UGA - USC Film Study: Quarter Two

So, we didn't get all we wanted out of the first quarter, but we do have a six-point lead, the ball in their territory, we haven't turned it over, and we've bottled up their offense. I'd say most Georgia fans right now feel pretty good about progress made in week 2. We've seen some explosive plays, more "REAL GEORGIA FOOTBALL" playcalling (in quotes because it's a dumb term, in caps because I've heard and read this dumb term too many times to count) and much improved run-blocking from the O-line. Most probably believe that we're on the verge of flipping the lights on and really running away with it.

SO WHY IS THE STADIUM SO QUIET??!?! Seriously, on USC's third downs, I've hardly heard anything out of the fans. I can't believe Sanford isn't rocking. So many fans are ready to call out the manhood of the players, and they themselves aren't willing to get up and make any noise? That is the saddest commentary on the state of the football program at the moment - the fanship is lackluster. There, I said it.

Now, on to quarter 2.

3rd and 3 UGA at the USC 31. Shotgun bunch formation with Crowell taking the snap. Crowell runs it right, leaps for the 1st down across the 25.

1st and 10 UGA - I-Formation - Figgins motions to make it Weak-I right. Crowell takes handoff makes the read inside and gets 3. 2nd and 7. Shotgun Ace. Handoff to Boykin. He gets 8, but it looks like while Lee and Jones are pulling, Jones doesn't get his head around fast enough to see a man he could block on the inside. I don't know the exact assignments, but it appears that Jones should have blocked the LB coming from the inside, to allow a cutback lane. 3rd and 2 at USC 16. Shotgun Ace, Boykin in at HB. USC rushes 4, pocket holds. Murray throws into double-coverage and behind Marlon Brown. He locked in on Brown the whole time. Ball is tipped and nearly picked. Boykin was open on a swing-pass dump off for the first. Send out the FG team. Walsh shanks it. 33-yd FG no good.

1st and 10 USC at USC 20 (by rule, after a missed FG from inside the 20, ball gets placed at the 20) Toss-sweep shut down by Mike Gilliard for a gain of only 2. 2nd and 8. Penalty USC, 2nd and 13. They try a screen, Jarvis Jones blows it up. Gain of 1. 3rd and 11. Garcia escapes pressure, picks up 10. 4th and 1. Teams swap timeouts. USC calls another. Jesus. Punt team comes on. Huge kick. Fair Catch at 12. 60 yard punt.

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 12. Shotgun Ace - Sweep Left, Crowell gets strung out to sideline, gain of 1. What happened here is that Charles picked up a hard inside rush by the DE, and did it well...but in the wash, Jones couldn't get out and onto the linebacker. If he had, Crowell would have been able to cut upfield. Instead, LB #45 strung the play out. 2nd and 9. Shotgun Ace - Playaction-sweep Bootleg screen call. 7-man rush by USC. Glenn gets beat bad inside by Jadaveon Clowney, but this play never had a chance. In actuality, it's the blitz by #21 that kiss the play. Had he not blitzed, Murray had room on his boot, and no one was watching Crowell on the screen. Still, five guys to block seven on a slow-developing play, not a chance. Good playcall by USC, as they had not blitzed often. Murray gets leveled by Clowney at the 5. 3rd and 16. Shotgun Ace - handoff to Crowell for a gain of 5. Crowd boos the playcall. Shame on all of you. 4th and 11. 46-yard punt, Sanders is bottled up after a 3 yard return.

1st and 10 USC at USC 47. We blow up their line, but Commings misses a tackle in the backfield. He trips Lattimore, who gets 6. 2nd and 4 at UGA 47. Center snaps it without Garcia being ready. 3rd and 3 at UGA 46. We crash inside, again it's Cornelius Washington giving up the outside containment when the LB is already filling the gap. As a result, Lattimore has a free run outside. He gains about 9.

1st down USC at UGA 38. We stuff the middle, Lattimore bounces it outside for about 3 yards. Again, Washington appears too quick to jump inside. 2nd and 7. Four man rush. Washington beats his man, but can't get to Garcia who rolls right. He throws a high one up for Jeffrey, and Brandon Smith falls as he defends. Touchdown South Carolina.

USC 7 - UGA 6

Kickoff. Boykin takes it a yard deep and breaks a few tackles on a 36 yard return.

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 36. Shotgun ace. Mitchell in motion. Jet Sweep to Mitchell. Strung out to sideline. Richard Samuel leaves his feet on an attempted block and falls to the ground. This trips Bean, preventing him from getting to his block. All in all, our linemen couldn't get out and get on the blocks that would have opened this play up. No gain. 2nd and 10. Shotgun Ace - Bean leans back before the snap, 5 yard penalty. 2nd and 14 - I Formation Play-Action, pocket breaks down immediately because of hard speed rush by both DE. Murray tucks it and runs for 23 yards.

