Remorseful Bacarri Rambo believes he could’ve made difference vs. Boise St.

Georgia free safety Bacarri Rambo returned from a suspension this week and expects to return to the starting lineup on Saturday. (Photo by Guy Prokay/DawgTime.com)

Georgia free safety Bacarri Rambo returned from a suspension this week and expects to return to the starting lineup on Saturday. (Photo by Guy Prokay/DawgTime.com)

Free safety Bacarri Rambo expressed remorse for what he called “a big mistake” and said he believes he could made a difference against Boise State last Saturday.

Rambo, the Bulldogs’ leading returning tackler, was reinstated this week after a one-game suspension for an unspecified team rules violations and is expected to start against South Carolina on Saturday.

“It messed up our team goals having to sit out that one game,” said Rambo, speaking to reporters for the first time since last spring. “I’m not going to say we could have won if I would’ve played. But I want to help the team as much as I can and the results of the game probably would’ve been different. That was a big mistake and I learned from it.”

Rambo would not say what infraction led to his suspension or exactly when it occurred. “I’d rather y’all ask Coach Richt,” he said.

Rambo traveled with the Bulldogs to Atlanta and was allowed to dress out for the game. That, in itself, was like a punishment.

“It was very tough” said Rambo, who started all 13 games a year ago. “I’m not used to sitting on the sideline, especially knowing I’m supposed to be starting. It’s very tough to see my guys out there playing and knowing I should be out there helping them, helping them communicate and fly to the ball, helping make plays, helping my team. It was very tough.

A powerful lesson was learned, he said.

“I broke a team rule,” Rambo said. “It was selfish mistake. I will not allow it to happen any more. I learned from that mistake. It was a big mistake. It didn’t affect just me, it affected the team because I couldn’t play and I’m not going to allow it to happen again.”

Dallas Lee to start at guard

Dallas Lee will get the first start of his career at left guard this Saturday. Richt indicated that might have been the case even if Kenarious Gates had not been injured.

“We thought he did real well,” Richt said of the sophomore from Buford, who took over when Gates left the game with a sprained ankle in the second quarter. “He might have played better than any of the guards as we graded it out. So whether Kenarious was healthy or not, he wouid have had a very good chance . . . of starting this week.”

Gates was held out of practice on Tuesday but is expected to be available Saturday.

O-line problems ‘correctable’

Georgia gave up six sacks to the Broncos and averaged fewer than 1.9 yards per carry on rushing attempts by the tailbacks. But Richt insists the Bulldogs’ poor line play can be rectified before facing South Carolina’s formidable defensive front.

“Everything is correctable,” Richt said. “The thing that was the most disappointing to me was the pass protection, especially third down. . . . Six sacks are way too many and the majority of the issues were on third down. We’ve already spent a lot of time making corrections in pass protection.”

Samuel to linebacker was considered

Richt said he briefly considered moving tailback Richard Samuel back to linebacker in the wake of the injury to Alec Ogletree. Samuel was Ogletree’s backup at “Mo” linebacker before backfield attrition forced the Bulldogs to switch Samuel back to offense, where he played his first two seasons.

“I thought about it kind of just laying on the pillow at night,” Richt said. “But by the time Richard got back and trained up and really ready to play, ‘Tree’ would probably be back and be healthy and ready to go. We’ve had 29 preseason practices plus last week, so we have over 30 practices with these other kids.”

Ogletree is out at least four weeks with a broken foot. Michael Gilliard, Amarlo Herrera and Jeremy Sulek are competing to start alongside Christian Robinson. Linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti said the Bulldogs are also exploring other options.

“There’s a million different things we could do,” he said, declining to elaborate.

Jarvis Jones to inside ‘backer not considered

The Bulldogs gave little to no thought of moving Jarvis Jones from outside linebacker to inside linebacker. Jones was playing inside linebacker before the Bulldogs moved Ogletree to the position from strong safety. But Jones has been flourishing at “Sam” linebacker. He had 11 tackles, including 2½ for losses, in the opener.

“Jarvis is just doing so well where he is,” Richt said. “He’s locked in and playing fast and playing very physical. . . . He played great. He played like a guy who hadn’t played for a year and half and couldn’t wait to hit somebody again. He played with a lot of energy and got after it.”

Sticking with no-huddle

Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said the Bulldogs plan to stick with the no-huddle offense they unveiled in the Georgia Dome. He said the decision to switch in the offseason was an attempt to run more offensive plays. But the Bulldogs ran just 60 plays last Saturday to Boise State’s 71.

“We wanted to get more plays, which we didn’t do on Satuday,” Bobo said. “But we’re committed to doing it. More plays equals more opportunities, more chances to score. Last year we just didn’t think we had as many opportunities as some other teams.”

