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Notebook: Bulldogs look to resurrect rushing attack against run-stuffing Gators

7:19 pm October 25, 2012, by Chip Towers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In the three games leading up to the South Carolina game, Georgia averaged 301 yards and 5 touchdowns running the football. In the two games since, the Bulldogs have averaged 96 yards and one-half a TD.

The Bulldogs believe the truth that is their 2012 rushing attack lay somewhere in between those two samples. They’re probably not as mighty as they seemed when they were gashing Florida Atlantic for 328 yards on Sept. 15 or as meek as they were eking out 77 yards against Kentucky last week.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be that good every week,” said freshman tailback Keith Marshall, who had 164 yards against Tennessee and leads the backs with a 7 yards per carry average. “This is SEC football, you know. I think teams were just having to respect the run a little more than they were at the beginning of the season. That’s no excuse. I still think we’re capable of doing big things and I think we’ll get back to doing it.”

Fellow freshman tailback Todd Gurley, who once led the SEC in rushing and had five 100-yard games, has managed only 86 the last two games. He’s now sixth in the league at 88.9 yards per game.

The No. 2-ranked Florida Gators’ defense is hardly one against which to expect improvement. They come into Saturday’s game ranked among the nation’s top 10 in rushing defense (10th, 97.29 ypg), total defense (7th, 282 ypg) and scoring defense (12.14 ppg).

Regardless, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said it’s important the Bulldogs stay committed to the run. So he and his staff have worked overtime examining the issues of the last two games with the hope of making the necessary adjustments.

“I think it was a little bit of execution at South Carolina and a little bit of us getting whipped and then getting down and getting away from the running game,” Bobo said. “This past week, I think it was a little bit about what their defense was doing. They made a commitment to stop the run. We knew it would be tough but we thought we could pop a (long) run in there. But we never did and had more success in the air. So, overall, I wasn’t disappointed with the run game because it didn’t do anything to hurt us. It enabled us to open up the passing game and throw for over 400 yards.”

Georgia managed 505 yards offense against Kentucky thanks to quarterback Aaron Murray’s 427-yard passing night. But the Gators are good at stopping that, too. They rank 3rd nationally in pass efficiency defense.

The key for the Bulldogs is to stay patient keep them guessing.

“Against one of the best rush defenses in America, you may run for less yards than you’re averaging and still have a heck of a day running the ball,” coach Mark Richt said. “We definitely don’t want to abort the run by any means. We have to make sure that we run it well enough to the point they have some respect for it.”

Said Bobo: “I think we’re a confident (offense). We believe in ourselves and believe we can execute any time we step on the field. The thing you’ve got to keep preaching is, sometimes the defense is going to stop you. But you can’t get rattled; you can’t worry about it. You’ve got to keep playing and I think we do a great job of that.”

Close to home

Georgia has a dozen players from the state of Florida, but none grew up closer to Georgia-Florida game than John Theus.

The Bulldogs’ freshman right tackle and his older brother, snapper Nathan Theus, graduated from the Bolles School, just around the corner from EverBank Field.

“I’ve always thought it would be cool to be able to play in that stadium that I’ve watched so many games in,” John Theus said this week. “I know the place so well. It’s cool to go back.”

Etc… .

Malcolm Mitchell has played 336 snaps this season: 178 on defense, 103 on special teams and 55 on offense. . . . Georgia is among the top six teams in the nation when it comes to playing freshmen. The Bulldogs had played 13 true freshmen this season, which ranks sixth among FBS teams. Another nine redshirt freshmen have played. . . . Bulldogs and Gators fans were arriving by the thousands on Thursday and were greeted cloudy skies but very warm temperatures. Hurricane Sandy, a category 1 storm in the Caribbean Sea, appears to be turning away Florida. But high winds and unpredictable weather is expect the next two days as it heads to the Atlantic Ocean.

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207 comments Add your comment

Rooty Tooty

October 26th, 2012
11:04 am

The are going to be “RUNNING WILD” alright, but they will be running for their life. I’m afraid by the time the gators get through with them, they will be just Dawg food….