1st and 10 at USC 45. I Formation. Looks like a Power off-tackle to Samuel. Linebacker follows pulling guard to the ball and cuts him down after gain of 3. 2nd and 7. I Formation - ISO play right. Samuel rumbles for a ten-yard gain.

1st and 10 at USC 35. I Formation. Handoff to Samuel. Blitzing LB misses him 3 yards deep. Decent blocking at the onset, but Samuel runs into Dallas Lee, then gains 2. 2nd and 8. I Formation. Ogletree Motions into Weak-I. Handoff to Crowell. This play fails because of Anderson and Burnette. It appears that Bean and Burnette don't get their call together, and both try to block the same DE. As a result, Zander is forced to pick up the OLB, and no one blocks Gilmore. This forces Crowell to cut up, and Taylor, the DE, is able to make the play. 3rd and 6. Shotgun Ace with Boykin at HB. Four-man rush, pocket holds. Murray goes deep for a wide-open Wooten, 26 yards for the TD!

UGA 13 - USC 7.

Kickoff. ONSIDE KICK RECOVERED BY UGA!!!!! It's called offside. I've run this play back about 12 times, and it does not look like he was offsides. If anything, too close to throw the flag. Penn Wagers can lick my *(#* %Y*(# and then U%() my *%(Y(% and of course, he should also &Y*(% my (*)&*()% and stick his %&()$ up a horse's %*((&()$ and &Y(*)%()#&*)($*(&^finger &%*()&()# until he's too tired to continue.

Kickoff. Returned to USC 29.

1st and 10 USC at USC 29. Garcia tries the quick-out again, dropped. 2nd and 10. Corner blitz by Boykin. Garcia is able to get it away, but gets dragged down. 3rd and 10. We blitz heavy - Sulek and Williams off the left side. Williams just misses getting there. Garcia gets a short completion off to Ace Sanders. 4th and 7. They run a fake punt. There has been much rabble about this. "How could we give one up after the Sugar Bowl against WVU?" Well...let's see, 4th and 7 at their own 33, and we know there's no way they can stop us from that close. No one would have seen it coming. It was a great play call. That being said, we were in position to make the play, and didn't. Derrick Owens made a terrible play at the ballcarrier. He dove straight at the big man's feet instead of taking him, or a blocker on. He took himself out of the play, and effectively cut off two Dawgs who were in pursuit. This happened BEHIND THE LOS. If he even slows #6 down at all, the play fails. He didn't, it succeeded - big time. Then, down the field, Boykin does the same thing. TD South Carolina.

USC 14 - UGA 13.

Kickoff. Fair catch at UGA 32.

1st down UGA at UGA 32. Shotgun Ace - Screen is set up very well, but Murray floats the ball too high for Crowell, it falls incomplete. 2nd and 10. Shotgun Ace. Murray tucks and runs, gains 2. Didn't look like a designed draw, but he had green. 3rd and 8. Shotgun Ace. Timeout UGA. 3rd and 8. Shotgun Ace. Checkdown to Samuel dropped. 4th and 8. Punt. Fair Catch at USC 24.

1st and 10 USC at USC 24. Delayed handoff to Lattimore. Jarvis on a twist, runs right past Lattimore. Gain of 16.

1st and 10 USC at USC 40. Fake the delay, attempt a screen. Cornelius Washington knocks the pass down. 2nd and 10. We run a double-twist with a QB spy up front. Sack by Christian Robinson. 3rd and 13. Three-man rush, zone coverage. Sulek can't match up with Alshon Jeffrey.

1st and 10 USC at UGA 43. Clock play. 2nd and 10. Garcia under duress, throws a bomb. It's tipped around at the line, intercepted by Brandon Boykin who immediately kneels it at the one. It's probably a smart play, and probably too much to ask that Boykin try to run it back...but darn it, that woulda been cool to see.

Halftime Score: USC 14- UGA 13.

Formation Selection:

Under Center - 6

Shotgun - 13.

So, we scored an actual touchdown in this quarter, and it came out of a shotgun formation...after five straight I-Formation plays in a row (two of which had resulted in first down, but the last two of which had been stuffed). So, what we have here is an OC who changed from what wasn't working to something else, and a touchdown was the result. We also had a missed fieldgoal from a guy who should be "automatic" inside of 40 yards. Is Blair Walsh suffering from the ol' "Senior Slump"? There was also a big special teams breakdown, and a big special teams success nullified by an offsides call which was very marginal. (In all fairness, you could really argue that call either way. It certainly looked like Walsh's foot struck the ball before Rambo's foot touched the grass, but I can't know for sure.) Such is life...and unfortunately for the Dawgs of recent, such is repetitive.

Back with 2nd half film study later. For now, I'm gonna eat!

Go Dawgs!