For those of you who wonder why I’m not willing to lay the blame for yesterday’s loss at the feet of the coaches, here’s Aaron Murray explaining what happened on that devastating fourth quarter sack and fumble:
“I probably could have tried to tuck the ball in a little faster,” Murray said. “I turned and he was in my face. The coaches are always saying don’t turn a bad play into a catastrophe, and I probably should have just taken the sack.”
Get The Picture 
I just got done watching the clip of that play, had not seen it since seeing it “live” last night….yeah, Murray never had a chance to make a positive play on that one, but he did have a chance to tuck it and avoid the turnover. Of course, that’s probably easier said than done when a genetic freak like Clowney is tossing you around like a rag doll. Still, he did have a chance to tuck it.
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And for what it’s worth, I agree that you can’t lay the blame at feet of the coaches for last night, if you’re looking at it in a vacuum of just last night. However, this team doesn’t perform in the clutch because it doesn’t truly believe that it can, and that falls at the feet of the coaching staff for the last few years destroying the confidence and swagger of the program. Actuary Dawg said it last night very well, it’s bad when you’ve gotten to the point where you’re actually happy just with the fact that the team showed up and played with passion (which they certainly did). But why should that have to be something that comes as a surprise, albeit a pleasant one?
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+1. I have seen this fire drill too many times to excuse the leaders.
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Because it has to start somewhere.
It obviously wasn’t realistic to expect all of the bad habits of the past three seasons to be corrected in one offseason, especially with the caliber of opposition Georgia faced in its first two games. Battleships don’t turn on a dime. But that’s not to say we can’t expect improvement over the course of an entire season.
I don’t know if that’s going to happen. But I can’t say the SC game has led me to the inescapable conclusion that it won’t.
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Oh I agree that it has to start somewhere. I think my major point is just the fact that it ever got to this point to start with. The fact that there’s any question at all before a big game whether we’re going to show up and play with passion or not is pretty striking, and pretty damning for the leadership.
However, if we do play with that same passion the rest of the year (which I submit is STILL a big question as to whether will happen or not), and make a few more tweaks, we could still make a nice run.
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Start? We’re going on 4 years now. I’m tired of “somewhere to start”. How about improvement any of the past 3. Another year, and more excuses. There is no reason this team should not have gone 11-1 or 10-2 at worst this year. And yes, 10-2 is still very possible.
And thanks Senator for this posting – your position is defensible and worthy of respect. I just happen to think that after seeing the same thing over and over it’s time for someone who can actually get Murray to tuck the ball, or stop mistakes at critical junctures, etc. etc. etc….The two sides are pretty well hashed out at this point. Bottom line…I’m tired of losing and starting over yet again…..Good stuff, Senator.
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If you’re saying that things never should have gotten to where they are now, brother, I’m with you. Totally.
But that’s where it is and there’s nothing that can be done about that. The issue now is whether they can turn things around fast enough.
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The readers and posters on this blog were all saying the exact same things after the Carolina game last year. Senator, you even used the “it takes a long time to turn a ship around” comment in the response section discussing last season’s loss to SC. I agreed with you. Last year.
You’ve not lost your faith or your hope that this staff can still do it and that’s admirable. I on the other hand, have lost the faith. I’ll keep cheering, but the writing is on the wall.
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I think you need to read my posts again. On the subject of a turnaround this season, I’m Switzerland. After these first two games, I have no idea what they’re capable of the rest of the season.
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I think we should be the SEC championship game this season. If Richt finds a way to get us there, I’ll give him his due. If he doesn’t, I can’t see how change could make our team less futile. I say the writing is on the wall because our chances of getting to that game just dropped precipitously. At some point, and I think it’s now, we have to demand more from the leadership.
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I had to read that last sentence three times to fully understand your meaning. No wonder you’re a Senator.
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I don’t want to sound like I am nitpicking, but my enthusiasm for the coaching regime and the otherwise good play of yesterday is tempered by exactly this kind of play and this kind of comment: What do you mean, “Probably,” Aaron? Can Aaron Murray not be clear that Aaron Murray absolutely, positively should have taken the sack there? He was in the guy’s grasp, for chrissakes, on his own ten or something. Tuck it in, man!
