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Comments
ND didn't show the defensive scheme they used early against us. It wasn't just stacked boxes, it was disguised blitzes, similar to what LSU did to confuse our offense last year.
The nice thing I saw is that rather than not being able to figure out a way to get around that for the entire game, UGA essentially figured it out on their 3rd drive, forcing ND to adjust their defensive scheme.
Tempo also worked well in the 3rd qtr, when the dam broke. Trying to disguise stunts and alignments is much, much harder to do without any time between plays. ND strongly reacted to it, so we touched a nerve when we sped up. We tend to line up and bring it, and Fromm can read it real time. Very few defenses do that against us. Bama and Auburn might be able to do it, but most of the others are relying on having a bunch of time to call in their complicated strategies. That's why I think tempo might be Kirby's ticket to the playoffs this year.
That's because we came out throwing the ball with a wide set on the first play. We passed the ball 4 of the first 5 plays, and then punted. Two passes to Swift lost yardage. One was a straight screen where they pulled a an extra man up in the box and smothered him. Our first play, we opened with 4 receivers. They open with man coverage and 4 on the line and 2 ILB. The 2nd play we inserted a TE on the line and they were in a 3-4 wth a OLB standing at the line, still playing man. Play 3, we have 2 wide with a TE on the line, and put Cook in motion. They bring another man up and now have 8 in the box at the snap.
After we stopped them on downs, we open drive two in a power set with 9 guys within arms reach at the line and Swift in the backfield. ND is in a 4-4, with corners playing 5 yards off the line and just off the LBers hips. They have 8-9 guys in the box. Same thing on the next play.
We had more than 200 yards less than our usual offensive output for the game, and were unable to put the game away in the fourth quarter. I don'T feel like we really figured them out. It was only Jake Fromm's ability to read the blitz and adjust on the fly that saved the game.
I get that, but does anybody think the passing game would be worse now if he'd hired somebody with experience and success in a top passing scheme ? My thinking from the day Chaney left was bring in somebody from outside either as OC or QB coach/passing game coordinator. Fearing change is very defensive. Hiring Schottenheimer never made sense to me. He had a lot of experience, but not a lot of success before coming to Georgia.
By "figure it out" I meant figuring out where the blitzes were coming from and getting them blocked.
Our offense got stopped for less than 30 yards on 2 drives after the first 2. One was derailed by a personal foul that turned a 2nd and 2 into a 2nd and 17 that we didn't convert. The other was us going conservative to try (unsuccessfully) to run out the clock.
Other than that we had what I would call decent drives (even the ones that didn't end in points). I didn't see any hint of that kind of adjustment against LSU last year. I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement... but I am saying the fact we seemed to recognize what they were doing in early in the game and successfully adjust to it is a positive sign in my eyes. Perhaps we could have done better... but at least we did something that was a positive step.
As bad as I thought the first half playcalling was, I thought the staff did a great job of adjusting in the 2nd H. Yes I am a little worried that the pregame plan was not up to par compared to ND....but I am sure glad they made some adjustments at half. Last year, I was not happy with the in game adjustments.
Also keep in mind, that among his peers, Coach Kelly is a great coach when it comes down to X's and O's. Have to give him some credit for that 1st H as well.
I actually liked quite a few of the plays called in the first half. The slants and crossing routes in particular are things I want to see more of. To Notre Dame's credit their defense did a really good job of limiting yards after the catch on those plays, which are all about getting yardage after the catch.
The Notre Dame defense came into the game holding opponents under 40% completion rate, Jake put a big dent in those numbers. Kirby nailed it, the missing component was longer completions. Maybe we'll get to where the over and under routes are both working and blended well at a pace that keeps defenses off balance and takes advantage of Fromm's ability to play in rhythm.
I just re-watched the game awhile ago and I see effort by the offensive staff to develop the offense. We probably won't know much more than we know now till we see how the offense plays In the next few games. We should have a good idea of what we have by the time the team rolls out of Jacksonville in a month or so.
Wilson returned in the 2nd half and Mays slid back over to guard. I think that was the difference. Mays and Salyer were getting beat by their DEs at RT in the first half. The players said they saw no difference in the calls being made by the staff.
Seems to me, @Bankwalker, that you've almost admitted you have it figured out. Kirby should have it figured out, too, which is probably your point.
The solution includes adding more tempo to the mix and giving Jake more opportunities to exercise that high football IQ of his, don't you think?
We have to be the last of the two teams on the field to make a last second adjustment.
Not to argue, but in a way we did figure them out well enough. We won the game.
Go, Dawgs!
I don't feel like we really figured them out. It was only Jake Fromm's ability to read the blitz and adjust on the fly that saved the game.Figured out? I dunno, but I definitely much of our offensive issues were a result of having 3 starters either out or out of position when Kindley went down. Wilson being able to come in dropped that back to just having 1 starter out on the line. The offense was exponentially more effective after that.
I’d like to know the thinking that went in to going up tempo. My question to Kirby would be, “On the drives we went hurry up, was that because of the delays getting the calls in to Fromm? That seemed to really help the offense, why did you think you would succeed in running out the clock at the end by going back to what had been failing you earlier in the game (slowing things down?)”
ND was within FG range on that last drive. If we had gone for it on 4th down earlier and missed it, a ND FG would've tied the game with no time left and sent us into OT.
Fans are saying that the FG call showed CKS "didn't trust the Offense."
I disagree. It showed CKS trusted the Defense!
Take away ND's (easy) late TD for ND and UGA's resulting 3 and out and shanked punt, and UGA covers and no one mentions the FG decision.
Of course one could argue that if Kirby trusted the defense he would have gone for it on 4th and inches. "Even if we don't make it the defense will stop them."
It might have been fun, @Bankwalker, to have seen us go uptempo on our final offense series. There's more than one way to run out the clock, right?
Go, Dawgs!
Maybe he didn't trust the offense to eat clock and/or didn't trust the punt team to pin them down! Defense did a good job against ND -- I've got no complaints.