Back-to-back triple options ‘probably not ideal’ preparation for SEC Championship
ATHENS – You’ll get no wishy-washy answers from Georgia’s defensive players when asked how they feel about playing Georgia Southern and its vaunted triple-option attack this Saturday. Cornerback Sanders Commings probably summarized their sentiments most succinctly.
“It sucks, to be honest,” said the senior from Augusta.
Now add in the fact that the Bulldogs will be facing this exact scheme for two consecutive weeks. The Eagles run the same “spread option” system that Georgia Tech has perfected under coach Paul Johnson. Jeff Monken, Georgia Southern’s head the last three years, worked for Johnson at Georgia Southern, Navy and Georgia Tech going back to 1997.
So the good news is facing the Eagles in Game 11 should prepare Georgia well for facing the Yellow Jackets in Game 12. But the bad news is while the Bulldogs will be deeply mired in the intricacies of reading and reacting to the “counter trey” for the next two weeks, they’ll do so knowing they’ll face nothing of the sort in the SEC Championship game.
Georgia (9-1, 7-1 SEC) clinched the SEC’s Eastern Division title this past Saturday and is expected to face No. 4 Alabama and its pro-style attack in the conference championship on Dec. 1 in the Georgia Dome.
“We’ve just got to worry about that when the time comes,” coach Mark Richt said at his weekly news conference Tuesday. “We can’t do anything other than defend who we are going to play. So that’s what we’re doing. When that’s through, we’ll have to change gears again, certainly. . . . Some of the schemes and responsibilities will be vastly different, there’s no doubt about that. But if we don’t focus on this we’ll get embarrassed badly.”
Said defensive coordinator Todd Grantham: “It’s probably not the best scenario, but it’s the hand we’re dealt and we’re going to play it. And we’ll be fine. It just so happens we’ve got to face this style of offense two weeks in a row.”
For the No. 5-ranked Bulldogs, it’s not so much the fear of playing the option as it is the dread. For one, the Eagles are going to pile up yards no matter who they play. They rolled up 302 yards rushing and scored 21 points in a loss against eventual national champion Alabama in Tuscaloosa last year. They come into the Georgia game averaging 401 yards rushing and scored 69 points in a win over Howard. Secondly, a key component for the offense is the cut block. Linemen at Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech are taught to dive at defenders knees and get them on the ground by any means possible. It’s especially tough on big defensive linemen, who are used to more of a hand-to-hand-combat style of play.
Senior noseguard John Jenkins went as far to say he thinks “it’s cheating.”
“They just chop your knees and they grab your leg and roll up on you and hold your leg. That’s no fun,” said the 6-foot-3, 358-pound lineman. “I can’t knock what they do. They do it legally. But it shouldn’t be legal.”
The ethics of it aside, both Southern and Tech cut block well. And therefore Georgia is doing everything it can to get ready for it. For starters, the Bulldogs held a rare full-contact practice on a Monday, a day normally reserved for a light, walk-through workout in sweatsuits. Instead, Georgia coaches had the defense lining up in drills turf practice fields taking on cut block after cut block. The Bulldogs were in full pads as usual on Tuesday and Richt said they may break from routine and do it Wednesday and Thursday as well.
“You have to be able to defend that block and stay on your feet,” senior linebacker Christian Robinson said. “(Monday) it was wet and rainy and we were all getting cut for the first time. We needed that just to see how rough it can be if you’re not ready to defend it.”
The Bulldogs did a decent job the last time they saw it. The Jackets gained 355 yards, including 243 yards rushing on 53 carries, and Georgia won 31-17.
They would like to do better this go-around, and the timing of these last two games is no accidet. It had to fit into the Eagles’ schedule, too, but Georgia liked the idea of getting an FCS preview of the spread option before facing their FBS archrivals.
“It just ended up working out that’s where it got placed,” Richt said. “But if you’re going to play that type of offense twice in a season, it’s probably better to do it back-to-back than in Game 4 and Game 9. . . . It’s probably not a bad thing, but we’ll see how the results end up.”