I think Richt and Bobo coach quarterbacks about as well as anyone in the nation. But while yesterday was an improvement, I think back to all those damn crunch-time mistakes we made LAST year. I probably should have held on to the ball better, I probably should not have tried to force that ball to Green, blah, blah, blah. Again, I don’t want to sound like one of those people who would make a mountain of meaning out of one word in a kid’s sentence, BUT, when you see this sort of thing over and over and over and over…you start making a mountain of meaning out of one word in a kid’s sentence.
I believe that the coaches likely are trying to teach them how to take hand-offs and when to tuck it in. Probably? DEFINITELY, ok?
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Not the only one at fault. The real turning point was the fake punt. The return team completely botched it and Smith absolutely cannot miss that tackle. The interception was more the receiver rounding off the cut more than Murray’s bad throw.
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I thought the open field tackle was Boykin (40 yards downfield) — did Smith miss one somewhere? Or was it Smith and my eyes missed (yes, I know Smith is our `punt returner).
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It was Boykin.
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TND – if your compelled and have on the DVR, please confirm the 11 we had on the field during the fake punt. My recollection, other than #2, was a collection of 2nd string, 3rd string and walk-ons. These are not going to match-up well with SC’s finest. You would think that after years of defeatest efforts, we would load-up the punt return team with our bestest. Coaching? You be the judge.
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Then why are our scrubs matching up with uSC finest on a punt in the first place?
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Aaron should have tucked in the ball but if 71 had just blocked the defender then it would not have happened. I was encouraged by Bobo’s play calling. I hope it continues.
Lets go dawgs.
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71 makes a bad play that causes Aaron Murray to have to make a different play than he had planned. Aaron Murray makes a truly terrible, nearly-game-ending play out of what had been a bad play.
All bad plays are not equal. There were many bad plays by us yesterday; a few of them were unbelievably bad, by more than just Murray. But Murray had two terrible ones.
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The play was a screen pass to RB. 71 I’d supposed to let the DE through on that play. The problem was that Clowney got to Murray so quick, before Murray was ready. That guy is just way quicker than 95% of DE out there
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Proper game planning would know this.
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Guys…jeez. Look at the replay. There were 4 rushers to 3 blockers on the left side. Our tackle kicked to the outside man because it’s a screen and he’s going to have to hold the edge and get further down field to block. The guard got stood-up immediately and thus Clowney had a free run. Isiah has two guys coming hard, and is supposed to only chip one and get open…which he did. My guess…Murray totally missed the blitz alignment, or felt it was what he wanted to catch them with the screen. Just a great D play by SC and Murray making a horrible mistake. At a bad time. Sadly, an UGA tradition but a mistake from effort trying to win, not poor technique, coaching etc. (on this play at least).
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We try an onsides kick in the middle of the game and don’t execute. They fake a punt and score a TD. Both go back to coaching…I really like Richt but I’m losing faith…
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It was 50-50 at best that the offsides would be called on that onside kick.
That could have gone either way.
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Watching the replay, he was offsides by 6″ at best.. A hell of a call by the ref that I was shocked he made in real time.
A touch of luck wouldn’t hurt this team..
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You watch any kickoff, pro or college, and half the time someone is offsides by this amount or more and it NEVER gets called. Pretty sure someone from the USC sideline had the refs ear when they realized it was an onsides kick. Typical Georgia tease.
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“Snakebit” is the word all of you are searching for. The replay didn’t show he was offsides as the toe connected to the ball. Snakebit.
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I’m not in the arena…how does coaching keep the timing of Rambo from being a millisecond ahead of the kicker whose rhythm was hesitant in order to pull-up short to make the proper onside kick?
So much to smack the coaches about…not sure this is it.
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It must be frustrating for this coaching staff to have players that continually fail to execute and make mistakes these last couple of years. If only they could recruit better players.
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Fire Richt. He sucks. He has lost his passion for the game.
That evil son of a bitch from Tuscalooser would never start a QB that fumbled the ball while getting sacked. Furthermore, that evil son of a bitch in Tuscalooser would never allow a fake punt to be successful against his team. Also, while I’m thinking about it, there is no way that evil son of a bitch from Tuscalooser would ever allow a player of his to be offsides by one inch on an onsides kick either.
