Based on the FEI, Georgia Ranked 51st

We all know the Georgia Bulldogs are not a very good team right now. The record speaks for itself. Do you want to know just how bad they are?

No need for you to break out the ole spreadsheet. The guys over at Football Outsiders list some very "Innovative Statistics" and have done the number crunching for us.

Georgia comes in at 51st. That is just plain awful, but not as bad as our rankings in penalties/game, yards/game, turnovers, total offense, scoring offense, total defense and scoring defense. So cheer up Dawg Nation, things are not as bad as they look, on paper at least.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | FEI COLLEGE FOOTBALL RATINGS 2009

The Fremeau Efficiency Index (FEI) considers each of the nearly 20,000 possessions every season in major college football. All drives are filtered to eliminate first-half clock-kills and end-of-game garbage drives and scores. A scoring rate analysis of the remaining possessions then determines the baseline possession efficiency expectations against which each team is measured. A team is rewarded for playing well against good teams, win or lose, and is punished more severely for playing poorly against bad teams than it is rewarded for playing well against bad teams.

Georgia Bulldogs Rankings are Rank

The Georgia Bulldogs are not in the top 25 polls. In fact, the Dawgs are not in the top 25 of anything positive. RSD over at Sic'em Dawgs has some quantitative data on just how the Dawgs really stack up.

Gametime: Tennessee Tech at Georgia

Controversy is swirling around the Georgia program after a 4-4 start and big losses to Tennessee (45-19) and Florida (41-17). Hopefully, the Dawgs can put the pieces together and win at least 2 of their 4 remaining games to become bowl eligible.

Inside the numbers:

* Mark Richt’s overall non-conference record is 35-4.
* Georgia is ranked 118 out of 120 schools in penalties allowed per game.
* Georgia is ranked 115 in penalty yards per game.
* Georgia is ranked 119 schools in turnover margin.
* Georgia is ranked 97 in total offense.
* Georgia is ranked 73 in scoring offense.
* Georgia is ranked 68 in total defense.
* Georgia is ranked 89 in scoring defense.

Another Sickening Stat

I may have to quit following Mr.SEC, these stats are more than I can take.

MrSEC.com » Blog Archive » SEC Stats: Lost Yardage, Week Five

Ever feel like you’re running in place? Or worse that you’re moving backwards?

Ever get that feeling when you’re watching your favorite football team’s offense?

Bartender!

"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!

Impressed By UGA's Offense? Not Everyone

Perhaps perspective is everything and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Arkansas Hones Identity as Georgia Struggles to Find One - SEC Corner - al.com

Last week, versus South Carolina, the longest noteworthy drive the Georgia team had was just over 60 yards. They did manage to put 41 points on the score board. But, the majority of those points came from a team working with a short field due to special teams play.

Credit can't be given to the UGA offense--their numbers were mediocre at best. If the South Carolina game against N.C. State was a true indication of their offensive prowess, you have to question the Bulldog defense as well.

Sure, the Bulldogs pulled a win out of the jaws of defeat against the Gamecocks. If you consider 15 of the 37 points South Carolina scored came from field goals, you realize just how ugly this game could have been if the USC offense had managed to cross the goal line just a few times instead of relying on the leg of Spencer Lanning.

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?

Doc Saturday Piles on the Dawgs

I am trying, really trying to look ahead and stay positive. Richt has faced adversity down in the past in he will do it again.

I have tried the "we played a top 10 team in their house with a young set of skill players...." bit to no avail. It was fairly natural for the Dawg sites to be hyper critical of our effort, but the national guys have not been any gentler with our anemic offensive production.

Were we supposed to get bonus points for having the same number of runs as passes? Ah, forget it. Read this.

Brace yourself for the annual Georgia-South Carolina taffy-pull - Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports

I think we can take a low-scoring game for granted, and Georgia will be fine with that, as long it comes out on the right side -- Cox was only supposed to be a "manager" who did the easy things and kept the defense out of trouble, anyway. If he struggles again in the process of going 0-2, though, with Arkansas, Arizona State, LSU and Tennessee coming up, it's hard to imagine there not being a collective grumble for one of the kids to get their turn. That may seem a little premature, but UGA is already fighting out of a corner; with the Bulldogs' schedule, they can't afford to be patient with 0-2.