Mike Bobo was handed the reins to the offense in time for the Georgia-Auburn game in 2006. It was an auspicious debut, but Bobo’s had his share of bumps and bruises along the way. I’ve been as critical of his inconsistent playcalling over the years as anybody, but I thought he turned a definitive corner last season.
Taking all of that into consideration, Mike Bobo painted his masterpiece yesterday.
He was in total command from start to finish. He schemed around an offensive line that, while better than last week, still struggled significantly in pass protection. And don’t forget the masterful job he did as position coach, either. When Aaron Murray comes out firing on all cylinders, look out.
On to the bullet points.
- All I want for Christmas is the Quayvon Hicks jersey concession.
- Amarlo Herrera played his guts out yesterday. It’s a shame it went for naught, but he made an incredible stop on a middle screen during SC’s last scoring drive of the first half. He was also in on the Shaw fumble, which in my mind was the turning point of the game.
- The bomb to Scott-Wesley was my favorite play on the day. Aaron Murray’s field presence was awesome to watch. Beard was beaten on Clowney’s first move, but came back to redirect him just enough to give Murray time to make the throw. And JSW was so fast that he made the DB look like he gave up on the play after the reception.
- I’m sure it’s easy to mock Clowney for a relatively quiet game, but that man is freakishly, freakishly fast. Gates tried, but really did nothing with him all game. The one sack came so quickly that I was impressed Murray had time to protect the ball. And one of his tackles for loss came running Gurley down from behind. I won’t miss him next season.
- Speaking of missing someone, Carolina sure could have used Lattimore once or twice. Not to take away from Davis, who had a terrific game, but the Gamecock running game is a lot more finesse than power these days.
- Georgia’s last drive reminded me a lot of that 17-play monster the Dawgs pulled off a few years ago against Ole Miss to close out a game. In some ways, this was even more impressive, starting from the one. The pass to Hicks was a thing of beauty. I’ll bet you that drive gave Mark Richt more satisfaction than anything else his team did yesterday.
- Great crowd. In fact, the crowd was almost too enthusiastic, as the offense had to quiet things down a couple of times.
- Very smooth, Patrick Beless.
- You knew things weren’t going to be like last year on Georgia’s very first drive. Clowney actually got to Murray on a long pass to Bennett and altered the throw, but Bennett, with an assist from a Gamecock secondary that was as weak as the d-line was strong, still was able to make an easy catch of it.
- I don’t care about the Heisman, but if you’re talking about it without mentioning Todd Gurley’s name, shame on you. As tough as he ran, his touchdown catch might have been his best moment of the day.
- I thought Keith Marshall couldn’t run between the tackles.
- Nice to see you back in the passing game, Mr. Lynch.
- Conley only had a couple of catches, but his downfield blocking was excellent all game.
- When Leonard Floyd figures out what he’s doing on a consistent basis, he’s going to be pretty damned amazing.
- I get that Langley struggled (although he did have one excellent pass break up). But where the hell was his safety help?
- This defense still needs a much better pass rush than it’s delivering.
- How ’bout that onside kick, eh? Perfect call, perfect execution.
- There is nothing more satisfying than watching Steve Spurrier pull off his head set with three minutes left to go in a game.
I started with coaching praise and I’ll finish with it. Mark Richt did a great job getting his team ready to play. I didn’t fault their effort at Clemson, but there was clearly a step up from the opener yesterday. His team was motivated from the start, kept after it, and, amazingly, wore South Carolina out. A good coach’s first job is motivating his team and Richt gets an A+ in that regard.
When coaches coach and players play, it’s a beautiful thing to watch.
Murray got rid of the ball much faster this week, and that sure made a difference. That was one of the most satisfying bulldog wins I’ve ever witnessed.
LikeLike
+1
It was so satisfying, I don’t even care what the negatives may have been. That is one to nicely savor as a fan for 2 weeks.