Back to being retired from the interwebs.
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Nor would that sumbitch allow his team to fold like a tent and blow a 24-point halftime lead to their sworn enemy, lose a BCS bowl to a bunch of polygamists, lose to an FCS team, etc.
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Or when he was HC at LSU allow his team to get dusted in the SECCG by a “soft” Georgia team.
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Saban was not the coach at LSU when Georgia beat them in the 2005 SEC Championship game. It was Les Miles’ first year.
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He was the coach when they came to Athens and made boneheaded plays like stepping one foot out of the endzone and taking a knee on a kickoff, en route to a 45-16 pasting.
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I’ve always loved the “No coach is perfect, therefore, our coach is adequate” argument. I mean, it makes absolutely no sense. But still, a lovable argument.
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It is just as convincing, if not moreso, than the “Nick Saban pisses excellence” argument in criticizing our coach… who’s had some accomplishments in his own right.
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Do you think Richt currently coaches at Saban’s level? If so, you must be watching a different team than the rest of us. And if not, when was the last time you thought Richt was coaching at that level for a sustained period (e.g., at least 3-4 games in a row)?
There’s a difference between saying “Nick Saban pisses excellence, therefore, Richt should be fired,” and simply pointing to someone coaching at the level at which Saban currently coaches and assuming that we should be able to expect something similar from the head football coach at the University of Georgia.
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Excuse me Turd, …….I may call you Turd, right?
If’n you don’t mind, Turd, could you please tell me how that evil son of a bitch’s record compares to the chronic under acheiver known as Coach Richt?
Also, Turd, can you enlighten me me as to what the record is of their head to head match ups might be?
While we are at it, Turd, let’s discuss graduation rates and APR as they relate to both programs….unless, of course, those things have no place in determining the success/failure of a college coach.
How about public perception of how people in America view both programs…one is seen as a winning at all cost institution that tosses kids away like a used condom in some roadside cathouse in Nevada. I’ll let you decide which program that best describes.
So, in closing, Turd, there is more to this than just firing a coach and hoping we replace him with someone equivalent in all areas. Perhaps Irvin Myers or Jim Tressell might be interested in the job.
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Now you have confirmed the sarcasm of your other post. Good post and GOOD DAWG!
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Did I say Richt should be fired? I don’t ask rhetorically. I want an answer. Did I say that Richt should be fired?
And for how long, exactly, should Richt’s early success matter enough to save his job? ‘Cause what I’ve seen is a pretty steady decline over the past 4 years, including an impressive 14-14 record over the last 28 games, and something like 1-9 against ranked teams. What’s Alabama accomplished during that stretch?
And did I say that I want Georgia’s program to be run in exactly the same way that Alabama’s is? I mean, damn, have you ever considered reading what people write before jumping at the opportunity to make such an ass out of yourself? As I’ve said elsewhere, several times, I love Mark Richt. Just a fantastic man. But should donors be satisfied with that? Should they be satisfied with a high APR? Is there something wrong with them wanting BOTH a high character program AND a program that contends for championships? And if that’s NOT what they’re getting, what do you expect them to do about that?
I could not be happier for you that you feel you’re such a better fan than the rest of us. Let me know when you’re ready to see what the world looks like outside your own ass.
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No need to get testy, Turd. I don’t know if you said Richt should be fired or not….nor do I care. That had nothing to do with the premise of my post….a post, I might add, in which you took the time to respond to in order to make sure we knew it amused you.
Alabama hasn’t accomplished much in my eyes….unless, of course, you call giving the entire conference a black eye. They won a BCS Championship. So what? It’s a freakin popularity contest.
To be sure, they are seen nationally as a dirty program. That might be okay for you. It isn’t for me.
Now please, Turd, if’n you don’t mind, please point out the SEC team that has won a natty while being seen as a program that places the reputation of the university first and foremost. Take your time, Turd, I’ll wait.
Say we fire Richt, is there a guarantee his successor will be anywhere near as successful across the board as he has been?
As for making an ass out of myself or acting like I am a better fan than you….meh, ……whatever.
