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.)
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
183 comments Add your comment
Ostrich Racer
September 15th, 2009
1:49 am
1. Being a competent game manager is all we can ask of Joe Cox. He shook off the OSU experience nicely.
2. That’s two pretty good defensive games in a row, actually.
3. Yep.
4. Yep.
5. The fact that the team shook off all the negativity after OSU reflects well on the coaching staff. (The inconsistency of play doesn’t, but that’s a topic for the next blog.)
ShepDawg
September 15th, 2009
1:55 am
A win is a win but I am still not convinced. The defense as a group played well but our safties seemed to be out of postion ALOT. Too many times they bit on the play fakes. Willy is suppose to be one of the best secondary coaches. So it would seem that he would recognize this easily and have it corrected quickly. I have never played a down of football in pads in my life but I have seen great safety play before and it has been awhile since I have seen it in Red and Black.
Heath
September 15th, 2009
1:59 am
I think you mean Branden Smith can really run. But so can Reshad Jones.
Mark Bradley
September 15th, 2009
2:01 am
This is what happens when you write after midnight, Heath. You mix up Smith and Jones. Thanks for noticing. (And Brandon Jones is, I believe, a minor-league outfielder in the Braves’ chain.)
Perspective
September 15th, 2009
2:34 am
1) Joe Cox- Congrats to him for getting his head together, ignoring the critics, and playing a solid game. But when its all said and done is still an average qb and average won’t get it done at the upper tier of the SEC.
2) You’re lauding the Georgia defense. For Pete’s sake South Carolina’s offense still scored 30 pts.This is an offense that scored a mere 7 pts the week before against NC State. Does NC State have a worldbeater defense?
And they were a poor 3rd and goal pass from Garcia away from winning it. That errant 3rd down throw by Garcia was to a wr that was wide open. Georgia didn’t stop Carolina. Garcia stopped Carolina on that last series.
Also, the dawgs pass rush is nothing short of atrocious. You can’t win if you can’t pressure the qb.
When you look at Bama and Florida those guys have monsters constantly in the backfield sacking and hurrying the qb. The dogs defense hasn’t come close to that in 2 games and frankly I don’t even know if we got a sack last week.
I think we got Garcia one time maybe this week but that was probably about it. Even if we got him once or twice he had 51 attempts I think. With that many pass attempts we should get more than 1 or 2 sacks. This inability to get pressure will doom us later on.
3) You got something right with AJ.
4) Branden Smith. Yep. The kid is a burner but calm down. One great play doesn’t make the kid Percy Harvin. After all isn’t Smith the same kid that fumbled and bumbled the ball resulting directly in 7 gamecock points.
5) True enough. The dawgs never gave up much to their credit.
BravesAreDone
September 15th, 2009
2:39 am
Not sure how any of you are saying the defense has played pretty well. This is a South Carolina team that scored 7 that’s right SEVEN points the previous week. Willie Martinez needs to go or eventually he will be Richt’s downfall.
Mark, I don’t know the number, but you probably do. I read somewhere that Martinez’s defense has given up more than 30 points I believe was the number like 4 times as much as Van Gorder’s defenses did when he was here. You know if that’s about right?
Perspective
September 15th, 2009
2:40 am
First post got eaten so let me try this again.
1) Joe Cox- Congrats to him for getting his head together, ignoring the critics, and playing a solid game. But when its all said and done is still an average qb and average won’t get it done at the upper tier of the SEC.
2) You’re lauding the Georgia defense. For Pete’s sake South Carolina’s offense still scored 30 pts.This is an offense that scored a mere 7 pts the week before against NC State. Does NC State have a worldbeater defense?
And they were a poor 3rd and goal pass from Garcia away from winning it. That errant 3rd down throw by Garcia was to a wr that was wide open. Georgia didn’t stop Carolina. Garcia stopped Carolina on that last series.
Also, the dawgs pass rush is nothing short of atrocious. You can’t win if you can’t pressure the qb.
When you look at Bama and Florida those guys have monsters constantly in the backfield sacking and hurrying the qb. The dogs defense hasn’t come close to that in 2 games and frankly I don’t even
know if we got more than possibly 1 or 2 sacks against Garcia in 51 attempts.
3) Branden Smith- Great speed but don’t get overly excited. The kid also fumbled and bumbled away 7 pts. He aint no Percy Harvin by any means.
4) AJ- Yep
5) To their credit the dawgs never gave up. But who the heck would give up anyway in the 1st qtr when its only 17-7. Nobody gives up that easy.
BJohnDawg
September 15th, 2009
5:32 am
Big Dawg fan…but here are the issues.
1) No pressure from Defensive line( same as last year)
2) Inconsistent special teams ( same as last year)
3) Undiscipline players with too many penalties( same as last year)
4) Inconsistent kick coverage( part of 2, and same as last year)
5) Questionable play calling on offense and defense( same as last year)
6) Poor Coaching…why poor coaching you ask? Because Georgia has the same problems as LAST YEAR. They have had a year to better the team in these areas, yet in some areas it seems to be worse. Great coaches eliminate poor areas of team play through coaching. Example: That pooch kickoff did not work last year, but they still are doing it this year, and it still is not working.If they dont fix issues, in most programs, they ( coaches) are gone. Not in this program, and that is part of the problem.
Against SC….the TE was open in the middle all night long.
Did the DC make the adjustment to change that? NO. This was a horrible offense moving the ball on the Dawgs like they were USC( the west coast version), Florida, Texas…..take your pick. One can only wonder what will have when Florida has the ball against this defense. They have the offense that can put it in the endzone, the offense S. Carolina lacked.
As a long time Dawg fan, I dont expect to win every game. Would love it, but reality is that does not happen. But I want the team to fix its mistakes and the areas it is lacking in and to fight and to be competitive every game. I really dont think that is too much to ask for from a coaching staff.