LikeLike
Murray got rid of it faster because that was the game plan. I think Bobo felt the OL would be able to protect against Clemson’s DL better than they did and ran a lot more slow-developing plays. Credit to Murray for executing; credit to Bobo, as the Senator notes, for creating a game plan that hid weaknesses and played to strengths.
Some were complaining last week about the lack of deep passes. There were almost no deep passes this time either; Scott-Wesley’s was about it. Hopefully no one is a. bothered by that; b. thinking taht we’ll never see a deep ball again. This was the game plan versus a top-flight pass rush.
If we’d had this scheme last week we’d have won that game too. But you have to give Venables credit for coming out of the cover 2 and blitzing with weird schemes for long enough that we couldn’t respond until the game in their hands. In this case, no one is going to tell Clowney to play like a real DE and protect the edge instead of rushing like a madman every play. Not his game, baby.
LikeLike
gastri…those are good observations and deeper than most of us would notice…esp. the first paragraph.
LikeLike
I, for one, am glad this game is in the rearview mirror
LikeLike
Going to see them in Pittsburgh instead of going to Missouri game.
LikeLike
Yep.
LikeLike
Hey bro!
LikeLike
Nice.
LikeLike
My favorite moment came in the 4th quarter when Gurley left The Clown in his wake with a patented stiff arm and kept in running. I hope there’s a pic of that somewhere.
And watching Quayvon Hicks running with the football and a head of steam is better than sex.
LikeLike
http://www.gogamecocks.com/2013/09/08/416458/photos-usc-vs-georgia-2013.html
Could this be what you’re looking for?
LikeLike
I suck at the internet, go to picture #41 and 42 of the set.
LikeLike
On another note, why didn’t these two wind up at GT? http://media.gogamecocks.com/smedia/2013/09/07/21/38/19Fn7N.AuSt.168.jpeg
LikeLike
LikeLike
LikeLike
I dont think the pass rush will be bad for the rest of the season. I think it was just a product of how you have to defend Boyd and Shaw. The Spring Game Champ at LSU is going to get whooped up on pretty bad.
LikeLike
That’s a good observation. It is true that we still don’t know exactly what we have in that regard, though.
LikeLike
This is a YOUNG defense that WILL get better with experience. The stop on the goal line is harbringer of things that will be better and better as the season moves forward.
As for the offense, just KOKO.
LikeLike
For those who watched in person, enjoy the meanness with which Gurley played when you watch the replay. hubba hubba
LikeLike
“I’ll bet you that drive gave Mark Richt more satisfaction than anything else his team did yesterday.”
He said after the game that that was his favorite part. An 8:38 drive to end the game. He said he wanted to go 99 yards, but was willing to take whatever it was we got. I loved it. He also said he told the offense before that drive to think about “how glorious it would be” if we could just hold on to the ball until the game ended, win it right there on offense, and never even give South Carolina a chance. And man was it glorious.
LikeLike
My favorite part too. This is a testament to the line’s improvement, at least in the running game. And…I’m glad Douglas came in and got a chance in a big moment. I would not be surprised to see him in instead of Marshall, even when KM is healthy, in situations like that in the future.
LikeLike
My favorite too. You could see even on tv the entire gamecock defense tap out on that final drive. they’d taken too many body blows from Gurley and it was over.
LikeLike
Ranks alongside the 99-yd drive vs FL in 1983.
LikeLike
Agreed!
LikeLike
It’s about time we got a break, although I don’t think we needed it to win – that third and long conversion that they missed in the 2nd half because the sun blinded the receiver felt like something that happens to us in Jax. Shoes on the other foot. Great stuff.
LikeLike
That, my friend, was God’s own hand reaching down and shielding the receivers’ eyes. The first time I ever prayed to win a football game was yesterday, asking God to grant the win to Richt and Murray. Just a couple of minutes before that play, I was thinking how that sun was just glaring into the eyes of Murray. Then I started thinking about how we should never be at a disadvantage in our own stadium. Maybe we should close that endzone in over the bridge. Then I thought well i guess now the sun will be in the SC receivers eyes when they turn to look for the ball.
