1. Run the ball, then run it some more - Result - Despite how it looked Georgia actually did do this. They ran the ball 46 times. The reason it was not as successful as it could have been was that it was Harton and Malcome running the ball instead of Crowell and Thomas, though the two did combine for 138 yards on on 32 carries. They started slow but picked it up in the second half. Their biggest problem was the three lost fumbles. I did like what I saw out of them both and think there is some potential when they are called upon. Overall a mixed bag.
2. Don't turn the ball over - Result - Awful. Georgia turned the ball over 4 times. The only reason this was not a back breaker is because the defense also forced 4 turnovers. This is a game Georgia could get away with the turnovers but that won't be the case the rest of the season.
3. Get to the quarterback - Result - Early in the game Kentucky did a decent job of protecting Smith. As the game wore on they had no answer for the Georgia pass rush and more specifically for Jarvis Jones. Once the pass rush got going Kentucky could barely cross the line of scrimmage much less get first downs. They actually had negative yards for the second half going into their last drive of the game.
4. Go for the early knockout punch - Result - Not only did Georgia not get the early knockout they didn't deliver one the whole game. The closest thing to one came late in the third quarter when Jones forced a fumble that led to the lone touchdown of the day. The offense had it chances in the first half to make it a very comfortable game, getting into field goal range five times but for all the effort they only came away with 12 points in the first half. No matter who is at running back Murray needs to lead the team to touchdown drives more often when we have the ball with good field position.
5. Rest the starters as soon as possible - Result - Only one starter got to rest at all and that was because of an injury. Massive fail on this front. I guess if you want to look at it with rose colored glasses you could say that if not for the game staying close then the starters would not have gotten to play a full four quarters since Novemeber 29th and they needed the conditioning of having to do so going into the Georgia Tech game but that is really reaching for a positive.
Prediction - 48-13 - Result - 19-10 I guess it is good the defense out performed my prediction but then again the 13 I predicted was really based on the fact that the second string would give up a late touchdown during mop up duty. Due to my work schedule this week I doubt I'll have time to rewatch the game which actually might be saving myself some really painful moments to watch. Here is what I expect I would come up with if I do get to watch it again: OL = bad. Murray = erractic. Defense = started slow but in the end was way too much for Kentucky to handle. Walsh = the job is his again unless he messes it up. Special teams overall = where has this been most of the season. Ogletree+Jarvis = lots of icebags for the other teams offense.
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
A few thoughts on the game...
Considering how bad Clemson lost to NC State, Oklahoma State losing to Iowa State, Oregon losing to USC, Oklahoma losing to Baylor and all the SEC teams that struggled today against 1AA teams our win over Kentucky looks much better.
Harton and Malcome both have good ability to be able to run the ball. Both have to learn how to hang onto the ball before they I won't be scared everytime they touch the ball. Not sure the extent of the injury to Crowell but I really hope he is back soon. You can argue about his toughness, endurance, and attitude but there is no arguing that when he is in the backfield Georgia is 100 times better on offense. Oh and to any top ten running back recruits out there *ahem Marshall ahem Gurley* we have plenty of carries to go around so feel free to join the Dawgs this off season.
Aaron Murray is 3rd all time in touchdown passes for a career at Georgia, first in single season touchdown passes, on pace to break the single season and career quarterback ratings for the school. Yet he has games like today where he looks extremely average. Games like last week against Auburn when Murray gets rolling he is right amongst the top quarterbacks in the country. If he is on his game he is amazing to watch. However games like today just make you shake your head. I know having basically the 6th and 7th string tailback, if you consider that Ealey and King would be ahead of Harton had they not had to leave the team early, playing all the snaps on offense makes it more difficult on the passing game. Still this is the type game you expect elite quarterbacks to step up and carry the offense. Bobo attempted to let him do just that early in the game. Murray never seemed to feel comfortable in the pocket and made several errant throws. If he plays the way he is capable then running lanes open up and this game is not nearly as close. I really believe he can be a truly elite quarterback but for him to take the next step he has to make the routine plays more consistently.
I would like to welcome back the real Blair Walsh from his season long hiatus, please stick around for three more games. Not sure who has been standing in for him but with a big game against Tech, the SECCG and a pretty solid bowl (BCS??) coming up we are going to need him. With the way the defense is playing it feels great knowing that if we near the 25 yard line we are getting at least 3 points.