69 Dawg
September 15th, 2009
5:47 am
FIRE WILLIE NOW!!!!! I absolutely hate it when our D comes out on the field. We’ll fold up like a cheap lawn chair when we play some big time offenses. How many points can one Florida team score against Willie’s D? Bring VG back from the Falcons!!!!!!
kurula
September 15th, 2009
6:07 am
still too many points on the board against the defense. too much give in the secondary. the middle of the field is constantly wide open. the pass rush is virtually non-existent. there seems to be very little discipline. the talent level is way too high for me to believe this isn’t a coaching problem.
WTH
September 15th, 2009
6:32 am
Are you serious? VG would go back to the college level with a lower salary, dealing with recruiting, delusional fans, etc.
Gabe
September 15th, 2009
6:35 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.
timbo
September 15th, 2009
6:43 am
I like what you’re saying Mark, however, 1.Defense still is missing a lot of tackles. 2. No depth at rb behind Richard Samuel. 3. No depth on the defensive line. 4. DBs are too small in the red zone. 5. Teams doesn’t have enough game film on Joe Cox to expose his flaws.
Coog
September 15th, 2009
6:56 am
Defense (Martinez) couldn’t keep a slow TE from catching passes (chuck him at the line); SC QB had a pass blocked by the shortest guy on the field. That’s not the defense coming up with a big play, it’s a very low pass.
Douglas
September 15th, 2009
7:03 am
We have great defensive players but lousy defensive coaching. Martinez is not the only problem — I have not been impressed with our LB’s coach either — look at all the great LB’s we have recruited — yet Rennie is the only standout. They never covered anything underneath. When Van Gorder was here, we always had great LB play.
Ed-Covington
September 15th, 2009
7:11 am
Let’s see: dawg fans want to want to replace the HC, OC, DC, STC, QB, RB, DL, DBs, AD & Univ. Pres. What is there left for you to be a fan of?
F-105 Thunderchief
September 15th, 2009
7:11 am
I think if people will enjoy watching these really talented young players develop, they will like this season. A lot. If the Bulldog Nation (and, I don’t know how representative the rabid kooks on these blogs are) will have reasonable expectations and support their team all will be well. The team will win SEC championships, have a reasonable shot at the top spot nationally quite often. In short, they will have a very good program, competitive with anybody in the SEC, probably stronger than the Dooley years, which people seemed to be happy with.
Ed-Covington
September 15th, 2009
7:12 am
Add the LBC.
Bill
September 15th, 2009
7:15 am
So you eked out another close one against the Gamecocks. Good for you. I’d be more concerned that Spurrier has found his QB at last. That has been one of the major problems at SC. Don’t get too excited about Lattimore’s viist either. He is a “cock lock”. Let’s see you beat Spurrier then with that lousy defensive coach you have.
MiltonDawg
September 15th, 2009
7:15 am
Agreed MB- each week they are making improvements. We had no depth @ LB/DE last game- causing that TE for SC to go wild. If can minimize turnovers (which helped their offense) & reduce the penalites (same): UGA is headed in the right direction. I’m looking forward to seeing Houston this wknd at DE. Let Samuel run the ball more
sharecropper
September 15th, 2009
7:15 am
Well, next give me five reasons why the AJC continues to ignore the team up the street, a pretty good one, that is playing Miami this week, also a pretty good team. I try not to be paranoid but I simply don’t get it. Does UGA treat your writers better? Better seats? Better food? Better drink? Else I don’t know how it can be argued that Ga. vs. Arkansas is a better game than Tech vs. Miami. Just because we might be paranoid doesn’t mean the AJC is not out to get us.
SatchelBuzz
September 15th, 2009
7:20 am
Hey,….those Houston Cougars sure looked mighty good whipping Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Guess they’ve turned a corner as well,…C-USA Champs maybe???
Owned.
THWG!!
Lilburn Dawg
September 15th, 2009
7:25 am
Hate to say it, Mark, but your next post of the 5 reasons we are still swimming upstream will be the one that is more reality based. If Boykin hadn’t made that long runback the whole length of the field for a touchdown, we’d be sucking eggs right now. And as wonderful as that was to see, we can’t count on such uncommon plays (which happen once in a blue moon) to pull out a win for us.
And what is your take on the kid from ECI? Do you think we’ll see him in any games soon? I’d like to at least see what he’s like.
JB
September 15th, 2009
7:36 am
Lucky to beat Carolina. Giving up 35+ points to a offense challenged Carolina Team gives me pause. What will happen when we play a real offense. I could prep a team to move the ball on us. The TE and the 10-15 yard underneath passing game is there for the taking. R. Jones #9 plays 35 yards off the line. WTF. Everyone in the Stadium knew Carolina WOULD BE ABLE to drive the length of the field when they got the ball back at the end. Everyone can. Vandy, Kentucky……anyone….IT’S SCHEME, NOT ATHLETES…………..
Mac
September 15th, 2009
7:36 am
Bulldog fans on AJC blogs = fretting, complaining fiends
Chillax. It’s gonna be alright.
Yellowdog
September 15th, 2009
7:37 am
I used to get an adrenaline rush when the mighty Georgia defense took the field. Now I have a sick feeling in my stomach and agonize about how long the other team will cram it down our pathetic throats. It makes me want to puke and scream…”Why the hell is Martinez getting a paycheck for that pathetic crap he calls a defense.?” No offense to the players; there aren’t the problem. The responsibility rests on the slumped shoulders of that useless idiot.
The American Dream
September 15th, 2009
7:37 am
Wow what a great piece of garbage Mark. I can smell this writing all the way from the backroom of my trailer down in Peachtree City. My beloved Dawgs are about as back as my former wrestling partners Terry Funk and Tully Blanchard. I predict that there are at least five teams on the Dawg’s schedule that could whip em in a cage match–Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech, Midnight Express, and Arizona State. Go Dawgs! Peace in Christ Mark Richt! Oh and may God bless the USA, the state of Georgia, the wonderful Sonny “The Masked Warrior” Perdue, and all the lovely folks who supported the American Dream over the years.
leland
September 15th, 2009
7:41 am
Dear Mr. MB–today’s CYSC is pretty hard. Let me know if you have any trouble with it. Your pal, Leland
Vick=Dog killing thug
September 15th, 2009
7:44 am
I hate to join the bashers but I used to enjoy it when the dawgs were on Defense. Loved to see the big hits and the enemy QB on his butt…. Now I consider giving up a field goal to be a good defensive series. What happened ????
dawgfan1911
September 15th, 2009
7:49 am
This team has many flaws, but who actually think that this team will compete for the SEC championship? I say let the young players play, find some better coaches, especially on the defensive side of the ball and be a little more creative on offense. Branden Smith is a stud!!! Get him in the wild cat and let him be creative. Houston comes back this weekend so maybe we will get a better pass rush, but I am startled as to why we dont have better DEs???