ARdawg

October 26th, 2012
11:06 am

UGA would have a very weak argument to play for a NC even if we won out and beat the West champ. That embarrassing loss to SC likely clipped all hopes of playing for a NC. A BCS bowl is still on the table though

MAJOR DAWG

October 26th, 2012
11:14 am

Live from Bagram, Afghanistan…this is MAJ DAWG saying HOW BOUT THEM DAWGS in JAX!!! The score or how we do it, is less important than the end result. In an upset, DAWGS WIN! Stay positive, and BELIEVE! Real DAWG fans know that records and rankings go out the window for this one. I am more concerned about letting our guard down against Ole Miss or Auburn. Let’s stop our negativity, get behind our pups, and BELIEVE! Our players need encouragement, and our Coaches need the fans! Let the career stuff be handled away from the players, and during the off-season!!!!!

JB

October 26th, 2012
11:16 am

Here’s the big problem. When McGarity arrived 2 years ago, he took all of Richts none football activities away so he could concentrate on being nothing but the Head Football coach…..And boy, we’ve gotten worse since that happened.

Ron Roberts

October 26th, 2012
11:17 am

Thanks for answering the call to server, Major Dawg!

Mobile Dawg

October 26th, 2012
11:17 am

GATA MAJOR DAWG ! ! !

JB

October 26th, 2012
11:19 am

Stay safe Major and get home soon

Mobile Dawg

October 26th, 2012
11:22 am

kingdaddy, with all due respect to a DGD, you, Mark Richt has lost me, not much he can do to get me back at this point with the status quo. I’m the type that it takes a while to push in the corner, but when I’m there, it takes about the same amount of time and positive results to get me back on board. Not saying I could never support Richt again but things sure would have to change, a lot, before I place my confidence in him as the leader of the Georgia program.

FLA DAWG

October 26th, 2012
11:24 am

Major Dawg!

You are a Great American and a Great Dawg!
Thanks for your service.

God Bless You and God Bless The Forces of The United States of America.

waverlydawg

October 26th, 2012
11:28 am

I just hope that Bobo saw the comment “Keep them guessing”. Enough already with the play calling being obvious to the entire nation. You do not have to try and run up the middle, when everyone is expecting you to run up the middle. Now is the time to be creative in the play calling.

It is What It Is

October 26th, 2012
11:33 am

Ken Malcome needs to be in that mix ASAP. Did you see what he did against The Cocks and their starters were still in? He wants it. He’s big and brusing. Give him the rock!!

It is What It Is

October 26th, 2012
11:37 am

Oh and don’t forget Malcome knows how to pass protect..

Mobile Dawg

October 26th, 2012
11:39 am

My last blog thought for the morning, what if Richard Samuel got into the game, like last year, and set the example for the entire team, and rallied the Dawgs to play a great game? Nah, these coaches can’t see the forest for the trees, Samuel probably never sees the field, behind the walkon. All ya’ll Dawgs down in Jacksonville stay safe and have a great weekend. We’re heading to Orange Beach, fishing and football, with a few libations….Go Dawgs ! ! !

CDAWG

October 26th, 2012
11:46 am

I do think we all know that Fl is too fast for us to run east to west unless we have exceptional blocking!

Neutral

October 26th, 2012
11:46 am

The power of positive thinking is a must!!!

BlackOut

October 26th, 2012
11:49 am

Hey!

Maybe if we burn some couches?

dawgfacedboy

October 26th, 2012
11:52 am

Our below average OL is going to push around the supposed stud D-Line of Florida the whole game?? I’ll believe it when I see it.

45 mph winds won’t help the passing game or the special teams either.

BlackOut

October 26th, 2012
11:55 am

@It is What It Is

I did see Malcome put the Gurshall baby-pups to shame, but I didn’t see South Carolina’s first string defense on the field while he was doing it.

Neutral

October 26th, 2012
11:56 am

@CDDAWG
Then forget the East West stuff and run up their a$$e$. Pound those mothers into the ground and don’t let up. Show no mercy and one thing for sure don’t slacken-up until we are in the locker room after the Auburn game…OK, make that after the GT game, well maybe the SEC championship or the….

