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09-21-07, 11:12 AM
| #351 | |
| EOG Consigliere'  Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
|  Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season Georgia looks to expose Crimson Tide secondary Stretching the field  Georgia reciever Demiko Goodman catches a touchdown pass from backup quarterback Joe Cox in the second half of Georgia's 45-16 win over Western Carolina.Trevor Frey / Staff  By Marc Weiszer | Staff Writer | Story updated at 11:30 PM on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 Now with the re-entry of speedster Demiko Goodman to Georgia's aerial attack that already includes Sean Bailey, the No. 22 Bulldogs could be a threat to stretch the field Saturday when they face No. 16 Alabama and Saban in Tuscaloosa. "They play a lot of man coverage so I think there's going to be a lot of opportunities," said Goodman, who has returned from an ACL injury last season. "It's going to be us and the DBs and we've got to see who's going to make the play." Georgia's receivers made the plays in a 45-16 spanking of LSU on Oct. 2, 2004 in Saban's last season with the Tigers. Quarterback David @@@@@@ threw a school-record five touchdown passes including scores of 25, 29, 24 and 21 yards.
Goodman grabbed his first collegiate touchdown on Saturday in Georgia's win over Western Carolina, hauling in a diving 34-yard catch from Joe Cox in the fourth. He also had a 17-yard catch on a seam route and has moved up in the receiver rotation. "It helps us a lot if (Goodman) continues to make those kind of plays," coach Mark Richt said. "The touchdown catch was an outstanding play. He ran the route properly and really turned it on at the end and made a burst to go get it and made a fine catch, but I really liked the first catch he had." Richt said that Georgia hasn't taken enough shots down field this season, but there might not be as many opportunities this time around against Saban, he said. "The last couple of times we played them they were really, really sold out to bring the house and pressure and play up in your face," Richt said. "I don't see that as much but you see elements of it." With Bailey and Goodman, the Bulldogs' have weapons on the outside to give defenses something to think about. "I think it's good for everybody to see there's someone who can run by you," Richt said. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Goodman had shown that kind of ability last year before his injury. The junior had his best game as a Bulldog against Ole Miss last Oct. 9, making four catches for 71 yards including a 32-yard reception. He was starting his second straight game when he suffered his season-ending injury against Kentucky on Nov. 4. He said he "completely tore" the ACL in his left knee the first quarter of that game, but completed the game even having a 29-yard catch after the injury. Goodman, who had 13 catches for 187 yards last season, showed Saturday that Thomas Brown isn't the only Georgia skill player to return lickity-split from a torn ACL. Goodman and Brown worked out together as they rehabbed their ACL injuries. "We almost tore our ACLs again trying to get back," Goodman said. Ten months after tearing his own knee ligament against Kentucky, Goodman says he's nearly as good as new. "I think because of the ACL injury, I was fast before but I think I've gotten faster now," said Goodman, a sprint standout who broke Georgia's indoor 400 record with a third place finish at the SEC indoors during his freshman year. Goodman thinks he's a better receiver, now, too. He's studied film, worked on his routes and focused on what it takes to play the position. "He can really go," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "Once he opens up his stride, he can get out and go." Stafford said Georgia will need to provide strong pass protection against what he said is a good front seven of Alabama to successfully go deep. Goodman's blazing speed and Stafford's strong arm could be a lethal combination. Could Goodman outrun a Stafford bomb? "Hey, Stafford's got an arm, but I'm confident in my speed," Goodman said. Stafford thinks he's got the edge. "I'll probably out throw him," Stafford said. Against Alabama, Stafford hopes to hit Goodman right in stride. Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 091907 Click here to return to story: OnlineAthens.com | DogBytes | Football | Georgia looks to expose Crimson Tide secondary 09/19/07 | |
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09-21-07, 11:13 AM
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| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
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| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season
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09-21-07, 11:13 AM
| #353 |
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season |
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09-29-07, 08:35 AM
| #354 |
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season Georgia offense gets more balanced, effective By CARTER STRICKLAND The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 09/28/07 Athens — Thomas Brown had 74 yards rushing against Alabama. So did Knowshon Moreno. Sean Bailey had — you can probably guess — 74 yards against Alabama, too (receiving, not rushing). "Defenses can't key on one thing," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "We are running the ball out of passing formations. We are passing it out of running formations. We're doing a whole lot of stuff." A prime example was the first drive against Alabama. Georgia had six passes and four runs. But several of those passes came out of running formations, and Alabama wasn't ready. Georgia zipped down the field in 10 plays and put seven points on the board. "When you come out in the first quarter and have a drive like that and get points, even if it is three, it gets it rolling for the whole team," Brown said. That's not to say everything is perfect. Everything will never be perfect. "We've by no means arrived as an offense and are playing flawless football," Stafford said. "We know we're not." But Georgia is getting closer to where it wants to be when it comes to striking a balance. The Bulldogs had 40 rushes and 36 passing attempts against Alabama, a 26-23 overtime win in Tuscaloosa. In contrast, two weeks earlier against South Carolina, Georgia had 31 rushes and 45 pass attempts in a 16-12 loss in Athens. "You want to keep them guessing," offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said about defenses. "We are aware of that as an offense, and we try to keep them off balance and try and steal a couple of first downs and a couple big plays here and there by breaking some tendencies." One thing different from