Things Bad Teams Don't Do

1) Come back from down 17-3 in a stadium where they've won three out of the last 19 games.

2) Score touchdowns on 4th and long - twice - to climb back into the game

3) Hold Florida to 32 yards of offense in a half of play.

4) Ice the game with a run up the gut on 4th and 4

5) Have a top 10 defense

Look, this Florida team isn't the best we've faced in recent years...but once again, I think it's worth noting that our Georgia team was down by two scores and came back to WIN. We didn't come back to make it close...we came back and WON THE GAME. Richt showed some serious balls on fourth-down calls - two for touchdowns, and one for a game-icing run down to the one.

Last year's team would not have done this.

2009's team would not have done this.

I dare say 2008's team would not have done this.

Others can harp on Bobo all they want...but his scheme was sound in this game. The play of the quarterback was not. I said it numerous times (much to Gary Danielson's dismay, I'm sure) - Aaron Murray is the best in the nation at missing wide open receivers. The playcall of a play-action reverse fake to Orson Charles was a thing of beauty - the execution was excrement. Calling routes into the endzone instead of to the first down marker (or a yard or two short of it) on fourth was inspired. People who don't get that, don't get football.

So many people were calling for Richt's head early this year....now we're 6-2 and tied for the East lead. We'll be 7-2 when we face an Auburn team which isn't as good as the team we should have beat in 2010 - when we weren't as good. 10-2 is a very real possibility.

Oh, and 10-2? That's another thing bad teams don't do.

Go Dawgs.

A Challenge: Beat Bobo

To all of those who hate Mike Bobo and his "oh, so predictable" playcalling, I issue this challenge:

1) Study football.

2) Study film.

3) Start a blog.

4) During the UGA-FL game, update your blog prior to EVERY SINGLE UGA OFFENSIVE PLAY

What I want to see is this: I want you to call formations and plays before we run each offensive play. I'd like to see what all the armchair geniuses can come up with. Oh, and don't try to explain every single detail of how you THINK the play will progress, because you don't have time for that. I want to see this:

1st and 10: Shotgun sweep to Crowell. (POST) then, watch the play Bobo calls. As soon as you see the next down and distance, make your next post.

2nd and 2: I-Form Play Action deep. (POST) then, watch the play Bobo calls. As soon as you see the next down and distance, make your next post.

Remember, we sometimes go no-huddle, so you're going to need to be quick.

Now, you can try to either guess what Bobo will call next, or you can call the game you'd like to see called. Any takers?

Go Dawgs

A note on "conservative" playcalling.

I did not get to see the UGA-Vandy game, and from what I hear, I don't want to watch it on the replay. Luckily, my time is so preciously short this week, I don't believe I'll really have to make the decision on whether or not to suffer through. Still, I understand that we got the ball on an interception with a little over a minute to play, and couldn't grind the clock out.

This is where all the "conservative playcalling" from those big wins should come in.

I know people want to see Georgia hang 50 points on our opponents when we have the chance. I know Georgia fans are envious of Alabama and LSU and want to see our offense keep clicking against weak opponents in the fourth quarter. But, there is something more important in those possessions, and last night we found out that there is still work to do.

In the fourth quarter of a game dominated by Georgia, the opposing team knows what we're going to do - we're going to run it. We're likely going to run it between the tackles. The same can be said for the end of a close game led by Georgia. We're going to run it, and we're likely going to run it between the tackles. Now....at which point is it more important to have success? The answer: The close game. But, you know when you're going to get that kind of game-speed practice? In the blowouts. If the fourth quarters of blowouts consists mainly of air-mailing touchdowns against weak secondaries, and then bringing the 3rd and 4th stringers in to run-run-run-punt, your first teamers aren't getting the reps they will need in the close ones.

Don't get me wrong - Vandy shouldn't have been a close one. We had breakdowns in many more areas than simply our final drive offense. Six field-goal attempts against Vandy just shouldn't happen. We have to be good enough to finish drives against Vanderbilt. I know the 36,000 fans in attendance were screaming so loud that a baby could barely sleep, but still - we have to be able to concentrate better. I went back to check on our 3rd and short successes, imagining that with so many field goal attempts, we must have been failing on short third down attempts a lot - but we didn't. We converted all but one. Perhaps some of that "conservative play calling" was paying off in those situations. It's hard to say.

On thing can be said, though: even in a win as ugly as this, we can say this - we won a close one. When was the last time that happened? September 26, 2009. That's right - Joe Cox led the last close-game victory for UGA. Have the Dawgs turned a corner? Quite possibly. We won ugly yesterday, and sometimes, that's just what you have to do.

Go Dawgs.

Hey, 60-year-olds...shut up about what a 20 year old says.

I'm getting increasingly tired of people talking bad about Hutson Mason because he expressed frustration in an interview. The kid has a fighting spirit, and some pretty good talent. He's sitting the bench. That's a tough row to hoe - ask Tom Brady. Now, that's a glaring comparison for a kid who hasn't had meaningful snaps...but you really do never know what you've got til you see it on the field. Any young man who believes he can play is going to be frustrated when not even given the chance. ESPECIALLY when the coaches are giving so much lip service to him.

When I was at Georgia, it drove me absolutely mad that I was never sent in to attempt a punt block. There wasn't a single practice in which we had a Punt Period where I didn't block a punt. There were few things I did better than most of the guys on that team, but I could flat-out block a punt. Still, the only time I ever came close to getting the chance was when I was called to the coach's side during the 2000 UGA-UT tilt (who remembers that one?? AW YEAH!) and was then told I could take my helmet off because the coach had decided to go for a return instead of a block.

But I didn't have the talent Hutson Mason does. I didn't throw for thousands of yards and buckets of touchdowns in high school. I didn't get a late scholarship offer when the Quarterback situation suddenly thinned out. I didn't throw a touchdown on my first play at UGA (If I recall correctly, I was stoned away on an inside twist during a pass rush against Kentucky).

So yea, I understand his frustration. I'm tired of people saying "He's not a team kid" or "His attitude hurts the team." You know who was a Team Kid? Joe Cox. You know who was a Gamer and just wanted to play? Matt Stafford. Which one is fishing this weekend and which one is leading an undefeated team in the NFL?

Don't get me wrong - nothing in this blog has anything to do with Aaron Murray. For me, the jury is still out on Murray. But, I know this - if the coaches are all saying Mason deserves playing time, then damnit, he should be getting playing time. Competition at every position - isn't that what we said we wanted? Isn't that what we said Championship Teams have? Don't you think our LBs are better because they have to fight every week to keep a job? Wouldn't you say our NTs have been good because they push each other?

I'm not saying I want to make Murray look over his shoulder and be worried about losing his job - but the biggest question mark for Murray in my mind is his response to pressure. Both on a play-by-play basis, and in a "big game" sense, he doesn't seem to consistently respond well to pressure. Maybe if he had a bit more pressure to keep his job, he could develop a bit more ice water in those veins.

Either way, quit over-analyzing the statements of a kid who just wants to play football.

Go Dawgs.

Don't be confused - I'm not giving up the blog!

I think some have misunderstood my previous blog. I am not going to quit blogging - I simply won't have the ability to do my film study series. Do not fret. The Voice of Reason will continue to scream at the top of its cyber-lungs!

