Dig in, dig in.
- Here’s a lede you don’t see every day.
- Clemson has lost its top returning rusher for the season.
- If it’s the year of the running back in the SEC, here’s why.
- Tony Barnhart ranks this year’s SEC road schedules in order of toughness.
- SEC schools step up fan engagement! (One guess on what’s missing from the list.)
- I read this and can’t help but wonder why, if it’s true, schools keep moving up to D-1.
- Really cool piece on the read option pass, but, looking at the replay of Nick Marshall’s pass to tie the Iron Bowl late, I’m amazed at how Auburn barely dodged being penalized for either Marshall crossing the line of scrimmage or linemen being too far downfield.
Get The Picture 
What do you mean “barely” dodged? They 1000% dodged it.
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Mr College Football gives Florida’s schedule points for toughness for playing UGA on the road, but not UGA for playing 7 hours from home. Wait. Wuh?
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I noticed the same thing, scambledawg.. Apparently Barnfart considers the WLOCP a home game for UGA and a road game for UF…or else he sees UF as so low that they don’t deserve consideration as a difficult road opponen.
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In a related note, if the Penn State-UCF game can’t be played in Ireland because of the volcano, they can just play it in Jacksonville. That’s a neutral site–right? 🙂
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Only included pre-season, ranked teams on his list. Florida wasn’t ranked by the AP so they didn’t get us “any points” in degree of difficulty. I expect that game to be a pretty fair test because Boom has his folks stoked about it, and knows his career may hang in the balance. High intensity. Also, that just doesn’t qualify as a road game regardless of what Mr. CFB says. You can debate the other neutral site games but WLOOCP and Red River Shootout are as neutral as can be for both teams.
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This. He was going strictly by rankings, thus we’re a tough “road” game for the Gators but they don’t count for us, at least by those rules.
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it was actually pass interference too. the fullback is clearly blocking the linebacker from bamar. this is an illegal play. they got away with it.
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Not to mention that every single time that play is run the officials could call the lineman for being too far downfield but it never happens. That play is going to kill some teams this year unless you have a corner you feel good about leaving on an island.
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The corner reads run and comes up for run support. I bet the OC is fine with the corner staying with the WR since it is one less player to make the tackle. Tough play to defend if the refs don’t throw a flag.
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That’s the reason for the rule. If you run a play with downfield blocking (and holding), it should be what the rule of law says it is…a running play. To suddenly throw the ball after all the DBs have come-up to stop the run (if you have offensive linemen a few yards downfield) is unfair and that’s why it’s also supposed to draw a flag. The real question here should be, “Why was Auburn allowed to get away with it?”
Any team could run up big offensive numbers if they were unbridled from playing according to the rules.
As usual the SEC refs are horrible and probably biased. I hate ’em.
But I’d almost bet the rent that Alabama’s AD, Saban, and maybe even the Alabama State Legislature have raised hell with the conference about it…as well they should. They know that “the squeeky wheel gets the grease”. It’s one lesson I wish Georgia would learn.
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“maybe even the Alabama State Legislature have raised hell with the conference about it…as well they should.”
They would but only if there’s a way they can figure out how to make it unconstitutional and expensive
http://www.leftinalabama.com/diary/11018/legal-bills-keep-mounting-taxpayers-footing-the-bill-for-legislative-folly
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DIF- that’s funny, but living in Georgia, I daren’t make fun of another state’s legislature. Once, reading a Tom Clancy novel, I found a sudden and unexpected comment that something (I don’t recall what, but it had to be bad) was as “F’d up as the Georgia State legislature” or something to that effect. Go figure. Clancy was from Maryland methinks.
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Heck, I’m in Florida where we’ve got the most conservative state legislature since the Civil War but that doesn’t stop me from making fun of Alabama
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Of course not, nothing there to make fun of, but you should be thankful and more appreciative.
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“How sick in the head is the Florida Legislature?”
Very.
http://www.floridatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/08/03/editorial-court-upheld-bad-gun-law/13480927/
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You obviously haven’t looked at the “terminal” cases in the WH or legislative group in Washington….bad law, no law, inconsistent law, ignoring laws, etc, etc. Florida may not be the shining example of a well-run state but it pales by comparison.
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Well, the real issue is the failure to call “offensive lineman downfield.” What should have happened is that a flag should have been thrown, the play called back and Auburn penalized. No TD. The rule exists for a reason. If the SEC isn’t going to call it, let’s just repeal the rule altogether. And holding, too. Since SEC refs won’t call it either, repeal the rule altogether. What happens is the favored few don’t get it called on them but when the unfavored do it–voila–the refs call it. With replay to back them up. It’s a way of the refs determining the outcome of the game. I hate SEC refs and also hate the SEC for allowing them to get away with sh!t like this.
