It was apparent from the first series that Mike Bobo had spent the last month doing some tinkering with the offense. Bowl games can be fun for the coaches, too, you know.
… He also hit tight end Arthur Lynch for a touchdown from 29 yards out on a pass across the middle on which receiver Rhett McGowan picked Lynch’s defender to leave Lynch wide open — Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s favorite of the many wrinkles he installed during the month since Georgia’s last game.
“That was something that we haven’t done before, so that was my favorite,” Bobo said. “We worked hard on those things. … We had a guy open for a similar-type gain that Artie had [earlier in the game], so I knew it was going to be there. The guys just did a great job of executing something that we hadn’t done all year.”
The Bulldogs (12-2) also ran direct-snap runs to tailbacks Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley — Gurley actually ran untouched 24 yards for a touchdown on a direct snap — and hit the 16th-ranked Cornhuskers (10-4) with several new formations that the Bulldogs hadn’t previously employed this season.
“They’re going to study your formations and what you do out of those formations,” Bobo said, “and they’re going to play the percentages, so you always try to have a wrinkle or two off of those things, which were big.”
They really were, because Nebraska did a good job studying Bobo’s tendencies. That paid off big time, at least on one occasion.
It was Nebraska who actually got the takeaways early, picking Murray off twice in the first quarter, including one by Will Compton that he returned 24 yards for a touchdown.
It was Compton’s first career interception.
“That was a play they had shown throughout the course of the year in the formation they ran,” Compton said. “And the back stepped up and I kind of sat there for a second, and I recognized the receiver coming to crack, and I just tried getting up out of the wash. I didn’t think he (Murray) was going to throw it.”
It didn’t help that Marshall went to the ground on that play, but, yeah, credit the defense for being prepared there. But considering that Georgia had three long touchdowns when the players who scored went in untouched, I’d say Bobo had the better day.
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Personally, this felt like Bobo’s best called game to me. I thought some of the screen calls were great, obviously the one to Conley being the best of the best. Using Marshall and Gurley in the backfield together, though only a few times, turned out well, and I love the direct snaps to Marshall/Gurley. Gurley was untouched and Marshall missed a couple of opportunities to break a run or two by misreading the D. The wrinkles were nicely done. Maybe Bobo does know a thing or two about offense.
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As an aside, Conley was way faster than I thought. Way. Faster. A friend of mine remarked that he looked like Forrest Gump out there after that catch.
Lest we forget, I have never seen a better catch and run from a back as Marshall’s back shoulder fade for touchdown. That throw was pretty ridiculous, too, I might add.
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He was high steppin it like Ogletree on the SECCG blocked punt.
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The Conley catch,run,TD was fun to watch. After losing some of our best receivers it was nice to see the kids step up! TK had himself a great year. There was some questions about the number of passes thrown his way vs the number he caught. The Eeyores were really dawgrading him. Proved a lot of the naysayers wrong. Hope he does well in the draft.
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Still, he should have snagged that 4th down toss in the endzone. And was anyone else surprised that CMR would unleash like that with the game well in hand?
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Don’t be too hard on TK for the drop TLS. I, too, would have loved to see him hang on to it and go out with a TD on his last play. We tend to remember the drops more than the catches. TK has made many big catches throughout his career, the 4th down TD against UF last year comes to mind. And you are correct that it was surprising for Richt and Bobo to go for it all in that situation. While I was not surprised they went for it there, I was surprised that they took a shot at the end zone. I was expecting a draw, screen, slant, curl, etc. Something quick and short for the first down. But they did surprise me on some of the 3rd down throws on that drive where I was expecting a draw or screen and then punt. Maybe our coaches have turned a corner and have figured playing “not to lose” has cost a few games here and there. Now they are playing to win. Big difference in the two philosophies.
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I agree, TK has made many big catches in his career so he gets a pass from me. We would have all loved to see that be his final one though, and then watch the scorboard roll over fifty. I am not convinced that pass to the endzone was the intention at the start of the play, I believe they just caught Nebraska in a defense where they felt the home run would be the open route and, boys being boys, they hit the accelerator. CMR and CMB probably intended something less dramatic when they called the formation for the pass, perhaps a slant ir curl.
Your other point is one I took note of as well. How many times has UGA tried to run the clock down with two failed running plays, followed by another then a punt? I applauded those 3rd down plays to extend the drive near the end (although I wonder why we think only dive plays between the tackles burn the clock), although the two runs and a pass formula had to be obvious, even to a Big Whatever defense.) Was shocked it kept working.
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Senator, I’m glad you pointed this out in your post.
I can’t remember the last time I saw UGA score 4 TDs untouched, especially with the length of them factored in as well. Marshall was untouched as well, although I’m not certain it should be in the same category as the other three.
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Brilliantly called and executed game. Bobo has without a doubt proven the naysayers wrong and deserves a lot of the credit for the way this season turned out. Anybody who still wants him gone because of the ridiculous assertion that he’s too conservative or predictable is simply out of their mind. We’re lucky to have him and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t leave for a HC job in the next few years.
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+1
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You better bet that Bobo had an enjoyable day. He will have many more because many fans don’t realize yet that he has become habituating to us.
Anyone talking garbage about Bobo or Richt now are proven trolls who never knew crap in the first place. They sure aren’t Georgia fans in my mind and think they are clever when disguising themselves as such. Many of the negative Georgia fans on this blog have stated that they interpreted incorrectly and have gotten behind the coaches, but feel they can gripe all they want if they think something is wrong. You betcha and I will join them when something endemic is wrong in our program.
Glad that we all are approaching the same page. Patience is certainly a good virtue when discussing coaches’s methods as well as players, but the Cojones Award for patience goes to Blutarsky. Mike, thanks for being patient with the rabble-rousing and edgy fan scrum you and Word Press have allowed on here. Says a great deal about the place for this CFB bloggy deally and the credit belongs to you all.
Wow! What a great year we just had. And more to come.
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To the Eeyores that chime “Bobo has a crayon”… let me suggest that Bobo has “Photoshop!” and doesn’t use crayons.
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I have to give their D credit early on. Even Palmer and Rece noticed it. They pointed out their secondary rotation. Something we haven’t seen a bunch this year. The interception wasn’t the first time it worked successfully. However, props to Bobo for recognizing it and adjusting. Doesn’t matter how they rotate their secondary if your QB can chuck it 50 yards to an open receiver.
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I’d also like to point out the poetic justice provided by Chris Conley’s game clenching 87 yard touchdown pass. I’m glad that he ended the season with that memory, which should ease the pain of the SECCG catch.
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Yes indeed.
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