UGA Film Studies: End of a Blog Series

Hey folks;

Some of you may have noticed I didn't break down the fourth quarter as I had planned. Sorry about that. I've been busy this week, and couldn't put the extra hours into that last night. What I have to say today is a bit sadder still. I will not be doing film study breakdowns for the remainder of the season. I am going through some transitions right now, and will not have access to my beloved Dish network for quite a while. As such, I won't have the games on DVR to breakdown.

I know there are many of you who have enjoyed reading the details included, and I hope to be back next season doing the same kind of writing. However, for the time being it appears I will have to return to simply raising my highly opinionated voice on the goings on in UGA football, and avoid the in-depth analysis.

Go Dawgs.

Why are my blogs not showing up on the dawgbone??

I'm just saying, seems like my posts aren't all showing up anymore. Here's the link to the Third Quarter Breakdown.

I posted that one this morning instead of late last night...Don't know why its not showing. But hey, read it. It's great.

Go Dawgs.

UGA - UT Film Study: Quarter Three

Starting the second half at a 6-6 tie is a far cry from what's been going on for the past few weeks...but I was actually glad for the first half struggles. I had said in the past two victories that it's difficult to make adjustments when everything's been working so well in the first half. Well, in this case, everything didn't go nearly as smoothly as we'd like in the first half. So, it was a good bet that we'd come out with some adjustments...and I think y'all remember how it went down.

UGA 6 - UT 6 Kickoff. Touchback.

1st and 10 Tennessee at UT 20. 3-4. They try a quick pitch-out to the left, we snuff it out. Loss of two. 2nd and 12. 3-3-5. We send 4, they go max protect (7 blockers) Bray completes an out route for 4 yards. 3rd and 8. 3-3-5. Snap goes over Bray's head, he falls on it at the 7. 4th and 23. Punt. Smith falls as he looks to catch the punt, it bounces and is downed inside the TN 40.

UGA 6 - UT 6.

1st and 10 UGA at TN 38. I-Formation Twins Left, TE right. Crowell in backfield. King comes in motion, ends up as Wing Left. We run what looks to be a Lead Cutback play to the week side. This is similar to a Counter, but there is no one pulling. Basically, the FB and HB take steps to the right, and then bend it back. Cordy Glenn seals off the LBs who first read the run to the right, then get out of position to defend the cutback. Crowell gets about 12.

1st and 10 UGA at TN 26. I-Formation Normal. TE Right. Lead Play to the weak side. We get decent movement on the line, but no gaping hole. Crowell gets 3. 2nd and 7. I-Form Normal, TE Right. They have 8 in the box. We go play-action, they rush 6 and our pocket holds. Murray hits Charles on a drag for a gain of 10.

1st and 10 UGA at TN 13. I-Formation Normal. TE Right. HB toss left. Good blocking, but we only get 3. We ran this one to the short side of the field, and Crowell ran out of space. 2nd and 7. Shotgun Twins Right, TE left. Crowell set to the right. We run the same sweep as in the first half. Lee and Jones make good blocks, but they don't knock the guys to the ground this time. They get bunched up, and Crowell only gets a yard or so. 3rd and 6. Shotgun Twins Right, TE left, Crowell left. Mitchell, on the left, comes in motion, so now we're in Trips Right. When he does, the Corner comes with him, showing Man-Man coverage. This dictates Murray's throw, as Charles runs a corner route into the endzone. Because the Corner is gone, Murray knows he has him 1-1 and can throw the ball to the boundry side of him without too much danger. The pass is incomplete, but the LB interferes with Charles, and we get the flag. Watching this back, the pass scares me. If the LB were a little more aware, that ball might have been picked. I know it would have if it were me playing NCAA12 on PS3. Still, it wasn't.

1st and Goal UGA at TN 2. Ace Formation - Twins Right, TE Right. Crowell gets the handoff on what looks like a Power 0 to the right. There's a big pileup, and he only gets a yard. 2nd and Goal. Power-I Tight Right (TE on each side, 2nd fullback set right) We run the toss left, and the hole is there. It looks like Figgins just doesn't get there fast enough to put a block on #40, who stuffs Crowell in the hole. No Gain. 3rd and Goal. The commentator called for the PA on 2nd and didn't get it. Now he's adamant about it. He says the crowd has the defense to "geeked up" to run against them. (foreshadowing - we're gonna run it). I Formation Tight - FB Wing Left. FB comes in motion, now we're in a Power-I Tight Right. We run a great Lead play up the middle for a TD. I love the blocking on this play! Jones and Burnette block down to the backside. Figgins picks up the man coming off the end. Dallas Lee pulls around into the hole, and Zander leads Crowell as well. It's just a beautifully blocked play. Crowell cuts right behind Dallas Lee's block into the endzone. Damn that was pretty. TOUCHDOWN GEORGIA!

UGA 13 - TN 6. Kickoff. They take it at the 5, get it out to the 27.

1st and 10 Tennessee at TN 27. 3-4. They go Shotgun Empty. We rush 4. Tyson makes a good move, but it takes him too long to get there. Bray misfires out of bounds. 2nd and 10. 3-4. They go shotgun empty. We rush 5 and they do a good job blocking us. Bray hits Da'Rick on a drag, Herrera in coverage - just a bad matchup for us. Boykin and Sean Williams in on the tackle after a gain of 13.

1st and 10 TN at TN 40. 3-4. Everyone reads their run out of the I immediately. We could have been in trouble, as Tyson rushed hard inside, but Rambo came down quickly, turned the runner inside, and Vasser cleaned it up for a loss of 1. We're really fast on defense. 2nd and 11. 3-3-5. They try to fake a quick screen and run a draw. Nobody bites. Jones whips the TE and makes the stop for a loss of 5. 3rd and 16. 3-3-5. We send four, and no one gets home. Bray completes it to the HB on a drag route, and he's tackled after a gain of 7 by Gilliard. The HB rolls over Gilliard and keeps running all the way to the endzone, but replay shows his knee clearly was down. 4th and 3. Punt. We're in a punt-safe alignment. (Yay - no sneaking a fake on us!) Boykin takes the fair catch at the 7.

UGA 13 - TN 6.

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 7. I Formation Normal, TE Right. Play-Action deep to Mitchell, caught at the 50...he tries to kick it into 5th Gear, and comes up lame. He's tackled near the 20. First and Bomb...I know how y'all hate that. Me too. Gains of 63 yards - just awful. (That's sarcasm, kids).

1st and 10 UGA at TN 22. I Formation Normal, TE Left. Play Action, Murray feels pressure at the top of his drop, and takes off. He gets 5 before running out of bounds. 2nd and 5. I Formation Normal TE Left. I think this is a Zone-Read play to Crowell. I say this because the line doesn't fire off, but instead stands up, and blocks whoever comes. Crowell then reads the hole between RG and RT, and blasts through it. He takes it 17 yards for the score!! TOUCHDOWN GEORGIA!!!!

UGA 20 - UT 6. Kickoff. They take it a yard deep, and return it to the 50. Special Teams still not quite there - also...Walsh appears to be a little shallow on his kicks tonight. I wonder if that's by design, or if he's just off.