The offensive line had been slowly progressing all year. Well it took two steps back this week. Come on big guys we really need you to be at your best from here on out.
During the first half Jarvis Jones and Ogletree pretty much did everything on defense and by themselves seemed to limit Kentucky to ten points. The second half the rest of the defense decided to join them and Kentucky had no answer. Once the entire defense got going you had the feeling that they could have played another 4 quarters and Kentucky would have never threatened the defense.
I would not be fair if I didn't give Trevathan his due. He is as good as any linebacker I have seen play all year. He was not just racking up tackles, 17 of them, he was making plays. He attacked the ball and once he got near our guys it was over. Not sure how he ended up at Kentucky but man they got themselves a good one. Just as I was not sad to see Cobb leave Kentucky last year I will not be sad to see him go and I will look forward to seeing him play in the pros. On your way out though do me one favor Danny, kick Tennessee's butt and make sure they get to stay home for the holidays!
I may have mentioned this before and I will again for sure between the SECCG and the bowl game then again after the bowl game, we need to wrap up Grantham for a few extra years. We are not going to keep him around forever but if we can keep him a year or two extra by throwing a few extra bucks his way and extending his contract beyond that of the normal assistants then I am all for it. There are plenty of other coaches out there that can get the job done but there is no way to know 100% that the guy we end up replacing him with will be one that can. Just like when we had Van Gorder roaming the sidelines every year that Grantham is our DC we will be in the hunt for the SEC title.
Congratulations to the whole team on a hard earned SEC East title, you earned it! Now beat the nerds!
Harton and Malcome both have good ability to be able to run the ball. Both have to learn how to hang onto the ball before they I won't be scared everytime they touch the ball. Not sure the extent of the injury to Crowell but I really hope he is back soon. You can argue about his toughness, endurance, and attitude but there is no arguing that when he is in the backfield Georgia is 100 times better on offense. Oh and to any top ten running back recruits out there *ahem Marshall ahem Gurley* we have plenty of carries to go around so feel free to join the Dawgs this off season.
Aaron Murray is 3rd all time in touchdown passes for a career at Georgia, first in single season touchdown passes, on pace to break the single season and career quarterback ratings for the school. Yet he has games like today where he looks extremely average. Games like last week against Auburn when Murray gets rolling he is right amongst the top quarterbacks in the country. If he is on his game he is amazing to watch. However games like today just make you shake your head. I know having basically the 6th and 7th string tailback, if you consider that Ealey and King would be ahead of Harton had they not had to leave the team early, playing all the snaps on offense makes it more difficult on the passing game. Still this is the type game you expect elite quarterbacks to step up and carry the offense. Bobo attempted to let him do just that early in the game. Murray never seemed to feel comfortable in the pocket and made several errant throws. If he plays the way he is capable then running lanes open up and this game is not nearly as close. I really believe he can be a truly elite quarterback but for him to take the next step he has to make the routine plays more consistently.
I would like to welcome back the real Blair Walsh from his season long hiatus, please stick around for three more games. Not sure who has been standing in for him but with a big game against Tech, the SECCG and a pretty solid bowl (BCS??) coming up we are going to need him. With the way the defense is playing it feels great knowing that if we near the 25 yard line we are getting at least 3 points.
The offensive line had been slowly progressing all year. Well it took two steps back this week. Come on big guys we really need you to be at your best from here on out.
During the first half Jarvis Jones and Ogletree pretty much did everything on defense and by themselves seemed to limit Kentucky to ten points. The second half the rest of the defense decided to join them and Kentucky had no answer. Once the entire defense got going you had the feeling that they could have played another 4 quarters and Kentucky would have never threatened the defense.
I would not be fair if I didn't give Trevathan his due. He is as good as any linebacker I have seen play all year. He was not just racking up tackles, 17 of them, he was making plays. He attacked the ball and once he got near our guys it was over. Not sure how he ended up at Kentucky but man they got themselves a good one. Just as I was not sad to see Cobb leave Kentucky last year I will not be sad to see him go and I will look forward to seeing him play in the pros. On your way out though do me one favor Danny, kick Tennessee's butt and make sure they get to stay home for the holidays!
