Georgia Bulldogs 14, South Carolina Gamecocks 7
by T Kyle King on Sep 13, 2008 11:29 PM EDT
in Football
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PrintWell, I was right about the seven-point margin of victory, even if I gave both teams too much credit for offensive firepower. The Red and Black’s 45th series victory over South Carolina and Mark Richt’s 75th career win came in a game that was too close for comfort, although victory by the visitors never seemed to be in doubt.
The Georgia receiving corps had its usual bout with the dropsies, the Bulldog offensive line acquitted itself less well in its first real test than any of us would have liked, and the speedy Gamecock defense allowed next to nothing around the edge.
Both teams went five for 13 on third- and fourth-down attempts, with the Palmetto State Poultry holding the advantage over the Classic City Canines in first downs (20-17), total yards (289-252), and yards per pass (6.8-5.8). While the South Carolina secondary took away the perimeter, the Georgia defensive backfield surrendered far too many receiving yards, particularly up the middle and at the seams, to the tune of 271 passing yards allowed.
Despite having his best receiver sidelined by injury and having distinguished himself previously chiefly through not being Tommy Beecher, Chris Smelley completed 23 of 39 attempts, including a 34-yard touchdown pass to Moe Brown to cap off a 62-yard drive on which the South Carolina quarterback was three for four for 56 yards.
To top it all off, the ‘Dawgs were assessed 112 yards in penalties. In short, it was far from a flawless effort and many areas of concern were highlighted as the Bulldogs head into the meat of their schedule. You know what, though? I feel great.
Yes, there was a lot not to like about this afternoon’s outing in Columbia, and the ‘Dawgs had better be prepared to address some of the weaknesses which were exposed in Williams-Brice Stadium if they have serious designs on contending for an Eastern Division championship, much less any higher prize. However, let’s not overlook the positives:
Under greater pressure, Matthew Stafford looked less sharp, but, despite that (and the fact that some quite catchable balls went through the hands of his receivers), the Georgia quarterback still hooked up on 15 of his 25 tosses for 146 yards. Stafford has never thrown a touchdown pass against the Gamecocks, but, this year, for the first time, he didn’t throw a pick, either. Stafford also tacked on a 30-yard run for good measure.
As anticipated, South Carolina committed to stopping the run, yet Knowshon Rockwell Moreno still managed to rush for 79 bruising yards and the game-winning touchdown while the Georgia D limited the Gamecocks to 18 rushing yards.
The Bulldog defense also came up big when it mattered most. In the fourth quarter, as the visitors clung to a 14-7 lead, the home team mounted a nine-play drive on which a pass interference penalty gave the Gamecocks a first down at the Red and Black’s two yard line. Mike Davis was stuffed for no gain on the next play and, on Davis’s ensuing carry, Rennie Curran forced the fumble that Asher Allen recovered for a touchback.
On South Carolina’s next possession, a Smelley pass to Freddie Brown for eight yards set up second and short at the Georgia 32. The ‘Dawgs held and the ‘Cocks turned the ball over on downs. The Palmetto State Poultry’s final drive made it as far as the Bulldog 17 after a pair of pass interference penalties. Reshad Jones very nearly picked off Smelley’s first-down pass and he succeeded in intercepting the South Carolina quarterback’s second-down throw to close the deal.
What hitherto had been a high-flying Georgia offense went on the road and, facing a South Carolina defense that had given up 12.0 points per game in its first two contests, scored fourteen. A Gamecock O averaging 25.5 points per game was held to seven ticks on the scoreboard by a Georgia D that had given up double-digit point totals in each of its first two outings.
There are, of course, issues in need of addressing, as invariably there are. Lest anyone be overly concerned, though, let me put your mind at ease using a few data outlined in a couple of comments from this afternoon’s game day open comment thread. Consider these scores:
7-0. 21-20. 20-12. 13-10. 13-7. 17-15.
Those are the scores by which the Bulldogs beat the Gamecocks in 1966, 1968, 1976, 1980, 2002, and 2005, respectively. The ‘Dawgs won Southeastern Conference championships in each and every one of those campaigns.