JB
September 15th, 2009
7:50 am
Sharecropper………………………I know you will lay wood on me for this, but Tech after ONE year with Johnson ( a good year by the way) has not created a Buzz ( no pun intended) with the state, or region or nationally. Another couple of years of 9-10 wins or so and it will…….It’s like a politician, Tech needs to build back up that name recognition. Not many people care about Tech’s football program other than their fans. We at Georgia have the opposite problem. We can draw a crowd and a large TV audience but we are are losing that.
You hardly hear ANY National press say anything positive about the Dawgs. Underachievers. WE will likely soon be where you have lived the last few years, out of the top 25.and with that, playing at 12:30 on regional TV as you have been. Not bashing, just the way it is…..and has been. Also, the press loves new story lines….Johnson, Kiffen, The guy at Auburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas…………………..After last year failures and two beat downs on National TV, We are old news……up to US to change that………HBTD………
Connie Lingous
September 15th, 2009
7:51 am
Good column, Mark.
My comment yesterday got lost, so hopefully you’ll see it this time – DeAngelo Tyson is a DT, not a DE, as you identified him twice yesterday. DT all the way.
» SEC links: Tennessee stuck with Crompton? John Clay’s Sidelines
September 15th, 2009
7:53 am
[...] Mark Bradley fo the AJC gives five reasons why Georgia may have turned the corner. [...]
FBR
September 15th, 2009
7:54 am
I agree with yellowdog. 37 points from Carolina, poor tackling, penalties everywhere, poor decisions made by players, horrendous defensive ends play~~~a ragtag, disoriented football team. Poorly coached?
Kevkev
September 15th, 2009
7:59 am
BravesAreDone….YES the BRAVES are done!! I was at the game Saturday night and I too agree with you and the fact that Willie MUST GO. If Richt wants to stick around UGA he needs to do what needed to be done at the end of last season and let Willie go. Or too they will BOTH be gone.
We are way to talanted and athletic on defense to give up that much offense to SC….Spurrier trained or not. That game should have been over in the first half. And gosh, lets not make an adjustment and cover the tight end…who I am pretty sure had a career game against us.
Mark, what does our defense need to do in your opinion?
Paddy
September 15th, 2009
8:00 am
After 2 games and I hope my mind changes on this; We are a good team just not a real good team.
George P. Burdell
September 15th, 2009
8:02 am
A win is a win. Over-used cliche, but oh so true. Good job Dawgs.
With that said. Go Jackets!
Joe Fan
September 15th, 2009
8:03 am
Yeah, the dogs turned a corner but it leads down a dark alley. If UGA wins 3-4 games this year they will be fortunate.
gary
September 15th, 2009
8:07 am
The defense is horrible, in the old days we bent but did not break. We were able to get to the QB when we had to. We can’t seem to do anything on defense. 90% of the time our Linebackers and Defensive backs are out of position or getting beat. OH how I wish for Eddie Weaver, Bill Goldberg, Terry Hoage, and Champ Bailey!!
Clay
September 15th, 2009
8:09 am
I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Shouldn’t be too much longer now…
TommyGator
September 15th, 2009
8:10 am
Mark, good points!
1. Cox looked like a different QB this week. His arm strength was considerably better than against Okie State.
2. D was better, and against an improved SC attack.
3. You may be right, but that’s a VERY short list!
4. Yes. Ask any Gator: Speed Kills.
5. The bark was back. No quit on this night.
I’m looking forward to your rebuttal….
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
September 15th, 2009
8:12 am
1. maybe
2. maybe
3. maybe
4. maybe
5. maybe
Response by Brett Frave
Spike
September 15th, 2009
8:16 am
#6 Orson Charles.
sportsfan
September 15th, 2009
8:18 am
1) Don’t worry about Cox…he’s best available
2) What defense…over 400 yards total offense for SC and over 30
points.
3) Green is best receiver in SEC.
4) Don’t blame linebackers for not stopping SC tight end…who else in
SEC is gonna stop a 6′5″ 280 lb. tight end that runs 4.5 sec 40 yd.
dash.
5) Last play of game was not as great a defensive play as a stupid play
by SC QB….RB was open had he looked left or he could have run for
a first down had he not passed. Either way…games over.
William
September 15th, 2009
8:41 am
Hey it is not WILLIE MARTINEZ FAULT! The offense just has to score 45 points or more a game. Willie is a good old soul! Just ask Mark Richt! Willie is trying as hard as he can. It is the offense that scores. Poor Willie is getting a bad rap because mediocre offenses score 37 or more points. I say give him a raise! Add more years to his contract! Willie is a good old soul.
j
September 15th, 2009
8:41 am
Bradley,
You are an idiot! South Carolina is horrible and Georgia is just as bad. I can’t believe you still have a job here. Good thing your Dawgs didn’t play Houston. That would have been an @$$ whoppin! UGAY is done for the season!
fan
September 15th, 2009
8:42 am
those washington high boys got speed b. smith and r. jones it time to step up your turn jones and keep it going smith
CWM
September 15th, 2009
8:43 am
The coaches need to do a better job hiding the calls from the sidelines. Especially the defense.
Kevkev
September 15th, 2009
8:44 am
SPORTS FAN….lets see… apparently NC STATE stopped that 6′5″ 280 lb tight end. And thats an ACC defense where none of the players in the ACC can even SPELL defense.
