he will get with the program very fast!
JCuevas
June 18th, 2011
5:59 pm
For those arguing against a radical change in offensive game planning, the question is what will be different between the 2010 team that scored zero (0) touchdowns against the University of Central Florida (UCF?!) and this year’s team? There are two differences that I can think of- We’ll no longer have the best WR in the country, and we will have a freshman running back who might be explosive (might be). Nothing there tells me we should expect improved results by implementing the same offense. There’s no reason to believe our offensive line will be significantly better. Play action does not work if you can’t pick up consistent (or any) yardage between the tackles and nothing indicates we can. However, we may be able to take better advantage of our playmaking weapons by opening it up. If not, why would you expect different results when everything else is the same?
LagDawg
June 18th, 2011
6:13 pm
I don’t know about the spread but, they need to do something to speed up the offense and keep defenses on their heels. UGA will have a lot of weapons on the offensive side of the ball, so Bobo needs to learn how to utilize them. The offense is too slow and too predictable and this will get you beat in the SEC. UGA must be very active on both sides of the ball. They have to play smart and tough and deliver big hits on the defensive side of the ball to strike fear into the opposing teams offense. The Pro Set offense will work but, you must be very creative to keep the other team’s defense off balance.
dawgster
June 18th, 2011
6:34 pm
@Chalky…are you the same Chalky that may have lived on the east side of Athens in the late 60’s…didn’t mean to get personal, but had a childhood friend that went by that name and haven’t heard it since….go dawgs
TJ
June 18th, 2011
6:55 pm
Got to figure out a way to DOUBLE the rushing yards against winning teams from 100 last year to 200 this year, if you want to be in the race.
Need to speed up the offense, fast enough to get in 40 rushes instead of 30 last year (12th in SEC against winning teams in # of running plays called per game). Top SEC teams ALL get 40+ runs a game against winning teams.
40 runs x 5 yards a carry = 200 yards a game
I don’t care if crowell gets em all, split with King or Branden Smith or Murray getting 100 like Newton did per game last year, just got to do something DIFFERENT.
11th in SEC in rushing against wining teams is pathetic.
King & Ealey both got @5 ypc, Murray got 2 ypc, so acutal run plays need to be called for Murray, not scrambles to avoid sacks. Bootlegs, draws, delayed draws, etc.
If you don’t run Murray, and figure out a way to get him over 5 ypc, you’re wasting 50% of his skills.
Yes, he could get injured, but very, very unlikely.
If he did, Mason & Lemay are capable.
C from Marietta
June 18th, 2011
6:58 pm
I think they should:
Offense – score as many points as they can
Defense – Stop the other team from scoring.
CHUCK UGA
June 18th, 2011
7:19 pm
Scott Howard is fantastic with basketball but an absolutely horrendous football announcer. Probably the worst in the SEC. Zeier is fantastic as a commentator and analytical genius. Howard just lacks a vocabulary for football and gets way too carried away sometimes. Embarrassing IMO. I no longer listen to radio.
MrSunshine
June 18th, 2011
7:21 pm
5 words.
Zone Read. Hurry Up Offense.
If QB reads the DE correctly, can’t stop it.
Downtown
June 18th, 2011
7:24 pm
Nick Marshall in WildDawg is a scary option. Needs to happen.
Debbytee Dawg
June 18th, 2011
7:25 pm
Yeah, maybe a spread would work out okay with the players that UGA has. I would just like to see the hurry-up offense that CMR ran 10 years ago with QB David Green; keeps the defense off guard and tends to add points. Please bring back the no-huddle offense and let’s have some fun this year!
50Bucks
June 18th, 2011
7:34 pm
Dogs offense bogged down in the Red Zone in 2010.
7 touchdown’s, all season.
South Carolina had 24.
Need to change Red Zone Offense, COMPLETELY, no one is surprised anymore.
AltamahaDawg
June 18th, 2011
7:35 pm
They changed the rules so that we can’t get the same advantage that Greene did it for.
Dawg4ever
June 18th, 2011
7:38 pm
Radio broadcast team is like the rest of UGA’s football program. It is very mediocre. Too think UGA could run the spread offense with their high school O.C. is a joke. BoBo runs the most predictable offense in the SEC. All the good Defensive Coordinators in the conference know exactly what he is going to run in certain situations. To expect any change in the offensive production this year is nothing but wishful thinking. The definition of Insane is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Richt&BoBo=Insanity. Yet UGA fans are stuck with these clowns for another boring ass year. Sad part for all UGA fans is that BoBo is probably the 8th or 9th best coordinator in the conference, and that is not going to change. Mediocrity will continue in athens as long as richt and bobo are there.
