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Georgia’s defense looking to stem the tide of big plays

10:33 pm October 16, 2012, by Chip Towers

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)

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.”

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188 comments Add your comment

Joey

October 17th, 2012
10:42 am

Yeah, 6 SEC titles and an Undisputed National Championship while competing in the Bear Bryant era is very average . . .

Chuckie, go to the tennis blogs.

DawginLex

October 17th, 2012
10:43 am

I love how flat tire dismisses all the schools we play as junk.

Do those schools not have a coaching staff trying to win?

You think Derek Dooley isn’t trying?

It’s real easy to look at a schedule and dismiss the opponents as garbage sitting behind a computer or sitting in the stands. Try lining up every week and facing teams that want to win.

You can tell the folks who have never competed in any kind of athletics

Micheal

October 17th, 2012
10:44 am

Richard Samuel needs to play at running back ? At least he can get tough yards for the bulldogs. I really think that Richard wouldve stop that massive South Carolina D end. Richt is a good coach but he has to know the skill sets of his players. Its a big difference in potential and who can get the job done right now. Richts says that samuel plays fullback but he rarely plays. This is the guy who saved the Bulldogs from a loss to Florida. This guy is the definiton of a true Bulldog on and off the field and his skills are not being used correctly. Maybe a lightbulb will go off in the RB coach head in the 4th qtr in Florida this season also

Joey

October 17th, 2012
10:45 am

Thanks Lex, was just wondering if it was some UGA homers predicting that. I like it – hope it happens.

Big hurdle this Sat, and a huge one in Jax.

DawginLex

October 17th, 2012
10:46 am

as well as beat top ranked opponents and not allow us to be FL’s whipping boy

********************************

Dooley faced a bunch of butt clowns coaching at Florida. The few years that Florida could throw a forward pass, we lost except when HW was there.

Dooley would have lost to Spurrier and Meyer because our defense was always geared to stop the run and teams that could throw beat us. I watched us get beat many a time with passing QB’s under Dooley.

I appreciate Dooley for his longevity but Florida couldn’t get out of their own way most years he was there.

Chuckie

October 17th, 2012
10:48 am

hey joey,

Bear Bryant was 9-3 vs. GA… He owned them…..

chase

October 17th, 2012
10:50 am

FLAT TIRE:

Its about national embarrassment and being known for player arrests every year (EVERY TEAM HAS OFF FIELD ISSUES – See OHST, USC, NC and on and on)

its about losing to SC for the first time ever 3 yrs in a row (we are their biggest rival, they fall at least 4th for us…they usually get us early in the year before they fall aprat and we get going – still need to win though BUT Richt is what 8-4 against them? )
Its about losing to Miss St for the first time in 35 yrs – (During 1 bad season without our best player AJ that year and freshmen all over the place – they went to the SEC title game the next year and obvioulsy MsSt is no push over anymore)

Its about putting friendship with Willie Martinez above the program (he held him too long but did fire him and you still dont like the d-coordinator because you just dont like Richt)

Its about stupid gimmicks (Dream Team I, II, Energy Vampires, Uniform Changes etc) (The Dream Team stuff is done by THE KIDS,….NOT RICHT you moron…they are 18 years old – Uniform changes have gone the way of the DODO and need to…they were contractually obligated vs Boise St to wear those by the way)

Its about not being able to win every SEC East game in the same year yet Spurrier does it a SC (Uh, very very few teams in the SEC have ever gone undefeated my friend VERY FEW…BAMA didnt go undefeated last year! LSU lost 1 and 2 during their 2 NC Titles, Florida lost to OLE MISS in one of theirs)

what else? or does rational thinking and facts mess up your blind hatred and venom spewing?

Joey

October 17th, 2012
10:50 am

Micheal, save your breath, or your keystrokes.

Remember this? Richt: “I know what the hell I’m doing.”

Like every other highly-paid head coach, Richt has an ego as big as Sanford Stadium. Have you ever heard him say after a bad loss – “we got outcoached today?”

No, “we got whipped” (players fault), “we didn’t execute” (players fault).

Nothing about bad game plans, poor adjustments, lack of preparation.

dawgs01

October 17th, 2012
10:54 am

Grantham better make corrections bc right now is looking like he does not have a clue. you got 4 or 5 guys with first round grades bama had that last yr and look at their defense. Grantham has a very complicated system and it is killing us that is why we are constantly out of position and for the love of God can we get a play in befor the offense snaps a ball. Grantham has been Whipped by spurrier 3 yrs in a row. Spurrier has his number and grantham is no match for spurrier and spurrier knows it so look for spurrier to get alot more mouthy towards the dawgs like he did back in the mid 90s. I hope Jarvis jones has been injured the past few weeks bc he has played very average since beating up on a horrible mizzou tackle that will never sniff the nfl that was on the worst team in the east beside kentucky. Rambo is constantly out of position and i dont care he missed 4 games bc he is a freaking senior. i am so tired of excuses. rambo is just not that great look at his league leading interceptions last yr most were over or under throws not bc he made an excellent play.