1st and 10 TN at Midfield. 3-4. They go Play-Action and we get no pass rush. Jarvis Jones chicken-fights with a blocker for a moment...he may have had a man-man assignment, and didn't want the guy to release. I'm not sure. He doesn't generally do that, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. 2nd and 10. 3-3-5. Jones steps offside. We knock Bray's pass down, so he doesn't get anything cheap. 2nd and 5. 3-3-5. Lane takes it up the middle for about 4. 3rd and 1. 3-4. They try that same quick-pitch, and the refs whistle it dead. Woulda been really bad news for TN if they hadn't, as Jarvis had whipped their TE's block again. False Start TN. 3rd and 6. 3-3-5. Jones makes a great inside rush move on their Tackle, but that allows Bray to escape the pocket to the right and extend the play. He fires downfield to the TE who can't make the catch as Boykin dives in to slap it away. 4th and 6. Punt. We go punt-safe again. They down it on the 3.

UGA 20 - TN 6.

1st and 10 at UGA 3. Shotgun Twins Left, TE Right, Thomas Left. We run a little Gut play to the right. It looks to me that this one gets stuffed when the LB stones Aron White at the line. If Aron gets any movement, then Burnette (coming on the pull) will have a better shot at his man, and Thomas will be able to follow him to the second level. Instead, the hole gets jammed up. Many Fans say "Why are we running a draw on 1st and 10?" We aren't. It's not a draw. 2nd and 8. Shotgun Twins Left, TE Right, Thomas Left. We run a play-action of the Sweep that we had so much success with earlier. That action pulls the Linebackers. Murray throws the bubble screen out to Bennet, who gets about 6 on a whirling leap. 3rd and 2. Shotgun Twins Right, TE Left, Thomas Right. We run a quick curl to Marlon Brown for a gain of 7. YAY!

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 18. Shotgun Twins Right, TE left, Thomas Right. Murray throws deep to King, but overthrows him by only about one yard this time. (Even the commentator mentions that the deep ball has been open all night.) 2nd and 10. Shotgun Twins Right, TE left, Thomas Right. Murray hits Chris Conley on a deep slant for a gain of 17.

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 35. Shotgun Twins Right, TE left, Thomas Right. We run a counter. Glenn pulls to lead block, but it looks like he gets lost. Thomas runs right by him, through the hole, and down field for a gain of 21.

1st and 10 UGA at TN 44. We're happy just to let the quarter run out on that one.

So, we had the ball twice in the third quarter, and scored TDs on both. Can't hate that. We came out of the locker room with a solid game plan and flat out got it done. TN gained a net 7 yards in the third quarter.

You got that? They got 7 yards, we got 14 points. I'll take it.

Hey...I know you know about the amazing 3rd and 57 coming up in the 4th Quarter, so come on back and read about it!

Go Dawgs!

About that Taunting Rule

Just a little self-back-patting here.

April, 2010 - The new taunting rule for 2011 is announced. Subsequently, I wrote a blog telling everyone how bad of a rule it is, and how it can change the outcome of games. If you weren't reading me back then, click on that link and give it a read. I just re-read it again and there's something that really stuck out to me:

Dave Parry, the NCAA's national coordinator of college football officiating (Or, NCCFO as he's probably never called), had this to say about the rule:

"If it's close to diving into the end zone, most likely it would be ruled that the act ended while in the end zone. We'll be lenient. It's really if it's really bad, for example, if a guy flips the bird at the 10 or high-steps backwards into the end zone or starts a forward roll at the 3-yard line."

I wonder if the good folks at Louisiana State University believe the ref was being lenient when he flagged a PUNTER for spreading his arms at the 9 during a 60+ yard run for a touchdown.

Once again, NCAA - You Suck.

Go Dawgs.

Explaining Some Football Formations...

Hey Dawgfans;

It occurred to me last night as I was breaking down the 2nd quarter of the UGA win over UT that when I give my formation and defensive alignment descriptions, some people may not know what in the hell I'm talking about. Now, I don't know the UGA playbook. I don't know what Richt and Bobo name their formations, and I don't know that I'm naming them properly. There is very likely a different name for every RECEIVER alignment out of a specific formation. For instance, in a Twins formation with two receivers set wide to the left, the formation is likely called one thing if the outside receiver is on the line of scrimmage, and another if the inside receiver is on the line of scrimmage. However, I do not know UGA's terminology for it - and I really don't understand how it's going to help anyone out there get a better understanding for me to describe the formations in that degree of minutiae. So, I'm going to keep it simple. Very simply, this is how I will describe formations from here on out (I am abandoning calling every shotgun-single-back formation "Shotgun Ace"):

An ACE formation is one where the QB is under Center, with the HB behind him.

An I-Formation is one where the QB is under Center, with the FB and HB behind him.

A Power-I Formation is an I-Formation with an additional FB in the backfield.

A Split Formation is one where the QB is under Center, with two backs split to either side of him, and generally set 5 yards off the ball.

A Shotgun formation is one where the QB is in the shotgun, with one back set to one side.

A Shotgun Split Formation is one where the QB is in shotgun, with two backs - one on either side of him.

A Shotgun Empty Formation is one where the QB is in shotgun, and alone in the backfield.

These will be the basic Formations you will see from me.

I will give further information regarding the receivers.

Normal - This means there is one receiver set to each side of the ball.

Twins - This means there are two receivers set to one side of the ball.

Trips - This means there are three receivers set to one side of the ball.

Quads - This means there are four receivers set to one side of the ball.

Doubles - This means there are two receivers set to each side of the ball.

Then, I may also give more specific information like:

Offset I - This means the fullback is not directly behind the QB, but instead is lined up to either the weak or strong-side.

Tackle-Over - This means we have one guard and two tackles on one side of the ball, and a guard and tight-end to the other.

Wing - This means a player is lined up at the outside of the formation, but in the backfield, with his hand on the ground. This is generally a fullback or additional tight-end in our offense, but it may also be a speed player used for a sweep.

When it comes to defenses, I'm not getting incredibly specific, partially because the angle of the camera makes it hard for me to tell exactly what the alignments are. I can tell in general if a player is covering the guard or the tackle, but whether he's playing a 3,4 or 5 technique is a bit more difficult. So, I'm going to base my calls purely on personnel and positioning.

3-4 - We have three down linemen and Four standing linebackers. In this, we will have 4 DBs.

4-2-5 - We have four down linemen and two standing linebackers. I don't care if Ray Drew or Cornelius Washington or whoever is actually a linebacker, and we're therefore "technically' in a 3-3-5. If he has his hand in the dirt, the guy is a down-lineman for the sake of this blog.

3-3-5. We have three down linemen and three standing linebackers.

2-4-5. We have two down linemen and four standing linebackers.

These are the basic formations I've seen us in. It's hard for me to know just how well we're doing on each defensive play since I don't know the calls or the responsibilities, but I will do my best to offer explanations of why things work/don't work when I can.

Hope this helps y'all understand what I write a bit better.

Go Dawgs.

UGA - UT Film Study: Quarter Two Re-post

For some reason, the second quarter breakdown didn't seem to post to the other blogsites around the net...so I'm reposting it now.