And Joe Cox is NOT the best available QB at UGA…
lefty fielder
September 15th, 2009
8:45 am
JOE COX . . . if you’re reading this . . . way to kick a$$ this past weekend in a game that will always be close, no matter what the talent levels are on each team. I hereby dub thee “BIG RED.” I am one blogger who is behind you and the dogs 100%.
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.
maddawg
September 15th, 2009
10:00 am
how was tech’s win by 3 over Clemson so much more impressive than our win by 4 over SC???
we fell 2 places while they gained 2 spots!!
will someone please explain this????
GratefulDawghead
September 15th, 2009
10:03 am
Sick of watching us in a prevent defense allowing the short pass to work all day long not getting pressure on the QB.
Sound Familiar? Thanks CB!
September 15th, 2009
10:06 am
Richt, Bobo, and Martinez are guilty of poor playcalling and mediocre execution. Unless serious changes are made, the situation in Athens will deteriorate to the realm of mediocrity. And it will become downright hopeless on a national scale and especially in terms of winning a NC. The most basic and fundamental errors are evident throughout Georgia’s offensive and defensive plans, and the only conclusion one can draw is that Richt (whatever he may be as a man of character, or a recruiter), especially with Bobo and Martinez as his coordinators, is not up to the challenge of leading his team past others that equal his in talent. Coach Richt — PLEASE hire PROVEN coordinators. We want you to be our Head Coach! But you have to make the NECESSARY CHANGES. The current coaching staff at UGA is not good enough to win against the national elite and those are the games where coaching really matters. With the resources, facilities, and talent at their disposal Richt, Bobo, and Martinez should be competing for a SHOT at a NC AT LEAST every other year.
Herschel Talker
September 15th, 2009
10:07 am
Mark – giving kudos to Martinez’ defense at this point is recklessly premature. Don’t forget that SC would have hung 50 on them were it not for 2 holding calls that negated TDs. Yes, I know the game would have played out differently, but the point is that the defense played a lot worse than you’re giving them credit for. And that’s against a QB who’s been relatively average and who couldn’t put up a point against NC State except for a drive starting within the opponent’s own 30 yd. line. Tebow will light these guys up.
AltamahaDawg
September 15th, 2009
10:10 am
Acworth, I think that’s what Mark Richt was talking about when he said he knows that looks like slow death at times. I am with you, if the worse we have all year is short passes to the third options underneath, we can survive. And not everyone has got a #88. Would sure help to not commit the foul when you do have it stopped though.
Also it seems to me that we did collapse the pocket all night. We aren’t that far off.
matt r
September 15th, 2009
10:14 am
David Greene won more games than any other college QB by making the necessary but not necessarily artistic throws.
Otto
September 15th, 2009
10:16 am
BJohnDawg, I agree with you point.
Also CWM is not great but is not as bad as many who only post about him would indiicate. Bobo and Fabris also have their hand in the number of points given up. I would be curious to see stats showing number of turnovers given away, average field position for the other team, and average time of postion not per game but per drive (how long does the defense has to rest). I would think CWM’s stats would go up or down with those stated above. Georgiasports. blogspot has some great points on our offense. I am no evil genius but you have to question some of the play selection and players used.
All that said CWM’s defense looked decent considering the amount of time SCar had the ball thank to turnover. The played with alot of fight.The downside getting beat by one of the best TEs in the SEC and the last drive playing a Chavis style prevent defense. Curran made a great play combined with the QB making a very bad play.
Todd
September 15th, 2009
10:21 am
one simple reason they have not turned the corner and it will implode Sat. night.
the Joe Cox experiment, a remake of the Joe T. eperiment of 2006.
Part of life to have opinions in the real world. When I interviewed after grad. from UGA in 1985, one guy had one opinoin of my resume, another had thier opinion. Didn’t mean people were bashing me for no reason and being mean, just reality.
Dude, prove us wrong. Let me say Coxy, the rooster is the man, he’s on fire. I’m all for it, so far I just don’t see it happening.
AltamahaDawg
September 15th, 2009
10:22 am
HT and if not for the 2/3 NOT called that everybody saw they wouldn’t have sustained a few more of thier drives. That’s really not a valid point.
And they call it penalty for a reason. If Not for a few penalties on us the game would ahve evolved quite differntly too, wouldnt it.
Matt Ice
September 15th, 2009
10:26 am
Anyone who was at the game would actually realize just how bad Joe Cox really is….Its painful to watch him and having never complained or posted and actually agreeing with Mark 99 percent of the time I have to disagree. Joe is no good and our defense(martinez) is even worse. I sat through the entire game and it was like listening to someone scratch a chalkboard. Please talk about how many balls Cox underthrew…and how many Td’s Charles or Greene have if Cox had any kind of arm…Yes i like the guy he has paid his dues but he doesnt have the skill or arm to play at this level. We are in for a long year…
Reality Check
September 15th, 2009
10:33 am
sharecropper – Let me explain why they write more about UGA than Tech. Money! You know that high school stadium that you guys have trouble selling out even when you give out free stuff? You can’t even get 55,000 people to show up to support your team so what makes you think you will help the AJC’s ratings by writing articles or blogs about Tech? I don’t know the numbers but my guess is that a UGA article on this website is looked at by at least 2 to 1 to Tech artile.
joe dawg
September 15th, 2009
10:35 am
Van Gorder’s defense never gave up 30 or more points from 2001 to 2004. WM defense has given up over 30 points NINE times since. UGA also never lost a game in those four years where the offense scored 17 or more points. Since that time 7 games have been lost under WM where the offense has scored over 17. Simple Math.
Dawg Fud
September 15th, 2009
10:37 am
the defense did give up a lot of yardage but made a play when it was necessary and game on the line.
also, how is the defense culpabe for the fumble on the kickoff return, safety and pick-6?
HH
September 15th, 2009
10:41 am
Like I said, as long as the offense can score more then the defense gives up, they will win. Case in point: South Carolina: 41-37.
