We’ve been through most of them. Grief. Anger. Blame. Acceptance.
It may be time to move on to amazement. Check out this chart:
Things really took off on the offensive side of the ball in 2012, didn’t they? I mean, those are some remarkable numbers there.
The Dawgs were No. 1 in the nation at 7.09 yards per play. When they got in the red zone, they finished, scoring a touchdown in 76 percent of trips, which tied for No. 3 in the nation. If they had scored the winning touchdown against Alabama on the final play, they would have tied for No. 2 in red zone touchdown percentage and played for the national championship.
It’s interesting that in a world in which the trendy development is to go ever faster on offense, Bobo slowed Georgia’s offense down fairly dramatically (almost 10% less plays run than in 2011) but got significant increases in offensive efficiency to more than offset that, as Georgia scored almost a touchdown more per game than during the previous season.
Are we seeing an offensive coordinator who’s finally grown comfortable in his own skin, or a man who’s got enough offensive weapons at his disposal that it’s simply too tough for opposing defenses to shut down consistently? I’d say yes. Seriously, I don’t really care which is more the case. But I sure am looking forward to seeing what the Georgia offense is capable of in 2013.
Get The Picture 
For all his head scratching interceptions, has UGA ever had a quarterback like Murray? And don’t even try to tell me that Stafford was as much a college QB as Murray. And now with running backs who run like they are falling down a mountain.
LikeLike
“For all his head scratching interceptions, has UGA ever had a quarterback like Murray? And don’t even try to tell me that Stafford was as much a college QB as Murray.”
I can see how that’s a debatable point, but that’s a really bold statement.
LikeLike
I’ve posted about it on other sites, but statistically, no. What Murray is doing for us is statistically unheard of at Georgia. For instance, look at 2010, Murray’s freshman year. More PPG than Stafford’s junior year, one fewer TD thrown, two fewer picks thrown,and only ~300 yards fewer thrown.
If he’s healthy, Murray will most likely go down as the SEC career TD passes leader. That’s with throwing around 50 to 60 more TDs than our second most prolific passer, Greene. Murray is the only QB to throw for 3k+ yards in three straight seasons in the SEC. What he’s done, stats-wise, has never been maintained over a career at UGA.
LikeLike
I lean to the second part of your question for the answer. As has been said here many times…you can’t run a pro-style O and be weak at any one of the four areas: line, qb, receivers, rushers. Average in one? Yes. Weak? No. Not sure if the fullback deserves his own area or is assumed by the other four, but to me Bobo has had in the past two years the component parts to exercise his full scheme. The interesting thing for me in his (CMB’s) development will be the drop-off post- Murray.
LikeLike
Drop off? We have Hutson Mason, baby!
LikeLike
Seriously, we have four good QB cndidates and if Parker stays true, will have two better-than-Good’uns. There are a couple more, but at least one plays another position. RBs and QBs are stacked up neatly for Bobo’s machine to continue to perform with the possibility of a new gear thrown (as in a running QB, spread O qtrs and other O gears).
Keep telling yall that this is no acci- or coincident. Have we all discussed the added increment of TEs, WRs, RBs and of course, QB experience already gained by those players and on a higher plateau of accomplishment than most other SEC players at those positions? That may be in the gtp savings account to be withdrawn just before the start of Aug..
LikeLike
I think it’s a bit of both. Bobo has gotten a lot more comfortable and creative as a play caller, but it is certainly easier to conduct business when you have (arguably) the best RB duo in the country. Only Bama might have had a better claim to that title (Lacy and Yeldon). Of course, given that Gurley and Marshall both were only freshmen, it’s hardly a fair comparison. Nevertheless, when you factor in that Bama had one of the best OLs in college football history, Gurley and Marshall (as a duo) were superior; they were almost as productive w/ a far inferior OL.
Knowshon and Thomas Brown were pretty damn good, but it’s arguable that neither was as good as even Keith Marshall. I don’t think it’s even debatable that Gurley is far superior to both.
LikeLike
Overall on O UGA has the best personnel returning that I can ever remember coming back–any time.
LikeLike
Stretching it there with Knowshon. don’t care what he’s done in the pros, he was a bad dude in college. so is gurley. keith marshal is pretty dang good… but better than Knowshon? maybe eventually, but come on, man.
LikeLike
Yea, you’re probably right about that. I got a little carried away. However, I definitely could see Marshall developing into a better college back than Knowshon.
LikeLike
As is always the case, you go as far as you’re lines can take you. If the D-Line holds up better than last year, it will hard to expose a green secondary. The LBs will have a field day, and your QB will get a little dirty. Same with the O-Line. If they gel, and with some good depth it seems, they may improve (yes I said it) on last year’s numbers. Again, as far as the lines can carry you.
LikeLike
He didn’t slow down the offense. They ran it at least at the same pace if not faster. They had way more big plays, which cut back on the play total significantly.
LikeLike
Yes. Touchdown runs of 20-50 yards (as well as long passing strikes) resulted in fewer 10 and 12-play drives last year.
