A second player in three weeks was arrested for misdemeanor traffic violations Wednesday when offensive lineman Vince Vance was taken into custody by the Athens-Clarke County police for driving without a license.
Head coach Mark Richt said Vance, 22, had a learner’s permit, which would allow him to operate the vehicle if another adult was present, but that was not the case at the time of the arrest. The violation is the second in the past year for Vance, who was arrested on a similar charge last November.
“He doesn’t have a car, and he claims that he never drives unless he has someone 21 (years old) with (him) which is legal to do," Richt said. "So here’s a kid who doesn’t have a suspended license. It’s a legal license. Now, why he has a learner’s permit at this age, everybody’s asking the same question. But he drove by himself and had a traffic violation and when they ran it, he broke the law."
Richt said the arrest will not affect Vance’s playing time in this week’s game against Florida.
“It’s not affecting his playing status at all,” Richt said. “If he starts, he was going to start, if he doesn’t start, he wasn’t going to start.”
Richt said further punishment is being handled in-house, but said that the team’s focus on these minor traffic offenses has increased in recent weeks.
Three weeks ago, cornerback Vance Cuff was arrested for driving a scooter with a suspended license, and linebacker Rennie Curran also had a bench warrant issued for him after he failed to appear in court following a speeding violation.
“I can’t even tell you what we’ve been trying to get done in regard to making sure these things don’t happen,” Richt said. “I’m highly frustrated. I’ve taken things a little bit more into my own hands to make sure these things get resolved.”
The problem, Richt said, is that rules are often nearly impossible to enforce. While the school tries to ensure each player has a valid license, situations like the one faced by Vance result from players not having the proper class of license, which is forcing Richt to take a firm stand on the issue.
“My feeling is, every single Georgia football player must have not only a valid license, but a Class C license,” Richt said.
Still, Richt said, it remains difficult to keep tabs on any potential moving violations, parking tickets and other minor issues that can, if ignored, become more serious. Finding a foolproof plan to combat the issues will take some time, he said.
“I can’t snap my finger and get it done overnight,” Richt said. “If a kid gets a ticket and he can’t take care of it quickly enough, he could find himself with an issue there. So it’s a real pain in the rear, quite frankly.”
While neither Vance nor Cuff were charged with anything more serious than a misdemeanor, Richt said the problem is more about image than substance.
"It’s one thing to get stopped and get a citation," Richt said. "I don’t think anybody gets too bent out of shape. But if a guy gets stopped and he’s arrested, that’s a more serious matter. These are misdemeanor issues, but it’s an arrest nonetheless, and it’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing to the program and to them. So we’ve got to do a better job, and I’m taking the blame for not making certain these things were taken care of, but we’re going to get it straight.”
Richt said he would personally take account of players' driving status and make an effort to constantly remind players that moving violations and other traffic citations must be reported to the coaching staff.
In Curran's case, a traffic ticket went unpaid, and a bench warrant was issued. That's not uncommon, Richt said, as the busy schedule of classes and football can often cause a player to forget to follow up on such issues.
While Richt is understanding of why the problems can arise, however, he's unwilling to tolerate further excuses.
“I don’t think anybody’s purposely trying to do those things, but if they don’t follow through, that’s another problem," he said. "So all these things can happen and they seem little … but those little things if you don’t handle your responsibilities, then you get bigger problems. That’s part of growing up, that’s part of college, that’s part of what we’re trying to help these guys understand. They’ve got to grow up, be a man, handle your responsibilities so we don’t have to deal with this. But we have got to make sure we’re monitoring these things so we don’t have these things blow up on us.”
RECORD CHASER
As far as the record books go, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is currently tied with former Georgia great Herschel Walker for the SEC’s record for career rushing touchdowns, meaning the much-reviled Gators star could set the mark against Walker’s old team this week. That doesn’t exactly sit well with some of Georgia’s players.
“It seems like everybody is trying to make history on us,” defensive tackle Jeff Owens said, referencing Eric Berry’s attempt to set a record for interceptions against Georgia three weeks ago. “We want to keep him out of the end zone. He’s a tough player, always trying to get that extra yard, so we’ve just got to scratch and claw and try to stop him.”
Tebow has 49 career rushing touchdowns, five of which have come against Georgia. While that officially ties the record, Walker has five additional touchdowns that came in bowl games, which were not counted toward official totals at the time.
Regardless of the caveats, Georgia isn’t interested in seeing Tebow break Walker’s record – officially or unofficially – this week.
“Just knowing the type of player that Herschel was and the type of guy that he is now, we just want to represent for the guys who played before us,” linebacker Rennie Curran said. “That would be huge for us to hold their offense and Tebow and not let them score. We know they like to put the ball in his hands on the goal line so that is going to be our main goal. Not just because it is going to be a record but because as a defense we just want to play our best game.”
Of course, that’s as much a compliment to Tebow as anything. For as much as Georgia’s players hope they can maintain Walker’s record, quarterback Joe Cox admits he has a great deal of respect for Tebow, too.
“He’s unique being such a big, powerful runner,” Cox said. “You see a lot of quarterbacks nowadays that can run, but it’s not like a guy that runs like a fullback. You don’t have a lot of guys that play quarterback that are your goal line back. I think he’s different in that sense. I don’t know how many guys can take that many carries in a conference like this. I don’t know how many you’ll see that are like him. You’ll see a lot of guys that are dual-threat, but guys that can take that many carries and be the goal-line back? I don’t know.”
HAPPY TO BE BACK
Cox is making his first start in a Georgia-Florida game this season, and he’s happy to be doing it in Jacksonville, Fla.
There was a great deal of debate over the future of the game in recent months, but a deal to keep the game in Jacksonville appears imminent, and that’s just the way it should be, Cox said.
“I know there are people that think this game needs to come to Atlanta, but it doesn’t matter because wherever you are, it’s going to be a 50-50 crowd, and it’s always really cool to see it like that,” he said. “Two teams that are big rivals, they get to share the stadium, and it’s one of the best games in college football and it’s always fun to be a part of.”
NEW FACE EARNS PRAISE
Early in the season, Christian Robinson was buried on the depth chart at linebacker. But with injuries to Akeem Dent and Marcus Dowtin, the redshirt freshman has seen significant playing time the past two weeks, and he’s made the most of it.
In the past two games, Robinson has made six tackles – including one for a loss – in reserve duty, and linebackers coach John Jancek said his progress has been impressive.
“Christian has a very bright future here,” Jancek said. “He’s only a freshman, but he’s really caught on to things very well. He’s a dedicated player, he plays very hard. I look for him to continue getting better and better and better. His biggest thing will be his physical development once we end this season.”
EXTRA POINTS
-- Georgia practice in full pads today, a change from its normal schedule following a bye week. The Bulldogs were making up for yesterday’s indoor workout, which was necessitated due to bad weather. The team will practice in shorts Thursday and have a brief walk-through Friday in preparation for Saturday’s game against Florida.
-- Richt said he was not sure who would start at tailback this week but indicated several of Georgia’s five scholarship tailbacks could play. He said, to this point, no one back has emerged that can handle all of Georgia’s playbook to the standards necessary, so different backs will be used for different play calls. Of the backs on the roster, however, Richt said sophomore Caleb King is closest to being a full-time player.
-- Richt still would not comment on a starting lineup for the offensive line, but Clint Boling (LT), Cordy Glenn (LG), Ben Jones (C), Chris Davis (RG) and Josh Davis (RT) handled the first-team reps during the early periods of Wednesday’s practice.
-- Richt said linebacker Akeem Dent went through a full practice today and will be able to play Saturday. Defensive end Kiante Tripp has also been cleared to play after missing most of the season with a neck stinger.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Practice Notes: Richt Cracks Down After Latest Arrest
Let's Chat: Week 8
It's that time again. After a week away, we're back to our regularly scheduled programming, which means we'll be chatting live at Macon.com/UGAchat tomorrow (Thursday) at noon.
What burning questions do you have about the upcoming Cocktail Party game? Click over to Macon.com/UGAchat, press the 'play' button, and post your questions there. Then check back tomorrow at noon for the live chat or any time afteward for a full recap.Wednesday Links (10/28)
How about some afternoon links?