Voila, divine intervention.
LikeLike
I like to think it was Larry, sweet-talking ol’ Lady Luck into helping us out just this one time. Of course, he was the voice of God on Squidbillies.
LikeLike
Heard a stat yesterday on the 4 Letter – A rarity: The last time a team opened playing 2 straight top 10 teams was Auburn – 1984. They lost both. We got one out of two – not bad.
1) Our offense is top three in the country taking into account all facets of the game – power running and the forward pass. No question.
2) Our defense still has a lot to work on. Maybe the open week and North Texas can prep us for LSU at the end of the month. This D is young but talented. If they are coached up, we can be very good the rest of the season.
Great game – GO DAWGS!
LikeLike
Only 4 teams have ever opened against 2 top 10 teams. 3 went 0-2. We went 1-1 and very nearly 2-0.
LikeLike
“Georgia’s last drive reminded me a lot of that 17-play monster the Dawgs pulled off a few years ago against Ole Miss to close out a game.”
Senator, The Old Miss drive is one of my all time favorite UGA drives. Was Eli Manning’s Senior Year and we needed to keep him off the field. UGA had a similar drive against Auburn last year, but that game was really out of reach. The drive last night was epic, just epic. Kudos to Bobo, the Oline, Gurley, Hicks etc. Just a brilliant way to close the game against an explosive offense. Make them watch from the sideline…helpless
LikeLike
I think he was referring to Ole Miss 2011…I think.
LikeLike
I could be misremembering, but I want to say there was a similar drive at home to end the Clemson game in 2002.
LikeLike
You’re right WF. We went for it on 4th down in our own territory in that one. And don’t forget about Tennessee 2008, either. That was an epic, game-ending drive as well.
LikeLike
Had to be Ole Miss in 2002. They had lost to Florida the week before and needed to take care of business at home against Eli (not his senior year…fwiw) in order to have a shot at the SEC championship game by beating Auburn on the plains.
http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2002-2003/ug10.htm#GAME.PLY
Got the ball with 10:46 to play in the 4Q. Never gave it back.
LikeLike
I was at that game. It started raining at the end. Wasn’t that also the game where Boss Bailey jumped 30ft in the air to block a FG attempt in the 1st half?
LikeLike
Hmmm…I know Boss got a block against Tennessee that year…it was my desktop background for a while…not sure about Ole Miss. (Also, the 2002 Tennessee game was the last time we beat a top 10 team at home…for those keeping track of such things, the last time UGA beat two top 10 teams at home was 1991 with victories over #6 Clemson (on the same night the Braves clinched the NL West) and #10 Auburn.
And, again, not that this matters much because rankings at game time aren’t always the best indicators of rankings at the end of the year, this will be the third time a Richt coached team has played at least three teams ranked in the top 10 (2009-Okie St, LSU, UF, and GT and 2012-USCar, Bama, and Florida)
Final point as long as I’m talking to myself…UGA has played at least 3 top 10 teams 4 times since 1989…(91- Auburn, UF, Clemson; 98-LSU, UT, and UF; 2009-GT, OSU, LSU, and UF; 2012-USCar, Bama, and UF)…I’m not sure how far back you’d have to go to find a year UGA played 3 top 10 teams and one of them wasn’t Florida.
LikeLike
What’s even crazier to think about is that the Chickens had an extra few days to prepare for us. Lou Holtz brought that up several times when he predicted our loss to them.
LikeLike
His gleeking has worsened this year
LikeLike
“There is nothing more satisfying than watching Steve Spurrier pull off his head set with three minutes left to go in a game.”
That’s True with a capital T.
Well said, Senator.
