Stout

Here’s another reason Georgia’s pass defense shouldn’t feel too threatened in most games this season.

#UGA pass rush in '19 was best it's been under Kirby Smart. Should be even better this fall.

– #5 in FBS in total QB pressures
– #9 in team pass rush grade on 3rd/4th down
– #2 in pass rush grade on 3rd/4th down when blitzing

– Top 8 players in QB pressures = all back

— Brent Rollins (@PFF_Brent) March 6, 2020

It’s funny in a way to realize that Lanning has had such an impact in a relatively short period of time.  It’s also worth remembering that not too long ago, a lot of folks were dissatisfied with Tray Scott’s work.  Not so much now.

I always love Georgia football the most when I have that warm and fuzzy feeling of control when the defense steps on the field.  I think 2020 has the potential to make me feel extra warm and fuzzy.

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“Yeah, 17 is some really good defense.”

Just another data point in the story that was Georgia’s 2019 offense: ($$):

South Carolina held only one conference opponent under 21 points last year. That was Georgia in a 20-17 double-overtime victory. That was 13 points below the Bulldogs’ season scoring average and stands out as a rare bright spot for the Gamecocks’ defense in 2019.

Before you go all “it was the receivers, dude” on me, here’s what SC’s defensive scoring record in conference was after the Georgia game:

• Florida — 38
• Tennessee — 41
• Vanderbilt — 7
• Texas A&M — 30

And here’s SC’s defensive ypp record in those same games, plus Georgia.

• Georgia — 4.93
• Florida — 5.62
• Tennessee — 7.13
• Vanderbilt — 3.78
• Texas A&M — 6.84

When all you’ve got to hang your hat on is bettering Vanderbilt’s offense, you ain’t got much.

If you’re interested still at this point, here’s the story on Georgia’s offensive conference ypp from the Carolina game on:

• South Carolina — 4.93
• Kentucky — 4.91
• Florida — 5.94
• Missouri — 5.06
• Auburn — 3.92
• Texas A&M — 4.41
• LSU — 4.21

Considering that on the season, the Dawgs averaged 6.08 ypp, that wasn’t pretty.  The ‘Carolina game was something of a low point, considering the level of opposition, but the offense never really recovered from it.  Hopefully, Smart’s made the needed changes to fix that.

Today, in life comes at you fast

Without looking it up first, guess where Kirby Smart ranks in seniority among the 130 D-1 coaches now.

It wasn’t all about the receivers, a continuing story

From Andrew Thomas’ exit interview with Seth Emerson ($$):

Georgia’s offense was so good in 2017 and 2018. Can you put a finger on any single one thing that caused things to stall in 2019?

The only thing I can do is look at myself and see how I played, and as an offensive line as a group. We didn’t get enough push, like we usually did (in previous seasons). Everybody knew that Georgia… we like to run the ball, we run downhill. And I just felt like last year a lot of teams tried to stack the box, and tried different schemes, different twists, things like that. I don’t think we adjusted well enough.

Umm… who was in charge of adjusting?

Once again, like the swallows returning to Capistrano…

… somebody’s gonna ask the musical question, “Will tight ends play a larger role?“.

Another day, another position group

Jake Rowe takes a look at the STAR position here, but that’s not really where I want to focus with this post.  Check out this paragraph:

Will Stevenson really get a long look at this spot? Will Webb or Wilson get cross-trained at safety? Let’s start with Stevenson. He didn’t play much Nickel but his work in the Dime package leads us to believe that he’ll get a shot starting this spring. UGA is loaded at cornerback, which isn’t a tough position to learn anyway according to Kirby Smart. Eric Stokes, Tyson Campbell, and D.J. Daniel are the team’s top three options there so STAR might be Stevenson’s best shot to get on the field on a regular basis.  [Emphasis added.]

Really?  I must have missed all the true freshman corners at Georgia who’ve made first-team all-SEC lately.

There’s also this:  “The Bulldogs are paper-thin at safety and there’s a very real chance that Webb and Wilson spend more time learning that spot this spring.”