The no-huddle was not to blame for the offensive struggles, the Bulldogs contend.

“No matter how you operate offensively, the bottom like is you’ve got to execute,” Richt said. “And you execute well whether you no-huddle or you don’t no huddle. We didn’t have much trouble as far as the operation of it. The problem was once the ball was snapped. That’s when we had problems.”

Etc. . . .

Nose guard Kwame Geathers did not practice for the second straight day due to a neck injury. Richt expects him to play Saturday, however. . . . Freshman Malcolm Mitchell had “another great practice,” Bobo said. Look for him to play extensively against South Carolina. . . . A limited number of tickets remain on sale for Georgia’s home game against Coast Carolina (Sept. 17). They’re $45 each. Call 1-877-542-1231. . . . Georgia is holding a pep rally – they’re calling it a “Red Rally” – Friday night at Sanford Stadium. The Georgia Redcoat Band and cheerleaders will be in attendance and the Bulldogs will “show off” their new 2,000-square-foot-plus video board. . . . Here’s a link to video of some of Tuesday’s practice and some interviews from DawgTime.com.

407 comments Add your comment

dont smoke

September 7th, 2011
10:31 am

hey rambo… you wouldnt have made a difference and quit smoking those big fat spiffs.

dont smoke

September 7th, 2011
10:32 am

JB

September 7th, 2011
10:32 am

Chicken man………….Maybe after 100 years, ya’ll can commission a trophy case to be built…..LOL

Fresh Start

September 7th, 2011
10:33 am

Look, I like Mark Richt a lot. He’s a good man, good father, good husband etc…. I think he is an excellant role model for young people, and I’ve alyways liked. I will still like him after he leaves UGA. All that being said, i just think we need to go in a different direction. We need to clean house with this staff starting with Mark, and everyone else. We need a fresh start with S&C instead of some guy in his late 50’s handling that. Just my humble opinion. Like I said, Mark is a good man but these embarrassing performances have got to stop. The University of GA is no longer even relevant on the college football landscape.

Nothing Could Be Finer

September 7th, 2011
10:33 am

South Carolina’s OL has 3 starters returning, plus a guard who started 1 game last season. They have 2 backups with significant experience (JR and SR lettermen).
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Plus Mega Freshman Brandon Shell.

JB

September 7th, 2011
10:35 am

Fresh…………….Our entire Conference loves him. I want them to hate Dan Mullen.

Chicken Man

September 7th, 2011
10:36 am

JB, we won a trophy last year and are the defending East champs. I know we don’t have the history that UGA does, but it’s not like y’all are Bama or LSU. At least we know how to beat FL! In the swamp!

Delbert D.

September 7th, 2011
10:36 am

Watkins was named lineman of the week after the E. Carolina game. He’s one of the bigger guys at 6-4 334.

Delbert D.

September 7th, 2011
10:38 am

Nothing Could Be Finer – Did Shell play last week?

JB

September 7th, 2011
10:39 am

Chicken man, all kidding aside, I want to win Saturday, but if not us, I would like to see you guys win the SEC this year. I think the stars are lined up for you guys with Ga,fla,tenn being in a flux. We know you guys have a big, physical well coached team. It’ll be a war like always. Good luck but Go Dawgs

Chicken Man

September 7th, 2011
10:39 am

Lattimore is coming to town, and he’ll get another 180 yards against that “tough’ 3-4 defense! I’m going to the game, and will try and make sure I count all of the tackles that he breaks. I predict about 30-40 at least. UGA is the worst tackling team I’ve ever seen. Lattimore is a bulldozer!!!

Chicken Man

September 7th, 2011
10:41 am

I respect your post JB, and I can tell you that almost all Carolina fans have respect for UGA. We are just hungry and feel like this is our year!

TOO TOUGH44

September 7th, 2011
10:41 am

Hey historian….! Eat cow chips!

JB

September 7th, 2011
10:42 am

Now chicken man , if he breaks that many, who’s going to help you count?

Chicken Man

September 7th, 2011
10:43 am

Ok, I getting off of this blog and y’all UGA folks can have at it. Y;all made fun of us for so long so I had to get a little ribbibg in on you guys. I do think that Richt is a good man, but still think USC wins big on Saturday. See you at the game!

Nothing Could Be Finer

September 7th, 2011
10:45 am

Now chicken man , if he breaks that many, who’s going to help you count?
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I will.

Last year I counted 357.

Nothing Could Be Finer

September 7th, 2011
10:47 am

Did Shell play last week?
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I don’t think he did.

Travis Peck

September 7th, 2011
10:51 am

Move Rambo to LB….he is plenty capable of playing Tree’s old position.
Great “COACHES BY THE NUMBERS” article on CMR’s history:
http://coachesbythenumbers.com/should-richts-backside-really-be-on-fire/

RedandBlackDAWG

September 7th, 2011
11:10 am

Nothing could be finer,

That means you had at least 18 fellow S.C. fans sitting in the stand with thier shoes and socks off, so you could get that high.

