1. Run game - Georgia does not have to out rush LSU to win the game. They do however have to have an effective running game that forces LSU's defense to respect it so they can't pin back their ears and come after Murray. Georgia's defense also can't allow LSU to control the clock and keep Georgia's defense on the field for large chunks of the game by running it over and over. If Georgia is within 60 yards of LSU in rushing yards I like our chances.
2. Ball security - LSU relies heavily on turnovers to set their offense up with great field position. Murray especially has to make sure to protect the ball. Sometimes taking a sack is much better than throwing a ball up for grabs or trying to break a tackle without securing the ball first. As good as LSU's special teams are Georgia has one of the best punters in the nation, much better to give him a shot after a three and out than to turn the ball over.
3. Stay strong mentally - Teams have played with LSU for stretches of games. What happens though is that at some point LSU is going to make a big play, it is going to happen. The question is what happens after that big play. Does one turn into two? Two into three? Suddenly a close game snowballs and you are down 21 points. Richt's calm demeanor may be huge in this game. Some have said it is a weakness of his, to me it is often a huge plus. His teams generally reflect his calmness when things go wrong. That will be needed in this game.
4. Don't try to do too much - Part of the reason LSU is so good is that they play their game, play after play, week after week. They play sound football and never panic. They don't try to go outside of who they are. Alabama would have had a better chance at beating LSU but they started to get outside of who they are. They tried long field goals when punting and playing for field position would have better served them. In overtime they opened with a passing play that lost them yards. These couple of mistakes were enough for LSU to win the game. I have heard people saying Georgia should open up the entire play book and throw a lot of new things at them. I disagree, do the things that won you the last ten games. A wrinkle here or there is good to keep them off balance but do not get away from who you are as a team. That tells the team that the coaches don't think we can simply line up and play with them. It is a message that we have to win with smoke and mirrors. Play to win but do not play crazy, LSU will make you pay for that.
Prediction - 20-16 LSU wins. I want to go with my heart which tells me that Georgia is going to scare the hell out of LSU and their fans. My heart tells me that we are going to pull the upset. My head tells me there is a reason LSU is 12-0. They know how to win close and they know how to win going away. I think Georgia forces LSU to really dig deep but they have been able to do that when they have had to.
Showing posts with label keys to game. Show all posts
Showing posts with label keys to game. Show all posts
Friday, December 2, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Keys to the game
1. Fast start - Georgia Tech is a team built to play from the lead. They run the ball all the time and their defense is better at defending the pass than the run. If you let them get a lead they never have to get out of what they want to do offensively. On defense it doesn't hurt them that bad to give up rushing yards as long as they are playing with the lead, it kills them however once they get behind.
2. Win the third down battle on both sides of the ball - Georgia is second in the country at stopping third down conversions. Tech is second in the country at converting them. Getting Tech off the field whenever possible is key to keeping them from getting going. The more snaps they get the more they can vary their offense to keep the defense off balance leading to big plays. On offense it is important for Georgia to convert their third downs to help the defense out by keeping the Tech offense on the sidelines.
3. Touchdowns not field goals - Tech is an offense of scoring a lot of points even against a good defense. If Georgia has to settle for too many field goals when they have the chance to score touchdowns it easily could come back to haunt them. In addition putting up touchdowns and getting Tech behind can force them to throw more than they want to.
Prediction - 31-21 Georgia
2. Win the third down battle on both sides of the ball - Georgia is second in the country at stopping third down conversions. Tech is second in the country at converting them. Getting Tech off the field whenever possible is key to keeping them from getting going. The more snaps they get the more they can vary their offense to keep the defense off balance leading to big plays. On offense it is important for Georgia to convert their third downs to help the defense out by keeping the Tech offense on the sidelines.
3. Touchdowns not field goals - Tech is an offense of scoring a lot of points even against a good defense. If Georgia has to settle for too many field goals when they have the chance to score touchdowns it easily could come back to haunt them. In addition putting up touchdowns and getting Tech behind can force them to throw more than they want to.
Prediction - 31-21 Georgia
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Keys to the game - Auburn
1. Focus on what this game - The Dawgs cannot be worried about the outcome of the South Carolina/Florida game. We have to treat this game the way we have the last 7, as a must win. If South Carolina wins it is a must win because if we lose they win the division. If South Carolina loses it is a must win because we can wrap up the division. Focus only on our game and not the outcome of a game that matters little to us if we win our next two games. We control our own destiny, keep it that way.
2. Running game - I mean this for both sides of the ball. I do not think that AU can use the pass to set up the run against us. If they are going to beat UGA it is going to be by establishing the running game and forcing more defenders into the box and allowing them to pass when they want to. If Georgia can shut down the running game and force AU to pass at times they don't want to then the advantage is to Georgia. For Georgia on offense they do not have to be dominate in the running game but they do need to be good enough to keep AU honest on defense. If Georgia can make AU keep 7 guys in the box for the run then AU's weakness in the secondary should show and Murray should have a good game passing the ball.
3. Limit big plays by AU. Georgia's defense is good enough that I don't think that AU can sustain long drives. With their youth on offense and Georgia's ability to make plays on defense AU won't win the game if they are constantly having to make 10+ play drives. However if AU can shorten the field with the return game, turnovers or by hitting big plays then it will be hard to keep them out of the end zone.
