A few random observations inspired by last night’s ass kicking…
- The end result reminded me a little of LSU’s trip to Athens in 2004, fresh off a national championship. Georgia’s offensive line gave David Greene time to throw and he destroyed Saban’s secondary with the intermediate and deep passing game. Lawrence was Greene with a massively better arm and deeper receiving corps.
- Many are pointing to the botched field goal as the sign of Saban’s panic, but for my money, that hand was tipped in the second quarter, when Saban elected to go for it on fourth down on Alabama’s 34. Fowler and Herbstreit noted it was an unusual call for Saban, but thought it gave credit to Alabama’s offensive line. They undersold it. What it really said was that Saban realized his defense wasn’t capable of stopping Clemson’s offense.
- The main reason for that is because the Alabama defensive front didn’t control the line of scrimmage.
- I guess it doesn’t take a dual-threat quarterback to beat Alabama. Just a really good one.
- Georgia did a better job defending Tua than Clemson did. Which is saying a lot.
- Here’s the thing about strength of schedule: sometimes a team like Clemson beats up a P5 conference because it’s weak and sometimes a team like Clemson beats up a P5 conference because it’s dominant. Those are not conflicting observations.
- One thing I believe Wolken really gets right is that Saban’s emphasis on advancing recruiters into coordinator positions really bit him in the ass last night. Yeah, it’s a Jimmys and Joes game, for sure, but when the other guy matches your talent, you better have the Xs and Os to counter.
- Venables was so far ahead of Locksley for most of the night, constantly changing in and out of looks, that it was embarrassing. Clemson’s defense did a fantastic job of turning Tua’s uncanny sense of anticipation against him. And on the other side, once it was clear that nobody on Alabama’s defensive front was capable of disrupting Clemson’s offense other than Quinnen Williams, Lupoi looked a little lost trying to counter.
- If there’s one thing Kirby Smart should take note of from the game is that you have to play Alabama without an ounce of fear. Never take your foot off the gas, because once you do, it’s an invitation to get rolled. Clemson stayed aggressive until the bitter end and Alabama didn’t take advantage of the opportunities that presented.
Get The Picture 
I guess the torch has been officially passed and the term for crapping the bed is now “Georgiaing” and no longer “Clemsoning.” Ugh. Hopefully Georgia can follow Clemson in changing that narrative.
LikeLike
I think we can say it’s Notre Dame-ing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hopefully by this time next year it will be “Tiding”.
LikeLike
Only if Kirby realizes that “he’s” still a work in progress and learns from it. Also, he’s got to put the game in Fromm’s hands and let him roll.
LikeLike
Kirby put the game in Fromm’s hands at LSU and in the 2nd half of the SEC CG. UGA’s passing game, both QB and WRs, are not as good as Clemson’s. We absolutely have to run the ball to setup Fromm and Company for success.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Hard to say.
Passing game my be interesting if we ever threw the ball between the hash marks to keep safeties and backers honest.
But I general, I agree. Kirby has it in his mind that that the key to success is the old Saban script, sledgehammer the run and hit the long ball on play action.
Problem is Dabo and even Saban have moved on from that formula as the rest of CFB catches up and their personnel change.
The underuse of Nauta, Mecole and to an extent TG5 was bordering on malpractice.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think that Saban was wishing last night that he had a physically dominant run game and if he did they would have had a better showing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not only have Dabo and Saban moved on, the NFL is moving on, too. When your offense is too vanilla for the NFL, you’re doing it wrong. If UGA doesn’t bring its offensive scheme into the current decade, it won’t end well. Not only do we become more predictable and easier to defend, but elite players will go elsewhere to get stats and NFL-ready.
LikeLike
Georgia racked up 454 yards of offense in the SECCG and is currently second in the 247Sports Composite. When do you expect the decline to start?
LikeLiked by 2 people
I know what he’s saying. He’s saying they need to cut Jake Fromm loose enough that he’s not 43rd in passing yards, one behind Jarrett Stidham.
We’re struggling to get enough elite receivers. At no other position would we take the 30th and 60th best in class like we did in 2018. Now, I know those guys are supposed to be pretty good but we didn’t even see them this year. Jake Fromm will need 1,000 more yards this year if he wants to match the yardage total of Aaron Murray’s junior year. Kids want to know that you’re going to push the ball down field. They don’t want to take 4 years accumulating the stats one of their peers gets in 2.
LikeLike
Alabama had more passing yards than Clemson.
Clemson was 4th in the country in rushing.