Tech '10

September 7th, 2011
11:12 am

Personally, I hope this bump in the road reoccures again sometime near Thanksgiving. ha. But this is only a bump in the road, I would assume. As for hating or liking cmr, there is a healthy way to constructively criticize your ball coach, I don’t seem to see a lot of that on these blogs. There are a lot of arm chair coaches here, which I assume was the same way when Gailey was getting ready to get fired. Please do remember that cmr’s priorities are to of course win, but to also make his players (many of whom come from very little) productive members of society, be a father figure to them.

Uuugghh...

September 7th, 2011
11:13 am

This is a sad day. Rival fans are on our blogs talking trash. But I can’t defend my team by refuting their claims–because I agree with them! Sweet Lord.

David Granger

September 7th, 2011
11:20 am

All he’d have had to do would have been:
1. Protect the quarterback,
2. Throw a block or two…like he were actually INTERESTED in the game,
3. Catch a few key passes (that were catchable),
4. Rush the opposing quarterback,
5. Cover the opposing receivers a little tighter,
6. Somehow convince Coach Bozo…uh….Bobo to actually GO for the first down yardage on third and long, instead of running yet one more draw play off tackle,
7. In the same vein as number 6, point out that we broke one sweep for a long touchdown…can we at least TRY one more run outside before the game is over?
7. Teach the majority of the team how to actually fasten those straps on their helmets, and not worry about getting a little smiling and styling “face time” on national TV when they have to go pick ‘em up,
8. Be ready to play from the very opening kickoff.

If he had done all that, he’d have made a hell of a difference.

DawginLex

September 7th, 2011
11:20 am

Put Rambo at the old rover spot and play nickel the whole game.

Tech '10

September 7th, 2011
11:20 am

@Uuugghh… Hey man, 7 years of Gailey will add a lot of perspective… for better or for worse… haha.. as for the South Carolina fans, well I don’t really keep up with them outside of garcia getting arrested every other week and still playing on saturday.

DAWGMAN

September 7th, 2011
11:23 am

I don’t feel good about our Dawgs getting their feelings hurt about what they read or hear in the media. If they can’t deal with that trivial distraction, then how can they pull themselves together for the SEC opener? Where is the leadership from within the team? Is anyone within the team hauling up some of the guys who need a reality check? Very few folks will sing your praises when you get your butts kicked. I hope you came to Georgia to kick the other guy’s butt, and hurt his feelings. Make those guys mope around, and feel sorry for themselves.
You guys got more important things to do. Do it on the field. That’s the only place any of this counts. Make the quality of your game speak for itself. Then stroll on up the hill and ring that chapel bell. Take new UGA with you. Then all of you will know that It’s Great to Be a Georgia Bulldog!
Sic’em !
Time to get real, men.

Uuugghh...

September 7th, 2011
11:23 am

If I were Spurrier I would ride Lattimore all day. His game plan should only be keep our D on the field as long as possible. Clearly, our D can’t sustain pressure or any sort of composure on drives lasting more than 5 minutes. It will be close for a half but then USC pulls away huge in the 2nd half.

If I were USC’s DC, I would never come out of my base D because Bobo will ruin drives all on his own. (It is not like they don’t know what we are going to try and do.) Then I’d play my subs the whole 2nd half.

Hoping I am wrong but I see USC scoring 45 minimum. Dawgs score a bunch less. If we hit 21, special teams will have scored one of the TDs.

WDE

September 7th, 2011
11:24 am

Sssshhhhhhtttt I hear the clucking of chickens!!!

TN Jeff

September 7th, 2011
11:26 am

What a joke! Rambo make a difference? I don’t think UGA needed another defender afraid to hit anyone relying exclusively on arm tackling.

THE Dixie Redcoat Band

September 7th, 2011
11:26 am

Let’s see….Hurry up offense/no huddle=tired defense back on field faster., yea, this makes sense.
So the SEC will dilute the SEC with TA&M?

Bama Mike

September 7th, 2011
11:27 am

Even in a lossing effort I thought Crowell showed some however small flashes of potential. Georgia really needs to get him out in space ie., underneath screen from splitting him outside. He definitely needs to polish his blocking otherwise it is almost 10 vs 11. I expect a good game from the dawgs this week. Too talented a team not to have some folks step up after a game under their belt.

Willie B

September 7th, 2011
11:30 am

Hey historian, 100 years ago (that you keep refering to) was 1911. What was going on down here in the south then bubba?

Tech '10

September 7th, 2011
11:35 am

@Dixie Redcoat Band: You guys should be jumping at the bit to add a school like A&M into your conference, regardless of whether or not they have a good football team right now.

