Reviewing Keys to the Game

Last night I posted what I'd be looking for in my keys to the game. Following up, here's what I saw today.

Offense
I thought the line looked solid. On the plays where Stafford got sacked, it was due to coverage, not poor protection. As for the backup running backs, I thought both looked good. Although, as you saw, King got more yards than Samuel, which is what I was curious about. Look for King to be number two next week.

Defense
The defensive ends looked fine minus Jeremy Lomax's penchant for jumping off-sides. I didn't mention the tackles, but the potential season ending injury to Jeff Owens is a big, big blow. As for the safeties, I liked what I saw from the starters. But, there is definitely room for improvement from the reserves. This is my number one concern on defense, even with Owens going down.

Special Teams
Boy did Blair Walsh deliver today. His first field goal would have been good from 60. As for the kickoffs, I loved the first one that went into the end zone. It went downhill from there, but I don't blame it on him. I blame it on this coaching staff's insistence on trying to pin the opponent inside the 20. Our coverage isn't good enough! Let the kid kick it into the end zone! It's obvious he can do it.

Always Bet on Black(out)

I believed it when I said before the game that Georgia was bigger, faster, and stronger. I just didn't realize how much bigger, faster, and stronger. That was an absolute beat down, led by MVP Marcus Howard.

Prior to kickoff Fox showed June Jones giving a pep talk to the Hawaii players. He told them to have fun and play like they belonged. They definitely didn't belong, and I doubt they had much fun either.

This was really an unfair matchup for Hawaii. So many people wanted to compare this game to Boise State vs. Oklahoma last year. The problem was Hawaii had never played on a stage like this before. Boise State had already wet the bed against Georgia in 2005 in their first shot at the big boys. They learned from it and played much better in their next shot in the Fiesta Bowl the following year. Unfortunately for Hawaii, they had their initial shot on the big BCS stage. They didn't get a warm up.

I'll continue to talk more about this game in the coming week. I'll also get a highlight video up. For now, I'll leave you with one of my favorite images from the game. Willie Martinez jumping into the arms of Dannell Ellerbe after his interception. Celebrate Willie, you deserve it!

Tech Wrecked

That game was straight up crazy. It was much, much closer than the score indicated. Tech left at least 28 points on the field. The dropped cinch touchdown pass. Two muffed punts recovered by Georgia for touchbacks that could have just as easily been Tech touchdowns. Finally, the fumble return that would have been a Tech TD had they not fumbled.

The muffed punts were goofs on Mikey Henderson and Remarcus Brown. And the Dawgs were in better position to recover them. So, I don't chalk those up to luck or Tech doing anything wrong. The fumble return was a great recovery by Knowshon. He made a great play in stripping the ball from the Tech defender. But the dropped TD pass was ridiculous. That play could have set the tone for the game and ignited the few Tech fans that were there. Man there was a lot of red in that stadium!

But when you play the what if game, you have to play it for both teams. Stafford just overthrew what could have been a long touchdown pass to Massaquoi. He also nearly hooked up for a deep score with Tony Wilson, but the Tech defender made a great play.

The real surprise to me was that Thomas Brown was the more effective back for Georgia. Tech did a pretty good job of stopping Knowshon. You could tell he was the focus of their defense. When Brown was in the game at tailback, Tech did not respect the run as much. And Thomas made them pay for it.

I also loved Stafford's TD run. I hate to say it, but it really reminded me of Godsey's run against us back in 2000. Both were really, really good ball fakes.

In the end, the game came down to the fact that Georgia capitalized on more opportunities than Tech did. Seven in a row sure feels good. Go Dawgs!

Images above from the ABH.

Related:
UGA vs. GT post-game thoughts.... - Georgia Sports Blog

Final UK Thoughts

Since The Deaner did a running blawg of the game, I wasn't in a rush to get my thoughts out there. Plus, you saw what I was thinking when The Deaner pasted the text messages I was sending. If I realized those were going to be published for everyone to see, I probably would have been a little less ridiculous. But hey, now you all get to see the crap we text each other during games.

So anyway, this was a huge win. I could not have imagined we'd be in this position after the loss to UT. This also showed these guys can win even when they aren't doing their best. Stafford was throwing errant passes; the backs were coughing it up. But, the defense and special teams stepped it up big time. The defense gave up only three points off of four turnovers. That is incredible. Add the blocked punt on top of that, and you have our recipe for success on Saturday.

