This Ian Boyd article is an excellent reminder of how Georgia’s defense had its hands full with Baker Mayfield in the Rose Bowl. Whatever you think of the guy personally, he was astonishing to watch in that game, both early when it seemed he could do nothing wrong, and then later in the fourth quarter, when his team was reeling a bit and he drove the team for the score to tie it at 38. (Check out that back shoulder fade he threw to Lamb in the face of good coverage that Boyd shows. That is one helluva throw, friends.)
Statistically, though, he had an interesting day. In terms of Georgia’s defense, it wasn’t their worst performance of the year in terms of passer rating, as both Lock and Stidham had better days. But from Mayfield’s perspective, it was his worst of the season. Yeah, he still managed a 147.74, which isn’t exactly bad, but considering that he cleared a 200 passer rating in half of his starts, by his standards it was definitely an off day.
In fact, before the Rose Bowl, Mayfield was on track to set a passer rating record by averaging 200 for a season, something no starting quarterback had ever accomplished. He finished at 198.92.
I can’t say that Smart and Tucker painted their masterpiece in a game in which the opponent scored 48 points, but considering whom they were up against, it wasn’t too shabby, either.
Get The Picture 
That OU team featured one of the best offenses in NCAA history, averaging 48 points a game in their last 8 games of the season, and just under 45 overall. And while our D was holding on for dear life in the first half, they took it to them in the second half and really shut them down most drives, including quite a few 3 and outs.
While IMO Mayfield will never be a successful NFL QB, he rightfully should go down as one of the very best CFB QB’s to ever play the game.
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Both Ds were facing Offenses which were different from and they jad faced or where built to defend leading problems stopping the other. Offensive play makers on both teams lived up to expectations.
The area where UGA won the game was special teams in my opinion. UGA had 1 missed chance in special teams, OU had 2 errors which went to give UGA a FG at the half and a block in OT.
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editing the post clicked post ugh,
*Both Ds were facing Offenses which were different from any they had faced
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Don’t forget the play by Crowder on the late 1st half kickoff to put us into position to kick the long one in the first place. That was huge. Special teams definitely favored us in Pasadena.
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Sorry, misread your post. I thought you were giving us props for an exceptional play, which I suppose I’ll do here. The Crowder play made it possible, but HotRod still had to nail the longest kick in the history of the Rose Bowl to make it pay off. That series was nails all around.
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I generally don’t like flashy, boisterous players, but for some reason Mayfield was magnetic to me. Seeing him in person in Pasadena only solidified that feeling.
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I found it interesting how every talking head at ESPN was willing to forgive Mayfield for his antics throughout the season,but then Bellamy gets crap from them just for saying “humble yourself” to Mayfield after the game.
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Strange how popularity works, isn’t it. Kind-of how everyone wants to be the friend of the bully. Everyone wants to be part of the mainstream opinion and avoid any backlash and/or the lone stance.
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Not everyone. For every idiot who kissed Bobby Knight’s ass there were a dozen people like me who absolutely hated that guy.
It is true though that there are people who are attracted to the bully, until they are the one’s being bullied. There’s just an authoritarian streak in too many people.
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They talked PLENTY about Mayfield’s issues over the year. Let’s not act like they didn’t. The humble yourself talking point lasted for 1/2 a day and it was over.
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That OU offense was the single best college offense I’ve ever seen. You never say never, so perhaps another offense will top it, but I would put some coin on us now seeing a better offense in CFB for a while.
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True. BM was the catalyst but there were playmakers at almost every position.
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They had a stud LT, two stud RBs, a slew of playmakers and a great TE. They packaged all of that around a QB who knew what his play caller wanted to do at every turn and could execute it, plus they had a play caller who trusted them to where it allowed for ballsy calls. The stars just seemed to align.
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Remind he how that tight end did in the Rose Bowl?
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So you’re saying that he wasn’t good because he had 4 catches for 52 yards?