just a couple of weeks ago is that Georgia's personnel are meshing. They are also building off each other. That in turn has allowed Bobo to utilize more plays and players. "That is wearing [defenses] down as the game goes on because we are rotating running backs and receivers," Brown said. "Most of the [defenses] keep the same guys on the field the entire game; as the game goes along, fatigue sets in, and that adds to their confusion." Nobody is better at exploiting that confusion than Mikey Henderson and his quickness. "When you see us moving and coming out of different formations, [the defenses] are definitely looking at each other and making their checks," Henderson said. "If you have a defense that is having to think, that is a good thing. "If they can just line up and know what is going on then they can play full speed," Henderson said. "The more you have got to think, you may be hesitant and then we can go out there and do our thing." Essentially, you flinch and they are gone. Run or pass every time and you lose in the SEC. That was a lesson Georgia coach Mark Richt learned early in his career. After a game against Auburn, in which Georgia threw the ball all over the field, Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville told the media Richt would learn soon enough what balance was. Richt apparently has not forgotten. "I don't think you can win big doing [just running]," Richt said earlier this week. "You look back a couple of years at Auburn and they said we are going to smash everybody in the mouth [with Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams, both currently starters in the NFL] and they lost to Georgia Tech and Southern Cal back to back. "Then [Auburn offensive coordinator Al] Borges came in and they became much more diversified," Richt said. Diversified is how you want your portfolio and your team. "We are doing a pretty good job of trying to be 50-50," Bobo said. "We would like more production and that comes down to execution. We are not executing like we should be. But I see improvement every week.'" |
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09-29-07, 08:36 AM
| #355 | |||
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season GEORGIA REPORT Richt warily eyes Dome proposals By CARTER STRICKLAND The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 09/28/07 Athens — Mark Richt is always wary of another team coming into his state to recruit. Now some of those teams are getting the help of television and the Atlanta Sports Council. That duo has teamed up and tried to pitch regular-season neutral-site college football games in the Georgia Dome. Alabama and Clemson have been in talks about opening the 2008 season there.
"I'm surprised more of that doesn't happen — and it probably will happen," Richt allowed. "I'll say this, the Atlanta Sports Council, they do a great job of trying to think out of the box a little bit and try to attract people to do those kind of things. [Sports council president] Gary Stokan is on the ball, and I'm sure that's where it's all coming from." But it could hurt Georgia when it comes to recruiting. Now teams like Alabama and Clemson can tell players from Atlanta they will play in the Georgia Dome on front of family and friends. Plus, the schools get a solid nonconference game without having to travel to the opponent's stadium. "I'm sure they would love it," Richt said of the schools involved. "Most people want that home and away. That return, a lot of people don't want to do that. But you could see two teams saying, 'We'll just play one time. We'll play right here, we don't have to worry about a return game.'" The more Richt talked about it, the better the idea sounded to him. But the coach quickly cut himself off and said. "I don't want to encourage anybody [to play in the Dome], though." Lineup change puts Miller in as starter Prince Miller is expected to get the first start of his career against Ole Miss. The cornerback would replace Thomas Flowers and play opposite Asher Allen. Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez has not made a final decision, but Miller has been going with the first team this week in practice. "[Martinez] feels like he has earned an opportunity to play out there in the boundary [corner]," Richt said. Miller did have a crucial fourth-quarter pass interference penalty against Alabama. But Richt said that was a hustle play where the timing was just off for Miller. "He is coming like mad and trying to time it just right," Richt said of the interference call. "You want to be there to break it up and sometimes you get there a little too quick. It is heartbreaking penalty when you continue the drive. The game probably would have been over. But if you play too soft and the guys catches it without any true resistance then you get more upset about that." Trash talking goes silent this week Georgia has searched in vain for some bulletin board material this week. Alabama gave them some last week when defensive end Wallace Gilberry said he was going to send flowers to Matthew Stafford's mother. In public, Stafford handled the trash talking with a sense of humor and responded that his mom loves flowers. But behind closed doors, Richt said the Gilberry comment helped serve as motivation. "I think the guys took a little offense to that," Richt said. Third down conversions Georgia went from 3 of 18 on third downs against South Carolina to 9 of 19 against Alabama. The secret, according to Thomas Brown was not necessarily the extraordinary play on third down, but the solid play on first and second. "One thing we are doing a better job of is getting more yards on first and second down so we are not in third and long," Brown said. "Those (long third downs) are hard for anybody." Georgia averaged 4.2 yards on first down against Alabama. Extra points Wide receiver A.J. Bryant (knee) is progressing faster than first anticipated. Richt has talked to him about redshirting but no decision has been made ... Special teams player Rowdy Francis is out with hamstring ... Guard Scott Haverkamp is out with an ankle injury. | |||
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09-29-07, 08:36 AM
| #356 | |||
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season UGA FOOTBALL Lost focus has Dogs' defense beatable By CARTER STRICKLAND The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 09/26/07 Athens — The yells, the pleas, even the commands fell on deaf ears late Saturday night. It didn't even matter who was doing the yelling, pleading or commanding for Georgia. Linebacker Brandon Miller tried and failed. Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe had a thing or two to say, but his words didn't work. Georgia coach Mark Richt called a timeout and tried to calm a defense headed in reverse. That failed, too.