For the game against Georgia Southern, I set a high standard for judging the contest a success, and, although the Red and Black satisfied my previously stated criteria, I still wasn’t altogether satisfied. Against South Carolina, I knew that a win was a win was a win.
The Gamecocks always play Georgia tough. The whole goal of the contest from the Bulldogs’ perspective is to go in, get the W, and get out with no major injuries. This the ‘Dawgs did. Don’t worry about whether it was pretty; it wasn’t, but, against those guys, it never is. Georgia’s record remains unblemished and the team’s goals remain fully intact. That’s all that matters. The Gator faithful know this and so should we.
The Bulldogs did what they had to do. They may not have done even one whit more, but they did enough. Find whatever fault you will with 14-7, but know that, if nothing else, it’s a darned sight better than 16-12.
Go ‘Dawgs!
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In the midst of all the whining about our 14-7 victory,
might I point out that our upcoming opponent just lost. To UNLV.
So it could be much, much worse. All you need to do is win and move on.
Thank the Foot
Hey guys, we won. Only thing we need now is a good kicking coach; kick them deep. This golf pouch crap, sideline hash marks is a joke. When will someone catch on to coach notFAB?
Thoughts from another close SC game
I share the sentiment that a win is a win in these games with South Carolina. How ever there were a few things that bothered me. First, the pass rush from our ends needs to get a lot better fast. Second, I was bothered by the lack of adjustment to defending the South Carolina TE. The play late in the second half when he was completely uncovered was worrisome (and just when I was starting to think Coach Martinez knew what he was doing). Third, I agree that the stars played well, but it’s performances from non-stars that take you over the top and these were lacking. I’m thinking specifically of Chandler dropping catchable balls which would have extended drives, Durham missing an opportunity for a TD, Samuel failing to punch in a well set up screen, and very little production from our non-core guys (who I consider Stafford, Green, Mo Mass and Knowshon). If the other receivers aren’t going to produce more, Mo Mass and Green should be on the field more with less rotating.
Although ASU looks less than stellar, once again we’re going to face a wounded and desperate opponent, and this time after our longest road trip in decades. Somehow though I feel like the offense will put a lot more points on the board in that game.
Any news on Sutherland?
My Thoughts
Well, first off, a win is a win. Its cliche and everybody has already said it, but its true. I’ll take 11 more wins like that before one ugly loss. I just wish we could one day play up to our potential against USC.
As for the game, and despite my overall feeling of “blah”, the more I think about it, there are still some things to be pleased about. First off, the ground game. Running between the tackles hasn’t really been up to par the past couple weeks, and yesterday was no different. This team needs Brannan Southerland back something awful. There just isn’t anybody there to absorb that initial contact or seal off a lane inside. Problem was, there wasn’t going to be as much room on the outside due to the speed of USC’s ends. As big a play as the toss sweep is for UGA, pretty much taking it out of our own hands was a painful, but understandable, sacrifice. This wasn’t going to be a game of breaking big runs at any point. It was going to be about grinding out tough yards, which we managed. Hopefully, getting Brannan back will help this. We will need him badly against LSU.
Passing-Drops. Drops. Drops. Ugh. That first drive killer that Chandler muffed changed the game. If UGA goes down and scores right there after a three and out on USC’s first drive, its an entirely different ball game. Our guys are pumped, USC and their fans go into “here we go again” mode, and the game may very well have played out the way we hoped it would. Instead, we flashed back to the start of last season. Chandler’s second drop was a bit more defensible as the ball was a bit behind him, but if you can get your hands on it, it should be caught. Durham’s TD drop was similar-it was difficult, but hands on ball should equal a catch. Chandler’s were killers though. After the second one, Stafford rarely even looked his way. I recall one play in particular where Stafford scrambled out of pressure, rolled to his left, and had Chandler open about 10 yard downfield for a sure first down, assuming he caught the ball. Stafford instead tried to thread the needle downfield to either Tony Wilson or Massaquoi, I forget which, and the ball went out of bounds. Maybe Stafford didn’t see Chandler, but I know he would have had much more confidence in him had those first two catches been made. It also threw off a strategy we could have employed, and should employ if we can find a reliable TE threat. Basically, with the speed and athletic ability that AJ Green has, if he goes downfield on a fly or over the middle on a deep post, the TE will be wide open over the middle at intermediate distance. We could live off that play all year. Teams have to roll coverage toward Green. After those first two plays, we abandoned crossing routes and short slants to Chandler. Overall, and despite a return of the dropsies, we were at the least efficient.