Chuck and duck is no way to run a college football program.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know we’ve been winning a lot of games (duh) but I just think we need to throw it more (even against lesser competition) so that we are ready to win the big game which I think requires a QB to take the game over. Trevor Lawrence threw for 347 last night.
LikeLike
That’s just backasswards thinking. While you do want to throw it enough to be competent at it, you gain more beating people down. You gotta get the OL salty. Clemson committed to running the ball this year and it helped them stay ahead last night.
You need to pass enough to have confidence but you need to run it enough to be mean. It’s a tough balance but if you can run it against good defenses you’re gonna have a better chance than if you can only throw it.
The key with Alabama has been- throw effectively when they are fresh and then punch them in the gut when they get tired late. It’s easier said than done is the problem. Add to it blind crooked ass refs and it’s damn near impossible.
The problem with putting it on a qb is that they tend to be streaky and have off nights. Things just don’t click. That’s fine for pro ball where you can drop 6 games and win a SB. In college you have to win every damn week.
Stopping the run and RTDB is paramount to winning championships.
LikeLike
My point about the scheme spans more than one game. This may be my bias as a fan, but it sure seems like “still learning the playbook” is increasingly a UGA-specific phenomenon, and that FR offensive skill players at other programs are being utilized faster and to a higher degree than at UGA. My concern is that over time, top QBs, WRs, and TEs will decide it’s a scheme not worth learning, and potentially detrimental to their NFL aspirations. And without a huge talent disparity Kirby’s philosophy of overpowering the opposition with talent and strength becomes vulnerable.
With our current style of play, we may not have a problem getting 5* RBs in perpetuity, but If I was recruiting against UGA my case studies would be Trevor Lawrence and Demetris Robertson.
On Lawrence, you see a true FR taking over the helm by game 4, and multiple people pointed out to how easy it was for Lawrence’ to transition from his his high school to Clemson playbook, and by the end of the year he was in full control of the offense. Meanwhile as UGA, Fields looked and played like a Freshman, on the few occasions he was actually put into the game. For QBs, the 7-on-7 style spread schemes have percolated up through high school, college and the NFL, so Fields isn’t worried about going to a more spread-option school to quicken his development.
Robertson was Cal’s first freshman All-American since Keenan Allen in 2010 and the first on the first-team since DeSean Jackson in 2005. Robertson played in all 12 games with his 11 starts the most by any Cal receiver and his 15.3 yards per reception were the highest on the club. And he wasn’t good enough to make a single catch over the course of a year at UGA?
As a UGA fan, I can trot out the reasons given – blocking, conditioning, depth chart, etc. – but if you’re recruiting a WR, TE, or QB against UGA you’d be committing malpractice to not to create a perception that UGA schemes result in under-utilization of talent. And point to the QBs, WRs, and TEs are playing early and piling up stats elsewhere.
Seeing how Eason and Fields perform at different schools, and eventually how they and other UGA skill players do in the NFL will be interesting factors to how this perception/narrative about UGA evolves. It may show UGA was correct all along, or it may make recruiting more problematic. Why pick a school that has a much different scheme than you’re used to when it slows down your ability to develop and play, and doesn’t really make you much more NFL ready? Something would be seriously wrong if UGA is one of the only places in the country where it takes players 1-2 years to “learn the playbook” if it becomes a bug, and not a feature to aspiring NFL riches.
My concern is not ultimately about recruiting, it’s about sustained winning, and hopefully getting to the top of the mountain. I don’t think having a more streamlined, modern passing game is diametrically opposed to having a dominant OL and powerful running game – Clemson showed that last night. I’m just saying Kirby may want to make evaluate his offensive schemes for long-term sustainability, both to attract and play against top talent.
LikeLiked by 2 people
After last night Kirby’s offensive philosophy is closer to that of Paul Johnson that Dabo & Saban. It’s past time to re-think things.
LikeLike
Georgia finished sixth nationally in yards per play against D-1 opponents. Alabama and Clemson were second and third, respectively.
Georgia Tech was 44th.
LikeLiked by 2 people
But it stalls out when a stout DL is across the line too often. He needs to evolve & learn to utilize the skill for more than just their perimeter blocking.
I always appreciated Spurrier’s approach that he was running his offense the same way no matter the score. We get up (Bama & gt come to mind) & get even more conservative.
LikeLike
That’s only kinda true. He loved to run it up on the helpless, but if he respected your offense he’d salt a game away with a back. He did it with Rhett and he did it with Lattimore. I remember him doing it to us in Sanford without either of those guys. We needed the ball back late and he just ran power at the edges and we couldn’t stop them.
SOS knew how to get the W. The only time he’d fuck up is if you kept it close and you wouldn’t let him throw it deep. Occasionally he’d get down right impatient and take chances.