Also, Turd, I don’t respond to intraweb machismo or name calling. This is a discussion, keep it civil. If you prefer to be uncivil or need a platform to showcase your interweb tough guy routine, I suggest a loser leaves town match….no holds barred. I would be willing to let Penn Wagers officiate it.
Hit me up, Dawg.
.
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You keep urging this ridiculous false dichotomy. As if we’ve got to choose between a high character program and a program that contends at Alabama’s level. Are we not allowed to expect both? And what are we to do when those expectations are not being met?
Why not just answer my questions?
And for the record, I take disrespect and condescension to be every bit as uncivil as name-calling, Super Fan. I’ll respond civilly when I get the impression that that’s something of which you’re capable.
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There’s no reason to lay a foul tongue on me, my friend.
Whose expectations, Turd? Mine? Yours? Greg McGarity’s?
Coach Richt, for the most part, has met my expectations. Obviously, he has not met yours. The 3 million dollar question is a simple one, has he met Greg McGarity’s. I guess we will find out at the end of the season. I am fine with that.
In the meantime, I will not call for him to be fired publicly or pretend to be a better coach than he is by second guessing every move he makes or doesn’t make.
I think, Turd, we have taken this discussion about as far as it can go.
By reason of omission, I’ll take that as a no on the loser leaves town match.
You have a nice afternoon, Turd. My apologies for offending you. Sometimes, without meaning to be, I can be crass.
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So happy for you that CMR has met your expectations. I guess mine are a little higher than yours, because the past 4 years haven’t met my expectations.
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I haven’t called for anyone to be fired. Nor do I think that questioning a decision made by X amounts to “pretending to be better” than X. You, for some completely terrible reason, apparently believe otherwise.
Maybe I should envy you. If I were capable of being satisfied with utter mediocrity, it’d sure make it easier to be a Georgia fan. I could watch our football team shit its pants time and time again, and be wholly unmoved. Unfortunately, though, I expect more of Georgia than we’ve seen over the past few years. And my sense is that the vast majority of fans are in agreement.
As I’ve said before, I’d love for Mark Richt to right the ship and return this program to greatness. I’d love that just as much as anyone. But at this point, I don’t have any good reason to believe that that will happen anytime soon. I was among the more optimistic of fans coming into the season. And yet, just two weeks in, and here we all are again, trying to cheer each other up by pointing out all of the many signs of potential. We’re the most talented, capable 0-2 team in the country. Just like, last year, we were the most talented, capable 1-4 team in the country. And the year before that, we were the most talented, capable 3-3 team in the country. Fool me once, …
And while there’s a sense in which you’re right that McGarity’s opinion is what matters, you’re only fooling yourself if you think the opinion of a school’s AD is ever really his own. If something doesn’t change soon, it really won’t matter how highly McGarity thinks of Richt.
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For some reason there is no reply option below your post, Carolina Dawg. Perhaps the good Senator is weary of this little pissing match. Perhaps he doesn’t want me looking at the world through my own ass any longer. I dunno.
However, in response to your post, I believe I said…”for the most part”. When critiquing someone, it is only fair to look at their overall performance when grading them. I can promise you this, you and I won’t get a vote when the decision is made to terminate or retain Mark Richt.
I still think he loves being the coach and wants nothing but the best for the University of Georgia football program. I think he wants to win every football game on our schedule. With all that said, there is a bigger picture, Carolina Dawg. I am simply trying to view things in that context.
Good day to you, sir.
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I don’t think people see Alabama as a dirty program or even a cutthroat one. I’ve never understood why Georgia fans hold Richt up as some sort of anti-Saban as a mark in Richt’s favor. Both men have a JOB of winning football games and graduating kids. Saban’s winning percentage and rising APR indicate he’s serving his two constituencies quite well. His current and former players seem to have wonderful things to say about him. I’d take him in a heartbeat.
Richt’s a good man. No debating that one. We’re debating whether he’s a good football coach, present tense, and that’s not really debatable to me.
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By former players do you mean the ones that wear nice suits from T-Town Menswear or the ones that no longer have scholarships due to over signing?