"It surprised me," safety CJ Byrd said. "I was surprised we didn't stop them." Maybe he shouldn't have been surprised. Georgia's defense has allowed two drives to continue when stops needed to be made this season. The first stop needed was against South Carolina. Trailing 16-9 with 4:42 to go, Richt elected to kick a field goal. He wanted to rely on his defense to get the ball back with enough time left to give the offense a reasonable chance to score. Instead South Carolina got three straight first downs, held the ball for 3:22 and went 40 yards. Georgia lost 16-12. Evidence of Georgia's inability to stop fourth-quarter drives can even be found in last year's games against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Both were losses. In a 15-12 win over Georgia Tech, the Jackets took a fourth-quarter lead in 2006 with a punishing 56-yard drive — including eight running plays — before Georgia came back to win. "It's like we do good all game and then when we really need the stop, it's like we can't get it," Ellerbe said. Everybody is at a loss to put a finger on the exact reason Georgia has struggled to get the crucial stop. Georgia has rotated players like never before, so fatigue should not be an issue, Richt said. The defensive calls are not being changed. In fact, Richt approved of all the defensive calls during that South Carolina drive. "It might be just an attitude thing," Richt said. "I am going to challenge the defense on that very point, and the rest of the season we have got to finish." "We have just got to stop making mental mistakes; that is what could have cost us even worse," cornerback Thomas Flowers said. "We were fortunate [against Alabama]." Cornerback Bryan Evans made the biggest mental mistake on a 43-yard completion from John Parker Wilson to Keith Brown. "He just didn't turn and bail hard enough," Richt said. "The guy took off like a shot, and we didn't give enough cushion." Two plays and another first down later, Richt called timeout. "I wanted to settle everybody down," Richt said. "Let's just stop and realize it doesn't matter if they go 88 yards when they need 89. The bottom line is they've got to score a touchdown. "It didn't work out," Richt said. "But that was what I wanted to convey to them; 'I know they got the bomb and they are moving the ball, but if they don't get in the end zone it doesn't matter.'" What does matter is that Georgia didn't focus, the players said, and nobody made a play. "Everybody is looking for somebody else to make a play," Miller said. "They're not really focusing on making the play themselves. "Even though we were there, we might have been waiting for somebody else to make a play," he said. "That has got to change. We can't have that." What Georgia has had is inconsistencies in focus and determination in the last minutes of games. For instance, Alabama had first-and-7 just a few minutes earlier in the fourth and Georgia held the Tide to a field goal. Then, the next drive, the defense couldn't get a stop. "It is really stressful," Ellerbe said. "We're going to have to work at being more focused at the end of the game. We have known this since last year. It's just something that is going to have to happen." "We have to finish the way we started," Miller said. "If we would have finished the way we started they wouldn't have scored at all." | |||
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09-29-07, 08:36 AM
| #357 | |||||||||
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season GEORGIA REPORT Richt: Moreno not ready to start By CHIP TOWERS The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 09/26/07 Athens — The growing legions of Georgia fans pining for Knowshon Moreno to become the Bulldogs' starting tailback will have find another cause to champion. "That's not going to happen," Georgia coach Mark Richt said of possibly starting Moreno ahead of senior Thomas Brown. "Knowshon's not ready to be the starter yet, in my opinion. He's talented, but he's still growing. He's still learning. It's tough to do. And Thomas is playing extremely well in his own right, and he's a great leader, too. You've got to have leadership."