AltamahaDawg
June 18th, 2011
7:45 pm
Georgia scored 34 TD in the red zone in 2010, 20 rush, 14 pass. SC had 38.
AltamahaDawg
June 18th, 2011
7:53 pm
It’s the defintion if insanity, not insane. IF you insist on copying and repeating stuff you read, pretending it was your thought, at least get them right.
I hate Georgia
June 18th, 2011
7:54 pm
You people amaze me…….you will play in another who cares bowl game. George O’Leary beating you hicks was HYSTERICAL!!!!!
What?!?!
June 18th, 2011
8:00 pm
Has the other teams “figured out” that uga offense? No wonder your coach is on the hot seat!
suwanee dawg
June 18th, 2011
8:32 pm
84 clemson game was not live on TV. Listened on the radio with my Dad and brother on the back deck. Up there with Belue to Scott for special memories. CFB are the ties that bind…..
suwanee dawg
June 18th, 2011
8:33 pm
I hate Georgia – who is your team? where did you go to school? do you know UGA’s bowl record for the past 20 years? Your comments are very insightful.
AltamahaDawg
June 18th, 2011
9:03 pm
Can you give us the definition of high percentage too?. Not sure why you think its insane to do the same thing over and over, when that thing has been very successful the large majority of the time.
mgdawg
June 18th, 2011
9:13 pm
Offensively UGA needs to do two things I think. The first being, if something is working then go with it. How many times last year did we see the running game do nothing and the passing offense fly up and down the field. However, bobo would decide to run more then he passed and stall out the offense. If the running game is working then run, if a certain rb is hot then keep that rb in the game. Second, they have to be able to get 1-2 yards when they need it. Southerland might be as big of a loss as knowshon was. When UGA had a third and one, a fourth and one, or was at the one yard line they knew they could hand the ball to him and get that yard. It seems like the past two years when uga has needed that one yard and they decided to run it, they’ve been stuffed. I know a lot of this goes to the Oline, but southerland would run over a guy.
If those two things were fixed, I think a drastic improvement in the offense would be seen.
AltamahaDawg
June 18th, 2011
9:13 pm
Very glad to read that Richt is giving up his vaction to go help the poor in Honduras. UGA football was never as good as when he was allowed to be the type of person he needs to be. When he was pressured to give that type of stuff up, (Evans?) they have never been as good.
crowell is soft
June 18th, 2011
9:45 pm
i posted it a few weeks ago, and I’ll stick by it – Crowell will not work hard enough to get himself in shape. he’s not hungry. he’s resting on his HS accomplishments and thinks he’s made it already.
i smell a flop. cannot trust these press conference recruits
UGA '05
June 18th, 2011
10:11 pm
Sounds like Crowell didn’t do the recruiting workouts before he came to UGA like he was supposed to. And now he’s paying for it. He better pick it up and eat well or he won”t be ready to play.
South Dawg
June 18th, 2011
10:15 pm
With the spread offense with Murray and a powerful running game with Crowell, the Dawg offense will be unstoppable! This dawg team will easily win the SEC east and play alabama for the title in December—book it!
tiger7_88
June 18th, 2011
10:18 pm
@Beast from the East (June 18th, 2011, 11:26 am) is exactly right.
If you ain’t got this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZmTNMS6syI , on your o-line, don’t bother running a spread offense.
ray goff for next coach
June 18th, 2011
10:19 pm
get Clemson back on the schedule
Another Back that will be a bust
June 18th, 2011
10:36 pm
Sounds like Crowell isn going to pan out. Oh well just another bust till UGA recruits the next we’ve heard it before Herschel Walker.
Mudcatjoe
June 18th, 2011
10:38 pm
The spread? Always trying to copy Georgia Tech in everything! Forget it, your coach isn’t smart enough! Hahahahahahah!!!!
Bob
June 18th, 2011
10:49 pm
The think the first modern day night game was Clemson in 1982. Clemson won the national title in 1981 and we had won it the year before. We won a very close game but I don’t remember the score. I remember the game being hyped playing the song “Eye of the Tiger” over and over the week leading up to kickoff. My dad and I went in motor home and arrived the day before the game and did not leave until the day after.
Ya'll are funny (you UGA people)
June 18th, 2011
10:56 pm
I’m just sayin….