I’ve made every WLOCP game since 1979. Sure, the iconic 1980 game ranks as one of the greatest experiences of my lifetime, but I’ve always had a fond spot in my heart for the 1985 game. Florida came in ranked first in the country, something it had never experienced before and left on the short end of a 24-3 stick.
Here’s Tim Worley’s electrifying 90-yard TD run from that day. Enjoy.
Filed under Georgia Football
If you believe in trends in evaluating Georgia’s chances on Saturday, then there are a couple of things worth noting.
I would argue that’s not a small sample size, but your mileage may vary.
Filed under Georgia Football, Stats Geek!
If you’re wondering what Georgia coaches have done with the bye week, it sounds like they’ve introduced a hint of quarterback controversy into the mix.
The intrigue is back at Georgia’s quarterback spot, setting up three days of mystery – at least to the public, and Florida.
Greyson Lambert has started each of Georgia’s first seven games at quarterback. But coach Mark Richt, when asked after Wednesday if there was a chance someone else would start on Saturday, played it coy.
“All I can tell you is we’ve been repping more than one guy with the ones, and we’re going to continue to do that,” Richt said.
In the past Richt and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer have said outright that Lambert is the starter. But on Wednesday Richt had several opportunities to re-affirm that and didn’t.
“I think we evaluate that every week at every position,” Richt said. “That’s just how football is. That’s the type of environment that we’re in. Everybody’s job is up for grabs.”
Lambert was still working with the first team during the media viewing period of Wednesday’s practice, followed by Brice Ramsey and Faton Bauta. That’s the same order the quarterbacks have been in basically all season, and Lambert has started every game.
But Bauta, the fourth-year junior who was No. 3 on the depth chart most of the season, has been seeing increased snaps in practice this week, according to multiple sources. It’s not clear whether that’s simply because he has surpassed Ramsey on the depth chart, or whether Bauta is being prepared to see significant action against Florida.
Uh huh. Whatevs.
Jeb Blazevich knows. But if he told you, he’d have to kill you… or something.
Tight end Jeb Blazevich, speaking to the media later, was asked if the team knew what was going to happen.
“Yes,” he said.
So this is about keeping Florida in the dark. Thus, Blazevich knew he wasn’t supposed to divulge much information.
“I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say,” Blazevich said, laughing nervously. “But they’re definitely focusing on putting the pressure on guys, and everything like that. I’ll just kind of leave that open-ended. I don’t want to get in trouble.”
This strikes me as much ado about… well, if not nothing, then nothing much. Even if they bring Bauta in for a change of pace, are we supposed to believe that Florida will be totally unprepared to defend a quarterback option?
Then again, if they bring Bauta in to pull off a play like this, I’ll say Schottenheimer is a damned genius.
In the meantime, this strikes me as the more important road to improvement in the passing game:
“I said that he played inconsistent, but I think I also said that the better we block, the bigger the pocket, the better it is for the quarterback to throw the ball,” Richt said. “The better the routes, the easier it is to hit a guy who has a little more separation, maybe. So really the inconsistency has been as a team, as a unit…”
Filed under Georgia Football
What am I supposed to do about a Florida coach who says things like this?
It’s as if he’s the bizarro Urban Meyer.
Filed under Gators Gators
I didn’t think it was possible for anyone with a paying media gig to pull this off, but Matt Hayes has managed to make Mark Bradley seem rational about Mark Richt’s career path.
Georgia coach Mark Richt was asked Tuesday about his name popping up on candidates for the Miami job. And unlike the last time the job came open in 2010 and the former Miami QB shot down any notion of returning to his alma mater, this response had an eerie sense of, well, wanting.
“I don’t think much of it really,” Richt said. “I love my alma mater, the U. No doubt about it, but there’s been nobody calling or writing or texting or anything like that. So I’m sure they’ll find a great coach.”
A couple of things: When Richt was at Miami, it wasn’t the “U” — it was a program that was on the heels of nearly being shut down before Howard Schnellenberger took over. That statement from Richt is a clear message that he’s not only interested in Miami, but he’s interested in other jobs.
Jayzus. Time to start watching that flight tracking service for news, I guess.