___________________________________

So, here we are...starting out the second quarter with a 3-0 lead, and facing a 3rd and 7. Tennessee has been able to lsow us down, but never really stop us as we are on our second possession of the night. Can't believe the whole first quarter was swallowed by one possession on each side of the ball. That's terrible. So much for the no-huddle allowing us to get so many more plays in.

But I digress.

UGA 3 - TN 0

3rd and 7 Georgia at the UGA 48. Shotgun Twins Right. Carlton Thomas at HB, Murray motions him to the right. Designed QB draw. Motioning Thomas out to the right opened the lane as TN was in man coverage, and the LB followed Thomas outside. It looks like this was a Draw-option-to-throw - Thomas and Charles both appeared to run routes while the wideouts went straight for blocks. That's an interesting play design if that is in fact what it was. Gain of 8. First Down Georgia!

1st and 10 at UT 45. Shotgun twins right. Thomas at HB. We slide protection to the right, rollout right pass to Tavarres King on a short out. The pass is incomplete, ruled that King's foot is out of bounds. He was dragging his back foot, but I guess his front foot came down out of bounds before he had the ball. 2nd and 10. Shotgun Twins Right. Play-Action deep for King, overthrown by 4 yards - again definitely open. 3rd and 10. Shotgun Twins Right. Pass over the middle to Marlon Brown, Brown didn't haul it in. 4th and 10. Punt team comes on. Fair Catch at the 10.

UGA 3 - UT 0.

1st and 10 Tennessee at TN 10. 3-4 alignment. We rush four, but the pocket holds pretty well. Bray completes a pass for 15 yards.

1st and 10 at TN 25. 3-4 alignment. They try to run an I-form Power 0 to the right, but we clog it. Gain of 1. 2nd and 9. 3-4. They run a guy in motion, then swing it out to him. Branden Smith fights off a block and gets enough of him to trip him for a 9 yard gain. But, there's a flag on the play - offsides on Georgia. 2nd and 4. 3-4. We rush 4 and blitz Herrera from the Right side of the defense. Gilliard and Jones both read no receivers in the middle, and turn to the outside. The TE, who had faked a block releases into the empty zone and snags the pass from Bray. He gains about 16. This will be a coaching point - be sure to make a solid read on that tight-end before turning your back to the middle of the field. More reps will make this less of an issue.

1st and 10 at TN 48. They're playing Rocky Top again. ugh. 3-4. They try to run the power again, and again we stuff it. 3-4. We run a twist with Jones, who doesn't come close, and Bray hits the TE wide open on the drag. I'm not certain of our coverage. It looks like Robinson got confused on his assignment and was covering the back coming out of the backfield instead of the tight-end. Gain of 15.

1st and 10 at UGA 37. 3-4. They run a toss-right with pulling linemen. Herrera knifes through and gets a shot on the ballcarrier. Gain of 6. 2nd and 4. 3-4. They try a toss left, but Jarvis Jones fights through his block and stops the runner in the backfield. loss of 3. 3rd and 8. 3-4. Timeout Georgia. Looks like Jones and Robinson may have been confused on their coverage responsibilities, but that's pure conjecture on my part. 3rd and 8. 3-4. We rush 4, again running the twist with Jones without success...Robinson hangs in the middle. I can't tell if he's spying the QB or the tight-end, but my guess is Tight End because I doubt we expect Bray to be running for it. If he was spying the tight-end, then good on Grantham for fixing that issue quickly. Bray can't find a man and throws incomplete out of bounds. 4th and 8. They decide to go for it. 3-3-5. We rush 5 and they go max-protect, so we don't have a shot at getting in there. Bray hits Da'Rick Rodgers for about 11 yards and he gets STUCK by Branden Smith. First Down TN - but I'm so glad to see Smith - our "Small" corner - make a hit like that.

1st and 10 at UGA 23. 3-4. We rush 5 on their playaction. Lane releases late, and no one picks him up. Bray hits him and he gains all the way to the UGA 7.

1st and Goal at UGA 7. 3-4. They try to toss it wide, but Williams and Vasser cut it off. Lane attempts to cut it back, but there's a host of Dawgs there. Loss of 4. 2nd and goal. 3-3-5. We run the twist with Jones and Tyson, and Tyson comes very close...even gets a piece of Bray after he lets it go. The pressure forces an overthrow out of bounds. 3rd and Goal. 3-4. We rush 5, Bray lobs one into the endzone, but his TE falls down. The officials try to say it's a missed PI. Oh well. 4th and Goal - fieldgoal unit comes out and knocks it in.

UGA 3 - UT 3.

Kickoff. Boykin takes the ball a yard deep and runs it out to the 17 where he's taken down by the head. Refs miss an obvious facemask.

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 17. I-Form Normal TE right. Crowell back in. We run what looks like an ISO or Stretch Lead to the weakside, but Isaiah hesitates just a bit too long in making his cut. He gets only 1. 2nd and 9. Ace Formation, Twins Right with TE and Wing to the left. Playaction bootleg left, Murray hits a wide open Malcom Mitchel for 12 yards.

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 30. I Form Normal, TE left. Lead to the right. Terrible blocking on this play. I can't decide if they blitzed the corner, or if our Wideout just didn't block him, but he went straight at Crowell. Bean whiffed on the DE, then Zander whiffed on both that same DE and a LB. All three of these defenders were in on the tackle. A bunch of minus in blocking. 2nd and 10. Shotgun Twins Left TE right,Thomas set to the left. We run a sweep right with Jones and Burnette pulling. Both guys make great blocks, pancaking the defense. Thomas cuts it up and picks up 5. 3rd and 5. Shotgun doubles. Thomas set right. Murray tries to hit Marlon Brown on a slant, but the TN linebacker hits him early. Pass Interference.

1st and 10 at UGA 38. Shotgun Twins left, TE right, Thomas Left. We run the same sweep as before, Burnette and Jones both nail their blocks again, and Thomas gains 7. 2nd and 3. I Form with Aron White at Wing to the left, Samuel at HB. Murray sells the fake toss to the left so hard, that all three linebackers take a full step in that direction. Aron White slips out to the right and Murray hits him for a gain of 4.

1st and 10 at UGA 49. I Form Normal. Play-Action deep strike to Malcolm Mitchell. 43 yard gain to the 5. But, Mitchell has to slow down for the ball. This is a touchdown if Murray hits it right. But, he had overthrown King twice, and took some off this throw. Reps. Reps. Reps. The guy HAS to learn the speed of his receivers if he wants to break games open.

1st and Goal at TN 7. ESPN misses the play. Samuel carried for about 2. That's all I know. 2nd and Goal. I Form Twins Left. Play-Action, they rush 5 but the pocket holds. Murray wings one up for Bennett (double covered) but it's out of his reach. Murray put the ball where he had to in order to give only Bennett a shot at it. It looks like Bennett was the second read, and he went there after noticing King was in too much traffic. 3rd and goal. Shotgun twins left, TE right, Samuel left. Timeout Georgia. 3rd and goal. Shotgun Doubles, Samuel left. Murray sends Samuel in motion to make it an empty set. Murray hits King in the hands over the middle - but he drops it. Don't know that it would have been a touchdown. It looked like King's route was much more like a drag than a slant - and had he caught the ball, he would have been at the 4 - with three TN guys nearby. I have to think that route was supposed to take King into the endzone for the catch....at least I hope so. 4th and Goal. Field Goal. Good.

