Georgia’s defense looking to stem the tide of big plays
According to the Bulldogs, they're really not far off from playng defense at the level they were last season, when they finished fifth in the nation in total yardage allowed. (AJC photo by Bob Andres)
ATHENS – When talk at Tuesday’s weekly news conference turned to the big plays given up by Georgia’s defense, Mark Richt interrupted. “I don’t want to talk about the South Carolina game anymore.
“They beat us, they beat us soundly and congratulations to them,” the Bulldogs coach said. “But we’ve moved forward past that and now correcting mistakes is important.”
Trouble is, Georgia’s mistakes on defense this season have not been limited to the 35-7 drubbing it received in Columbia. The Bulldogs have given up yardage in large chunks to everybody they’ve played this season. The gashes the Gamecocks left in Georgia’s defense were just more notable because of the gravity of the situation.
Against South Carolina, Georgia gave up three plays of 20 or more yards – including a 62-yard pass completion. But that was more the rule than the exception this season. The Bulldogs have given up at least three plays of 20 or more yards in every game, including Buffalo and Florida Atlantic.
In total, they’ve allowed 21 plays of 20 or more yards and 14 plays of 30 or more yards. Missouri recorded the longest pass play (69 yards) and Florida Atlantic the longest run (48).
“It’s not disappointment because we know we have the ability to do just as good as last year or better,” senior cornerback Sanders Commings said. “We’re more angry than anything. We’ve just got to find that swagger and take it to the field on Saturday and we’ll be OK.”
That’s a far cry from what was expected from the 2012 defense, which came into the season drawing comparisons to Alabama, LSU and South Carolina. The Bulldogs were fifth nationally in total defense a year ago.
“There’ve been 13 explosive plays in the pass game in the first part of the season,” said defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who defines “explosive plays” as 24 or more yards. “That’s way too many. You can’t, but if you take those plays out we’re pretty much where we were last year from a yards per attempt standpoint. But they are there, so you have say why they’re there and you have to make sure you make the proper corrections.”
The chief explanation the Bulldogs offer for that is “miscommunication.” Players and coaches are trying to be careful not to offer it as an excuse, but having four starters miss a total of 12 games due to suspension contributed to that problem. The issue hasn’t been as much playing without those players as it has been all the residual personnel changes that resulted.
For instance, Georgia had three different free safeties in the first six games and three different boundary cornerbacks. Amarlo Herrera started the first four games at “Mo” inside linebacker but has started the last two at “Mike.” Each has distinctly different responsibilities in the passing game.
The end result has been the occasional wide receiver or halfback running free in Georgia’s secondary and two Bulldogs pointing at each other at the end of the play.
“We have no excuses for anything, no matter who’s in or who’s out,” said Herrera, who admitted his misread led to Tennessee’s running back Rajion Neal scoring a wide-open touchdown on a pass in the flat. “. . . Sometimes it’s complicated; we’ve got a lot of things going on out there. If one person doesn’t hear a call or understand what they have to do, then it can mess up everything.”
If a common denominator can be drawn from the Bulldogs’ first six games it is that their defense has taken its biggest licks in the first half. With the exception of the 48-3 win over Vanderbilt, Georgia allowed at least two first-half scores to every other team it played.
Of the 145 points the Bulldogs have allowed this season, 94 have come in the first two quarters of play. That’s an average of 15.7 points for the first half. Conversely, they’ve given up barely a touchdown on average – 6.8 points — in the second half.
That could be the sign of a couple of things: One, Georgia coaches aren’t anticipating what teams are going to do against them; and two, players aren’t reacting well to things they’re seeing for the first time.
“I think everybody has a little something new for you, especially the first couple of opponents,” Richt said. “You can only prepare for what you see. Sometimes there will be things that can catch you off guard but you can correct. Some of it you just get over-aggressive when it comes to stopping the run and wanting to be physical and all that kind of stuff.”
Those halftime adjustments are one of the reasons for optimism for this group, Grantham contends.