Last year, Georgia lost defensive end DeAngelo Tyson for the rest of the season to an ankle injury due to a cut block against Georgia Tech. Jenkins, who projects as an NFL first-round draft pick after this season, was reminded of that watching tape this week.
“At the high school level, that’s one thing; at the college level, that’s people’s livelihood, and it’s a different way to look at it when you’re toying with people’s livelihoods,” Jenkins said.I’ve read stories about people getting cut the wrong way and they no longer can play football. They’re using football to feed their family, so it’s kind strange and different.
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125 comments Add your comment
Pepper Rodgers
November 14th, 2012
8:34 am
Good to know our rivals care, lots of jealousy on display here.
Your posts prove it.
GS-VSU
November 14th, 2012
8:44 am
YOU ARE RIGHT JB, ANYONE CAN SCORE 5O AGAINST THE JACKETS(ASK NORTH CAROLINA) PROBLEM IS THE JACKETS CAN SCORE 68, AND BEWARE GEORGIA SOUTHERN RUNS THE OFFENSE BETTER THAN TECH.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 14th, 2012
8:50 am
UGa wanted to be ready to Win one of their Biggest Games the past 5 years, so they placed GaSou on the schedule. It is great for the TECH game but that is all…..McGarity loves cupcakes to get to the DOME but what will happen in the DOME is not his problem….HAHA McGarity hangs Richt out to dry in the SEC CG
duckafawg
November 14th, 2012
8:51 am
think it’s hilarious that J Jenkins speaks of “livelihoods” at the college level….btw….GSU and GT DO NOT run the same offense…GT many games rarely runs an option….GSU is strictly option football…saying they are the same offense is like comparing any two teams that utilize the one back set…no two are exactly alike
Neutral
November 14th, 2012
8:56 am
ALL of the elite teams play 2-3 cupcakes…..every dang one of them. When you make comments like the one at 8:50 it shows a total ignorance regarding what ALL teams including GT, Bama, FL, SC, LSU etc are doing with their schedules. It is not something unique to UGa you knucklehead!
Neutral
November 14th, 2012
9:00 am
@8:51
He was talking about his “pro” career that will start next summer being screwed-up by players who take cheap shots…..a common behavior at GT.
beanster
November 14th, 2012
9:04 am
Hey Techies — UGA fans do not care about your pathetic football program. You are a blip on our schedule. The game is way too easy now. And, as evidenced by your school’s return of 1900 tickets, your “fan base” doesn’t care either. Some of you have actually been chicken sheet enough to admit that you’re “afraid” to come to Athens because rednecks scare you too much. People get robbed and murdered every week on your campus but you’re afraid of getting made fun of in Athens.. Hilarious.
Hey, tell you what. Why don’t y’all appeal to your Athletic Assoc. to forfeit the game? We’ll say the score was 21-14 UGA. That way, you won’t get embarrassed by 5 or 6 scores. And UGA can concentrate on real football programs and conference championships.
Half of your fan base wants the UGA game to go away anyway because you are simply not competitive enough. All those “student athletes” (e.g. Ball, Hamilton, Houston, etc.) are too worried about their grades to give a hoot about football. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Neutral
November 14th, 2012
9:05 am
@pepper
It’s simply a rebuttal to GT blogs…..no jealousy with Dawg fans….none whatsoever! I’ve never met a UGa fan who could identify anything about GT to be jealous about….and that’s a fact my friend, an absolute fact.
JBII
November 14th, 2012
9:06 am
“GT many games rarely runs an option”
????? That comment is beyond dumb.
Neutral
November 14th, 2012
9:08 am
@beanster
When Techies mention “cupcake” games on the UGa schedule are they talking about the GT game? Just asking
mcdaviddawg
November 14th, 2012
9:14 am
Triple option, bad preparation for SEC title. We don’t prepare for games anyway, so what difference does that make. Fire Richt and get a working coach.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 14th, 2012
9:34 am
Neutral………….You mean CHEAP SHOT Artists at UGa like BEN JONES?
