David Ching pretty much nails where I’m at right now with what feels like Georgia’s biggest concern this week.
While it might seem odd to criticize an offensive line that helped Georgia generate 545 yards — on the road in one of the louder stadiums the Bulldogs will visit this season, no less — it is clear that offensive line coach Will Friend has not settled on a lineup that he loves after Saturday’s 38-35 loss to Clemson.
With Jadeveon Clowney and South Carolina’s fearsome defensive front on deck Saturday, that is not a particularly encouraging sign for the Bulldogs.
I do think there are some things Bobo can take away from North Carolina’s gameplan to reduce Clowney’s impact. But the Heels also had a left tackle in James Hurst who got some preseason All-American attention. Friend doesn’t appear to have that option. Even scarier may be the prospect of Clowney lining up over center.
If necessity is the mother of invention, here’s hoping that Bobo gets truly inspired this Saturday.
Get The Picture 
I’m not nearly as worried about Clowney lined up over center as I am about his outside speed rush around left tackle. Gates was moving at the speed of smell against Clemson and may just get AM killed if Friend doesn’t come up with some big-time help for him.
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My thoughts exactly. Gates, for all his heart & dedication, just seems like our Left Tackle version of Connor Norman. I was really hoping we’d slide him in to guard this season.
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Gates is a guard bottom line. He doesn’t have the athleticism to play tackle. Houston doesn’t look ready to play meaningful snaps. Where are Dantzler and the other linemen recruited in the Dream Team class?
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The difference between Gates and Norman is that Gates is playing out of his natural position to help the team out. In playing safety, Norman’s doing what he’s best at, unless you want to argue that that’s riding the pine.
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Norman could best be deployed as an Auditor at KPMG.
His greatest contribution to the team ought to be the Academic Player of the Game each week.
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Also, whatever happened last week, happened last week. Upward and onward.
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Murray needs to run around like Connor Shaw does. Sitting in the pocket this year will be the Dawgs demise. Some things you can fix like poor tackling, penalties, missed assignments. Your O-ling getting whipped is not one of them.
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Agreed … And as I stated in the Senator’s UGA-Clemson post game comments, both sides of the ball need to adapt … not only during the game but based on what is coming at you next week! As you stated, there are somethings you cannot change. Alright then, change the things you can. It’s not rocket surgery, it’s strategery!
As one of my favorite movie characters once said …Improvise, Adapt and Overcome!
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Exactly, you make the best with what ya got. I thought N. Carolina did an excellent job with their strategy, getting the ball out quick and into the playmakers hands. Dawgs need to come up with something similar.
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Put in some plays with Lemay in the backfield with the option to run or pass. I realize he isn’t going to play QB on a regular basis, but Georgia needs a run/pass threat from time to time.
Many of Georgia’s running plays develop too slowly. You’ve got to get the ball out quicker….And I do expect a great effort from the Dawgs against SC….
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I agree with the concept of using whomever you have to make the team better. I’m betting that Lemay can run some decent routes and he surely can throw the ball on an “end around” or reverse play. Heck, he can still probably scramble pretty good, too. I was living in North Carolina when he was still in high school and if I’m not “mis-remembering” he was quite the dual threat QB then. Maybe Lemay will never play QB for the Dawgs … then at least let him do something on the field to help the team. I’m almost positive we didn’t sign him to hold the clipboard on scholarship. I’m not trying to say that you take all the best athletes on your team and change them to a different position but we all know that we’ve had good/great athletes before at UGA that have changed positions from high school to college or even while at UGA.
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Surprised to see the Dawgs as an early -3 this weekend. I suspect that will change.
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AM is 3-12 against Top 25 teams, 1-11 against Top 10 teams
“Just the facts ma’am.” Sgt. Joe Friday
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I’m sorry…. beat up AM Day was yesterday. Today is the first day of getting ready for the chickens. Bring some real sauce and none of that old sour stuff please.
