Sorry if I’m on a roll with this kind of stuff today, but this is such a perfect rebuttal to the “execution is a bullshit excuse, it’s always the coaches’ fault” crowd that I can’t resist sharing.
After Georgia’s first score of the game against Missouri to knot the game up at 3-3, The Bulldogs decided to force the issue with an onside attempt on the ensuing kick.
The decision to do that wasn’t one that was hatched on the spot, however. According to UGA Head Coach Mark Richt, he and his staff knew that was coming well before kickoff against The Tigers.
“We talked about that before the game even started…,” Richt said. “I talked to the defense about it last night. I told them, I said, ‘After the first score, we’re gonna bunt it. Just get ready. If we get it, we still have possession. If not, we’re gonna bow our neck and play defense.’ It’s the risk that you take but we had decided that a couple of days ago.”
The play ended up being unsuccessful. Whether it was Marshall Morgan’s fault for not getting enough on the kick or a situation where the ball took a bad bounce as the oblong football sometimes does, the kick came up short of 10 yards and the Bulldogs couldn’t recover it.
But Richt says that it was a situation where the coaching staff had Mizzou scouted well.
“We really liked what we saw on film…,” Richt said. “Then I’m watching them (Missouri) and they did exactly what we hoped they’d do and I didn’t realize that the kick came short of the 10. It was there. We all knew it was there and we wanted to be aggressive in that way. When you think you’ve got it, it’s a calculated risk.”
From where I sat, which was right along where the ball was kicked, it didn’t look like Morgan hit the ball quite right. Maybe Richt forgot to remind him how to kick it during the TV timeout.
Get The Picture 
Haha. Yeah. Maybe Jim Harbaugh forgot to tell his punter how to catch the snap and either get it away or fall on it.
It’s all the coach’s fault.
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Maybe if Richt had told Morgan that he loved him……..wait.
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He didn’t do it early enough. Dammit!
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I blame the S&C program.
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Agree. Totally gassed after the FG, no leg strength left at all.
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+1
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One year, 2010 I believe, CMR called an OS kick against USCE. Great play, but we were offsides.
And, lo, CMR was blasted for the risky call on message boards by men much smarter than he.
Auburn pulled the same play on us that year or next, and some of the same people talked about what a genius move it was and how CMR got outsmarted.
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When you watch the replay, I believe your observation about hitting it right will be confirmed. The ball came off the tee not going end over end (which is usually what you see in these situations) but rather spinning rapidly along it’s axis with the point pretty far upwards, eventually starting to wobble. It went a good way because of basic momentum, but it took several funny hops and it really looked like it would come up short barring a miraculous bounce.
It was a good call. I’ve been laughing at all the people saying “but we kicked a FG right before!”. Yes, it was nice to get points after Georgia’s first extended drive in a game where it had failed to do so several times, and Mizzou’s D was very stout. That doesn’t mean you don’t do the onsides, “lel”.
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I thought that it was an excellent call. Mizzou was caught unaware.
Just too bad it did hot go the required 10 yards, whatever the reason.
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Yeah, it came off like a dreidel.
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That’s a perfect description. I am totally stealing that when I talk about it again with all my friends.
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“Sorry if I’m on a roll with this kind of stuff today …
[snip]
Maybe Richt forgot to remind him how to kick it during the TV timeout.”
You are on a roll, Senator, and I don’t think you are sorry at all, you saucy vixen.
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“Saucy” appears to be GTP’s word of the day. Or is it “salty”? 😉
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On tv it was quite evident that Morgan didn’t hit the ball well hard enough.
Seems to me you have the kicker practice it that so damn many times that that aspect of “execution” is not an issue.
I like the risk and aggressiveness, but Richt has tried this several times before and I have yet to see one of his onside kicks actually work. There’s always a penalty or some other screw-up.
Not his fault, though, I know, he can’t help that the players can’t actually do what he wants them to do.
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Damn, dude, you must have a selective memory. It worked great against Virginia Tech one time, and it’s rare enough for it not to be considered a tendency. Sometimes you win it, and sometimes you don’t.
I think it was timed perfectly after such a conservative play call on the field goal.
That it didn’t go the required ten yards is just a beautiful encapsulation of the season.
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Off the top of my head, Va tech in 2006, LSU (SECC) 2011, USC 2013 all successful onside kicks. Bama (SECC) 2012 fake punt and Tech 2014 fake kick, both successful. I would assume there are a few more mixed in too. I have more trouble thinking of an instance where it wasn’t successful because it was a bad call/snuffed out other than the JoeT3 fake punt against UT in 2004.
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Talk about selective memories. We tried an onside kick against Arkansas just last year that gave them the ball on our 45!
Here are a few more I can recall:
SC 2013 successful
SC 2011 failed, Rambo offside
Clemson 2013 failed
(And I’m not talking about fake punts or kicks.)
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Point is, you said you couldn’t name one that worked and several have. So yes, that’s a selective memory. Nobody said there weren’t occasions where it failed, so no, that’s not a selective memory.
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Yes, there have been ones that have worked, I was wrong. But there have been more that failed. Apparently I’m the only one who remembers those.