Big Bad Tech
November 14th, 2012
9:39 am
What a bunch of cry babies! It is just your health and well being. So what if a player or two gets ruined knees or ankles. What a bunch of babies.
BuzztheKiller
November 14th, 2012
9:41 am
In case you missed it, the “high school” offense just put up 68 points on a defense that is on par with UGA. Scoring won’t be the problem for Tech against UGA, stopping UGA is another matter…look for a shootout in the fifties….as far as cut blocking, every college team does it to some degree…some better than others. Completely legal. Someone needs to remind Jenkins he is a “student/athlete” or at least is supposed to pretend to be. Guess he is not concerned with getting a degree and is apparently already getting paid to play football as he calls it his “livelihood” already. If he is worried about playing GSU and GT, don’t think the NFL is going to be his “livelihood” at least for long. Look for him in the “whatever happened to”…category in a couple of years.
eagle 1
November 14th, 2012
9:43 am
358 lbs! 358lbs! …..and he’s worried about a 258lb lineman blocking him? C’mon man! GSU comes off a game in which they had numerous key players out. Murray will throw for a ton of yards and Richt won’t call off the dogs, so lets hope GSU has gotten healthy. A healthy McKinnon, Swope, & Co. will give the dogs fits but won’t be able to pull the upet. UGA 42 GSU 21
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 14th, 2012
9:49 am
Neutral
November 14th, 2012
9:08 am
@beanster
When Techies mention “cupcake” games on the UGa schedule are they talking about the GT game? Just asking
===================================
TECH has been one of the BIGGEST games on the UGa schedule the last 4 years.
Dawg Whisperer
November 14th, 2012
9:53 am
Piney… come out of the woods and stop your pining. Look around and embrace all that is UGA. It is the right thing to do.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 14th, 2012
9:55 am
Dawg Whisperer
November 14th, 2012
9:53 am
Piney… come out of the woods and stop your pining. Look around and embrace all that is UGA. It is the right thing to do.
==================================
PLEASE Define “All that is UGA” while NOT wearing Rose Colored Glasses.
Real DawgFan
November 14th, 2012
9:55 am
That was a clip on Tyson last year by Tech’s Center. It was not called but it was nothing but a nasty shot. You want to cut block at least do it from the front.
Dawg Whisperer
November 14th, 2012
9:56 am
Buzz… what gilded golden world do you live in?
BuzztheKiller
November 14th, 2012
10:00 am
Funny, I have been to numerous UGA vs GT games both in Atlanta and Athens. Never really been “afraid” in either city. As far as being afraid of “rednecks”, they are all mouth, especially the variety that have never set foot on UGAs campus except to go to Sanford Stadium. I know and am friends with numerous actual UGA grads who are smart, successful, and enjoy the rivalry for what it is. They are not “jealous” of Tech or Tech grads, they have their own success to be proud of. It is the majority of non-graduate “dawg nation” idiot fans who talk the trash about Tech and are, legitimately so, jealous of Tech students and grads. They know deep down that all that have to brag about over Tech grads is that fact that the team that have latched onto, which they have no more claim to than a Walmart sweatshirt or a big red “G” sticker on the back of their leased pickup truck, has dominated the series the past decade. Any UGA/Tech fan knows the series has had periods of dominance by one or the other. Tech may never dominate for a decade again, as college football has changed, and an academic focused school like Tech will struggle to compete for talent against an athletic focused school like UGA . Most logical and realistic Tech fans know our best bet is to knock them off 2 out of every 5 years or so. As long as Johnson is there, Tech has a chance against anyone. They can also lose to anyone, but that is another story…
BuzztheKiller
November 14th, 2012
10:04 am
dawgwhisperer- (pretty creep name, but whatever): I live in the “gilded golden world” of John’s Creek. So what?
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 14th, 2012
10:10 am
Real DawgFan
November 14th, 2012
9:55 am
That was a clip on Tyson last year by Tech’s Center. It was not called but it was nothing but a nasty shot. You want to cut block at least do it from the front.
