Bacarri Rambo, poster child

I beat the drum as loudly as anyone for Rambo during his freshman year.  Anyone with half a brain and a pair of eyes could see that as the season progressed, the defense played better with him on the field.  With the departure of Martinez and the arrival of Grantham, I figured that Rambo was poised to have a breakout season last year.

Such was not the case, though.  It’s not so much that Rambo was awful in 2010, as it was more a matter of inconsistency which led to overall mediocrity.  Kind of like the team as a whole, when you think about it.  As for Rambo, he often looked lost in pass coverage, largely because he was susceptible to play-action.

Fast forward to this year.  Despite missing the Boise State game, he sits among the national leaders in interceptions.  And that stat isn’t a false signal – when you watch him on the field, it’s clear that he plays with more awareness and confidence than he displayed last year.  And what does he chalk his improvement up to?  By now, you probably know the answer:

“I’ve started to study the game plan a little bit harder than I did last year,” Rambo said. “The way I was playing last year really didn’t help. I needed to change it up and put more work into it. It seems like everybody’s learned their stuff. When they know their stuff and I know mine, everything just seems to click together and I’m just lucky enough to be around a ball when they throw it to me. I have to say it’s all one the defense, not just me but the whole defense. I’m just lucky enough to be around the ball.”

Where did all these kids get the idea that all they had to do last year to win was show up on game day?  It’s not like 2009 was some dominant season on Georgia’s part.

One good thing to consider:  if Rambo is in fact a bellwether for the team, maybe things are looking up for this season.

Thursday morning buffet

Grab that plate and dig in.

• Bruce Feldman was granted access to West Virginia’s preparation for the LSU game.  The result is a must-read.
• Dan Mullen’s observations from yesterday’s teleconference are about what you’d expect.
• Keith Marshall is one of Georgia’s top recruiting targets.  Check out what he did with a botched snap.
• Trent Richardson raced Jeff Demps when they were in high school.  You can guess who won.
• The NCAA is looking strongly at multi-year scholarships, but it’s hard to say how much of a difference that will make:  “The process for nonrenewal of an annual grant probably would look just like the process for terminating a four-year grant…”  Sounds like Nick Saban will just have to work a little harder, that’s all.
• Nice look at how coverage technique by Georgia’s secondary has changed under Lakatos.
• Five players from Georgia’s 2010 recruiting class are now gone.  The silver lining:  “All it’s gonna do is allow us to sign a full boat of recruits again, which will be a very positive thing if we bring in the right guys,” Richt said.
• Bill Connelly ponders Moneyball and college football.  Michael Elkon is appreciative.
• Georgia 38, Mississippi State 21.

“When they call it, my eyes get really big.”

344-Fullback is the tits, man.

… Georgia coach Mark Richt said the fullback is the primary receiver on the play, while the tight end runs a deeper route and a receiver clears out if there is a receiver on that side. The play often results in the fullback and tight end being open.

“What happens is that people are in man coverage, and you might be in I-formation and your tight end is being covered man-to-man, and usually an inside linebacker is covering your fullback,” Richt said. “When you come downhill, as we’ll do running the power play where Bruce takes an angle to block the defensive end, that linebacker isn’t 100 percent sure if it’s a run or pass right away by the track of the fullback. When he ends up splitting out into the flats, that guy is a little bit behind normally.”

This is a modest assessment:  “It’s a pretty effective play,” Richt said, “and it’s one that is so simple sometimes that you don’t call it enough.”  Georgia’s defensive backs can testify to its effectiveness.

… Sanders Commings, who plays safety and cornerback, tackled Figgins on that play in the spring and sustained a concussion that caused him to miss G-Day.

Every time I’ve seen that play work, I think it’s stealing.  Richt’s right; they ought to go to it at least three times a game.  Sometimes the simple things really are the best.