“Early on we had some young players that were playing new positions,” he said. “They see something new and sometimes they don’t fit up the right way. Once you get them on the sideline you can show them what it is, they have a tendency to play better. If you look at all our games it’s kind of gone like that. But that’s a credit to the players because they hung in there and kept playing. They understood what we had to do and they made corrections and we won the game.”
It’s bound to get better this week. In Kentucky the Bulldogs are facing an offense that is currently ranks 13th or 14th in the SEC in scoring, total offense, rushing, pass efficiency and third-down conversions. The Wildcats are currently playing without their top two quarterbacks and will start true freshman Jalen Whitlow on Saturday.
“We’re ready to get back to being the same type of defense we were last year,” Herrera said.
That’s still a steep climb. At the moment Georgia is ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in virtually every statistical category. Nationally, the Bulldogs finished last season fifth in total defense, 11th against the rush, 10th against the pass and 23rd in points allowed. This season their ranking in the same categories is 50th, 67th, 39th and 51st, respectively.
“That was the first half of the season,” Commings said. “I think last year we played our best ball in the second half. Hopefully this year we will, too.”
Grantham believes the timing is right for marked improvement.
“I love bye weeks,” he said. “We took a hard evaluation of the things we were doing and made sure everybody understood it, because the main thing is being on the same page and doing their job. [The players took a workman’s like approach in the bye week and I’ve seen progress. I think as we move forward with the continuity we have, we’ll be fine.”
MORE GEORGIA FOOTBALL
- Notebook: Defensive star Jarvis Jones ‘questionable for Kentucky
- Schultz: Does Bulldogs’ NFL talent have their heads somewhere else?
- A quick look at Georgia’s next opponent: Kentucky
- Bulldogs players and coaches talking about moving forward
- With ultimate goal still intact, Dogs focus on ‘winning every game’
- South Carolina loss boost Georgia’s chances in East
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188 comments Add your comment
gomdawg
October 17th, 2012
8:52 am
Reality boys you on a roll keep it up thats two coaches , I know Spurrier is great
Who is it?
October 17th, 2012
8:53 am
gomdawg sounds amazingly like Sammy-Patrick.
This is Reality boys
October 17th, 2012
8:55 am
Give up Flat tire, he will make you an old man. Leave him alone he needs to put down his rug and pray to Richt.
Another Observer
October 17th, 2012
8:57 am
Hey DIT, if football ranks so low on your list, why are you wasting time on this blog? Seems as if things this trivial would get pushed completely off the radar with you having your list and all.
Joey
October 17th, 2012
8:58 am
gomdawg, I’m a UGA fan, not a Richt fan, though I hope he does well. Richt did have success in the first half of his career, but the second half, his record is near dismal – only beating teams (and not always) who have much less talent, while losing to equal teams, half by routs.
And it is still happening – 2 ugly losses last season, and 1 at the halfway point this season. I just can’t believe you ignore this. It begins to diminish what Richt accomplished back in the day, when his teams the last 4+ seasons keep getting humiliated on National TV.
SimpleDawg
October 17th, 2012
9:00 am
Entirely too much coulda, woulda, shoulda going around……
Way too much physical talent for the results. 5 – 1 is fine, but the bad teams should not be having all of these yards and points against a “Top Tier” defense. And, no way an experienced, talent ladened team goes into anybody’s stadium and wets their pants…..
Gotta be coaching….or lack there of.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 17th, 2012
9:00 am
gomdawg
Several of those new coaches I mentioned were Assts so they arent going to have a record
Also
Anyone can have Richts record with the talent he has had and with the easy schedule he has had
During Richts tenure
FL has been the only team worth anything in the SEC East
Tenn has been horrible the last decade
Aub has only been good for 3 seasons the last decade
AL and LSU we dont have to play every year
So when you look at the schedule winning 10 games has been relatively easy compared to what it was in the 90’s
Coarch Ric
October 17th, 2012
9:01 am
gomdawg
October 17th, 2012
8:49 am
FLAT TIRE YOU DID NOT GIVE ME A WIN AND LOST FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS ON ALL THE COACHES
Makes sense, seeing as how he stated that none of them have been around for 12 years. It doesn’t take 12 years to win a National Championship. Just ask any SEC Head Coach who has accomplished that goal recently. I’m still trying to nail down my first undefeated regular season, but to be honest, I don’t see it happening.
