5 reasons UGA might just have turned the corner
Here's Reason No. 3: A.J. goes awesomely airborne. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
1. Joe Cox is not Joe Tereshinski III. He gave a passing (no pun intended) performance against South Carolina. He made the necessary, if not necessarily artistic, throws. He kept his team moving against what was billed as a big-time defense. He made one egregious mistake — the Eric Norwood interception — but led his team to a vital field goal afterward. He did his job.
2. The men of Martinez made a stop. Actually, the Georgia defense made several. South Carolina didn’t score an offensive touchdown in the second half, and the difference between touchdowns and field goals — the Gamecocks had five – was the difference between this being an Alabama-like blowout and a narrow victory.
3. A.J. Green is the greatest Georgia receiver ever. No amplification required.
4. Branden Smith can really run. Fastest Bulldog ever? Faster than Herschel? Faster than Goldberg? (Kidding.) Just get this freshman the darn ball!
5. The Bulldog spirit returned at full-throated growl. A lesser team would have rolled over twice — when Carolina jumped up 17-7 and after Norwood’s touchdown. But Georgia kept playing, and DeAngelo Tyson’s blocked extra point could be to this season what David Pollack’s sack-and-snatch was to 2002. OK, so that’s a stretch. But Pollack’s famous play saved an essential early game against the Gamecocks, and Tyson’s snuff did the same.
(Rebuttal time: Because this thing could still go either way, we offer 5 reasons Georgia could still be swimming upstream. And also 5 reasons Georgia will — repeat, will — win at Arkansas.)
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183 comments Add your comment
AltamahaDawg
September 15th, 2009
8:45 am
It’s very accurate to discuss how we need to figure out how to defend the middle of the field when facing a scambling QB and a 6-5, 280 lbs reciever at the same time, as they didn’t do it very well. But when all you can come up with is looking at the score and insisting that points scored when the defense is not even on the field is in fact the DC’s fault….you aren’t very compelling in your arguments.
SOS Dawg
September 15th, 2009
8:47 am
Mr. Milton Bradley!….. Are you a blind homer too when it comes to the UGA defense? I mean This was South Carolina which drove 65 yards on the last series and nearly pulled out a win. If UGA were playing a good team it would have gotten ugly for the dawgs. South Carolinas football program is a joke and it always will be. SC will self destruct again this year MARK it down ! Willie is a buffoon and everyone knows this in dawg nation and sadly some just wont admit it.
dawgstephen
September 15th, 2009
8:47 am
Sex kills…Go to tech and live forever
TC
September 15th, 2009
8:48 am
Ostrich Racer, that was not a good defensive game, bend but not break right, no, we still gave up 30 pts to a sc team that scored 7 against nc st! we never stunt out d linemen, soft pass coverage in the middle, zone d that has gotten us torched in the past. we made stephen garcia look like tebow. we can’t be doing this every game, there is no way we will outscore people this year. its time for a change in the defensive coaching department.
AltamahaDawg
September 15th, 2009
8:49 am
sportfan, actually Curran was right there to stop him from running for the first down, by several yards.
BankerDawg
September 15th, 2009
8:51 am
Agree on all points except, obviously, point 2 around our defense.
Mark, seriously. Don’t blog at 1:00am if you are going to trot out point number 2 and actually mean it. I would never have believed Garcia could be confused with an All-SEC QB, but low and behold as I sat in Sanford Stadium Saturday night, I was quite certain that is what he was.
We have work to do, no doubt.
As much as I hate Petrino, you know he is licking his chops to face our secondary given how easily Garcia moved the ball.
Last I checked Ryan Mallet >>>> Stephen Garcia.
coach smith
September 15th, 2009
8:52 am
As an ex-defensive player and a high school defensive coach. I bristle up when people look at the Final Score and say the defense gave up so and so points….let me explain
That Pick 6 gave SC a touchdown that had NOTHING to do with the Dawgs’ D and niether did the 2 point Safety……
Take away those 8 points (that had nothing to do with the defense) and the Dawgs win 41-29 (by two TDs) and NOBODY is talking about how bad they look
Furthermore: lets look at two of SC’s TDs….one was after a turnover and they only had to go 23 yards for a score and the other was after a fumbled kick return and SC only had to go 7 yards for that score…
Take away those two turnovers where SC only had to go a combined 30 yards for TDs and the 8 points that had nothing to do with the defense and the game is NOT CLOSE because SC could not drive the field and score a TD….The Dawgs’ offense handed them 23 total points
That is not to say the defense doesn’t need to adjust….it just means that everyone needs perspective on what they ACTUALLY saw not just the Final Score
CWM
September 15th, 2009
8:52 am
And by the way, you haters are ridiculous. (I’m trying to be civil with my language.) You can’t blame the defense for all 37 points. Anyone see the turnovers? Hmmm? Joe Fan…I dare you to come back after the 9th win and admit that you are an idiot.