LikeLike
Only a few quibbles, and I’m typically a quibbler:
– Felt like Jordan Jenkins got away with late hits twice. I loved it, but it scared me from a “keeping their drives alive” standpoint. You don’t need to help the other team in a game like that
– Frustrating to see Bobo use Marshall in space so well this week but so poorly last week. If the first 6 tries up the gut against Clemson weren’t a large enough sample size, I don’t know what the next 6 tries were for last week…
– It is wierd to see a Defense (SC’s) that knows it HAS to stop the run give up that last drive, yet when we have the threat of the pass to fall back on (for the first three quarters) we weren’t quite as effective running the ball. It is genuinely odd that our best running came when we simply were not going to throw the ball
– Really wish we targeted Conley more. Is he in the coaches dog house, or is he being utilized in other ways that I don’t understand from the ESPN camera angles? Huge 3rd down catch by Conley when we needed it after forcing the Shaw fumble
– Georgia’s fan base is the only one out there that worries about losing a game with the ball, a 1st down an 11 point lead and only 3:00 minutes left
– #15 for SC: it was great to see Gurley take his manhood with that second quarter stiff-arm. On the other hand, that same kid had THE punk move of the game –> 4th quarter, Gurley is wrapped up by three SC defenders, forward progress is stopped and the whistle is blown, THEN 15 comes in and very deliberately tries to take Gurley’s knees out. It was maddening to watch, and I’m just happy Gurley was okay. That said, I’d still love to see Gurley “emerge from an alley” and curb stomp #15
LikeLike
Jesus man.. Enjoy the win.. It was a perfectly executed game plan. SC is a good team, they are gonna force the issue a bit.
Can we put to bed the Keith Marshall up the middle at Clemson? Yes I love to see him in space but Clemson forced us to run between the tackles once they realized we weren’t getting a push. You take what the defense gives you and that required us to push it between the tackles and we weren’t successful. But it isn’t a Carlton Thomas situash.
LikeLike
I enjoyed the win plenty you dipshit. Enjoy the win long enough and we’ll end September 2-2. Remember 2004 when we enjoyed the LSU win a little too long? That’s when UT steals one from you.
Looking forward to seeing the team improve and get healthier in the next three weeks.
LikeLike
You’re a fan. You don’t have to be focused on one game at a time or start preparing the Monday after a big win.
LikeLike
I am surprised you didn’t add “I suit up every week with the team” since you’re obviously delusional enough to think you are part of the team. We just thoroughly dismantled one of the best teams in the nation with a bunch of freshman playing defense (a d that only gave up 6 points in the second half).
You’re second guessing offensive play calling we put up over 500 yards of offense. You sure you don’t just wanna go ahead and jump ship now? This team will obviously never be good enough for you.
LikeLike
+100
LikeLike
I assume by ‘quibbles’ you mean ‘asinine, profanity laced, angry observations that Will Muschamp would make after a game like this.’ If that’s the case, then bravo, Mr. Thomas. Bravo, indeed.
LikeLike
“It is genuinely odd that our best running came when we simply were not going to throw the ball”
It’s really not, their defense was completely gassed on that final drive. The uptempo offense and the combination of punishing backs we threw at them finally broke their will. They had nothing left in the tank to stop us.
LikeLike
If Conley’s on the field blocking, how could he be in the dog house?
LikeLike
Comment removed by administrator.
LikeLike
Cock fan:
If I had low self esteem, I’d troll a rival site by mocking the heritage of the greatest receiver that ever played for the most successful NFL franchise.
Troll on you flaccid cock. Troll on.
LikeLike
And likely the only one you will ever have.
LikeLike
Oops. Meant to be after Noonan.
LikeLike
Please protect your 1969 ACC championship trophy. It’s the only one you have.
LikeLike
Beless…all time extra point kicker
LikeLike
Bobo didn’t have his “once in every big game” head in his ass. He used his players to the best of their abilities. Think about the diversity of this offense.
Oh, and Marshall Morgan being suspended has been a good thing. I like the 4th and 13 conversion.
LikeLike
Good run down Senator, except how about Brendan Douglas?!