I didn’t think there was any position on defense where Georgia could be categorized as paper-thin.  LeCounte is back and Cine is expected to step in at Reed’s spot, so the starting spots look solid.  Is there really that little depth behind those two?  Or is it just spring practice when that’s relevant?

(By the way, I hope they figure out a way to get Stevenson on the field more, in whatever role.  He’s a stud.)

The logic of amateurism

The absurdity of the FBI investigation into sports apparel companies, schools and high end basketball recruits was apparent from the start and now that the NCAA is turning its attention to the “victims” (ha, ha!), it grows even more so.

Here’s an argument Kansas actually made in response to the NCAA’s allegations.

2/2 Kansas: Allegations of adidas reps being representatives of university's athletics interests "fails utterly." "Adidas acted on their own interests when they gave money to the family and guardians of [players]."

— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) March 6, 2020

Uh hunh.  Must have been a complete coincidence that Adidas reps were trying to steer those kids to a program the company was paying $14 million a year to promote their product line.  Not to mention coordinating it with the head coach…

But, yeah, please keep telling me what an unmitigated disaster it’s going to be for college athletes to receive a check for their NIL rights.

He said, he said, in Tuscaloosa

So, don’t know if you saw it, but this story about Scott Cochran’s end days at Alabama popped yesterday.  Some people saw it as a big deal (hello, PAWWWLLL!!! and listeners), but I read it and it lacks a certain internal logic to me.

At one point, there’s this:

It was part of growing friction between Saban and Cochran that seemed to come to a head around that point. Cochran was mentally ready to leave after the Ole Miss situation. Saban, meanwhile, had concerns about numbers and results from a strength and conditioning standpoint and wanted tweaks made to the program. Sources said Saban began “riding Cochran mercilessly in front of staff.”

At this point, Cochran was even more determined to find an on-field opportunity elsewhere.

Yeah, that sounds exactly like the guy who famously proclaims he doesn’t have time for shit.  If he wanted Cochran gone, why go through the high school stuff?

Which that brings us to this contradictory take:

Once he had Smart on board with the hire, Cochran met with Saban to inform him of his intention to leave Alabama last Monday. Saban quickly became resigned to the fact he couldn’t do anything to keep his trusted lieutenant when he realized Cochran had already made up his mind. Contrary to a narrative that’s begun to emerge in light of Cochran taking a pay cut to go to Georgia, Saban didn’t force Cochran out.

“Saban really wanting him out is so not true,” one source said. “At all.”

There you have it, dueling narratives which really sound like a couple of camps trying to spin their way out of what happened.  Or maybe some of the Tide faithful trying to rationalize Cochran’s departure as a net plus for the program.

For what it’s worth, it’s hard for me to believe that Saban wanted to run Cochran’s ass out of town.  I don’t think that’s a contradictory position to also believing that Saban wanted Cochran to remain in the position where he had the greatest value for the program.

Even Roll ‘Bama Roll appears to have a similar opinion.

No crowds

It will be interesting to look back in a couple of months or so to see if this marked the start of a significant trend for larger collegiate athletic events.

Johns Hopkins says no fans will be allowed for NCAA DIII tournament first/second round games on campus due to Coronavirus: https://t.co/AoaAwmdZXJ

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) March 6, 2020

Mind you, the school made this particular call, not the NCAA.  Then again, considering Hopkins has been in the forefront of tracking Coronavirus…

Rating the 2020 schedule

Looking at Jake Rowe’s ranking of Georgia’s opponents this season, one thing I’m struck by is how many teams the Dawgs will face have lost key offensive talent, especially in the passing game.

Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Missouri, South Carolina and Virginia all lost their top receivers.  (So did Alabama, but the Tide’s cupboard is far from bare in that department.)  ‘Bama, Vandy and Virginia all lost starting quarterbacks.  Lynn Bowden, Jr. is gone from Kentucky (not that he was all that much as a passer, but still).

Considering how stout Georgia’s secondary looks on paper, it’s hard to see many games right now where its pass defense is going to be seriously exposed.