Shane
September 15th, 2009
10:42 am
JB
Hate to talk politics on here but cant let that one pass
The two Presidents who created the largest deficits in US History
Reagan and GWB
Look it up. Now that Obama is president its all the right can talk about. They conveniently forget the huge deficits Reagan ran up the the 80’s and Bush acted like he was trying to match him. Reagan bankrupted California before becoming President and then tried his best to do it to the country.
5 reasons Georgia might NOT have turned the corner | Mark Bradley
September 15th, 2009
10:43 am
[...] today we presented 5 reasons Georgia just might have turned ye olde corner in beating South Carolina. And coming next is 5 reasons the Bulldogs will — repeat, will [...]
azdawg
September 15th, 2009
10:44 am
Our front 4 do a good job of stopping the run but they’re not very good pass rushers. We do not have that speed coming off the ends any more w/the current players. C. Washington is a good looking end and Houston comes off suspension this week. Maybe that tandem will produce what’s been missing, esp since Battle is out for the season. We have darn good LB’s that do well against the run but for a few int’s here and there they’re not good covering TE’s and RB’s in passing situations. Can another DC make these same guys do better in these weak areas? I doubt we’ll ever find out. As long as they win these nail biters the DC will stay. That doesn’t build confidence from the fan base. Joe Cox did alright in this game. made a couple of mistakes but overall he hit some key passes and has a “W”. Luck was on our side this time w/2 SC TD’s nullified by flags. I just don’t have any warm fuzzies when the D takes the field against teams that can throw the ball and any adjustments WM was supposed to have made in the SC game sure didn’t stop Garcia from completing passes and almost win this game.
Happy that GA won. Unless we can pressure the opposing QB it’ll be more nail biters ahead and I fear a few opposition blowouts along the way.
Topp Dogg
September 15th, 2009
10:48 am
Its 11.45 am and GT still sucks!
JB
September 15th, 2009
11:01 am
Shane, i can’t much defend Bush, but if you think borrowing money from China and letting congress dole it out to special projects is going to stop the bleeding of job lose and give confidence to the American people, I want to know who taught you that and what makes you believe it. Capitalism, with her sins, is what made this country great, and that’s what it will take again. Not Bailouts, handouts and pork. The problem the other side has with capitalism is that people get rich on the backs of underachievers. The people who MADE a decision to drop out of school, take drugs or have babies at 16 get ‘left behind’ economically, and Obama thinks it’s just not right. He will level this out, punish the achievers through taxation and give them thier due. The “on the backs” is a cut by the way. The people getting rich are providing a living standard better than any in the world. Ask the millions with our work would they take their chances with Obama to support their family or a healthy, thriving economy ( with some folks getting rich mind you) and get back to me on that. You either contribute to the system or you take from it. All the voting lines up nicely with the choices.
FRED
September 15th, 2009
11:02 am
Dream on Mark. How can a team in the SEC win without a pass rush, a secondary out of position, a qb who can not roll out to avoid the rush, throws a wounded duck into coverage and can not run.The only bowl this team will play in this year is the TOILET BOWL.
Preston
September 15th, 2009
11:04 am
I agree William. Martinez does a tremendous job of recruiting so I would like to see him stay but give up the DC position. Get a fireball like Muschamp. God I miss Brian Van Gorder! With these players and CBVG as DC, nobody scores on us.
Teabag and Crier
September 15th, 2009
11:04 am
Ummm, Cox did not have an OK game. Who are you kidding, Mark?
He had one pick 6, he had one fumble.
He threw 2 balls in the 1st half that were both DROPPED by South Carolina defenders(trust me, I watched the game again yesterday).
And as for that pick 6, a fifth year senior should not, CAN NOT throw INT’s in the fourth quarter. You know it, Mark, I know it, and all fellow fans know it, you can’t make those kind of mistakes in an SEC game of this magnitude, and that one play(not the safety) let South Carolina back in the game and took ALL the momentum away from us.
Cox=Not the answer. You will see this weekend when he throws 2 picks AND one fumble, and Willie’s soft cover 2 zone leads us to a 48 to 17 defeat against ARK.
Samuel and Green and Boykin and Smith and Curran won that game for us, not Cox.
Johnny Test
September 15th, 2009
11:05 am
I tend to agree with coach Smith’s first comments on the defense. Take away the turnovers and pick 6 and the score is way different. I don’t like the soft zone coverage. I don’t know if UGA plays that way because that works best with their talent or because they know they can’t get pressure or what. Only the coaches know but it did hold SC to field goals vs TDs. I liked a lot of what I saw and I think we will continue to improve.
IF UGA plays with the same spunk and makes fewer mistakes and comes away with a win at Arkansas then I’ll feel like we’ve turned the corner. Right now I still feel a little like we are just surviving.
the real Old Gold
September 15th, 2009
11:05 am
Winning your first game of the year and giving up a slew of points to a sorry SC team is “turning a corner?” Wow.
MDawg
September 15th, 2009
11:07 am
Thank you Coach Smith for pointing out the truth. In the last two games, while the D hasn’t been spectacular, it has not been nearly as bad as the scores reflect. We constantly give other teams short fields. The same was true against OSU – their only “drive” of over 32 yards required a diving catch on a 47-yard bomb. We continually put our D in impossible situations. USC had to put up large numbers, they ran 83 plays. True, we couldn’t get them off the field, but that is what happens when they have the underneath passing game open to them. It is open to them because we can’t pressue the QB without bringing additional pressure. Under either scenario (blitz or no), if a QB has time he will eventually find someone open. When your D has 32 yards to play with, open is either in front of you or in the endzone – I’ll take in front everytime. However, if we don’t figure out how to get pressure without having to blitz, we are in trouble.
They will be fine. GO DAWGS!
Brian W
September 15th, 2009
11:07 am
How can people give this defense a passing grade. The scheme is horrible and we got lucky to win. I’ve never said get rid of Martinez, but he needs to change is 2 deep soft coverage or needs to be shown the door.