Moreno is the better pure runner, leading the team with 342 yards rushing and 5.3 yards per carry. Brown, who has averaged 3.9 yards on 54 carries, appears to be the better blocker and certainly is more knowledgeable about the offense. Both catch the ball well out of the backfield: Brown's nine catches are one better than Moreno. "We do like to have those guys touch it," Richt said. "We want the best players getting the opportunities, and those guys have been the most productive to this point. ... I like how we utilize our backs." Lumpkin close to return Tailback Kregg Lumpkin is close to returning to the backfield, and Richt said Lumpkin will rejoin the rotation when that time comes. "He may have to be clubbed up one more game," Richt said, referring to the cast Lumpkin wears. "But when he's healthy enough and can really wrap up the ball like it needs to be, we'll definitely get him some reps back there at tailback. We're not going to give up on Lump." Lumpkin broke a thumb against South Carolina and hasn't had a carry since the first game but was able to play special teams against Alabama. Chandler disappointed Tight end Tripp Chandler is still reeling from what he called a "disappointing" game against Alabama in which he dropped two passes and whiffed on a key block in the overtime win over the Crimson Tide. "For me personally, the game was a disappointment," said Chandler, who met with position coach Dave Johnson about strategy for improvement. "As a player for Georgia you just can't let that happen. One [drop] led to one [missed] block, and one [missed] block led to another [drop]. It was like a domino effect." Meanwhile, Richt gave Chandler — who had a huge 11-yard catch to set up a game-winning field goal try at the end of regulation — a soft vote of confidence. "I don't know what happened [on the dropped balls]," Richt said. "He's been very sure-handed. ... I guess he's human. Even so, he's got to keep fighting to keep his job like everybody else." Extra points Richt re-opened practices to the media, but he barely cracked the door. He said reporters would be allowed to view practices once a week, for 20 minutes on Tuesdays. "There's no strategy during that time," he said. During the opening Tuesday, tight end Coleman Watson was observed walking out of practice after being yelled at by offensive line coach Stacy Searels. ... Receiver Sean Bailey was named offensive captain for this week, but Richt said Bailey, Mohamed Massaquoi and Mikey Henderson all probably played the best games of their careers last Saturday. ... Saturday will be Georgia's last home game until Nov. 3 (Troy). | |||||||||
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09-29-07, 08:37 AM
| #358 | |||
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season GEORGIA REPORT Dogs offensive line good, but not great By CARTER STRICKLAND The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 09/25/07 Athens — Georgia's offensive line got the job done against Alabama. But that doesn't mean the unit isn't still a work in progress, Georgia coach Mark Richt said.
"Matthew, he made some spectacular throws under pressure," Richt said. Two of those plays were passes to Mohamed Massaquoi. The first play of the game, Stafford avoided pressure and slung the ball to Massaquoi for a first down. There was a later a third-down conversion when Stafford found Massaquoi. "We didn't hardly block a soul," Richt said of the latter play. "It's not like we are doing an unbelievable job of giving him all day long. We have done a good job, not a great job, and he has done a great job of getting rid of that ball." Well, not every time. One of Stafford's two interceptions against Alabama was thrown under duress and should have been thrown out of bounds, Richt said. The other was an overthrow where the protection actually was good. The offensive line will continue to operate with just six players this week unless Scott Haverkamp rebounds from an ankle injury suffered last week in practice. Haverkamp is listed as questionable. Finding the extra yard Knowshon Moreno has been receiving praise from just about every corner of the SEC. But at Georgia, Richt said he is expecting more from the redshirt freshman. "He still has a ways to go in terms of finishing runs a little bit better," Richt said. An example of what he was alluding to was evident in the third quarter Saturday. Faced with second-and-20 at Georgia's own 29-yard line, Moreno went around the right side for 19 yards. At the end of the run he hammered the safety and then stood there for a second before he stepped out of bounds. "If he would if have cut back inside or drove his feet a little bit he would have had the first down," Richt said. Georgia missed the subsequent third-and-short and had to punt. Moreno earns SEC honor Moreno was picked as SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance against Alabama on Saturday. Moreno, a 5-foot-11, 207-pound native of Belford, N.J., tied senior Thomas Brown with a team-leading 74 rushing yards during the Bulldogs' 26-23 overtime win. Moreno also scored the second touchdown of his career on a 6-yard run in the third quarter and had two catches for 22 yards. Georgia senior Brandon Coutu has been named a Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Star of the Week, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced Monday. Etc ... Georgia and Tennessee's kickoff has been set for 3:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and will be televised by CBS. The game is part of a day-night doubleheader for the network. Florida and LSU play the night game in Baton Rouge, La., set to broadcast at 8:28 p.m. ... Former Georgia athletics director Vince Dooley received the Homer Rice Award on Monday. The award is presented annually to the retired athletics director with a distinguished career and who has made a significant impact on the athletics director profession and intercollegiate athletics. The award is named for Homer Rice, former athletics director at Georgia Tech and founder and first president of the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association. | |||
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09-29-07, 08:37 AM
| #359 |
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season |
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10-02-07, 12:24 PM
| #360 | |||
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season UGA FOOTBALL Brown named SEC offensive player of the week By CHIP TOWERS Published on: 10/01/07 Athens -- Georgia's Thomas Brown on Monday was named SEC offensive player following his performance against Ole Miss this past Saturday. Brown, a 5-8, 200-pound senior from Tucker, rushed for a career-high 180 yards on 16 carries and scored three touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 45-17 victory at Sanford Stadium. The tailback averaged 11.2 yards per carry and scored on runs of 50, 41 and 4 yards. Brown now has eight touchdowns and is averaging 9.6 points per game, which ties him with Florida's Tim Tebow for the SEC lead.