DawginLex

October 17th, 2012
10:54 am

Again, a stupid statement by flat tire.

Donnan was a screw up. He covered for a cocaine snorting thug QB and never won anything. Richt coached David Greene and mentored him into the QB he turned out to be. Donnan never coached him. Pollack was a fullback under Donnan.

Donnan would have run his stupid reverses in 2002 and we would still be sitting with no SEC titles since 1982 if he had stayed on.

You don’t win with someone else’s players in football. You coach the players you have.

Joey

October 17th, 2012
10:55 am

chase,

um, did any of those National Champs (UF, LSU, Bama) get blown out to an equally talented team?

Hell no. Good coaches seldom let it happen. You keep ignoring my question – how can you praise a coach who rountinely allows his teams to get blown out in big games?

Richt has not been a good coach since the end of ‘07, and that’s a fact.

Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville

October 17th, 2012
10:56 am

DawginLex

That was about the stupidest non factual post Ive seen

Duh Duh Duh Duh yea I think we all can conclude Derrick Dooley is trying to win but your going to tell me Tenn this past decade was even close to what they were in the 90’s

Tenn played for 2 NC’s and won 1 in the 90’s

So who else has been so great other than FL that Richt has to play year after year?????

Lets hear it Lex

There are 12 teams on the schedule; what have been the 3 teams every year that Richt has had to face that have been so great consistantly other than FL in his tenure that would make other coaches not consistantly win 9-10 games almost every year at UGA

The only person that hasnt played organized sports is you ol Richt appologist

Micheal

October 17th, 2012
10:58 am

I really think that Spurrier hates UGA . Its like a homecoming game when his team plays UGA . From the time he was at Florida and recently . Yes, this is the way he thinks . Check the loss and win column for him against UGA . If a trillion dollars was on the table to coach at UGA he woulnt take it.

Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville

October 17th, 2012
11:01 am

Hey Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Read what DawginLex’s smart reply was

“”You don’t win with someone else’s players in football. You coach the players you have.”"

So with that said DawginLex tell us idiots what has been going on since 2007?????

Oh and I never said Donnan was a great coach

Mo Betta

October 17th, 2012
11:05 am

Calm Down Guys!!!! Climb down off the ledge. Carolina whooped the DAWGS in Columbia then lost to an inadequate offense in Baton Rouge. If you still choose to be a fan…root for the DAWGS, but if you are done with them then get off this page and hurry up and catch the BAMA bandwagon. This fairweaher attitude is the same attitude that is sending reruits from our state to other schools that look more attractive right now because of national reputation. LOYALTY is the key. LOYALTY by both the fans and perspective recruits. Lattimore and Clowney stayed in state and remained loyal to their state team. Perspective recruits…….believe it or not, read these blogs. If i were a top notch Georgia recruit, the lack of loyalty by the fans would send me to BAMA or SC or even Tennessee!!
Again, dont overreact afer one loss. There are still,very realistic scenarios that can get this team in the SEC Championship game.

G-Dawg

October 17th, 2012
11:07 am

Tire…i was remarking on Dooley. Not Richt. Whats your point?

DawginLex

October 17th, 2012
11:08 am

No, but you said Richt won with Donnan’s players which is the dumbest thing ever.

Idiot

And yes, I played a lot of sports. More than you I guarantee you bud and if you are stupid enough to believe what you type, I can’t help you

Your hatred for Richt has clouded any semblance of reason you had left in your brain

Must suck to be so miserable

Joey

October 17th, 2012
11:13 am

“Bear Bryant was 9-3 vs. GA… He owned them…..”
************************
Hey Chuckie,

Bear “owned” everybody. That was my point – without Bear, Dooley would have probably won more more SEC Titles . . . Bryant made a name, then got most of the southern talent, stockpiling his teams until the NCAA stepped in and began imposing size limits on teams. All of this while the mid-west teams got all the votes in polls.

Dooley took UGA to a level we hadn’t been on since the Butts era, and frequented Sugar, Orange and Cotton Bowls, and routinely beat more talented Gator teams.

My dad was a UGA grad and rabid Dawg fan, and though I was jut a kid, I grew up in the Dooley era, and I’m telling you, he was a renowned, respected, and great coach.

You will get called “great” if you win 200 games competing in the SEC.

Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville

October 17th, 2012
11:15 am

DawginLex

Winning with Donnans players and with Van Gorder I said; lets get that right first

and

Richt won with Donnans players 13-1 his second season tell us idiots how is that stupid

and

I dont hate Richt at I kept hoping after 2006 he would do something but after 2008 I got completly off the kool-aid you continue to drink and embarrass yourself year after year on this blog

so again smart one who thinks playing on the PS3 means you played sports

You said……

“”You don’t win with someone else’s players in football. You coach the players you have.””

So with that said DawginLex tell us idiots what has been going on since 2007?????

Alphare

October 17th, 2012
11:17 am

One thing for sure, UGA cannot have an unbeaten season again with EAST teams.

Spurrier just did 2 years in a row. And he still doesn’t have an EAST loss yet this year.

Jeff Pittman

October 17th, 2012
11:19 am

Grantham is creating havoc with our players by trying to make too many adjustments and inserting packages too close to the snap. This might work great in the NFL, and even in other programs, but when you have the mistakes our players are making, it is clear they need more time to get in alignment with their own defensive set and the opponent’s look. They are not being given the time. And, with the onset of more and more hurry up offensive sets, would it not make more sense to train your players to broaden their scope of play a bit, and leave 11 guys on for more downs, and bring more cohesiveness to our defensive side? Either our players are unable to integrate all that is being asked of them, or Grantham is unable to coach them properly. This is a propositional statement; either or. We should simplify and work harder at being aggressive, and show the same level of intense pursuit on every play, not just occasionally. That is truly missing this year – the rush to the play by individuals who ended up making great plays, stopping runs sooner, sacking more players, tighter on pass defense.

No excuse for Grantham’s failure here, none. Get it together Todd and quit making our school a joke.

GatorBait 18-4

October 17th, 2012
11:21 am

Lex,

Hate to ruin your plans for next weekend, but Richt has never beaten the Gators 2 years in a row, and as a matter of fact, the last coach to beat Florida 2 years in a row was old Vince in 1988.

And don’t forget, Richt lays down when he faces a top 10 team———-in the SEC any one can win on any given day, but the odds are very long UGA upsets the Gators.

Joey

October 17th, 2012
11:24 am

Alphare, Richt has never gone unbeaten in the East.

But yeah, Spurrier has done what Holtz failed to do – he has accumulated enough talent to beat UGA regularly. SC was outmanned at LSU, but unlike our HC, Spurrier can coach “on the fly” good enough that he kept his team in the game til the end.

Impossible to know, of course, but his sideline brilliance makes me wonder what Spurrier could have done with this UGA team, or the ‘07 and ‘08 teams.

Alphare

October 17th, 2012
11:27 am

Bait,

I guess you mean “the last UGA coach to beat Florida 2 years in a row was old Vince in 1988″.

Spurrier just beat FL 2 years in a row.

Joey

October 17th, 2012
11:33 am

“Get it together Todd and quit making our school a joke.”
***************************************
Jeff, you don’t think Grantham is getting some help with that? His D gave up 4 TDs vs a Top 10 team. STs gave up the other one.

Meanwhile, Richt/Bobo’s 50-point-per-game offense could only muster one TD? Against the scrubs with a minute to go?

Richt began “making UGA a joke” a few years before TG got to Athens. Blowouts galore. Bama, UF, UF, OK St, on and on, while TG was still in the NFL.

Put the blame everywhere it is due.

TallaDawg

October 17th, 2012
11:42 am

@DIT – I realize that football is not life, but if something is worth doing it is worth doing to the utmost of your ability. If a game is worth playing, it is worth winning. Anything less than your best and you short-change yourself and the people you represent. I feel like Richt & Co. have short-changed themselves and the UGA family.

GatorBait 18-4

October 17th, 2012
11:46 am

Alphare,

An A+ for you, but I should have realized that many here would not realize I was taking about Georgia-I’m so glad you cleared that up for the boys.

Speaking of Spurrier, he very well may make it 3 in a row to join you. I do think SC is the class of the SEC East, the Gators have come along way, but it will next year before they assume their normal position as #1 in the East. As long as Richt is still coach, the dawgs will languish in 3rd or 4th place

Royal Flush

October 17th, 2012
11:49 am

Too damn funny. A Florida fan w/ nothing better to do than post on GA message boards. Get a job son and be productive.

GatorBait 18-4

October 17th, 2012
11:49 am

BTW what in the world is a “Alphare”?

Alphare

October 17th, 2012
11:51 am

That evil Spurrier definitely has some genius with football games. If he’s got FL or UGA’s talents, he’d be back in his old days of winning.

Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville

October 17th, 2012
11:58 am

chase

That still isnt answering the questions

Alphare

October 17th, 2012
12:00 pm

“Alphare” is hi-Tech stuff, I’d better keep it to myself.

dmr

October 17th, 2012
12:13 pm

FLORIDA WILL RUN THE READ OPTION. YOU MUST KEY ON THE QB AND THE RB. STUFF THE MIDDLE AND FIGHT OFF THE EDGE. NO BIG SECRET. WATCH GAME FILM.