UGA 6 - UT 3. Kickoff. taken at the 5, upended at the 27.

1st and 10 UT at the UT 27. 3-3-5. We rush 4, looks like the same twist with Tyson and Jones again. Bray throws long out of bounds. 2nd and 10. 3-3-5. Draw play. For once, we DON'T run the twist with Jones...and it hurts. Just bad luck on that one. Lane weaves for 8 yards. 3rd and 2. 3-3-5. They go max protect - 7 guys to block our 5. Bray tosses one up to a leaping receiver who catches the ball in open space at our 47 and is immediately planted by Rambo. I'm confused about the coverage on this one. Smith, Boykin, and Rambo have two receivers to cover. Smith starts dropping with the receiver who ultimately makes the catch, but he leaves him to cover the flats. Boykin never gets much depth, and Rambo comes over the top but can't get there in time to break up the play. Must have been a zone - but I don't understand the specifics of it.

1st and 10 UT at UGA 46. 3-3-5 alighment again. Drew and Jones make good upfield rushes, but can't get there. Still, Bray wings it out of bounds. 2nd and 10. 3-3-5. Bray completes a pass to Lane underneath, but Ray Drew is choke-slammed and the refs throw the flag. Personal Foul for hands-to-the-face. 1st and 25. 3-3-5. They run a screen and it sets up very well for them. Lane stiff-arms Rambo after gaining 15, and gets 12 more.

1st and 10 UT at UGA 34. 3-3-5. We rush 4 but get nowhere. They throw to Lane out of the backield for a gain of 8, but there's a flag. Illegal Formation on TN. 1st and 15. 3-3-5. Clock play. 2nd and 15. We blitz both Boykin and Rambo. Bray gets the throw off and hits Da'Rick Rogers at the 27. 3rd and 2. Field Goal unit is on and the kick is good as time expires.

UGA 6 - UT 6.

So, that's the half. Neither team did anything great, and neither did anything disastrous to itself either. A couple of things I noticed -

Tennessee loves shifts and motions. I haven't noticed that any of it has given them any kind of competitive advantage. We haven't been fooled by it, that's for sure.

Also, it looks to me that when our DBs blitz, they're not coming off the edge at full speed, and we're not getting great pressure. We get some pressure, make Bray a little uncomfortable, but we're really not killing them up front. Our blitz packages don't seem to confuse them very much. We haven't had a guy run free yet. That'd be nice to see in the second half.

Our Run D is still just crushing it.

We all know the second half is much more impressive on offense, so come on back to read about the breakdown of the third and fourth quarters tomorrow!

Go Dawgs!

UGA - UT Film Study: Quarter Two

So, here we are...starting out the second quarter with a 3-0 lead, and facing a 3rd and 7. Tennessee has been able to slow us down, but never really stop us as we are on our second possession of the night. Can't believe the whole first quarter was swallowed by one possession on each side of the ball. That's terrible. So much for the no-huddle allowing us to get so many more plays in.

But I digress.

UGA 3 - TN 0

3rd and 7 Georgia at the UGA 48. Shotgun Twins Right. Carlton Thomas at HB, Murray motions him to the right. Designed QB draw. Motioning Thomas out to the right opened the lane as TN was in man coverage, and the LB followed Thomas outside. It looks like this was a Draw-option-to-throw - Thomas and Charles both appeared to run routes while the wideouts went straight for blocks. That's an interesting play design if that is in fact what it was. Gain of 8. First Down Georgia!

1st and 10 at UT 45. Shotgun twins right. Thomas at HB. We slide protection to the right, rollout right pass to Tavarres King on a short out. The pass is incomplete, ruled that King's foot is out of bounds. He was dragging his back foot, but I guess his front foot came down out of bounds before he had the ball. 2nd and 10. Shotgun Twins Right. Play-Action deep for King, overthrown by 4 yards - again definitely open. 3rd and 10. Shotgun Twins Right. Pass over the middle to Marlon Brown, Brown didn't haul it in. 4th and 10. Punt team comes on. Fair Catch at the 10.

UGA 3 - UT 0.

1st and 10 Tennessee at TN 10. 3-4 alignment. We rush four, but the pocket holds pretty well. Bray completes a pass for 15 yards.

1st and 10 at TN 25. 3-4 alignment. They try to run an I-form Power 0 to the right, but we clog it. Gain of 1. 2nd and 9. 3-4. They run a guy in motion, then swing it out to him. Branden Smith fights off a block and gets enough of him to trip him for a 9 yard gain. But, there's a flag on the play - offsides on Georgia. 2nd and 4. 3-4. We rush 4 and blitz Herrera from the Right side of the defense. Gilliard and Jones both read no receivers in the middle, and turn to the outside. The TE, who had faked a block releases into the empty zone and snags the pass from Bray. He gains about 16. This will be a coaching point - be sure to make a solid read on that tight-end before turning your back to the middle of the field. More reps will make this less of an issue.

1st and 10 at TN 48. They're playing Rocky Top again. ugh. 3-4. They try to run the power again, and again we stuff it. 3-4. We run a twist with Jones, who doesn't come close, and Bray hits the TE wide open on the drag. I'm not certain of our coverage. It looks like Robinson got confused on his assignment and was covering the back coming out of the backfield instead of the tight-end. Gain of 15.

1st and 10 at UGA 37. 3-4. They run a toss-right with pulling linemen. Herrera knifes through and gets a shot on the ballcarrier. Gain of 6. 2nd and 4. 3-4. They try a toss left, but Jarvis Jones fights through his block and stops the runner in the backfield. loss of 3. 3rd and 8. 3-4. Timeout Georgia. Looks like Jones and Robinson may have been confused on their coverage responsibilities, but that's pure conjecture on my part. 3rd and 8. 3-4. We rush 4, again running the twist with Jones without success...Robinson hangs in the middle. I can't tell if he's spying the QB or the tight-end, but my guess is Tight End because I doubt we expect Bray to be running for it. If he was spying the tight-end, then good on Grantham for fixing that issue quickly. Bray can't find a man and throws incomplete out of bounds. 4th and 8. They decide to go for it. 3-3-5. We rush 5 and they go max-protect, so we don't have a shot at getting in there. Bray hits Da'Rick Rodgers for about 11 yards and he gets STUCK by Branden Smith. First Down TN - but I'm so glad to see Smith - our "Small" corner - make a hit like that.

1st and 10 at UGA 23. 3-4. We rush 5 on their playaction. Lane releases late, and no one picks him up. Bray hits him and he gains all the way to the UGA 7.

1st and Goal at UGA 7. 3-4. They try to toss it wide, but Williams and Vasser cut it off. Lane attempts to cut it back, but there's a host of Dawgs there. Loss of 4. 2nd and goal. 3-3-5. We run the twist with Jones and Tyson, and Tyson comes very close...even gets a piece of Bray after he lets it go. The pressure forces an overthrow out of bounds. 3rd and Goal. 3-4. We rush 5, Bray lobs one into the endzone, but his TE falls down. The officials try to say it's a missed PI. Oh well. 4th and Goal - fieldgoal unit comes out and knocks it in.