God forbid, anything ever happens to Gurshall, he looked more than capable to handle the duties.
This was the most fun I had watching the game in a while. Go Dawgs!
LikeLike
Christopher Walken (ala “Man on Fire”) giving the Dawgs his pregame pep talk: “A man can be an artist… in anything, food, whatever. It depends on how good he is at it. Murray’s art is playing quarterback. He’s about to paint his masterpiece.”
LikeLike
Dawgs back in at #9!
LikeLike
What am I saying? That was no beginning. There is no offseason to Georgia football. The grumbling about Richt is nonstop.
The thing is, while Spurrier’s team was melting down, he won’t have to live with this loss the same way Richt would have.
Georgia must be the most thankless job in America.
Somehow, Richt is the most embattled coach in the country. It is absurd. Georgia fans always think the Bulldogs should win the national championship, and then they always lose one game.
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/georgia-beats-south-carolina-mark-richt-top-dawg-over-steve-spurrier-sec-aaron-murray-jadeveon-clowney-090713
LikeLike
Another observation worth adding: props to the S&C program. I saw Spurrier say on ESPN “Give Georgia credit. They ran it right down our throat. Vince Dooley probably has a smile on his face the way they played today.” I figured he meant that wonderful, clock eating slobber-knocking final drive, which had me think of Coach Dooley, too. And which was another chapter of the better conditioned 4th Quarter Dawg that we saw on several occasions last year. I find it damned refreshing to see our offensive strategy once again include beating the other team’s D to hamburger because we know they won’t be able to take the hammering in the late going.
To Coach T and company, this Dawgfan says: thanks!
LikeLike
If Shaw hadn’t have fumbled and the sun hadn’t gotten in the Gamecock receiver’s eyes resulting in the lucky three and out in the second half and we’d have lost 44-41, then Bobo what not be genius he would be an idiot just like last week. Bobo was good last week, Bobo consistently produces offenses that can score points, Georgia fans as a fanbase have very low expectations of their defense and expect nothing less than playstation efficiency from their offense.
LikeLike
Yup, some would definitely be complaining about Murray not making plays in crunch time or the offense having those two three-and-outs if that had happened. I’m glad Georgia won yesterday, to put it mildly, but if that defense doesn’t shore things up as the season goes along, they’ll lose at least once more. Murray isn’t going to be perfect every week.
LikeLike
Seven incompletes, a sack or two, missed opportunities, too short, too charming, socks don’t match, doesn’t have a Ph.D. yet…
LikeLike
Yep. The D-backs remain a problem. The D-line and LBs are getting better, though.
LikeLike
You realize the defense did strip the ball on the fumble, right?
LikeLike
I didn’t say that part was luck, I said the sun in the eyes stop was luck. If you look at the replay though the fumble was a bang/bang play, he was a fraction of a second from being down. It’s one of those “bounces” the wizards of smart make fun of Richt for referring to after a loss but get’s lost in the back slapping of a big win.
LikeLike
Herrera made a play, don’t try to minimize it. I’m guessing you are also forgetting that Langley almost had a pick and nearly broke up one of the TD passes – could’ve been better for us too.
LikeLike
No point in talking to you right now it seems.
LikeLike
As happy as I am with the win I can’t help but think that CTG is Willie Martinez with a better resume and bigger paycheck. I get that the Defense is young and that they are just learning how to play but giving up 38 and 30 points every week is getting really old.
LikeLike
Did you know the D held Sc to 6 points in the second half?
LikeLike
Bobo’s fault.
LikeLike
If Bobo had a better game plan USCe wouldn’t have scored ANY points in the second half. 🙂
LikeLike
Harumph! Harumph!
LikeLike
By saying that you’re saying Bobo caused Shaw’s fumble and he also stopped the 4th and goal at the 1?
LikeLike
I realized that earlier, and it made me re-evaluate the defense’s performance somewhat. The fact is, they really came up big when we needed them this week.