-- I have a story in today's Telegraph in which Georgia's defenders say they aren't being lulled into believing the struggles of the Gators' offense.
-- Bernie takes a bit closer look at the Gators' struggles on offense, too, and has some locker notes.
-- Of course, as Senator Blutarsky points out, it's not the Gators' offense that should worry fans. It's that D, which just might be the best ever.
-- Paul Westerdawg has a few suggestions for Mike Bobo on how to attack that vaunted Florida D.
-- And that D will be near full strength, too, as the Gators get four players back from injuries this week.
-- Tony Barnhart thinks Florida is beatable... but maybe not by Georgia.
-- Want one of my keys to the game for Georgia? I think it'll happen before the game even kicks off. If Baccari Rambo is starting, we know the coaching staff took a long, hard look at the team's issues during the bye week. If Bryan Evans is starting, it'll probably be more of the same. Bubba 'N Earl definitely agree.
-- I missed this while on furlough, but Battle Hymn Notes has a really good post exploring how fair it is to compare Brian Van Gorder and Willie Martinez.
-- I'm honestly at a loss to explain why everyone is happy to ignore the fact that Tim Tebow isn't REALLY breaking Herschel Walker's TD record. How hard is it to add bowl stats to regular-season stats? It's freakin' addition for cripe's sake! It's not like there's long division involved!Anyway, old Timmy wants the record.
-- Valdosta State High School (I'm dumb... need more afternoon coffee)is looking for a new head coach, and apparently Eric Zeier is on their radar.
-- Check out some of the swag UGA and Florida might be getting by keeping the game in Jacksonville moving forward.
-- You can hate the Gators, but you can't hate Florida beat writer Jeremy Fowler. Here's one of the reasons he's among the best beat writers in the SEC.
-- And sure, it's not football, but Georgia fans should enjoy making fun of this guy's name for the next few seasons.
-- I did a satirical fake diary for Stacy Searels earlier this week, then came upon one the Red & Black did for Michael Adams. Good stuff.
-- More good news for newspapers: The AJC saw a 23 percent drop in circulation from 2007 to 2008.
-- Of course, with crap like this from supposedly reputable bloggers, perhaps the death of newspapers is farther off than I thought.
-- Pop Candy has a Q&A with "Lost" producer Damon Lindelof that is chock full of interesting tidbits.
-- Our absurdly bad idea for an '80s remake of the week: "Short Circuit." Johnny Five alive... again! I can only assume Guttenberg has been blowing up his agent's cell phone.
-- Do yourself a favor and read this excellent story of a British kid who just so happens to be named Harry Potter.
-- David Spade defends using Chris Farley in his new DirecTV ads.
-- Steve Penner thinks this week's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" may have jumped the shark. It was a little out of left field, I'll admit, but I think I laughed harder during this episode than any all season. And the scene with Larry and Jerry at the restaurant was pure heaven for a "Seinfeld" fan.
-- And finally, "Friday Night Lights" returns tonight -- at least for those of you who get DirecTV. I'm giddy. The LA Times catches you up on what to expect from Season 4 of the best drama on television.More Traffic Problems for UGA
Vince Vance is the latest Bulldog to be arrested for driving without a license.
Marc Weiszer reports that there will not be a suspension.
I gotta say... I can't condone that. No, it's not the worst charge in the world. But it's also not the first time Vance has been arrested for it.
Can someone at UGA please arrange a field trip to the DMV?"Yes We Can": Delivering Hope to Bulldog Nation
Here's a comment from Greg, who writes: David- you apparently LOVE analyzing numbers.
Can we get some analysis that gives us some sort of hope or optimism this afternoon?
I know there isn't much to go around-- We have a running game that averages fewer yards per carry this season than Joe Cox would be if he just took the snap and snuck into the pile instead (yes, that is after I remove the 80 and the 61-- and you know exactly what I'm talking about).
Can you maybe find some evidence to tell us how Aaron Murray is going to take the reigns next year, and teamed with a superior WR/TE corps and, if we're lucky, a running back and an O-Line with Trinton Sturdivant, lead us to the promised land?
We need something positive to talk about going into this weekend.
David: First off, I know the blog has been a bit numbers heavy this week so far. While I do like doing a few posts on the stats each week, this time it's not entirely my fault. With last week's furlough, I had very little actual reporting to work from so far because the first interviews I had done in 10 days were yesterday afternoon. So the numbers are about all I had to work with. It'll get better as the week goes on, I promise.
Second, for those of you looking for some good news -- It's not that I'm not looking. In fact, while it certainly wasn't a ringing endorsement, I did blog yesterday about Florida's struggles in the passing game and on Monday about the idea that moving Clint Boling to the left side of the line might be a good step in the right direction.
But how about something to actually feel good about? How about the perfect scenario for a Georgia win this week?
In truth, that's probably what needs to happen. Georgia needs to play its best game of the season in all three phases and probably have a few breaks go their way to come out on top -- but I don't think that's so far fetched.
For one, the Dawgs are coming off a bye week, so there's no excuse for each unit not to be better prepared for this game than they have been for any since the opener. And if you'll recall, the D actually looked pretty good in the opener, and while the offense struggled, that was at least in part due to a ton of first-time starters and a QB with the flu.
Secondly, it may have only been against Vandy, but Georgia's last win was a much needed boost of confidence. Hearing Mike Bobo talk about why he went to the sidelines, noting how little confidence some of the younger players seemed to have, I think that shows just how important a small taste of success might be. To steal the old cliche, whether you believe you can or you believe you can't, you're right. (I think a great man named Stewie Griffin said that.)
And third, the SEC has reached its tipping point with the referees. Yes, Florida has gotten all the calls this season. Yes, Georgia got screwed out of a victory because of a bad call. But at this point, the officiating blunders are so obvious that the league simply can't afford another one. That can only benefit Georgia. And truth be told, the Dawgs are probably due for a few breaks in other areas, too.
It's hard to predict a Georgia win, but it's not so tough to envision a scenario in which it could happen. A Brandon Boykin touchdown on special teams gives UGA seven points it didn't have to get against the Gators' stout defense. A Tim Tebow pick sets up another easy seven. Florida's D might be good, but A.J. Green is better, and eventually, he'll break a long one for another seven. Throw in a lucky break here or there and a couple of field goals from Blair Walsh -- avenging his worst outing of his career a year ago -- and all of a sudden Georgia's got 34 points, which is more than enough to beat the struggling Gators' offense, right?
It's a lot of 'ifs' but none of them seem unreasonable.
Oh, and here's one other worthwhile bit of info:
| Year | UGA Total Yards | Fla Total Yards |
| 2002 | 294 | 381 |
| 2003 | 390 | 324 |
| 2004 | 405 | 458 |
| 2005 | 286 | 261 |
| 2006 | 215 | 319 |
| 2007 | 413 | 343 |
| 2008 | 398 | 373 |
Since 2002, Georgia's record against Florida is just 2-5, but last year's was the only game the Bulldogs lost by more than seven points, and Georgia has actually had more total yards than the Gators four times in seven games, including last year's "blowout."
On average, UGA has tallied 343 yards per game of offense, while Florida has tallied 351 yards per game. What that tells me is, if you take away the final score, these two teams have been essentially even for the past seven years. Moreover, Georgia's two least productive games were when Joe Tereshinski made his first career start filling in for an injured D.J. Shockley and when Matthew Stafford was starting just the fourth game of his career as a true freshman. Give the Dawgs a couple more bye weeks and a bit more experience at QB, and there's no reason to think they wouldn't be well out ahead.
Oh, and before you say, "Well, that doesn't account for our crappy defense," there's this:
| Year | Fla. Avg. Yards | vs. UGA | Diff. |
| 2002 | 406 ypg | 381 | <-25> |
| 2003 | 391 ypg | 324 | <-67> |
| 2004 | 427 ypg | 458 | +31 |
| 2005 | 373 ypg | 261 | <-112> |
| 2006 | 396 ypg | 319 | <-77> |
| 2007 | 457 ypg | 343 | <-114> |
| 2008 | 445 ypg | 373 | <-72> |
| TOTAL | 414 ypg | 351 | <-63> |
Georgia's defense has held high-flying Florida to below its season average (by a pretty wide margin, I might add) in six of the past seven games. The only time they didn't hold the Gators in check, actually, was 2004 when the Bulldogs won.