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It wasn’t just Auburn. Clemson killed us with Tajh running this play numerous times.
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If they won’t call this, Evil Richt should work it into the playbook.
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I think Richt and the other coaches will work the refs hard on this, both at off-season meetings and before games. As Tech opponents have worked the refs on chop blocks.
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Wifi, huh? https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/p235x350/10592720_677834255624571_2185647904492912712_n.jpg
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RE: Marshall, the referees were fooled just like Bama. They read run vs. pass just like the defense because their keys are different for which penalties they look for. They read run on that play, so it didn’t matter that linemen were downfield. Then, Marshall passed it, but the side judge had already decided on run in his mind, so he missed that obvious penalty. The umpire probably should have stepped in and thrown the flag when he realized offensive linemen were standing beside him when the pass was thrown.
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They should have but they won’t. SEC refs are like union workers, they only do what they are suppose to do. It has always driven me crazy when the official nearest a play don’t throw a flag but the back judge 30 yards away does. Auburns offense is designed to trick the other team and the officials. If Steve Shaw, the head of officials, would make it plain to the officials that they were graded as a crew and they need to help each other out you might see this called. Apparently the damn crews have headsets now so they can screw up faster.
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So, they won’t throw the flag until Saban tells Shaw to instruct the refs to keep an eye out for this?
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Or until Georgia is caught doing it.
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I really hope this is something that has been emphasized to the refs going into this year. Not just the Auburn play, look at the K-State and Ole Miss plays in that article. In ALL THREE cases there are OL down the field when the ball is thrown. All three plays should have been penalized, none were. I’m surprised the author didn’t make more of an issue out of this than the plays themselves. Look at the Ole Miss play, you see the LB’s step up to engage the OL who are already downfield, leaving the space behind them wide open for the receiver. If the OL were forced to stay behind the LOS per the rules, the LB’s probably float back a bit and make that throw much more difficult. The LB’s read their keys correctly, they were just screwed by the refs not enforcing the rules.
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And honestly, I’m a little surprised I haven’t seen any coaches bringing this up. I’d be inclined to complain about this issue more than pace of play.
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I have heard a lot of discussion about the illegality of the downfield linemen this off season but have not heard any conference say it will be a point of emphasis. Every coach going into the game against Auburn should pre-warn the officials about it and complain loudly that the rule is being ignored if it isn’t called. Very similar to the illegal chop blocking of the triple option offenses, nothing happened until coaches were vocal. I realize the safety issue contributed to the success of the chop block getting attention but nothing will change if coaches allow this to continue. We need to get some balance back into the offensive and defensive struggle.
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The piece on football P&L accounting is pretty interesting. And, like Bluto, I wonder WTF Georgia State, for instance, is thinking, since them boys are supposed to be pretty smart biz folks and all.
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I took one intermediate econ night class at GSU a couple of years ago and it was one of the absolute dumbest classes I have ever taken. I would not let that prof anywhere near my economy…
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Since we have a QB pass gif on today’s thread I thought it only fair if we all got to enjoy this again.
http://www.gifdsports.com/2014/08/aaron-murray-to-travis-kelce-43-yard-td.html
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Nice throw from Elway
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There’s a lot of bad memories in this post and in these comments.
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That was the play I saw when I came in and started watching the game. My first thought was bring it back. QB past LOS and OL downfield. Nope.
I’ve watched that play several times in recent days. Agree with Diaz this a play to watch for now. Regardless I think the Bama DBs misplayed it. Can not let a WR run past you in closing seconds of a game.Have to protect the distance and the clock [let it run].
I think Marshall crossed the LOS. Think his foot was on the line. But Marshall made the play when he shifted the ball. That should have alerted the defender and letting WR go.
No doubt Pruitt was aware of that in BCS. And hopefully this rebuilt, inexperienced secondary is not going to let WR run in free space.
I thought that play was as bad as the Dawgs. After that I did not feel as bad. So much for Kirby Smart’s secondary. Then think back to Murray’s drive in the closing minutes of the SECCG. Bama never stopped us…we stopped ourselves.
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Uh, that would be the clock that stopped us but why not sling a little undeserved mud on the Dawgs anyway. Seems to be a hobby for some here.
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I thought it was more we couldn’t stop Alabama’s O Line from manhandling our defensive front. Also the linebacker that leaped 40 inches in the air and tipped the last pass was not a Georgia player.
just sayin’
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