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I mean his former players – even the ones who no longer have scholarships due to “oversigning.” If you and TexasDawg want to get together and stroke each other over the moral purity of Georgia football under Richt versus Alabama football under Saban, have fun – but it’s complete nonsense that magnifies small variances into all-or-nothing dichotomies. And frankly, it’s irrelevant.
I hope Richt turns it around. Other successful coaches have dipped for a period, and Richt seems like a man who wants to rise to this challenge. But to be clear — the challenge is winning football games, not winning a contest of which team suffered the fewest off-season transfers.
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Moral purity has nothing to do with it. We were talking about public perception, remember? I gave you two recent negative examples of in one post.
Frankly, whether or not Richt turns it around is not my issue. I think he could if given the time but I am of the opinion he won’t be allowed that time. He was too slow to make the necessary changes when he had the full faith, patience and understanding of the Bulldog Nation. That luxury has passed him by. He better win often and he better do it now if he likes his job. That is the cold hard reality of the situation.
It’s all the bitching, second guessing and hand wringing that bothers me.
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Red – pretty easy questions.
1) 72% v 73% – guess who leads?
2) 2 Nat titles & 3 SEC titles v 2 SEC titles – guess again
3) 3-3 head to head
4) National perception – Sabans teams tough – our UGA – soft
There’s really no comparison Red…unless you’ve just crawled out from under a rock.
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So, Tex, take away the BCS bullshit popularity contest trophy that we could have just as easily had in 02 and 07 and we are comparable….if not better.
3 to 3…that’s dead even in Georgia, Tex.
National perception. Alabama = dirty.
According to some dude from Texas. Georgia = soft.
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Word.
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Attempting to denigrate a national championship as a ” popularity contest” is absurd.
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Really? Please explain the formula to me. I haven’t figured it out yet.
Be precise…..I ain’t that smart.
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Red!, Red!- I’ve been trying to get on here since the first insult. Turd was talking to me. I appreciate you helping out since 3:53. Dang, when shit’s flying it’s hard to get a sarcastic word in sideways. Just havin’ fun.
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Well, at least you got one thing right!
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And yet, all you reply with to buttress your ….
“Attempting to denigrate a national championship as a ” popularity contest” is absurd.”
….statement is a smart ass personal attack.
Here’s a new word for you, C-Dawg……sciolist.
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Certainly not saying that I love the current system, but … there’s a strong correlation between (a) people who dismiss the BCS as a “bullshit popularity contest” and (b) fans of teams with little-to-no hope of a BCS berth.
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No playoff = No true Champion.
It remains a popularity contest due to the importance of rankings.
I think Georgia or USCw would have whooped the shit out of LSU and Ahia State in ’07. Human generated rankings created the match up. Again…a popularity contest.
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You can think that all you want. Just recognize the rest of the world looks at it just a but differently.
“The world, she’s-a flat!”–Christopher Columbus
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Take it away? More absurd words were never said, Red. You and I may not like it, but the world recognizes it as having a rather significant meaning. It does not get “taken away”– hypothetically, rhetorically, nor even (I would suggest) legalistically (as in, by NCAA penalty). Once an MNC winner, always an MNC winner; to suggest otherwise is sorta, just maybe, like saying Richt should give back his two SEC titles because the Zooker was busy warming up a seat for the Urbanator. Even to pretend otherwise for the sake of argument is kinda a silly debate.
You’re making some pretty stretchy leaps to justify, my friend.
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Poor analogies still do not make A BCS Championship the true measure of who the best college team in the nation is. Like it or not, it is a popularity contest in the purest sense of the word. However, feel free to believe whatever you like.
Signed,
USC ’03 11-1, Auburn ’04 12-0, Michigan ’06 11-1, Too many too list 11-1 ’07 and Boise State 13-0 ’09.
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Yea, Red! You are correct with every word and point. The excuses for looking at things negatively always floor me. It’s just stubborness to the extreme without proving any point or analogy. Sounds a lot like the Tea Party of College Football. Last week it was Tempest in a Teapot Dome. It is really inspiring to see all the good ignorant Dawgs back on here supporting their team and coaches. We just don’t have a clue, do we?
