Call it the Wild Dawg
ATHENS – So, Mark Richt was asked, does Georgia have a creative name for the offensive package in which the ball is snapped directly to speedy freshman Branden Smith?
“Well, I think . . . Scott Howard on the radio . . . calls that the ‘Wild Dawg,’” Richt said.
“That was Zeier,” interjected Howard, passing the credit to color analyst Eric Zeier.
“I’m all for that,” Richt said of the name.
So “Wild Dawg” it is -– Georgia’s moniker for the offensive formation that football folks generally refer to as the “Wildcat.”
“I heard someone else, I think in the NFL, was calling it something a little bit different than the Wildcat,” Richt said. “They were calling it the Wild Bronco or something. I think Wild Dawg is pretty good.” (And for the record, Richt declared the preferred spelling: “Gotta be D-A-W-G.”)
By whatever name, Smith’s role in the Georgia offense stirs excitement, especially after his 52-yard touchdown run in last week’s win over Tennessee Tech.
Richt said Smith, whose primary position is cornerback, will continue to focus on defense but can be worked increasingly into the offense in future seasons as he gains experience.
“I don’t know if we’ll get to Champ Bailey numbers as far as the amount of [offensive] plays in a game,” Richt said, “but I don’t think that’s out of the question.
“Even when we recruited [Smith], I told him, ‘Your first year, you have to learn defense. You have to spend most of your time in those meetings. To think you are going to spend some time here and some time there, it just doesn’t work that way.’ . . . We want him to get comfortable in that [defensive] role and really understand it well. It may be as early as this spring that we could spend a few days [with him] exclusively learning more offensive football.
“This first year we wanted to give him just enough [offensively] to get him lined up and get the ball in his hands. I think our coaches have done a good job with that. Hopefully it will grow as we go.”
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83 comments Add your comment
clemkudtlhopr
November 11th, 2009
7:12 am
Coaches have done a good job of getting Branden Smith into this offense? I don’t think so.
This offense should be called ” The Neutered Dawg”
chazzo
November 11th, 2009
7:18 am
Call it a fad.
Dabo
November 11th, 2009
9:01 am
Instead of the Wild Dawg how about the Mad Dawg
Alotta
November 11th, 2009
9:09 am
tech fans on UGA blogs, spend a lot of time reading about and commenting on the dawgs. Kind of funny, I can honestly say I have never clicked on a GT article or been interested enough other than the last game of the season to even turn on a GT game. Call me crazy
Josh Nesbitt
November 11th, 2009
9:19 am
Has anybody seen my tutor? I need to turn in some homework before the big game against Duke.
BamaBob414
November 11th, 2009
9:31 am
It don’t matter none. Bama owns UGA and Auburn. Nick Saben is the best coach in the country, and we gonna add another national championship to the lot. I think that makes 14 now? Too bad no other SEC team can say that. And we have a classy fanbase to boot – y’all can’t say that. In fact, no one in the SEC can say that. ROLLLLLLLLLL TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE
HBTD
November 11th, 2009
9:35 am
Get used to it, the nerds are obsessed with anything UGA (or their alumni) does. It’s all part the inferiority complex they suffer from.
Dawg ' 85
November 11th, 2009
10:09 am
BamaBob…. yes, you are “classy”… and illiterate!
“It don’t matter none” “Nick Saben”
“and we gonna add another national championship”
Git yer wife/cousin to git one o’ dem fancy dikshernaries when she go into town fo vittles!
Georgia Headlines – 11/11/09 | MrSEC.com
November 11th, 2009
10:29 am
[...] on.6. Freshman Branden Smith is running Mark Richt’s “Wild Dawg” package.7. Here’s more on the option package.8. AJ Green says he’s 100% healthy and ready to go against Auburn.9. Tailback Ben Tate is [...]
takedowndawg
November 11th, 2009
10:39 am
Stinger, did you attend and graduate from Georgia Tech? That would be interesting to know. If so, congratulations on your zeal. If not, tone it down some. Tagger’s blogs are pretty predicable. By the way, I don’t believe that Calvin Johnson has set any records in Detroit prior to Stafford’s arrival. Stafford will do fine especially if the Lions invest more heavily in a line that can protect well.
soulda boy
November 11th, 2009
11:06 am
“Dancing Dawg” Oops thats what is going on the sideline no matter if we are winning or loosing
Saint Simons
November 11th, 2009
11:20 am
More like the Mild Dawg!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coaching?
November 11th, 2009
11:45 am
I’ll believe it when I see it work against a 1-A team. Sounds like another gimmick to me.
Dawg Fud
November 11th, 2009
12:05 pm
Stinger – that would be “Busch” League…
Mister T
November 11th, 2009
2:06 pm
Allotta,
Maybe you should read the Tech Blogs. The rest of your bloggers spend an awful lot of time there. Mostly talking trash. I don’t think I have talked any smack. I am pretty confident, but I am not comfortable with any team that has a reasonable pass offense. I saw the Arkansa game. uga is capable of putting up huge numbers passing. It could be another shoot out like last year.
