"You've got to take what the defense gives you", Say What?

Where was this on Georgia's second drive in Stillwater? I can;'t believe Bobo said this. Sure, it is sound football, but in no way is it relevant to his play calling performance this year.  Apparently, he thinks the defense is giving us the spread sweep QB option. 

Personally, I think Bobo needs to go back and look at some of Georgia's offensive tape from the last 8 years and kill this love affair he has developed with the spread running game.

Georgia's turnovers a concern against LSU  | ajc.com

"You've got to take what the defense gives you, and you've got to respect the football," said Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.

LSU: The Loss, The Aftermath and the Celebration

It has been 40 hours since the LSU Tigers defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 20-13 in Sanford Stadium. I still haven't fully recovered, today's blog is the first step in the healing process.

I love the Georgia Bulldogs, that is why it hurts when they lose. I believe in Mark Richt and everything he has done to re-invent Georgia football. That is why I was convinced we would come back and win the game Saturday. To have the game turn on special-teams and officiating is certainly more than mere mortals can handle.

The defense played their asses of for three and a half quarters. The offense found itself with a spark from Washuan Ealey and I just knew we had this thing. Saturday, however, would turn out to be a microcosm of the season thus far. When the offense struggled, the defensive was great. Perhaps it was fatigue, for they were out there all day, but when the offense got going, the defense disappeared. Heartbreaking.

The final four minutes are still too tender....

What Went Wrong, A LOT
Mike Bobo and Joe Cox just simply were not clicking in the first half.  Cox's throw were off target, even the completed passes were rarely in a position for the receiver to gain any yards post catch. Bobo's play calling was erratic at best. 

Are we now offically a spread team? It seems to me if you are having trouble running the ball, removing the fullback and tight end is not the answer. Yeah, yeah, we get numbers when we spread the field... but when you hand the ball off to a power running back going east or west, what is the point?

The defense played too much football once again. Early, it seemed they needed the goal line as an extra defender, but they came on in the second quarter.  LSU could not run the ball except on quarterback scrambles against man to man coverage. Expect more quarterbacks to simply tuck and run whenever they catch us in man to man.

In the final minutes, the defense was gassed and LSU did what good SEC teams do. They ran it right at us. There power back simply would not be tackled. That is how we used to do it. Hint, hint, Mike Bobo!

The thing that is hardest for me to handle is the breakdowns on special teams. Once again, our kickoff strategy is all about Blair Walsh. If he can't kick it through the endzone, we can't tackle then until they return it to our side of the field. Give Trindon Holliday credit if you want, but every team has done this to us.

Some very succesful teams have their head coach handle special teams, such as Florida and Virginia Tech. Apparently they realize the importance of the third phase of the game. These coaches take their best players and utilize them to gain an advantage. I thought we were moving in that direction this year, but the results are the same as they have been, terrible, and they were a major contributor to the loss. Just compare our starting field position following a kick to LSU's!

Three excellent points from Tim Tucker:

Joe Cox overthrowing a wide-open A.J. Green on a first-quarter deep ball and Blair Walsh missing his first field goal in nine attempts, a mere 32-yarder, in the third quarter. Those two plays might have meant 10 points in a game decided by 7.

Richt on  Trindon Holliday’s 40-yard kickoff return that set up LSU’s winning touchdown: “We got punctured right in the heart of our kickoff-coverage team. Their wedge did a very nice job.  And everybody knows Holliday is a special cat.”  Richt said another factor was that Georgia was kicking into the wind.

Georgia was penalty-free in the first half. Alas, the Dogs had seven penalties for 59 yards in the second half, including the very costly two for 20 yards in the final 69 seconds.

More on Richt era special teams woes from David Hale. He suggest having a drink before reading. Yes, sir! Really, wait until you can have a drink to read, it is thoroughly disgusting.

By my count, that's 22 miscues on kickoffs following either crucial Georgia scores or to start a half in just the past 18 games. Twenty-two! In 18 games! Loud noises!

What Went Right, Not Enough
The defense found themselves. Yes LSU shredded us on their last two drives of the game, but give them credit. We were wore out, our offense couldn't move the chains for 50 minutes. Given that, we really had no business being in the football game. The defense gave us an excellent chance to win.

As bad as Cox and Bobo were in the first half, adjustments were made and we took the lead TWICE late in the game.

Washuan Ealey saw his first action and reminded all of the player whose jersey he now wears. There is no denying we have boat loads of talent.

AJ Green is Superman. He has all the athletic ability in the world and is a flat out winner. He simply wants it more than any other player on the field. He has no business grabbing that ball in the endzone, he just out fought the defender. We are so very lucky to have him.