Run Defense-Solid. Very solid. Beyond solid, in fact. When Carolina handed the ball off, I smiled. Also, thanks to Rennie Curran for helping USC to continue their tradition of killer goal line fumbles. He was like a miniature missle locked in directly on the ball. I must admit, I had flashes of the David Pollack play right before that fumble. Same endzone, I was sitting in the same section, and it happened right near the same spot. Good times.
Pass Defense-Now I have some qualms. It seems like our play calling has reverted. We have gone away from the aggressive pass defense that caused Colt Brennan to wander the streets of New Orleans searching for body parts. Yesterday, and particularly in the fourth quarter, we fell back on the play calling that caused losses to Vandy and UK a couple years back. It wasn’t just that the line wasn’t getting much pass rush, but on many plays, they werent even trying. It was like they were playing a contain defense, just trying to keep Smelley in the pocket and nothing more. There was little stunting, and while there was more blitzing, too much of it came from too far outside on the corners or from linebackers who started the play well downfield. What really blew my mind was the reliance on three man lines. Every third down, and on all of USC’s last two drives, we changed to a three man line. Sometimes we would bring a linebacker, sometimes not. Late in the game, this was what led to USC being able to have such success in the passing game. By my count, about 120 of their 290 passing yards came in the fourth quarter against a three man front. We weren’t even trying to bring any pressure, and were playing soft on their receivers. It was like a bad flashback. We may as well have been dropping 11 men into coverage at that point. It seemed as though the vanilla defense we saw in the first two weeks and assumed was the coaches hiding stuff was our real gameplan. This concerns me.
Now, despite those defensive misgivings, we played a hell of a game defensively. As I said, the USC run game was a non factor, and our base defense held them to about 170 yards in the air. As much as I complain, I can’t argue with that. When we run the plays we should, our defense is fine. Its just a matter of doing what we do best all the time.
Special Teams-Blair Walsh on field goals = awesome. That is the type of consistency we will need to see. Kickoffs…ugh. I don’t get it. Both Walsh and Lindley put the ball in the same spots in the game as they did during warm ups. I don’t know if Walsh had the green light to bomb one deep at any point. I know for a fact both of them have end zone power, and until we start kicking deep, I will continue to ask why on earth we refuse too. As Brian Mimbs (MVP!!!) proved, kicking it low and long can work like a charm.
Other stuff-These officials also get an ugh. Not only were they making bad calls, but they just looked clueless. I never thought I would long for Penn Wagers to be roaming the field, but there you go. One thing that I think really affected our game that may have gone overlooked was the failure of the 40 second clock to work. Stafford had been making his final checks with 10 seconds left on the clock. With the noise of the crowd and him not having as solid an idea how much time he had, our ability to adjust at the line was hindered. This led to him being under center and not checking into what may have been a more appropriate play much more.
Phew. All that, and we still won. As I said, I’ll take it. Sorry I got long winded, but I had a four hour drive home last night and little more to do than to think the game over.
The biggest problem for UGA now...
Is after that game, and for the first time this year, they look beatable. Nobody is going to be scared to play you guys anymore. I know I’m not.
You keep thinking that way, LSU Jonno
We looked pretty beatable in Columbia in 2004, when we had to overcome a 16-0 deficit to escape with a 20-16 win.
We looked pretty beatable against South Carolina in 2005, too, when we survived by two points.
Anybody remember how we did against L.S.U. those two years?
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Sep 14, 2008 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree
Who, by the way, do you claim contends otherwise? I surely didn’t.
