“I wouldn’t say we struggled moving the ball…”

Greyson, please.

In any reasonable world, this is struggling:

For starters, the offensive line play was inconsistent throughout the game. After the first drive, Lambert struggled to find time in the pocket, and the running game went nowhere. After his 3-for-3 start, Lambert went 4-for-9 for the remainder of the first half. Even worse, Georgia managed just 10 yards the remainder of the half, and all 10 of which came in the second quarter.

So is this.

Georgia was just 2-of-10 in third-down situations. Both of those conversions came in the first quarter, with Georgia going 0-for-7 from the second quarter on.

If you think about it, you might remember your contribution to the night.

Part of the problem was that Georgia’s average yards to go on third downs was 7.2. But Georgia still had five third-and-short situations and managed to convert just one. Overall, it was where Lambert struggled the worst, too, going 2-for-8 for 10 yards. Of Lambert’s nine incompletions, six were on third down.

Georgia is now 119th nationally in third down conversions.  That’s bad enough, but what makes it worse is that it’s compiled that mark even though two of its last three opponents rank 68th and 117th in defensive third down conversions.

So, yeah, dude, you’re struggling.

38 Comments

Filed under Georgia Football

38 responses to ““I wouldn’t say we struggled moving the ball…”

  1. Irwin R. Fletcher

    The play action, deep pass to Mitchell on 3rd and 2 made no sense. Zero.

    They got bailed out by the muff on the following play. But I also noted Richt giving Scotty some heated encouragement after the turnover.

    Any coincidence they ran the ball 6 straight plays after that?

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    • 92 grad

      Y’all remember the davidGreene play action fake? Gawd, that kid had ice in his veins. Turn his back, walk like he just rolled out of bed for a three step drop, then drop a perfect touch pass. Man, I miss that.

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  2. BarneyDawg

    Is there any chance that we pick up another grad transfer or JC quarterback to ease the transition to Eason next year? Please lie and say yes so that I have some hope. The current situation cannot be salvaged.

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  3. Smitty

    Lambert attempted plenty of bounce passes. Too bad he wasn’t playing basketball….

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  4. AusDawg85

    I always watch the game replay. Not this one.

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  5. W Cobb Dawg

    My personal favorite was hitting Godwin across the middle about 5 yards short of the marker – where he was immediately tackled (on third down, of course). Now that’s a Schotty two-fer: a play successfully run as designed that still doesn’t get a first down!

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    • If you watched Virginia play last season, that’s a Lambert hallmark.

      Funny how so many here brushed off my concerns about that in August.

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      • W Cobb Dawg

        True dat. You did warn us. But I figured a WR shouldn’t have been running that route anyway. That’s why I chalk it up to Schotty. Lambert was selecting the shortest throw possible, as usual.

        Then again if a WR wasn’t there, Lambert probably would’ve thrown it into the ground.

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      • Bulldog Joe

        I didn’t brush off the concerns, but I DID overestimate Schottenheimer’s ability to develop quarterbacks and I DID underestimate Richt’s desire to appease all our QBs with reps and playing time.

        I can give Lambert some credit for taking better care of the ball this year and he has improved over last season while transitioning to a new system. Going from 11 interceptions to 2 is significant.

        However, I had counted on our running game being much more effective in short-yardage situations due to the experience we had on the line and our ability to keep defenses honest with Mitchell, Davis, and Godwin stretching the field and Lambert hitting some deep balls.

        Even when Chubb was playing, it didn’t happen.

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        • I can give Lambert some credit for taking better care of the ball this year and he has improved over last season while transitioning to a new system. Going from 11 interceptions to 2 is significant.

          Some of that is blind luck. If he hadn’t skipped two of his throws last night, both would have been intercepted (one for a disastrous pick-six).

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          • Bulldog Joe

            He’s had some close ones for sure, but throwing the ball into the ground is often a better decision than forcing one in there or taking a sack.

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      • 92 grad

        I admit that I placed trust in CMR to ensure that things would, at minimum, remain about the same as with bobo. I also trusted the staff to get Lambert at least as functional as Mason was. Obviously, the trust is gone and will take some time to return.

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        • WF dawg

          I told myself I might be saying this after the Belk Bowl last year, but I sure do miss Mason. I think there’s a good chance we win the East if we have him this year.

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      • I did watch UVA(dad’s alma mater) play last year. Do not think Lambert will ever recover from that. He was not very good and the team was at the same level. Heck, I would have just run backwards, out of the end zone. on every snap and taken about 30 safeties.

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      • AusDawg85

        Senator, you really aren’t getting the credit you deserve for your warnings about Lambert and the staffs indecision about naming a starter. Some argued with you while most of us at least trusted Richt & Co. could mold him into something akin to Mason 2.0 at the very least. Even after the USCe game you said to go with caution. Well done sir, and even incredibly more astute if you lacked any additional “insider” information from practices.

