- --the Georgia offensive line would block pretty well all night
--the WRs would make great circus catches and make the basic catches
--we'd return a punt for TD
--we'd return a kickoff for TD
--AND we'd score 33 points
We didn't win huge because of two things:
1. We played the worst defensive football I've seen from a UGA team since Kevin Ramsey's Auburn implosion in 1999 at home.
2. Joe Tereshinski turned the ball over 3 times resulting in 21 points, and we coughed up another blocked punt for 7 points. You can't beat anyone surrendering 28 easy points off turnovers.
Mikey Henderson for six. Image: DawgPost.com
The Good:
-- The first half: A religious experience.
-- WR Play: They got open. They made the tough catches, and they played DB a few times to save Joe from even more INTs.
-- OL: Mostly a good night. Certainly their best night since South Carolina.
-- Punt Returns: Mikey won't see many more punts this year if opposing coaches are smart.
-- Lumpkin: Solid play; although he didn't get enough carries. Again.
-- The Fans: The fans showed up early. They showed up loud, and they stayed until the final minutes when it was simply too depressing to watch. They did their part to help recruiting and help the team.
Admit it. You were looking for flags. Image: DawgPost.com
The Wildly Inconsistent:
-- Kickoff Returns: We started one possession on our own 5, and we started two more well, well inside the 20. On the other hand, when Thomas Brown finally saw some blocking he took one too the house. If you get tackled on the 5 yardline, it's probably blocking more than the return guy's fault. There is huge upside in this area if we get more consistent play.
Kade wasn't held here right? Image: DawgPost.com
The Bad:
-- Joe T: The entire purpose of playing the 5th year senior with limited athletic ability is because "he won't make mistakes. He won't turn the ball over. He will get us out of bad plays, and he will play smart." 21 points off Joe T turnovers is the difference in the game. Ultimately, we lost because of the worst defensive game plan in 7 years. But Joe's turnovers killed us.
I've seen people complaining because Richt called a slant on 3rd and 3 that resulted in the 1st interception. I've seen folks say, "Why didn't we run the ball there?" And "Why are we asking Joe to do things he can't?" Folks, a 4 yard slant on 3rd and 3 is a damn good call. It's also safe. If Joe can't make that throw, he shouldn't be on scholarship at a school like Georgia. He CAN make that pass. He just didn't. The pass wasn't deflected and intercepted because he's unlucky. It was deflected because his windup is so slow that the Defensive Lineman had time to anticipate the release and jump for the deflection. 12-20 with 2 INTs and a fumble isn't going to cut it. Again...we ultimately lost the game because of the defense. But Joe T's errors were brutal.
The Ugly:
-- Punting: This time it was a bad snap in the endzone, and I think Kevin Butler said on the post-game show that Lumpkin also missed his block. Either way, that's three in 2 games. Yes, I said three because Ole Miss was robbed last week on that call.
The Galatically Absurdly Awful:
-- Martinez: A topic that merits its own post. But the short version is this. UT is better than us right now. Are they 2 points better with a good game plan? Or they 10 points better with a good game plan? I don't know. But I know that no team that recruits at the level that UGA does should EVER give up 51 points to anyone. Particularly not at home, and particularly not to a team that lost to Vanderbilt the year before.
-- The second half: We were outscored 37-9. Ouch. That will leave a mark.
PWD
17 comments:
pwd - great post. i had posted regarding running on 2nd and 3 and 3rd and 3, and while i do think that would have been our best options considering they could not stop us....
i do agree with you on joe t and the slants. he simply can't make the throws even safe ones like slants.
your points on this post are dead on target. we are still in this thing, so i hope everyone rallies around our guys and we head into jacksonville strong.
Really, now, I see no benefit of starting anyone else but Stafford. Stafford can throw 3 interceptions in a game just as well as JT3 can, so you might as well use the freshman and get him some PT. And lets be honest, the only reason Stafford's #'s are so poor is b/c his WR's forgot to catch the ball. This weekend showed that our WR's need a lazily thrown ball in order to catch. That's not a good thing.
Concerning the blocked punt, Lumpkin did hit the guy, but didn't hold his block long enough. It wasn't a good block, but I think the high snap threw the timing off on the play. Lumpkin took responsibility in his post game comments, but it wasn't all his fault. With a good snap, who knows, Ely-Kelso may have gotten the punt off.
Joe T: Great kid, not the answer. Let Stafford play. The WR's showed everyone that they can catch, no excuses.
Martinez got out-coached by Cutcliffe. No adjustments, no blitz packages, nothing. I totally agree w/ PWD, UGA has way to much talent to allow 51 points at home on a Sat. night. Bad defensive coaching seems to be trend in big ball games. I think we have the talent to be an agressive defense, not this bend but don't break stuff.