4. Spread the ball around. Part of what has made the offense go this season is the fact that so many guys are contributing. With the return of Mitchell it would be easy to focus on getting him the ball. While getting Mitchell the ball is a good idea we cannot afford to force feed any player. Take what is there. The more guys involved in carrying the load the harder they are going to be to defend.
Prediction - 34-17 UGA
2. Running game - I mean this for both sides of the ball. I do not think that AU can use the pass to set up the run against us. If they are going to beat UGA it is going to be by establishing the running game and forcing more defenders into the box and allowing them to pass when they want to. If Georgia can shut down the running game and force AU to pass at times they don't want to then the advantage is to Georgia. For Georgia on offense they do not have to be dominate in the running game but they do need to be good enough to keep AU honest on defense. If Georgia can make AU keep 7 guys in the box for the run then AU's weakness in the secondary should show and Murray should have a good game passing the ball.
3. Limit big plays by AU. Georgia's defense is good enough that I don't think that AU can sustain long drives. With their youth on offense and Georgia's ability to make plays on defense AU won't win the game if they are constantly having to make 10+ play drives. However if AU can shorten the field with the return game, turnovers or by hitting big plays then it will be hard to keep them out of the end zone.
4. Spread the ball around. Part of what has made the offense go this season is the fact that so many guys are contributing. With the return of Mitchell it would be easy to focus on getting him the ball. While getting Mitchell the ball is a good idea we cannot afford to force feed any player. Take what is there. The more guys involved in carrying the load the harder they are going to be to defend.
Prediction - 34-17 UGA
Friday, November 4, 2011
Keys to the Game - New Mexico State
1. Success with passing on first downs - With Georgia missing 4 running backs for this game it will be important to have success passing the ball on first downs to open up things for the running game. If Georgia struggles throwing the ball it will allow New Mexico State to keep more guys in the box to help hide their weakness in stopping the run. If Murray and company can stretch the field a bit and force New Mexico State to keep their safeties out of the box then even with the guys we will have running the ball we should be able to have a solid day rushing the ball against them.
2. Kickoff Coverage - I really don't think that New Mexico State can move the ball the length of the field. They do however have one of the top return games in the country while Georgia is one of the worst at covering kickoffs. The best way New Mexico State can stay in the game is to get big returns and give their offense a short field. Even if they end up having to punt it will keep our offense pinned back in our own end. If we can just be average in coverage and keep them from starting past their own 35 then the defense will be able to get the offense pretty good field position most of the game.
3. Come out focused - This game is sandwiched between Florida and Auburn and appears to be against a team that can't threaten Georgia. That would be enough to make the game closer than it should be. Georgia is also missing all scholarship running backs. I am hoping that the latter will actually serve as a catalyst to stay focused for the game. If everyone comes out focused this game will be over early and Georgia will be able to use the second half to rest its starters for the AU game.
4. Score Touchdowns not field goals - Georgia will be able to move the ball. However down in the red zone they have not been able to put the ball in the end zone as often as they should. They are only scoring touchdowns on 54.55% of their red zone trips. Outside of turning the ball over that is the best way to let a lesser team hang around. You can score on every drive and have the halftime score be something like 15-7 if you are settling for field goals. That can be even closer if your kicker is struggling to make his kicks. Put the ball in the end zone and put the game away quick.
Prediction - 45-10
bonus prediction - One of Georgia's running backs will go over 100 yards.
2. Kickoff Coverage - I really don't think that New Mexico State can move the ball the length of the field. They do however have one of the top return games in the country while Georgia is one of the worst at covering kickoffs. The best way New Mexico State can stay in the game is to get big returns and give their offense a short field. Even if they end up having to punt it will keep our offense pinned back in our own end. If we can just be average in coverage and keep them from starting past their own 35 then the defense will be able to get the offense pretty good field position most of the game.
3. Come out focused - This game is sandwiched between Florida and Auburn and appears to be against a team that can't threaten Georgia. That would be enough to make the game closer than it should be. Georgia is also missing all scholarship running backs. I am hoping that the latter will actually serve as a catalyst to stay focused for the game. If everyone comes out focused this game will be over early and Georgia will be able to use the second half to rest its starters for the AU game.
4. Score Touchdowns not field goals - Georgia will be able to move the ball. However down in the red zone they have not been able to put the ball in the end zone as often as they should. They are only scoring touchdowns on 54.55% of their red zone trips. Outside of turning the ball over that is the best way to let a lesser team hang around. You can score on every drive and have the halftime score be something like 15-7 if you are settling for field goals. That can be even closer if your kicker is struggling to make his kicks. Put the ball in the end zone and put the game away quick.
Prediction - 45-10
bonus prediction - One of Georgia's running backs will go over 100 yards.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Keys to the game - Vandy
1. Show up - No I don't just mean show up at the stadium, though it would cause problems if the team literally didn't show up, but instead show up in spirit. After winning in Knoxville last week and Florida coming up after the bye it would be easy for the team to not be focused on what they have to do against Vandy. Vandy has a good enough defense to make this a long day for UGA if they aren't focused totally on what they have to do. Georgia is better on offense, defense and special teams.
