It's going to be hard to talk about the game without sounding like a spoiled, whiny fan, but I can't help it. I understand it was a win over Tennessee, a perennial tormentor who has spoiled many a fine season for the Dawgs. But I can't help feeling somehow unfulfilled by the game. It's not that I went into it with some wild expectations. I expected a nasty, tooth-rattling uglyfest, decided simply by testosterone levels. (Image:georgiadogs.com)The frustration is that the game should have instead been a total slaughter and in many ways it was. Georgia held a better than two to one advantage in total yards. Almost a third of UT's yards came on one play, the bomb to Moore. Even better, the Vols had a very lonely 1 yard rushing for the entire game. Stafford had his first 300 yard passing game and Knowshon ran for better than 100, too. The Dawgs absolutely dominated the game. But, that domination never got translated to the scoreboard.
In many ways, our offensive performance was a easily digestible capsule of the Richt era: a base of solid defense combined with sporadic outbursts of ruthlessly efficient play action-based offense that races to the red zone, where it abruptly becomes fragile as a baby bird, prompting All-American kickers to trot out for field goals. It's a plan that has led to a workmanlike ten wins a year on average, but it is really frustrating considering this team. I thought that with Southerland's return, this team would be unstoppable in the red zone with two dangerous receivers, a sleek, powerful running back, and a big, mean battering ram of a fullback. That's not how it worked Saturday. The best I can describe the red zone offense was mixed: two touchdowns (one via that battering ram), two field goals (including one that was blocked and still made it through), and two interceptions. Field goals get you beat, especially in Baton Rouge and Jacksonville. Interceptions always sting.
On the positive side, though, that power running drive for our last score was encouraging, especially considering Vince Vance looks like he won't be around anytime soon. Guess that kind of ends the Tripp to TE experiment. Also, other than the obvious drop by A.J. Green for a TD, our receivers looked solid, especially Demiko Goodman. Look, it was a beating of UT and I can certainly appreciate that. It's just that we didn't give them the beating they deserved. I wish I felt better about it, but I'm somehow empty. I shouldn't be, but I am.
Quinton
25 comments:
Well, the important thing is, we've cut one head off of the three-headed orange monster that is Tennoriburn.
"Tennorilsuburnderbiltucky"?
You know what I mean. Leave me alone. =(
You can't just throw Southerland back in full force right now. Do that, and your risking him getting injured again. Remember Newton's law about opposite and equal forces? Now apply that to Southerland's foot, specifically the injured one. You put him back in as a battering ram every down and he'll end up with an overuse and/or chronic injury that will plague him through the season and potentially into the offseason and pros. They're trying to work him back in.
Overall there were a lot of positives, and we won so those are the important things. They need to work on blocking and getting TDs instead of FGs. I like the set-up they had going on when they put in both Chapas and Southerland, especially when our OL seems to be having some issues. The penalties were not really fewer but they weren't at such critical times and were lesser penalties and aggression did not falter as a result like Richt said he was worried about. We almost seemed a bit more aggressive (i.e. Asher Allen). Also, the support from the crowd was some of the best I've seen at Sanford. Very loud while defense was on field and quiet with offense on field. Then didn't falter until the last 30 sec or so before the end of the game, and the students are still showing up early!
Even though the score wasn't as good as it could/should have been, there were too many positives to be truly disappointed about this game.
Ufk had only given up one rushing TD entering the game...they had the SEC's best defense, statistically...
I was very disappointed in the game as well, wondering why I was having to actually pay attention in the 3rd Q when we were obviously head and shoulders above Ufk and should have put the game out of reach in the 1st half.
The 11 minute drive was a beautiful bloodletting.
I still worry that Bobo has way, way too much Jim Donnan in him. The running an unbalanced line to the short side sweep and the little WR screens are textbook Donnan, and failed to work nearly every time he called them in big games.
Looked like the penalties were under control in the 1st half, then we reverted in the 2nd half.
I just hope we keep improving.
You are right, you sound like a whiny fan. A workmanlike 10 win season. Can you imagine how many teams would like a "workmanlike 10 win season"?
Would you like to an Auburn fan right now? Or a Clemson fan? They are paying for 10 win seasons an not getting them.
We have a cobbled offensive line and think we should be world-beaters.
We are sad, sad fans. We expect perfection from 20-something kids and build up our past coaches as titans. How many perfect seasons did Dooley have? Or even Bear for that matter?
We have become spoiled brats.
What kind of cheese would you like with your whine?
We won. Over Tennessee.
Feel good!
The play calling was just terrible. How many fades do you have to call before you realize it doesnt work? How many QB runs do you have to call before you realize its not working? Bobo is a terrible, terrible OC.
I agree the game did feel rather blah. At this rate Munzenmaier will be starting tackle by the Tech game.
Stafford can't throw the fade. Sorry, but he can't. He CAN throw a bullet to a receiver anywhere within 40 yards, but if he has to use touch and throw over a defender - give him about a one in ten chance of competeing the pass. Also, give him about a one in ten chance of throwing an interception.
I still like him as a QB and am glad we have him. I jus think Bobo needs to realize that stafford is not a QB with great touch or incredible accuracy.
OK y'all can all pile on me now.
Q,
I think you are right on the money. Breakdowns on about 4-6 plays GAVE them their 14 points. We easily should have shut them out. And we should have had close to twice as many points as we did. We whipped them in almost every stat except turnovers.