Now our focus must turn to Tech. I, like everyone, will be watching the scoreboard on Saturday to see if we make it to the SEC Championship game. But that would be a very hollow game coming off a loss to Tech. So let's get ready for those Nerds! Go Dawgs!

Blacked Out

So, I know I said I thought we'd see black. However, I must admit Saturday morning I changed my mind. But then, when it was time for the players to run out, and there weren't any players starting to trickle out of the tunnel at all, I knew. I have never heard that stadium erupt like that from the team running out. The energy in Sanford stadium was breathtaking on Saturday.

The Fans
I was amazed at how many people wore black. The Deaner and I were just getting giddy driving up to Athens. Every car we passed was full of people wearing black. It was a sight to see for sure once we got in the stadium. That was also the loudest I've heard the stadium since the LSU game in 2004. Hats off to the Bulldog Nation.

The Game
Georgia played a complete game. I'll admit I was worried when we fell behind 20-17. It seemed like a different game from when we were up 17-3. Thankfully, the defense buckled down, and the offense made Auburn pay. Knowshon became the first player since Garrison Hearst to top 100 yards in 4 straight games. This is also the first time since 1942 that Georgia scored over 40 points in three straight games. In reality, this game wasn't even as close as the score. And I know 45-20 doesn't sound close, but it wasn't even that close. The refs kept Auburn in the game. Which brings me to...

The Officiating
I usually don't complain when we win, but there were some horrendous calls. People need to know this was the same crew from the Florida game. It looked like they were still holding the celebration against us. I have found that many calls I thought were bad in the stadium were actually good calls. But, the "late hits" on Cox and the no call facemask of Knowshon were atrocious. Not to mention the ref threatening Brian Mimbs. That is why Richt was in the refs ear going into the half.

The Jerseys
They looked even better than I imagined. They fired up the players and the fans. Having said that, I hope we don't see them for a while. The players have other ideas.

Richt said players want to wear black again next week but he doubts the team will.

"The guys are already trying to work on me," Richt said. "They're like 'We're 1-0 in black.' "

I'm glad they were worn; however, I thought it was a very special thing. If the jerseys are worn again this season, it might take away some of the meaning. Personally, I'd like to see them less frequent than once a season but at least once every four seasons. I think it would be cool if a player got to wear them at least once in their career.

The video is in the works. Go Dawgs!

All images above from OnlineAthens.

Click below to purchase the official Blacked Out t-shirt.

No Trojan Horse

I'm not surprised at all how the game yesterday turned out. Georgia started off slow. Troy had a lead and kept hanging around. A steady dose of Knowshon on offense got us healthy. We gave up a late touchdown with a bunch of reserves on the field.

Image from OnlineAthens.

That's pretty much the formula for a non-conference foe in the middle of the season. This really reminded me of the UAB game a few years back. Except, that game was actually even closer.

What did surprise me was the early turnovers. More specifically, how we turned it over. I never would have expected Knowshon and Southerland to fumble on the first two possessions. The defense did an outstanding job giving up only 3 points on those two short field drives. Looking at the final score, that was a big, big deal

I'm proud of our guys for taking care of business in what could have been a trap game. And I'm really proud of Knowshon. He has really stepped it up for three straight games with the other backs going out. If you haven't already, you need to read The Deaner's open letter to Knowshon.

Now, let's get ready for Auburn!

Vandy Recap

It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win is a win. Considering the season thus far, and the six straight SEC East losses coming into the game, this was also a very big win. To recap, I'm just going to comment on how we fared with my Keys to the Game.

Image from OnlineAthens.com.

On Offense
1. Knocking Vanderbilt back on offense coming off the ball.
We didn't knock Vandy off the ball when run blocking, but the defensive line wasn't having a party in the backfield like Tennessee did either. While there weren't always holes, Knowshon at least had space to change direction when needed.

2. A steady, and productive, dose of Knowshon Moreno and Kregg Lumpkin out of the backfield.
Well, due to Lumpkin's injury, we got half of this. There was a steady dose of Knowshon indeed. With 28 carries for 157 yards, Knowshon had the most carries by a Georgia back since Musa Smith in 2002.