But as I said, if he knew you couldn’t mount a comeback against his D he’d keep chucking it. If you had an offense tho, he’d slow it down and salt a game away.
LikeLike
When Kirby ran the failed fake punt, he took the ball out of Fromm’s hands and gave it to Fields. Much better odds that Fromm throws for that first down than the disaster that ensued. I’m over it, really…but I was shocked when Saban called for a fake FG.
LikeLike
I woulda put it on Carmada’s foot myself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just not his knee
LikeLike
Totally the long snapper’s fault.
LikeLike
+1
LikeLike
^^ say it right!
LikeLike
“Clemsoning” was never that, it was getting blasted by Wake Forest-level teams when ranked.
Clemson doesn’t do that anymore. Neither does Georgia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True, it is the whole game loss against an out powered opponent. We have lost the lead to very good teams late, usually due to something positive they do, or just not winning a game where you are favored. The primary case of Clemsoning recently was the Vandy loss at home. Now, NOT prevailing against Nicholls would have gotten the name Georgianing going national on all channels.
LikeLike
Those WRs for Clemson are something else…huge bodies with great hands and athleticism. It’s funny too, when you sit there and try to console yourself on our season with “we were young” and both teams were loaded with froshes making plays all over the place.
LikeLike
Yeah I noticed that, too. Time for ALL of our youngsters to play and grow up. When Jordan Davis rides the bench for the first half of the season but then we find out he’s our one frosh AA on the defensive side of the ball, maybe talent evaluation is an issue.
LikeLike
Or, it’s entirely possible he wasn’t ready to play that early.
But sure, talent evaluation, whatever…
LikeLike
dude lost around 100LBs to get into game shape. I’d say it’s incredible Kirby was able to see the talent through the mass and help motivate and assist the guy in his efforts to get game ready.
LikeLike
Well, then it was a Christmas miracle that he went from a schlub to freshman AA in 5 games. I take the kid’s statements as saying what he thought was the proper thing to say. But hey, I’m just an internet schmoe.
LikeLike
That one handed catch made by 8 may be the best big game catch at any level. Truly sublime.
LikeLike
This goes back to what’s been posted above. We’ve got a couple of big receivers too, but I guess they need to learn the playbook and become expert downfield blockers before getting playing time. I’d like to see us doing some things to utilize the skills that these young guys have instead of waiting until they develop into “complete” receivers.
LikeLike
I hope Kirby is somewhere scouring the woods looking for Bud Foster this morning. We have seen the future and its not Lanning.
LikeLike
Bud Foster or no other established DC is coming to Athens. The defense is Kirby’s.
LikeLike
As the head coach, he shouldn’t invest that much time to the defense, we pay a DC a lot of money. Now his input may be better, and on target, regarding the defense but there were some strange offensive goings on that needed more attention. I would hire a DC who had new/better ideas (like Orlando maybe?) and either blend the two, or have some ability to change things up when required. One size fits all, and playing conservative, isn’t the answer to every offense we face. Bama learned that last night ss they got picked apart until too late. They did turn the dogs out on us in the SECCG in the 2nd half though. Different game.
LikeLike
UGA should get on the natty train NOW! GO DAWGS!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There was a Sopranos marathon on HBO, so I recorded the game. Two things from perusing the blog this morning? Not so many people making fun of Trevor Lawrence, and HAH! Suck it Tide!
I really didn’t think I cared who won, but I am damn glad it wasn’t the Fighting Nickys.
LikeLike
same here….
LikeLike
BoJack Lawrence really surprised me. He was better than I thought and plays with an attitude. I thought Bama would rattle him but they never got to him.
LikeLike
He started slow, but once he settled in it was like he was playing in the backyard.
I said Fromm had the best true freshman season of any qb in college football history in 2017. That lasted for all of a year…
LikeLike
Most impressive to me were the throws he made off of his back foot as the rush closed in.
Not many players with that kind of arm talent. Reminds me of Stafford in many ways, doesn’t need a perfectly clean pocket he can step up into.
LikeLike
It’ll be interesting to see if he builds on it. Stafford stopped progressing after his freshman season. That come back win over VT in the bowl as a freshman may still be his high water mark.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was very enjoyable watching them get destroyed for once… first time since Saban’s at Bama that they lost by more than 14 points, including 2007. The schadenfreude is real.
LikeLike
Bama getting rolled and the refs call it fairly is not something I’ve seen happen simultaneously.
LikeLike
Bama fans blaming the refs on FB.
I guess they thought last years’ game was the standard.