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Do you really believe that Mason would be better? Seriously? I bet your the guy who thinks we should hire a guy like Saban, but can’t name the available coach that is like Saban.
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His winning % is even WORSE when a team scores 35 or more points (1 – 6).
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North Carolina can recruit and develop All-American linemen. Tell me how many have there been in the Mark Richt era. For at least the past six seasons the Dawgs have had O line issues re quality play. From OL coaches, depth, recruitment, and injuries. But in the total stats game the numbers seem great. Except one…no SEC title or BCS championship game. Clemson and South Carolina can think it and probably make it happen. First down inside the 5 and three power plays go nowhere and a center can not get a routine snap back to the holder [& by the way why in hell does CMR not use one of those seldom used QBs to hold it]. Which brings me to this point. Just maybe it is more than O line, maybe the sets, schemes, line splits, personnel package the OC likes to always use which by the has not got us one championship. And making a QB like Murray to be a loser in big games. Murray puts on the cleats, head gear, and pads, but the HC and OC run that offense. Great stats but only one damn win over ranked teams lately. That got the last two coaches fired.
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“North Carolina can recruit and develop All-American linemen.”
North Carolina isn’t a program to emulate.
“But in the total stats game the numbers seem great. Except one…no SEC title or BCS championship game. Clemson and South Carolina can think it and probably make it happen.”
You said the same thing about Florida last season, right before 17-9.
“First down inside the 5 and three power plays go nowhere”
Georgia was great in the red zone last season. Botched one in this game. Stuff happens. Not an example of a greater trend.
“Just maybe it is more than O line, maybe the sets, schemes, line splits, personnel package the OC likes to always use which by the has not got us one championship.”
English, please.
“Great stats but only one damn win over ranked teams lately. That got the last two coaches fired.”
Georgia was five yards away from the national championship last season. The following schools have done better in the last half-decade:
1) Alabama
2) Auburn*
3) Florida**
***
* They suck now.
** 17-9, 24-20.
*** LSU got their doors blown off in 2011, so no, and Oregon wasn’t five yards away from winning in 2010, so no.
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We have a whole ton of guard-type linemen, but very few tackle-type linemen.
It seemed like Theus, Ward, and Beard were about the only ones we did not see out at LT last week. Theus seems to have more of the LT upside, but has not brought it to practice/games to force the coaches to move him against otherwise anemic competition.
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I was going to ask about Theus. I’m out of the loop, so everything I know comes from watching Dawgs games on TV or the intelligencia at this blog. Seemed like he was making progress last season and looked to be better for this year. Is this a sophomore slump or something? His stock definitely seems to be down. Could someone enlighten me?
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Just reading the tea leaves, but the coaches seemed to be trying to motivate Theus all off-season with talk of giving his starting spot to someone else. (Ward was the candidate du jour for awhile, but has since gone missing in the gameplan.) I, too, hoped that Theus would seize the LT spot this year, allowing us to move Gates inside, but the fact that Gates is still there means the coaches still consider him our best option.
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I didn’t record the Clemson game but I distinctly remember right before or after one play where the camera was on Theus and Clemson’s counterpart was flashing all his pearly whites and a shit eatin grin. As one poster stated in a previous post (may have been the Senator himself), Clowney has gotta be rockin a hard on all this week.
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I got a great piece of advice from a fellow football nut…”You don’t find the right hat…the right hat finds you”
So…I’m standing on a corner in Winslow, Az waiting for a hat to find me.
The suggestion, by the way, came from a Bama fan…so he might know something.
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Hey…. Take it Easy.
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Hey….I am disturbed, disillusioned and upset….all these TV weasels said we waz gonna be really good…
Despite losing the guts of a fair defense, still not having a first class offensive line, not having a proven place-kicker, and starting like 77 freshmen.
We ain’t good.
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Just remember SJIII, on this here blog we Hate The F*cking Eagles, Man. Like the man says.
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But we don’t hate on Jackson Browne. 😉
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Right-O. Lawyers in Love and all.
