Game Thoughts

[AzzurriDawg4]

That game was lost on 3 plays.<div>
</div><div>1st Quarter</div><div><div>4-15 MSU 26 B. Swedenburg punt 37 yards to the GA37, Brandon Boykin return 30 yards to the MSU33</div><div>(Deontae Skinner;Devin Jones). Result: 7 points for UGA.</div></div><div>
</div><div><div>4-6 MSU 11 B. Swedenburg punt 11 yards to the MSU22, out-of-bounds. Result: 7 points for UGA.</div></div><div>
</div><div><div>2nd Quarter</div><div>2-3 GA 21 Chris Relf pass intercepted by S. Commings at the GA3, S. Commings return 16 yards to the</div><div>GA19 (Marcus Green). Result: 7 points for UGA. </div></div><div>
</div><div>We are just not good enough to overcome 3 mistakes like that, especially on the road in the SEC. Unfortunately, those were Swedenburg's worst 2 punts of the year. The first one was as much on poor coverage/tackling as it was on the punter. </div><div>
</div><div>Then, Chris Smith gets alligator arms and that pretty much ended the game. I am not sure if he deserves a role in this offense. He is not overly fast or overly physical, he has made some great possession-type grabs over the last 2 years, but has combined that with some awful drops. I would just prefer to get another playmaker on the field, whether it means moving Bumphis outside or getting another player in there that hasnt contributed yet. Right now, Ballard is the only person that I have faith in to actually break a tackle or hit a hole with enough authority to get a good gain. Of course, it doesnt help that all we throw are stop-routes that don't allow our receivers any chance at RAC. My guess is that it is asking too much of Relf to hit a moving target, and I am being dead serious. If you think back, almost all of his completions are to a stationary receiver - either curls or throwing out to a bubble screen. There has been some zealous defense of Relf here, and I do think that he is our best option without a doubt, but as good as he was last year, he has been awful throwing the football this year. Again, you can't blame the key interception on him, and I hate it that the one big throw he makes in the entire game is screwed up by his receiver, but he has been pretty bad on the whole - and I dont really attribute it to the OL. While the OL deserves a lot of the blame, Relf deserves a lot as well, because there have been open receivers that he just hasnt seen or completely missed. </div><div>
</div><div>Why can't we put a complete game together? If our offense thrives, our Defense folds - see Auburn. If our offense folds, our Defense plays well - see the rest of the games. </div><div>
</div><div>I dont know what to think about this offense, but we are something like 30 games into the Mullen era and I have yet to see use move the ball effectively against a quality defense. That is discouraging. </div>

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

That game was lost on 3 plays.<div>
</div><div>1st Quarter</div><div><div>4-15 MSU 26 B. Swedenburg punt 37 yards to the GA37, Brandon Boykin return 30 yards to the MSU33</div><div>(Deontae Skinner;Devin Jones). Result: 7 points for UGA.</div></div><div>
</div><div><div>4-6 MSU 11 B. Swedenburg punt 11 yards to the MSU22, out-of-bounds. Result: 7 points for UGA.</div></div><div>
</div><div><div>2nd Quarter</div><div>2-3 GA 21 Chris Relf pass intercepted by S. Commings at the GA3, S. Commings return 16 yards to the</div><div>GA19 (Marcus Green). Result: 7 points for UGA. </div></div><div>
</div><div>We are just not good enough to overcome 3 mistakes like that, especially on the road in the SEC. Unfortunately, those were Swedenburg's worst 2 punts of the year. The first one was as much on poor coverage/tackling as it was on the punter. </div><div>
</div><div>Then, Chris Smith gets alligator arms and that pretty much ended the game. I am not sure if he deserves a role in this offense. He is not overly fast or overly physical, he has made some great possession-type grabs over the last 2 years, but has combined that with some awful drops. I would just prefer to get another playmaker on the field, whether it means moving Bumphis outside or getting another player in there that hasnt contributed yet. Right now, Ballard is the only person that I have faith in to actually break a tackle or hit a hole with enough authority to get a good gain. Of course, it doesnt help that all we throw are stop-routes that don't allow our receivers any chance at RAC. My guess is that it is asking too much of Relf to hit a moving target, and I am being dead serious. If you think back, almost all of his completions are to a stationary receiver - either curls or throwing out to a bubble screen. There has been some zealous defense of Relf here, and I do think that he is our best option without a doubt, but as good as he was last year, he has been awful throwing the football this year. Again, you can't blame the key interception on him, and I hate it that the one big throw he makes in the entire game is screwed up by his receiver, but he has been pretty bad on the whole - and I dont really attribute it to the OL. While the OL deserves a lot of the blame, Relf deserves a lot as well, because there have been open receivers that he just hasnt seen or completely missed. </div><div>
</div><div>Why can't we put a complete game together? If our offense thrives, our Defense folds - see Auburn. If our offense folds, our Defense plays well - see the rest of the games. </div><div>
</div><div>I dont know what to think about this offense, but we are something like 30 games into the Mullen era and I have yet to see use move the ball effectively against a quality defense. That is discouraging. </div>

 

[dawgstudent]

[No message]

 

[MeridianDog]

.

