Scoreboard didn’t reflect domination by Dawgs
Orson Charles makes a great touchdown catch against Ole Miss. (Associated Press)
A few more thoughts and observations about Georgia’s win over Ole Miss. …
It’s true there was more grumbling in the Bulldog Nation than you’d normally expect after a win, and, yes, if Blair Walsh hadn’t missed those three field goals a 36-13 score would have better reflected Georgia’s near-complete domination of the game.
But the fact that the Dogs had to resort to Walsh four times showed Georgia’s offense still not quite ready for prime time.
It stands out even more when you look at the Dogs’ time of possession by quarter. After holding it 7:26 in the first quarter and 9:03 in the second, for a total of 24 points, Mike Bobo decided to try and sit on an 11-point lead and went conservative in his second-half playcalling.
So while the Dogs had the ball 10:56 in the third quarter and a whopping 11:11 in the fourth, they got only 3 points out of all that time on the field. Thus, the grumbling.
OK, maybe Bobo’s faith in the way Georgia’s defense was handling the Rebels was well-placed, but that kind of mentality is not going to cut it against the better teams remaining on the schedule. …
Richard Samuel and Carlton Thomas were sporadically effective in relief of Isaiah Crowell Saturday, and while that upright running style of Samuel’s doesn’t result in many long gainers, he deserves special mention for his extra, twisting effort on that fourth-and-1 that the Dogs just barely made. But the best use of Samuel appears to be throwing to him out of the backfield. That 25-yard reception was a fine job. Let’s hope we see more of that when Crowell is taking a breather. …
Speaking of Crowell, you could tell he wasn’t the same runner in the second half that he was in the first, losing some of that ability to bounce out of the grasp of a would-be tackler and turn it on outside. Yes, 30 carries is a considerable workload, but Crowell admitted after the game he was winded in the third and fourth quarters, in contrast to South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore, who seems to get stronger late in games. As someone once said, the ball ain’t heavy, so conditioning is obviously where Crowell needs the biggest improvement (along with picking up the blitz a bit better). But the first half showed what a special player Crowell can be when he’s on his game, and even a winded No. 1 is a good potential weapon to have in the backfield. …
It was good to see Bobo finally remember the tight ends Saturday. Orson Charles led all receivers with five catches for 59 yards and a touchdown, and backup Aron White had three for 52 yards and another score. Still, it was an up and down day for Charles, who dropped one pass and let another bounce off his chest, only to have it intercepted. But he did a great job of hauling in a perfectly thrown but difficult pass from Aaron Murray in the corner of the end zone. As stocked with talent as Georgia is at the tight end position, it can only be a plus if Bobo calling their numbers more Saturday was a sign of things to come. …
Special kudos to gritty Kenarious Gates, who wasn’t fully recovered from an ankle injury but still toughed it out for the whole game on the offensive line because of Chris Burnette being out. It would be great if other Georgia players took inspiration from his example. …
You’ve got to give Houston Nutt credit for his special teams game planning Saturday, and not just for the handoff/reverse on a punt return or successful onside kick. His negating of Georgia’s dangerous return men on punts was superb. Punter Tyler Campbell’s alternating of line-drive rugby kicks with the occasional high looper resulted in only two of his nine punts even being returned by Georgia, one for 2 yards and the other for a loss of 2, meaning the Dogs ended the game with a return average of 0. …
Finally, Jon Fabris was in the crowd Saturday and Georgia’s special teams play was pretty awful. I’m not suggesting the two facts are somehow connected or that Fabris has some sort of bad mojo that can mess the Dogs up even from the stands, but let’s just hope Jon doesn’t plan to make following the Dogs a regular thing.
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321 comments Add your comment
Nice
September 25th, 2011
11:58 pm
Still@the Bar…love it.
Here’s one for you….”You never actually beat UGA, they just somehow fail to beat you.”
Still@theBAR
September 25th, 2011
11:59 pm
Well they are our every year team from the Atlantic. We need to beat VT and Miami IMO to get to the ACC CG.
kerryb
September 25th, 2011
11:59 pm
drbasic, have a good one.