And I think in many ways it is a microcosm of UGA recently.
To newsdawg and the others,
We are happy to have beat Tenn, but you can see the potential in this team and how they don't live up to it. Yes, they were probably a little over-hyped or overrated going into the season and we shouldn't expect perfection, but there are way too many correctable things that are not getting corrected. I do believe we will put it all together for at least one game this season, and when we do, we will destroy whoever we play. However, with spotty blocking, drops, inconsistent KO coverage, soft pass coverage and middling pass rush, we will struggle down the stretch and drop at least one more game.
The good/bad thing is the SEC isn't that good this year, so we could take advantage.
at no point this year have I thought, "this offense is really clicking".
also, at no point this year have I thought, "our pass rush is really disrupting their offense"
LSU and FU are going to pound us.
Trey, you are exactly right. Bobo is horrible! Richt doesn't seem to realize this, which is truly amazing.
The Dogs had 2 to 1 yards and 2 to 1 points.
Some things were left on the table, but like you said it was not that close.
Who's next?
I hate Tenn. more than anyone. But that had to be the most unfulfilling win over them ever. And I lived through the Goff/Donnan years! Bobo scares me now against top flight competition. We have 5 or 6 offensive plays.
We can complain about the feeling all we want too..but we won the game and the box score is scary how the Dawgs dominated them today. Two bad ints were the difference in this being a 40-0 blowout game.
Take the W and move on.
Last year, I whined about how we got hammered by Tenn, while Fla trounced them...then I watched us escape Vandy...I thought we were doomed. Each team matches up differently. I like our guys.
Go Dawgs!
Stoopnagle wit ya, brah!
People say "take the win and move on". Winning like we won today will hand us a loss at LSU and Jacksonville.
Can't you people see the writing on the wall? Injuries plus lack of execution will = 2 more losses.
We should have had 40 points.
Coach Bobo, please leave the Stafford/Moreno read play outside of the redzone.
A win is a win.
Those are my only complaints.
Go Dawgs! I HATE FLORIDA!
This is off the subject, but you have to love mark may. Here is his new top five:
1. Texas
2. Bama
3. Penn state
4. Florida
5. Ok
Did he forget about ole miss! I can't stand him at all, and ESPN can do better.
Grant,
I don't know what's more surprising from May's top 5, the fact that Florida is on it, or the fact that USC isn't.
First, Mark May can kiss my ***
Second, Chapas showed A LOT of athleticism today
Third, Bryan Evans WILL HURT US again this year
Four, yes, Staff doesn't throw a pretty fade but more of the responsibility is on the receivers for running HORRIBLE routes on those and EVEN MORE RESPONSIBILITY on Bobo for calling that when the toss sweep worked so well. Why give KM MAYBE one shot and then leave him out of the red zone playcalling?
All this said, that late drive made it all worth while, now I know how ugly orange fans felt as they did that to us last year. That was a satisfying feeling, should have ended with 6 though.
Why is nobody is giving love to Mo Mass?!? He was amazing, especially in the first half. He had more than 100 yards on 5 catches and I think he only one ball thrown at him that he didn't swallow up--a pass that resulted in 1) knocking him cold, 2) a 15 yard penalty, and 3) a TD catch a few plays later (amazing considering the violence of the hit).
Anyway, by my calculations we actually left 22 points on the field while DEEP in the red zone (2 x 7 points for the picks and 2 x 4 points for the FG's). And the picks both resulted in UT TD's. So, it COULD have been 48-0 pretty easily. A GREAT performance. Agreed, Bobo needs more plays in the book per game than he has letters in his name, but it is hard to be too upset. Let's get past (NOT look past) Vandy and then see if we can focus on running through the gauntlet in Baton Rouge and Jacksonville.
Rarely do we play that well and look that poor at times. Almost seemed like Bobo was f'ing around with those inept play calls. D was solid except for Evans but he won't be covering Harvin. But he will be covering a mullet that will eventually burn him. WTF is up with these injuries???
We may be healthier by the time we go to BR, but if the Mullet's decimated OL can handle LSU's DL than so can we, sans Ricky Jean.
The most frustrating aspect of this team is that you can see/sense our potential - it's GLARING. But to make these freshman mistakes is extremely frustrating.
Glad to win a game we were supposed to easily.
Tangweasel....
Stafford is the best QB you could ever ask for. The problem is that he may be too good for our receivers at times, throwing a perfect ball when our WR's don't know quite when or where to expect it. For example: Demiko not looking for the ball on the 20 yard seam route on the goal line for a would be TD. Also, Berry's pick in the end zone was the result of Mike Moore running the worst excuse for a fade route ever--cutting his route off shallow, and doing it way too early. Stafford definitely knows how to throw a "bad-ball" fade route with touch, and he's been doing it all year. We never quite got the match ups we wanted on the corners yesterday though, so throwing them may not have been advisable. Don't get me wrong though, our receivers do a great job most of the time, but at least 3-4 incompletions/ints a game are a direct result of miscues or mistakes by our receiving corps.
As for people knocking our play calling... who cares. We got the job done. Did it occur to anyone that our drab second half play calling could have been due to us just trying to get a W without showing the rest of our hand to future opponents DC's. I personally thought we had a couple great calls when it counted... like the third and long FB screen to Chapas while the whole defense flowed to Knowshon's side.
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