I may have mentioned this before and I will again for sure between the SECCG and the bowl game then again after the bowl game, we need to wrap up Grantham for a few extra years. We are not going to keep him around forever but if we can keep him a year or two extra by throwing a few extra bucks his way and extending his contract beyond that of the normal assistants then I am all for it. There are plenty of other coaches out there that can get the job done but there is no way to know 100% that the guy we end up replacing him with will be one that can. Just like when we had Van Gorder roaming the sidelines every year that Grantham is our DC we will be in the hunt for the SEC title.
Congratulations to the whole team on a hard earned SEC East title, you earned it! Now beat the nerds!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Prediction - Kentucky
Forgot to add my prediction to the end of my keys to the game for today so here it goes:
48-13. It would be worse but the starters don't play the 4th quarter.
48-13. It would be worse but the starters don't play the 4th quarter.
Keys to the Game - Kentucky Edition
Ok so I know that after watching Iowa State upset Oklahoma State I should be more worried about Kentucky. I am not. However it does serve as a good talking point for Richt to the players before the game. I however am a fan and my not being worried about them means nothing to the game. With that said here are my keys to the game.
1. Run the ball, then run it some more - I love the way that Murray is playing right now. I love the way the receivers are playing right now. I even like the way the team has gotten much better at blocking on passing downs. Kentucky is average against the pass. I think we could pass for 300 yards and light up the score board on Kentucky throwing the ball if we choose. So why do I think we should run the ball? First of all while Kentucky is average at pass defense, they are awful in run defense. I also think that passing the ball leaves a team more open to mistakes. A tipped pass, an errant throw etc. can quickly turn into 7 points for the wrong team. One incompletion on first down puts a team behind on the downs. It gives the other team hope. Running the ball time and again against an over matched opponent demoralizes them. I will take a quick 7 in the passing game but to me nothing says domination like 10 running plays in a row to put the ball in the end zone. At a certain point everyone in the stadium knows what is coming and the defense realizes they can't stop it. That is the quickest way to rip the heart out of a team, especially one that has been beaten badly time and again during the season.
2. Don't turn the ball over - Kentucky has won 10 games in two years. They are 9-1 when winning the turnover battle. That means without the aid of turnovers they have only won one game in two years. Tonight when Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State it was mainly because they turned the ball over 5 times. If Georgia holds onto the ball and does not set Kentucky up with great field position the defense can win this game almost by themselves.
3. Get to the quarterback - In a conference that is dominated by defense Georgia is the best at sacking the quarterback. Kentucky is the worst at giving them up. Kentucky is also starting a freshman at quarterback. Georgia should be able to get to him and force mistakes.
4. Go for the early knockout punch - Early in Georgia's eight game winning streak they had a tendency to get the lead and then relax a bit. Against New Mexico State and Auburn that changed. They saw the chance to put teams away early and did. Kentucky has been very bad during all parts of the game but especially early on. They have scored 6 td's in the first half of games this season while giving up 17. Georgia has given up 8 first half td's (only one in the first quarter) while scoring 27 first half touchdowns. If Georgia can keep that trend up it could put Kentucky far behind early in the game and make Kentucky completely one diminsional as they try to come back. Once that happens the pass rush, key number 3, becomes even more deadly. The other reason to go for the early knockout is that when a team has been struggling and you let them hang around they start to truly believe they can pull the upset. Once that happens it becomes very hard to put them away.
5. Rest the starters as soon as possible - There is no magic number for when a coach should pull his starters. You do not want to pull them too early and risk the other team getting making a come back and having to fight it out at the end of a game that was well in hand. On the other hand the next two weeks promise to be physical games, GT's offensive blocking scheme takes its toll on a defense while either AL or LSU play the most physical style of game of anyone in the country. Getting the starters out of the game early to rest them and protect them from injury would be a great luxury if Georgia can take care of business early in the game to allow mass substitutions.