Incuplex

October 26th, 2012
11:58 am

Let’s hope Coach Boom keeps up his winning tradition in the Ga – Florida game: 0-5. O-4 as a player. 0-1 as a coach.

robodawg

October 26th, 2012
12:02 pm

Stay patient, stay balanced, and PROTECT THE BALL. Defense needs to show up, man up and stuff the run. Our O against their D should do better than their O against our D. Just don’t give away cheap points.

I think we show up for this one and finally put the pieces together, just like how things started coming together midseason 2007. 24-13 Dawgs.

Neutral

October 26th, 2012
12:04 pm

@ARDawg
I disagree. To run the table we would have to knock off the #1and #2 teams in America. We would be SEC champs and no chance in Hades we would not make it to the NC game….no chance. Think positive my friend. As the great philosopher Yogi Berra once said, “it ain’t over til it’s over”!!!

Neutral

October 26th, 2012
12:05 pm

Right on RoboDawg!!!

BlackOut

October 26th, 2012
12:09 pm

Yep… 2007 was a very good year. That was the year of my birth.

What we need is another good end-zone dance!

Yeah! That’s the ticket!

I-DOG

October 26th, 2012
12:15 pm

Neutral:

I have to disagree with you. If you run it 25 times for 9 yards you stop running it and throw the ball. That isn’t what happened at KY or SC.

Georgia wasn’t having a lot of success running in the first half, but we were having even less success throwing the ball. We completely abandoned the running game way to early. Teams typically have more success running the ball later in the game as the defense begins to tire. Those 2-3 yard gains (which aren’t going to kill you by the way) might start to become 4-5 yard gains and you might break a long run as well.

Instead we went back into the shotgun 9 straight times playing into the hands of SC and Clowney was able to just pin his ears back. I believe we gained either 1 or 0 first downs on those 9 straight passes so it didn’t exactly help the offense or the defense.

If this UGA squad was struggling running the ball against KY after two weeks to prepare… you keep running it until it is successful. I’m not saying we can’t throw a forward pass, but this UGA team should be able to run on KY all day long even if they have 8 in the box.

I think the players know that the run isn’t as important to Richt and Bobo as the pass. In any orgnization you get what you emphasize and what you reward.

NCDawg

October 26th, 2012
12:23 pm

kingdaddy, you are so right… I am not pleased with the way things have been going for the past few years but I will always be a Dawg fan and in no way will I ever say they have NO chance.
That said, I have been stating that I am pretty sure that, if the Dawgs do not step up and beat the Gators tomorrow, CMR and staff are gone. I don’t wish that on anyone but the game is a referendum and coming up short yet again cannot be overlooked.
I do not have the feeling in my gut the way I did the week of SC. I was antsy all week and did not realize until the game started why. I have that feeling cataloged now and I am not feeling an embarrassment coming. I always think the Dawgs will win… so I am biased in that way… but I think tomorrow will be a pretty good day to be a Georgia Bulldog.

I-DOG

October 26th, 2012
12:27 pm

I don’t think anyone can say that Georgia can’t run the ball against SEC teams if they were committed to doing so. I say that because we haven’t seen Georgia actually commit to the running game yet to find out.

It doesn’t mean we would get 5 yards a carry in the first quarter or that we would score on every drive, but it would send a msg to the team and to the opponent that we are going to be physical and if we get two yards on a carry, we aren’t going to abandon the run. It is 2nd and 8, lets go, we might even run it again and make it 3rd and a long 5, we might even run it on that 3rd and 5.

Once those safeties and linebackers start creeping up, Georgia’s passing game and pass blocking would really be strong. If we line up in the shotgun and throw it 8 or 9 times in a row, we make it very easy for the defense to rush the passer and not worry about Gurley and Marshall.

I think our players know that we aren’t really committed to the run. At Missouri we were 1st and goal at the 2 yard line and we didn’t try to run Gurley, Marshall, or Malcombe. It was pass, pass, pass. We only needed 2 yards and we had 4 tries to do it and we didn’t even consider a pass. Sort of the same thing at South Carolina. We had the ball inside the Carolina 5 and the coaches didn’t say to the team. We are going to run it 4 straight times with our RB’s and might not get all four yards the first time, but we are going to get in on the first rush or the fourth, it doesn’t matter which one.

