Last tango in Miami

Last game of the regular season has a hype video, y’all.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 | Game 14 Trailer#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/DAxM6isJpp

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) December 29, 2023

Regroup, close it out and finish on a 30-1 run.  Ain’t nothing shabby about that, fellas.

“We just didn’t want to take no chances…”

Did you think the rumors or whatever you want to call them about Michigan’s sign stealing were going to go unchecked by Alabama before their semi-final game?  C’mon, this is Nick Saban we’re talking about.  Of course they’re going to be addressed.

Multiple Alabama football players confirmed the program changed the way it watches film in preparation for the Jan. 1 showdown with the No. 1 Wolverines in the Rose Bowl semifinal.

Players said they are not allowed to watch game film on their individual iPads, breaking with the normal routine before a game. Their explanation for the change was notable.

The implication is, well, explosive.

“You know, what Michigan is known for,” Alabama running back Jase McClellan said. “What they have out there. Just the play-call stealing.”

You know, getting ‘Bama to have to change its routine before a big game is kind of a win-win for Harbaugh, if you think about it.  Then again, I’m sure Saban’s using this as some form of motivation for his team, too.

Why spoil a good time?

I really like this answer Carson Beck gave in response to being asked about his decision to return to Georgia for another season ($$).

Beck also sat three years at Georgia, and if he went to the NFL he could’ve been doing that again.

“Yeah that was definitely a part of it too,” Beck said. “I waited three years, didn’t play, and obviously, I’ve gotten the opportunity to play this season and it’s fun. (Laughing.) It’s a lot more fun to be on the field than not being on the field. So knowing I get another opportunity to come back and play another year at the University of Georgia, it’s going to be a lot of fun, and enjoyable.”

I get that.  You spend three years biding your time in the hopes of getting a shot — something it seems like we were reminded of during every Georgia broadcast this season — finally get your crack, and it turns out to be a total blast?  And now, if you jump early, you stand a decent chance of repeating the waiting game, instead of enjoying yourself doing what you worked so hard to put yourself in position to achieve?

Money is great, but so is doing something you really love.  Good on ‘ya, Carson.

But Bobo

Oh, Marc.

By most measures, the first chapter of the second act of Mike Bobo as Georgia football offensive coordinator could be considered a success story.

Returning to a familiar role at a school where he was an assistant for 14 seasons and played quarterback, Bobo sat in the coaches’ box as play-caller this season for a program coming off back-to-back national titles and chasing a third.

Even his biggest critics couldn’t chirp much during a 12-0 regular season during which injuries to key players had Bobo having to dig deeper into his playbook to come up with answers.

“Even his biggest critics couldn’t chirp much”?  I know that was meant rhetorically, but realistically, there was plenty of criticism to spare in certain quarters.  Just ask the quarterback.

“I think he’s done a great job up to this point,” said quarterback Carson Beck, a first-year starter who is returning in 2024. “I think a lot of people give him hate and criticism and I just don’t think it’s fair. The statistics we’ve put up as an offense and the way he’s been able to call plays and be explosive this year and really utilized the guys we’ve had on offense, I think he’s done a great job and I think that’s only going to improve as we continue.”

Fair’s got nothing to do with it, Carson.  It’s just that old habits die hard.

Trading places

Glenn Schumann and some of Georgia’s defensive players spoke with the media yesterday about the state of the defense now and for next season.  One of the things I found most interesting wasn’t about who’s going up or down on the two-deep, but how to squeeze more production out of players who clearly flashed talent, but have a lot more to tap.  The question is how to deploy them to get at it ($$).

For example,

(Jalon) Walker, a sophomore linebacker, had 211 snaps, only the 16th-most on this year’s team, yet he leads the team in pass pressures (22) and sacks (5). That’s largely due to his role, which was backup inside linebacker on first and second downs and pass-rush specialist on third downs. But it’s clear Georgia wants to maximize his presence.

“I feel my role will be the same. But I feel it will expand as well,” Walker said. “Going into next year, we have a lot of ideas going about what we will do, expanding my game, expanding the worth of my game as well.”

The trick is how to do it. Smael Mondon and CJ Allen will be hard to take off the field at inside linebacker. Another player could be moving into a bigger role at outside linebacker. Schumann pointed out that Walker has had to learn a lot with both roles, to the point that Walker now refers to himself as an HLB: hybrid linebacker.

There’s this, too.

(Mykel) Williams played mostly defensive end this year, tying for second on the team with 20 pressures. The plan now is to use him standing up more on the edge, which won’t require him to lose any weight (he said he’s at 265 pounds) and will see if that gives him more space to make plays, against the pass or run.

“He’s one of our best players, and we want to make sure that he’s doing what he does best more often,” Schumann said.