GT
October 17th, 2012
9:02 am
Richt doesn’t want to talk about it? Bout says it all there.
His defense is undisciplined, going for the big shot, wanting to send a message. Good coaches know how to play teams that underutilize their talent; they sucker them into taking the highlight shots while they are scoring touchdowns. Taking the cheap shots that get them penalized and making sure the refs see it. Georgia has a reputation for being careless, undisciplined; the opposing coaches use that to their advantage. And Richt is not a good general; he can see the whole field, like Spurrier or Miles. There is a lot more to football than meets the eye.
This is Reality boys
October 17th, 2012
9:05 am
Sean Williams is great at big hits, but lets WR get behind him far too often. He is a dirty player by the way and is going to cost us yet in a big game.
gomdawg
October 17th, 2012
9:05 am
OK YA’LL JUMP ON ME BUT I LOVE MY DAWGS AND I STAND BEHIND THEM , AFTER 1 LOST YA’LL WANT TO THROW THE SEASON AWAY SORRY I DONT AGREE THERE IS A LOT OF FOORBALL TO PLAY SO GO DAWGS
This is Reality boys
October 17th, 2012
9:10 am
gomdawg we love the Dawgs too! 5-1 sounds good but the fashion of the loss as well as the big plays our D has given up is not the direction we want to go. These poor showing in big games are too frequent and must stop!
Joey
October 17th, 2012
9:14 am
gomdawg- I haven’t jumped on you – just asking about the “great” label. He just hasn’t been great the last 4+ seasons.
But, hell yeah – Go Dawgs!
Joey
October 17th, 2012
9:17 am
I’d run out of space trying to write a critique on your team, GT.
But thanks for yours . . .
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 17th, 2012
9:18 am
gomdawg
This season has already played out like every Richt season
Get blown out by one or two or get upset by a team you were supposed to beat
9 games in 4 yrs we have been blown out
5 wins against below standard competition
1 blowout loss to a team that still doesnt have the same talent as we do
Dude you need to come to reality
Richt is overpaid;
he is paid a top 10 salary and he hasnt beaten a top 20 team in 4 yrs
Sorry but there is no excuse in that with the talent that UGA fields;
You have no stats that can defend that bud
Jeff
October 17th, 2012
9:19 am
“It’s not disappointment because we know we have the ability to do just as good as last year or better,” senior cornerback Sanders Commings said. “We’re more angry than anything. We’ve just got to find that swagger and take it to the field on Saturday and we’ll be OK.”
not disappointment???? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDNG ME We’ve just got to find the swagger and take it to the field……..AFTER 6 GAMES…YA THINK???? WOW THIS IS THE PROBLEM….THIS DEFENSE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE STRENGH OF THIS TEAM……I could understand if we had a bunch of freshmen playing….no, we have what we thought was NFL talent…this is BS Sanders!!!!! You can tell your D Coordinator that also…..BS!
Double Zero Eight
October 17th, 2012
9:31 am
Georgia is very capable of beating Florida. It is time for
the defense to “step up”. Everyone is back now. The
“rust” should be gone by the time Georgia plays Florida.
The fans want to see some mental and physical toughness.
It’s time for the players and coaches to stop being intimidated
by top ten teams.
PAUL SUCKS BIG JOHNSON
October 17th, 2012
9:33 am
are we 5-1 or 1-5?? calm down people. 11th in the country!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coarch Ric
October 17th, 2012
9:37 am
I don’t want to talk about it.
Shut Up!!!
gomdawg
October 17th, 2012
9:40 am
OK I’M NOT BAD MOUTHING YA’LL ANYMORE JUST GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joey
October 17th, 2012
9:41 am
Jeff, the D is a disappointment, but Richt’s offense, and it IS Richt’s offense got shut completely down, not by LSU or Bama, but SC. Spurrier made a pattern for defeating us, and everybody will have noticed.
Our remaining opponents will attempt to duplicate SC’s D the rest of the season, so Richt/Bobo better be making changes to what worked the 1st 5 games.