 

[patdog]

until this game we'd done a good job both punting and covering punts. And there's just no excuse for Smith not to catch that ball. None.
</p>

 

[PBRME]

Relf has had plenty of time to throw the ball this season. His problem is he can't find the open man, and when he does he can't throw it close enough for them to catch it.

 

[dawgstudent]

he just had a horrible day at UGA.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

There have been a lot of bad throws. There have been a number of missed blocks/Addison Lawrence steamrollings. Then there is the fact that we can't seem to run the ball now. It is the combination of things that results in the disaster. Then, when something good happens (we block and Relf makes the throw) Smith turns into T-Rex arms. <div>
</div><div>If I were to rank our offensive problems, I think it would go like this:</div><div>1. Run blocking/run play-call selection. Where is that damn unstoppable counter we used to run with Dixon and with Ballard last year? Where is the old-school speed/double option (that I think we ran once, Relf kept for 8-9 yards). As we all know, this problem trickles down to worsen all the other problems. </div><div>2. Relf's accuracy/limitations. There are throws that he has missed that have changed our season and subsequently forced us to dumb-down our route running scheme to Croomesque difficulty level. </div><div>3. Pass blocking.</div><div>4. WR - Lack of separation/catching. Again, I think this is compounded by the fact that we are running nothing but 10 yard curls and bubble screens to compensate for Relf's inability to hit someone in stride. There were a number of times when we had a receiver open yesterday and Relf just couldn't do it. The problem is, with Relf inconsistent, our inability to run, and our inability to block, when a WR takes a play off, misses a catch, or doesnt run his route crisply, it is magnified that much more. If we are about to block our best play of the game and Relf is going to uncork his only on-time deep/intermediate ball of the game, that WR better be there and ready to catch the ball. </div><div>
</div>

 

[EAVdog]

The interception off of Chris Smith's hands/shoulder pads broke our back. That was a 14 point swing right there.Just disasterous, because had he caught that he could have easily knifed in for a TD.If we could have gone indown 14-10 at the half we would have ahd a chance to make a play ondefense (like Slay did) to tip the scale in our favor.

But it all comes down to OL blocking. We're seriously banged up bag and we were thin to begin with. Losing Tobias Smith hurts probably worse than losing Carmon for a few games. The center of our line is not a strength like it was last year. Everyone knows we lost Sherrod and Brignone who were great players to graduation. But losing Tobias and DJ Looney during the offseason from the depth chart has meant we're pressing in Redshirt Freshman against SEC D-Lines. The best D-Lines in football. So our ability to run the ball has been severely affected. This allows defenses to not have to bring up DB's to stop the run. Defenses can play a lot more zone coverage to disguise their looks. Also they seem to be getting pressure with just their front 4 at times which leaves LB's free to roam around looking for any short routes to cover.

Essentially Relf now has less time to think, faces more pressure, and is having to throw into Zone Coverage instead of throwing against Man Coverage. Relf made a lot of throws into guys who were double and triple covered in reality but he couldn't or didn't read the coverage, or simply had no choice but to get rid of the ball instead of being sacked. This is why a lot of folks keep saying Relf has regressed. It's not that he's gotten worsehe justdoesn't have the advantages therun game gave him last year. And those advantages (of being a system QB) made him look very good.

The Wide-out screens helped relieve some pressure from the center and Relf did have a few good runs up the middle on the read option in the 2nd half. But we're just not a great screen team. Some of that is because the opponents LB's can just sit still while the D Line gets penetration and wait to light up the receivers.

Going forward were just going to have to find a way to get the ball out quicker and utilize some of our speed guys. Toss sweeps, end arounds, option sweeps, something, anything...

 

[ThreePack]

first down, second down, and third down.

 

[kimmer]

The muffed TD pass/int was the coup de gras but the other plays were ultimately just at critical.

In fact UGA only needed about 55 yards of offense to score17 of their 24 points. The other 7 came after a turnover that should have been a TD for us. UGA beat us no mistaking that but we helped them out way way too much.

 

[saltslugs]

Punt returned 35 yards, shanked punt, fumbled punt, etc.