I just hope that this meltdown didn't hurt our recruiting.
Definately there is the need to get the freshmen QBs some playtime & develop/establish a "working" relationship with the WRs. One or the other needs to adapt...soon. Hopefully that's what they'll be working on in practice and next Sat in the Vandy game....that and defense!...we can't afford to go into JAX in 2 weeks with the loss to Tenn fresh in our minds and make the same mistakes. I think everyone knows JT3, 5th year senior, has the heart(bless it), but we need to cultivate the talent we know exists in Stafford and Cox. Let 'em all play, if that works - whatever! Look at what UF did by switching between Leak and Tebow against LSU! If that's not a fine example of playing to your strengths in the right circumstances, then what is? Let's come prepared, Dawgs.
You guys S-U-C-K out loud.
ROCKY TOP...YOU'LL ALWAYS BE...
anyone down there know the rest of the words to that song by now?
Stay classy, Knoxville.
I learned a GREAT thing this weekend. That is, that due to the configuration of the stdaium, anyone sitting in the student sections near the band can't really hear the visiting band. I occasionally heard amorphous drum beats from that general direction, but nothing that ever resembled "Rocky Top". Thank God for small things.
That was a John L. Smith style collapse. You can't get out that far in front, AT HOME, and lose.
It's a rebuilding year, JT3 isn't the greatest and credit to Tennessee, but that was painful to watch.
PWD is right, though, you don't have that much talent and have the opposing team score 51 on you at home...UNLESS you're a headcase.
WVa hangs 28 on us in the Sugar Bowl, we look flat much of the year and almost lose to two bad teams (Colorado keeps losing), Florida owns us and now this. I think these are signs of a lack of mental toughness.
Richt is a great coach, but something is amiss in Athens.
It seems that all these things being mentioned everywhere are an effect rather than a cause. They all have to point to something that is terribly wrong. So many are looking back to those good ol days of JYD and Erk and Van Gorder but what made those teams so much different than that of today.
I want to pull something from FSU while Richt was coordinator. We all can remember that those teams were loaded with talent but in the great games they simply failed to deliver. Whether it was offense, defense, special teams or individual mental mistakes there seemed that something always went wrong for FSU when they needed it to go right.
I submit for consideration the idea that we are going to be running into the same funk. However, we are not in the lack luster ACC which kept FSU national title hopes alive for so many years. We live and die in the SEC East the toughest portion, not to mention the entire conference, of any conference in the NCAA.
I too have been thinking about the game and all the events that caused a game where we were ahead with 14:00 left in the game 27-24 to go completely caput. My point being is that we have a mentality problem. It may come from the fact that we get beat by UF all the time but it seems to be more than that. I want to direct your attention to our leadership. We seem to be soft when it comes to the fight. We never run-up the score nor do we allow our teams to simply beat up on people. While in today's society this is taboo. It is important to recognize that ultimately football is a game where men get out there and fight to exhaustion. We use terminology like "lay it all on the line," or "give it all you got." But the leadership has put us in a position to get ahead and coast.
I am not sure I fully understand the entire ramifications of what this is entailing but it seems to me that for all we do to work our offense and defense we seem to be passive mentally. Almost like we leave it up to fate to decide who will win. This is a dangerous mentality for our players to succumb to. What is needed is not a barbaric, head-hunting mentality but the fact remains that we don't need to be passive-aggressive as our defensive strategy outlines.
The leadership, a la CMR, CWM, and others, must give our players a chance and the only way to do that is to educate themselves and our players on how to ram it down their throats. The evil genius seemed to have this grasp while at UF and UT seemed to have it this past Saturday. What about us? Do we know what it is like to attack, attack, attack? Do we create our own opportunities or do we simply hope they come our way? It surely seems it is the latter.
I hope this gives us something to consider. For it is not talent that kept us from winning neither was it solely coaching. So these effects refer to a cause and that cause is the lack of an aggressive mentality of our players.
one thing that wasn't mentioned was the placekicking and kickoffs. don't think bailey missed an xp, but he sure got close to being blocked a couple of times.
the kickoffs is where we're really hurting w/out coutu. it was either a line drive to the 5 yard line or a lob to the 15 (or the penalty). either way that gave tennessee way too much room to work with and great field position. that's something that i really think we needed to win in a game like this...the field position battle. and we lost it constatly, whether it was on our kick returns, their kickoff returns or turnovers. our field position and their field position in the second half was the difference.
Hobnail Boot don't bite on the flames. It's probably a Gator anyways.
I say play Stafford and warm him up for Jville against the Commodores.