THWg!
dap01
November 11th, 2009
3:09 pm
Stinger: By you comparing Matt to Reggie Ball shows your level of understanding. You need to get out of that 2nd rate stadium. Don’t you have your own blog or is it like your stadium, quiet and empty.
Go back to your video games.
Ole Dawg
November 11th, 2009
3:34 pm
I hear there is a lot of discension among the UGA coaches and it is mainly driven by Rodney Garner. If that is true just getting rid of WM won’t do it. Also, what happen to Richt and his “razzle dazzle” surprise every now and then? Richt will get it right.
AubTig
November 11th, 2009
3:54 pm
Does this mean Alabama runs the Wild Mullet???
god and greyhound
November 11th, 2009
4:18 pm
uog’s rankings in the SEC:
Rushing offense: 12th
Total offense: 11th
Passing efficiency defense: 11th
Total defense: 11th
Scoring defense: 12th
Turnover margin: 12th
Pass defense: 11th
Penalties: 12th
Glory Glory
November 11th, 2009
4:20 pm
I will support my Dawgs through thick and thin!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKjurP9ceKI
Go Dawgs!!!!!!!!!
Bawney Fwank
November 11th, 2009
5:45 pm
What BuLLdawg said!
Like I said many times, Matthew Stafford should never have skipped his senior season because he had not corrected his one major quarterback defect of throwing off his back foot. I hope he is frugal with his signing bonus and invest it wisely.
Also I wont awl my sirporters to know that I did knot no my woommate doemestic partner was dealing dwrugs out of our house. I dont no whot a dwug look like!
JacketFan
November 11th, 2009
7:41 pm
BuLLDawg … jeez … Grant Field is named for Hugh Inman Grant, an Atlanta Businessman.
War of Northern Aggression? Really? You’re retarded.
JacketFan
November 11th, 2009
7:47 pm
BuLLdookie –
Saragin SOS rankings:
UGAg – 10
Georgia Tech – 12
LSU – 17
BAMA – 25
Florida – 42
(you can see it here: http://www.kiva.net/~jsagarin/sports/cfsend.htm)
Essentially, Tech plays the same SOS as UGAg … Tech is 9-1, 7th in the nation …
Georgia is , urm, 5-4 and 37th in the nation …
Dude, just shut up.
godawgs
November 11th, 2009
8:44 pm
Call it the “Go Dawg”!!!!
Hey, if it gets us a 100 yard rusher, Richt is 38-3 when that happens.
If it gets us to 200 yards rushing, Richt is 17-2 there.
Douglas
November 11th, 2009
8:47 pm
Here is the thing so absurd about Mark Richt: He said people are coming up to him at church telling him they are praying for him and support him. His response: things must be worse than I think they are. He better get a reality check…things are worse than he thinks they are. Maybe his wife ought to start reading the paper and telling him how bad things are. He is in denial — got his head buried in the sand just like Fulmer — I even like the guy as a person but this is how unrealistic his perception is of the situation.
ARdawg
November 11th, 2009
9:35 pm
To hell with the gimmicks Richt. Black jerseys, helmets and a wild dawg. How about let’s play some good old fashion GEORGIA football for a change
Bill from Conyers
November 11th, 2009
10:32 pm
Bulldawg, give it a rest man!! Sorry everyone else in the SEC and ACC has pasted your bull-pups this year in the BCS and conference rankings. Top ten teams are top ten teams for a reason man…. As for tech, they can’t wait to stomp UGAy and Joe Cox in the ground.
Bill from Conyers
November 11th, 2009
10:33 pm
Now remember kids, “Cox” sucks and “Buck” blew!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha 45-42!!!!!!!!
Tubbs
November 13th, 2009
4:11 pm
(has nothing to do with this article…sorry) CMR heavily endorses Bobo to Memphis (kindly sending him on his way) CMR takes over the offense COMPLETELY then ships ol Willie out on his way to another c.michigan caliber team because that is where he has belonged this whole time. then CMR makes a controversial but extremely successful hire in Tommy Tubberville to DC. hold on now, the ol river boat gambler won the 93 nat champ as miami’s DC and then went to Tx A&M as their DC the following year and lead them to a 10-0-1 record that year. pay him a cool 1.6 a year making him a happy man. CMR in charge of the offense and Tubbs in charge of the D can you imagine the recruits that could bring
Tubbs
November 13th, 2009
4:15 pm
**91 national champ
Oledawg
November 15th, 2009
9:50 pm
The formation should be aptly named after the only true wild dog- the Dingo. When the Dingo begins to form , we could get some band or student section members to play that great Aborigine/woofin music on a bunch of Jew’s harps. Right out of Quigly Down Under. I’m tellin’ you that it would be great and original. We don’t need to copy someone’s Wild Cat formation name. Dawgs-give’em the Dingo!!
Steve in Bama
November 15th, 2009
11:07 pm
I know Prez Adams would hate it, but How ’bout “Junkyard Dawg”?
GGTOG&THWGT
November 19th, 2009
10:56 am
I seriously think that “Tubberbunch” would be an excellent choice for DC. He would probably be more accessible and come at a much lower price than Kirby or Muschamp. When he was at Allbarn, they generally had very respectable to excellent defenses. Also he might be an added influence to Bobo to run the “Damn” ball.