DawginLex
September 15th, 2009
8:53 am
I agree with everything except the defense. I can’t accept that as anywhere near a good performance.
We must win Saturday to have truly turned any type of corner. It will not be easy. This game scared me more than any of the 1st four going into the season.
You want to know what we have really learned?
Probably nothing except that maybe Joe cox was sicker than we all thought at OSU.
TheItalianDawg
September 15th, 2009
8:55 am
I really dont care about how we win, just win even by a 1/2 point.
Sad Richards
September 15th, 2009
8:55 am
dawgstephen…… you may need some more yourself. Quit riding the coattails od AJC and venture out a little more. It may do you some good!
Atticus
September 15th, 2009
8:56 am
Winners say it is inexcusable the way we played outside of the W, mediocrity offers excuse after excuse. I have never heard more excuses from the coaching staff, radio flunkies etc….We’ll see what we are in the next 4 weeks. Justin Houston welcome back!
coach smith
September 15th, 2009
8:56 am
And this Georgia defense that everyone is knocking….
Shut down OKST the week before, holding them to their lowest points scored total in 8 years (this team plays Texas and OKL every year)
Every game is its own entity you can’t look week to week and say so and so scored this on this team so this team should kill them or get killed by them
Only “fans” with casual to no actual football knowledge do this…TRUST ME players, coaches, former players do not look at it that way
Atticus
September 15th, 2009
8:57 am
Exactly what I mean Italin, people who say that are just wrong. Yes a win is a win, but when you beat bad teams and barely, that is a symptom of problems that lead to losses later in the year.
can u count
September 15th, 2009
8:59 am
By the way the defense gave up 28 points to sc not 37. Still not good at all but people should get it right. A safety and an int for a td is not the fault of the defense. Also two turnovers inside the 30yl don’t help either.
41 38 49 38 45 24 37
September 15th, 2009
9:00 am
Hey corch smith have you seen these numbers of the past? Its in the handle!
LoelGator
September 15th, 2009
9:01 am
Georgia did stop Carolina on that last stop. Garcia was chased out of the pocket to a point of throwing at which time the linebacker got in the path of throw and was able to knock the pass down equals team effort. If Garcia had tried to run for the first down or more, that same linebacker would have nailed him. When you consider that all game, Garcia has both scrambled and passed, and the defense had to guard against all, they did pretty good.
sportsfan
September 15th, 2009
9:01 am
KevKev….lets see…SC used a running game at NC State…didn’t pass, and we don’t know how good NC State, SC, UGA, OK State, or Houston is until a few more games are played. As far as Dawg QB goes, I suppose you know more than coach Richt. Maybe you should be next UGA coach.
Atticus
September 15th, 2009
9:03 am
Hey coach smith since you are such a great coach and know so much more than us casual fans, tell me how you don’t put an LB over the TE to check him or mix up the coverages so the RB and TE don’t catch 40 passes? A little girl in the stands kept asking us that, football isn’t brain surgery and fans know enough to know something aint working. If a car doesn’t start you don’t need a mechanic to tell you something is wrong. This team has underachieved every year with the exception of the second half of 07 and the only reason that was the case is Hawaii sucked and Florida, Auburn and GT were not that good. Times have changed in the SEC and with Tech and poor execution should never be acceptable.
Atticus
September 15th, 2009
9:04 am
Every year since Van Gorder left.
Timmy Teebs
September 15th, 2009
9:04 am
UGAs defense is a laughing stock! too many undicipined penalties too. Gators are gonna eat the mutts lunch at the cocktail party this year! 63 – 16 Gators!
AltamahaDawg
September 15th, 2009
9:05 am
WM should have coached up those O-lineman how to respond during the pick-6.
LoelGator
September 15th, 2009
9:05 am
I was at the spring game wearing a Gator cap. The defense is the only thing that showed up. If the Georgia offense keeps its proper minutes on the field, the defense will be fine.
Bait
September 15th, 2009
9:06 am
Finally someone with perspective (Coach Smith). I’m not a big WM fan, but SC scored their TDs on a short field. Also, on D, when you don’t have a pass rush, you’re D backs have to look out for the big plays; leaving the underneath routes open…pick your poison. We’re young, and young means mistakes……
Festus
September 15th, 2009
9:09 am
OKIE Staite ? Yawls sure dont needs thait argiement. Them thrare boys lost to Huestun. My Gawd caint yawls come up sumthin bitter than thait?
Timmy Teebs
September 15th, 2009
9:12 am
UGAs defense is a joke! Yall just wait and see. CYA at the cocktail party mutts!
Buzz Capra
September 15th, 2009
9:13 am
UGA 2009
wins- 6
losses- 6
PMC
September 15th, 2009
9:13 am
Yeah but Brandon Smith and Leodis McKelvin apparently went to the same school of kick returning.