3. Enough protection to allow Stafford to step into his throws.
I was very, very pleased with this. The majority of the time, Stafford had plenty of time to throw. Against Vandy, Stafford's problem was not throwing off of his back foot. Instead, he was a little hesitant, waiting too long to make the throw. On multiple occasions, the ball got to wide open receivers way too late. Thus they were no longer wide open by the time the ball got there.

On Defense
1. The defensive line putting pressure on the quarterback.
With three sacks and multiple hurries, the Dawgs got plenty of pressure on the passer. On a side note here, I love Marcus Howard's leg kick celebration after a sack.

2. The linebackers shedding blocks and making tackles.
The linebacker play was much improved from the Tennessee game in my opinion. However, I could have done without the huge chunks of yardage on QB draws and reverses.

3. All defenders taking the proper angles on plays.
Again, the angles taken were better than against UT, but I could have done without the huge chunks of yardage on QB draws and reverses. I don't think those were the result of bad angles though.

On Special Teams
1. Kick off deep.
The kickoffs were fine, but our kick coverage continues to be shaky.

2. Block for the punter.
Mimbs had plenty of time to kick, although there were a couple poor snaps.

3. Thomas Flowers stepping in admirably for Mikey Henderson at punt returner.
This wasn't much of a factor in the game, good or bad. Neither Flowers or Asher Allen had any punts that were very returnable.

With this being an off week, I've got some more specific thoughts on the game that I'll share as the week goes on. Also, I'll have the highlight video up in a day or two.

Embarrssing

That was embarrassing yesterday. That's pretty much all I have to say about it. I just hope we hang in there and don't fall apart like we did last year after losing to Tennessee.

The Thomas Brown Affair

The star of the game was obviously Thomas Brown. His 16 carry, 180 yard, and 3 touchdown performance helped the Dawgs turn what was a very close game into a blowout.

If you told me Georgia was going to win 45-17 when Ole Miss had a 7-0 lead and 1st and goal at the one, I never would have believed you. To that point, Ole Miss actually looked like they were better. They were dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They were running the ball, and passing the ball. We, on the other hand, would start to move the ball, and then get a case of the dropsy's.

I've heard many theories as to what changed the game. I heard Scott Howard say maybe Ole Miss ran out of gas after that nine minute drive they had to tie it up at the beginning of the second half. Others jokingly said the game turned after we all sang Happy Birthday to Larry Munson. Personally, I say the game turned during the instant replay review. As the players were dancing to Crank That, they really seemed to get loose. Ole Miss never scored after that, and we scored many, many more times. OK, so I doubt that had anything to do with anything, but watching the players dance (most notably Knowshon and Thomas Brown) was hilarious.

Also, on defense Brandon Miller really took over. Actually, he took over on defense and special teams. He had the pick, as well as two huge hits on kickoff and punt coverage. My dad looked at me and proclaimed Brandon Miller was out there killing people. He was the man in the second half.

I am concerned with the huge holes BenJarvus Green-Ellis had to run through. Fortunately, we won't see an offensive line that big for the rest of the season. I also heard the players say Ole Miss was the most physical team they played last year. So, hopefully our defensive line won't get pushed around like that again.

Images from the ABH.

What a Game!

So I was pretty much wrong on establishing the deep ball early. I guess when you talk about that all week, it opens up the screen passes? The screens were working early and often. We ended up taking some shots down field like I thought we would, just not early. The most successful shot down field has to be the last one. The game winner to Mikey Henderson.

Image from the ABH.

Aside from the deep balls, most of my keys to the game came true. We had more Knowshon. How about that 3rd down conversion when he made a fingertip catch, then broke a tackle and extended for the first down? However, Brown looked really good too. I think those guys were really feeding off each other.

The offensive line did play like veterans. Stafford wasn't running for his life all night. There was definitely some pressure and hurry ups, but for the most part the protection was good.

On defense, we were able to get pressure on John Parker Wilson. We didn't force him into any big mistakes, but forcing him to throw the ball away on 4th down was huge!

The defensive line held up much better than against South Carolina. I was afraid Bama was going to line up and run all over us. They had some isolated long runs, but other than that not much.

I'm going to work to get full highlights up at some point this week. But for now, here is the game winner. Enjoy!



Special thanks to PWD for the audio.