Mike Bobo: Bulldogs need to get back to running football with Gurley, Marshall | UGA sports blog

October 17th, 2012
12:14 pm

[...] Georgia’s defense looking to stem tide of big plays [...]

Chicken Little

October 17th, 2012
12:14 pm

Did I mention the sky is falling?

Gorilla Biscuit

October 17th, 2012
12:16 pm

Lot of penis envy on here.

DawginLex

October 17th, 2012
12:20 pm

gatorbait

I’m well aware of the record versus Floriduh Captain Obvious

MurfDawg

October 17th, 2012
12:22 pm

What was the last BIG game UGA won?

My vote is Hawaii in the 2008 Sugar Bowl that put us #2 at the end of the year and #1 going into 2008.

How many time have we been BLOWN OUT since 2008?

That is the problem with UGA football. Yes, a loss is a loss. There is a big difference between losing a game and playing hard and getting blown out. The USC loss to LSU was disappointing to USC fans but not embarrassing. We have been embarrassed over and over in the last 5 years.

We have one chance to salvage this season. Beat the Booger Eating Gators!! 11-2 will be a very bad season.

Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville

October 17th, 2012
12:22 pm

DawginLex

Still waiting

“”You don’t win with someone else’s players in football. You coach the players you have.””

So with that said DawginLex tell us idiots what has been going on since 2007?????

Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville

October 17th, 2012
12:25 pm

Murf

Hawaii was a joke; the last big game UGA won was 2005 against #3 LSU; only to then get embarrassed by WVU in the Sugar Bowl which by the way is a typical pattern with this coaching staff that poor ole…..

DawginLex seem to not be able to explain to the class why that happens

Cal22

October 17th, 2012
12:29 pm

Kirby Smart will not come to Georgia. Look what happens to talent when it comes to Georgia. You think UGA y fans are the only ones who know this?

Alphare

October 17th, 2012
12:35 pm

Tire.

“So with that said DawginLex tell us idiots what has been going on since 2007″

Since Lex cannot, let me cover it for him:

CMR is a former QB, and he obviously likes air attack. If you give it a good thought, all his teams centers around air-attack, from his liking of Bobo to all his QB’s, they are all about his offensive style.

In a way, he is very unique in the SEC, where most teams are high on defense and power running game while air attack is secondary.

I think Donnan’s recruits automatically gave him good defense and power running ability, and his own recruits don’t have as much because of his offensive focus.

My 2cents.

Whiznot

October 17th, 2012
12:38 pm

Don’t worry people only three problems need correcting–offense, defense and special teams.

Cal22

October 17th, 2012
12:41 pm

I love how UGA y fans talk down other team’s offenses and defenses to make themselves feel better about their lack of both of these. So because Carolina couldn’t stop LSU, their defense sucks? And the Gators are overrated and beat a weakened LSU? Oh I remember what you are basing these statements on… you guys handed Vandy their asses.

Oh well… if you can’t beat ‘em… well, nope, you can’t.

Uncle Kirk

October 17th, 2012
12:43 pm

Well I guess I can’t be a UGA fan anymore since flat tire and his understudies say there is nothing good that can come from it……..never mind, think I will pull for the dawgs and shut my mouth about things that I have no control over…….because contrary to popular belief……your spouting off at the mouth has no influence on important people who are paid to make decisions. But if you are have such low self esteem that you must rant and rave with negativity on these blogs, then carry on. I am sure the ones who write the articles appreciate the hits. I sincerely hope you get that Flat tire fixed so you can drive on.

cdog

October 17th, 2012
12:44 pm

as long as the defense continues to hit one lick and sit back and read instead of getting after the ball and quarterback, they will always give up big plays and lose to the good teams.don”t forget having aaron” rubberlegs” murray at quarterback equals losing also

Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville

October 17th, 2012
12:49 pm

Uncle Kirk or should I say Admiral James T. Kirk captain of the USS Kool-aid

Negative rant???

No its not a negative rant; its called a truthful rant

If you would come back to earth you might understand the difference

I guess Herby and Mustard-berger rolling off basically the same stuff ive said is a negative rant too right

You’ve been in space to long Captain

Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville

October 17th, 2012
12:51 pm

Alphare

Now I consider that an explaination

My response would be Richt needs to start doing what the other successful coaches have done

Now someone like DawginLex will respond by saying Ive played sports I know what Im talking about. You are a troll you are bla bla bla

rawdawg

October 17th, 2012
1:00 pm

Hey I’m Done – If you are giving away those tickets you can send them my way!

Royal Flush

October 17th, 2012
1:04 pm

To Uncle Kirk:

Best post of the day… 5 stars for You

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