Larry
September 15th, 2009
9:15 am
Georgia will get better and better as the season progresses. Cox has only started three games in five years. They are not an elite team like Florida or ALabama, but if they progress, mature, and are playing optimally for their talent then they will provide a respectabel showing against Florida.
Predicted finish: 10-3
Old excuses
September 15th, 2009
9:16 am
Are the dawgs gonna be young forever?
JB
September 15th, 2009
9:16 am
OK, not even sports, but i’m pissed this morning. Obama going to speak to AFL CIO AGAIN today. Why doesn’t he go to a RV plant…or a boat plant and talk to them, who are just barely staying in business. Why not a lighting or carpet manuf. who are about to close their doors…..how about a building supply company…….or a appliance company…..how about speaking to the people in fly over country that are looking at an Economy on life support. This guy will never do ANYTHING to jump start this Economy because heaven forbid somebody might get rich doing it. Can’t have that. Today, he could do the following to rev the economy up. Cut the top tax rate to 30%. Cut Capital gains, long and short to 10% for the next 12-18 months. Suspend federal withholding on ALL americans for a month. Give HUGE tax credits for capitol expenditures for 12 months. No employer matching taxes for new hires for the first 12 months. Start LOANING money to small to mid size business at 3%…..Geez. He hates capitalism and this would not help him one bit. Yes, him. This would help the folks that DIDN’T vote for him. Congress would rather be liberal than help this country.
giving away pork barrel money that we don’t have is doing NOTHING. E mail these folks. let them hear from you…….By the way….GO DAWGS,,,,
coach smith
September 15th, 2009
9:17 am
Atticus
I said there were things that needed to be adjusted!
And it is NEVER as “simple” as it looks
If you take a LB and use him to cover the TE and then another LB to cover the back out of the backfield…you are left with your pants down
This is becuase you only have 4 guys to rush the passer and one LB left in the middle of the field to defend the RUN
You literally spread yourself too thin from side to side and leave yousrelf wide open up the middle for SLANT passes (Spurrier’s favorite and tunnel screens, crossing routes, and stack routes) ALL of which would lead to huge plays
The bigger problem was the CBs not stepping up after the LBs get to the point where they have to release the TE and RB (you see they follow them a few steps then they are supposed to release them to be covered by the DBs and Safteys)
Timmy Teebs
September 15th, 2009
9:17 am
Dawgs defense is a joke. Gators will prove it on Halloween.
SOS Dawg
September 15th, 2009
9:20 am
I hear ya JB! …..Obama is a lie! Go Dawgs!
Pi$$onaDawg
September 15th, 2009
9:20 am
why would UGA rollover. There was no defense on either team. A USC team that could not score without the benefit of a NCST fumble inside their own 10 yard line put up 30+ points on UGA. HAHAHAHAH. UGA has not turned any corner unless it is 90 degrees to the south. Arkansas will be a test that has no “how many points is a 3pt bball shot worth” on the exam. UGA keep hating on TECH, but you know if we didn’t TIE ND UGA would never have been in the National Championship Game “the Sugar Bowl” in 1980. Shake every Tech fans hand a just say THANK YOU for 1980.
JB
September 15th, 2009
9:22 am
Larry…….tell me about Coach Matinez getting better and better…….Chart his stats as DC…..still signing 4 and 5 star players. wonder where the problem is….. wonder if ole Willie is getting better and better……..35+ point to Carolina, really………………………………….
George P. Burdell
September 15th, 2009
9:23 am
Coach Smith, your original post at 8:56 not only doesn’t make sense, its not even close to factually correct. In 2008 alone there was a lower scoring game and another 24 point game. In 2007 OK State had 4 games where they scored less than 24 ( including the UGA game?). I could go on, but point is there are plenty of games where they have been held in check.
I don’t necessarily know that Martinez should go, don’t really care either way, but at least back up your statements with real facts. Besides, in one paragraph you argue that Georgia held them to the lowest point total in 8 years. Then, in the next you say you can’t compare scores week to week totally refuting your previous paragraph.
SOS Dawg
September 15th, 2009
9:23 am
Gosh coach Smith should UGA and Willie consult with NC State on how to play defense?
The Real Corner
September 15th, 2009
9:25 am
You’ll know the Dawgs have turned a real corner when they hire a PROVEN and CONSISTENT OC and DC.
diajimbo
September 15th, 2009
9:28 am
If the ‘Dogs continue to play at the level they are now playing……….this is going to be a VERY long
and unhappy season for Bulldog Faithful. Florida, Alabama. LSU, Mississippi and even Tennessee
are looming on the schedule. OUCH! Thats 4 or 5 losses right there. Then there is Ga. Tech! There had better be some MAJOR improvement in all phases real soon!!!
guy
September 15th, 2009
9:30 am
Don’t give up yet,but CMR better come up with an effective pass rush and ground game.If not,??????