LikeLike
Cbauga,
There were four Sakerlina drives in the second half.
The first, went for 8 plays and 43 yards and ended deep in our territory on a fumble forced by Herrera at the end of a run in which Shaw had just gotten another first down.
The second, went for 5 plays and 18 yards and ended on the third down in which the Sakerlina WR was wide open past the first down marker but lost the ball in the sun.
The third, was a 4 play 80 yard drive that ended in a touchdown and a missed extra point.
The fourth, was an 11 play 71 yard drive that ended in the stop by Herrera on fourth and one at the one.
Herrera stepped up and made some plays and for that I am thankful but nothing about the above warms my heart regarding the defense’s play as a unit or tells me there was great fundamental improvement from the first half to the second. I am glad the offense held the ball the last 8.5 minutes or they would have come flying down the field again no doubt and added more yards to the 212 they got after halftime. (They got 244 on 5 possessions in the 1st half).
LikeLike
Willie was “wreck your program” bad, CTG ain’t no Erk Russell but he’s a huge improvement over Willie. My thing is that he is not anywhere close to as good a DC as Bobo is an OC but Bobo catches all the hell, it’s hard to explain, Georgia fans don’t demand high quality defense like Bama, LSU, and Florida fans do, it’s curious, and a big reason we don’t have the rings those programs have. If Richt had an elite defense year in and year out at Georgia we’d be running out of fingers to put rings on, but Georgia fans want to bitch about playcalling when we score 35 and have 450 yards but give up 38 and 500. Our fan base as a whole has trouble seeing what the true problem is, and that’s part of the reason we have difficulty fixing it.
LikeLike
+1. If UGA had FU’s D the Dawgs would win every game, every year.
LikeLike
I believe that is the point about CTG. Our defense should be on par with theirs because our talent is on par with FU. But our defense is not on par with FU because our coaching is not.
LikeLike
+1 – Although disagree with you on a couple of points. Grantham, statistically, appears to be worse than Martinez. And while you may think GA fans don’t demand a world class defense, did I dream it or did I read that Grantham is the highest paid coordinator in the country? That certainly suggests that the university is demanding it, anyway.
LikeLike
“Grantham, statistically, appears to be worse than Martinez”
or perhaps I should write, “not appreciably statistically superior.”
LikeLike
Grantham took over a defense that was in the tank though, Willie took over a defense with good players with sound fundamentals and over five mind numbing years completely ran the whole system into the ground. Grantham does also tend to only get torched by reasonably good teams and players which is who the average DC gets torched by. Willie ultimately was getting torched by the Jonathan Crompton’s of the world.
LikeLike
“Gates tried, but really did nothing with him all game. ”
I guess my eyes deceive me…
LikeLike
Mine too. I saw Gates do enough, which is all anyone has to do. Also, we let Clowney take himself out of the play several times with great calls.
LikeLike
To wit, the play after Clowney used that terrific inside move to get past Gates, we ran Marshall outside, leaving Clowney, who had used the same inside move again, out of position to make a stop. It was beautiful.
LikeLike
Yep, that was one I was thinking of. I really enjoyed that one, just a great call and execution.
LikeLike
I don’t dispute Clowney may be a great player…physically…but he used the same inside swim on Gates four or five times in a row…Gates did exactly what he was supposed to do…let Clowney go away from the ball. If Gates was not giving him a hard time, why would Clowney complain about changing spots on the line?
It is really tough to watch offensive line play unless you are willing to give up following the ball…and virtually impossible watching on tv. The only tape that does not follow the ball is the scouting tape the coaches use.
LikeLike
I hope that the D played the way they did because they were aware that Shaw could kill them with his feet. That being said our two LB’s when we were in the 4-2-5 never ever attacked the gaps. They either dropped in coverage or just stood still and waited to see (spying I guess) Shaw did.
The other thing I have noticed and Todd Blackledge pointed it out was the awful angles the DB’s took to the ball carrier. Either our DB’s are slower than SC’s running back or they just spotted him 5 years.
