Daily briefing: On Georgia controlling the ball, Houston’s 4th quarters and NC State’s rally
Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:
Georgia effective at playing keep-away
No. 1 Georgia is keeping the ball for 34:57 per game, way ahead of last season’s 30:33, more than a minute longer than any of Kirby Smart’s other six Georgia teams. Smart isn’t impressed, calling it a “very misleading stat.” He said he would much rather have disparity in the number of plays the Dawgs run as opposed to their opponents, which may be a different way of saying the same thing. Georgia has that disparity (71.5 snaps vs. 57.1 by the opponents), too. None of Smart’s other Georgia defenses has allowed fewer than 61.4 plays per game. Is that Stetson Bennett moving the chains? Georgia’s defense getting off the field? Doesn’t matter to Smart. He’s just happy to see it.
Houston gets busy in the 4th quarter
Houston (3-3) is 1-2 in overtime and 2-0 in games decided in the final 18 seconds of regulation, including scoring two touchdowns in the final 1:17 to beat Memphis 33-32 last Friday. “I’m exhausted,” coach Dana Holgersen said after the game. “Our coaches are exhausted.” The open week couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s probably a statistic that drives Holgersen nuts, but of the Cougars’ 162 points in regulation this season, 80 have come in the fourth quarter. Some players need that sense of urgency. Quarterback Clayton Tune’s passing efficiency in the first three quarters: 130.19; in the fourth quarter: 164.21.
NC State’s ‘beautiful, never-quit, gritty performance’
One week after an emotional loss to Clemson, No. 15 NC State came back from a 17-3 halftime deficit to Florida State, came back without star quarterback Devin Leary, and won 19-17. I don’t know about you, but that’s the definition of a good team. Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren described it Monday as a “beautiful, never-quit, gritty performance.” Doeren pointed out that NC State has beaten Florida State three years in a row for the first time in the Seminoles’ 31 seasons in the ACC. “It shows a lot of heart, what we did in that game, especially when you’re missing your quarterback for part of that comeback,” Doeren said. Leary suffered a shoulder injury and Doeren said his season isn’t over, but couldn’t (or wouldn’t) be more specific.