LikeLike
Yes, that was a twist. After the last two games and what happened to us, that most certainly did change the outcome, I have no sympathy for their whining fans. Officials didn’t change last night’s game, not even close. There were two legit missed PI calls in the 3rd Qtr that hurt Bama, but bang-bang PI calls are far different from a damned offsides that not one viewer wouldn’t get right, or a face mask in the wide open that turned a ball carrier’s helmet around.
LikeLike
I don’t think they lost by more than 7 in 2007 despite the fact they lost 6 times.
LikeLike
To all the well if only Lawerence was on UGA and not Clemson people. First why would you bench a starter who just went to the NC and was winning? Second, if you did that, do you think he would have developed have to actually play good teams (3 top 10 teams)? He was able to take the reins early at Clemson and was blessed that the ACC sucks pretty bad. That gave him time to grow from freshman mistakes until he had to play actual teams at the very end. Claiming you should just bench starters because freshmen are supposed to be good is just dumb. Yes, if the starter is performing poorly, then do play the freshman that has a possible upside, but don’t do it because the freshman was rated higher.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Dumb like a fox.
LikeLike
I don’t know if Lawrence would have over taken the starting position from Fromm this year. He actually reminds me a lot of Fromm. He has a head on his shoulders and understands the game at a much higher level than Fields does or ever will. It was frustrating to see Fields turn out to be a bust, but you are kidding yourself if you would not have wanted to see Lawrence in Athens.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bit of an unfair assessment of Fields.
Closely akin to the determination that Eason was clearly a bust based on his two passes against Appy State.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I’m not sure Fields had a real chance, meaning Fromm never gave him the chance. However, if something had happened to Fromm, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Fields developed throughout the year much like Fromm did as a freshman.
LikeLike
There has got to be an obvious reason they didn’t let him throw. That reason is he was a total liability and couldn’t run a college offense the way a quarterback is supposed to. I don’t believe for a second that it was just poor play calling that led me to see what we saw from Fields, while Fromm was making throws and audibles in the first half vs App State.
Maybe he gets over the hump at Ohio State, but if I had to bet on it, I think his career ends with bitter finger pointing from the Fields family that the road to success wasn’t served up on a silver platter. Major uphill climb for him to be the starter at Ohio State, with one factor not even in his control. If he doesn’t get that eligibility, he’s basically screwed. If he does, he still has to beat out a guy who was #2 in his own respective recruiting class and will be entering his 3rd spring in the system. What were these people thinking transferring there ?
LikeLike
I’m not sure where the “Fields was an ineffective passer” trope came from.
He completed nearly 70% of his passes and had a 173 passer rating.
Yes, I’m aware much of that was in mop-up and against lesser competition, but I can only really gage a player on what I’ve seen when you play him.
I guess we can say “the eye test”, but the eye test tells me Skinny had superior arm talent and Fields has superior athleticism on the flip side of that coin.
The book on Fromm is that he has “intangibles” He’s our horse and we are riding him now and for the foreseeable future. If he fails to succeed at the highest level, Kirby and Chaney will be scrutinized heavily based on what is going on in Columbus and Seattle as talent evaluators.
I hope as much as anyone that two years from now we are sitting back smoking cigars and basking in the midst of the golden era of UGA football with new NC hats and hoodies.
But if we aren’t…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fair points.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Are you kidding? That is how you judge a QB? So if a QB plays lights out but the team he is on doesn’t win a national title you have regrets? Peyton Manning, and hundreds of others say hello.
LikeLike
Fair point that Eason’s chances were few, but the Spring game and those 2-3 opening series against Appy looked very familiar. You are just wrong about Fields, he was lost on reads, slow on decision making, and struggling with the offense. You can verify that with those who saw the practices/scrimmages. There was a reason he never got much time in bigger games, it may have damaged his confidence.
LikeLike
Lawrence is playing in the same offense he played in high school. Transition was easier for him and he is thriving. He reads defenses well and is cool under pressure. Saban, Kelly, and others underestimated him.
Also, Clemson’s offensive line communicates well between plays and on the sideline. Their pass protection was excellent.
GT interviewed Tony Elliott for the head coaching job. They hired the wrong guy.
LikeLike
Elliott said that he was not contacted by GT.
LikeLike
Interesting.
Lots of ‘buzz’ that Elliott was a top candidate. Glad they decided to limit their coaching search to GT insiders like Whisenhunt and Collins. Inbreeding of ideas at its worst.
https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/georgia-tech-football/2018/11/28/18116824/source-georgia-tech-zeroes-clemson-oc-tony-elliott-paul-johnson-retirement
https://thespun.com/acc/clemson-tigers/tony-elliott-georgia-tech-football-coaching-search
LikeLike
What a great game! It was nice to see a well coached, played, executed game! Kirbs, take some notes. I thought I wasn’t going to care about this game, but that changed quickly. How’s it taste, Alabama? Like that, do ya? We may have lost, but at least we didn’t get pounded! Thank you, Clemson!