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on the sack/fumble/td: we had a good play on–a slip screen. murray is supposed to let the rush come to him on that, so i’m sure that fact caused a micro-second of hesitation in him. some other play and he probably swallows the ball and curls up immediately. i also think that had glenn managed to even breathe on clowney, we might not be talking about murray as the goat this morning. true enough, he had some bad plays yesterday, but i don’t really think he deserves to be fried for that one. the interceptions, however, were awful.
on the coaching thing: i really think we’re pretty far past at this point drawing distinctions because of coaching (boise) or player execution (sc). it’s ALL coaching now: we’re on the third year of watching “the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.”
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Completely agree. Like many things Georgia, there was “almost” written all over that play which could have been a huge gain IF Murray had half a second more to get it off (I think he was thinking the same thing and that extra effort caused the disaster). Of course, it would have been smarter to recognize what the defense was doing (aggressive blitz) and the speed of the guy coming through (Clowney) so as to make an adjustment BEFORE the play by at least touching the oncoming D or getting out of the play. But hey, that’s not Georgia is it?
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Certainly coaching is a factor in any loss, and we should NEVER have been caught off guard by a Spurrier team faking a punt. Inexcusable! On the other hand, had our onside kick not been nixed by Penn Wagers, USC fans would be saying something very similar about their coaches.
But Aaron Murray, tho a battler, has just not proven to be a clutch quarterback. All of Mark Richt’s other UGA quarterbacks, excepting possibly Joe T III, successfully led the team from behind and on multiple occasions–even Cox (remember the Colorado game in 2006 and Carolina and Arky in 2009?). Murray puts up good numbers, but choked in last year’s Florida game (freshman jitters? Maybe–but freshmen Greene and Stafford brought their teams back against UT and Va Tech) and again yesterday, just to name 2.
That cool under fire thing may be all character and uncoachable, but personnel decisions are certainly up to the coach. Good coaches, even UGA coaches, pull the trigger when they must. Dooley brought in freshman Belue in the ’78 Tech game when Pyburn wasn’t getting the job done (tho Jeff’s dad was on the coaching staff), and even Richt brought in Cox to relieve Stafford in the ’06 Colorado game. Hutson Mason may not have the same rep behind him as those guys did, but it’s starting to look like we have nothing to lose by trying. And I have a strong hunch that a guy named LeMay (who does bring quite a rep) would be as clutch as they come–burn that redshirt if you have to.
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You must be crazy. Benching Murray would set our team back light years. Let the kid play it out and see what happens
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Agreed. 8 for 8 on a drive and two pt conversion says he can play in the clutch. No one likes the ups and downs of the QB world, just don’t cherry pick your judgement reasoning points. Murray can do it and can warm up to excellence that is available in his play. He certainly was much better than the winning QB.
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If the onside kick wouldn’t have been called back would we today be talking about how Mark Richt outcoached Spurrier and beat Carolina soundly? I think this was a pivotal point in the game. Since we were offsides the conversation continues…poor coaching. I’ve been down on Richt and his staff since the Florida game in ’08. I thought that was a huge game in terms of the season and the series with UF and we didn’t show up with all the talent we had on offense(I blame it on poor coaching). Now I’m thinking there was a significant drop in talent since then(’09,’10) so that explains the drop off in W and L. Now it seems we have the talent back in Athens(Dream Team) to do big things we just haven’t put it all together yet. The patience of the fan base is gone. Hopefully Richt will get these boys rolling and we can all be one happy family again.
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My patience isn’t gone and I finally saw the greatness that is present in this team. You enjoy your games without patience and good luck on your first or next heart attack. That goes for any team you would like to watch.
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The onside kick was a gutsy call by Richt, I guess we need to get use to embracing the morale victory. I saw very few things that I could second guess the coaching staff about last night. One of them is Richard Samuel running the ball. I understand the lack of depth but it is very frustrating watching us waste plays by handing him the ball.
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Spurrier is regarded by many as the best SEC Coach since Bear Bryant.
He is coaching a team that many believe is the best USCe team ever.
Richt & his Team is competive right now with USCe & will get better.
I hope the next Dawg Coach does as well but I have my doubts.
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Right on! I’m anxious to watch the rest of this season because I saw the team that can beat FU, Miss ST and Aub last night and they were wearing red and black.