It's probably also worth noting that the four best performances by the D in terms of holding Florida below their average yardage all came under Willie Martinez. He may have his faults as a coordinator, but he seems to have the Gators' number. (And let's not forget, Florida won two national titles during that stretch and had Ron Zook coaching them while Brian Van Gorder helmed the Dawgs' D.)
So how's all of that for optimistic info?
Now, let's get to our next comment, which was posted anonymously: NO Greg he cannot.
David was breast fed in the northern journalism tradition of "bitch, bitch bitch,tear them down". Its a part of his DNA. How he ended up in Macon, Ga is a great mystery.
His snyde inclusion of CWM's throwaway comment "I don't know if we can slow him down." is exhibit A. Oh David, that was rich journalism.
But you know what David says, "If you don't like my analysis go to georgiadogs.com."
David: Oh, right. I forgot. Skip all that stuff I just wrote. Please go to Georgiadogs.com instead.
P.S. Accurately quoting a source is actually pretty commonplace journalism, rather than "rich" and you spelled snyde wrong.
P.P.S. -- If you have a question or comment, don't forget we'll be chatting live at noon tomorrow at Macon.com/UGAChat. You can go there now and post your questions, and I'll spend an hour providing the answers (or close approximations of answers) tomorrow at noon.
It Can't All Be Bryan Evans' Fault
Some trends are easy to spot. Some fly below the radar. This one, for me, was something I had noticed, but hadn't fully grasped until I actually sat down and looked at the numbers.
Here's a look at the stats from all seven tight ends Georgia has faced so far this season:
| Player | vs. UGA | Season | Avg/Game | Best Non-UGA |
| W. Youman (OSU) | 2-25-0 | 7-82-1 | 1-12 | 2-23-1 (Baylor) |
| W. Saunders (SC) | 8-96-0 | 17-194-0 | 2.5-28 | 4-50-0 (NC St) |
| DJ Williams (Ark) | 4-58-1 | 14-161-2 | 2-23 | 6-57-1 (Auburn) |
| D. Knapp (ASU) | 0-0-0 | 1-2-0 | N/A | 1-2-0 (Stanford) |
| R. Dickson (LSU) | 3-31-0 | 12-103-0 | 1.7-15 | 3-27-0 (La-Laf) |
| L. Stocker (Tenn) | 4-68-0 | 13-180-0 | 2-26 | 2-46-0 (Auburn) |
| A. Monahan (Van) | 1-11-0 | 10-92-0 | 1.4-13 | 3-31-0 (W Car) |
Looking at these numbers, what can we say about how Georgia defends tight ends this season?
Well, for one, of the seven tight ends Georgia has faced, four of them have had their best game of the season against the Dawgs. Of those other three:
-- D.J. Williams didn't miss his season high by much against Georgia, and he sat out nearly the entire first half due to an injury.
-- Arizona State essentially doesn't use its tight end. Dan Knapp has just one catch all season.
-- Austin Monahan was below his season averages against Georgia, but most of that was collected against non-conference foes early. In his past five games, including vs. Georgia, Monahan has just two catches for 16 yards, 11 of which came against the Dawgs.
Actually, here's perhaps a slightly better representation of what we've seen:
In all games not against Georgia, these seven TEs are averaging 1.2 catches for 12.5 yards per game.
Against Georgia, they're averaging 3.14 catches for 41.3 yards per game.
In other words, Georgia is allowing more than triple the average production from tight ends that those same players are accumulating against other teams this season.
Of course, you might say, hey, even at that, it's just a difference of 29 yards per game. That doesn't really have a significant effect on the outcome, right?
Well, it is tantamount to three first downs over the course of a game, so it's probably nothing to sneeze at. But the bigger issue is this: Why would opposing play callers go to their tight ends -- players who appear to rarely be key aspects of the offense -- at triple the rate against Georgia they would against someone else? Obviously they see something on the film that makes them believe Georgia is vulnerable to the tight end, right?
But again, it's just 29 yards per game, so why is it really important?
Because of this:
| Player | Rec. | Yards |
| A. Hernandez | 33 | 392 |
| R. Cooper | 27 | 396 |
| D. Nelson | 8 | 79 |
| O. Hines | 7 | 98 |
| B. James | 7 | 93 |
| D. Thompson | 6 | 146 |
Those are Florida's receiving leaders this season. The name at the top of that list is tight end Aaron Hernandez. The Gators essentially have two real receiving threats, Riley Cooper and their tight end.
In fact, Hernandez's season averages are 5 catches and 56 yards per game. If Georgia allows, on average, three times the production to tight ends that they normally accumulate, Hernandez would be looking at a line of 15 catches for 168 yards on Saturday.
And that's a difference of more than just three first down.
Anyway, here's what Willie Martinez had to say about Mr. Hernandez:
"I don't know if you can slow him down. You just make yourself aware of where he lines up because he is a go-to guy. Hernandez has been a tremendous player for them and has made play after play in every big game they've had. Just knowing where he's at -- they have so many weapons -- and obviously in the passing game we know he's a big target, along with Riley Cooper."
Well, I guess knowing that he's good is a start. But that part about not knowing if he can be slowed down... that's less encouraging.
Of course, there is some good news. Georgia gets linebackers Akeem Dent and Marcus Dowtin back this week. Dent still isn't 100 percent, but he's an experienced strongside linebacker. Dowtin's return also allows Darryl Gamble to slide over and play more Sam this week. And Georgia's worst outing against a tight end was vs. South Carolina, a week when Darius Dewberry missed the game with an injury.
So while the Bulldogs have clearly struggled at stopping tight ends this season, they may be in a better position to alter that history this week than they have been at any other point.
And if Georgia can keep Hernandez at bay, Florida's offense looks a lot more manageable.Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Practice Notes: Bobo to Stay on Sidelines
The sideline might not be the most comfortable place for Mike Bobo to watch a game, but it’s hard to argue with success.
For the first time in his career as offensive coordinator, Bobo called plays from the sideline in Georgia’s last outing against Vanderbilt, and the result was the team’s easiest win of the year, highlighted by a season-high in rushing yards. While the view wasn’t quite as good as it was from the press box, Bobo said he liked the feel of being on the sideline and said he’ll be there again this week when the Bulldogs take on No. 1 Florida.
“In the box, it’s like you’re watching a TV screen except you can see the whole thing, so you can see if we executed, and you can see if we don’t,” Bobo said. “Down there, you can feel the passion and the excitement, the highs and lows of when things go well and when things don’t go well. That part I liked. It’s a little more intense down there for sure.”
While Bobo won’t have access to the bird’s-eye view the press box affords, he said the negative impact of watching from the sideline has been lessened by the efforts of receivers coach Tony Ball, who provides pictures and analysis from the box while Bobo is on the field.
“You’ve got to have guys up there that are capable of giving you a picture and Coach Ball does a good job of that,” Bobo said. “You’ve got to prepare well to where you can recognize their looks and make sure they’re playing the way we thought they were, and if they didn’t, we’ve got to be able to make adjustments.”
The upside to Bobo’s appearance on the sideline is mental, he said.
With so many first-year starters on offense, Bobo was concerned that the unit was lacking confidence. Players were talented enough to succeed, but he wanted to be on the field where he could remind them of that, even in the face of failure.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys that haven’t made a lot of plays in some games,” Bobo said. “We have guys we feel we have some ability, but for whatever reason, they’re not making the play or they had their head down at certain times. (I wanted to) have the ability to say, ‘Hey you’ve got the ability, let’s go and get it done,’ or just to look them in the eye and say, ‘We can do it.’”
MYSTERY SURROUNDS O LINE
During Georgia’s off week, Clint Boling said he had spent some time working at left tackle, moving over from the right side where he has played all season.
Josh Davis got his first start of the season against Vanderbilt, too, giving the Bulldogs yet another look on the offensive line – their fourth different starting lineup of the season.
But Tuesday, head coach Mark Richt said he isn’t expecting a major shake-up for this week’s contest against Florida.
“We really don’t have a lot of choices, so I don’t see a lot of change there,” he said. “The guys that have been playing will continue to play. We may move them around a little bit, but I’m not even sure of that.”