Buck Wheat
September 15th, 2009
9:30 am
Everthang is gonna be o’tay!
JB
September 15th, 2009
9:33 am
WE DON”T PLAY BAMA THIS YEAR……………UNLESS THEY WIN THE WEST AND WE SEE THEM IN THE DOME IN THE SEC TITLE GAME……………….OK, I’ll take my medicine and be right back.
Joe T Fan
September 15th, 2009
9:36 am
MARK BRADLEY IS NOT FURMAN BISHER
What did Joe T do other than win the job in an open competition with Cox and Stafford, get hurt in the opening drive of the So Carolina game, and then get pressed back into action too early for Tennessee because neither Stafford nor Cox could get the job done and take the position against UAB, Colorado or Ole Miss. Lay off of Joe T and focus on making some relevant observations on this year’s team and their performance.
coach smith
September 15th, 2009
9:37 am
SOS Dawg
You cannot look at scores from previous games and make assupmtions
You think Spurrier ran all of his plays against NC ST?
And it was the first game! Offenses struggle in openers against real opponnents
SCAR also turned the ball over several times and missed a field goal against NCST..they didn’t against Georgia
The reason you can’t go week to week like that is what if next week SCAR shuts out OLE MISS and Georgia blows the doors off ARK? Then how does that relate to this past game?????????? IT DOES NOT!
George P Brundell
It was not 8…it was FIVE 5 years and it is their lowest point total in a WIN in 5 years…I should have clarified
William
September 15th, 2009
9:38 am
Hey if CMR does not have the leadership and drive to FIRE MARTINEZ, then promote him upstairs. Just get him off the field.
coach smith
September 15th, 2009
9:39 am
diajimbo
Georgia DOES NOT PLAY Alabama or Ole Miss
If you are going to complain…at least know the schedule
Acworth Dawg
September 15th, 2009
9:39 am
Atticus, You usually don’t mind the other teams RB or TE catching 40 passes. If they are the one’s catching the ball, then the rest of your defense is doing their job. Most reads are to the outside first and the inside second and the flats third. Now before you go all ballistic, I said most reads. If you actually think about things, you will remember that for the most part our TE and RB are open on most pass plays.
But just keep up the negative remarks and attitude. I am sure it will continue to help improve the world around you.
jason
September 15th, 2009
9:41 am
I have been reading many of the blogs since Saturday night and one scary fact that no is mentioning is that we looked so confused too often on offense and defense about which players are even supposed to be on the field. We had to use 4 of our 6 timeouts because we either only had 10 players on the field or not the right 11. This has to point to the coaching staff not having their players ready on the sidelines. As much as I hate to say it, it ultimately points to Richt.
This is what alot of UGA fans feel. It is nothing personal against CMR. The fact that he is blindly loyal to incompetent coordinators is why he is slowly falling out of favor with fans. There are just too may inexcusable breakdowns on the coaching staff. We burn so may timeouts during the middle of a half that we never have any at a crucial point in a given game. Our run game when dominating, disapears afor long stretches at a time. Our defense is always reacting, never being the aggressor. The best defenses are the ones that attack. STs are a Jeckyl and Hyde. The importance of STs in close SEC games is an advange. For UGA they are a disadvantage. If it is not directional KOs, it is KOs out of bounds. If we get a big return; it is called back for a block in the back. There are alot of reoccurring themes that roll over from year to year with not a glimpse of improvement. That is why UGA fans get so upset with the coaching at UGA. It is not that we feel we can go undefeated. It is when we lose, we don’t feel that UGA was as competitive as their collective talent saya they could be. The telling thing about UGA is Coaching staffs should put you in the best position to win a game. At UGA UGA’s talented players give them a chance to beat mediocre teams in spite of the coaching.
I got into a big whoopty doo with a guy yesterday because of remarks about CMR needing to be replaced. The point I was making was not because CMR can’t coach or is a bad gut or anything like that. I thinkg he should be replaced because of his coaching staff. He hires them, and he is responsible for them. All the great recruiting that him and Garner do is for nothing when you don’t have the asst coaches to coach them up and prepare them to play Big Time Collage Football.
jason
September 15th, 2009
9:48 am
The defense played good… inside the redzone. From 20-20 they kept giving up alot of yardage. They could not get off the field. Every once in a while you will get a game like this. When you do, you have go to your OC and say we have to run the ball and keep the defense off the field. That is why I got upset in the middle of the game when Samuel disapeared. He was running through guys. He was punishing their defense. For 2 drives he was unstoppable. On a third drive, he was unstoppable until BOZO decided we haven’t thrown the ball enough. It went from 2 first downs with Samuel’s punishing runs to 3 straight incompletitions and a punt.