You get what you emphasize and reward. We are a passing finesse team.

CDAWG

October 26th, 2012
12:38 pm

The biggest thing is that the O -line has to man up and make their blocks if we are going to be successful in the running game. It is going to be hard but our guys CANNOT and MUST not give up!

Reggie's Balls

October 26th, 2012
12:38 pm

GA Sucks!!!!!!

ARdawg

October 26th, 2012
12:49 pm

Neutral

I’m with you bruh but a 35-7 thumping by what might be a top 20 team at years end would be enough to keep the dawgs out with an undefeated Oregon or KState. Mathematically in the BCS polls, likely we couldn’t catch up but I do have the hope

take it to the bank

October 26th, 2012
12:51 pm

Gators pound the puppies 45 -3 !

Dawg Tired

October 26th, 2012
12:53 pm

Neutral @ 9:50 said: “Think positive guys!!!!!”

I’m pretty positive we will get our butts kicked.

NCDawg

October 26th, 2012
12:59 pm

I-Dog… committing to the run doesn’t necessarily mean you run it 4 times against a goal line defense. Nor does it mean you run the ball on an 8 man front. That is stupidity. Look at the Pros… they don’t try to run it when teams are stacking the box… they make them pay for stacking the box with the passing game. Even Alabama had to loosen LSU up with some crafty passing schemes in the NC so they could run it later.
We need to get defensive front out of the gaps and the way alot of teams do that is motion and formations and misdirection. We don’t do alot of that. I’d like to see a few odd formations to keep their D guessing. I’d like to see us use 2 TE’s as well. Flop them around so it confuses where we might run… and I’d like to throw out of that formation as well.
Anyway… we will see.

Joshua

October 26th, 2012
1:12 pm

Unless UGA literally just hands them the game on turnovers the way SC did, there is absolutely no chance of a Florida win. They just aren’t good enough.

Gator Mom

October 26th, 2012
2:04 pm

Rotsa Ruck Dawggies!

Joshua

October 26th, 2012
3:20 pm

If UGA runs the table, the only way we don’t play for the NC is if 2 of either ND, K-State and Oregon go undefeated. There is no way a 1 loss team from any other conference gets in ahead of a 1 loss SEC champion.

what of it?

October 26th, 2012
3:58 pm

You know why the run hasn’t worked bobo? b/c you run it up the damn middle all the time. get them out into space where they can move and you don’t have to rely on your O-line

Unless the gators don’t show up, Richt loses

Dog4Life

October 26th, 2012
4:15 pm

Good point, What of it? These guys Gurley and Marshall all through pop warner and high school have been allowed to get out in space and run free–at UGA they are confined between the guards. Dang, I would even take some of the old off tackle hershel plays–allow them to hit the hole and bang it outside and use the sidelines as their friend. We seem to run these guys straight up the A gap and with no imagination–infuriates me. My brother coaches football at the rec level (I know that is not a big resume) and he has this fast little kid at RB. He runs the kid off tackle and in sweeps because he is too little to run through the line. He utilizes this kids strength to help win ball games and as my brother stated, it also builds up his confidence because I am setting him up for success not failure–the main point is use our O-Line to their strengths not ones own stubborn personal way of doing things and then call plays that match that strength. Sounds logical to me!!!

Dog4Life

October 26th, 2012
4:22 pm

I am also reminded of what Lincoln County Head Coach Larry Campbell said many years ago. He was winning a lot of games and titles with the wishbone. Then in one year he abruptly changes to a sort of Veer or I back formation and won a state title. The press dubbed him a football genius. Campbell stated as best as I can paraphrase “it doesn’t take a genius to see that when you have a gifted talent like Garrison Hearst you set up an offense to accommodate his strengths and talent.” Hearst would have been good but not as good in a constrictive wishbone. A coach must have a scheme, I agree, but he must be adaptable–we do not seem to be adaptable–so we remain predictable. Still, if this O-Line will somehow grow up real fast and we do give the ball to Gurley and Marshall–it could be very well be a repeat of the Henderson-Worley game–unfortunately I remain somewhat pessimistic.