Why do you suppose that a solid defensive effort on the road to stave off defeat at the hands of a team that beat you in your house last year shouldn’t be a confidence builder? The 2002 Bulldogs certainly seemed to think it was.
Go 'Dawgs!
This "beatable" thing...
Gatorpilot made a similar comment on GABA, and I really don’t get it. Of course Georgia is beatable; even the biggest Dawg homer never expected them to win every game they play by three touchdowns. So what’s the point in calling them beatable? LSU was beatable last year and Florida the year before, but both teams won national titles. The important thing is that UGA won the game and they’re still in the national title hunt, this despite the Gamecocks best effort. That’s about the best you can hope for in the SEC.
Go Cocks!
I remember what happened against LSU those 2 years
UGA won once in Athens and once in Atlanta.
Playing LSU in the Bayou is a whole different ball game.
Oh, come on, SkiGator
It’d be one thing if those games had been close. But 45-16 and 34-14? Do you really think venue made a difference?
By the way, what difference does it make that one of those games was in Atlanta? The ticket allotment is evenly divided. Does it matter at all that, the last time Georgia played in that building before the 2005 S.E.C. championship game, the ’Dawgs lost 34-13 . . . or that, when the Bulldogs played there again (in their very next game after the 2005 S.E.C. championship game), they lost 38-35?
Home field advantage arguments at neutral-site games between teams from the same region are simply silly. How seriously would you take it if I pointed to such outcomes as Florida’s wins over Georgia in Jacksonville in 1990 and 1991, or the Gators’ victory over the Bulldogs in Gainesville in 1994, and said, “Playing Georgia between the hedges is a whole different ball game”? I was there in 1995; no, it wasn’t.
Georgia’s last seven trips to Baton Rouge (in which the Red and Black were 3-3-1 against the Bayou Bengals) have been decided by zero, 13, seven, nine, five, one, and seven points, respectively. Georgia’s last seven trips to Columbia have been decided by nine, 14, eleven, six, four, 18, and seven points, respectively. Sounds like the ’Dawgs are in for a battle in either place, exactly as expected.
The point is that you can’t judge how a team will perform in week eight based on how it performed in week three. That’s a fool’s errand. Did Florida’s 2006 performance against Auburn or L.S.U.’s 2007 performance against Kentucky offer any insight into how those teams would perform against Ohio State?
Besides, Mark Richt is 40-7 (.851) in Sanford Stadium and 26-4 (.867) on opponents’ home fields. Why should playing tough teams on the road be “a whole different ball game” for a coach who has a higher winning percentage on the road than at home?
Go 'Dawgs!
Then I guess I'm just dumber than you, LSU Jonno . . .
. . . and so is Mark Richt, who’s such an idiot that he keeps winning on the road at a greater clip than he does at home.
I guess he’s just like those bumblebees that keep on flying, in spite of all the assertions that it’s aerodynamically impossible for them to do so.
Go 'Dawgs!
And the Germans wondered why they lost the Second World War
Of course their real arithmetical shortfall was thinking that the Soviets weren’t willing to throw any adult male who could walk, armed or not, at them. Goofing on apian aerodynamics was the least of their problems.
The professionals
As I understand it, the Vegas types allot a whole, whopping 2-3 points for the home team (not, by the way, the team closest to the neutral site, but the home team). Because Baton Rouge is so scary, maybe we can put it in the 3-4 point range. Maybe. A huge role? Depends on what you consider huge. Clearly, in many games, 2-5 points is huge.
We all knew this was going to be tough....
But MNC title teams win games like this. Most (well, at least many) UGA fans know the nature of this series and that this was bound to be a tough game. Just because we aren’t rolling like Oklahoma or Southern California shouldn’t be cause for alarm; even though USC looks really good, they have recently become frontrunners and I won’t be surprised if they slip up once. I hate to look at them for inspiration, but I remember a team from Gainesville in ’06 that won similarly ugly games—battles—in conference, only to be underdog to a team that, similarly, rolled through its regular season opponents. If we take care of business—and we control what we can control—everything else will come into place.