McDawg
September 15th, 2009
11:08 am
we still need a pass rush–w/o one we are going to play a bend not break style of D in the secondary
this guy mallett has got an arm hopefully we can run the ball and eat clock but i like where theis team is headed
Preston
September 15th, 2009
11:11 am
Now that Battle is out for the year our pass rush is going to be even more non-existant. We better get clicking on offense because the D is pretty bad this year. High scoring games like Boise State I’m afraid.
coach smith
September 15th, 2009
11:15 am
How in the world dees ANYBODY Know ANYTHING about MALLET?
He has played in 4 total games in 3 YEARS! An d the ONLY GAME he has started for ARKANSAS was against Mizzou State!!!!!!!!
That team and Mallet has NOT BEEN TESTED
Mallet has NEVER…repeat NEVER played in an SEC game while UGA has been battle tested twice already
MALLET and ARK are getting far too much credit
DamnGoodDawg
September 15th, 2009
11:24 am
When Munson quits worrying, I’ll quit worrying.
uga~fan
September 15th, 2009
11:28 am
Joe Cox can’t be the starter for this football team if they plan on being successful this season!!! Joe sucks and lacks the necessary arm strength to take advantage of the weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Our offense is at the bottom or near the bottom in every offensive catergory… Play the option for next year so that we can have a chance next year
Mydir T. Turban
September 15th, 2009
11:29 am
Mark, I don’t know what defense you’re watching, but the one I see struggles to make the proper adjustments during the game and plays WAY TOO SOFT against the passing attack. We were giving a 10 yard cushion to Garcia’s WR’s. That’s insane, because what it tells us is that we can NOT get pressure on the QB and must blitz LB’s. The bend but don’t break mentality may prevent a few touchdowns during the course of a season, but it also keeps your defense on the field too long and will cause serious fatigue in the long haul. It also prevents your offense from getting on the field and balancing out T.O.P.
Bottom Line: Martinez is on the sizzling seat with Georgia fans. Georgia doesn’t give up 62 points in two games without holding someone accountable.
AltamahaDawg
September 15th, 2009
11:32 am
Can somebody point out this second TD that SC had called back on a holding call? There was one in the 3rd quarter and the call was obvious, not lucky. If anything I would say that R. Jones being called for tackling a guy by his shoulder pads (not to get the call the other way despite our guy having helmet pulled off) to set up a SC FG was a pretty unlucky break earlier in the quarter.
But I don’t recall the second TD called back on holding.
Ben
September 15th, 2009
11:36 am
Wow what eloquent writing.
You should be writing for the New York Times given your amazing vocabulary and complex sentence structures!
Ben
September 15th, 2009
11:38 am
Wow what eloquent writing.
You should be writing for the New York Times given your amazing vocabulary and complex sentence structures!!
Nick
September 15th, 2009
11:39 am
I thought the effort by everyone was a 180 degree turn around from the week before. One of the best things I was so happy to see was those kickoffs going into or near the end zone. Have those coaches finally listened to reason??? I expect more and better play out of them as the weeks ramble on.
Go Dawgs!
Fletch
September 15th, 2009
11:40 am
Maddawg, we dropped spots bc OSU lost to an unranked team…made our loss to a top five team a little embarassing. We don’t need to worry about rankings, just keep winning in the SEC. We are young which explains for our sometimes sloppy play, but any true dawg fan should be excited for the future. There is SOOOOO much upside to this team, we WILL get better as the year goes on. Support them, don’t dog them. Recruits read these message boards!!!!
TechBuzz
September 15th, 2009
11:47 am
Mark it down—uga loses 4 more games: Arkansas, LSU, Florida and Ga Tech. Another disappointing year in store for the once mighty bulldogs. Tech wins the ACC and gets to a BCS bowl!!!!
how2fish
September 15th, 2009
11:59 am
Bill we have beat USC 7 out ot the last 9 years…I didn’t see any reason not to think that trend won’t continue…
how2fish
September 15th, 2009
12:01 pm
TechBuzz a real fan of a team worries about that team before bashing others…and with your line up the next few weeks..and that sterling performance your D turned in on thursday last week..you have PLENTY to worry about…see you Nov 28th bug!
EDSBS Dawg
September 15th, 2009
12:01 pm
Last weeks article “Have the dogs lost their edge?”
This weeks article “Have the dogs turned the corner?”
Bradley, you suck man.
UGA IV
September 15th, 2009
12:03 pm
Turned the corner? How about you hold off on that one until they play a good team. South Carolina is average at best.
GTjohn
September 15th, 2009
12:07 pm
The Dawgs may have turned the corner but it is way too early to tell. They did not lose on Sat but they did not win either. The Cocks just did not execute well enough when needed plus they had 2 TDs called back – one of which was a very questionable call. No way did UGA win that game, USC just lost what should have been a win for them.
5 reasons Georgia might just have turned the corner | Mark Bradley | Georgia Today
September 15th, 2009
12:14 pm
[...] The rest is here: 5 reasons Georgia might just have turned the corner | Mark Bradley [...]
slobodan
September 15th, 2009
12:18 pm
Of course coach smith is correct…every game is its own entity….in Saturday’s game, the dawgs did pressure the qb…there were very few plays that the qb could relax in the pocket (which is what Spurrier wants) and run the offense…Give Garcia the credit he deserves in being able to avoid pressure and scramble to buy time..A non-scrambling qb probably would have been sacked numerous times by the dawg pass rush. Most of SC’s passing offense was set up by Garcia buying time; and the dawgs did a good job of making sure that most of the completions were in front of them..
john
September 15th, 2009
12:25 pm
I suppose if we did everything perfect there would be no reason to even play the game. Just take the “W” and move to the next “W”. We are going to do nothing but get better week after week. “Get the picture!” There are going to be more new black and red threads purchased prior to the end of this year than tossed in the closet for another year. You can “bark on it”!!!! John
Aimee
September 15th, 2009
12:26 pm
I’m kinda tired of everybody bitching about the defense. There are things to work on, NO DOUBT, but maybe if we would stop turning the ball over so much they wouldn’t be on the field the whole damn game. Give them a little credit.