Still@theBAR
September 26th, 2011
12:00 am
Nite Drbasic.
drbasic
September 26th, 2011
12:01 am
@still@theBar
one last thought….i think you will indeed beat both…..dang did i just say that???…..lol ya i did
kerryb
September 26th, 2011
12:01 am
Still@theBAR , It’s interesting for me. I also have a Brother-in-law that is a Tech grad.
kerryb
September 26th, 2011
12:01 am
drbasic , I think the Clemson game is a toss up.
kerryb
September 26th, 2011
12:02 am
Wouldn’t surprise me if either one won. Should be a good game to watch.
Delbert D.
September 26th, 2011
12:03 am
As erratic as Garcia is, it was difficult to tell how many of his errors were forced. The SC defense clearly was too much for Vandy, but that might prove true for other teams going against SC this year. I think Vandy has had a tremendous upsurge in motivation and coaching under Franklin.
Still@theBAR
September 26th, 2011
12:04 am
LUCK follows SPEED & Speed KILLS. LOL
kerryb
September 26th, 2011
12:05 am
Delbert D. , I was hoping that Auburn might have a chance against them but their pass defense is so bad that Garcia might look like Joe Montana.
kerryb
September 26th, 2011
12:07 am
Still@theBAR , the guy you guys have to worry about with Clemson is that Sammy Watkins kid. That guy is the real deal. He beats you when he is covered, has a ton of speed, and he’s just a Freshman. He looks scary already.
Delbert D.
September 26th, 2011
12:12 am
Auburn has to get turnovers, and find a way to attack Garcia before he unloads. They’ve got a pretty good horse in Dyer. Auburn’s O-line play is up-and-down. I’d put their win over Miss. St. in the miracle category.
Dawg 39
September 26th, 2011
12:12 am
It Is A good day to read the Blog By Buck Belue & the Weekly Column by Darrell Huckaby. GO DAWGS.
Delbert D.
September 26th, 2011
12:16 am
kerryb – After watching Davis and Stiller for all those years, now this kid comes along.
Delbert D.
September 26th, 2011
12:17 am
Well, gentlemen, I’ll stay on for reading any further comments, and then I’m calling it a night.
kerryb
September 26th, 2011
12:20 am
They have another WR besides this Watkins kid that is a Freshman and he’s pretty good too. With Boyd those guys are going to be good for the next few years.
dawg rule
September 26th, 2011
12:32 am
Miss state is terrible–they barely beet lowly la tech, at home! Ga will beet them like a rented mule. bet the house.
Still@theBAR
September 26th, 2011
12:39 am
dawg rule
you want to wait to see the spread and if UGA is favored?
Never bet the HOUSE with Richt & Bobo coaching against another SEC team. You will soon be homeless.
Columbus
September 26th, 2011
12:43 am
Here you go: UGA Defense is second to ONLY Alabama in yards allowed in the SEC. Man wheres that info anywhere on AJC? Oh thats a positive for UGA, sorry I forgot.
I bet Bradley will write a story on it giving UGA some love as soon as he finds out though….
Columbus
September 26th, 2011
12:46 am
Nice article on the UGA defense in the Columbus-Ledger. Lots of fair ones in the major cities in the state, except for……the biggest city in the state.
han
September 26th, 2011
12:54 am
How in the heck are we not ready for an onsides kick? Our team is so embarassing coached that I after 25 years of loyal service have decided to not support my heartfelt progam until Richt leaves and takes all those sorry SOB’s with him.
Joe
September 26th, 2011
6:02 am
JB, So the Lord is punishing these players and fans because Mark Richt is not doing what you think He thinks he should do????? I do not think so!
Joe
September 26th, 2011
7:21 am
SO WHAT IS NEW……I am thankful for a win…..I have learned that no win is a given anymore….that all said….please explain to me how we have a back that runs for 150 yds…a QB that throws for almost 300….and yet we attempt 5 FGs and Walsh misses 3…….and this is suppose to be a team that is going to play lights out? HA! Earth to THIS TEAM…….had that been UF or pretty much any other SEC team you would have been crying this morning telling us not to give up on you….WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP./……..VANDY 30-7……….
Dan
September 26th, 2011
7:32 am
Anyone noticed how bad Murray has been on the opponent’s side of the field?