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10-02-07, 12:25 PM
| #361 |
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season What’ll it take to win in Knoxville? By Chip Towers | Monday, October 1, 2007, 03:17 PM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution We’re entering Week 6 of the college football season and I’m probably as unsure about Georgia and its opponent this week, Tennessee, as I’ve ever been this far into a season. The Bulldogs don’t suck. That’s about as flattering a comment and astute an observation as I can muster for them at this point. I thought from the beginning they were too flawed a team to be considered a championship contender, what with youth on the offensive line and on defense. But, even after that inglorious loss to South Carolina in Week 2, all of Georgia’s championship possibilities remain intact. A win at Tennessee this Saturday — in what amounts to an elimination game for both teams — could change my perspective considerably. Here are some of the things that remain fuzzy for me as the Bulldogs prepare to enter Neyland Stadium: — I don’t know what to make of their defense. At times it can look very, very good and extremely fast but at others it looks as soft as butter. Unfortunately, it has tended to look its softest just at the times it needs to be at its best (see end of both halves versus Alabama, end of game against South Carolina and beginning of each half against Ole Miss). That said Georgia is third in the SEC in total defense (303 ypg) and fourth in scoring defense (17.2 ppg). — Then there’s their offense. Here we are entering the halfway point of the season and I don’t see the Bulldogs with much of an offensive identity. Last weekend they rush for 328 yards against Ole Miss. Other times they’re throwing the ball all over the yard but with neither a great deal accuracy nor of pass-catching aplomb. — Special teams have been good but not spectacular. They have yet to return a punt or a kickoff for a touchdown, look vulnerable on opposing returns and even kicker Brandon Coutu has missed some your used to seeing him make. All that said, Georgia is where it is, in position to move atop of the Eastern Division with a win in Knoxville where it has won the last three times it has played. So that’s a little State of the Dogs address. What have you thought about them so far? And what’s it going to take for them to win on Rocky Top? Permalink | Comments (167) | Post your comment | Categories: Football |
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10-02-07, 12:29 PM
| #362 | |||
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season Vols' 2006 raid gnaws at Bulldogs By CHIP TOWERS The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 10/02/07 Athens — Texans will always have, "Remember the Alamo." The Bulldogs have, "Remember Tennessee." Tennessee came into Sanford Stadium on Oct. 7, 2006 and overran Georgia in much the same way the 19th-century landmark in San Antonio was seized - overwhelmed with sheer numbers.
The Bulldogs haven't forgotten. The memories are as fresh as this morning's coffee. "It's great motivation for us," said linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who will lead the Georgia defense into Knoxville this Saturday. "You never know what's going to happen; but, hopefully, we can go up there, not let them score this time and win the game." If that's going to happen, Georgia's defense will have to play better than it has to date. Even this past Saturday, when Georgia used a late onslaught of its own to dispatch Ole Miss 45-17, the Bulldogs' defense was exposed at times. The Rebels (1-4) opened the game with an eight-play, 86-yard scoring drive and followed that with an 11-play, 73-yard march that ended only because Seth Adams fumbled the quarterback-center exchange at the Georgia 1-yard line. The second half began much the same way. Ole Miss took the kickoff and drove 84 yards in 18 plays to tie the game 17-17. Finally, an onside kick and some second-half defensive adjustments stopped the ambush. "We couldn't get off the field," Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. "We couldn't make a play. [Ole Miss was] good. It may not show in the stats, it may not show in the victories, but they're a good offensive football team. But from our standpoint, it wasn't great because we couldn't get off the field. We pride ourselves on three-and-outs, and we weren't able to do that. But I did like the way we finished." Asked about his defense, Georgia coach Mark Richt said: "I felt like, 'I'm glad we could win the game and not play our best.' " Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Though overall the Bulldogs have defended well - they're third in the SEC in total defense (303 yards per game) and fourth in points allowed (17.2 ppg) - they have had difficulty getting off the field at critical times. Against South Carolina, Georgia trailed by four with 4:42 remaining and needed a quick stop. Instead, the Gamecocks rushed for 38 yards in three plays and knocked out three first downs in a row. By the time the Dogs got the ball back, they needed to go 80 yards in just over a minute. They didn't and lost 16-12. Georgia led Alabama 20-13 late in the fourth quarter when the Crimson Tide went 88 yards in 12 plays to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Bulldogs pulled it out in the extra period. Those struggles and the ones against Ole Miss came against mediocre offensive teams. Tennessee is anything but mediocre. The Vols, led by senior quarterback Erik Ainge, lead the SEC in passing offense (285.8 ypg) and are averaging nearly 35 points a game. "We've been doing a good job throwing the football and protecting the passer," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. "We'd certainly like to be running the football better than we have on a consistent basis. But the other two areas have been positive, and Erik has played exceptionally well all year long." Ainge wore out the Dogs last season, completing 25-of-38 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. That said, it wasn't really the Tennessee offense that did in Georgia. The Bulldogs kept turning the ball over deep in their own territory. Tennessee converted three interceptions, a fumble and a blocked punt into touchdowns. The Vols scored five TDs in the second half. The average length of those drives — 30.8 yards in five plays. Still, Martinez accepts responsibility for not keeping them out of the end zone. "We didn't do a good job with those sudden changes of momentum, of changing it back in our favor," Martinez said earlier this season. "We weren't able to re-establish what we gave up, and that was the disappointing thing about it." Fulmer, for one, doesn't think last year's scoring avalanche will have an effect on this season's contest. "You know, every year kind of stands on is own," he said. | |||
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10-02-07, 12:30 PM
| #363 | |||
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season GEORGIA REPORT Richt: Offensive line OK, at best By CARTER STRICKLAND The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 10/02/07 Athens — Georgia may have had 328 rushing yards last week against Ole Miss, the most it has had in 16 years, but coach Mark Richt is not quite ready to start gushing about the play of the offensive line. "There were a few times where we really blocked it good and we sprung them into the secondary, but there was a lot of times the backs just made some great runs," Richt said. "A couple times [an opening] wasn't there and [the running back would] spin out of there and cut all the way against the grain and all of a sudden there's some space out there.