UGA 3 - UT 3.

Kickoff. Boykin takes the ball a yard deep and runs it out to the 17 where he's taken down by the head. Refs miss an obvious facemask.

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 17. I-Form Normal TE right. Crowell back in. We run what looks like an ISO or Stretch Lead to the weakside, but Isaiah hesitates just a bit too long in making his cut. He gets only 1. 2nd and 9. Ace Formation, Twins Right with TE and Wing to the left. Playaction bootleg left, Murray hits a wide open Malcom Mitchel for 12 yards.

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 30. I Form Normal, TE left. Lead to the right. Terrible blocking on this play. I can't decide if they blitzed the corner, or if our Wideout just didn't block him, but he went straight at Crowell. Bean whiffed on the DE, then Zander whiffed on both that same DE and a LB. All three of these defenders were in on the tackle. A bunch of minus in blocking. 2nd and 10. Shotgun Twins Left TE right,Thomas set to the left. We run a sweep right with Jones and Burnette pulling. Both guys make great blocks, pancaking the defense. Thomas cuts it up and picks up 5. 3rd and 5. Shotgun doubles. Thomas set right. Murray tries to hit Marlon Brown on a slant, but the TN linebacker hits him early. Pass Interference.

1st and 10 at UGA 38. Shotgun Twins left, TE right, Thomas Left. We run the same sweep as before, Burnette and Jones both nail their blocks again, and Thomas gains 7. 2nd and 3. I Form with Aron White at Wing to the left, Samuel at HB. Murray sells the fake toss to the left so hard, that all three linebackers take a full step in that direction. Aron White slips out to the right and Murray hits him for a gain of 4.

1st and 10 at UGA 49. I Form Normal. Play-Action deep strike to Malcolm Mitchell. 43 yard gain to the 5. But, Mitchell has to slow down for the ball. This is a touchdown if Murray hits it right. But, he had overthrown King twice, and took some off this throw. Reps. Reps. Reps. The guy HAS to learn the speed of his receivers if he wants to break games open.

1st and Goal at TN 7. ESPN misses the play. Samuel carried for about 2. That's all I know. 2nd and Goal. I Form Twins Left. Play-Action, they rush 5 but the pocket holds. Murray wings one up for Bennett (double covered) but it's out of his reach. Murray put the ball where he had to in order to give only Bennett a shot at it. It looks like Bennett was the second read, and he went there after noticing King was in too much traffic. 3rd and goal. Shotgun twins left, TE right, Samuel left. Timeout Georgia. 3rd and goal. Shotgun Doubles, Samuel left. Murray sends Samuel in motion to make it an empty set. Murray hits King in the hands over the middle - but he drops it. Don't know that it would have been a touchdown. It looked like King's route was much more like a drag than a slant - and had he caught the ball, he would have been at the 4 - with three TN guys nearby. I have to think that route was supposed to take King into the endzone for the catch....at least I hope so. 4th and Goal. Field Goal. Good.

UGA 6 - UT 3. Kickoff. taken at the 5, upended at the 27.

1st and 10 UT at the UT 27. 3-3-5. We rush 4, looks like the same twist with Tyson and Jones again. Bray throws long out of bounds. 2nd and 10. 3-3-5. Draw play. For once, we DON'T run the twist with Jones...and it hurts. Just bad luck on that one. Lane weaves for 8 yards. 3rd and 2. 3-3-5. They go max protect - 7 guys to block our 5. Bray tosses one up to a leaping receiver who catches the ball in open space at our 47 and is immediately planted by Rambo. I'm confused about the coverage on this one. Smith, Boykin, and Rambo have two receivers to cover. Smith starts dropping with the receiver who ultimately makes the catch, but he leaves him to cover the flats. Boykin never gets much depth, and Rambo comes over the top but can't get there in time to break up the play. Must have been a zone - but I don't understand the specifics of it.

1st and 10 UT at UGA 46. 3-3-5 alighment again. Drew and Jones make good upfield rushes, but can't get there. Still, Bray wings it out of bounds. 2nd and 10. 3-3-5. Bray completes a pass to Lane underneath, but Ray Drew is choke-slammed and the refs throw the flag. Personal Foul for hands-to-the-face. 1st and 25. 3-3-5. They run a screen and it sets up very well for them. Lane stiff-arms Rambo after gaining 15, and gets 12 more.

1st and 10 UT at UGA 34. 3-3-5. We rush 4 but get nowhere. They throw to Lane out of the backield for a gain of 8, but there's a flag. Illegal Formation on TN. 1st and 15. 3-3-5. Clock play. 2nd and 15. We blitz both Boykin and Rambo. Bray gets the throw off and hits Da'Rick Rogers at the 27. 3rd and 2. Field Goal unit is on and the kick is good as time expires.

UGA 6 - UT 6.

So, that's the half. Neither team did anything great, and neither did anything disastrous to itself either. A couple of things I noticed -

Tennessee loves shifts and motions. I haven't noticed that any of it has given them any kind of competitive advantage. We haven't been fooled by it, that's for sure.

Also, it looks to me that when our DBs blitz, they're not coming off the edge at full speed, and we're not getting great pressure. We get some pressure, make Bray a little uncomfortable, but we're really not killing them up front. Our blitz packages don't seem to confuse them very much. We haven't had a guy run free yet. That'd be nice to see in the second half.

Our Run D is still just crushing it.

We all know the second half is much more impressive on offense, so come on back to read about the breakdown of the third and fourth quarters tomorrow!

Go Dawgs!

UGA - UT Film Study: Quarter One

I have to say, getting ready to watch the first half of this game again isn't exactly something I'm in love with. I remember what happened - two whole field goals. Six Points. But, at least I know it gets better in the second half. I'm watching the pre-game guys right now, talking about how Tennessee has one of the better offenses in the country. At least Cunningham believed in us and our easy schedule. He just said something that makes my skin crawl. In talking about Isiah Crowell Cunningham said, "he's really changed this offense for Georgia. They've gone from more of a spread against Boise State to now being a power running team."

Haven't we ALWAYS been a power-running team? Ugh. What the hell was that Boise game all about? Ok, enough of that. Quarter One.

Kickoff, Touchback. UGA ball at the UGA 20.

1st and 10 Georgia at UGA 20. I Form, twins right. We go play-action to Tavarres King. Bean lets the DE straight through, and he blows up Isiah. Great Fake. King picks up 11.

1st and 10 at UGA 31. Shotgun Split TE left. TN sits in zone, Crowell can't handle the swing pass. It was a good pass. The first time, I thought it was too far in front, but if it was, it was by 2 inches. Just bounced of Isiah's hands. If he catches it, it's at least 5 yards, maybe more as the LB was late getting outside. 2nd and 10. Shotgun Bunch Left. Tavarres King mishandles a 7 yard pass from Murray. It hit him square in the hands. 3rd and 10. Shotgun Twins Left. King runs a curl at 9 yards. You'd think he'd go 11. He went 9. Tackled immediately. 4th and 1. TN calls timeout before Murray snaps it and sneaks for the first. Instead, we wait. 4th and 1. Tackle Over Power-I Strong Right (man, this alignment suggests we are DEFINITELY running to the right...then we don't. Sneaky.) We run a weak toss. The blocking scheme on this play is great, and everyone gets his man. Zander's block springs Isiah to the outside where he runs through two guys after picking up eleven yards. First down. By the way, after the game, no one will talk about how great of a play design or a playcall this was - this is a piece of great playcalling by Bobo that no one will mention. They'll talk about Richt being a "man" and going for it on 4th and 1 from inside his own 40 on the opening drive. But, they won't talk about a play that set everything up to go to the right, and then shot around the left end for 11 yards. So damnit, I'm talking about it.