Murray is only completing 53% of his passes inside the opponent’s 40 yard line or red zone.
Sit Murray, start Mason.
Need poise.
Need team guy.
Need a QB who can beat a winning team.
Need leadership.
Need Huston Mason.
Murray is 0-8 vs. winning teams.
AltamahaDawg
September 26th, 2011
7:33 am
I’m always puzzled why the question is so often posed “if this where a completely different set of circumstances in completely different time and space BUT the exact same sequence of events somehow magically were reproduced, what would be the results?”
Harry Dawg
September 26th, 2011
8:09 am
I’ve never felt more “let down” following a win in my life.
Gonzolla
September 26th, 2011
8:14 am
Am worn out blogging about UGA and their idiotic coaches and AD. So, until maybe 3 or 4 weeks down the road—–Well we are running the ball effectively—what now? We’ll try throwing the ball 3 downs in a row. I bet they won’t be expecting it. Yea baby —we are so smart!!!!!
Gonzolla
September 26th, 2011
8:15 am
The SEC is smashmouth football———Richt will never understand this concept in a million years. Sorry that is just the truth. Later.
GODAWGS75
September 26th, 2011
8:19 am
All the Richt supporters will have thier day when we play the rest of our SEC schedule. They either will say next year is out year, like every year, or they will disappear on the blogs.
We won but we can not play like this against Fla, Tenn, or Auburn or we are going to lose.
SC Dog fan
September 26th, 2011
8:31 am
Re JB’s post on page 3 about his wife predicting the draw on 3d & 15. I did the same thing. After reading Bill’s columns complaining about that predictable sort of call in previous games (usually with Carlton Thomas runining it), I actually wrote it down on a piece of paper before the play. 3d Quarter with 14:53 left: draw. And I’ll be darned if we didn’t run a draw for no gain. When a school teacher who hasn’t touched a football in 40 years can predict a play like that, maybe it’s time to shuffle the playbook a little?
William
September 26th, 2011
8:34 am
We need REAL COMPETITION at every position. ESPECIALLY QB.
It’s time for Hutson Mason to lead his team. No scores in the 2nd half against Ole Miss? REALLY?
Murray is 75th on 3rd downs, and 100th in sacks. 53% accurate in red zone.
Burma Shave
September 26th, 2011
8:39 am
Watching Our Starter
Is Not Any Fun
We Need The Lodge Brother
To Get The Job Done
Burma Shave
GaTruth
September 26th, 2011
8:40 am
I am FINALLY OFF the Richt bandwagon. My brother pointed it out years ago. It is not a matter of ability, but attitude. Murray was on fire, we had the opportunity to truly drive the proverbial stake in their hearts. With a minute left in the 1st half, we run Samuel and leave a timeout and 40 seconds on the clock!!!! What kind of BS is that?????? Crush them!!!! Spurrier would have, Saban would have, Miles would have, Meyer would have, Pete Carrol would have, Stoops would have. Not Richt. This has happened many times.
Bullrun
September 26th, 2011
8:43 am
Murray had 11 overthrows against Ole Miss.
He also had a fumble on the pass he misthrew to Crowell and an interception in the first half.
Murray has 11 sacks after 4 games, he’s on track for 33 sacks. Lack of pocket presence, slow decision maker, slow at recognizing defenses.
TurtlePower
September 26th, 2011
8:45 am
I was watching Grantham on 3rd downs in the 2nd half, and the 7 out of 12 Murray couldn’t convert, I thought Grantham was going to blow a gasket. Boy is Grantham fed up with Murray’s inability to convert a 3rd down. 2 for 5 in 4th qrtr vs. Ole Miss???
Burma Shave
September 26th, 2011
8:47 am
I’m Shorter Than Mason
But What Can I Say?
My Performance Is Hampered
By Poor O-Line Play
Burma Shave
DawginLex
September 26th, 2011
8:48 am
Bill, your headline is wrong
Domination is when you score Touchdown after touchdown on an overmatched opponent
You don’t score 3 points and miss 4 FG’s and say you dominated anyone
I actually liked the playcalling except for the series where we threw the pick.