I think we are in for a dogfight Saturday – UK plays us well, and now Jones out, and Murray’s a mental mess . . .
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 17th, 2012
9:42 am
We should be #3 not #11
Now instead of being in the hunt for a national title we are in the hunt for another Outback bowl
Joey
October 17th, 2012
9:42 am
Whoops.
Not supposed to talk about SC anymore . . .
Fats G
October 17th, 2012
9:42 am
News flash………….S.Carolina man handled us. That is a fact. I saw it with my own eyes. The line dominated because they were bigger,faster,and better. We learn from this and we kick Kentucky like nobodys business. We need momentum going into Florida.
bubba4dawgs
October 17th, 2012
9:44 am
Don’t play Jarvis this week! Get him ready for Flori-duh. Tune up for them and the rest of the season will be OK. As for playing Alabamdama, don’t worry about it….lost that chance by losing to the chickens. They will win out from here and get the nod to go to the dome and get humiliated by the tide. Still a good season with dreams of what could have been. Coulda, shoulda, woulda! Shoot for a BCS ranking if possible and pick up a big check!j GO DAWGS!!
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 17th, 2012
9:47 am
Joey
If you watch the Vandy and Tenn game our offensive play calling was much different than it was in the SC game
Bobo and Richt I guess saw on the scoreboard that SC was a top 20 team and got afraid and went back to their favorite conservative playbook aka Run up the middle 50 times even though its getting stuffed; dont dare use the TE’s and my favorite lets be safe and throw the ball over to the sideline
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 17th, 2012
9:50 am
I can see it now
We beat KY by 40 pts
All next week the kool-aid/Disney Dawgs will be back on here talking National Title again
DawginLex
October 17th, 2012
9:52 am
From college football news.com
No team will be unbeaten by the end of the day on December 1st
Alabama looks unbeatable, right? It should – it hasn’t played anyone with a pulse. Actually, Michigan isn’t bad, but Denard Robinson and that offense was the perfect one-dimensional fit for a Tide defense that had no problems keying on one player.
The defending national champion has played just one team – 2011 Arkansas – over the past two seasons that could throw with any semblance of effectiveness, and it’s soon going to be tested by Tyler Bray and the Tennessee passing attack and the Texas A&M offensive show. Those two games, along with a road date at LSU and a nasty home battle against Mississippi State, will all be dangerous, but it will be the Aggies who’ll have just the right mix to pull off the shocker to be the right team on the right day. Alabama will then go on to beat Georgia in the SEC championship.
Oregon will lose at USC on November 3rd, but will win the rematch in the Pac-12 championship. Kansas State will lose at West Virginia; Florida will lose to Georgia; Notre Dame will lose at Oklahoma; Oregon State will lose a few times; Mississippi State will lose to Alabama and LSU; Ohio State will lose at Wisconsin; Cincinnati will lose to Louisville; Louisville will lose to Rutgers; Rutgers will lose to Cincinnati; and Ohio will lose at Ball State and to Northern Illinois in the MAC championship.
But Alabama will still play for, and win, the national championship. As for the second team …
Cheer, cheer.
The winner of the SEC championship will end up going to Miami to be the No. 1 seed in the BCS championship, and then the discussion will turn to whether or not it should be an all-SEC national title game for the second season in a row.
Georgia will get out to an early lead before hanging on for dear life to give Florida its only loss. The Dawgs will win the head-to-head tie-breaker and go to the SEC championship game where they’ll lose to Alabama. An 11-1 Florida team will be hovering around the top two after beating eventual ACC champion Florida State in the regular season finale, but there will be many who’ll argue that it’s not right that a team that didn’t win its own division – like Alabama last year – would get a chance to play for the national championship for the second year in a row.
***********************************************
These guys have bashed Richt and they think he goes 11-1 then loses to Bama in SECCG.
11-2 and win a bowl, 12-2
How do you think McGarity responds to that if it happens?