Contractor

September 7th, 2011
11:37 am

Chicken Man,

You are correct that y’all have an amazing team this year. Watching Clowney run around on Saturday worries me even more. I personally believe we could put our best player on him, and he would blow our lineman up. With him, and Lattimore and Jeffrey on the other side of the ball, we’ll have out hands full. I sure hope we have some screen plays designed, or dump offs to get the ball out of our quarterbacks hands quickly. Should be a hard fought game like every year, but I hope the Dawgs pull one out against y’all. Though we’ll need a better performance than we gave last year, and last weekend.

Hollywould

September 7th, 2011
11:51 am

Rambo? Last I saw Dyer was pushing him back into the endzone. I am afraid Carolina routs Georgia as the def. line for Georgia is overrated. Lattimore goes for 150/ jeffrey scores twice over Rambo. 27-7 War Eagle!!

cj

September 7th, 2011
12:11 pm

Offensive Coordinator Bobo needs to go. For the last two seasons his play calling has been horrible. He will cause Coach Richt to get fired. You cannot always just run up the middle. For God sake call a screen and run your backs around the end. I have lost patience with Bobo.

Aldo Raine

September 7th, 2011
12:14 pm

After last weeks game I am not looking forward to screaming at the top of my lungs to THROW for a first down on 3rd downs, even if we are not down by 14, UGH

Nothing Could Be Finer

September 7th, 2011
12:14 pm

Richt has said that Branden Smith’s foot injury was one reason he wasn’t used on offense Saturday. But don’t forget that Smith and Isaiah Crowell cannot be played together because each wear’s the No. 1 jersey.

There doesn’t appear to have been any resolution for that particular situation.
“They can’t be on the field at the same time,” Bobo said Tuesday. “That’s the only answer I’ve got, and there ain’t no solving it.”
———————————————–
More good stuff from BoBo.

Benny

September 7th, 2011
12:14 pm

Blah, Blah, Blah. I saw all the fan support versus Boise State as fans left in droves. UGA deserves better fans that will stand by their team. But then, Georgia needs to field an actual football team.

Ron

September 7th, 2011
12:16 pm

Amazing how many experts that post in this blog. Ya’ll must be making a lot of money for your consulting fees.

1eyedJack

September 7th, 2011
12:17 pm

Historian is not much of a historian. The war of northern aggression was 150 years ago. And we would have won that war if we had attacked Washington right after the first battle of Manassas (Bull Run for you Yankees), or if Marse Robert had listened to me, after failing to attain the high ground, and circled around Gettysburg and threatened Washington, which would have had the Yankees suing for peace.

Otherwise, Go Dawgs! Choke the chickens.

Victor Matlin

September 7th, 2011
12:22 pm

Hey, I’ve been a fan and going to games for 35 years and always supported the team, but this is just frustrating! If UGA beats SC then I will never post again.

The Real Rambo

September 7th, 2011
12:24 pm

Yeah, we were missing Rambo’s late hits. Having him back should make all the difference. Talk about inflated ego . . . he probably has a tattoo of himself. Trash talking, dancing, and getting that helmet off for television is abundantly apparent on this team. No one is in charge and Grantham is a lightweight coach in over his head. He is no difference maker. Richt would have been better off with a coach he likes and can work with easier. It is a shame that the program has degenerated to this.

DawginLex

September 7th, 2011
12:28 pm

Is Murray the problem?

Notre Dame has 2 QB’s and just benched their starter.

Maybe we need to give Hutson Mason a chance?

Root of the problem

September 7th, 2011
12:29 pm

Yeah, this is what was missing Saturday night. Good to see If he is so convinced that he could have made a difference, he should have been in the game, not on the sideline. This is the tough guy that got knocked out cold by a Tech A-back last year. Rambo in name only.

Larry Munson

September 7th, 2011
12:35 pm

Look at the sugar falling from the sky…no wait the sky is falling.

What do you expect, I’m a very old man.

Valdosta Cat

September 7th, 2011
12:36 pm

Two words………Malcolm Mitchell

Dumbo

September 7th, 2011
12:36 pm

Why is everyone down on the no huddle…UGA has no line, no TB’s, no WR’s ….UGA just wants to get the punt team on the field as fast possible!!!

Coach Steve Spurrier

September 7th, 2011
12:39 pm

It is over dawg fans. We will crush you on Saturday. You might as well throw in the towel. Wait, I guess y’all did that last Saturday night in the 3rd quarter.

Final Score
UGA 10 SC 47

Dumbo

September 7th, 2011
12:43 pm

Coach Steve Spurrier…………46, 15, 2 ……….

BigO

September 7th, 2011
12:47 pm

1Tell em Cuz! Now lets go fry some chicken Saturday!