Filed under Media Punditry/Foibles
If you think Mark Richt’s Georgia career is staring into the abyss, one more loss away from falling in, it’s not. For every fan who’s threatened to cancel his season tickets (threatened as opposed to actually doing the dirty deed, you know), there are plenty of others ready to write their checks. For every “one of the biggest Dawg fans around… alright, maybe I don’t go to every game…”, there are plenty of others who do and plan on continuing to do so.
In other words, the money is still rolling in. And we all know what that means on the Georgia Way.
You’ll know Mark Richt is in real trouble when the cash starts drying up. Or when recruits start turning their backs on the program. Neither has happened. In fact, with regard to the latter, news popped up that a second potential member of the much ballyhooed class being assembled for the next signing day, four-star defensive lineman Julian Rochester, has quietly signed his financial aid forms with Georgia, as had Jacob Eason.
No, that doesn’t mean his February fax is in Athens yet, but that’s not a sign he’s bailing out, either. Quite the contrary: “Rochester said a major coaching shakeup would be the only way he would not wind up at UGA.”
I know, I know. That message board chatter is so convincing. Who are you gonna believe, Julian Rochester, or that guy who claims his sister knows the cousin of one of Georgia’s big contributors?
Filed under Georgia Football
Listen, I know what happened last year. You know what happened last year. Georgia knows what happened last year. Florida knows what happened last year.
“I’m sure they’ll look at the film from a year ago and see what happened,” Richt said. “There was enough success to take a look. Same quarterback. The game plan worked pretty good.”
Florida ran the ball on 60 of 66 offensive plays.
It wasn’t too complicated, Gators receiver Brandon Powell told reporters Monday.
“Last year we ran like two plays the whole game and they worked,” he said. “Two power plays and they worked the whole game.”
The obvious retort to which is that was last year.
Again, I don’t know what will be in the heads of those wearing red this Saturday, but statistically speaking there’s a pretty solid case that can be made for Georgia showing up.
Take a look at yards per play against SEC teams, for starters. Georgia, with Lambert, Schottenheimer and whomever else you want to point accusatory fingers at, is second in the conference at 6.05 ypp. The resurgent Gator offense is twelfth. Florida is averaging under five yards per snap.
Ah, you say, but the defense… that’s where they have them.
Not so fast, bruh. Defensive yards per play in SEC games? Georgia ranks ahead of Florida there, too, although it’s much closer.
So where to find the reason Florida seems to have it more together? Welp, take a look at turnover margin in conference games. The Gators top the SEC, at +8. By comparison, Georgia is a mere +1. The difference is that Florida’s offense has done a better job of protecting the ball than has Georgia’s.
The other area that really favors Florida is red zone touchdown conversions. The Gators punch it in at better than a 70% clip when they get inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Georgia converts at barely more than half that rate.
Can Georgia do a decent job of keeping Florida between the twenties? Can the Dawgs protect the ball? If so, there’s no reason to think they can’t make a game of it.
Filed under Gators, Georgia Football, Stats Geek!
That’s Gary Patterson’s semi-jocular explanation for why he still acts as his defensive coordinator.
Humor aside, it’s interesting to see how his focus has changed.
Patterson admitted that in today’s quick-strike college game, he’s had to alter his definition of efficient defense. A wise defensive coach, he explained, doesn’t just work against the scoreboard, but also the clock.
“If we get up, and they’re moving the football,” Patterson said, “that’s what I try to do on defense. Make them take nine to 12 plays and 6-8 minutes off the clock.
“You look at the Kansas State game last year. They scored the first time in the second half, but it took 8-9 minutes, and by then the third quarter it was over.
“You can slow-death people either way.”
Bend, but not break, baby. It’s what’s for defense.
Filed under Strategery And Mechanics
I hate factoids like this.
No Georgia quarterback since Greg Talley in 1989 has managed to defeat rival Florida in his first start. David Greene, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Murray each topped the Gators within the last dozen years — Murray three times, in fact — but none succeeded on his inaugural attempt.
Then, again, it’s not as if I would have picked Lambert to set an NCAA completion record this season. Maybe lightning is due to strike twice.
Filed under Georgia Football
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