Coach Scott
October 17th, 2012
9:53 am
Precisely why game suspension is never a good idea – it punishes a lot of innocent team members and affects the product on the field – which is a corporate product. Find more creative, exacting ways to punish infractions or just boot them off the team.
schmeckdawg
October 17th, 2012
9:53 am
Year #3 in Mr. $825,000/yrs. defense with 9 returning starters and multiple very capable 2nd teamers and this is what we are getting!!!!!!!!!
Not good!!!!!!!!!!!!
1eyedJack
October 17th, 2012
9:55 am
Reading these posts is akin to watching Baroke Obuma debate. Same old tired arguments over and over and over and ………………..
I’m almost at the point where I want to fire Mark Richt personally so I can shut up the parrots. Program be damned.
Chris Mike
October 17th, 2012
9:56 am
Tired of the excuses Mark, prepare your team for hostile situations. I thought we were over this hump. Expecially after the Missu game I guess not. I don’t care what Dawg fan say, but we will never live up to the hype. Look back when were preseason number #1 we folded against Alabama on the blackout! AT HOME! remember. If you going to say who could we get bettter than Mark, Suggestion, Gruden, Cowler, Smart, anybody its time for change and remember this if you get a big time coach you get the results Look at Alabama
chase
October 17th, 2012
10:01 am
Flat Tire
YOU go find another team please! You are the worst kind of “fan”
You know nothing about the actual game! all you do is come on here and bash the team and Richt because #1 you don’t understand football, #2 you just don’t like Richt, #3 you have no class!, #4 you are a coward!
“you don’t want to play in the SEC title game because you are afraid of losing”?????
That sums up who you are as a person and a “fan” – gutless, clueless, and all you can do is bash people to feel better about yourself because winning every game dictates how feel about yourself!
UGA is a great program (top 5 in the country over the past 15 years – not BAMA)…….The season is long and we’ll see what happens…do they need to improve and play better? YES….But you sir, cannot improve…it must be miserable in your world with your point of view on life in general
Georgia does not need fans like you!
here is the info: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/45919-top-ten-college-football-teams-of-the-last-10-years
Jeff
October 17th, 2012
10:03 am
I would not want to talk about it either if my team just got embarrassed on National TV and made to look like a bunch of panzies playing……….
astrouga
October 17th, 2012
10:05 am
Flat Tire:
Can the season be salvaged for you? If so, what has to happen? Just curious. You, and many others, myself included, are particularly angry over the performance both on the field and the side-line at SC this year. So I’d like your straight answer.
I need to see the dawgs win the rest of their games. They should be able to do it. I don’t need them to destroy everyone, but it sure would go a long way for Richt to regain some credibility in my eyes. I’d like to see us beat Florida by 21 points. Even though the Florida game is generally a close one, Richt really needs to step up and show the country that SC was a fluke.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 17th, 2012
10:07 am
chase
LOL
That article you posted was before the 2008 Season began
Is that all you got LOL
LOL
blahahahahahahahahahah
What a joke
lol again
Thats what you call a counter to an argument
Joey
October 17th, 2012
10:08 am
Lex, I will believe it when I see it when a Richt led team gives a Top 5 team A GAME, much less gives one a loss. Oh I hope, I always hope. But usually end up embarrassed.
By the way, who did College Football News pick in the SC – UGA game? Just curious.
Return to Glory
October 17th, 2012
10:08 am
I am sick of Grantham saying he is not worried about the defense, well I am an I am worried he does not know how to game plan. Either our players are way overrated or Grantham can’t coach/game plan bottom line.
Inlet Dawg
October 17th, 2012
10:11 am
Its time for a change,or we can set our goals The Peach ,Citrus and Music City Bowls.
Joey
October 17th, 2012
10:13 am
Nice timing, chase. Drag out an article precisely right before Richt’s string of nasty losses began.
Since that article – 20 losses, 9 blow-out losses.
chase, you been in a coma since ‘08?
Chicken Little
October 17th, 2012
10:13 am
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!!
funny...
October 17th, 2012
10:18 am
Wasn’t this the problem with Willie Martinez too?