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+1 (tentatively?)
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Now you are beginning to hear what a few of us thought from last year and after the Boise State game. We are 15-15 over two years. I mentioned some of this earlier. But I think Slaw Dawg is seeing and understanding what some of us are wondering about. Murray as the starting QB has 9 of those 15 loses. Richt and Bobo were QBs. At FSU Richt had top playing QBs. After Shockley it has not been there. Why?
Murray has no fear of Richt or Bobo after a mistake. I’m not sure I have ever seen CMR say much to him when he comes to the sideline. After a mistake I never see anyone talk to him much about the series or the plays. I would like to see Richt and Bobo stop Murray’s negative plays. Sacks are not always an issue with the line. Sometimes what the QB may check into or misreads from the D. Or receivers missing an assignment or bad route. Murray needs to push his offense into getting into the play quicker [if he can and the coaches get the changes on field in time].
Whether fans, commentators, or bloggers like it they are going to run the shotgun. With the current personnel that is their best formation and sets. They have the skilled receivers and a top RB to be very successful. They just need for a QB to grow some and stop making bad plays while progressing through this change. He has the arm to get passes out to players from the shotgun…sees the passing lanes and gaps. I like to see them run more sets by going lateral a little more and set in more gaps for the D to defend.
But Carolina has some players. Big, quick, mature, confident, hard nose. They have more line talent than we do. How did that happen considering the recruiting base CMR has in Georgia and Florida. Need more “players” and “less stars”.
Amazed at how Spurrier manages a game and uses plays. Just very good.
But I am puzzled how a player like Ingram is used by them. Why not put him in the backfield with Lattimore. Has size, speed, hands, leap, etc.
Mark Richt needs a player who steps up in a game, makes the plays, and defines the character of this team. From the last half of 2010 and 2011 no one has really stepped it up…loses are going by each game with time.
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I saw a player who wasn’t berated after an interception come back passing 8/8 resulting in 8pts. I wonder if that would have happened if he had been keelhauled by the coach?
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+1 On the tube, you can clearly see Stevie Jr. scream in Garcia’s face, “What the F**K was that?” after his interception to Rambo. And I was immediately glad I don’t see CMR or CMB do that.
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So far, watching the replay, that’s been my favorite moment of the game.
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My belief is the collective Spurrier egos will so abuse their QB situation that they’ll lead their team to mediocrity. Sadly, we’ll probably snatch defeat from the jaws of victory 1 – 2 times more and watch UF waltz into the SECCG. And “Mike” will have a field day on here….
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Penn Wagers. Some of us would like to know what our record is when Wagers and crew officiate our games. Is there a record or compilation of that record?
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Heard on the radio today…..Georgia has LSU talent, Alabama attitude and Ole Miss results………ouch. bottom line is that CMR get paid $3M per year to get results. And before I hear this BS again about how well he recruits, anyone can recruit well in arguably the 3rd or 4th best state in the COUNTRY for talent. Just ask Donnan or Goff.
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The team that I saw last night was better than SC and is capable of winning the rest of this season. And I’m going to enjoy cheering for them and crossing sticks to ward off snakebite.
SIC’EM DAWGS!!
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May need a lumber yard. Understand the team lost LB Robinson with a foot fracture…out at least 4 weeks. I think they maybe snakebite now. Hamilton, Ogletree, Robinson, and who is next.
With these loses at LB poses this question. Does TG change up his D to more 4-4?
And does it matter considering how in two games this season our D gets pushed around again. The down llnemen just never seem to have penetration and push. But opposing teams seem to have that against our O line, especially late in the game. Is that due to strength and conditioning, or what…?
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Isn’t Bobo a convicted felon? No? Well he ought to be.
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Unfortunately, most of our “fans” remind me of my younger brother circa 1998. He beat everyone 100 to 0 on the Playstation NCAA football game. His players never made mental mistakes and the coaches always made the right calls. It was all so easy – all you had to do was hit the right combination of buttons on the controller. And of course, if things didn’t turn out as planned, he could always elect not to save the game and could replay it until he got a better result.