Jo JO Yo
September 15th, 2009
12:27 pm
Yes UGA you may have turned the corner. I expect you to turn another corner. Unfortunately you will encounter a road block in Jacksonville.
Georgia Headlines – 9/15/09 | MrSEC.com
September 15th, 2009
12:40 pm
[...] That’s up for debate.6. Finally, Mark Bradley of The AJC provides five reasons why Georgia might have turned the corner against South Carolina… and five reasons why they might not [...]
Aimee
September 15th, 2009
12:42 pm
Fletch, I couldn’t have said it better myself!!!
Villa Rica DAWG
September 15th, 2009
12:45 pm
Something tells me that UF is gonna KILL us…
SOS Dawg
September 15th, 2009
12:47 pm
Why doesnt Willie understand and some of you blind homers understand that if the offense does commit a TO that the our defense is still allowed to stop the opposing offense from scoring. The defense can force a field goal try or even sack the QB for a huge loss.There are options for the defense.
shards1967
September 15th, 2009
12:52 pm
The so called prevent D vs a passing attack can work and we saw it vs Auburn with Pat Sullivan
( Heisman ) Spurrier ( Heisman ) and all the Joe Roths of the 1970s Pac 10 NCAA world ( RIP Joe ) and all the other Florida circus acts like John Reeves, and too many to name here, over the decades. Yes, the prevent D can work IF you have the O to grind it out and eat the clock up AND make tackles in the open field.
Currently at UGA and for many years now with three head coaches, UGA seems to have forgotten how to lock up and prefers to do the sea gull tackle with arms spread open with shoulders down low and against great talent, we will lose more than we win and that is basic to our D probs of late.
We do not teach fundamental tackling at UGA and even casual observers, like my wife know it. She does not know what a first down is or a blitz. She does know that we layed way off the SC receivers.
Change this one factoid and then we will be moving in the right direction. At FSU they got away with fast players on O and really no solid D, until the ACC caught up with them. We are FSU north in many ways it appears. FSU would not have won more than 7-8 SEC games per year in their glory days.
The SEC plays findamental D and the teams that do that win big, year in and year out.
Go Dawgs
Joe Wilson
September 15th, 2009
12:58 pm
Martinez’s defense is nothing but smoke and mirrors. In other words its a LIE !
mr me
September 15th, 2009
12:59 pm
One thing I saw that excited me was Cornelius Washington bull rushing the right tackle in the first half. He tossed the guy like a rag doll. But I didn’t see him in much after that which I don’t understand.
Preston
September 15th, 2009
12:59 pm
With all the dawg hacking going on, I think we need to point out one VERY important improvement from years past. SPECIAL TEAMS! Boykin and Thomas are doing a great job on kick returns. Something that has been lacking in previous seasons that Richt and his assistants obviously didn’t give much thought to… until the opponents burned our asses with them. Better late than never.
Debbie Downer
September 15th, 2009
1:09 pm
The dawgs still haven’t improved on penalties. They are still a bunch of undisciplined losers. Cant wait to see when the ACC rap sheet will start ram-ping up. Someone will get arrested during the season just bank on it! Maybe Sturdivant will start touching pregnant women again and feel sorry for himself.
dan
September 15th, 2009
1:21 pm
1. I think Joe Cox is alright. He can get the job done. I just think fans are used to seeing Matt Stafford with that tight spiral, and Cox looks inadequate in comparison. He’s not great, but he’ll have to do.
2. Defense is alright. They play hard, which will have to do.
3. AJ Green is very good. But he’ll have to deal with getting double teamed until the other receivers can develop and take some of the pressure off him.
4. Branden Smith is really fast as is Boykin. Those were good pick ups for the Dawgs.
5. I think this team’s character is good, but remember that had a nice goal line stand against Carolina last year and then they mailed it in down the stretch. Carolina also has a tendency to choke in games. The same will not be true for Florida, and we’ll find out what kind of character this team has in that game.
wreckmaniac
September 15th, 2009
1:29 pm
5 reasons why nothing has changed:
1. UGA is all about recruiting. Playing the game is secondary
2. Other teams will not give up 200 yards on kickoffs
3. The SEC has changed. There are 2,3 or 4 possibly tier 1 teams
and UGA is not one of them. The rest of the league is mediocrity
4. UGA proved it cannot play well against a good out-of-conference team on the road.
5. Richt needs to learn from Bobby Cox about how to use his bench.
DawgDad
September 15th, 2009
1:34 pm
Well, SC is not chopped liver. Even for the best of the Dawgs teams those have been hard-fought and normally nail-biter contests. Dawgs won, which is exactly what they needed to do. This game is now a foundation for the rest of the SEC campaign.
Agree wholeheartedly the defense hasn’t been the same since VG left. That said, they look like there’s a lot more upside talent on that side of the ball this year vs. last.
The OSU game may be the best thing that could have happened to this team. Non-conference loss early in the year is nothing but a benchmark, meaningless in the late-season rankings. Much more constructive in the long term than a totally meaningless blowout win over Troy. Say, who did Florida lose to last year, and where was that game played?
I think this will be a very entertaining season. Has been so far.
MiltonDawg
September 15th, 2009
1:37 pm
so we can write a letter to Damon Evans??
Reece Ikelben
September 15th, 2009
1:51 pm
A win is a win is a win…..just keep on winning and the naysayers will keep on whining. Ad Infinitum. (for you Auburn, Clemson, or Alabama types that means a long time!)
GatorNation
September 15th, 2009
2:03 pm
Did any of you guys watch that game. UGA gave up 37 points and 427 yards to USCe. No way does that game indicate UGA is Back!!!! Green by the way will be very good and perhaps UGA’s best ever.
he hate me
September 15th, 2009
2:18 pm
i hope you’re right mark.
GatorNation
September 15th, 2009
2:19 pm
Douglas
September 15th, 2009
7:03 am
We have great defensive players but lousy defensive coaching. Martinez is not the only problem — I have not been impressed with our LB’s coach either — look at all the great LB’s we have recruited — yet Rennie is the only standout. They never covered anything underneath. When Van Gorder was here, we always had great LB play.