Richt said Davis, Boling, Vince Vance, Ben Jones, Chris Davis and Justin Anderson will all see action, but he wouldn’t commit to the specific roles for any of them.
So while the head coach isn’t predicting change, he isn’t exactly promising the status quo either. That has Bobo convinced that this week’s lineup may have a look fans haven’t seen yet this year.
“I’d say probably, but you’ll just have to wait and see,” Bobo said. “But it’s been different every single week.”
‘BACKERS BACK
Georgia’s depleted linebacker corps figures to get an infusion of healthy bodies this week with both Akeem Dent and Marcus Dowtin expected to return to action after extended absences due to injuries.
“(Dent) looks like he’s going to be able to make the trip, but we’ll see how he progresses here during the week as we run a little bit more,” linebackers coach John Jancek said. “Dowtin has been cleared and is ready to go.”
Dowtin missed the past two games after suffering a ligament tear in his finger that required surgery following Georgia’s loss to LSU. Dowtin had earned regular work as a reserve linebacker and was third on the team in tackles at the time of the injury.
“We really missed Marcus not having him for the last two ballgames,” defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. “Marcus has been one of our playmakers – a kid that can run, athletic, smart. He really was playing really well.”
Dent has missed nearly every practice since mid-August with a nagging hamstring injury, and his return brings a much needed veteran presence.
“I think he’s ready to go,” Martinez said. “We tried to get him to come back and maybe it was too soon. He re-aggravated that injury he had. … We haven’t had Akeem, his leadership and toughness. To get him back in the presence of the team is really huge.”
WARMER WEATHER
Temperatures in Jacksonville, Fla. for Saturday’s game are expected to be in the 80s with plenty of sunshine, which is a welcome change of pace for the Bulldogs.
Georgia hasn’t played a game in temperatures warmer than 80 degrees since its opener, and their last game against Vanderbilt began with temperatures in the mid-40s.
But while the warmer weather comes as a treat, it also means the Bulldogs might have to dig a bit deeper on their depth chart to rotate in fresh players as the heat takes its toll on the starters.
“I think we’re definitely going to have to have a lot of subs, especially in a warm game,” quarterback Joe Cox said. “But I’m just glad the weather is going to be good. We’ve had a lot of crazy weather situations this year. We might have to use some subs, but we’ll see how it goes.”
CHAPAS READY TO GO
Thanks to a stinger in his neck, fullback Shaun Chapas watched Georgia's last game against Vandy from the comfort of his own living room, but he hardly felt comfortable.
"It felt really weird," he said. "I'd never missed a game before, and right before kickoff I just had this overwhelming sense that I needed to be somewhere. That was kind of weird, but I really did enjoy watching the game from the sense that it looked like we got the running game going and we won, so that made it fun."
Chapas said the injury has healed fully already and he will be ready to play against Florida this week in a game that holds a bit of extra meaning for the Jacksonville native. While he hasn't gotten official word that he'll start over Fred Munzenmaier, he said he expects to.
"I would imagine," he said. "We haven't talked about it, but I would assume so."
EXTRA POINTS
-- Georgia had a 12-period indoor practice today due to significant rain in the area.
"It was a good day with good focus," Richt said. "We walked through things, which is important mental preparation and also helps get the sensation of what your body is supposed to do during the game. It really didn't hurt us in our physical preparation either because we had our typical Tuesday practice on Sunday and we'll get our regular Wednesday practice in tomorrow."
-- Bobo said he expected the team would still use a rotation at running back this week.
Ground Game Grab Bag: More Fun With Numbers
Usually most statistical research is done as a means of answering some core question. But I'm not sure there's an answer to Georgia's running game woes beyond a simple, sweeping statement: The Dawgs are just bad at running the ball.
So these numbers weren't meant to prove anything. Instead, I was wondering if they might create some new questions. In many respects, I think that may be the case. So while the bottom line may still be that Georgia stinks at running the ball, there is certainly more to the story.
As I pointed out in posts yesterday, there's some statistical evidence that shows that maybe Richard Samuel's lack of "instincts" isn't his problem and there's some evidence that shows that Clint Boling's potential move to left guard could be a boost for the Dawgs, too.
Here's some more of what I found in looking closer at the running game. (WARNING: If you haven't enjoyed the previous nuts-and-bolts, statistics-heavy posts we've done, you're going to hate this one.)
Breaking down the running game by quarter:
| Quarter | Carries | Yards | TB carries | TB yards |
| 1st | 49 | 135 | 41 | 115 |
| 2nd | 42 | 214 | 32 | 195 |
| 3rd | 54 | 157 | 43 | 154 |
| 4th | 63 | 235 | 47 | 245 |
First, a note: TB carries and TB yards are runs by tailbacks only. My thought process was that Branden Smith's runs or Logan Gray's sneaks (can they be called a "sneak" when everyone in the stadium knows what's coming?) or the fullback runs aren't really a true indication of Georgia's running game since they're typically gadget plays or short-yardage situations. They all count in the stadings and contribute to the outcome, but they don't necessarily give us the best information about Georgia's actual success running the football. This also takes out the negative yardage from QB sacks.
In either case, there's a pretty obvious trend that develops here that is similar to what we noticed when we studied Willie Martinez's defense a few weeks ago: Georgia is much better in the second and fourth quarters than it is in the first and third quarters.
I don't know if that means that Georgia's game plan entering games is bad or that the adjustments made during the game are good. It could certainly be the case that most defenses enter a game geared to stop the run, and as the offense loosens things up throwing the ball, the running game finds more room to run.
Whatever the reason, the outcome is pretty obvious: In the first quarters of games this season, Georgia is averaging 2.8 yards per carry by its tailbacks. In the second quarter, that number jumps to 6.09 ypc. In the third quarter, the average falls again, all the way down to 3.58 ypc. But in the fourth quarter, the Dawgs' find success once again, running at a 5.21 ypc clip.
Even if we add in all the yardage on the ground along with QB sacks, the trend remains, albeit slightly less pronounced. In the first quarter, UGA averages 2.75 ypc, in the second, that jumps to 5.09 ypc. The third quarter takes another dip to 2.91 ypc, then jumps again in the fourth quarter to 3.73 ypc.
Again, it's hard to know for sure what conclusions we can draw from these numbers, but it does seem to support Mike Bobo's dedication to running the football, even when the early success isn't seen.
Of course, yards are one thing. Points are another. Does running the ball more actually lead to more points on the board for Georgia? After all, the score is really the bottom line.
| Quarter | Carries | Offensive Points |
| First | 49 | 45 |
| Second | 42 | 47 |
| Third | 54 | 28 |
| Fourth | 63 | 47 |
From these aggregate numbers, it seems pretty clear that running the ball more or less doesn't really have much of an effect on denting the scoreboard at all. In fact, the only real glaring stat here is that Georgia downright stinks in the third quarter. Other than that, the offensive output is essentially unchanged at any other point in the game, regardless of whether the Dawgs run it 42 times or 63 times.
Those are aggregate numbers, however. What about more specific instances?
The truth is, there haven't been many quarters in which Georgia has been particularly successful running the football. That probably shouldn't come as a surprise, given that the Dawgs rank 103rd nationally in rushing yardage. But really, it's almost impressive how consistently bad Georgia has been.
In 28 quarters of football this season, Georgia has run for 20 or fewer yards 19 times (68 percent). In eight instances, Georgia has gone an entire quarter with 10 or fewer rushing yards.
Even if we eliminate all the gadget plays and sack yardage, etc., and stick just with the work of the tailbacks, those numbers still look awful. The tailbacks have failed to net 20 yards in a quarter 16 times and have been held to 10 or fewer on six occasions.
And for all the bad efforts, there are very few good ones to balance them out. Georgia's tailbacks have topped 40 yards in a quarter just four times all season, and one of those was buoyed by an 80-yard run by Richard Samuel. Add back in all the gadget plays, etc., and as a team the Bulldogs topped 40 yards in a quarter just six times (21 percent).
But forget about success for a second. Let's just look at commitment. Does running the ball more translate to more points?