Williams has a somewhat straighter course, with the departure of Marvin Jones opening up a spot at edge, but overall, it’s going to be fascinating watching the staff juggle all the pieces at linebacker this coming season, especially when you consider the overall depth at the position.

“But Kirby had enough ball sense to know.”

This oral history of Smart’s time at Georgia as a player is a fantastic read.  It’s something of a cliche to call a certain type of player a coach on the field, but it was pretty apparent to his teammates where his future lay early on.

Five-star delusion

Of all the nonsensical things that have emanated from Butch Jones over the years, this one truly takes the cake.

… I always thought, using my head coaching experience, if I had somebody in this role, what would I want from them? And the amazing thing is Coach Saban and I think identical. [Emphasis added.]

Apparently, thinking isn’t what’s gotten Saban to GOAT status.

A chilly offseason in Gainesville

This is cold, Ari Wasserman ($$).

Napier’s goal as Florida’s coach was to assemble a roster that stacks up with SEC powers Alabama and Georgia. The Gators, though, are starting to resemble what Auburn looked like under Bryan Harsin. It’s harsh but true.

Sounds like what happens when you cross a recruiting gap with a failure to follow the First Rule of Holes.

Half empty

Marc Weiszer reminds us that, while overall, FSU loses a lot of regular season production in the bowl game, more of that loss comes on the offensive side than the defensive.

Florida State is missing most of its key pieces on offense due to opt-outs and injury, but most of one of the nation’s best defenses still is expected to play.

The big loss on that side of the ball is defensive end Jared Verse, a projected first-round draft pick.

Even with Verse opting out, the Seminoles have some players that can put pressure on Beck and the offensive line from a defense that ranks sixth in the nation in points allowed at 15.9.

Linebackers Kalen DeLoach (7 sacks) and Patrick Payton (6) and defensive lineman Braden Fiske (5) remain for a Florida State team that ranks third nationally in sacks with 45. Verse accounted for a team-high 9 of those.

Georgia still leads the SEC in fewest sacks given up with 12 even after giving up two to Alabama.

The Seminoles lead the nation in opponent completion percentage at 46.8 and pass breakups with 77. Cornerback Renardo Green led the ACC in pass breakups with 13.

Mims is not expected to play, so it’s not unreasonable to expect the o-line to face something of a challenge.

The last time I’ll speak of the SECCG.

Apart from the obvious, the one thing that really gets me about the SECCG outcome is how there’s this general impression that Alabama outmuscled the Dawgs and physically dominated the game from start to finish.  I’m not trying to argue that Georgia deserved to win — too many key mistakes for that claim — but it’s like Alabama being forced to punt on three of its first four possessions of the second half (and only gaining one yard on the fourth, after the fumble — has gone straight down the memory hole.

Anyway, I mention this because there’s a deep dive on the game at mgoblog, as they preview Alabama’s offense before their game and it’s worth a read to remind you that Georgia-Alabama was actually a fairly evenly matched affair.  This, in particular, strikes me as a good take on the outcome:

Though Alabama was able to win that game, they did not have a sensational offensive performance, and Georgia’s defensive blueprint is fairly instructive for Michigan. They held Alabama to 306 yards and 27 points and if anything, it felt like Georgia was unlucky to give up that many points. The story of this matchup between the ‘Bama offense and the Georgia defense was how Alabama was able to stack their best plays on top of each other in big drives, while largely being stuck in the mud for multiple possessions on end otherwise.

The Alabama-Georgia game was something like a baseball game in which one team only gets five hits but because all five hits are in a row, they do pretty well on the scoreboard. Consider the Alabama-Georgia game versus the Michigan-Ohio State game from 2021. Ohio State and Alabama both scored 27 points and didn’t turn the ball over, but Ohio State scored 27 points on over 450 yards of offense… Alabama on just 308 yards. Alabama maximized their yardage by putting all their best plays on the same drives and then had a bunch of futility. Drive chart:

• 3 plays, -2 yards, punt
• 3 plays, 6 yards, punt
• 8 plays, 26 yards, FG
• 10 plays, 92 yards, TD
• 9 plays, 69 yards, TD
• 3 plays, 2 yards, punt
• 8 plays, 30 yards, punt
• 3 plays, 1 yard, FG
• 3 plays, 3 yards, punt
• 9 plays, 75 yards, TD
• 6 plays, 40 yards, end of game

Out of 11 drives, five three-and-outs and two drives that lasted eight plays but failed to surpass 30 yards of offense. Their three TD drives combined for 77% of the yards they gained in that game. If Georgia had been a little bit sharper in the red zone, forcing more field goals, and not turned it over/handed Bama points through field position, they’d probably have won.

The Dawgs played a lot of close games this season, and were usually on top because of their efficiency.  Alabama beat them at their own game.