2. Don't turn the ball over. Murray has thrown almost as many interceptions this season as he did all of last year. Vandy is tops in the country at getting interceptions. If Georgia doesn't turn the ball over a very weak Vandy offense has to drive the field against a defense that is starting to look like one of the best around.
3. Nail the coffin shut. Psychologically Georgia needed to play a couple of close games after the way they lost all their close games a season ago. They have done that now. The next step in becoming a top level team again is learning to put teams away early. Georgia has wasted chances to bury teams in the second half of games 3 games in a row. I want to see them eat tons of clock and put touchdowns up that end games early. Aside from the obvious of not giving the other team any hope of coming back this will also allow coaches to get some playing time for more of the second team guys. This will develop depth and protect starters from injuries.
Prediction - 34-10.
2. Don't turn the ball over. Murray has thrown almost as many interceptions this season as he did all of last year. Vandy is tops in the country at getting interceptions. If Georgia doesn't turn the ball over a very weak Vandy offense has to drive the field against a defense that is starting to look like one of the best around.
3. Nail the coffin shut. Psychologically Georgia needed to play a couple of close games after the way they lost all their close games a season ago. They have done that now. The next step in becoming a top level team again is learning to put teams away early. Georgia has wasted chances to bury teams in the second half of games 3 games in a row. I want to see them eat tons of clock and put touchdowns up that end games early. Aside from the obvious of not giving the other team any hope of coming back this will also allow coaches to get some playing time for more of the second team guys. This will develop depth and protect starters from injuries.
Prediction - 34-10.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Keys to a Georgia Win - Mississippi State edition
1. Which offensive line overcomes the adversity they have faced? Georgia started the season very thin on the offensive line, starting during the spring with the loss of Trinton Sturdivant. Injuries to Gates and now Burnette have not helped. Eligibility issues with Kolton Houston add to the problems. Last week with Burnette out led to the starting five having to play every snap against Ole Miss. Burnette is questionable to return and Gates still has a sore ankle. Mississippi State has had their own issues with injuries on their offensive line. Their starting right guard, Tobias Smith, is out of the season. Their starting left tackle, James Carmon, had a knee injury and is expected to return this week. He will probably be moved to guard though so that their starting center Saulsberry, who has also missed playing time due to injury, can move from guard back to center. In the end each team is only missing 1 starter (2 for Georgia if you count TS) but the depth is very thin. Neither team is going to win a lot of games with their offensive line but their lines can lose them the game. Whichever line can be most consistent throughout the game will have a huge advantage.
2. Make Relf beat you with his arm. State is at their best when they can establish the run and then pass when they choose to keep teams off balance. If Georgia can slow down the rushing attack and form Relf to pass out of necessity it will have a big advantage.
3. No more freebies. Georgia has given up 13 touchdowns in 4 games. Georgia has given up a 48 yards punt return that set up a 28 yard touchdown drive for Boise State. South Carolina scored on a 68 yard fake punt. Ole Miss had an 81 yard punt return for a touchdown. Boise had a short field touchdown set up by a turnover. South Carolina scored two defensive touchdowns and again from the five yard line after a fumble. That is seven out of thirteen allowed by Georgia this season. Take away those points and Georgia's defense would be tied for 8th in the nation in scoring defense at 11 points per game. They more than provided the difference in the South Carolina Game and the 14 points given up on a short fields was exactly how much Georgia lost by.
4. Make the routine plays. Against South Carolina it was a fumbled handoff with no contact from the defense. Walsh has missed 5 field goals. I have not seen an exact count but there have been multiple drops on passes that should have been caught in each game. I would say at least 10 total on the season, those 10 would raise Murray's completion percention from 63% to 73%, which would have led to at the very least more first downs giving the offense more chances to make plays. Charles drop against Ole Miss led to their interception of Murray. The defense dropped two interceptions that hit them in the hands against South Carolina. Against weaker teams this mistakes may not cost you the game. Against quality teams these "simple" mistakes, unforced errors, will get you beat more often than not.
5. Finish drives. Georgia has scored on only 80% of drives inside the redzone, that should be close to perfect as a FG is almost assured from there. They have only scored touchdowns on 10 of 15 drives into the redzone, they need to get that closer to 80%.
6. Offensive start to match the defense. In the first quarter this season the defense has played lights out, giving up only seven points total in the four first quarters. The lone touchdown came with 3 minutes left in the first quarter against Boise State after forcing 3 punts. Only against Coastal Carolina, with 21 points, has the offense taken advantage of this to build a big lead. If the offense can come out clicking as well as the defense has been Georgia can jump on top of a State team that has been struggling and put doubt into their heads.
Prediction. Part me thinks this is the game that Georgia really hits it stride and the dominance they have been showing statisically finally shows in the final score but I think just like last week against Ole Miss they are facing a team desperate for a win and that is always a dangerous thing. Final score 34-17 but very close until the fourth quarter.
2. Make Relf beat you with his arm. State is at their best when they can establish the run and then pass when they choose to keep teams off balance. If Georgia can slow down the rushing attack and form Relf to pass out of necessity it will have a big advantage.