Here are Georgia's most prolific quarters of the year in terms of running the ball:
| #carries | When | Points | Points next Qtr |
| 17 | 4Q vs Van | 14 | N/A |
| 12 | 4Q vs Ark | 10 | N/A |
| 11 | 1Q vs Ark | 10 | 17 |
| 11 | 3Q vs OSU | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | 3Q vs ASU | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | 1Q vs OSU | 7 | 0 |
So Georgia's six most prolific running quarters (i.e. the top 21 percent of its total quarters) of the season have accounted for 26 percent of the Bulldogs' total offensive points. Essentially there is no appreciable difference in scoring success when the Dawgs run the ball more often and there's little evidence to show that running the ball a great deal in one quarter "loosens up" the defense for the next quarter.
Of course, there is one other thing that running the football often does: It keeps the opposition off the field. We've discussed on this blog several times about how Georgia's inability to sustain long drives has killed the Dawgs in time of possession and left the defense reeling far too often. On 58 of Georgia 88 offensive drives (or would-be drives in the cases of special teams fumbles) the Dawgs have run five or fewer plays this season. That's a whopping 66 percent of the time. It's not wonder the Dawgs' D ranks last in the SEC in scoring defense.
The way to combat that? Running the football.
Running the ball effectively generally leads to more offensive plays which leads to a greater time of possession which leads to fewer opportunities for the opposition to score.
So, has running the ball more helped Georgia's defense? Here, again, are Georgia's most prolific running quarters in terms of carries:
| #carries | When | T.O.P. | Opp Pts |
| 17 | 4Q vs Van | 10:59 | 0 |
| 12 | 4Q vs Ark | 8:50 | 3 |
| 11 | 1Q vs Ark | 9:04 | 21 |
| 11 | 3Q vs OSU | 6:59 | 7 |
| 10 | 3Q vs ASU | 7:45 | 14 |
| 10 | 1Q vs OSU | 8:34 | 0 |
It's safe to call the first quarter against Arkansas and the third quarter against Arizona State anomolies in terms of scoring. Georgia struggled with turnovers in each, and of those 35 points, 28 followed turnovers.
So set that aside, and the numbers show what intuitively should be obvious: When Georgia runs the ball often, the offense wins the time of possession battle (in this case, five out of six times) and the defense looks better.
Now let's look at the six quarters in which Georgia ran the ball the least:
| #carries | When | T.O.P. | Opp Pts |
| 3 | 4Q vs. OSU | 7:31 | 7 |
| 3 | 2Q vs LSU | 2:50 | 3 |
| 4 | 1Q vs Tenn | 5:59 | 0 |
| 4 | 2Q vs Tenn | 7:26 | 21 |
| 4 | 1Q vs SC | 3:41 | 17 |
| 4 | 3Q vs Ark | 4:46 | 17 |
That first quarter vs. Tennessee is the clear outlier here, but remember, Georgia dinked and dunked the ball in the passing game enough that it effectively simulated a running game. While the Dawgs only allowed three points against LSU in that quarter, too, it's worth remembering that the defense essentially had to stand on its head to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard.
Overall, the lack of a running game not only resulted in points for the opposition, but left Georgia absolutely crushed in the time of possession sweepstakes.
Does this mean Georgia needs to run the ball more? Or should we really consider that lack of production and say Georgia is already probably running the ball too much?
I'm not entirely sure what the answer is, but I do know this: Senator Blutarsky makes a compelling argument that Florida's best strategy against Georgia this week is to sit back and wait for the Bulldogs to beat themselves.
If you’re Urban Meyer, it’s not hard to draw up a basic strategy for this week. It boils down to three simple words: play it safe. Let Georgia beat itself; with the Dags’ turnover problems and inability to run the football consistently, that’s not exactly a monumental task for a team with the best defense in college football.
It's probably an effective strategy, considering the number of miscues Georgia has made this year.
But running the football -- regardless of how effective those runs are -- helps kill the clock and (assuming Richard Samuel isn't coughing up the ball) limits your opportunities to make mistakes.
So perhaps there's some real merit to simply waiting for the right moment to look for the big play and spending the rest of the time chipping away on the ground.
Bad vs. Ugly: Tebow Takes on the Dawgs' D
It's sort of odd, isn't it? Georgia has struggled to the point of fans demanding coaching changes on Mark Richt's staff, and yet, thinking the Dawgs have a shot to beat No. 1 Florida -- the defending champs and the same team that beat Georgia by 39 last year -- doesn't seem entirely unreasonable.
The rationale, of course, is that while Florida clearly appears to be the more talented team, the Gators have hardly been impressive, despite their unblemished record. Last year, Florida blew the doors off all comers, save a flukey loss to Ole Miss. This year, it's all been a struggle, even against also-rans like Arkansas and Mississippi State.
So, assuming Georgia's coaching staff has done its job during the bye week, the Bulldogs could potentially be poised to upset the Gators, right?
Well, maybe. But there's also a reason that Vegas calls Florida a 16-point favorite.
That said, it's intriguing to see the fallout surrounding Florida in the wake of yet another mundane offensive performance against an otherwise lackluster opponent last week.
From Chris Low's blog yesterday:
Florida’s passing game: The Gators rank a robust 80th nationally in passing offense this week, which is one spot behind Ohio University and three spots behind South Florida. Florida can’t throw it down the field at all right now, which better improve if the Gators want to win a second straight national title.
Those are the stats alright. No more Percy Harvin. No More Louis Murphy. No more Dan Mullen. And now? Florida simply doesn't have a vertical game.
Heck, it's gotten so bad, some Florida fans are asking for Tim Tebow to be benched in favor of backup John Brantley. Sort of puts that whole Joe Cox-Logan Gray debate into perspective.
Of course, we've heard this before, right? Struggling passing game gives Georgia's beleaguered secondary a shot at redemption? Actually, I wrote about it before the Vandy game just two weeks ago.
In that contest, Georgia's D actually took advantage of the Commies' struggling passing game. But that certainly hasn't always been the case, and Tebow is certainly a good bit better than Larry Smith, even if his star wideouts aren't on the roster this year.
In fact, Georgia has allowed three different quarterbacks -- Stephen Garcia, Ryan Mallett and Johnathan Crompton -- throw for at least 300 yards already this season. And none are exactly superstars just yet. Just compare how those three fared against Georgia with how they fared against the stalwart defense of Alabama:
| QB | vs. UGA | vs.Bama |
| Garcia | 31-53-313, 2/1 | 20-46-214, 0/1 |
| Mallett | 21-39-405, 5/0 | 12-35-160, 1/1 |
| Crompton | 20-27-310, 4/1 | 21-36-265, 1/1 |
Actually, there's an even more direct comparison for Mallett and Crompton, who have both played Florida this season, too. Against the Gators, Crompton was 11-of-19 for 93 yards, no TDs and 2 INTs. Mallett was slightly more successful, but his line of 12-of-27 for 224 yards and a TD still didn't come anywhere close to his huge performance against the Dawgs.
And again, Tebow is a better QB than any of those three.
So the basic question is this: Which will mean more come Saturday -- Florida's 80th-ranked passing offense or Georgia's 90th-ranked passing defense?
Before you answer though, remember this comparison as well:
Arkansas' pass defense is even worse than Georgia's, ranking 111th nationally.
When the Dawgs took on the Hogs, Joe Cox threw for a whopping 375 yards and five TDs.
When the Hogs played Tebow's struggling offense, the Gators threw for just 255 yards and one TD pass.
So Tebow is better than Crompton/Mallett/Garcia, and the Dawgs couldn't stop them. By that logic, Georgia won't stop Tebow.
But Georgia's D is better than Arkansas' D, and Arkansas did stop Tebow. So by that logic, he's in for another frustrating day against the Dawgs.
Which is really just a long way of saying, we really don't know what the heck will happen. But that alone is probably cause for encouragement for the Dawgs.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Following Directions: Boling Move Makes Sense
One thing about the problems in the running game that remains difficult to really analyze statistically is the impact of the offensive line. I'm not a coach, so film study of the line is both inaccessible and fairly useless for me. Maybe the line stinks, maybe the runners do. I pretty much have to take the coaches' words for it. It's the ultimate anecdotal evidence position.
Of course, there is one bit of statistical data I do have access to that might tell us a little bit about Georgia's O line as it relates to the running game.