I don’t think the problem is Grantham, the problem is Richt. Get him out of Athens.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 17th, 2012
10:21 am
astrouga
Straight answer; here you go
Yea the season can be salvaged how
Go down to Jacksonville and beat the Gaterds by 35 pts or more and run the score up; just like Meyer and Spurrier did so many times so that Richt can let the fanbase know we arent comming down here anymore and getting pushed around ( that wont happen by the way cause Richt will be too worried about hurting their fans feelings)
2. Win out impressively and look good doing it; we have the talent to be KY Miss GSU AUB and GT by 30 pts
3 go in an smash Bama in the mouth and beat them by 10 or more
4 hopefully play for the NC even though with ESPN saying we dont deserve already and I dont see it happening but if it did win the NC game if we happen to get there or whoever we play in the Sugar bowl that is an opponent other than a Hawaii beat them by 2 TD’s
That will be a salvaged season
Other than that; like I said at the start of the season; anything less than 11-1 is an utter failure this year with the talent we have; and that one loss I picked that to be in the SEC championship game cause I knew this coaching staff folds against good teams.
Joey
October 17th, 2012
10:28 am
Chicken Little: 10 wins!! 10 Wins!! 10 Wins!!
Bet you were impressed by that 10-4 last season right, Chicken Little?
You do realize that is the equivilent of a 7 or 8-win season in the 10-game seasons in the Dooley years, right? Whoo hoo!
So sorry some of us who absolutely love UGA, are tired of the leadership in Athens.
G-Dawg
October 17th, 2012
10:29 am
“The chief explanation the Bulldogs offer to that end is miscommunication”
Seems to always be the consistent excuse…and still hasnt been addressed. IF the schemes and playbook is so difficult to master…maybe they should simplify it. Cause i dont see anything complicated with the consistent delayed hand off in the shotgun. IT DOESNT WORK!!!!!
robodawg
October 17th, 2012
10:31 am
Everybody talked up the positives of our suspensions — more playing time for backups — and that probably will be a positive down the road. But after UT and SC it’s clear our starters needed more games to gel.
One thing I don’t see mentioned here is we have not been as physically dominant up front as expected. We give up too many yards rushing, and we had hardly any pass rush in the last 2 games.
Chuckie
October 17th, 2012
10:36 am
For all you Vince Dooley fans:
He wasn’t that great of a coach
DawginLex
October 17th, 2012
10:38 am
joey
The pick for UGA/SC was split but overall favored UGA
Russ Mitchell, the guy who covers the SEC for them picked SC
Flat tire
You still can’t comprehend what you read. You really need to get a Webster’s and find a new term too other than kool aid to describe a person who is rationale, loves UGA and understands the kind of pressure Richt is under to win now and also believes he will leave if he loses to Florida.
Still trying to understand how your brain comprehends my statements as being kool aid.
smh
G-Dawg
October 17th, 2012
10:38 am
Chuck…i’ve been saying that for years. Hershel defined Dooley’s career…not the other way around!!!
astrouga
October 17th, 2012
10:39 am
Flat Tire:
Thanks for that. I guess we differ a bit on what we would call success at this point. I think it is highly unlikely that we do all of the things you want.
Regardin points 1 and 2 in your list…Even at the start of the season I would not have guessed we would be scoring 40+ points per game. I certainly wouldn’t expect us to do that against KY, Florida, Miss, GSU, AUB *and* GT. You have to admit, you couldn’t have predicted that — no team in UGA history started out scoring that many points in the first 5 games. So no one had a basis to predict that. I think, based on the way we played against Vandy, we could do it, but it is unlikely.
Point 3: I think we can do this. Bama is great and a well-coached team, but we could beat them by 10. We’d need our best football and a few turn-overs and big special teams play to do it.
Point 4: The computers always hate UGA. If we were still undefeated, I would not have been surprised to find out that we were lower than #5 in the first BCS rankings. Now with the loss, the voters hate us too. I can’t see any way, short of a “perfect storm” of losses by other teams, that we end up in the NC game. To convince voters, we do have to destroy Florida and have really strong games against at least 4 of the other teams. Then we have to win the SEC game with big plays. I don’t see this happening, but like the rest of the fan base, I’ll say, “none of this is any fun if we don’t drink the Kool-Aid every once in a while.”