Where Georgia did get solid blocking was with the tight ends, Bruce Figgins and Tripp Chandler, along with fullback Brannan Southerland. "This is a really good confidence booster," Chandler said. "Now we have got to carry this momentum through the rest of the year." Lumpkin's return The cast on Kregg Lumpkin's right hand will come off this week. But the senior may still not be able to carry the ball for Georgia. "We are going to give it a try," Richt said. "We are going to have to splint his thumb to see how that works and how comfortable he feels with that. "There's no guarantee what he'll have on his hand on Saturday until we go through practice here a little bit," Richt said. Lumpkin handled the ball on a squib kick. He fielded it, tucked it in his left hand and picked up positive yards. "I got a little more confidence in him carrying the ball after he got that," Richt said. Georgia, for a second at least, found itself in a dicey situation against Ole Miss. Thomas Brown had a shoulder injury and was out of the game for a while. Knowshon Moreno also had to leave the game when the wind was knocked out of him. Richt said the next back in, had those two not recovered, may have been Shaun Chapas. Kalvin Daniels, a walk-on who played the fourth quarter, was also available. There was also some quick discussion among the coaches about getting Lumpkin to play before it was realized Brown's injury was only temporary. Safety spotlight Quintin Banks saw the most action of his career against Ole Miss. The redshirt freshman strong safety went in for Kelin Johnson in the first quarter and stayed in most of the game. His play was not flawless, Richt said. But it was adequate. "Considering that was the most time he's had since he's been here, he didn't do bad," Richt said. "He's got a ways to go, but it was just good to get him out there and let him be in a little bit and let us observe it. I think it was very positive for him." Award watch Brown ran for 180 yards against Ole Miss and ran away with the SEC offensive player of the week award. Brown's yardage and three touchdowns were career highs. He also had 11 yards receiving and two kick returns for 18 yards for a total of 209 all-purpose yards. "It was probably one of my biggest breakout games since I have been here," Brown said. Game time set Georgia's game at Vanderbilt will be on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. Oct. 13, the SEC announced Monday. This will be Georgia's third appearance on ESPN2 this season. Other televised SEC games: Alabama at Ole Miss (Lincoln Financial, 12:30 p.m.), LSU at Kentucky (CBS, 3:30 p.m.), South Carolina at North Carolina (ABC, 3:30 p.m.); and Auburn at Arkansas (ESPN, 7:45 p.m.). Sellout Georgia's fourth "Football 101 for Women" is sold out. More than 350 will take part in the June 13, 2008, camp | |||
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10-02-07, 12:30 PM
| #364 | |||
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season Dogs' hopes in SEC East rose when Gators fell By CARTER STRICKLAND The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 09/30/07 Athens — Downtown, the roar was so loud beer bottles shook Saturday night. Florida fell and oh what a sight it was — strangers became best friends, high fives filled the sky and cheers echoed all the way down Clayton Street. The reigning national champs went down. And Georgia, as a result of that and its second straight SEC win, was standing just a bit taller.