While the play-by-play from each game is hardly a vivid description of actual events, I do have directional results from four of Georgia's seven contests so far. That is, the play-by-play tells us whether the tailback ran left, right or up the middle. For three of the games, I don't have that info, but for 88 of Georgia's 165 carries by its tailbacks this season, we do have the data. Considering that's more than 50 percent, I think it's fair to extrapolate those results out to give us a bit better overall picture of where Georgia has had success and where it has struggled.
| Direction | Carries | Yards | Average |
| Middle | 46 | 204 | 4.43 |
| Left | 18 | 41 | 2.27 |
| Right | 24 | 131 | 5.46 |
First, a couple of notes:
-- This research is for tailbacks only. I did not include runs by Branden Smith and Logan Gray or any of the fullbacks or QB sneaks, etc., as those tend to be the most reliable examples of true rushing attempts.
-- The directional analysis was at the complete disgression of the scorekeeper, so it's hard to truly define whether "middle" means between the left guard and left tackle or straight behind center, etc. It's simply a "between the tackles" run.
-- The four games we get these numbers from are South Carolina, Arkansas, Arizona State and LSU.
Now, some conclusions:
-- Georgia's split between "up the middle" and "outside" runs is nearly 50/50. That may not be a good thing and it may also be another holdover of Mike Bobo's fascination with "balance." (Also, I think I'm overusing "quotation marks" on this post.)
-- Those numbers down the middle are skewed a bit by Richard Samuel's 80-yarder against Arkansas. Obviously that run can't be discounted, but it does inflate the overall average quite a bit. If you calculate the yards per carry average for runs between the tackles without that carry, it's a mundane 2.75 ypc.
-- The overall yards per carry average by the tailbacks in these games was 4.17 ypc. So looking at the raw numbers, Georgia was about average down the middle, well below average running left and well above average running right.
Considering Georgia has started three different left tackles this season and has had left guard manned by an injured Chris Davis and Vince Vance, who is recovering from ACL surgery less than 12 months ago, there's probably a good reason why the Bulldogs have had less success running in that direction. I've said for more than a month now that Georgia has missed Trinton Sturdivant far more than people are acknowledging, but these numbers really bear that out.
On the other hand, Clint Boling has essentially been a constant at right tackle this season, and clearly that has been Georgia's best option to run behind (or around).
So perhaps the news that Stacy Searels was considering moving Boling from the right side back to left tackle, where he played last year, shouldn't come as much of a surprise. In fact, it seems like a pretty obvious solution.
Now the question becomes -- can anyone else step up to provide a few more running lanes for the Dawgs?Mumme Poll Ballot: Week 8
Of my top 12 from last week, only Miami came away with a loss this week, so there aren't many changes to this week's list.
The Top Five:
1.) Alabama - I still think the Tide is the best team in the country, but they can't keep up this pace unless Greg McElroy remembers how to play QB. No passing TDs in the last 13 quarters of action. On the other hand, Leigh Tiffin has 11 field goals in that span.
2.) Florida - You get the feeling that if they came across a team with any semblance of an offense, the Gators might have at least two losses already. Four of their five conference wins have come by a total of 33 points, and even their blowout victory over Kentucky included a blocked punt for a score and just one passing TD. The Gators have topped 30 points just once against a BCS foe this year after doing it 10 times last season. Or maybe I'm just nitpicking.
3.) Texas - The Longhorns dominated an underwhelming Missouri team and really have yet to prove much of anything this season other than a lackluster win over three-loss Oklahoma. Of course, if they get by Okie State this week, it should be smooth sailing to the national championship game. That's a sad statement considering that there's a good chance they'll play in that national title game without having beaten a single team that ends the season with fewer than three losses. But, yeah, Cincy and Boise State don't deserve a shot, right?
4.) Cincinnati - Let's see: The Bearcats thump Louisville with a backup QB and drop from fifth to eighth in the BCS standings. They get more respect from me.
5.) Southern California - It wasn't exactly impressive, but USC did avenge last year's loss to Oregon State, which was just a touch more impressive this week than what Iowa did, moving the Trojans into my top five.
The Next Seven:
6.) Iowa - For the fourth straight week, Iowa barely got by an inferior opponent. This time it was Michigan State -- the same team that fell to Central Michigan earlier this season. At some point I'm going to need to decide which feeling is stronger: My gut instinct that Iowa might be a really good though not pretty team or my absolute certainty that the Big Ten is utter garbage. For this week, I'm leaning toward the latter.
7.) Boise State - Another team that took a tumble down the BCS standings this week for no good reason. OK, Hawaii stinks. But that road trip -- 3,306 miles and two time zones -- is no easy task regardless. The Broncos then handed down a 54-9 stomping of the Fightin' Shane Victorinos. Oh, and as an amusing side note, here are the Google directions on getting from Boise to Honolulu:
1. Head northwest on W Front St/US-20 W/US-26 W toward S Capitol Blvd Continue to follow US-20 W/US-26 W - About 2 mins8.) Oregon - USC goes to Washington and loses. LSU goes to Washington and barely escapes. Notre Dame hosts Washington and narrowly edges out a win. Oregon goes to Washington and dominates, picking up a 43-19 victory. I'm more impressed by the Ducks every week.
2. Continue onto I-184 W - About 3 mins
3. Take exit 0 to merge onto I-84 W toward Ontario, Entering Oregon - About 3 hours 47 mins
4. Take exit 179 to merge onto I-82 W toward Umatilla/Kennewick, Entering Washington - About 2 hours 11 mins
5. Merge onto I-90 W - About 1 hour 32 mins
6. Take exit 10 to merge onto I-405 N toward Bellevue - About 3 mins
7. Take exit 14 for State Route 520 E toward Redmond
8. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for State Highway 520 W/Seattle and merge onto WA-520 W - About 5 mins
9. Take the Montlake Blvd exit - About 1 min
10. Slight left at NE Pacific St - About 2 mins
11. Slight left at NE Northlake Way
12. Slight left at 6th Ave NE
13. Slight right at NE Northlake Way - About 3 mins
14. Kayak across the Pacific Ocean, Entering Hawaii - About 14 days 5 hours
15. Continue straight
16. Turn left at Kuilima Dr - About 1 min
17. Take the 3rd right onto HI-83 W/Kamehameha Hwy - About 20 mins
9.) Georgia Tech - The Jackets didn't exactly look exceptional this week, but it was another pretty easy win. You watch them and think, "Man, if teams just knew how to tackle better, that offense isn't that good." But maybe I should be thinking, "Man, those running backs just can't be tackled."
10.) TCU - The win over BYU was certainly impressive and keeps the Horned Frogs in the discussion for BCS buster status. But I think Boise State's win over Oregon was more impressive and Cincinnati has a better overall body of work, so I'd still put TCU third in the "dark horse" category. For now.
11.) LSU - Good win over what might now be a pretty bad Auburn team. The real test comes in two weeks in Tuscaloosa though.
12.) Oklahoma State - The only newcomer to the list. I wrestled with putting Penn State or Virginia Tech here, but Okie State continues to look impressive even without Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant. Of course, we'll know more about the Cowboys next week.
Best of the Rest:
13.) Virginia Tech - Their two losses were against two of my top nine teams. There's probably a very good argument to be made that they belong over Okie State.
14.) Penn State - A joke of a non-conference schedule for a team that plays in a joke of a conference means it's going to take a lot to impress me.
15.) Houston - At year's end, I think that loss to UTEP might be chalked up as one of the year's most inexplicable.
Not Buying:
Pittsburgh - They've beaten absolutely no one and lost to a bad NC State team.
Notre Dame - I hate Notre Dame.
* If you haven't submitted your Mumme Poll ballot, CLICK HERE and do it now.
Short Cuts: How Bad a Runner is Richard Samuel?
The biggest UGA story during my week off might have been Mark Richt's admission that there was at least a chance Richard Samuel would be moved to linebacker next season. The rationale is simple: Samuel is big, strong and fast, but he just doesn't have those natural instincts a running back needs to hit the hole and break tackles. The evidence is simple, too: He makes contact, then goes down. Too many short runs, not enough first downs. But is it true?