LikeLike
That was far from a great game, but it was a pleasure to watch. Too many mistakes, and a 4 TD blowout that could have been worse. I enjoyed it, but would have preferred something more competitive.
LikeLike
“If there’s one thing Kirby Smart should take note of from the game is that you have to play Alabama without an ounce of fear. Never take your foot off the gas.”
Exactly, thought the same…it definitely cost us last year.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I have to ask: Is Kirby smart enough(no pun intended) and humble enough to learn from this? The road map is right there in front of him. All he has to do is follow it. This season, if we can hang 60 or 70 points on a team we need to do it. Being aggressive becomes a habit. 20 years in the Army taught me that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They’ve talked about wanting to take a team’s will away. It seems Kirby sees the best way to do this as running the ball on them over and over with the lead. We can debate all day whether that works or not, but it’s not taking your foot off the gas. It’s mashing it down even harder.
Now, does the team relax with the lead in the last two years? Oh yes. So, there’s Kirby’s message and there’s what the team is actually doing (which may be what you’re saying too).
LikeLike
If Kirby wanted to see a team’s will taken away, then I hope he watched Clemson take the ball from the one foot line to bama’s three while running the last ten minutes off the clock. That’s gonna go down in the football dictionary under ‘imposing your will’.
LikeLike
This is where I hope we are in 2019. Just maul people off the ball. Get a lead and just run them the fuck over.
Pittmans line is getting there. Unfortunately we were too banged up and young to get there this year, but it’s coming.
LikeLike
Nothing wrong with sticking it down their throat through the air. Scoring should be “your will”, not the style of how you do it. I think that gets confused by old school coaches.
LikeLike
That shit all sounds great until you blow a lead because you didn’t burn any clock.
Clemson’s play distribution first half: 24 passes 9 runs
Second half: 11 passes 22 runs.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Second half (before last meaningless drive with backup QB in):
10 passes
9 runs
13 runs on final drive skewed those stats a bit.
LikeLike
Going 75/25 to 50/50 to 25/75 is called situational football. They did not do in the 3rd quarter what they did in the second. This bumper sticker that they “kept their foot on the gas” is just lazy. They ran more and more as the lead built as well they should have.
LikeLike
Alabama got beat. Georgia had a loss – that is the difference
LikeLike
+1
LikeLike
If there’s one thing Kirby Smart should take note of from the game is that you have to play Alabama without an ounce of fear. Never take your foot off the gas, because once you do, it’s an invitation to get rolled. Clemson stayed aggressive until the bitter end and Alabama didn’t take advantage of the opportunities that presented.
This a thousand times. I remarked to my group text during the game last night that the difference between our game with Bama and this one was that Clemson kept throwing down on them and never tried to play ball control run-the-clock offense. Last night was a close game until Clemson pulled away and broke their spirit. We didn’t do that. We let them hang around and get back in it. And we’ve done it two years in a row.
LikeLike
Clemson made a field goal to go up 31-16. We missed a fieldi goal to go up 31-14 and allowed Bama to score on the following possession. That and Trevor Lawrence is one hell of a QB. The Clemson WR’s and QB are so much better than what we have in Athens.
LikeLiked by 2 people
What we had in Athens.
LikeLike
We gotta work on our passing game as a program. We need more elite receivers but you gotta push the ball down the field to get those guys to sign on the dotted line.
LikeLike
Throws to the middle are shorter and have a better chance of succeeding.
We got spoiled by having Javon Wims outjumping DBs last year and fell in love with that low-percentage long sideline pass.
In the running game, we pounded in the ball into the middle of the line where most of the defenders are and abandoned the successful outside plays like the toss-sweep late in the year.
Time to re-think our offensive strategy, in-game communication, and leadership roles, coaches and players included.
LikeLike
In D-1 play, Georgia’s yards per attempt average went from 8.5 in 2017 to 8.9 in 2018.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It would be interesting to see what the breakdown is by thirds of the field. We often see in-game stats on the broadcasts, but I am not sure where to find seasonal stats.
Memory would indicate we had success early against poorer coverage teams like Missouri and Florida on the outer thirds, but struggled against the teams like LSU, Auburn, Alabama, and Texas.
LikeLike
cfbstats.com is your friend: rushing situational stats; passing situational stats.