Georgia's issues this year are similiar to what UT faces last year--the uncertainity at QB. Not that Terrashinski didn't do well in spots, but you do have to wonder if he wasn't kind of looking over his shoulder a bit at times.
That said, I knew when we got the easy TD to end the half that it was game on. Georgia had a chance to bury the Vols and couldn't slam the door the shut. UT took advantage, was opportunisitic and we won.
Also, here's something to consider--the road time has won the last four games in this series.
A farmer just outside of Athens was watering his cattle one day when he heard faint music coming from nearby. After hunting around for a while, he discovered the sound was loudest near one particular calf, and was even louder near the calf's tail. Putting his head up close to the calf's hind-end and lifting it's tail, he was amazed to hear Georgia's fight song!!
Dumbfounded, he loaded the calf in his pick-up truck and drove the
animal to a veterinarian nearby. When the Vet asked him what was going on, the farmer told him. The Vet went around behind the calf and gave a listen. He casually agreed that, indeed, he heard the strains of Georgia's fight song, but didn't seem particularly moved.
>"Man, this is incredible! How can you stand there and not be amazed?"
the farmer asked.
>The
Veterinarian, himself a 4th generation University Of Tennessee
graduate,said, "Hell, Bud, I'm a
Tennessee Volunteer, I've been listening to assholes sing that song my entire life."
That song was "Who let the Dogs out". You guys and your fight songs suck. Go VOLS.
Just a few words for those that view these blogs. 1st thing is this a GA fan blog so TN post are out of place; besides the season isn't over and TN has a tougher road to ATL than GA.
2nd Why are fans killing Joe T's ability. He threw int's yes but the game that I saw - only one of those int's was truly his fault. Everyone is jumping on MS band waggon but if he was ready to play he would have freakin played. He is a great talent, but hell if he isn't comfortable with the reads and tempo of the game at this level yet then he can't be forced. CMR, shows that he's delighted with MS ability but obviously MS didn't seal the deal with the 3 almost 4 games he has had given to him to seal the position. He didn't capitalize which means he wasn't quite ready. Joe T didn't by any means play a perfect game - but he has less playing time than MS and he is a 5th year senior, so given that much I was satisfied with his performance. Not to mention that he was obviously was not 100% heal from his ankle injury. He's back a week earlier than projected b/c CMR knew we would have been doomed judging from the play of the freshman dou. I bleed red and black. MS is the future but the future isn't here yet. Yeah get MS as much playing time as we can afford but JT3 is and should remain the starter until MS can solidly prove otherwise. You people have really beat JT3 up terribly. MS throw 3 int in a game and you say throw him in there again. Joe T throws 3 ints and you want to throw him to cows. JT3 isn't GA problem. GAs problem is the killer instinct that they don't have. That we are going to show to win not to play mentaility. And someone is right, it starts with leadership. As much as I like CMR he doesn't show it if he does have it in him. And for crying out loud, who ever thought it would be a good idea for Martinez to be in charge of the defense. Defensively GA coaches really chap my arse with the way they ruin the most talent football player the state of GA produces. Zone packages should not be your game plan with the level of talent we recruit at. Perhaps Martinez should be fired or maybe he should other DCs coach and take some notes. There isn't a weakness on anyside of the ball for Ga in terms of talent. Ga's number one weakness stands on the sideline every saturday callin cover 2 and prevent. Joe T definitely isn't DJ and btw DG wasn't as good as DJ is either. And no Joe T may not be the most talent QB we have either. But talent uncultivated will turn into talent ruined. I agree that JT3 and MS should share playing time with JT3 getting majority and MS getting acclimated to level of expected play it will take to be a great GA QB.
Go JT3, you give GA the most mature mind at the position and apparently many fans don't think that is as important as a shot gun for an arm. A cannon without a mature and experienced decision making procees contorlling it, is no good either. Rebuilding takes time and if CMR use MS right this year he will be ready next year. Offensively, we look very intimidating for the next two years and hopefully further. All of our WRs are sophmores who will be playmakers at the end of this season and rolling on. With a QB who will definitely be better than DG ever was and MO Massaquoi, AJ Bryant, Kenneth Harris and Demiko Goodman being established sure-handed multiple targets. Our momemtum takes effect next year.
I'm Georgia - Are you?
Paragraph breaks are your friend.
And to remind folks...the poster that posts under the name, "BuLLdawg" on AJC.com sites would be most comfortable posting on that site. Not this one.
Great comments PWD. Only one clarification.......our fans started leaving in mass with over 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter. I have NEVER left a UGA football game early, but I understand those who leave when the outcome of the game has already been decided. However, the outcome of the game Saturday had NOT been decided with 12 minutes left in the game.
I wish those fans would stop buying season tickets so true fans could get better seats.
Post a Comment