Shouldn’t great players make great plays. UGA has done none of that. All those recruiting classes you guys had have turned to this, a marginal SEC team. Man, I was looking forward to our game. If you guys don’t improve, I don’t see that happening anytime soon, you’ll beat no one else except maybe Vandy and that’s stretching it.
5 reasons Georgia will - repeat, WILL - win at Arkansas | Mark Bradley
September 15th, 2009
2:23 pm
[...] completes our all-Georgia Tuesday. Earlier we offered 5 reasons Georgia might well have turned the corner and then, in a flip-flop worthy of Petrino himself, 5 reasons it might not have. If you [...]
Freelemur
September 15th, 2009
2:23 pm
hahahahahahahahahaha
#1 BAMA FAN
September 15th, 2009
2:24 pm
Didn’t care who won but it was a very entertaining game. I kept trying to flip back to OSU-USC but the GA-USC game was better! RTR
GatorNation
September 15th, 2009
2:32 pm
DawgDad…SC is no chop liver. Last week you guys were talking trash about how bad they looked. No their not that bad just because they played you guys. HA HA HA. Does that mean NCST isn’t that bad either?
dan
September 15th, 2009
2:56 pm
I think things are never as good or as bad as they seem. Could the Dawgs be better? Yes. Can they be worse? You betcha. Sometimes things click in game and sometimes they don’t. Here is how I’d break down the Dawgs:
Things they do well:
Running the ball
Big play ability from AJ
Solid play from Linebackers
Good Punter
Things they do alright:
Run blocking/Pass Blocking
Tackling
Redzone defense
Punt returns/ kickoffs/field
Areas for improvement:
Better pocket presence and awareness from QB
Better Pass Rush
Better coverage by DB’s
Generating turnovers( absolutely terrible here)
hatfieldgeoff
September 15th, 2009
3:03 pm
Coach Richt,
When you hire a friend the first question you ask yourself is “if necessary will I be able to fire him?” If the answer was no you should not have given him the job. Nick Saban, Mack Brown, and Urban Meyer change coordinators until they get it right. Coach you gave a raise to a DC who’s defense allowed over 38 points 5 times. You are supposed to be makeing UGA football the best it can be not finacially assisting average coaches who are your friends.
nerdhater
September 15th, 2009
3:59 pm
You haters make me ashamed to be a UGA fan.
jerry
September 15th, 2009
4:32 pm
You think Willie allowing 30 is bad? Check this out.
2001–9,10,17,16
2002–13,18,13
2003–10,16,13,13
2004–20,13,14,20,6,19
2005–17,10,14
2006–18,14,14,14,20,15
2007–12,14,20
2008–14,17
2009–10
These are the games in which UGA has scored 20 or less–32 times. This is about 32% of the time. And this is what this offensive guru from Florida State was hired to do.
FLA DAWG
September 15th, 2009
4:59 pm
1. Yes
2. Nope – 37 points hung on us by SC for G’s sake!
3. Yes
4. Yes
5. Huh?
Way too early to say The Dawgs have turned the corner. As a matter of fact, with Martinez & Bobo I don’t think we will.
UGA STILL SUCKS
September 15th, 2009
5:14 pm
Mark what game were you watching? Mygod UGA game was flat out ugly. Those razorbacks going to beat those overrated muts.
takedowndawg
September 15th, 2009
6:37 pm
Guys, why is it necessary to write a “masters thesis” when given the bloggers space? Make a few heart felt, well thought out points and share them with us. I’ll bet you guys would REALLY be alot of fun to ride in a cross country car trip!! Talking about a captive audience!. Most of us just scan parts of your long blogs and skip the majority of the content. Give the troops a few nuggets and leave it at that. Go DAWGS!!!!!!!!
dan
September 15th, 2009
6:41 pm
This may be good ole’ fashion Dawg trash talking here, but I think the Razorbacks might get exposed Saturday. I think it will be a good game because Petrino’s crew has had 2 weeks to get ready for us. But the Dawgs have played 2 tough opponents while Arkansas has played no one in their opener. Usually a bye week is a good thing, but when your team is not battle tested, it can be a bad thing. I like the Dawgs in this game Saturday night.
John
September 15th, 2009
6:51 pm
I think SC is better than a lot are willing to say. Yes, it’s SC which is a traditional middle of the pack team. But, they have a lot of young talent just like UGA who will get better over the season. And they still have Spurrier who can still coach. They may actually be pretty good by year end.
Kim Z's Package
September 15th, 2009
6:54 pm
Did UGA join the Mountain West? UGA has to score 40+ points to just win on the last play of the GAME. HAHAHAHA. I thouoght you guys said UGA is a good SEC team. HAHAHAH. I think I just peed a little. HAHAHAHAHHA. even some more pee. I have to stop laughing, but I just cazn’t help it. UGA hahahaha top 25 hahahaha good Defense hahahah please stop stop I will totally wet myself.
Carl Spackler
September 15th, 2009
6:54 pm
5 reasons UGA might just have turned the corner
1) truck running on vapors, but there’s a gas station 5 miles up the road
2) slow leak in back right tire, but hope I can make it to the gas station
3) engine warning came on, but I think that I can last 5 more miles
4) oh oh, steam coming from under the hood, engine knocking yikes
5) taking a short cut and turning at the next street I see…dad gum it, didn’t see the sign “DEAD END”
exNFLplayer
September 15th, 2009
7:39 pm
Branden Smith could be the next Percy Harvin. I’d love to see him line up at bothe the WR positions and in the TB position as well. This kid is a game breaker.
Glen Mason
September 15th, 2009
8:08 pm
South Carolina? I mean its a graveyard for coaches. I surely woudnt go there Ha Ha Ha.
AceDawg
September 17th, 2009
2:34 pm
There was fight in the Dawgs, but lots of tough opponents mean there must be more execution than just isolated fantastic plays mixed with bad ones and lack of a defensive (or offensive) gameplan.