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You said “great”. He may be but he wasn’t “great” in that game, at least not from the end zone where I sat!
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He was a consensus All-American. He was great last year.
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The old “he’s not great because he didn’t have a career day against us” argument. Self loathing about your own team?
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I hope you mean seen “live.” They were good but let’s not go overboard. As recently as the year before, Clemson had a better offense than Oklahoma’s.
Deshaun > Baker. Plus Clemson DID have big time playmakers on the outside.
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Yep.
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No. Clemson’s offense was not as good. There is no metric in which they were better. Not even close, actually.
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One metric: Clemson has a natty over the past three seasons.
Two metrics: Clemson got over 500 yards against Alabama in each of 2 consecutive championship games.
Three metrics: Deshaun threw for 7 tds, a pick and 825 yards vs. Alabama over 2 consecutive championship games. Baker didn’t cross 300, had 2 tds and a pick, and he lost.
Four metrics: who gives a fuck what mayfield and the rest of that O did vs. Kansas? What matters is how you do when you’re not playing against air. Oklahoma State put up about the same stats vs. that “competition.” They had .1 less points per game.
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Clemson winning a title in 2016 does not mean it had a better offense than Oklahoma in 2017. Watson lighting up Alabama in 2015 and 2016 does not mean Clemson’s offense was better than OUs in 2017.
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Other than stats built up vs. shitty competition then how do you make such a broad judgment?
If your position is “stats” vs. a bunch of teams that play defense just because they have to, I’m sorry but that does not make a great offense.
A great offense is one that puts up stats/wins vs. great defenses. Not so great offenses put up 800 yards vs. Kansas and then come down to earth when they see an actual defense line up.
You put up consecutive over-400 yard games throwing against a top defense like alabama and average 3.5 tds and .5 picks then you’re great. When your stats come down to earth vs. top comp. like Baker’s did and I’m less impressed.
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Baker’s stats didn’t come down to Earth, though. As Ian Boyd says in the article. Against OSU, TCU, Texas, and UGA he was still very good. UGA did well against him in the third quarter, but he still had his moments in the 4th and obviously lit us up in the first half. When 147 rating is your bad game (against an elite defense) you’re doing alright.
You seem to be confusing Clemson being the more well-rounded team (and Watson being an elite player) with them having a better offense. I don’t think OU’s TEAM was as good as Clemson’s, but I do think (and all stats point to) OUs offense being the better side.
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He didn’t crack 300 and he threw for 2 tds and a pick. How does that line up with the rest of his season? He threw for 4400 yards in the other 13 games. He threw for 12.9 yards an attempt over the course of the season and 8.2 against us. There was NO statistical category, rushing included, that did not substantially decline in the Rose Bowl. NONE.
Clemson thrived vs. Alabama offensively twice. They did not substantially decline. They performed. That’s what great units do.
Great units aren’t about pumping the stat sheets up vs. bad comp. What do you do on the big stage when everything is on the line and everyone is watching? I don’t care about what they did vs. UTEP in the opener.
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38 points against an elite defense is not wilting in the face of elite competition. I’d say that’s still a very good performance.
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We started at “best offense [he] ever saw.” That’s the discussion. Not suggesting they weren’t an extremely good offense. They were that.
Best offense ever? They weren’t the best offense of the last three or four seasons.
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I agree with parrishwalton, in 2017 OU was a better, more dangerous offense than Clemson was in 2016, but Clemson’s defense made them the better team. We didn’t shut OU’s offense down in the 3rd quarter as much as Riley played it close to the vest and took his foot off the gas. Same mistake Kirby made against Bama in the 2nd half against Bama.
All subjective so anyone can have a different opinion, but I don’t think this one is all that close. I didn’t care for some of Mayfield’s antics but the kid was a baller all the way through his collegiate career. Don’t really know what to expect of him in the NFL, but he was Top 10 in college, imo. He has the grit and determination to overcome any physical limitations on size, seems like an Aaron Rodgers to me escaping, finding open receivers, and getting the ball to them on the run.