LikeLike
And to that point, I would love the see the avg. yards of touchdown plays from those years.
LikeLike
Good memory and correct (as NRBQ has already validated). Kinda skews the data, but who the hell is keeping up? Not Bobo.
LikeLike
I know I’m in the severe minority but I thought that bobo was, from a play calling perspective, an upgrade immediately. The biggest complaint I had with cmr was having fg kickers setting scoring records every year when we needed more TD’s instead. I saw improvement there early on and it’s continued through the years.
LikeLike
I agree on the trading TDs for FGs – very frustrating in the early richt years. I actually that having a questionable place kicker helped us be a little more aggressive the past several years which was good.
LikeLike
We won a lot of games when kickers were setting records.
LikeLike
Personally, it sems to be a matter of Bobo showing out. 76% in the RZ? Pshaww! Although he will be higher in RZ % this year, most will come after Dec2. That will be his show out time with the fans to see what he made for us with his bright and shiny machine effectively erasing old bad memories and placing new and more positive ones there to keep us warm until the next year.
LikeLike
I think along the lines of Hahira above; running the Pro Set with all the positions being solid is what makes the difference, except at Carolina.
LikeLike
Clowney
LikeLike
My retort to that: Jadeveon Clowney.
LikeLike
I think it’s even more amazing considering that the USC game was akin to taking a zero on a quiz.
LikeLike
Not adding too much new here, but let’s see if it carries over to 2013 and isn’t just an outlier and something in the 2007 range isn’t the norm.
I’ve seen this chart a few places and one thing I would like to see added to it is kinda what Hahira pointed out- a chart that also lists the QB, top 2 RBs, TEs & WRs and OL listed next to it. (For the OL maybe you list OL stats, since it’s a large group.) That would help to see what deficiencies and strengths we had each year.
LikeLike
I find the video of Bobo on the linked page amusing. His reactions and mine aren’t all that different. Of course, I don’t start calling for touchdowns until after the ball is snapped, but, you know, he kinda knows what the play call is.
LikeLike
Watch us HUNH this year Senator… Our OL has lost a lotta weight…
UPDATED POST-SPRING WEIGHTS http://georgia.247sports.com/Article/Updated-weights-for-2013-Georgia-Bulldogs-135925
OL Zach DeBell — 273 — (-20)
OL Xzavier Ward — 278 — (-21)
OL Austin Long — 287 — (-37)
OL Watts Dantzler — 307 — (-13)
OL John Theus — 298 — (-11)
OL Chris Burnette — 314 — (-8)
OL Dallas Lee — 295 — (-5)
Actually from what I’ve read,.. Apparently this is(new Sr. Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning)John Thomas’s style of conditioning…
High intensity interval training with extreme cardio. You get stronger, but you also lose weight like crazy; especially when combined with a low fat diet. Supposedly It’s great for endurance, speed, and overall body strength, but you lose a lot of weight. I guess we’ll just have to see if it’s a plus for the O-line or not…
I’m gonna assume this is what CMR had in mind when he hired Thomas though considering it was just a couple of seasons ago that people were criticizing our players for being fat and out of shape…
LikeLike
Think any of’em will ask takeout to strip the fat off the quadruple orders of wings before delivery or cooking? Does country-cured ham qualify as lean meat?
We will know how much they cheated (and who) when it comes to August workouts. Afterwards (watermelon days, etc) we can add water wt like crazy and even try to get the linemen to gobble down two melons before big games. If the added wt doesn’t help that much, the red watermelon meat in the opposing lineman’s face sure will.
LikeLike
Streak-of-lean is lean meat, right? It says so right in its name.
LikeLike
good info HB, nice post
LikeLike
Bobo is getting better. He has been blessed with a superb college QB. I real worker. Plus last year with a deep and superstar backfield.
This year will be “bobo’s” best year and you will see him smartly sell while his stock is high. I see him going to Louisville after Florida Flops and they hire Strong ( see same reason as for Bobo).
Also, Matt Stafford came to UGA as probably the highest rated or thought of recruit in our history. He had AJ, Knowsnon, MM, etc and with all his talent lefy UGA without a single known or quotable accomplishment. Murray is ten times the UGA QB Jack!
LikeLike
In his defense, he had no defense.
LikeLike
“Also, Matt Stafford came to UGA as probably the highest rated or thought of recruit in our history. He had AJ, Knowsnon, MM, etc and with all his talent lefy UGA without a single known or quotable accomplishment. Murray is ten times the UGA QB Jack!”
I don’t see how you can make the argument that Stafford was ever surrounded by more talent than AM was this past season. Knowshon alone was not as much of an asset as Gurley/Marshall. Stafford only had AJ as a freshman (only for the 2008 season), and Murray’s receiving corps is much better as a whole than Stafford’s was; it’s not like TK or Malcom Mitchell sucked last season. And don’t even try to pretend that Stafford had a better defense than AM had to rely on.