3. No more freebies. Georgia has given up 13 touchdowns in 4 games. Georgia has given up a 48 yards punt return that set up a 28 yard touchdown drive for Boise State. South Carolina scored on a 68 yard fake punt. Ole Miss had an 81 yard punt return for a touchdown. Boise had a short field touchdown set up by a turnover. South Carolina scored two defensive touchdowns and again from the five yard line after a fumble. That is seven out of thirteen allowed by Georgia this season. Take away those points and Georgia's defense would be tied for 8th in the nation in scoring defense at 11 points per game. They more than provided the difference in the South Carolina Game and the 14 points given up on a short fields was exactly how much Georgia lost by.
4. Make the routine plays. Against South Carolina it was a fumbled handoff with no contact from the defense. Walsh has missed 5 field goals. I have not seen an exact count but there have been multiple drops on passes that should have been caught in each game. I would say at least 10 total on the season, those 10 would raise Murray's completion percention from 63% to 73%, which would have led to at the very least more first downs giving the offense more chances to make plays. Charles drop against Ole Miss led to their interception of Murray. The defense dropped two interceptions that hit them in the hands against South Carolina. Against weaker teams this mistakes may not cost you the game. Against quality teams these "simple" mistakes, unforced errors, will get you beat more often than not.
5. Finish drives. Georgia has scored on only 80% of drives inside the redzone, that should be close to perfect as a FG is almost assured from there. They have only scored touchdowns on 10 of 15 drives into the redzone, they need to get that closer to 80%.
6. Offensive start to match the defense. In the first quarter this season the defense has played lights out, giving up only seven points total in the four first quarters. The lone touchdown came with 3 minutes left in the first quarter against Boise State after forcing 3 punts. Only against Coastal Carolina, with 21 points, has the offense taken advantage of this to build a big lead. If the offense can come out clicking as well as the defense has been Georgia can jump on top of a State team that has been struggling and put doubt into their heads.
Prediction. Part me thinks this is the game that Georgia really hits it stride and the dominance they have been showing statisically finally shows in the final score but I think just like last week against Ole Miss they are facing a team desperate for a win and that is always a dangerous thing. Final score 34-17 but very close until the fourth quarter.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Reviewing Keys to the Game - Ole Miss
1. Run the ball. Result - The team had 56 carries for 207 yards. Taking out Murray's 11 carries for -17 yards and the running backs had 45 carries for 224 yards, an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Crowell had 30 carries for 147 yards. He would have had another 2 carries for 33 more yards if not for holds by the offensive line. Crowell was a bit gassed at the end of the game but it was double his previous number of carries. Very successful.
2. Win the turnover battle. Result - Plus 1 for Georgia.
3. Spread the ball around - Result - Seven players caught passes, three others were targeted, Crowell, Figgins and Troupe. Very good job of getting everyone involved.
4. Take the crowd out of the game early. Result - Georgia jumped out to a 17-0 lead. Again up 24-7 and only once giving up momentum after Ole Miss scored their second touchdown and got the ensuing onside kick. Georgia got it back right away by forcing a turnover.
5. Relaxed Murray. Result - Murray was much more relaxed throughout the game. By my count he only had 3 truly poorly thrown balls. His receivers let him down with 4 terrible drops and 2 other times when tough catches could have been made but weren't. Two of those were in the endzone on the first drive of the game that ended in a field goal. His one interception hit Orson Charles in hands so it was not on him. Two of the sacks were Murray having "happy feet" in the pocket. One was particularly bad time he had no one closing in on him and started moving up in the pocket and then fell down with little to no contact. Overall a very good game for Murray and with a bit better game from the receivers it could have been great.
Prediction 31-10 Georgia. Result 27-13
Here are few other observations from having watched the recording of the game today. Carlton Thomas is doing a very good job running the ball, even between the tackles. All of the running backs, including the fullbacks, are very good at catching the ball out of the backfield. The offensive line had by far their best game. Jenkins and Geathers got great push up the middle for most of the game. Rambo has turned into a true ball hawk. Grantham must be starting to truly trust the cornerbacks as they played tighter on the Ole Miss receivers than I have seen them play in a very long time. They rewarded him with his trust by giving up no deep plays except on the one trick play for a touchdown and there where several times when the corners batted away passes that the Ole Miss receivers had their hands on. Again the special teams which were supposed to be the strength of the team were out played by the other team. This is a trend that has to stop soon in order for Georgia to beat several of the teams left on the schedule.
2. Win the turnover battle. Result - Plus 1 for Georgia.
3. Spread the ball around - Result - Seven players caught passes, three others were targeted, Crowell, Figgins and Troupe. Very good job of getting everyone involved.
4. Take the crowd out of the game early. Result - Georgia jumped out to a 17-0 lead. Again up 24-7 and only once giving up momentum after Ole Miss scored their second touchdown and got the ensuing onside kick. Georgia got it back right away by forcing a turnover.
5. Relaxed Murray. Result - Murray was much more relaxed throughout the game. By my count he only had 3 truly poorly thrown balls. His receivers let him down with 4 terrible drops and 2 other times when tough catches could have been made but weren't. Two of those were in the endzone on the first drive of the game that ended in a field goal. His one interception hit Orson Charles in hands so it was not on him. Two of the sacks were Murray having "happy feet" in the pocket. One was particularly bad time he had no one closing in on him and started moving up in the pocket and then fell down with little to no contact. Overall a very good game for Murray and with a bit better game from the receivers it could have been great.