Excessive Celebration
I am still up in arms over this one and I am not trying to add salt to our wounds, but who remembers where this rule came from? That's right, Vince Dooley. Coach Dooley lobbied for the celebration rule while AD at Georgia and after it was implemented, he continued to press for it to be made more stringent.  Those of us in the old Gator Bowl watching all of Spurrier's Gators mocking Garrison Hearst with the Heisman pose remember why.

Tony Barnhart says it needs to be eliminated. Tim Brando was a tweeting fool on the subject following his on-air rant. Mike "It's great to be a gator" Bianchi even thinks it was a stupid call. We have to find a way to let the officials know they are to be the background, nobody show up, or tunes in, to see them.

The Lunatic Fringe
The calls for Mark Richt's head go beyond the pale.

My last season with an active student identification card was Ray Goff's first. Those in my generation have a pretty decent perspective of Georgia football. We were old enough to remember details about the glory days of Herchel, but never sniffed an SEC championship while a student. Then came Goff. Then Donnan.

Thus, most of us are very thankful we have Richt and do not want to lose him!! Fabs is another matter...

Let the mukraking begin:

Adam Krohn is back at it. Dalton, you are so lucky to have him. What an imbesil!

There are plenty of coaches out there that could elevate Georgia to a perennial BCS contender. If I’m Bulldogs athletic director Damon Evans, I would ask former defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, who currently holds the same title with the Atlanta Falcons, if he’d be interested in coming back to Athens as the coach.

While I remain a Mark Bradley fan, most in the Bulldog Nation are not.  The closing line of this post is a good example of why.

There was a time under Richt when Georgia made the one play, the winning play. That time was not Saturday. That time, it seems, has passed.

I visited dawgrant.com for the first, and last time. Unbelievable.

Bartender!

October is Here, Throw the Football Without Fear!

It's October, the air is crisp and DRY. The Georgia Bulldogs are 3 and 1 and the Bengal Tigers come a calling Saturday. The Tennessee state championship awaits as does the cocktail party. I love October.

September was sloppy and full of suspense. Way too much of both. Turnovers, penalties, the flu and questionable play calling usually don't lead to winning 75% of your games, especially against quality competition like that the Dawgs have faced.

Leaving Stillwater, the Dawgs earned an "F" for "fail". Leaving September the "F" remains, but now represents "fortunate". Ultimately, October will start and end with "F", the first for "Fork" as in a fork in the road, the last for "Florida".

The LSU game should serve as a barometer for the Bulldogs future. One could argue this not you typical LSU team, but it cannot be argued they will bring far more talent to Athens than any other opponent thus far. Like Georgia, LSU is loooking for their identity and to prove their place among the nation's elite.

This is a game of survival for two teams undefeated in conference play. Win and you are a legit. A loss does not end your chances, but it certainly does not help. A win is sure to provide confidence that has to be a little lacking for both squads.

Both readers of this space know I favor a running game. Pick sixes aside, I subscribe to the theory "the other team can't score if they don't have the ball". I am throwing that out the window this week. I see a shoot-out as our best chance for success.

Thus far, the only thing the Bulldogs have done consistently is turn it over three times a game.  Yes, yes, they have managed some balance, equal number of running play to passing, and even Caleb King and Richard Samuel garnered the exact same number of carries last week. It is the turnover stat that matters most.

We overcame the turnovers last week due to an inferior opponent and a feroic effort by AJ Green. Against Carolina and Arkansas we overcame the turnovers by simply outscoring the other guys. Obviously, we were unable to overcome three turnovers in our loss to Oklahoma State.

Bombs away! AJ Green has been everything you could hope for, and more. Michael Moore has been as Bernie predicted. Taverres King has stepped up and Rontavious Wooten is showing signs of unstoppability. Only play calling and being on the sidelines has stopped Orson Charles since the drop in Stillwater.

Mike Bobo, throw it. Throw it early, throw it often, and only run it when you feel the need to rest Joe Cox's arm. The offensive line has looked better in pass protection than in the running game, so let's just throw it. Throw the leather off of the damn ball. Let's break out the no-huddle and let our fifth year quartberack have the day of his life on national television. Speaking of a national television audience, don't they deserve to see AJ Green be al that he can be?

To hell with the running game. To hell with time of possession. To hell with interceptions. To hell with Tech (just had to throw that one in there). Hell, if we must run it, let's run a reverse to AJ.

I really don't care what we do, just please win the damn football game. Win the state of Tennessee and beat the hell out of Florida.

Go Dawgs!

One more thing, Willie and the defense had a pretty good game against Arizona State, but I couldn't help but share this little piece from Aladamnbama.

SEC EXTRA: Gentry Estes: Tide success could result in staff departures | Sports from the Press-Register - al.com

Saban's heart was in the right place when he publicly praised defensive coordinator Kirby Smart after last weekend's Arkansas victory. But while there is no doubt that Smart is one of the fast-rising young coaches in the nation, there also is no denying the public perception that this is Saban's defense and always will be.