LikeLike
“Either our DB’s are slower than SC’s running back or they just spotted him 5 years.”
Those 2 DBs (Langely and JHC) have started a combined 3 college games. They need experience trying to tackle SEC caliber players as they turn the corner. They got some experience Sat. Lets hope they learn from it.
LikeLike
And despite being the only team to play two top ten foes to start the season, we are in the top ten in big plays. Offense picking up where it left off and even appears to have more weapons than last year.
LikeLike
I am going to comment before I read so forgive me someone already said this. Clemson spent all spring and summer preparing for us. They played a cupcake this week. Coach Right had to prepare for two ten 10 teams and we came close. If we had to lose one I prefer Clemson. It was a great day yesterday. The fans were loud although I still don’t get people leaving before the game is over even she they know we have the W. Do you leave other type of events to beat the traffic and do you really beat the traffic. It was fun watching the final minutes and celebrating with the team and the band.
LikeLike
USC falls to #13 proving that once again…..wait for it….Murray can’t beat a top 10 team!
LikeLike
Yep, that will be the refrain for sure. Where did UF wind up last year? Didn’t that take away from a Top 10 victory by Murray? Ah well, what are you going to do? Just keep winning, baby!
LikeLike
I’m glad some other folks are noticing how the media is using statistics to shade things and fit within “the narrative” – when it serves their purpose, they will use current rank, rank at the time of the game, or rank at the end of the season… Just goes to show you how manipulative the media is and why they have such little credibility left…
LikeLike
It is clear that Clemson prepared for UGA all summer. But it looks like we prepared for SC plenty. I know this game plan didn’t come together since last Sunday. Good prioritization by Richt and Bobo. We coulda woulda shoulda beat Clemson, but beating SC was a must. They won’t lose another conference game.
LikeLike
Anybody see where Clowmey is now blaming his coaches for not putting him in a position to succeed? Wow…
LikeLike
Nobody is talking about something that I think does bear mentioning despite Bobo doing a great job yesterday.
6 minutes to go. We’re up by a touchdown. We get the ball, and we clearly took our foot off the gas. The whole offense was lackluster and flat. Its like they knew the playcalls were going to be super conservative with a “lets take a 1 TD lead into the clubhouse.”
Result? 3 and out. Muffed punt. Instant score for the Gamecocks.
And how did we respond? Easy drive for our own score.
WTF?
Bobo still has that “we are up, lets take our foot off the gas and protect the ball” mentality that kicks in WAY too early.
LikeLike
First half, I’m talking about.
LikeLike
If UGA did “take the foot off the gas” as you assert, I think that call has to come from Richt, not Bobo.
LikeLike
Sigh.
LikeLike
You’re nitpicking a great game…but you are right, as I recall.
LikeLike
Good lord. Just so I get this right, you’re blaming Bobo’s play calling instead of our punter dropping the snap and/or a completely blown assignment on D on the following play (no safety help)?
3 and out=muffed punt=Blame Bobo!!!!
You must be a scientist.
This is the kind of stupid criticism that I just don’t have time for. Gurley got dropped for a 1 yard loss on 1st down. Was it the wrong call? Was it execution? You don’t really care…but I’ll tell you something…you’re up a TD…having just given up a TD to cut the score to 7…and you got 2nd and 11…dropping back and letting it loose isn’t the right call in that situation. (see Boise State -2011). He made the same calls on the next drive and they worked….but I’m sure ‘foot on the gas’ was the biggest difference.
LikeLike
Injury report from yesterday? Gates and Marshall got a little banged up. What’s the status?
LikeLike
They will be back for North Texas.
LikeLike
The fella sitting next to me had some binocs and he was watching Marshall on the sideline. Said his knee was wrapped and iced but that he was up walking around. He said he didn’t appear to be in pain but did seem a bit stiff. On the way home I heard Chuck Dowdle say he was pretty sure it was just a bruise.