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  6. Castleberry

    How do we just sit on the ball to end the game? We didn’t even take a chance. What are the chances we lose going for the win? The staff is paralyzed by fear. Even a screen or draw with them set up to defend a hail mary might create a chance for a long field goal.

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    • mikebozo

      That decision was made with 37 seconds left in the first half. Play not to lose. Go with your strength which is your D in over time. This time it worked. The deciding factor was the muffed punt. That don’t happen GSU eats up the clock and 14-7 loss.

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    • doofusdawg

      It’s bad when the announcers are constantly going wtf. I guess they just need to do more game prep.

      Poor Gary Danielson got tired of suggesting in the three games of ours he did that we needed to get the ball to mm in space.

      I really don’t know where to put the blame for where we are offensively. Each brings his own set of inadequacies. But I am 100% sure that the combination of cmr, cbs and gl as a group is not a recipe for success.

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      • WF dawg

        “But I am 100% sure that the combination of cmr, cbs and gl as a group is not a recipe for success.”

        It’s hard for me to isolate the variables leading to our woes on offense, but I like your combo approach. The question is how many of those three factors need to change in order for us to find success next year. My guess is at least 2.

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    • Bulldog Joe

      If Georgia Southern’s head coach did his homework on our offense’s performance in the less-than-two-minute drill, he would never have punted on 4th and 6 near the end of regulation.

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    • They are paralyzed by fear. Think how truly bad they feel the QB situation is to call some of the plays they call. Reminds me of some of the old Oregon teams–BK Before Knight. this fear can not translate into positive “vibes” for the other players.

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  7. Bulldog Joe

    Our second quarters have been awful this season. Especially on offense.

    Our coordinator is on the field and not in the box, so apparently adjustments can’t be made until halftime. Our head coach carries a play sheet because our coordinator can’t be trusted without training wheels.

    Even with tour coordinator on the field and the team huddling, Lambert impatiently spins his hands looking to the sideline for a play to finally come in. Then we race against the clock getting players lined up, just like Grantham’s defense.

    Amazingly, Godwin’s incredible catch bails out yet another keystone cops drill.

    You don’t have to listen to the dialog on the headset between Schottenheimer, Lilly, and Richt to know it sounds like Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First”.

    This is a cluster.

    Thank gawd for our defense.

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    • Bulldog Joe

      If you block out everything that went on before the snap, THIS was a thing of beauty. Credit Richard Hamm at the ABH for capturing it.

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      • Normaltown Mike

        Is it possible, though, that GL saw the D and knew he had the look he wanted to but on the other side of the field and thus he reshuffled everything?

        Cuz otherwise, every single receiver lined up on the wrong side on a set play.

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  8. Bright Idea

    Raise your hand if you believe offense would be this bad under Bobo.

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  9. UGA85

    Maybe the most bothersome thing for me is that GSU’s defense physically beat our line most of the night. One of the best OL’s in football pre-season, now getting schooled by GSU? And West Virginia beat them 44-0? Inexplicable and inexcusable.

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    • Macallanlover

      “One of the best OLs in pre-season”, really? According to the experts who ranked Auburn #6? Proclaimed AU’s Qb a Heisman contender? Ranked Ole Miss #3? Or UGA #9? This offensive line was a paper tiger and pretty much got proclaimed as good because Gurley, Chubb, and Mason/Bobo covered up their deficiencies. I was fooled as well so I am not being critical of anyone who is surprised but let’s not say GS schooled a very good OL last night, they did what everyone else has done, stuffed us on short running plays.

      What someone needs to sort out is: what are we doing differently along the OL from last year…if anything? We need to know that, determine who is responsible, and find out why we did not fix it during the off week. If nothing was changed, we need to change our recruiting philosophy of OL candidates. I think we have needed to do so for a long time anyway.

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      • UGA85

        Yes, really. Our OL was touted as one of the best in all of college football, pre-season. I did not make that up, and your words can’t change the facts. And, yes, to me it is bothersome that GSU beat our line all night, basically. Imagine if our O line did to their D line what our D line did to their O line, or even what West Virginia did to their D line. Huge difference. Again, I have no explanation, and I am tired of not seeing improvement.

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        • I’m with you all the way down the line … this was a consensus Top 5 OLine, in theory. The high standing was based on past performance and to witness a drop off the cliff like this year is mystifying. Theus & Houston have at times been like turnstiles in there.

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        • Mayor

          Theus was a preseason First Team All-SEC; Pyke was a preseason Second Team All-SEC.

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  10. Spike

    Lambert and Shotty, the defense bailed your sorry asses out last night. Go back to UVA and the NFL. Try Robinson and Vaughn.

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