Now, Georgia coach Mark Richt is not one to say 'Told you so," but he did. Just 24 hours after the South Carolina loss, Richt admitted the hole was deep, but never relented that the climb couldn't be made. "For us, we still don't have control of our destiny," Richt said. "South Carolina controls that still when it comes to us. But I guess everybody now except Kentucky has a loss the East with a great majority of our schedule left. "It makes everybody feel like it is more of a free-for-all than it was," Richt said. "Everybody should have a belief that they are in it." Georgia still needs a few things to happen. South Carolina has to lose. So does Kentucky. And, yes, the Bulldogs may need to run the table. That means Georgia has to beat Florida. Sound familiar? Sound possible? Florida did look vulnerable in a 20-17 loss to Auburn in the Swamp Saturday. But, then again, Florida has won 15 of 17 against Georgia. Everybody, again except Kentucky, has looked vulnerable. Knowing that, and knowing what is left, Richt said it is plausible a team with two conference losses could win the SEC East. A team winning with two losses to East division opponents is not as likely. That makes this week's game against Tennessee a near must-win for Georgia and for the Vols. "It is new ball game in the SEC race right now," Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer said. "We need to take advantage of that and do our part." Richt understands the urgency as well, but was not playing up that angle Sunday night. "Whoever does lose the game I don't think they will feel, 'Hey we are out of it. Let's start thinking of other goals,' " Richt said. "Everybody would still have a shot of making it and holding out hope. "(But a loss) would definitely be a blow though." That loss doesn't necessarily have to come at Tennessee. As Georgia proved last season it can lose to anybody, anywhere. And last year the SEC East wasn't nearly as balanced as it appears this year. Typically, by now, the traditional powers have started to separate themselves from the bottom three. Right now there are five teams who have realistic shots at the SEC East title. Jones' status Safety Reshad Jones was held out of the first quarter against Ole Miss Saturday, but it was not a disciplinary measure, Richt said. "I might have made it sound like he did something really bad there," Richt said. "I did say he was in his doghouse. But I think sometimes Internet things get going and people start thinking, 'What did he do?' He didn't do anything other than coach (Willie Martinez) wanted him to give a little more effort in practice." Injury update Safety Kelin Johnson (concussion) is probable for Tennessee. Running back Thomas Brown (shoulder) should also be ready. Guard Scott Haverkamp (ankle) is questionable. Linebacker Marcus Washington (shoulder) is questionable. If Washington cannot go at middle linebacker Georgia may shift Dannell Ellerbe back to middle and put Darius Dewberry and Brandon Miller at the outside positions. | |||
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10-02-07, 12:31 PM
| #365 |
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season Defensive meltdown in '06 used for motivation  Tennessee tailback Arian Foster (27) scored on three 1-yard runs in the Volunteers' 51-33 romp over Georgia in 2006.File/Staff  By Marc Weiszer | marc.weiszer@onlineathens.com | Story updated at 7:30 AM on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 Who can blame them? The Volunteers punctured Georgia's undefeated season by piling up the second most points ever by a visiting team in Sanford Stadium in a 51-33 beat down of the Bulldogs. The Georgia postgame locker room naturally had as much life in it as a morgue. "Oh, man, I don't even want to think back on that," junior linebacker Dannell Ellerbe said. "It was real quiet. You could hear a pin drop." The noise of discontent would become a drumbeat after the Tennessee loss was followed by losses to Vanderbilt, Florida and Kentucky in three of the next four games. Coach Mark Richt said the loss to the Volunteers "certainly stung us pretty good." "I try to block out all the memories from that game," defensive tackle Jeff Owens said. "That hurt us. That was a dagger in our heart. It lowered our team morale. We can't let it happen this year." The Tennessee team Georgia (4-1, 2-1 SEC) faces Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Knoxville has the SEC's top passing offense (285.8 per game) and is fifth in scoring (34.5 points per game). The Volunteers (2-2, 0-1) boast the conference's leader in passing yards in senior quarterback Erik Ainge, who completed 25 of 38 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia last season and has 10 touchdowns and two interceptions this year. "Tennessee's offense is outstanding," Richt said. "Of course, last year we got taken to task pretty good. That's with a couple of guys that were drafted and are gone now so I would think it's going to be an even greater challenge this year now that we're playing at their place and we lost some of those guys that were pretty darn good." Owens, safety Kelin Johnson, linebacker Brandon Miller and cornerback Ramarcus Brown are the only remaining defensive players who started against Tennessee last season. Players that were backups or redshirts last year are fully aware of how Tennessee overcame a 24-7 deficit against a defense that entered as the nation's stingiest to runaway with the game. "They know what the score was," defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. "We got beat. I'm sure they're going to be motivated to play well." Georgia, ranked 20th in the nation in scoring defense this season, only gave up 46 total beween the hedges to Oklahoma State, South Carolina and Western Carolina in the first three games this season. "Fifty-one points is big," Owens. "That's the most I've ever got scored on. High school, too." "That was a big-time embarrassment," cornerback Asher Allen said. The defense was hardly solely responsible for the barrage of points. Georgia had a punt blocked that was recovered in the end zone by Tennessee that turned into a cover shot on Sports Illustrated. The Bulldogs threw two interceptions, giving Tennessee only 19 and 36 yards to go on two of their touchdowns. "We definitely made some big mistakes offensively that put our defense in a bad way too," Richt said. "The offense certainly put the defense in some bad, bad field position situations and the offense didn't do a good enough job of sustaining the ball and controlling the ball. It was a team thing." Said fullback Brannan Southerland: "To be winning at halftime pretty soundly and just go out and let everything that could go bad go bad in the second half and for them to put up 51 is a terrible feeling." Georgia gets a chance to create a different vibe Saturday. "Every year kind of stands on its own," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. "That was really an outstanding effort by our guys last year to be able to do that. We certainly understand the challenge that we have right now with Georgia playing as well as they are." OnlineAthens.com | DogBytes | Football | Defensive meltdown in '06 used for motivation 10/02/07 |