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Everyone is entitled to be wrong.
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Oklahoma 2017: 8.3 yards per play, 70 plays per game, 45.1 points per game, #7 hardest schedule (Sagarin)
Clemson 2016: 6.2 yards per play, 81 plays per game, 39.2 points per game, #3 hardest schedule (Sagarin)
Clemson 2015: 6.4 yards per play, 80 plays per game, 38.5 points per game, #21 hardest schedule (Sagarin)
Oklahoma put up more yards and points against similar competition even with fewer offensive plays. There are a hundred more statistics that prove you’re wrong. Sit down.
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“One metric: Clemson has a natty over the past three seasons.”
Oklahoma went to OT against the team that went to OT in the title game. They weren’t exactly light-years away from that level.
Also, Clemson had a defense in 2016. That helped them just a wee bit.
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No one said light years ahead. I’m simply saying that if you give me the choice of taking any one of three offenses to a theoretical title game:
The clemson offense that took Bama to the limit three years ago with 550 yards
The clemson offense that beat Bama two years ago with 500 plus yards
Or the Oklahoma offense that fell flat in the second halfand couldn’t hold a double digit lead against us
Oklahoma comes in an easy third.
If you want STATS on a September afternoon in Lubbock maybe I go with OK and Baker.
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I’ve re-watched that game at least five times. It hasn’t gotten stale yet. Just an overall awesome game for both teams that reminds me of those Ali-Frazier bouts.
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There are a few opposing players, QB’s or otherwise, that I really disliked while they were playing against Georgia but the hate didn’t carry past their college careers. BM is one of those, Peyton Manning is another. BM ran his mouth for sure, but even after he got his dick knocked into the dirt a couple of times he kept playing hard. It was a great game for both teams. NHF for Baker, I hope he does well in the NFL.
Now, the Tebow kid, that’s a different story………
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Defense wins.
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Boom has plans. He is going to (try) run OK’s offense against us..hoping the defense is still too green to handle it. His problem will be he can’t do it as well as OK did it,…OK’s success was largely due to BM…and Georgia’s offense will keep his version of OK on the bench..but he’s gonna try.
Boom’s defense will be wilted in the 4th. It’s a lot hotter in Sackalana than it is in Pasadena…esp. in the afternoon. But I’m going to be nervous anyhow.
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They’ve played against us before like they were going to be executed after the game if they didn’t win.
No defense has consistently played harder against us than USC’s. I just hope we’re so much better than they are that it doesn’t matter. They don’t have the 2012 roster any more do they?
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What are you even talking about????? They have given up like 1300 or 1400 yards against us the last 3 years. I think we are watching different USCs. Are you talking Southern Cal?
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As Derek said..they play against UGA like their lives depend on it..usually. They will be a handful, but our talent and depth should prevail. They will be one of the bigger threats this year. But I hope you’re right, Argon.
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Remember when Lambert set the NCAA record for completion percentage going 24-25 against that stout defense? That was awesome.
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I have watched that game several times and I remember being nervous about the defense while it was happening. But, on review, my take is that the D did well, except every now and then. Trouble was, Mayfield took advantage of the every now and then which is to his credit, but it wasn’t like we were not trying and having some success.
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I personally think the guy is a gamer and NOT Johnny Football 2.0. We did pretty much shut him down in the 2nd half, but the first half he was calling his shots. An aside, someone I know who was on the field afterwards said Mayfield stayed out there and congratulated our team after his coach and team had left. I saw a video of him hugging Sony and saying as much. I do respect that.
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I didn’t like Baker Mayfield because he’s a cocky SOB. But I sure respected the fact that he backed it up.
The really annoying thing about that article was when they accused our defensive lineman of taking a cheap shot. He was pushed into Mayfield, and I don’t think he was under any obligation to land softly.
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