Fortunately, my brother has since grown up and now realizes that doing that in “real life” isn’t so easy. I wish most of our “fans” could grow up and realize that neither our players nor coaches are robots or are perfect, and are making normal human mistakes and errors, just like the rest of us do. Fortunately for the “fans” though, when most of them make mistakes or errors, there aren’t 90,000+ watching them do it in-person and millions on tv observing to crucify them afterwards….
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Thanks for the anecdote. I think most fans realize that players aren’t perfect and make mistakes. But the problem is that it seems that Georgia players and coaches tend to make more crucial mistakes, more often than the teams they are playing–and certainly more than good, well-coached teams do. And they’ve been making such mistakes for some time time–with plenty of chances for do-overs each week. IMO, fans are rightly frustrated at our football program, and simply stating “that people aren’t perfect” misses the point.
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Don’t agree with any of that. You don’t watch many other college football games, do you?
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I think we all understand where you stand. I’m sure you’re one of the few “true” fans of the program, right?. Unfortunately, like some Georgia supporters, you are truly myopic. Without some objective evaluation of our program, however, we’d be in our 23rd year with Ray Goff as our head coach. And I’m sure you’d be 100% behind him, too.
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You boys should look up “objective” in the dictionary. All of your reasoning thus far has been subjective without points of proof. You don’t like something or someone, you lambast them with your reasoning as to their abilities while unknowingly exposing your subjective reasoning for all to see. And it ain’t near the word “objective”.
And quit making fun of my glaucoma by using words like “myopic”. You have shown no reasoning in your blog that you understand that the word you use is only applicable to you.
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Oh, I see what you did there. You put the word ‘fans’ in quotation marks, so as to imply that people who dare criticize a coaching staff that has led a team to a 14-14 record over the past 28 games, and something like 1-9 against ranked opponents, aren’t really fans. That was clever.
Richt’s a great man, but the guy makes $3 million a year to contend for SEC championships.
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tHE REALITY OF THE SEASON IS NOW SETTING IN. I FELT SO MUCH BETTER 3 WEEKS AGO. 0-2 AFTER 2 GAMES, OUCH. 1-4 START LAST YEAR I THOUGHT WAS BOTTOM, MAYBE NOT.
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Although there was decided improvement from week one, the fact of the matter is that the defense…i.e. Grantham…could not stop Lattimore when it counted. A good team would have stopped Lattimore. Also, Richt was stupid trying to execute an onside kick after the last TD. A low % play. He would have been better off kicking deep and making SC start way back in their own territory instead of giving Spurrier and Lattimore good field position. After seeing the first two games and the level of play, I think 8-4 will be about the best Richt can hope for. If that proves to be true, then it will be interesting to see what McGarity et al will do concerning Richt. The bottom line is Richt still can’t win a big game and a loss is still a loss even if it is only three points.
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Why don’t you stick that where the sun don’t shine.
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While we all jaw back and forth with our perceptions of what the SC game portends for the rest of the season, the reality is that Richt and Bobo and the rest of the staff are going to be here until the final whistle of the Dirt Dauber game no matter what. This team is indeed still capable of winning the SEC East, given the schedule and the strong possibility that the Gamecock team we watched give up 42 points with erratic QB play will lose two. If that happens, Richt and company will stick around, no matter what anyone thinks they should have done in 2008 or Saturday night. If, on the other hand, they stumble through the rest of the year and go 7-5 or 6-6 or worse, they are almost certainly gone.
So it might be best to save all the arguments about the coaches for the contingency of an 9-3 or 8-4 season. Richt has done enough good in the past and enough bad the last three years to make this the decisive year if the record is great or terrible. It’s another year of underachievement-with-promise–the South Carolina game writ large–that will be maddening.
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Agreed with donkey; if we rebound from this game (Murray should have absolutely tucked the ball) and stay on course, we have a legitimate shot at the East.
The team’s improvement from the Boise game to this one was huge, and a trend that needs to continue for Richt and Co. to keep their jobs.
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The difference in the game was playmakers. Georgia did not have a Lattimore, Clowney, Ingram, or Jeffrey. Most teams are equal in most ways, except for the exceptional few.
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You ain’t from ’round heah are you Randy?
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