1. Run the ball, then run it some more - I love the way that Murray is playing right now. I love the way the receivers are playing right now. I even like the way the team has gotten much better at blocking on passing downs. Kentucky is average against the pass. I think we could pass for 300 yards and light up the score board on Kentucky throwing the ball if we choose. So why do I think we should run the ball? First of all while Kentucky is average at pass defense, they are awful in run defense. I also think that passing the ball leaves a team more open to mistakes. A tipped pass, an errant throw etc. can quickly turn into 7 points for the wrong team. One incompletion on first down puts a team behind on the downs. It gives the other team hope. Running the ball time and again against an over matched opponent demoralizes them. I will take a quick 7 in the passing game but to me nothing says domination like 10 running plays in a row to put the ball in the end zone. At a certain point everyone in the stadium knows what is coming and the defense realizes they can't stop it. That is the quickest way to rip the heart out of a team, especially one that has been beaten badly time and again during the season.
2. Don't turn the ball over - Kentucky has won 10 games in two years. They are 9-1 when winning the turnover battle. That means without the aid of turnovers they have only won one game in two years. Tonight when Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State it was mainly because they turned the ball over 5 times. If Georgia holds onto the ball and does not set Kentucky up with great field position the defense can win this game almost by themselves.
3. Get to the quarterback - In a conference that is dominated by defense Georgia is the best at sacking the quarterback. Kentucky is the worst at giving them up. Kentucky is also starting a freshman at quarterback. Georgia should be able to get to him and force mistakes.
4. Go for the early knockout punch - Early in Georgia's eight game winning streak they had a tendency to get the lead and then relax a bit. Against New Mexico State and Auburn that changed. They saw the chance to put teams away early and did. Kentucky has been very bad during all parts of the game but especially early on. They have scored 6 td's in the first half of games this season while giving up 17. Georgia has given up 8 first half td's (only one in the first quarter) while scoring 27 first half touchdowns. If Georgia can keep that trend up it could put Kentucky far behind early in the game and make Kentucky completely one diminsional as they try to come back. Once that happens the pass rush, key number 3, becomes even more deadly. The other reason to go for the early knockout is that when a team has been struggling and you let them hang around they start to truly believe they can pull the upset. Once that happens it becomes very hard to put them away.
5. Rest the starters as soon as possible - There is no magic number for when a coach should pull his starters. You do not want to pull them too early and risk the other team getting making a come back and having to fight it out at the end of a game that was well in hand. On the other hand the next two weeks promise to be physical games, GT's offensive blocking scheme takes its toll on a defense while either AL or LSU play the most physical style of game of anyone in the country. Getting the starters out of the game early to rest them and protect them from injury would be a great luxury if Georgia can take care of business early in the game to allow mass substitutions.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Key players Kentucky edition
Ok so I have been looking really hard to find out which players for Kentucky are their key guys. Which guys like Locke and Cobb that could pose a bit of a threat if we didn't come out ready to play. I wanted to initially stay away from their stats and see what their fans had to say. What the newspapers said etc. I went to their sports blog nation page to see what I could find out. I searched through three pages of posts on the main page at aseaofblue before I got to the last post about football. It was the post game wrap of from their beating at the hands of Vandy. It was written by a guy who did not even attend the game or watch it on TV. I expect Kentucky to be all about basketball this time of year but on their fan blog post page they had more information on the Harvard game this weekend than they did about their own team. With that in mind here are the key players for the game this weekend.
Kentucky
1. Danny Trevathan
2. Wiston Guy Jr.
These two are number one and two in the SEC in tackles. They have two other guys in the top 15 in tackles in the SEC. Now some might look at that as a good thing, I mean isn't it good to lead the conference in something like this? Well in this case it is a very bad thing for them. You don't have four of the top 15 guys in tackles in a conference unless your defense is on the field for a lot of plays. Kentucky's offense hangs them out to dry by not staying on the field. Then when the defense is on the field they do not do a good job of getting off of it. At the end of the game I expect for these guys to have a lot of tackles. That is actually a good thing for Georgia.
3. I don't list anyone else because their leading running back only averages 58 yards a game and their leading receiver about the same. Isaiah Crowell has rushed for more yards than either of their quarterbacks have thrown for. Look I want to treat their team with the respect that the Georgia players have to treat Kentucky with but they just are not very good.
UGA
1. Isaiah Crowell - For a back that is third in the SEC in rushing there still seems to be a higher level that Crowell can reach. Outside of a few exchange problems with Murray Crowell looked the best he has all year in the second half against AU. His focus this week will tell us a lot about how far he has come from a maturity stand point this season.