Prediction 31-10 Georgia. Result 27-13
Here are few other observations from having watched the recording of the game today. Carlton Thomas is doing a very good job running the ball, even between the tackles. All of the running backs, including the fullbacks, are very good at catching the ball out of the backfield. The offensive line had by far their best game. Jenkins and Geathers got great push up the middle for most of the game. Rambo has turned into a true ball hawk. Grantham must be starting to truly trust the cornerbacks as they played tighter on the Ole Miss receivers than I have seen them play in a very long time. They rewarded him with his trust by giving up no deep plays except on the one trick play for a touchdown and there where several times when the corners batted away passes that the Ole Miss receivers had their hands on. Again the special teams which were supposed to be the strength of the team were out played by the other team. This is a trend that has to stop soon in order for Georgia to beat several of the teams left on the schedule.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Keys to a Georgia win - Ole Miss Edition
While Ole Miss poses a much greater risk than Coastal did of pulling off an upset, yes there can be an upset in a game between two 1-2 teams, Georgia should win this game. Georgia has struggled the last few years but right now it looks like Ole Miss is the worst team in the SEC, although UK might try to argue that. Here are the keys to a Georgia win.
1. Run the ball. With the fact that we are thin to begin with on offensive line and now have trouble with eligibility and injuries to the offensive line it will be important to keep the gameplan simple. The game will be the first true road game of the season and run blocking is generally simpler mentally than pass protection. As I pointed out in my previous post Ole Miss starts out pretty good against the run but fades as the game goes on. They are giving up 198 yards a game against the run and have not faced any running back with Crowell's talent. The Carolina game was a taste of what Crowell can be, this should be the game he makes the nation take notice.
2. Win the turnover battle. The best way for an underdog to pull off an upset is to win the turnover battle. Ole Miss has turned the ball over quite often, 8 times, but they have also forced 8 turnovers. Against South Carolina Georgia lost a game it should have won because 3 turnovers led to 21 points for South Carolina. If turnovers are equal then Ole Miss's offense has to drive the field, something it hasn't done very often with only one TD this season against 1A schools.
3. Spread the ball around - On offense Georgia has 13 different players with receptions this season, 10 with multiple receptions and 6 with touchdown receptions. There is danger at the wide receiver position with 38 receptions, the tight ends with 9, the running backs with 11 as well as Boykin who has two receptions. While Mitchell is becoming the go to guy at wide receiver it is still hard for a defense to key on one man with the ball being spread around so much. Murray needs to realize he doesn't have to win the game himself and just get the ball into the many play makers hands.
4. Take the crowd out of the game early. Ole Miss fans are not expecting much anymore from their team, it is am 11:21 am start central time and Georgia has a lot of young players that have not played on the road. A quick start to the game for Georgia could make the fact that the game is on the road a complete non-factor and possibly even turn it into a plus if the home crowd turns on their team.
5. Relaxed Murray. It is hard to put your exact finger on it as Murray has put up good numbers so far this season but it just doesn't seem that he has taken it to the next level. He is on pace for the same number of interceptions as last seasn and a good bit more touchdowns (36 right now if he continues his average of 3 a game) but something is missing. He seems to be pressing at times because of his fire to win. Georgia does not need him to be great to win this game, just to be himself. I also think he is focusing hard on staying in the pocket and not using his legs to create big plays. The coaches need to let him play a bit looser and give him the green light to run when things break down. I think it will put more pressure on defenses having to worry about his legs and arm but more importantly I think it will help him to relax and just play ball.
Prediction 31-10 Georgia.
1. Run the ball. With the fact that we are thin to begin with on offensive line and now have trouble with eligibility and injuries to the offensive line it will be important to keep the gameplan simple. The game will be the first true road game of the season and run blocking is generally simpler mentally than pass protection. As I pointed out in my previous post Ole Miss starts out pretty good against the run but fades as the game goes on. They are giving up 198 yards a game against the run and have not faced any running back with Crowell's talent. The Carolina game was a taste of what Crowell can be, this should be the game he makes the nation take notice.
2. Win the turnover battle. The best way for an underdog to pull off an upset is to win the turnover battle. Ole Miss has turned the ball over quite often, 8 times, but they have also forced 8 turnovers. Against South Carolina Georgia lost a game it should have won because 3 turnovers led to 21 points for South Carolina. If turnovers are equal then Ole Miss's offense has to drive the field, something it hasn't done very often with only one TD this season against 1A schools.
3. Spread the ball around - On offense Georgia has 13 different players with receptions this season, 10 with multiple receptions and 6 with touchdown receptions. There is danger at the wide receiver position with 38 receptions, the tight ends with 9, the running backs with 11 as well as Boykin who has two receptions. While Mitchell is becoming the go to guy at wide receiver it is still hard for a defense to key on one man with the ball being spread around so much. Murray needs to realize he doesn't have to win the game himself and just get the ball into the many play makers hands.