Western Carolina Recap

Well, that turned out just about how I thought it would. It was the typical game against a lesser opponent during the Mark Richt era. The offense starts off slow. The defense holds their own. Eventually we pull away, and the backups allow a late touchdown.

The most encouraging thing I saw in the game was how good the passing game looked when Stafford stepped into his throws. When he doesn't get his feet set, he it erratic. When he sets, he is on target. I don't recall any drops when he set his feet either.

Next to that was Knowshon. What a beast. I absolutely love this kid. Get him the ball!

And while we're talking about getting people the ball. Get it to Massaquoi! With all of the drops going around, and there were more on Saturday, I don't recall Mohamed having any. He seems to be the most sure handed guy we have right now. Yet, we seem to go to Tony Wilson more often. I just don't get that.

We've got our work cut out for us this week against Bama. I'm worried about the holes Western Carolina had to run through. I'm also worried about the pass rush they had on Stafford. Both lines are going to need to elevate their game if we are going to win in Tuscaloosa.

Thoughts on the Loss

Well that sucked. I think for a lot of us, we saw the team yesterday that we were expecting to have early on in the season. The problem is that the Oklahoma State game made us think we were better than we are. One thing I learned yesterday is that Oklahoma State is S-L-O-W. Our defense that looked lightning fast against OSU looked pedestrian against South Carolina. Let's just hope that we lost to a good South Carolina team yesterday, and not a middle of the road SEC team. I think it's still too early to really tell much about us or them.

The big complaints I've been hearing are about offensive play calling and dropped passes. I think the Deaner will agree with me that it's hard to catch bullets thrown behind you. When the receivers are having to dive for catches all night long, there are going to be some drops. That being said, there were also some good passes that were dropped. My point though is that I think that needs to be spread across receiver and QB. You can't put it all on the receivers.

As far as the offensive play calling goes, I think it was good enough to win. If Stafford doesn't overthrow Moreno, that's six. If Michael Moore makes the diving catch across the middle, that's six. On the same play, if Stafford threw it to a wide open Tripp Chandler instead of Moore, he walks in, and that's six. If Tony Wilson catches the high pass across the middle in the end zone, that's six. (I know he got rocked on that play, but he dropped it before he got hit)

I do have two things that really got me on the coaching though. The fact that it crossed my mind we may be running the "rooskie" play on 4th and 2 is not good. If I thought about it, I'm sure South Carolina did too. We generally run that play on 4th down around midfield out of the same formation. The other thing I don't get is kicking a field goal on 4th and 15 on our second to last drive. I think the coaches would say the strategy worked since we got the ball back with a chance to win. But if you convert, worst case is overtime. If you don't convert, South Carolina has bad field position. I'm not a coach, but I just don't get that.

I would like to point out, however, that you can't just say we just messed up and lost the game. Give South Carolina credit. They absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Who knows, if we protected Stafford better, maybe he would have got his feet set more often. He was throwing off his back foot all night long. If that happens, maybe he is less erratic. Who knows?

The Deaner's Take on UGA/OSU

Like The Blawger I did not see a 21 point win. I guess Ok State will have no problem getting an out of conference game in the future (unlike App State!).

The only problems I saw on Saturday was kickoff coverage, downing punts (they really let down Mimbs on one that should have been downed at the 2, and throw left, throw right, throw left again. The "New Look" offense just looked like different plays with the same predictability. Also Southerland on the wing doesn't thrill me. These are really picky though and I look forward to how the new formations and WR screens work out in the SEC.

The positives were Kelin Johnson's pursuit of the ball (they've given him a lot of freedom), Knowshon Moreno's ability to improvise, and obviously Mikey Henderson's widespread contributions at wideout and the sick punt return.

The biggest thing though was Sean Bailey's (re?)emergence as a go-to wide receiver:

	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng
S. Bailey	5	87	17.4	47

More than his stats I just felt like Stafford has found the go-to guy that he didn't have last season. Bailey was always a burner but looks like he has studied (and I'm not making comparisons) combo-guys like Laveranues Coles or even Hines Ward. These are receivers that corners can't cheat on either way. I know it's been one game but it looks like Bailey has really stepped up amongst a motley crew of receivers. I mean, where is A.J. Bryant? I thought he may have been the next Michael Johnson but now we can only hope he turns into the next LeBrone Mitchell.