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I hear ya…. not my favorite. I’m referring to the Classical Period when Take it Easy was written. Have you heard “Doctor My Eyes”, “Rock Me On the Water”, “Jamaica Say You Will” or “Song for Adam” they were notable not only for the lyrics but for David’s slide guitar. Excellent pre-Hannah collection of work.
We good?
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Let me help.
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Sure man, that’s all cool. This last day though I found me-self in more a Motörhead/Rancid/Sex Pistols/or death metal frame of mind. Wonder why? Who was “David” you speak of on the steel?
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David Lindley…. built his own hardware. Special place in my heart for that skill set. Ck it out.
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This, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYOPg2Gu5uM
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No we do not hate Jackson Browne! Fountain of Sorrow is one of my favorite songs. I have been swimming in a fountain of sorrow since Saturday.
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I gotta ask Mark, if South Puking Carolina does, in fact, blow us out of the stadium of Sanford Saturday, does this mean it will then be time to line up at the bridge?
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No. That will be when MR pulls out his stock “we still have plenty of goals to play for” line.
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Run the toss sweep right at Clowney and get our defense better this week at containing the QB and the inside run.
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+1
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I think that may be our best hope. Wherever Clowney lines up, run Hicks and Gurley/Marshall right at him. Heck, I’d throw Lynch at him as well. Eventually, he’ll get tired of getting shellacked.
Also, if we have to throw, why not max protect and rely on a receiver to get open. The back shoulder throw is damned near impossible to defend the way Murray throws it. Bennett, Wooten and Scott-Wesley are decent receivers.
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Don’t run Marshall at anyone.
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This. Not a slight on Marshall but with this line at least he’s not a guy you want to run at anyone. Gurley can make chicken salad out of chicken crap bc he’s a beast but until our coaches figure out how to get KM the ball in space he might as well not be in the game except for pass protection. See last week’s carries and total yardage.
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Though Clemmins defended said throw rather nicely in the endzone on UGa’s one pass there.
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Are you talking about the throw to Bennett that was almost intercepted? If that was supposed to be a back shoulder throw, AM missed badly.
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That’s the one I had on my mind, though I admit I hadn’t reached a TV by then and heard the sequence through the air. Perhaps it was not a back shoulder deal.
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It was. If I may differ with the esteemed Senator, it was less a bad pass than perfectly anticipated by Clem’s Son’s defense.
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To my memory, there were at least 3 UGA back shoulder throws that were well covered by Clemson. They were anticipating them well.
Almost intercepted 1.
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” …here’s hoping Bobo gets truly inspired…” What evidence of this exists? His offense hums when players execute. If/when the OL collapses Saturday, how long does he stay with “the plan” before realizing he’s got to make adjustments? And do we even prepare/practice those adjustments enough? Keeping Gurley in to block is not a basic set for us. Nor is rolling the pocket. SCar is going to put 8 in the box and blitz like crazy their first defensive series. We’re going to throw Gurley into the middle to try to break a seam. If the OL executes, it works and our rushing game will open up the PA stuff. If not, this is going to be a repeat of last year’s debacle. We’re going to try to out-execute them, not out-innovate them. It’s who we are, it’s who CMB is.
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Why? With that line, I’d start out seeing how much pressure my front four could get.
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I know lots of play callers will choreograph their first offensive series for a game but I’m starting to wonder if Bobo doesn’t take it further than that. He just does NOT seem to be able to make adjustments on the fly when his “plan” isn’t working. Against crappy teams where he can out talent them and stick to his plan, things seem to go well. Against a talented well coached team that makes adjustments, he seems to be a step or two behind the guy on the other sideline. That or he’s just freaking stubborn as hell.
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Exactly. Against upper echelon teams, innovation and adaptation is sorely needed. And if Murray has free rein to change the plays, he’s part of the problem.
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You can legitimately say this about every offensive coordinator in the country on most nights. Especially when they lose personnel mid-game.