4. Take the crowd out of the game early. Ole Miss fans are not expecting much anymore from their team, it is am 11:21 am start central time and Georgia has a lot of young players that have not played on the road. A quick start to the game for Georgia could make the fact that the game is on the road a complete non-factor and possibly even turn it into a plus if the home crowd turns on their team.
5. Relaxed Murray. It is hard to put your exact finger on it as Murray has put up good numbers so far this season but it just doesn't seem that he has taken it to the next level. He is on pace for the same number of interceptions as last seasn and a good bit more touchdowns (36 right now if he continues his average of 3 a game) but something is missing. He seems to be pressing at times because of his fire to win. Georgia does not need him to be great to win this game, just to be himself. I also think he is focusing hard on staying in the pocket and not using his legs to create big plays. The coaches need to let him play a bit looser and give him the green light to run when things break down. I think it will put more pressure on defenses having to worry about his legs and arm but more importantly I think it will help him to relax and just play ball.
Prediction 31-10 Georgia.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Keys to the game - South Carolina edition
1. Rushing stalemate. I do not think that Georgia is going to be able to dominate the rushing game but they don't need to. Lattimore is great and has solid blocking. Georgia's running game is dependent on a shaky offensive line and a freshman running back. South Carolina however will most likely be keying on rushing the passer while at least early Georgia will be keying on the running game. If Georgia stands a chance to win the game they need to stay close in the running game. Say within about 50 yards or so of rushing totals.
2. Give Murray a chance. Carolina's defense is set up to rush the passer. Georgia gave up 6 sacks last week. Not a good combination. East Carolina did a good job of negating Carolina's pass rush last week by using a quick passing game. They did not try to hold onto the ball for very long. A combination of screens, slants and quick outs can help Murray stay upright and get Georgia out of big negative plays.
3. Expect the unexpected from Spurrier. Even with a freshman phenom last year I think most people still thought Spurrier would try to throw to beat the Dawgs. He came out from the start and pounded the ball with Lattimore. When he had success he continued to go back to it and played a ball control game and let his defense win the game for him. Georgia's defense will almost certainly remember the pounding they took last year and be jacked up to stop the run. Spurrier will try to use this against them by going play action early to go for the kill shot. Georgia will have to key on the running game but not so much so they get killed with play action and screens.
4. Field position. Georgia fans and coaches took for granted last week that our special teams would win the field position battle for us. Boise owned that department and it gave them a huge advantage as Georgia always had the longer field to drive. Special teams is Georgia's biggest strength and theyneed have to win that part of the game to win.
5. Fast start. Despite the fans displeasure with last week they know that the schedule gets much easier after this game and will be jacked up for the first true home game of the season. The problem is the fan base is on edge about where the program is headed and if Georgia gets off to a bad start the home crowd might not be much of an advantage at all. The faithful that show up every week to cheer on their Dawgs want nothing more than to help the team out by going crazy after a big Georgia score or stop by the defense. The problem is that while the fans will be loud at the start they will also be very nervous and if things go poorly to start the crowd could easily lose some of its energy.
The other part about getting off to a fast start is it helps the players to relax a bit. In my opinion a lot of the mistakes from last week were from the players feeling the pressure of the game. King dropping easy catches, offensive line getting false starts, Mitchell dropping the ball on his punt return, and Crowell slipping on his first carry can all be results of nerves. When things didn't go well for the offense early it snowballed and made them even tighter. Something as simple as getting a couple of first downs on the first drive can help them to relax and just play ball. I just feel like if things go bad early that the fans, players and coaches may altogether have a huge sigh and say "here we go again".
2. Give Murray a chance. Carolina's defense is set up to rush the passer. Georgia gave up 6 sacks last week. Not a good combination. East Carolina did a good job of negating Carolina's pass rush last week by using a quick passing game. They did not try to hold onto the ball for very long. A combination of screens, slants and quick outs can help Murray stay upright and get Georgia out of big negative plays.
3. Expect the unexpected from Spurrier. Even with a freshman phenom last year I think most people still thought Spurrier would try to throw to beat the Dawgs. He came out from the start and pounded the ball with Lattimore. When he had success he continued to go back to it and played a ball control game and let his defense win the game for him. Georgia's defense will almost certainly remember the pounding they took last year and be jacked up to stop the run. Spurrier will try to use this against them by going play action early to go for the kill shot. Georgia will have to key on the running game but not so much so they get killed with play action and screens.
4. Field position. Georgia fans and coaches took for granted last week that our special teams would win the field position battle for us. Boise owned that department and it gave them a huge advantage as Georgia always had the longer field to drive. Special teams is Georgia's biggest strength and they
5. Fast start. Despite the fans displeasure with last week they know that the schedule gets much easier after this game and will be jacked up for the first true home game of the season. The problem is the fan base is on edge about where the program is headed and if Georgia gets off to a bad start the home crowd might not be much of an advantage at all. The faithful that show up every week to cheer on their Dawgs want nothing more than to help the team out by going crazy after a big Georgia score or stop by the defense. The problem is that while the fans will be loud at the start they will also be very nervous and if things go poorly to start the crowd could easily lose some of its energy.