kingdaddy

October 26th, 2012
4:26 pm

@MAJOR DAWG
WOOF, WOOF, SIR.Now let’s GATA…Be safe, we need more fans like you, that we can look up to. You probably have some Gator fans in your troop. Tell them kingdaddy said “Drop and give me 20 maggots!”…

GATA

October 26th, 2012
4:36 pm

Well I’ve been down on the Dawgs chances this Saturday, but Major Dawg has me fired up. If he can be that positive from where he’s sitting, then I gotta believe too. GO DAWGS!

kingdaddy

October 26th, 2012
4:41 pm

To all my Doggie Brothers who want change at the top, I ask for you to keep supporting our kids in the RED & BLACK! Speak your mind, vent and rant, but in your post, as you finish ripping Richt and Bobo & Co. heart out,,,don’t forget to tell those kids playing football for you and me that you will always love them and have their backs. Otherwise, they will think they have failed us and that is just not true. You can be a good fan and not support the Coaching staff, but you can not be a good fan if you don’t support the RED & BLACK, and that’s just the way it is. Anything else, just won’t do…

DOGGIE IN NC

October 26th, 2012
4:49 pm

For all you fools that think you can call all of Bobo’s calls, I challenge you to do this: Write down (before it is run) what the play is going to be, and I don’t mean pass or run – pass or run where – then mark down if you got it right or wrong. After the game is over, then watch Alabama and do the SAME THING – willing to bet your percentages for each one will not be off by 5% either way. We can all guess some of the plays from ANY OC/Qback. Stop spouting BS. Everyone calls a stupid play at times. If it is 3rd and 8, the betting line says it will be a pass – half your work is done for you. End of the half or game, with the lead, you can bet it will be a run. Try to at least say it will be to the left, middle, right, or end around.Better yet, guess the Florida plays and compare – should be easy for you since they run 85% of the time. DO IT – prove me wrong, you bunch of blow hards! GO DOGGIES!

what of it?

October 26th, 2012
4:56 pm

Dog4Life

coaching rec is god’s work and takes a tremendous amount of patience. in fact, i’d argue that any good coach’s development starts there

marcus

October 26th, 2012
4:58 pm

so if the key is to keep them guessing………. now is the time for bobo to shine. we are talking bout offense. now is the time. we have a smart qb but not a,i die for you qb. i will not get down on my dawgs. we have the weapons so lets use them. let murray be smart and then let him go. bobo our scoring is on you. i will not even mention the name of the coach but defense we better live! i love all yall.

DOGGIE IN NC

October 26th, 2012
5:01 pm

And you Fire CMR fans – you are either Bees or some hell tortured rednect. You really think Muschump is a better coach than CMR? Has he won more games as a head coach? Does he have a better winning percentage than CMR? You really want someone like Muschump, who is a raving lunatic, running up and down the sidelines, screaming and shouting at players, coaches, and refs? The man is going to pop a vein! It takes talent to be calm, cool, and collective under fire – give me CMR. GO DOGGIES!.

TBDawg

October 26th, 2012
5:01 pm

Enter your comments hereMuschamp does not worry about play calling to keep the other team guessing like a lot of you think BoBo .has to do. He just lines up and takes on the other team. That’s what Georgia must.do. Man up and get the job done!!

kingdaddy

October 26th, 2012
5:07 pm

Mobile&FLA DAWG
We are on the same page. I want to beat SC again. I want to spank Fla.Sat. I know you two are good fans and want to win. I just refuse to giveup on our kids that are caught in the middle. “Many battles were won by people who didn’t know they couldn’t win! “. Look at the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, or George Washington crossing the Delaware. Until UF beats us Saturday, I will not accept it. As long as we have a chance, we are not defeated. There is an old saying, “Shiz happens!” Many people said that a man on the moon was impossible, but it happened didn’t it? UGA is not beaten before the game is played, no matter what some of you say. The odds are against them, but they will show up and who can tell what will happen playing football in a hurricane…

kingdaddy

October 26th, 2012
5:19 pm

Yes I am aware the Spartans eventually lose the battle, but because of their bravery, the Greeks survived to defeat Xerxes navy at the Battle of Salamis. Thermopylae was a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds…

yea right

October 26th, 2012
6:44 pm

STOP fla run game and its a wrap

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