At least a portion of that perception, in my opinion, stems from the fact Saban typically doesn't allow Smart to share opinions and football knowledge with the media.

Regardless of that, would Smart now leave to take over the defense at a place like, say, Georgia, his alma mater?

Saving Samuel for the Stretch

While looking ahead at the schedule we have coming up, and reflecting on Mike Bobo's play calling, it suddenly dawned on me, we must be saving Richard Samuel. Saving him for this brutal stretch that begins at Arkansas Saturday night. Saving him because the coaches know we are going to need him.

Think about it, we have Arkansas away, Arizona State, LSU, Tennessee away and Vandy before an week off. Given Calen King's ongoing hamstring issues and penchant for breaking everything to the outside, Richard is our only running back with the ability and desire to pound the rock right at the heart of the opposing defense.

The coaching staff has to know our goals for the season are not attainable if we do not start winning the time of possession war. Perhaps there is a method to Mike Bobo's madness. Sure, we would all love to see Samuel carry the ball 25 times a game, but how many games in a row can he do that?

Have the coaches outsmarted us all? Have they saved the "Crusher from Cartersville" for the games we are going to need him most?

The defense surely will not be able to stay on the field as much as the have in the first two games. Fatigue was obvious at the close of the Carolina game. Given Petrino's point scoring past, and weeks if not months to prepare for Willie Martinez's bend but don't break bunch, is this Arkansas the game we ride Richard?

It is easy to understand the staff's desire to keep feeding the likes of AJ Green, and the lightning fast Branden Smith. Especially after a 41 point performance, but the risk reward of quick strikes ultimately places your defense on the field more often than not.

A win is a win, but I cannot imagine the coaches are looking to get into another shootout in Fayettville. My prediction for this week is a lot less spread/shotgun, and a healthy dose of Samuel out of the I formation with a lot of play action passes to AJ Green, of course.

What Does Balance Mean to You?

Certainly, we are all aware Mike Bobo called 30 running plays and 30 passing plays last Saturday. Is this balance?

I am not so sure. To me balance has more to do with production. Ideal balance would be 300 yards rushing and 300 yards passing. okay, 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing.

However, if the running game is working, I do not think it should be abandoned in order to achieve balance. Balance is great, but do what works. Take what the defense is giving you. I don't mind running it 50 times or throwing it 50 times, if that is what the defense is giving us and we are having success.

We must be able to run the ball. We must be able to pass the ball. But we do not necessarily need to do both equally in every 60 minute span. Running it successfully four plays in a row should not lead to an automatic pass attempt the next four plays. And I do not expect to see that type of play calling tomorrow night.

I expect we will see typical Georgia balance against the chickens. We will run it more than we throw it, but the yardage produced in the passing game will be similar to that produced by the running game. Cox will produce more than 6 yards per an attempt. He has to.

So what is your definition of offensive balance?

Texas may have Muschamp, but Georgia is better off with Bobo

Will Muschamp has turned into a pretty darn good defensive coordinator, at least he was in Auburn. Hard to tell if anybody plays good defense in the Big 12. Kirby Smart is looking good as the defensive coordinator at Alabama. Mike Bobo, Georgia's ofensive coordinator may have the brightest future of the three.

All three were teammates for one season at Georgia, 1994, Muschamp's final year. Muschamp started his coaching career as a GA for Auburn. Smart and Bobo both started at their alma mater. While Smart would move on to be a GA at FSU then an assistant at LSU, before returning to Athens, Bobo spent some time in Valdosta but has never left the state of Georgia.

Muschamp took to Wayne Hall and "Brother" Bill Oliver as mentors. Kirby Smart found Nick Saban and has follwed him everywhere. Mike Bobo left Valdosta to join Mark Richt's first staff in Athens as quarterback's coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator two seasons ago after gaining play calling duties at the end of the 2006 campaign.

The three former Bulldogs have very impressive runs through the coaching ranks of the Southeastern Conference. Muschamp has been named coach in waiting at the University of Texas, a school know to care a little about football. In fact, he was mentioned as a candidate to replace Tommy Tuberville at Auburn but could not turn down the coach in waiting opportunity at Texas or it's distance from Bobby Lowder.

It probably will not be long before we start hearing Kirby Smart mentioned for some coaching vacancies.

But this evenings BUI prediciton centers on the one that never really left. The one that puts the points on the board. The one that played his best game as a Bulldog in his last, although his first was quite a performance against that group from N. Avenue. Mike Bobo, the future head coach of the University of Georgia.

I cannot envision Mark Richt ever leaving Athens for another football job. He will leave on his terms at the time of his choosing. My guess is he will leave much to soon for most of us. He will eventually leave to answer the calling of the Lord to do something outside of football.

When he does, it will be Mike Bobo who steps in to fill the sizeable shoes he will leave behind. That will be just fine with me.