The other part about getting off to a fast start is it helps the players to relax a bit. In my opinion a lot of the mistakes from last week were from the players feeling the pressure of the game. King dropping easy catches, offensive line getting false starts, Mitchell dropping the ball on his punt return, and Crowell slipping on his first carry can all be results of nerves. When things didn't go well for the offense early it snowballed and made them even tighter. Something as simple as getting a couple of first downs on the first drive can help them to relax and just play ball. I just feel like if things go bad early that the fans, players and coaches may altogether have a huge sigh and say "here we go again".
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Revisiting the Keys to the game
First of all sorry for taking so long to get to this. My family took an unexpected trip to visit the in-laws and I only had my Ipod to get on the internet. Here is a look at how my keys to the game went.
1. Murray must play an even game. - Murray had some really good moments but was not consistent. Much of that can be contributed to drops and the pass rush but he still had times where he missed open receivers and missed reads.
2. Someone other than Orson Charles must step up as a play maker to help Murray. - Boykin did this on his one carry. Malcolm Mitchell had one nice deep catch. Outside of that Charles was the offense. King may have been the biggest disappointment in this area as he had 1 catch and 2 drops in 7 passes thrown his way. Those two drops would have gone for first downs and may have helped the offense settle down a bit.
3. Defense must be sound fundamentally. - On the plus side the defense came out and played great for much of the first half. They never gave up the big play to Boise. On the down side is that once Moore settled into the game Georgia's defense was unable to stop him at all unless they got pressure which they seldom did. I am going to re-watch the game to see if there were as many blown coverages as it first seemed but I believe a lot of that was the amount of time that Moore had to throw.
4. The defense must have a leader. - There was no one that stepped up to show he was THE man on defense. Jarvis Jones has a good game but no one stepped up to take over.
5. Trench warfare. - This was the worst part of the game for Georgia. From two false starts penalties on the first drive that never let the offense get started to giving up 6 sacks to the defense not getting pressure on Moore the lines were completely dominated in the game. The coaching staff deserves part of the credit for this. On offense Bobo had the chance to establish the run and try to over power Boise as the game was close the entire first half and into the 3rd quarter but by playing most of the game out of the shotgun he allowed their line to be the aggressor instead of our offensive line. On defense the same thing can be said. The defensive game plan appeared to be to not give up the big play and hope that Boise couldn't repeatedly drive the length of the field. That worked early but once Boise took control of the game it was shown we needed to gamble a bit by bringing pressure. When Grantham did pressure it worked more often than not. The problem was seldom more than 3 or 4 rushers.
Bonus - The special teams for Georgia let them down. It was the one phase of the game that should have been clearly in Georgia's favor. The entire game the special teams gave Boise an advantage in field position. With the exception of Butler's punting average and one return by Boykin, when he was still tackled by the kicker, the special teams did little to help the team win.
1. Murray must play an even game. - Murray had some really good moments but was not consistent. Much of that can be contributed to drops and the pass rush but he still had times where he missed open receivers and missed reads.
2. Someone other than Orson Charles must step up as a play maker to help Murray. - Boykin did this on his one carry. Malcolm Mitchell had one nice deep catch. Outside of that Charles was the offense. King may have been the biggest disappointment in this area as he had 1 catch and 2 drops in 7 passes thrown his way. Those two drops would have gone for first downs and may have helped the offense settle down a bit.
3. Defense must be sound fundamentally. - On the plus side the defense came out and played great for much of the first half. They never gave up the big play to Boise. On the down side is that once Moore settled into the game Georgia's defense was unable to stop him at all unless they got pressure which they seldom did. I am going to re-watch the game to see if there were as many blown coverages as it first seemed but I believe a lot of that was the amount of time that Moore had to throw.
4. The defense must have a leader. - There was no one that stepped up to show he was THE man on defense. Jarvis Jones has a good game but no one stepped up to take over.
5. Trench warfare. - This was the worst part of the game for Georgia. From two false starts penalties on the first drive that never let the offense get started to giving up 6 sacks to the defense not getting pressure on Moore the lines were completely dominated in the game. The coaching staff deserves part of the credit for this. On offense Bobo had the chance to establish the run and try to over power Boise as the game was close the entire first half and into the 3rd quarter but by playing most of the game out of the shotgun he allowed their line to be the aggressor instead of our offensive line. On defense the same thing can be said. The defensive game plan appeared to be to not give up the big play and hope that Boise couldn't repeatedly drive the length of the field. That worked early but once Boise took control of the game it was shown we needed to gamble a bit by bringing pressure. When Grantham did pressure it worked more often than not. The problem was seldom more than 3 or 4 rushers.
Bonus - The special teams for Georgia let them down. It was the one phase of the game that should have been clearly in Georgia's favor. The entire game the special teams gave Boise an advantage in field position. With the exception of Butler's punting average and one return by Boykin, when he was still tackled by the kicker, the special teams did little to help the team win.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Keys to a Georgia Win.
Here is my take on what Georgia must do to win tonight.
1. Murray must play an even game. Last year he would be up and down within the same game. Overall it balanced out to the plus side but we need him to consistent throughout the game. He is the leader of the team and they need him on every play of every series to do his thing.
2. Someone other than Orson Charles must step up as a play maker to help Murray. That can be a running back, wide receiver or possibly even one of the other tight ends when Georgia goes with two. Hopefully it will be a collection of players making big plays but someone has to take advantage of the attention that Charles will most likely be drawing.