It's funny you mention Jacksonville
…because I cannot tell you how many Dawg fans I have heard make the exact argument you dispel above. If I had a nickel for every UGA fan that whined and complained about how unfair it is that the game is only an hour from UF and 5 1/2 from Gainesville and that UF has a huge advantage because of it then I would probably be able to afford to buy a luxury box for this year’s game!
I am aware of Richt’s stellar road record, but I think roughly 100% of sane Dawg fans, if they could change one game on the schedule from away to home, it would be that one.
I was there in 1995 as well. The reason the venue didn’t matter that particular year is because that was the best Gator team in the history of Florida football and UGA fielded one of their weaker teams that season.
You're right
Many Georgia fans make the stupid argument that the Gators have an advantage in Jacksonville because the city is located in the Sunshine State. You may rest assured that I am as impatient with asinine arguments when they are made by my own people as I am when they are made by opposing fans, which is why I have debunked the Jacksonville-bashing before.
This is an argument no Bulldog fan made prior to 1990 and any sensible person knows that the quality of Steve Spurrier’s coaching and the savvy way he arranged for Florida to have a regular open date before facing Georgia had far more to do with the outcomes in the 1990s than the venue did.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Sep 14, 2008 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Exactly!
Anyone who followed the UGA v UF series prior to 1990 (that would exclude a large majority of Gator fans I am guessing as they all believe that football didn’t exist prior to OBC’s arrival), knows that during the 70’s and 80’s the series was domintated by the Red and Black. Venue has nothing to do with the recent trend (which IMO is swinging back our way).
I am glad to see
that there are some Dawgs who don’t buy the “jax is unfair” argument. As a Gator, I can also say that at least some of us wouldn’t be opposed to alternating between Jax and Atlanta so long as the tickets were split as they are now to provide a neutral venue. The GA Dome is a pretty special place for Gators!
Thoughts on Saturday
1. What in the world is going on with our defense? This is basically the same unit as last year (less Kelin and Marcus) yet they sometimes look clueless out there. We have basically no pass rush from our front four which is disturbing in and of itself. We also don’t seem nearly as aggressive on D as we were at the end of the season last year. Hasn’t Willie figured out that playing soft zone only serves to get you beat?
2. Offensive line was pretty much….offensive! They didn’t play horribly, but Knowshon earned all 79 of his yards by himself, there were no holes. Getting Stafford almost killed twice on CB bliztes wasn’t real bright either.
3. Special Teams-THANK GOD FOR BRIAN MIMBS!! That punt saved the game for us, hands down. I think the short kickoff thing has been beaten to a pulp already so I won’t comment on that.
At first I was really disappointed with this game, but upon further review it was a typical UGA v SC game. I think we will learn more after this week out in the desert.
#1
While I agree that the scheme looked far too passive, the defense was missing more than you give them credit for, the defensive line in particular. From last season’s unit, Marcus Howard was lost to the NFL, Jeff Owens is out, and Rod Battle also missed Saturday’s game. That is three quarters of the line, and any team would struggle to replace those kinds of numbers, even if its only for one game (LSU possibly excluded). Battle will be back, but there will still be a problem there. Its enough to make me wonder if we will be seeing more 3-3-5 or even a 3-4, with a speedier Sam linebacker lining up at the line to try and get more of a rush.
One offensive observation
I am amongst those who believe that Knowshon is currently the best player in the country. I also believe that AJ Green has shown that he is the best Dawg receiver out there (apparenty Coach Richt agrees having compated him to Randy Moss). So my question is this: Why in the world does UGA not try to get the ball into the hands of their 2 playmakers more?
I was wondering if Moreno might have been injured because he was standing on the sideline too often during crucial offensive drives.
Kick off Krazy Strategy
I agree with SG (above) what the heck is going through Coach F’s mind? Hey coach your strategy is NOT working. Let the guys kick em deep. Oh, I know you want hang time! It is a physics impossibility to kick into the end zone and get 4.5 hang time. Open a book you dolt; giving the enemy field advantage with pooch kicks, weird hash mark placement is not going to work. Please Coach R; straighten out this nudnick.
Go Dawgs…
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