Here's a rundown of the runs made by each of Georgia's four primary tailbacks this season:
| Player | Total Runs | 0/Neg. (Pct) | 1-3 yds (Pct) | 4-6 yds (Pct) | 7-9 yds (Pct) | 10+ yds (Pct) |
| R.Samuel | 77 | 16 (20.7%) | 31 (40.3%) | 15 (19.5%) | 9 (11.6%) | 6 (7.8%) |
| C. King | 35 | 9 (25.7%) | 13 (37.1%) | 6 (17.1 %) | 1 (2.9%) | 6 (17.1%) |
| W. Ealey | 31 | 6 (19.3%) | 15 (48.4%) | 6 (19.3%) | 3 (9.6%) | 1 (3.2%) |
| C.Thomas | 19 | 3 (15.8%) | 5 (26.3%) | 5 (26.3%) | 2 (13.2%) | 4 (21.1%) |
Well, it's hard to argue with the notion that Samuel does, indeed, provide a hefty dose of short runs. In fact, 61 percent of the time Samuel carries the football, he picks up fewer than 3 yards. That's not going to get it done.
But is that Samuel's fault or are there other forces at work here?
Look at Georgia's other three tailbacks: Caleb King picks up 3 yards or fewer on 62.8 percent of his carries. Washaun Ealey fails to top 3 yards on a whopping 67.7 percent of his carries. Only Carlton Thomas has had more success at picking up consistent yardage on his runs than Samuel, and his numbers are dubious for several reasons including both a small sample size and the fact that the majority of his work has come during "garbage time" efforts.
So is Samuel really more prone to going down on first contact? These numbers say no. The problem is either a.) All of Georgia's tailbacks fail to break tackles or b.) Georgia's O line simply isn't making longer runs an option.
Of course, there's also the other end of the scale. What about those really long runs -- the ones that seriously erode a defense's confidence and set the offense up with strong field position? On that end, King is the clear winner, and Samuel doesn't seem to have much success. Perhaps that is a better indication of "instincts." Perhaps those real running lanes have been a rarity this season, but when they do appear, King has taken advantage of them while Samuel has not.
That seems reasonable, but if we expand our definition of "big play" to include any of more than 7 yards, suddenly the difference between Samuel and King disappears. So maybe it's not first contact that Samuel has more trouble with than others, but second contact.
Again, none of this is a foolproof answer to the question, but at the same time it does sort of dampen that conventional wisdom that Samuel simply isn't cut out to play tailback.
A few other points worth noting from this data:
-- If Georgia does move Samuel, I'm not sure the coaching staff can be criticized for a failed experiment. What does seem perplexing, however, is why -- if Samuel needed time to develop his skills as a runner -- he wasn't redshirted last year when he was just 17 and had minimal tailback experience.
-- Washaun Ealey seems to be the ray of hope for most fans, but while he has had a couple of more memorable runs, his overall body of work is clearly the worst of the four.
-- Carlton Thomas needs more touches. He's not a traditional runner, but when given a chance to succeed, he does it. Coaches need to stop looking at him as a third or fourth option and start viewing him as a real weapon for the offense.
I did a good bit more research on the running game as well, and we'll get to that later today and tomorrow, so stay tuned.
ADDENDUM: I should also note that perhaps the most stinging indictment of Samuel is not his short runs but rather his propensity for fumbles. I'll take a series of 2-yard totes over a turnover any day.
Monday Links (10/26)
Happy Monday, folks. I'm glad to be back at work -- well, as glad as one can be to be back at work -- and with Florida on the slate this week, it should be a busy few days.
One problem I have at the moment, however, is a lack of material to work with. I haven't done an interview or been in Butts-Mehre for 10 days, so I'm a little out of the loop. We'll be playing a little catch-up today, but hopefully still have some good blog material, and hopefully once the interviews conclude tomorrow afternoon, we'll be back on track with all the happenings on the UGA football team.
In any case, I'm hopeful that you found plenty of great reading material to keep you entertained while I was gone. And if you didn't, well, I've got some for you now...
-- The good news: Nickell Robey seems content with his commitment to Georgia. The bad news? He seems pretty sure Willie Martinez will be at UGA next year, too. I know fans will read this and assume this means Mark Richt has already decided against staff changes, but really, he's simply saying what needs to be said. Richt is caught in no-man's land right now. He can't fire anyone now, but he can't allow rumors to hinder recruiting either. So by making no decision at this point, he maintains plausible deniability. It's best to simply take any coaching rumors or assumptions with a grain of salt until the season is over.
-- Rex Robinson compares two greats -- Herschel Walker and Tim Tebow -- as the Florida quarterback closes in on Walker's touchdown record. I'm curious: Out of everything that's at stake in this game, where does "Not letting Tebow break the record against Georgia" rank on things fans want most this week? If I told you that Georgia would lose by 20 points, but Tebow wouldn't run for a TD, would that be enough of a silver lining?
-- So you might think that a 39-point blowout win with some final-minute timeouts would be enough payback for The Celebration, right? Well, Florida doesn't think so.
-- Steve Hummer is one of those journalists you just wish wrote about your team all the time. His piece on A.J. Green is spectacular.
-- I like Battle Hymn Notes' enthusiasm, even if it is a bit of the rose-colored glasses variety. In truth, I'd expect nothing less of UGA fans than a sincere effort at convincing themselves the Dawgs have a chance to win. What I wasn't sure I could expect -- but it has proven to be true -- is that the argument really isn't that hard to make.
-- Tyler Estep looks at the challenge the Gators present for the much maligned Georgia D.
-- David Paschall writes that putting pressure on Tim Tebow will be a key in slowing the Florida offense.
-- Jeremy Fowler writes that it might be Mr. Tebow feeling the pressure right now. Here's something I found particularly interesting from this post, however: "Meyer said the Gators must do a better job spreading the ball around, but MSU Coach Dan Mullen flustered the offense with a "cover zero" defense." Hmmm... Outside-the-box approach by inferior team frustrates Tebow. So what are the odds that UGA's defensive scheme is anything other than the same stuff they've run out against Florida for years?
-- Bleacher Report asks if Georgia might benefit from switching from a 4-3 defense going forward, regardless of who remains at the helm of the D.
-- Catfish & Cornbread writes that, no matter what else has happened this season, it's this week's game that is the true measuring stick of the Georgia program. It's a simple concept, but oh so true.
-- While I was on furlough, The Grit Tree took over writing ridiculously long analysis pieces and did a fine job with it. Here's the site's first-half analysis: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
-- Dave McMahon has a bunch of interesting stats regarding the Bulldogs. One that caught my eye: Caleb King is just the fourth different player since Mark Richt became head coach at Georgia to rush for a TD and catch a TD in the same game.
-- ESPN's Chris Low has his SEC power rankings for the week posted. Here's a snippet from his comment on Georgia: "A win over Florida and ruining the Gators’ hopes of winning a second straight national championship would help ease the disappointment for Georgia this season." Here's my question: What makes Low think a loss for Florida would ruin its national title hopes? I mean, yes, it should. But does anyone really think that will happen?
-- Another week, another round of officiating blunders. This is what the SEC has set itself up for, and as the stakes rise and the quantity of these calls increases, every coach is going to decide the fine they'll pay for speaking out is worth it. We're close to a full-on meltdown for the conference, and justifiably so. For too long, the officiating in this conference has been an embarrassment, only the SEC never seems to be embarrassed by it.
-- Don't forget to get your Mumme Poll ballot in for this week.
-- Dr. Saturday takes a look at the new BCS rankings and puts a little perspective on those impressive computer rankings for Iowa.
-- Your daily Florida photo moment.
-- I remember writing about Pete Herrmann's first win as a coach in 16-ish years when the Dawgs finally got him a 'W' last season. That's nothing compared to the long wait for Ball State football coach Stan Parrish, who got his first victory in nearly a quarter-century this week. This is a great read.
-- I like Yahoo!'s rundown of the action as an Angels fan makes an a$$ out of himself.
-- Good news for "Community" fans: NBC picked up a full season of episodes.
-- I love the Hold Steady and Chuck Klosterman is one of my favorite writers. So why am I worried about what this collaboration will create?
-- I don't care how much history is on the Yankees side. It doesn't matter when Philly has classy fans like this.
