Hmm… maybe Loran has a point, because this is flat-out wrong.
Since 2009, only three SEC schools have had the same coordinator on one side of the ball: Koenning at MSU and the University of Alabama and LSU (defensive coordinators Kirby Smart and John Chavis).
As a matter of fact – and I’m almost hesitant to type this – I believe Mike Bobo is now the longest-serving coordinator at the same SEC school. Who’da thunk it, hunh?
Filed under Georgia Football, SEC Football
A little perspective on Mark Richt’s coaching career:
67 Victories in SEC regular-season games for Georgia coach Mark Richt and Alabama coach Nick Saban. They are tied for eighth with former Georgia coach Wally Butts on the league’s all-time list of conference victories. Every coach ahead of them, with the exception of current South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, is in the College Football Hall of Fame — Paul “Bear” Bryant, Johnny Vaught, Vince Dooley, Ralph “Shug” Jordan, Phillip Fulmer and Bobby Dodd – and so is Butts.
Yes, but [insert reason Richt doesn’t belong in the comparison]…
Filed under Georgia Football
I applaud the underlying sentiment, but here in a nutshell is what concerns me about the new targeting rules:
The big hit from the talented freshman created big buzz this spring.
Georgia safety Tray Matthews delivered it on wide receiver Justin Scott-Wesley during a closed team scrimmage. It not only got the attention of teammates but officials on hand.
“He got about eight flags on it,” cornerback Sheldon Dawson said. “Sometimes the adrenaline and the rush leads you to do certain stuff like that. Sometimes you don’t think, you just go.”
It was an example of how college football’s new targeting penalty meant to improve player safety could impact the game.
Linebacker Amarlo Herrera said when he watched a replay of the hit, Matthews should not have actually been penalized on the play because he delivered the hit to the chest, but full-speed it might have looked different.
“It’s the interpretation of the guys on the field that you have to be aware of,” secondary coach Scott Lakatos said.
There’s a part of me that thinks the coaches and players are going to do a better job of preparing for the impact of the changes than officials will and that we’re going to be subjected to a series of Pavlovian responses – flags and ejections, in simple English – every time somebody gets blown up on the field, regardless of how the hit was actually delivered. That’s the logical response to expect from people who have had this matter stressed to them for months and who are expected to react immediately to plays made by people who are bigger, stronger and faster than they are.
And then there’s this.
The disqualification can be overridden by a replay official, but the 15-yard penalty will remain.
“It’s like a normal instant replay,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “I was thinking that maybe a play was run, there’s a commercial break, you could look at it for five minutes if you want and then decide, ‘Hey, the guy’s back in.’ They have to decide in the same time frame of a normal replay.”
Added Lakatos: “We’re trying to make sure that we understand what the officials on the field are going to do because they’re the guys that are being asked to make the decision. They have to make the decision in a snap. They don’t have the benefit of watching it on video.”
That’s a lot of pressure for a snap judgment. Then, again, maybe Penn Wagers will call things right from the get go.
Filed under The NCAA
Shakin the Southland, on Clemson-Georgia:
… If Clemson gets past Georgia with a “W,” the wind is clearly in their sails for a huge season. A loss isn’t the end of the world as a win over FSU essentially secures the Atlantic but it will take some glimmer off of a season and schedule that set up nicely for a huge run.
As for the Georgia game, you never really know what you’ve got until the players get out there and open it up. Once the live bullets start flying, you learn what you’ve got and where improvement is necessary. Based upon last season, attrition from both teams, and reports from preseason practices, this football game may be one of the highest scoring openers in either school’s history. Obviously, we’ll be interested in evaluating the secondary. This will be the weak point for the Clemson defense as we all expect marked improvement year over year from the defensive line and the linebackers. Offensively, we cannot afford an injury at the wide receiver position-particularly with our qualms at the tight end spot.
Likewise, Georgia’s questions arise on the defensive side of the football where they are replacing a ton of players (12 I believe who started a game for the Bulldogs) from last season’s defense. Like Clemson, UGa will not know what they have on defense until it goes live Saturday night. Georgia assuredly will get better on defense as the season progresses so Clemson is fortunate to get them early. The combination of Clemson’s secondary issues and Georgia’s attrition year over year makes one believe that many, many points scored by both squad is unavoidable. We’ll have a much better idea of what kind of team we’ll have this time next week.
In terms of season expectations, the stakes are very similar for both schools. Win, you’re immediately a major factor in the national title conversation, lose, and you’ve still got a bunch of goals to play for (including the possibility of climbing back into that national title conversation).
Saturday night, we’re all gonna be watching those secondaries closely, aren’t we?
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UPDATE: Over/under – sucker bet?
Filed under Clemson: Auburn With A Lake, Georgia Football
This New York Times piece on the influence and power of the WWL is a must read, which means it’s an incredibly depressing article.
This is power:
The extent of ESPN’s influence over college football is literally displayed on the face of your ticket to next week’s game. Tickets to most games are printed with the date and the opponent’s name, but something is missing: the kickoff time. That is because ESPN, under its contracts with conferences, has the right to set kickoff times and wait until 12 days before game day, or in some cases only six, to inform universities.
This is one way you keep power (besides ladling out the big bucks, of course):
Underscoring ESPN’s special relationship with college football is the fact that it created and owns the software used for scheduling games. The online portal, known as the Pigskin Access Scheduling System, or PASS, is now used by virtually all conferences and colleges, as well as competing networks. Generally, the colleges work together to set up nonconference matchups, but sometimes they reach out to ESPN for a suggestion, or even to play matchmaker.
And this is one sign the schools appreciate that “special relationship”:
Quick scheduling turnarounds can be logistically challenging for university officials. Still, many athletic directors echoed Jay Jacobs of Auburn, who said, “It works very well for us now that we’re used to it.”
Glad that worked out for you, Jay.
Again, you need to read the whole thing, but you might want to do so on an empty stomach. Especially if you’re a fan of a mid-major program.
Filed under ESPN Is The Devil
We’re getting close and you need to eat.
Get The Picture 