LikeLike
I found Fromm’s 2017 passing chart.
He had amazing success last year on the left third of the field (usually Wims’ side), especially deep.
I hope they do a 2018 chart in contrast.
LikeLike
https://www.cfbfilmroom.com/2018/01/13/jake-fromm-2017-passing-chart/
LikeLike
I think if you check the archives here, I may have posted one during the season.
LikeLike
Thanks. Will search for it later today.
LikeLike
We didn’t run a toss this year (other than on the goal line against Florida) because we don’t have a true fullback anymore.
LikeLike
Like the pass to Sony that doinked off a DL’s head and got picked?
How the fuck it’s easier to throw to the middle when you have safeties, LB’s, dropping DL, hands, sometimes heads in the way is easier than throwing to man coverage on the outside is just truly amazing.
Throwing over LBs and in front of safeties is hard. That last td pass over a LB but low enough for the wr to grab is HARD.
LikeLike
The other thing I don’t get about this kind of reasoning is that Fromm is among the best QBs in CFB throwing to the sidelines.
LikeLike
He’s good at it, but how many times did we throw 20+ yard sideline passes when all we needed was 5-10 yards to convert on third down?
LikeLike
Throws are shorter and give the defense less time to react.
LikeLike
I may be a voice in the wildnerness but Clemson got to play Bama and not Bama AND the refs. They got a fairly called game and it makes a huge difference.
We were the first team to really take it to Bama. Our defense was better vs. Tua. If you don’t think our coaches plan was the blueprint for Clemson’s approach last night you’re kidding yourselves.
You give me last nights crew and those 2 games vs. Bama go the other way.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Agree totally regarding us giving them the blueprint. I watched the game on the Deuce with announcers and commenters down on both sidelines (which I thought was awesome!). Late in the third quarter, one of the rotating commentators (maybe Mora Jr.) mentioned Tua was not going through his progressions and was taking off and looking to escape as soon as he felt a little heat.
I think we showed Clemson that if your secondary can stick with Bama’s receivers, Tua is going to start getting panicky and jittery. Part of the issue is that Bama did not play teams that had secondaries like Georgia or Clemson during the year, and so Tua’s weakness there never really bubbled up to the surface (other than perhaps early in the LSU game, as I recall). Watching the game last night, and considering some more this morning, the more I think that if Tua had NOT gone out of the SEC Championship Game, we would’ve been much better off as his weaknesses played into our strengths….
LikeLike
…..and sadly, when Clemson did see Jalen it looked like the old Jalen, not the superhero…….granted, the game was pretty much a wash out at that point, but we still can’t have nice things, can we ?
LikeLike
Exactly right. And ‘Bama fans are on FB bitching about the refs last night.
They think last year’s NC game should be the standard for officiating their games.
LikeLike
Agree
Shocked at Bamas/Sabans decisions last night.
Haven’t Saban in that position since we smokechecked his bayou bengal tigers in Athens on that glorious 2004 Saturday.
LikeLike
That was funny when Saban whined at halftime that the Clemson D was running a bunch of “copycat stuff” that other teams had tried, like it was a punk move to study game tapes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I actually took it to mean: there are things we keep getting taken advantage of on and our guys won’t learn it because it works when the next guy does it too.
I thought it was frustration with his players. The presser was amazing. In sum: it’s my fault but the players fucked it all up.
LikeLike
My favorite line was on the fake fg:
“Somebody didn’t block the right guy, so it was a bad call.”
Lmao!
LikeLike
“with all due respect”
LikeLike
Dabo worked the refs early and often last night
LikeLike
Dabo was screaming at them from the get-go.
They don’t see that much in the Big Ten.
LikeLike
I think that Tua is BYU Ty Detmer with the 99 Rams wide receivers. I do not agree with everyone regarding his greatness. It will be interesting to see what teams do to prepare for him next year even though the talent discrepancy between Alabama and almost everyone else is so vast that it may not matter or be apparent until this time next year.
LikeLike
I had a LOT of people (mostly online, of course) tell me Kirby Smart should be fired because “elite” coaches:
1) always have their team ready to play
2) don’t call stupid, desperate fakes on special teams
I guess Saban isn’t an elite coach.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Saban a’int never had to coach against Nick Saban, PAAWWWWWLLLL
LikeLiked by 2 people
The Bamtards are calling in and acting like everyone at AL football has died!! The grieving going on! Finebaum is not consolable! I love it! It’s football Christmas!!!
LikeLike
I did text a bammer and ask if Kirby called for the fake. They’d have been better off just running a play there.