1st and 10 at TN 49. Shotgun Doubles. Branden Smith at HB. Swing pass out to Smith. This was a one-man route. All the other receivers were blocking. He didn't look too comfortable getting after the catch, never really got going. Gain of one. 2nd and 9. Shotgun Twins Left. Smith still at HB. Sprint Sweep left. Smith has the corner, but Tavarres King "Chicken Fights" with the DB instead of blocking him. Cunningham says "got a good block from his wide receiver". I disagree. The only good thing about this block is that he didn't get called for holding. I want our WRs to block like Hines Ward. If King puts a hat on that man, and turns him, Smith is off to the races. At is stands, gain of 17. Not too shabby, but we don't put Smith at HB just to get a first down. He's in there to break a big play for a score. We missed on that one.

1st and 10 at TN 32. Shotgun Twins Right. Crowell back at HB. Murray hits Crowell on a drag out of the backfield for five yards. TN was playing what looks to be a deep cover-3 or cover-4, and every route except the drag was 10+ yards (according to what I can see on broadcast). The checkdown was the only option. 2nd and 5. Ace Twins Right. This looks like it may have been a weak zone running play to the right. Unluckily, TN had a corner blitz (I think he's a corner...or an undersized LB) on. He blew it up immediately. Also strange, was the penetration by the DT at the "1" technique. Both Jones and Dallas Lee basically whiffed on him. This prevented Isiah from having any kind of cutback option. He didn't have much opportunity to cut back, but it looks like Jones put one arm on the DT, and then Lee just didn't get a body on him. Everyone else seemed to cover their guys up. Loss of 1. 3rd and 6. Shotgun Twins Right. Designed QB Draw. Ben Jones bellyflops at the feet of the MLB instead of blocking him. It does trip the LB, but he's able to stay up enough to force Murray into an ill-advised jump over him. Murray trips and falls just shy of the first down. 4th and 1. Tackle Over Offset Power-I Strong Right. The play is basically an ISO...no pulling, nothing fancy - just line up, knock the piss out of the guy in front of you, and let's get a first down. Which we did.

1st and 10 at UT 21. I-Form Normal TE Right. FB Fake, HB pitch weak. Crowell picks up three before fumbling the ball out of bounds. This is the play where Crowell hurt his wrist. 2nd and 7. Shotgun Twins Right. Branden Smith back in at HB. Sweep Right to Smith. This play was just plain not good. First, that same CB, #24, was either Spying Smith, was on a delay blitz, or had responsibility for the HB in pass coverage, because he was watching Smith all the way and came straight upfield at him. Smith evaded, but was bottled up immediately by the LB, #40. The strange part is, I don't see anyone who would have had a blocking assignment for #40. Some plays will leave a man unblocked and force the ball-carrier to go one-on-one against him. However, I've never seen a play that leaves two men unblocked to the playside. Dallas Lee pulls around, and it's possible that he's expected to get to the LB...but I doubt it, because there's a DE right there as well. Lee gets a good block on the DE, but since nobody blocked the LB, the play was done for. Could be that they called this play at the perfect time just like before, or, it could be that they are on alert for any Corner in the backfield. Smith picks up 2 on the play. 3rd and 5. Shotgun Twins Left. Carlton Thomas in at HB. Tennessee drops seven. Murray hits the top of his drop, and immediately goes to run. Chris Burnette had been beat by the DT and Murray must have thought he could pick up the 5 on his own. Instead, he was sacked for loss of 2 yards. It sucks, because one guy got beat, and that guy cost us the chance at points. But, I have a bigger problem with this play. At the onset of the play, We have twins left, and they have two guys lined up over top of them. The CB lined up on Tavarres King is playing 7 yards off the line of scrimmage, and a full 10 yards away from TK. How is there not a hot-route call that gets the ball into TK's hands very quickly? More importantly, at the snap, the CB DROPS. That means he's playing even further back. That makes a quick 5-yard hitch a LOCK and a first down. I don't know if that's not one of the reads on that play or what, but if we need five yards, and the DB is playing that far off, I'm gonna give my receiver a chance to play some ball. King does run a 10-yard curl. But, by the time he turns around, Murray is on the ground. 4th and 7. Walsh in for the fieldgoal, and the Dawgnation holds its breath. The kick is Good. 14 plays, 6:13 off the clock.

UGA - 3 TN - 0

Kickoff. Very high, taken at the 5. First man to him trips him up, down at the 18.

1st and 10 Tennessee at UT 18. 3-4 alignment. 4-man rush (Jones) with Zone behind it. They throw a Swing pass to Tauren Poole. Herrera and Boykin overrun it at the LOS, and he picks up 7. 2nd and 3. 3-3-5 alignment. We send 2 LBS and Boykin. Boykin takes a bad angle and doesn't make the play in the backfield. Gain of 3 - an inch short. 3rd and inches. They sneak it for the first.

1st and 10 at UT 30. 3-4 alignment. Jarvis Jones blows this one. He pursues straight down the line, and the ball comes on a reverse. He ignores the FB coming his way to block him...just doesn't read the play well. Neal takes the ball 11 yards, then fumbles. Herrera appears to recover the ball, having both the ball and Neal's leg securely in his hands. But, apparently because Neal had one hand on the ball that was under his ass, it's his. Official review says the ball belongs to TN - even in so much that it was "Confirmed." They play "Rocky Top" after the review. What an awful song.

1st and 10 at UT 41. 3-4 alignment. They run an ISO and find out why it's hard to run up the middle on us. They have to double Jenkins, so Gilliard is free to take the FB on man-man. Gilliard stuffs the block, Poole has to cut. Chase Vasser hits him in the hole, and he bounces off into the arms of Abry Jones. No Gain. 2nd and 10. 3-4. They try a quick slant but it's dropped. 3rd and 10. 2-4-5. We blitz both MLB in the A gaps and the safety as well, but get no penetration. We run a zone behind it, and they throw a quick-hitter to the TE, who had slipped between Robinson's and Gilliard's zones. Gain of 19 on the play.

1st and 10 at UGA 40. 3-4. We call a safety blitz from the weak side of their formation, but they toss it strong-side. Still, they can't string us out and we stop the run for a short gain. 2nd and 8. 3-4. We run a twist with Jones, but it doesn't get home. Bray throws over the middle, knocked away by Herrera. 3rd and 8. 3-3-5. They run a draw, and it works perfectly as Jones gets caught rushing upfield. Lane cuts back to wide open space. Pick up of nine.