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We’ve got the Gamecocks right where we want them – wildly overconfident. The plan is to move Murray out of the pocket and carpet-bomb the Cocks with quick passes to Rome and Lynch, Gurley and Marshall, and Hicks, while Bennett, Conley,Scott-Wesley, and Reggie Davis keep the DBs occupied. An occasional deep pass will click for big yardage or scores, and Gurley and Marshall will get yards with the old-fashioned toss-sweep. Or, maybe I’m dreaming.
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Or we score on the toss sweep to begin the game and never run it again.
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wondering WHY we don’t move the pocket more with roll outs, etc?????
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sure you didn’t say that last week?,
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“move Murray out of the pocket and carpet-bomb the Cocks with quick passes to Rome and Lynch, Gurley and Marshall, and Hicks, while Bennett, Conley,Scott-Wesley, and Reggie Davis keep the DBs occupied. An occasional deep pass will click for big yardage or scores, and Gurley and Marshall will get yards with the old-fashioned toss-sweep. Or, maybe I’m dreaming.”
Wish we had seen that vs Clemson during that 2nd and 3rd quarter offensive drought.
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Houston got beat for a sack at both at RT and at LT…very happy for the kid, but not sure he was ready to be thrown in the fire like that…not sure why Beard wasn’t tried at LT while rolling Gates to LG…Beard at the end of last year had turned into a very good pass protector on the left side…Theus needs to be put back at RT and sub Houston in on the interior when needed…and most importantly, find someone to take some snaps at Center because Andrews was incredibly worn down by the end of the game and was a complete liability….still think we take out SC
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I think that our only hope against the chickens is to run the old “Maximum Punishment” play from the Longest Yard (I prefer the original version) with Murray as Paul Crewe and Clowney as Bodanski…
Hey, “worked once, oughta work again, right?”
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Or the play from The Last Boy Scout where the guy with the ball pulls out a gun and starts shooting defenders.
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Is it possible we just tried too many combinations on the Oline? I understand the need to sub but it seemed like there was too much shuffling for any kind of cohesiveness.
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I’m not sure how cohesiveness makes you any faster in handling the speed rush.
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If Carolina plays a 4-4 and are better than Clemson with personnel then it could be rough of the TBs. Now CMR thinks the cadence of Murray will give the Oline an advantage coming of the ball snap. But do they move anything for the featured tailbac, Run baxically out of the I and that is all verical and right into the 4-4 numbers. Dawgs have no great lineman, but they do have a couple of above average TBs. I just think it is hard to run the ball successfully out of that set. Get inside the 5 and the dawgs flashed that 3 times with no movement…all vetical runs up the middle and that is about what your running game is limited to in that set. Then ask Bob why he ran a FB into the middle with the idea to leap over the blockers and tacklers. then think back to CMR commenting on Green being able to go over a pile…why not seal the end and bounce the play out at a minimum.. This line with Murray, receivers, and RB in a spread formation would be more lethal than Clemson or A&M. Sorry I’m not interested in line combo’s, but a scheme, like the spread where you defend or block to the open space or green. Did Sammy Watkins have a bad night of did Connor Norman have as much speed or did Fr Langley show him up on that little quick slant pass from Boyd into the endzone. Thought that was a great defensive play on Watkins and the ball…not something you would see out of a frosh on the road, from a spread and a legit all conference player.
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Go back to your ramblings about baseball because you obviously know very little about football. Gurley and Marshall are “above average” tailbacks??? Really?? Are you some sort of freaking idiot?
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I’ve come to the conclusion that Trane either drunk posts or is in his 80s. His ranting before and after the Florida game last year was a thing of senile beauty.
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How much do ya’ll believe the crowd noise making it hard to change protection schemes at the line played into the O-Line problems?
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I didn’t see people out of place. I just saw them unable to block their man.
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Yeah, those pesky Clemson DL were stunting and twisting and interchanging with the LBs. How dare they !
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part of playing on the road fetch
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