“It’s a thrill a minute. …The punting continues to be an issue.”

For a program with a detail-oriented coach, the punting game sounds a wee bit puzzling.

Long and Ramsey each had 32.0 punting averages, with Long handling five and Ramsey three.

Florida got the ball at the Georgia 44 after a 20-yard punt from Long, a freshman from North Carolina.

Ramsey came in and had punts of 36 and 25.

“He didn’t hit really great either,” Smart said.

Re-enter Long who got off a 30-yarder. Ramsey followed with a 35. Long completed a miserable day with a 34-yard punt.

Ramsey used a rugby style.

“It was kind of unorthodox for me,” he said. “We had been working on it quite a bit. It was something that came natural.”

Smart said he had confidence in Long after punting well in practice but it didn’t carry over.

“He’s struggling a little bit, he’s in a slump,” Smart said. “We’re going to get him out of that slump because we love him. The thing is he can punt. He’s a good punter. He’s struggling rhythm, he’s struggling with timing, he’s not getting the hang time we need and it’s dangerous (on returns).”

So last year’s punter, who averaged about three yards more per punt last season than this year’s punter, changed his punting style for some unknown reason and saw his average drop off by about ten yards per kick, while the plan for this year’s starter, who’s clearly struggling, is to fix him with a lot of love.

It’s really a good thing I don’t care what happens for the rest of the season.

 

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Bewildered

So, we’ve reached the point where what was once a joking matter — Georgia being bowl ineligible for the first time in twenty years — is uncomfortably close to becoming a reality.  We’re being made to re-calibrate our expectations of what Georgia football is about.

I had no idea when Kirby came in to remake the culture of the program, it included me.  But after ten years of blogging, that’s where I find myself.

Ten years of this, and for the first time ever I’m not even angry over a(nother) disappointing loss.  Instead, I’m simply disinterested in how the rest of the 2016 season plays out.  I’m running on empty; player development and recruiting rankings are a poor substitute for the product on the field.  Go figure.

It’s too early for a postmortem about Kirby’s first season, so all that’s left is getting together with friends for a few more Saturdays to enjoy each other’s company.  Beyond that, I got nothin’.

Apologies in advance if I seem a bit detached for the next couple of months.