LikeLike
This is what happens when all of the stuff that normally happens for Bama happens against them. The mistakes, the red zone failures, the other team making extraordinary plays, the fluke injury that costs you a TD… that kind of stuff is how Saban has built his decade of dominance: Force the other team to make mistakes and capitalize when they do. The game turns, and it can get out of hand if the other team cannot make a play to turn the momentum.
Even though the outcome shocked me, it shouldn’t have. UGA has had Alabama beat twice but let the games slip away instead of putting them away. Last year, the blocked punt would have been the nail in the coffin, but the refs made sure Bama stayed in that game. In the SECCG, UGA’s lack of depth and/or playmakers in the front 7 was exposed, and Bama finally took advantage.
The truth is Georgia’s defense was not very good this year. The results were mostly fine, but the lack of playmakers up front was covered up by scheme and a hell of a secondary. Against teams that were able to be more physical up front, Georgia lost: LSU, Alabama, and Texas. They need interior help, and it seems like it is on the way. Last year the secondary was lacking; this year the front seven needed a rebuild. Maybe next season they can have a good front 7 and a good secondary. One can dream.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I guess Dabo is not as much of a moron as some wits who regularly post on this blog think he is. Secondly, Nick has bad days too. Thirdly, one secret of Dabo’s success, moron or not, is that, if an offensive or defensive coordinator or any other coach does not measure up, he don’t hang around long. Kirby may be able to learn from that, hopefully. Lastly, as I said before, the Klempsun crowd can match the Bammers dollar for dollar if they go sniffing around Dabo when Nick decides to pack it in. IPTAY don’t mean ” I pay ten a year any more.”
LikeLike
Dabo and Les are geniuses because natty. It’s really that easy.
When Dabo wins one without Trevor or Deshaun we can talk.
Dabo may be smart enough to stay the fuck out of Venables way. That’s about all I’m giving him credit for.
LikeLike
And when my aunt grows a dick, she’ll be my uncle. So he just handed “the best team in history” the worst loss of the GOATs tenure but now he has to do it with a bad quarterback to be any good ?
LikeLike
How about ”not a sure first round draft pick” at QB?
Saban has won several with those guys. What happened with Kelly Bryant last year vs a lesser tide team?
24-6.
Maybe he just got better at the coaching thing since. Or Trevor. You tell me.
LikeLike
Those are excellent bullet points Senator. Very good observations. Early post by you so thanks for bringing that to us.
Who would have thought a team, and Clemson has one, where the defensive front 4 could control an Alabama offensive line. Bama has a history of very strong O lines. Those front 4 guys were unrelenting allowing the DBs and LBs to play at a quick step and pace. Their DC did a very good job at of preparing that defense. My question how did he do it in that length of time.
Probably knew and did prep while getting ready for ND. Also a lot of those Tiger players committed last year to come back and play for a NC. They wanted it more than a few months going pro.
Those front four controlled the gaps. Granted the stats are close, but Bama could not finish the drill on drives.
Go back and look at some of those games Bama played. They had issues in their defense too. Remember Saban questioning his teams focus at times.
Dawgs and Sooners did some things but not enough on offensive to get by them.
Two years in a row Dawgs had them and let it get away. Clemson’s front four did not allow Bama to make plays running or passing. They controlled the gaps.
Secondary. Both Dawgs and Tigers had interceptions and stopped Bama in red zone. Hell Dawgs stopped Longhorns on four plays inside the 5, but poor play review allowed Longhorns to have a questionable TD. This was a D missing some key players.
LikeLike
Last year it was the Bama QB.
This year it is the Clemson QB.
Worth pointing out the state of Georgia high school coaches are turning out some players and QBs. Reason I stopped watching the pros and go to high school games and support those kids.
So who will be the flavor of the month in ’19?
Lawrence is very, very good. But #8 was electric and made some great catches.
For me the game was the oline and dline. Both of Clemson’s were outstanding in that game.
Do you think Saban is in the market for a DC, too. Bama’s d front 4 is very good, but Celmson’s experienced oline took them to school all night.
You can praise Tigers dline, but their oline was huge in that game.
So back to the flavor of the game.
For me it hinges on the lines. and Dawgs are slowly getting there. Did not have the depth in ’18, but Dawgs have a very good DC/HC.
What would Dawgs have looked like in ’18 if Smith had come back with that leadership and skills?
LikeLike
“The main reason for that is because the Alabama defensive front didn’t control the line of scrimmage.”
As I said in a previous post this morning, Clemson controlled the offensive line with just their 5 offensive linemen, and they kept their RB in for blitz pick up or quick release. I don’t believe they used a TE, let alone two of them like we frequently do, all night.