=======================================
Get back to us when you look at the play Ben “PIG” Jones did against the miss St player 20 yards down the field…..UGa players are just as DIRTY don’t kid yourself.
Steve
November 14th, 2012
10:12 am
BuzztheKiller = Typical Tech moron. I always love the “Tech is an academic school” excuse when it comes to your little football team being terrible.
Honey Badger Has the Munchies
November 14th, 2012
10:29 am
A lot teams cut block. Watch Oregon, Air Force, Navy, Army and Boise St as well as UGA. Every offense does it in college. Depending on thier style of offense depends on how much said team cut clocks. Man up and play the game, it’s not nothing new folks, we play Tech every year. GO DAWGS!
straightshooter
November 14th, 2012
10:34 am
Don’t be surprised if Georgia Southern moves the ball against the Dawgs. They will play with an undersized OL by SEC standards (no player over 300 lbs), and they depend on quickness and technique to create the seams for the backs. I think you will find that GSU runs the option faster than GT does, and that starts with the QB position. The GSU QB runs the 40 in the mid-4.3s. GT has never had that speed at QB, and it is that kind of speed that really makes the flex option work. The biggest difference in this game will be the UGA offense and it’s ability to score lots of points. GSU will get its yards and points, but the UGA offense will be too strong over four quarters.
Gary
November 14th, 2012
10:35 am
Tiny Piney Woody,
Your comments are simply laughable. You ask any journalist their opinion of Richt and his program and they will have nothing but good things to say about the coach and what he does for his players. I think this weekends Auburn game is a prime example of the class act Georgia has leading the football program. Georgia could have routed Auburn. The only thing stopping Georgia from hanging 70 @ Auburn was a coach who does not see the point in running up the score an considers it childish and vindictive (for a deffinintion od childish and vindictive see Spurrier in the Webster dictionary). The fans would have loved to have seen hime do it. We are still upset about the 2010 game in auburn. He would have gotten lots cudos from the folks in red in black for a lights out not mercy performance. Frankly… Richt is a class act. He represents what Georgia students athletes should rise to achieve in thier lifes. Simply put the man lives by example. Proud to have him on our sidelines. Enjoy your trolling for the rest for your day. Love my coach… Go Dawgs.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 14th, 2012
10:36 am
Steve………….Academics matter…….How many(%) of SEC players in Pro Sports go Broke compares the ACC players? Just asking.
Honey Badger Has the Munchies
November 14th, 2012
10:39 am
Gary…Well said sir
JB
November 14th, 2012
10:44 am
Jenkins in perfectly within his right to worry about his livelihood as he has prepared himself and positioned himself to be a top 3 round pick in the NFL and is line to make make more in his original contract than a Tech nerd will make in a career. I’m not defending if that money is right, I’m just saying what the reality is. And to have some punk take a cheap questionable shot at his knee is something he ought to be worried about. Tech is all about hate for some reason.
azdawg
November 14th, 2012
10:46 am
I wouldn’t be surprised if the dawgs D limps into the Dome when it faces AL. Bad enuf having to face this style of offense once but two in a row can be demoralizing to a Defense. Just hope and pray none of the dawgs D gets injured in the next two weeks. Need a healthy (and rested) team running into the dome to play arguably the number one team in the country.GO DAWGS!
JB
November 14th, 2012
10:47 am
Gary…good post. Tech does not have a coach with those same character traits. Johnson would of hung 70 on Auburn if he could, because upon losing, which they do often now, it’s all about the stats with that guy.
ARdawg
November 14th, 2012
11:13 am
POAD
“TECH has been one of the BIGGEST games on the UGa schedule the last 4 years.”