 

[beachbumdawg]

nfm

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

There is no doubt that this scheme can overmatch a lesser defense (Auburn, Ole Miss, Memphis, Michigan, etc.), but it has failed to show that it can light up a stout defense without real horses. I think the Gundy/Holgerson/Leach/Petersen offenses can do that (overcome lack of talent with scheme) but I haven't seen Mullen do it yet. I am definitely not saying that Mullen should be canned or anything like that, I just think they might have to go back to the drawing board a little bit. It wouldn't hurt to bring in an Air-Raid guy as OC to counter/combine with Mullen's expertise in the ground game. I think Hudspeth provided some of that, being a more pass-oriented playcaller. Since he left, it is just Koenning and Mullen and they are both strictly option guys. <div>
</div><div>That said, it is still light years ahead of anything we had previously, which is really just sad. Although I will say that the last 3 weeks have come shockingly close to Croom-level offensive production. Absolutely no hint of an explosive offensive play - full-scale ineptness, from dropped passes to vanilla route running, to fumbles, to bad QB play, etc etc.</div>

 

[studentdawg87]

This is Mullen's third year here, and we have yet to move the ball against a top-flight defense. Holgerson, Leach and etc manage(ed) to get guys open against superior competition, so does Peterson.

Our WRs aren't very good, but our coaches aren't designing/calling plays that are resulting in them getting open. Some of this may have to do with Relf's inability to throw the ball with any accuracy, but our passing game seems incredibly simplistic. The Holgerson/Leach/Sumlin system is incredibly simple as well, but it works against almost anyone. We are going to have to change some things about our offense, because we are never going to be able to line up and go toe-to-toe with the Alabamas and LSUs of the world.

Our offense could be even more of a disaster last year. The OL could be even worse than it is now, and we are going to be relying on a QB who isn't a natural fit for what we want to do on offense. All of the talk about Mullen molding the offense to the available talent is BS to a certain extent. Mullen is an option coach, and he isn't going to have the players to run an effective offense next year.

 

[Shmuley]

the Sunbelt. Mr. New Hampshire Diarrhea Mouth better light it up in February. The **** I'm watching out there right now is pathetic. Somebody f'n explain to me how the OL 2 deep on a SEC team can be THAT ******.

Do your f'n job.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

On the Crowell 50 yard TD that was called back because he stepped out, I am sure you saw the wonderful angle Mitchell took on that play.

Also, did Brandon Heavens kick Mullen's dog? Did he even travel to Athens?

 

[8dog]

won a national title at Florida, went to 5 straight NYD bowls at WV, and played for the national title last year.

We are just doing it with players a lot less talented, a patchwork offensive line, questionable play calling, and a field that is far too long seemingly every time we get the ball because of our special teams.

Saturday wasn't about playing perfect. It was about not doing simple things like catching a ball thrown to you at the 4, hitting a wide open WR on a 3rd down conversion, and being proficient in the punt game.

 

[SnakePlissken]

Are you the poster that had the username Jackass? I ask because I have not seen a poster/fan of State filled with so much anger in my life as I see in your posts.

 

[Irondawg]

There is no doubt that this scheme can overmatch a lesser defense (Auburn, Ole Miss, Memphis, Michigan, etc.), but it has failed to show that it can light up a stout defense without real horses. I think the Gundy/Holgerson/Leach/Petersen offenses can do that (overcome lack of talent with scheme) but I haven't seen Mullen do it yet. I am definitely not saying that Mullen should be canned or anything like that, I just think they might have to go back to the drawing board a little bit. It wouldn't hurt to bring in an Air-Raid guy as OC to counter/combine with Mullen's expertise in the ground game. I think Hudspeth provided some of that, being a more pass-oriented playcaller. Since he left, it is just Koenning and Mullen and they are both strictly option guys. <div>
</div><div>That said, it is still light years ahead of anything we had previously, which is really just sad. Although I will say that the last 3 weeks have come shockingly close to Croom-level offensive production. Absolutely no hint of an explosive offensive play - full-scale ineptness, from dropped passes to vanilla route running, to fumbles, to bad QB play, etc etc.</div>

Peterson has had super accurate QB's and Leach had some guys who could sling it as well. I still think Russell can sling it if he just get confidence and doesn't worry about making a misake. But all those systems rely on QB's to read the coverage and make quick throws, hitting guys in stride. Relf can't do that -it's not his strength.

 

[ThreePack]

sure was but if they run any decent 1st, 2nd, or 3rd down plays then they don't get to fourth down.

 

[Shmuley]

nm

 

[SnakePlissken]

nt

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

That includes being done paying attention to him.