1st and 10 at UGA 34. 3-4 they try a reverse again, but we blow it up for a four yard loss. 2nd and 14. 3-4. We run that same twist again with Jones, still gets nowhere. Jones then drops, and bites on a pump-fake by Bray. This doesn't hurt us, but if he'd kept his eyes towards Bray, he may have been able to pick off the dump-off Bray attempted to Lane. Instead, Gilliard knocks it to the ground. 3rd and 14. 3-4. Bray misses his TE on an out-route that would only have gotten them a closer field goal try, as he was about 6 yards shy of the first down. 4th and 14, field goal attempt NO GOOD. Turnover.

UGA 3 - UT - 0

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 34. Shotgun Twins Right, TE right. PA rollout right, Murray rushes for 2 yards, out of bounds. 2nd and 8. Shotgun Twins Left, TE left. We sweep it, but it's read immediately. Their safety was playing downhill all the way. Loss of 3. 3rd and 11. Shotgun Trips right. Carlton Thomas at HB. Deep out complete to Tavarres King for a gain of 11. 4th and inches. Ace Twins left. Murray takes a designed QB run around left end for 1st down.

1st and 10 UGA at UGA 45. I-Formation Normal. TE Left. Play-Action deep to Tavarres King. Overthrown by 4 yards. Commentator says Murray missed a wide-open Charles for about 15 yards. The angle isn't good on it...looks like the Safety is there, but had Murray made that read in time, he probably could have made the throw as well. But I can't speak to the route he should have thrown, I can only say that he needs to get a better feel for the speed of each receiver. He needs to know where to throw for Mitchell, and where to throw for King and where to throw for Bennett, because they all have different speeds and abilities. When are we going to have a QB again who truly knows how to place a deep ball? 2nd and 10. I Formation Twins Left. ISO weak for a gain of 3. Commentator says something about bulldogs bumping into each other in the backfield. That didn't happen.

End of 1st Quarter. UGA - 3, UT - 0

Well, 3-0 isn't exactly how I'd want the quarter to go, but I'll take it. Let's look at the positives - we picked up three 4th down conversions. We didn't give up any points. We stiffened in the redzone when we needed to. We moved the ball well with both the run and the pass. We did not punt.

These are good things. And, as the second quarter begins - we're near midfield and facing a 3rd and 7. Even though you know the ultimate outcome, you know you want to read the breakdown. So, come back for Quarter Two!!!

Four Game Winning Streak, No Reason to Rank Us.

I watched the UGA-TN game with a couple of friends and the subject of what it would take for UGA to get back in the top 25 came up. I basically said, when we beat Florida, we'll be back in. My friend said, if we win today, we'll be back in.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but I will just for a little patting-on-the-back of my own,

We won, we aren't in the top 25. Georgia dropped 2 games to start the season (one of which was a three-point loss to a team Currently ranked #15 whose only loss is to an unranked team). Since then, all we've done is win every game quite handily. Sure, we aren't hanging 50 points on every team, but the other teams have never really been in the ballgame. That's dominance. Still, we aren't in the top-25. Auburn has two losses, and has had to suck-out against bad teams (Utah-State, Mississippi State) to get two of their 4 wins. They have not been dominant in a single game. Auburn is in the top 25 in one poll. We aren't.

We won't likely be in the top 25 with a win over Vandy either. "Why?" you ask...well, I'll tell you.

We haven't done anything. Yes, we've won 4 games in a row, and one was in Neyland Stadium. But, the other victories came against a community college, a team that plays simply so that the co-eds will come hang out in the Grove, and an also-ran who everyone was hot about until they started playing football games. Vandy is no different. Georgia should always beat Vanderbilt. We don't - but we should. So, being 5-2 after playing decent competition only twice (and losing both of those games) will not get us much clout with the voters.

As the polls shake down this week, Georgia was listed as "others getting votes" in both. In the AP poll, we were 4th among those. In the Coaches' poll, 8th.

What does this mean? It means that we not only have to beat Vandy, but we have to beat Vandy more convincingly than any of the teams in front of us, AND someone in the 18-25 range has to lose. There are currently two 2-loss schools in that range - Auburn in the AP, and TA&M in the Coaches' poll.

A&M plays Baylor next - and could easily drop that one to all-world Qb Robert Griffin III, while Auburn plays Florida. What I hate about the AU-Florida matchup is that neither loss helps UGA in the polls. If Florida wins, then they beat a top 25 team, and likely just switch places with Auburn in the rankings (UF fell out this week). If Auburn wins, well, they win.

The rest of the teams from 18-25 and their matchups are as follows:

ASU plays Oregon, and will be expected to lose. A loss should not drop them out of the top 25 to be replaced by a UGA team that beats Vandy.

VT should beat Wake (WTF FSU?)

I like Baylor to beat A&M. If they don't, UGA faces the same no-win situation as with FL and AU.

TX - OSU is a tougher one to call, but the way Oklahoma beat up on them through the air, I'd say it's a likely loss. Then, though, their wins are very suspect. Texas COULD fall from the top 25.

Mich State takes on Michigan, and is likely to lose. They could potentially fall from the top 25.

Houston will beat Marshall.

Penn State - Purdue is a tougher call. If Purdue is able to pull one out against State, State will fall out. If State wins, but not convincingly, they could be jumped by someone behind them...but not likely by a team with 2 losses.

THEN

We have to look at the other teams who can slide UP into the rankings. UNC is 5-1, and plays Miami this week. A win would make them 6-1, with their only loss being a one-score defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech. UNC would move up before UGA.

Washington should beat Colorado to move to 5-1. Again, their only loss is to a top 15 team.

Notre Dame is idle this week, but at 4-2 they have a win over a top 15 program. They could still get the votes.

A South Florida win over Connecticut wouldn't be more impressive than a UGA win over Vandy, but it would put the Bulls at 5-1, a 1/2 game better than UGA's 5-2.

Simply put, we lost all the voters in those first two weeks. Georgia had two marquee games to open the season, and did not take advantage. If we split those games, we're a top 15 team right now. We didn't. We don't have many marquee games left, either. No one will care if UGA destroys Vandy, because we're supposed to. So, don't be shocked if we win 55-0 and still aren't in the top 25.

No, our opportunity comes in three weeks down in Jacksonville. God Willing, Florida will defeat Auburn, and we'll roll into Jacksonville facing a top-25 team which has beaten us in 15 of the last 18 contests. Win that one, and some people will take notice. Win that one, and the momentum will really be moving, and the Coaches and AP will have to pay attention. If we beat Vandy and Florida, we will widely become known as the "Best 2-loss team" in the country. By week 8, that's enough to get you into the top 25.

Go Dawgs.

Richt gets win 100, Dawgs fail on 3rd and 57

Ok....I'm going to actually do a real blog later, but I just wanted to put those two things up in the headline, because they seem to be two of the biggest talking points in the game. Richt gets win 100 - a season later than many fans wanted, but still a great milestone for a great, and YES, DAMNIT - I said GREAT coach. Oh yeah, and the Dawgs had a 3rd and 57.

Here's what I don't get about the playcall on third and 57 - why did we even run a play? Why risk an injury?

Think about that for a while. I'm going to a friend's birthday party. Great to be 4-2, Great to be a Georgia Bulldog!

Go Dawgs