-- And finally, Paste Magazine looks at the 20 worst sequels to good movies. After reviewing their list, I have two real complaints: 1.) I'm not sure I can agree with their standard for "good movie," and 2.) Any list of awful sequels begins and ends with "Caddyshack II." There is no debate. (Although, my refusal to acknowledge the existence of "Godfather III" also offers some wiggle room.)
Again, it's good to be back, and I can't thank all of you enough for the kind words posted in the comments or sent via email while I was gone.Things To Do In Athens When You're Furloughed
I'll say this: Aside from the lack of a paycheck, these furloughs aren't so bad. Relaxing, enjoyable and allowed me to catch up on a ton of DVR material. Just a complete delight.
Of course, I wasn't the only UGA-affiliated person to sit out a furlough this week. All of Georgia's coaches were forced to take one mandatory day off as part of the state-issued furloughs for 2009. For Georgia's assistants, that day was Monday.
Now, I know my responsibility for the furlough was to completely disassociate myself from work, but I didn't want you to think I was slacking. So I pulled some strings, called in some favors and did some hard-core reporting and came up with some top-secret material: The minute-by-minute itinerary from the furlough day of Georgia's most reclusive assistant -- Stacy Searels.
Don't ask me how I got it. I can't reveal my sources. But what follows is the true account of how Coach Searels spent his mandatory day off work last week.
4:27 a.m. -- Searels wakes up, sits up in bed and stares at his alarm clock.
4:30 a.m. -- Alarm clock goes off. Searels chastises it for not matching his intensity.
4:38 a.m. -- Enjoys morning protein shake, which includes 115 grams of protein, two bananas and one teaspoon of the tears of vanquished defensive linemen.
4:43 a.m. - 7:15 a.m. -- Time for film study. Unfortunately, due to furlough regulations, he is barred from watching game film, so he instead views Mel Gibson's "Braveheart," identifying 436 continuity errors and 61 anachronisms.
7:15 a.m. - 7:35 a.m. -- Breakfast with the family. After a few minutes of lackluster kitchen-table conversation, Searels revamps the seating arrangement in hopes of better results. When that doesn't work, he phones Josh Davis, who subs for Searels' youngest daughter for the remainder of the meal.
7:45 a.m. -- Time to take the kids to school. To save money on gas, however, he has Clint Boling and Justin Anderson push the family's Dodge Caravan the 13.6 miles from the Searels' home to school and back.
8:08 a.m. -- With no football study to do, Searels decides to hang around at his daughter's school for a while. During first-period science class, a fellow sixth-grader fails to properly explain photosynthesis, and Searels demands the boy does 25 up-downs while the teacher looks on, horrified.
8:11 a.m. -- Searels is escorted from the building by security. He vows to find a better school for his children, while also pointing out several problems with the security guards' technique as they shove him out the door. "You've got to get low, son! Put a hat on a hat!"
8:34 a.m. -- Searels phones Auburn head coach Gene Chizik to inquire whether he would have been forced to take a mandatory furlough had he accepted a job offer with the Tigers last offseason. Chizik informs him that, no, a furlough would not have been issued at Auburn.
8:36 a.m. -- Searels fires his agent.
9:12 a.m. -- Goes for his regular morning jog around the neighborhood, stopping occasionally to critique landscaping work of several of his neighbors.
9:41 a.m. -- Arrives home from his jog. Changes from his "workout sweatshirt" to his "formalwear sweatshirt."
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. -- "Maury."
11:35 a.m. -- Mows lawn. When he's finished, his wife notices the mowing pattern resembles the diagram of the screen-pass play to Caleb King from the Vanderbilt game. Searels quickly points out her mistake, noting that the flanker ran a go-route on the lawn rather than the quick hitch that was actually run on that play. He challenges her to view the lawn with more intensity next time.
11:58 a.m. -- Calls Bryan McClendon and tells him to come by the house, bring lunch and pick up his dry cleaning on the way. When McClendon asks why such menial errands should be his job, Searels reminds him of who the running game coordinator is and who is "just the running backs coach."
12:36 p.m. -- McClendon arrives with lunch. Searels sits down to enjoy the 34 oz. steak, while McClendon properly folds and puts away the 28 gray sweatshirts he had just picked up from the dry cleaner.
1:08 p.m. -- Searels phones former Auburn teammate Bo Jackson for their weekly chat about old times. Searels' reminds Jackson that he could have easily returned to football following hip replacement surgery if he had simply "wanted it more."
1:36 p.m. -- Flips through latest issue of Us Weekly, noting that Lauren Conrad looks "worse than Trinton Sturdivant's knee" and says Suri Cruise needs to "man up." He them compliments the father of the balloon boy for "really getting after it."
2:25 p.m. -- Calls Vince Vance. Tells him to switch apartments with Cordy Glenn.
3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. -- Sweatshirt shopping with Mrs. Searels. Rather than trying on any of the sweatshirts he picks out, however, Searels simply challenges them to "match his intensity."
4:45 p.m. -- Grocery shopping with the wife. Searels orders three pounds of thin-sliced turkey breast at the deli. When the butcher weighs the order and finds he sliced 3.02 pounds, Searels forces him to do 30 up-downs and re-slice the meat.
5:04 p.m. -- Puts 12 packages of toilet paper in cart. His wife inquires as to why they need so much toilet paper and Searels offers no explanation.
5:23 p.m. -- Upon check out at the grocery store, the clerk asks whether Searels would prefer paper or plastic bags. Mrs. Searels quickly interjects, reminding the clerk that her husband doesn't do interviews.
5:49 p.m. -- Calls Kevin Perez. Gives him Marc Curles' home address and the location of the 12 packages of toilet paper, adding "You know what to do."
5:51 p.m. -- Hangs up the phone and mutters, "They called me crazy, but I knew giving Perez a scholarship would eventually pay off."
6:16 p.m. -- Begins cooking dinner. On the menu: Pasta.
6:18 p.m. -- Mrs. Searels finds her husband standing stoically in the kitchen. When she asks what he's doing, he replies that he wanted to see if he could get a pot of water to boil just by staring at it.
6:19 p.m. -- Pot of water begins boiling.
6:30 p.m. -- Dinner with the family is delightful. Searels makes McClendon do the dishes afterward.
7:05 p.m. -- Phones a few former colleagues from his days on the LSU staff and procures the cell phone number of a certain SEC quarterback who will be playing against the Bulldogs in a couple weeks.
7:09 p.m. - 7:23 p.m. -- Prank calls Tim Tebow repeatedly, including ordering 74 pizzas to be delivered to Tebow's house and ending with, "my 8-year-old daughter can throw the deep ball better than you, and I've seen A.J. Harmon run harder after a fun-size bag of Doritos."
7:35 p.m. -- Calls Dallas Lee, who is sitting at home playing NCAA football on his Playstation. Searels' critiques Lee's play calling and tells him to "man up."
7:56 p.m. -- One last call to Tebow, in which Searels reminds the Florida quarterback that, "real men don't get concussions. They simply choose to forget minor details like their names, addresses and what number comes after six in order to free up space to remember more blocking schemes."
8:25 p.m. -- Settles in on the couch for an evening viewing of "Monday Night Football." Within seven minutes, Searels has deconstructed Denver's blocking schemes, identified a half-dozen instances in which Knowhshon Moreno failed to hit the hole and questioned whether Jon Gruden was intense enough for the broadcast booth.
9:08 p.m. -- During a commercial break in the game, Searels flips over to "Two-and-a-Half Men." He mentions to his wife that, "the chubby kid might have a real future as a left guard if he wasn't such a wuss."
9:44 p.m. -- Tucks kids into bed. Tells bedtime story of about the time King Stacy made Princess Tebow cry.
10:26 p.m. -- Sends text message to Ben Jones saying simply, "Bring it."
10:34 p.m. -- Ben Jones arrives at Searels' house with a footlong turkey sub from Subway and a 32-ounce Diet Mountain Dew.
11:15 p.m. -- McClendon attempts to go home for the night. Searels flags him for a false start and forces him to do 30 up-downs.
11:59 p.m. -- With just one minute of his furlough remaining, Searels opens his front door, steps out onto the patio and looks around.
12:01 a.m. -- Boling arrives at Searels' house with film of Florida's last game, a case of Red Bull and his playbook. Searels asks Boling why he was late.
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