Mike Bobo, on the evolution of Georgia’s offense:
“I think the biggest thing is keep adapting to what you’re trying to do offensively, and get the guys that can make plays the ball. The big misconception to us if (that) we’re gonna be two-back and run it all the time. We were 75-percent one-back last year,” Bobo said. “And everybody thinks, Well you’re gonna play Georgia you’re gonna be play-action pass. We used to. Well that’s when we had a little different personnel. So you’re going to adapt to your personnel and how they play. You’ll probably see a little more spread this year too because that’s what Hutson is comfortable with. And that’s what Aaron was comfortable with.”
In fact the No. 1 personnel group for Georgia’s offense last year was the three-receiver set. That doesn’t mean Georgia went away from the power-I or any two-back set. Bobo said he was “still a firm believer that you’ve gotta let them know you’re at the ballpark and be physical running the ball.”
Let me say two things surprise me there. First, the whole “keep adapting” thing is something I strongly doubt we’d have heard emerge from Bobo’s mouth five years ago. So it’s great to see the way his approach to the game has changed. Second, his comment that Aaron Murray was more comfortable playing in the spread caught me. But reflecting back, I can see where Bobo’s coming from with that. The 2011 opener against Boise State was when Georgia started playing with no-huddle a significant amount of the time, and if you think about the personnel Bobo had to deploy that season, it makes sense.
So what are we going to get with the change at quarterback?
“You know, sometimes simpler is better for those guys,” Bobo said. “Because you want them to have success. You never want to put them in a situation where they might fail and you might lose them their whole career.”
Dang! Next thing you know, Bobo will be telling us that he’s always been a big believer in Mike Leach’s definition of balance.
Get The Picture 
Because, if they can’t execute it, we’re not gonna call it… I for one am excited to see how far Bobo can go but, as always, that Achilles offensive line thing…
LikeLike
“Because, if they can’t execute it, we’re not gonna call it”
But when Bobo thinks they can, he’s going to light it up
LikeLike
Bobo has improved by leaps and bounds in the past few years. He still has his weird moments, but his moments of brilliance are increasingly common.
LikeLike
Ditto on the moments of brilliance. There were a few times last year that he called a play that absolutely no one saw coming. That wheel route (?) to Douglas at the end of the UT game after Douglas had dropped the pass the play before comes to mind. Really happy to give Bobo the credit he’s due.
LikeLike
It helps when you have a QB that can “abuse safeties with his eyes.” I think Bobo clearly has developed as a play caller, but his ability to coach the position is what makes him worth his weight in gold.
LikeLike
His lying eyes?
LikeLike
That bird hand is busy being fabulous
LikeLike
I’ll hope he stays clear of Leach’s “chuck and duck” philosophy. Leach’s definition of balance makes little strategic sense. If you are playing Richard Sherman, must you throw to the X as often as the Y and the Z because of “balance?” I suppose you would, if you’re stupid and you want the other team to have a few more possessions. Football is about recognizing who you are, what you are good at, identifying advantages/mismatches, recognition and execution.
Our going away from the fullback and going to 3 WR sets was and is a product of the limitations we have along our front. If we had five maulers up front you’d be stupid to give up that advantage, but we didn’t and we don’t. I wouldn’t expect Bobo to say that publicly and there isn’t any reason not to point out that both Murray and Mason come from shotgun formation, pass first high school programs and that they are comfortable in those situations. The bottom line though was that we had to get a defender out of the box and take advantage where we had one: a good, smart, senior qb. Our advantage was not between the tackles. We wanted teams in the nickel, or if they want to cover a WR with a LB, that works too.
If play action doesn’t get a reaction from the other guys safeties, because you aren’t a threat to run against a seven-man front, then you’d be foolish to keep trying. I’m glad that Bobo has shown the capacity to call plays for a finesse offense though, because that’s what we are until we can get a real o-line in place. We better get our front set though because none of the remaining QB’s for 2015 are the spread ’em out and play catch type.
LikeLike
Great post.
~~~
LikeLike
I thought Emerson’s observation of the “melding of styles within the coaching staff” was interesting.
~~~
LikeLike
Maybe this time they’ll be able to blend, merge, combine, fuse, mesh and solder something together for a double-digit winning season
LikeLike
You forgot our “cobble” meme. Are you a wee bit on Cuban Hi-Tri?
LikeLike
As steadily as Bobo has improved–and he certainly has–it’s hard to forget that his counterparts on the defensive side have managed to avoid such a condition. Here’s hoping we’ll be admiring Pruitt’s growth and performance in the coming years. What a terrific change that would be!
LikeLike
At least a few among us can accept that and not blame Bobo for keeping them on the field too long. No NC? I blame Grantham for the extended arms, upturned hands and stretched clown fingers D.
LikeLike
Last year, we learned painfully well that in college football, this:
draws better pictures than this:
LikeLike