Put down that crackpipe
68 -56 hmmmm
November 14th, 2012
11:24 am
where oh where have a i seen that score before? 5th page of the paper maybe?
the penguins of ohio CRUSH the dwags in athens by 12. really? REALLY?
yet i keep reading about how the dwags run this state in fb and bb.
last time i looked we whupped your behinds in athens last year with our rag tag team and first year coach for the first time in something like 30 years. our 2nd year coach looks to CRUSH the dwags in recruiting again this year. we have a gem of brand new arena. (take note dwags we have urinals so no need to pee in our classrooms.) AND if i were you dwags i wouldnt bother attending the game between our teams this year either. it is going to be a beat down of epic proportions.
speaking of which… if your talent at predicting outcomes such as your ruling this state in bb, winning national championships etc is an indication of your talent for prognostication than i suggest that you start worrying about the 24th.
vad vlad lee says hello.
HardTruth Soldier
November 14th, 2012
11:34 am
Isn’t Ga’s backups suppose to be better than GSU’s starters? Ray Drew, Gathers, Dawson, Vasser, Gilliard just to name a few. Play them more and let the BigDawgs rest a little more. I want them to be ready for GT(SCUM) and ALA(RACIST SCUM) to let the SEC know we ain’t playing.
THE OBGYN
November 14th, 2012
11:36 am
@ Piney Woods Pete,
When you see your boss later today be sure to give him hell about the fact your team will beat him at least once before the end of 2020. Rub it in but at the end of all that make sure to tell him thank you, sir.
jsmooth
November 14th, 2012
12:13 pm
@pineywoodspeter:
where do you get off with this garbage you are spewing? Explain to me how UGA is cheating? We recruit the same guys a lot of Major colleges do. You sir are a ignorant fool !
MTSU Runs Bobby Dodd Way
November 14th, 2012
12:24 pm
That was a nice pillow fight ya’ll put up against MTSU and BYU @ home. I think Tekies should have bigger things to worry about.
MadDog
November 14th, 2012
12:54 pm
Agree with hard truth… Richt should sit the guys that don’t want to play. I’ve never heard/read anything like this crap about cut blocks. Nobody in any division complained/whined about it. More people carted off the field for other injuries. It’s football. Unbelievable.
Kirby Dumb
November 14th, 2012
1:03 pm
I don’t like that hurry up stuff like Coach Saban! My boys just aren’t too smart to figure things out quickly!
Conway
November 14th, 2012
1:08 pm
Tech would be better suited to play football in India or Pakstan where their alumni reside! They might fill a stadium there!
Quit whining
November 14th, 2012
1:25 pm
Nothing new here.
Blue
November 14th, 2012
1:33 pm
So, Jenkins…”it’s cheating”, but “it’s legal”? Man up, big fella…
Blue
November 14th, 2012
1:35 pm
Ugab; you do know that a cut block and a “chop block”, as you said, are different, right? You do know that one is within the rules and one is a penalty, right? Learn the game
MTSU Runs Bobby Dodd Way
November 14th, 2012
1:45 pm
Steve………….Academics matter…….How many(%) of SEC players in Pro Sports go Broke compares the ACC players? Just asking.
Stupid question, even more stupid scenario. Why does that matter on an article about cut blocks and triple options two weeks in a row?
Back-to-back triple options ‘probably not ideal’ preparation for SEC Championship – Georgia – Dawg News
November 14th, 2012
3:12 pm
[...] more: Back-to-back triple options ‘probably not ideal’ preparation for SEC Championship ← Back to Home Tags: ajc, georgia southern, georgia tech, good, jeff monken, mark [...]
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 14th, 2012
3:12 pm
ARdawg
November 14th, 2012
11:13 am
POAD
“TECH has been one of the BIGGEST games on the UGa schedule the last 4 years.”
Put down that crackpipe
========================================
Sorry…………IT has been the BIGGEST UGa win…….the Mutts have LOST all their Biggest games….
ERK
November 14th, 2012
3:14 pm
An ideal situation.
Beano Jr
November 14th, 2012
3:29 pm
I would be more worried whether the 400lb gorilla is mad after losing to Texas A&M.
Adam H
November 14th, 2012
3:34 pm
I don’t think cut blocking teams have historically injured their opponents more than non-cut blocking teams…
I also don’t think that preparing for the triple option will negatively affect Georgia’s preparation for Alabama’s offense… It’s all about discipline and gap responsibility.
This reeks of premature whining to me.