3. Defense must be sound fundamentally. It would be great if they create turnovers, get sacks and deliver a few huge hits but more importantly they need to not miss assignments. Moore is a very good at taking advantage when the defense misses an assignment and it will be vital that Georgia forces him to make plays instead of allowing him to take advantage of a blown assignment (wheel route anyone?)
4. The defense must have a leader. This off season all the talk about defense has been that Robinson is a good leader. He is the brains of the defense, but we need more than that. We need a player or two to step up and be the heart of the defense. We need someone that puts fear into opposing teams, a David Pollack, Thomas Davis, Odell Thurman type. Someone that you know is going to bring it on every play. Someone that the team knows is going to do his job and do it great for four quarters. Georgia needs someone who is going to lay it on the line and lead by example, making the routine plays as well as the amazing plays. There are plenty of players who have the athletic ability but which defensive player(s) are going to be true gamers. *This is a key to the season not just this game.*
5. Trench warfare. Boise is a physical team but that is not how they beat you. They beat you by being be precision team that plays physical. The thing is though very few teams get them into a street fight. You are not going to beat Boise my out scheming, out thinking, out executing them. You must do all those things because Boise will bring it in all three areas but the best way to beat them is to drag them into 15 round heavy weight fight. As Mike Tyson famously said "everyone has a plan 'til they get punched in the". Georgia has to take the fight to Boise in the trenches. The offensive line needs to be in attack mode, hit them and hit them again and again. The same goes for the defensive line. The only way a team can take advantage of a big size difference is to use that size to attack. If you let the other side pick the location of the battle then they can overcome with scheme, technique and determination. On the other hand if you are constantly bringing the fight to the other side then the side with superior size is more likely to win.
This is an over simplification but it can be compared to the Civil War. Lee had used his superior skills for years to overcome the North's superior numbers (size). When Grant took over he took a pretty good beating in almost every battle that was fought against Lee. The difference between Grant and his predecessors was that he knew he that if he kept taking the fight to Lee that eventually he would win based on the numbers. Grant won a war of attrition because he knew what he had and used that to his advantage.
Georgia needs to be the aggressor. Take the fight to Boise. Lean on both lines the entire game. Challenge the manhood of our big uglies and let them know that this game is all about them. Unleash hell for 60 minutes and see which side comes out on top once the dust settles.
1. Murray must play an even game. Last year he would be up and down within the same game. Overall it balanced out to the plus side but we need him to consistent throughout the game. He is the leader of the team and they need him on every play of every series to do his thing.
2. Someone other than Orson Charles must step up as a play maker to help Murray. That can be a running back, wide receiver or possibly even one of the other tight ends when Georgia goes with two. Hopefully it will be a collection of players making big plays but someone has to take advantage of the attention that Charles will most likely be drawing.
3. Defense must be sound fundamentally. It would be great if they create turnovers, get sacks and deliver a few huge hits but more importantly they need to not miss assignments. Moore is a very good at taking advantage when the defense misses an assignment and it will be vital that Georgia forces him to make plays instead of allowing him to take advantage of a blown assignment (wheel route anyone?)
4. The defense must have a leader. This off season all the talk about defense has been that Robinson is a good leader. He is the brains of the defense, but we need more than that. We need a player or two to step up and be the heart of the defense. We need someone that puts fear into opposing teams, a David Pollack, Thomas Davis, Odell Thurman type. Someone that you know is going to bring it on every play. Someone that the team knows is going to do his job and do it great for four quarters. Georgia needs someone who is going to lay it on the line and lead by example, making the routine plays as well as the amazing plays. There are plenty of players who have the athletic ability but which defensive player(s) are going to be true gamers. *This is a key to the season not just this game.*
5. Trench warfare. Boise is a physical team but that is not how they beat you. They beat you by being be precision team that plays physical. The thing is though very few teams get them into a street fight. You are not going to beat Boise my out scheming, out thinking, out executing them. You must do all those things because Boise will bring it in all three areas but the best way to beat them is to drag them into 15 round heavy weight fight. As Mike Tyson famously said "everyone has a plan 'til they get punched in the". Georgia has to take the fight to Boise in the trenches. The offensive line needs to be in attack mode, hit them and hit them again and again. The same goes for the defensive line. The only way a team can take advantage of a big size difference is to use that size to attack. If you let the other side pick the location of the battle then they can overcome with scheme, technique and determination. On the other hand if you are constantly bringing the fight to the other side then the side with superior size is more likely to win.
This is an over simplification but it can be compared to the Civil War. Lee had used his superior skills for years to overcome the North's superior numbers (size). When Grant took over he took a pretty good beating in almost every battle that was fought against Lee. The difference between Grant and his predecessors was that he knew he that if he kept taking the fight to Lee that eventually he would win based on the numbers. Grant won a war of attrition because he knew what he had and used that to his advantage.
Georgia needs to be the aggressor. Take the fight to Boise. Lean on both lines the entire game. Challenge the manhood of our big uglies and let them know that this game is all about them. Unleash hell for 60 minutes and see which side comes out on top once the dust settles.
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