LikeLike
I long for the day when people realize that Georgia’s offense sputtering is not automatically indicative of “taking their foot off the gas.”
LikeLike
Let’s not hold our collective breaths.
LikeLike
Believe it or not, I can tell the difference.
LikeLike
Maybe so, but I think for most people it’s the difference between success and failure. If you don’t execute you weren’t trying and if you do “your foot’s on the gas.”
10-15 on 3rd down is more about making plays than calling plays.
LikeLike
My thing about “foot off the gas” is that it’s more about aggressive attitude than playcalling. I enjoy those eight-minute drives that run out games without actually scoring.
LikeLike
Taking the “foot off the gas” is trying to run the clock out even though the game is still in doubt. The epitome of that was the 4th quarter of the 1981 Sugar Bowl when we were just trying to hold on until the clock hit 0:00. I remember Frank Ros saying that Erk would go to the defense and tell them, “Give me one more stop” during the 4th quarter. The flip side was the drive that salted away the USCe game in 2013. If I remember correctly, we came off the goal line with a flat pass to Hicks(?) to get a first down and then we stuffed the ball down the OBS’s throat. No one would say Richt & Bobo took their foot off the gas on that drive.
LikeLike
It’s a pretty easy distinction. You have been running multiple plays (successfully I might add) out of multiple sets for the entire game. You build a little lead against a tough opponent. Now for some strange reason with a lead, you have condensed the playbook to 3-4 plays. EVERYONE in the stadium knows what is coming now (just like the other team). All of a sudden the other team finds success against you (and with it confidence). That is taking your foot off the gas. In theory, every play if blocked and executed correctly should go for a TD. Since that is not going to happen, some measure of mystery has to be built into your play calling for it to routinely be successful.
LikeLike
I saw Alabama have some success running the same play over and over with 8 taking the snap.
I’m sure if Dabo and crew had Greyson Lambert they would have prepared, schemed, adjusted, motivated and play called their way to a 4 td win.
Put me down as someone who thinks the guys between the lines have more to say about outcomes, both in terms of games and individual plays, than playcallers. Unless the play is some dumb ass fake kick.
LikeLike
Unless you have overwhelming talent, it is a lot easier to defend a play when you know that there is only 2-3 possibilities. In last years NC game, do you not think that Chaney STOPPED doing what was working for fear of making a mistake on a more aggressive play? Alabama did not suddenly become a better team, we helped them to become a better team.
LikeLike
Frankly had he been more conservative after the baker pick we may have won. That doink and pick and return was huge! All I could think about was Shanahan throwing three times when the falcons were in FG with a lead.
I definitely know they shut us down after the long pass to Mecole. I think it more had to do with their two dancing bears throwing our OL around like rag dolls than play calling.
You really need to finish games imposing your will not leaving it up to chance chucking it around and not burning clock. Playing clock, playing field position, taking sure points and limiting the number of opportunities is the way to win football games. You want to see how to blow a 28 point lead with 3 to play in the third. Stay aggressive.
Review the SB b/w NE and ATL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A stellar QB and dominating DL sure does look like a winning formula. Both teams had it, Clemson’s QB played much better. We need some bigger and nastier DL play.
LikeLike
It’s amazing what a leveler changing the LOS with 4 is. You can do anything you want if you can slow the run down and bring pressure with 4.
We did pretty well with it in Atlanta until we took their qb out.
Don’t know why a new qb changes things for us, but it has and not for the better
LikeLike
Losing Walker for the fourth quarter didn’t help.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You kept posting about our front 7 lack of pressure / performance all season. I didn’t panic because of how well we contained other teams other than the abortion of the LSU game. But I sure would like to see some more junkyard dawg and at least one nasty, game changing DE or LB next season. Wonder who that could be?
LikeLike
Adam Anderson is a good candidate.
LikeLike
True dat. Cox is going to be a hell of a player but it would have been nice to have someone in between Walker and Brenton. Once Cox has things figured out he’s going to cause problems. Much much further along than Walker (or any other guys we’ve counted on at that position over the years) was at this stage. Physically matching up with the OT is most of the battle and he can do that already.
LikeLike
The object of the game is to score every time you have the ball and NEVER let the other team score. With that in mind, why do we not keep the foot on the gas until it is 100% out of reach? We need to stop playing to “not lose” and play to win…like Clemson did last night.
LikeLike
To risk turning the ball over on downs at your own 34 seems like a vote of confidence in your D even moreso than punting away and giving your D some field position. A case can be made either way. Likely confidence your O can make it was plan A, and confidence (tho dwindling) your D can hold if the O fails was plan B.
LikeLike