The defense is a lot better than 2010 and it’s going to get better when some of the injured folks come back.
Still hopeful but not by much.
pete
September 26th, 2011
8:55 am
You are right that “Scoreboard didn’t reflect domination by Dawgs”. But it is a disturbing trend if GA is dominating; the other team just needs some well designed trick plays.
ken farrar
September 26th, 2011
9:07 am
i have two questions. do we have a special teams coach? if so, does he attend practices? they look very poor or just unintelligent in these areas.
DawginLex
September 26th, 2011
9:08 am
Big props to our boy Matthew Stafford
Lions 3-0!!!!!!!!!!!
GaTruth
September 26th, 2011
9:09 am
A minute to go, Murray on fire, a timeout left and you take your team to the locker-room? That says it all.
how2fish
September 26th, 2011
9:21 am
We won this one..now it time to concentrate on Miss St which will be a tougher nut to crack.Go Dogs!
Jay
September 26th, 2011
9:29 am
3 second half points against the worst team in the sec is not dominance.
Ivan Clapper
September 26th, 2011
9:34 am
Ve bulldogs are a marginal team vat needs to learn how to win and vhen they willl get the confidence. And ve remember Dawgs, Ve loves you vhen you wins and hates vou when vou loses.
Logan Walker
September 26th, 2011
9:34 am
What’s wrong with being conservative when you have a two-score lead? Controlling the clock means controlling the game. I thought it was an above average play-calling day for Bobo. Ground-N-Pound and Tight Ends, sounds like Georgia football to me….
Pollyanna
September 26th, 2011
9:42 am
Scoreboard did reflect what we all witnessed, the botched punt return coverage, the botched onsides kick coverage, the interception, the 2 fumbles among ourselves trying to snap the football falling all over ourselves, the 3 more sacks of our holding on to the football QB, the running back worn out calling to be removed from the game who was the lone bright spot we had while he himself got up after every run vs the worst football team in the nation JAWING at them, and the 5 times we SETTLED for field goals vs a team who was blown-out just last week by lowly Vandie 30-7.
Joey
September 26th, 2011
9:44 am
Ain’t it weird that other “Star” coaches, Saban, Miles, Spurrier, in particular, coach as if their jobs are on the line – going for it on 4th & 4, fake punts, fake FGs, double reverses, end-around-passes, reverses on KOs, Hail-Marys before halftime instead of letting time run out, etc. Yet, our coach, whose job IS on the line, just can’t bring himself to chance anything?
Joey
September 26th, 2011
9:51 am
Logan Walker, because going conservative often hands momentum over to the other team.
Great coaches keep their foot on the throttle until the game is over. Like Sprurrier said a few years back, “when the other team quits trying to score, we’ll quit trying to score.”
dmr
September 26th, 2011
9:51 am
What we know about Georgia and It’s staff:
1.) Bobo has not learned a damn thing about 3rd and short or fourth and short. Teams are collapsing DE’s on us because we are so predictable and we are not covering up the DE with TE’s. If you are going to run a dive on short yardage plays, go two tights and a power I or two tights and two receivers, but for goodness sake block the DE’s.
2.) We all know B. Smith is a great athlete. However, he has shown for three years that he is a liability returning punts. When will the staff recognize and fix the problem? Indecisive and still catches the ball behind the 10. THIS IS A PROBLEM.
3.) Aaron Murray holds the ball too long. This may be Murray or a bi-product of the routes we are running. Whatever the case, the whole conference knows we are vulnerable on the OL. With that being the case, why are we not running more 3 step drops and getting rid of the ball faster. It is a way slow the rush and keep Murray from getting killed.
4.) Someone is going to end up in the hospital or paralyzed if we do not focus on teaching our kids not to tackle leading with their head. We need to teach our guys better to wrap up.
5.) Georgia needs to continue to play young guys as a mixture of senior guys on the offensive line. Depth and experience continue to plague this program…almost 4 – 5 seasons now. Crowell is making the OL look better, however, give them credit for opening holes.
It only gets tougher from here. And don’t kid yourself. Georgia has the talent to win every game left on their schedule. I am just unsure about how we handle our business on offense and special teams as to whether we can.