LikeLike
Marshall and Gates to play in the next game. Nothing serious for either.
LikeLike
Always entertaining Spurrier presser:
LikeLike
Anyone have a video or stills of the post game non-handshake?
LikeLike
Minor correction. Richt’s last game as play-caller was that Auburn 2006 game, in which he was quoted as thinking, just before the game, that he had an awful game plan (we played brilliantly in routing a Top Ten Auburn team, of course). Bobo’s first game as OC was the following “Massaquoi!” game against Georgia Tech. For some reason, probably the memorable nature of that Auburn performance, this is an enduring misconception (if a trivial one).
LikeLike
I thought that, too. Good memories, both.
LikeLike
Not to split hairs, but wasn’t it Bobo’s game plan that was deployed with such success against the Burners?
Sort of a battlefield promotion that led to him being fully deputized after that.
LikeLike
No. People are just sure of that, but Richt did his thing through the Auburn game. He very abruptly handed the reins to Bobo before Tech.
LikeLike
I admire what Richt has accomplished this year. I admire what he accomplished last year. I admire what he has accomplished in his career.
But the grumbling comes from witnessing some ugly results. It gets taken too far in most cases, but no one can say that there wasn’t a period where his teams were not passing the eye-ball test.
But the team we’ve been watching since the SC game last year looks like a team with the talent and coaching to win championships. Not an unreasonable standard, is it?
And before anyone jumps my case, please note that I was one of the few after Clemson who on record liked our chances against SC.
LikeLike
My favorite stat from game:
Plays:
UGA – 76
USC – 52
Rushes:
UGA – 53
Cocks – 36
We had more rushes than they had total plays.
LikeLike
Feeling better about the offense, especially the OL. And even the biggest Murray haters have to feel great for the guy.
The defense, on the other hand …
http://www.cfbstats.com/2013/leader/911/team/defense/split01/category10/sort01.html
LikeLike
We’re only two games in, and we’ve faced two top ten teams. I’m not saying there’s not a cause for concern, but it’s a particularly small sample size right now, especially when considering the opponents most other teams in our league have faced until now.
LikeLike
Agreed. Two top ten teams with great offenses. Probably the two best offenses we’ll face all year. We have not had the luxury of cupcakes and it shows. It’ll all shake out by the end of the year.
LikeLike
Remember guys, Herrera was the first LB Grantham recruited solely on his own.
Remember guys, Lakatos inherited the 5 players (almost all DBs) that ended up being tossed for character issues.
Defense always plays with Passion, Toughness, and Heart (well except when they are loafing and need a Shawn Williams call out – which I still think was coach motivated.)
Am willing to wait until the end of this year to make my decision on Grantham. Granite Head or no…
LikeLike
Our defense sucks.
LikeLike
If there is a statistic-loving weenie on this blog, please tell me this…Has anyone ever compared AM’s stats in day games vs night games? Is there a difference? Would it be an advantage or a disadvantage to schedule home games in the afternoon or the night? This may sound crazy, but I think there’s a whole science there that may be overlooked.
What time is the LSU game? Or is it even set yet?
Also…what advantage, if any, does Georgia have from having played two top ten teams already, vs two cupcakish opponents? I say it’s a big advantage.
LikeLike
You are looking for baseball stats in football? That is crazy talk.
LikeLike
We’ll I’ve been accused before…But it’s a hell of a lot harder on an SEC visiting team on Saturday night than it is on Saturday afternoon…And….it’s a lot hotter in the daytime, esp. in Oct. and Nov….If you were a coach and were told, “you have to play LSU in Baton Rouge this year…you can pick the time”. Would you pick a night game? It matters, oscar, to teams and individuals. Get back in your garbage can.
LikeLike
I just did a quick glance through the schedules the last three years, and working from memory, I don’t think there are enough night games, especially road night games, to form a large enough sample to tell us anything.
LikeLike
Pingback: I love seeing Spurrier upset | The Girl With Curls