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10-02-07, 12:32 PM
| #366 | ||
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season Clarkson: Bulldogs forge on despite challenge
The final score of 45-17 was more one-sided than the actual game. But once Georgia took the lead in the second half, Ole Miss never mounted a serious challenge to the final outcome. The Bulldogs won and the Rebels made them work to do it. In fact, the outcome was in serious doubt when Ole Miss took its second possession and drove to the Bulldogs' 1-yard line looking to take a 14-0 lead. But the next play CJ Byrd recovered an Ole Miss fumble. Then Georgia marched 96 yards to the game-tying touchdown and the Rebels were never the same again. Thomas Brown had a career day and the Bulldogs set a team rushing record for the Mark Richt era. The defense had worked all week on finishing games. The good news was that they finished strong. But the beginnings of halves gave Willie Martinez something to work on this week. Ole Miss challenged Georgia and beat the Bulldogs early. But Ole Miss is a team that has played just well enough to look good losing and that's what happened on Saturday. The Good Georgia's rushing offense ground up the Rebels defense and turned it into sausage, especially in the second half. Brown ran for a career-high 180 yards and tied a career high with three touchdowns. Knowshon Moreno added 90 yards and one touchdown. The Bulldogs' total of 328 yards was the most since Richt took over in 2001. Ole Miss gave Georgia early problems with stunts and well-timed blitzes. But Stacy Searles' young line adjusted to the gimmicks. On Georgia's first possession of the second half, Mike Bobo called plays to the left side in five of seven opportunities. Redshirt freshman Chris Davis and first-year freshman Trinton Sturdivant caved in the Rebels line as the Bulldogs made an 80-yard touchdown drive look easy. The Bad Georgia's defense opened both halves by giving up long drives for touchdowns. Ole Miss started the game with a 7-play, 86-yard drive that culminated with a 45-yard scoring pass from Seth Adams to Mike Wallace. Ole Miss almost staggered Georgia when it took its second possession of the game and drove to the Bulldogs' 1-yard line. But Byrd's fumble recovery off of a botched quarterback sneak turned the game on its head. Ole Miss started the second half like it did the first, only slower. The Rebels drove 84 yards in 18 plays to a 2-yard touchdown run by BenJarvus Green-Ellis and rubbed 9:07 off of the clock. The Ugly Georgia's record-setting rushing game wasn't all because of great play by the Bulldogs. The Ole Miss defense contributed with bad pursuit and poor tackling, especially on Brown's 50-yard scoring run off of a draw play. At times the Rebels defense looked like it didn't have a grasp of fundamental football skills like getting off of blocks and wrapping up ball carriers. The Ole Miss defense operated with a high-risk, high-reward mentality by overloading the line and using a lot of stunts and blitzes. But once Georgia adjusted, you saw why Ole Miss has given up so many yards this year. Quotable Knowshon Moreno had the wind knocked out of him in the second half when 6-foot-2, 310-pound tackle Peria Jerry landed on top of him. "I saw that big No. 98 (Jerry) coming at him and he's a dog pile all by himself," Richt said. "What do they call that, a frog splash? That was a frog splash for sure." Up Next Next week Georgia (4-1, 2-1) travels to Tennessee (2-2, 0-1). Georgia has not lost in Knoxville since 1999, three straight trips. However Tennessee beat Georgia 51-33 in Athens last season. OnlineAthens.com | DogBytes | Football | Clarkson: Bulldogs forge on despite challenge 10/01/07 | ||
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10-02-07, 12:33 PM
| #367 |
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season Georgia Football Practice Notes: October 1, 2007 ATHENS, Ga. --- The 12th-ranked Georgia football team kicked off October with a 90-minute workout on Monday at the Woodruff Practice Fields. Practicing in cool, crisp conditions, the Bulldogs began preparations for Saturday's game in Knoxville against Tennessee. The Bulldogs are 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC, while the Volunteers are 2-2 and 0-1. "We have a tremendous challenge on Saturday against a very good Tennessee football team," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "But we are excited about that challenge and we're looking forward to the game. We have to take care of business this week with good, enthusiastic practices, and I think we started off that way today." Richt announced before practice that Thomas Brown and Mohamed Massaquoi (offense), Brandon Miller (defense), and Mikey Henderson (special teams) will serve as captains against the Volunteers. Earlier in the day, Brown was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Brown registered a career high with 180 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries in the 45-17 win over Ole Miss. Brown's rushing total was the most for a Bulldog since Verron Haynes recorded 207 yards against Georgia Tech in 2001 and Georgia's 328 rushing yards against the Rebels was the most for the Bulldogs since 1991. Also, it was announced that Georgia's game with Vanderbilt in Nashville on Saturday, Oct. 13, will be televised by ESPN2, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. This will be Georgia's third appearance on ESPN2 this season. Georgia's games with Oklahoma State and South Carolina were previously televised by ESPN2. Georgia's all-time record on ESPN2 is 14-3. The Bulldogs travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to face Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 3:30 p.m. Georgia's match-up with the Volunteers will be broadcast live on CBS, which will mark the Bulldogs' first time on the network this season. All Georgia games are broadcast live on the Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network on AM 750 WSB in Atlanta and on both 106.1 FM and 960 The Ref in Athens. The radio audio also can be heard worldwide on both georgiadogs.com, the official website of UGA Athletics, and on XM Satellite Radio. |
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10-02-07, 12:34 PM
| #368 |
| EOG Consigliere' Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,810
| Re: UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season |
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VIDEO: Watch as coach Mark Richt and the Dogs talk about the upcoming game against Alabama:
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