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Or chooses to see/remember what makes your case. Like the Florida fans who only remember, or count, what games favor them in the series. Balanced thinking? I think not, and it leads to incorrect conclusions.
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Fair enough.
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Has there been a bigger disappointment than Marshall Morgan this season? What is it about senior kickers completely losing it while at UGA?
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I blame the special teams coach, oh wait………
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Go ahead and plan on drafting him in fantasy next year. Blair Walsh will already be taken.
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No issue with the onside kick or the time in the game.
There is a difference in a love story and execution. next time tell your wife, girlfriend you did not execute the play, and wait for a response. It could be awhile for a second chance.
For the love of the game. just execute the play.
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Frankly I am glad the play did not work.Think we have more of a chance to score when the defense is on the field. less likely GL throws a pick 6
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So that’s a likely thing now? He’s thrown one interception all year.
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they are all world in execution of targeting plays. they love that play.
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At what point do we start blaming CMR? Our four and five star players hardly ever look like it. Our offense can’t score touchdowns in an age where teams score 40 routinely. And yes, our senior kicker consistently misses short field goals and leaves an onside kick short. Does good coaching make players better? Yes. Does mediocre coaching lead to underachieving and mental mistakes? Yes.
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You seem to be the only person here who needs permission before criticizing Richt.
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As the throwback poster of the day let’s all remember coach Mackay’s quote about his terrible Tampa Bay team. When asked about his team’s execution he said “I’m all for it.” That is a double meaning right there folks.
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McKay also said, “Kickers are like manure horse manure. They’re all over the place.”
Another great McKayism:
At a post-game press conference in 1976: “You guys don’t know the difference between a football and a bunch of bananas.”
The following week after a media member had dropped off a case of bananas at his door – “You guys don’t know the difference between a football and a Mercedez-Benz.”
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Oops. One too many manures.
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Love the call
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There wasn’t a Missouri player within 3 yards of the 45 yard line. They got caught totally flatfooted. Sigh.
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The right call. Scouted properly…and Morgan shanks it (is that what they call that? or is there a name for it?). Anyway at first blush I couldn’t believe we did that then realized that had he hit it a modicum right we cover it and the offense trots back out….
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What are these “hold coaches accountable for performance” people thinking?
It’s just absurd to hold the managers making millions per year accountable for the performance (“execution”) of their players. Preposterous!!
Hot chocolate and a raises for everyone!!
Seriously, though, there’s a difference between the FIRE RICHT now morons and the people who want to hold coaches accountable for doing their goddam jobs.
If mediocrity and execution excuses make you feel better though, be my guest.
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“Hold accountable” how besides bitching on a blog?
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Apparently if you stop buying UGA merchandise, it will send a message that you aren’t happy with the direction of the program. That was the wisdom shared with me on these very boards last week.
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Thousands of fans walking out of the stadium in frustration early in the 4th quarter…with a tie game against Mizzou on the line?
Tens of thousands of fans walking out of the stadium just over half way through the Bama game?
Are you on the BOD of the Athletic Association? Or are you just another fan “bitching on a blog”?
For me, it’s putting blame where blame belongs when failures repeatedly occur in games: on the coaches.
You can blame amateur athletes for execution errors, but I blame the guys making millions to get them ready.
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“Seriously, though, there’s a difference between the FIRE RICHT now morons and the people who want to hold coaches accountable for doing their goddam jobs”
I think the point is how much more could the coaches have done here? They scouted Missouri, saw a tendency they liked, prepped for it all week, and reminded everyone of what was happening before the onside attempt. I mean besides kicking the damn thing themselves they couldn’t have done anything else.
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Speaking as a FIRE RICHT now moron, I agree with you. Every bit of execution doesn’t come down to coaching. Things like calling those screens with Godwin blocking go to coaching, because you’re asking a player to do something he can’t. Telling him he just needs to execute better doesn’t do any good. When a guy flubs an onside kick that you’ve worked on in practice however many times, there’s not much you can do about it as a coach.
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I noticed that those four-wide stacked sets had Blazevich lined up as the wide out with a slot behind him. That would’ve seemingly been the better choice for a quick screen but they were far side, too. Lambert went for the safe throw to the near side of the field with Godwin/Mitchell instead and you see the result. Maybe that’s the execution part again if Lambert has choice in the matter?
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So, now you are into “Fire Schotty” moronics?
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Nah. Schotty’s firing would strictly be incidental.
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Off subject: my kid’s high school has adopted the “onside kick pretty much every time” (Up 4 with a minute left? No. But you get the picture). Coach played in the NFL a little. His brother was an All-Pro with rings.
And man, you ought to hear the fans who have no clue why he’s doing it. I’m going to suck it up next game and explain the strategy to them – not expecting them to agree but at least to understand. It’s a small roster with a lot of two-way players. A game where we’re on offense more and defense less pays dividends, especially late. Every conference game this year has been won in a 4th quarter comeback.
Football looks pretty damn simple from the stands. It’s usually an illusion.
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“Football looks pretty damn simple from the stands. It’s usually an illusion.”
Damn Communist….Donald is gonna take care of you. 🙂
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For a number of years, I attended games at the U of WA with a former UW player. He stated your last paragraph a lot. Always really liked that statement.
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That should have been about the illusion, not Donald.
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