As for saying that Stafford left w/ no accomplishment, that’s a bogus claim. Stafford closed out his TRUE FRESHMAN season w/ 3 consecutive wins over ranked opponents (including #5 ranked Auburn). The next season (2007), he lead one of the greatest seasons in UGA history, finishing the season #2 in the final BCS rankings. While 2008 was a disappointment, 2 of those losses were to UF (at its height of dominance) and Bama (when it became a dominant national powerhouse). The other loss came to GT in the first year of its option attack. There were still some big wins that season, including a beatdown of LSU.
Finally, let’s put things in a little more context. As a true freshman w/ a crappy receiving corps, a mediocre OL, and a mediocre backfield, Stafford went 9-4. As a sophomore, Stafford went 11-2. As a Junior, Stafford went 10-3.
Compare that to AM. As a REDSHIRT freshman (w/ a sophomore AJ Greeen, NFL talent on the OL, and a relatively productive backfield), AM went 6-7 in 2010. As a sophomore, he went 10-4. As a Junior he went 12-2 w/ possibly the most talented UGA offensive personnel in decades (certainly under the Mark Richt era). And let’s not forget: Murray has not had a single schedule as difficult as ANY ONE of Stafford’s. UK was even good when Stafford played them in 2008.
So, when you say Murray is 10X the QB that Stafford was, I don’t know WTF you’re talking about. It is a debatable point as to which QB is the better college QB. But, it’s ridiculous to state that w/ such absolute certainty, particularly when you’re argument is based on revisionist history.
LikeLike
There’s no question in my mind that Bobo became a better playcaller last year. There may have been a couple, but I can’t think of any times last year where there was something that was working over and over, then Bobo mysteriously went away from it for the sake of balance. Once he found something that worked last year, he rolled with it until it stopped working. And I can’t tell you how many times I predicted a call based on the down/distance and our formation, only to be wrong —— in prior years, I felt like I was always right in those situations. Like some people have alluded to above, I just hope last year was an actual progression that continues, not just an outlier.
All that being said, player execution was certainly much better last year as well. How many times the previous 10 years had we seen us have the perfect play called on 2nd and goal, only to have the pass be thrown a little too far, a little too short, have the pass dropped, somebody miss a block, or we get called for something like illegal formation because somebody lined up wrong? Then we would inevitably settle for a conservative call on 3rd down and then kick the field goal. But player execution on those playcalls improved greatly, so that is a huge factor too.
But I still say that Bobo was simply a better playcaller last year than he’s ever been. He was much more aggressive, rode the hot hand, and kept most of the defenses on their heels. We’ll see if that continues this year.
LikeLike
Rev, I’ll bet he is on pins and needles waitin’ to come up to your judgements. You listed all the bad plays (to you) that you remember. There isn’t enough room on this blog to list all the good and great plays. I remember the great catches by our WRs, the great throws to the back of the end zone, the great runs, Lynch and Rome catches and runs, great blocks that opened holes, great plays run to perfection by player’s route fidelity. Bobo took care of any judgemental conversations that we had to endure two years ago. I’m sure that Bobo and most fans have blazed past the idiotic fan coaching egos that drowned this blog.
“Pull my hair”, indeed. Bobo and the best Offense we have had in many years is here and now for our enjoyment. Enjoy!
LikeLike
I think we’re on two different wavelengths, Cojones. I was praising Bobo, not issuing judgements that he needs to live up to, and just hoping that he continues the work he did last year.
However, while there have been many great plays over the years, there’s no way you can sit there and tell me we didn’t have a tendency to go into brainlock once we got inside the 10 – 15 yard line over the past 10 years or so. We weren’t referred to as “Field Goal U” for no reason. And often times we had a perfect play called in those situations, and the player execution would just fail, ultimately leading to a field goal. We didn’t see that happen last year, the players did a fantastic job of executing what were good playcalls, and we saw the results. Those are not judgements, those are just what happened, but the trend is going in the right direction which is AWESOME. I’ve never been a Bobo hater, I always rated him as a B+ as far as playcalling goes (yes, that is a judgement, though I hardly consider it an unfair one up until last year), but last year he was easily among the nation’s best and I would love nothing more than for that to continue!
LikeLike
I can remember a couple of years when my blogged words to the effect of “We are no longer Field goal U” were met with a data gush from someone else that showed that false perceptions occur with us all. That was the first and only time that I was wrong on gtp ( 🙂 ).
My words should have been, “Cheer up! The great plays pulled off by those in the arena are more than enough to send bad memory plays to oblivion”. I should have written it that way.
LikeLike
Why do I feel like some people here would love to see Bobo fail? Just so they can say “Told Ya So”
LikeLike
The number coincides with the egos who think they are never wrong. Most posters have swung heart and soul behind the Dawgs Offense and Bobo and it’s a pleasure reading those who only doubted, not to be confused with those who went beyond doubt.
LikeLike
Lately I’ve wanted Bobo to continue succeeding so that he can get another big fat raise at the end of this season.
LikeLike