2. Aaron Murray - He is starting to get comfortable with the offensive line and the receivers and that is scary. he has posted back to back quarterback ratings in the 200's. Kentucky has one of the worst run defenses in the country and is going to have to stack the line to try to slow down the Georgia running game. That should allow Murray the chance to continue his recent pace of 14 touchdowns in the last 4 games. He only attempted 2 passes in the second half of the last two games combined so really his 14 touchdowns have come in 3 games worth of playing time. Despite that the thing that I have liked the best is that he completed 78% of his passes the last two weeks. Early in the year I thought he was playing well but at times he could be inaccurate. If he can improve his career completion % from around 61% to over 65% he is going to make the Georgia offense close to impossible to stop.
3. Jarvis Jones - Kentucky is 113th in the country in sacks allowed with 30. That is 3 sacks a game. Jarvis Jones is 3rd in the country in sacks. That is great news for Georgia, not so good for Kentucky's quarterback. Reports have been that Kentucky will be starting their freshman quarterback since Newton is hurt. Depending on what other guys do this weekend Jones needs only 3 sacks to take the national lead. There is a chance he could do that in the first quarter.
4. Alec Ogletree - He has only really played 3 games this season, his only at linebacker for Georgia. He is still learning the position and working his way back into shape and yet he makes plays all over the field. Ogletree will continue to get better with each snap he plays. As good as everyone on defense is playing he has the biggest upside of anyone on the team.
5. The bench - The last few weeks the bench players have gotten to see a good bit of the field and this week is no different. It may be the last time this season that gets to happen with Georgia Tech, the SECCG and a bowl game coming up. The most important guys to get playing time is the young offensive linemen that are going to be counted on next season. Hopefully the starters will be resting up for Georgia Tech by early 3rd quarter.
Kentucky
1. Danny Trevathan
2. Wiston Guy Jr.
These two are number one and two in the SEC in tackles. They have two other guys in the top 15 in tackles in the SEC. Now some might look at that as a good thing, I mean isn't it good to lead the conference in something like this? Well in this case it is a very bad thing for them. You don't have four of the top 15 guys in tackles in a conference unless your defense is on the field for a lot of plays. Kentucky's offense hangs them out to dry by not staying on the field. Then when the defense is on the field they do not do a good job of getting off of it. At the end of the game I expect for these guys to have a lot of tackles. That is actually a good thing for Georgia.
3. I don't list anyone else because their leading running back only averages 58 yards a game and their leading receiver about the same. Isaiah Crowell has rushed for more yards than either of their quarterbacks have thrown for. Look I want to treat their team with the respect that the Georgia players have to treat Kentucky with but they just are not very good.
UGA
1. Isaiah Crowell - For a back that is third in the SEC in rushing there still seems to be a higher level that Crowell can reach. Outside of a few exchange problems with Murray Crowell looked the best he has all year in the second half against AU. His focus this week will tell us a lot about how far he has come from a maturity stand point this season.
2. Aaron Murray - He is starting to get comfortable with the offensive line and the receivers and that is scary. he has posted back to back quarterback ratings in the 200's. Kentucky has one of the worst run defenses in the country and is going to have to stack the line to try to slow down the Georgia running game. That should allow Murray the chance to continue his recent pace of 14 touchdowns in the last 4 games. He only attempted 2 passes in the second half of the last two games combined so really his 14 touchdowns have come in 3 games worth of playing time. Despite that the thing that I have liked the best is that he completed 78% of his passes the last two weeks. Early in the year I thought he was playing well but at times he could be inaccurate. If he can improve his career completion % from around 61% to over 65% he is going to make the Georgia offense close to impossible to stop.
3. Jarvis Jones - Kentucky is 113th in the country in sacks allowed with 30. That is 3 sacks a game. Jarvis Jones is 3rd in the country in sacks. That is great news for Georgia, not so good for Kentucky's quarterback. Reports have been that Kentucky will be starting their freshman quarterback since Newton is hurt. Depending on what other guys do this weekend Jones needs only 3 sacks to take the national lead. There is a chance he could do that in the first quarter.
4. Alec Ogletree - He has only really played 3 games this season, his only at linebacker for Georgia. He is still learning the position and working his way back into shape and yet he makes plays all over the field. Ogletree will continue to get better with each snap he plays. As good as everyone on defense is playing he has the biggest upside of anyone on the team.
5. The bench - The last few weeks the bench players have gotten to see a good bit of the field and this week is no different. It may be the last time this season that gets to happen with Georgia Tech, the SECCG and a bowl game coming up. The most important guys to get playing time is the young offensive linemen that are going to be counted on next season. Hopefully the starters will be resting up for Georgia Tech by early 3rd quarter.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Kentucky by the numbers.
| UK | SEC Rank | Nat. Rank | UGA | SEC Rank | Nat. Rank | |
| Passing yards | 147 | 12th | 110th | 250.3 | 3rd | 42nd |
| Passing yards allowed | 194.9 | 8th | 26th | 186.2 | 6th | 15th |
| Rushing yards | 126.5 | 11th | 88th | 188.4 | 4th | 33rd |
| Rushing yards allowed | 197.2 | 10th | 97th | 87.1 | 3rd | 5th |
| Total offense | 273.5 | 12th | 118th | 438.7 | 2nd | 31 |
| Total defense | 392.1 | 10th | 66th | 273.3 | 3rd | 4th |
| PPG scored | 17 | 12th | 115th | 35.8 | 3rd | 20th |
| PPG allowed | 27 | 10th | 64th | 18.6 | 3rd | 12th |
| Time of poss/per game | 28.21 min | 9th | 93rd | 33.46 | 1st | 8th |
| First downs/per game | 15 | 12th | 117th | 22.8 | 1st | 31st |
| Opponent first downs | 20.3 | 10th | 64th | 14.3 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 3rd down % | 29.17 | 12th | 116th | 45.39 | 3rd | 36th |
| Opponent 3rd down % | 40.82 | 10th | 69th | 27.94 | 2nd | 2nd |
| Sacks (total) | 16 | 10th | 76th | 25 | 1st | 21st |
| Sacks allowed | 30 | 12th | 113th | 22 | 7th | 78th |
| Tackles for loss | 52 | 10th | 78th | 76 | 1st | 8th |
| Tackles for loss allowed | 72 | 8th | 113th | 57 | 5th | 61st |
| Turnovers gained | 18 | 5th | 47th | 23 | 3rd | 14th |
| Turnovers lost | 20 | 9th | 86th | 14 | 4th | 27th |
| Turnover margin | minus 2 | 10th | 76th | plus 9 | 2nd | 8th |
| Red zone TD % | 50 | 11th | 108th | 61.36 | 6th | 62nd |
| Red zone total % | 76.92 | 11th | 94th | 81.82 | 8th | 57th |
| Red zone trips | 26 | 10th | 106th | 44 | 4th | 26th |
| Opp. red zone TD % | 54.55 | 5th | 34th | 63.16 | 11th | 76th |
| Opp. red zone total % | 78.79 | 5th | 41st | 84.21 | 10th | 81st |
| Opp. red zone trips | 33 | 6th | 42nd | 19 | 2nd | 4th |
| 10+ yard plays | 93 | 12th | 116th | 163 | 2nd | 24th |
| 10+ yard plays allowed | 142 | 10th | 76th | 119 | 5th | 25th |
The first thing that is obvious is there is not many areas where Kentucky is even average. Their defense is bad for the SEC and below average nationally. Their offense is atrocious. Their biggest plus is their red zone defense, it is the only area they are statisically better than Georgia.That is countered by the fact that they give up so many big plays that teams don't need to score from the red zone. Kentucky also allows opponents into their red zone far more often than Georgia. If I am Kentucky the fact that I have given up so many sacks and Georgia has gotten so many sacks scares me to death. That is made even worse by the fact that Georgia seldom gives up yards on the ground which will force Kentucky to throw more than they want. Individually there is no player that stands out to scare you either. Well they do have two guys on defense that both have over 100 tackles. The only problem with that is they are the only guys no the team making tackles and one of them is a DB. You do not want a defensive back near your team lead in tackles as it means too many tackles are being made down field instead of at the line of scrimmage.
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