Hey folks - as a member of the DawgNation community, please remember to abide by simple rules of civil engagement with other members:
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
Slight differences between Clemson and Georgia demonstrate razor-thin margins in college football
System
Posts: 11,468 admin
Slight differences between Clemson and Georgia demonstrate razor-thin margins in college football
Georgia football and Clemson are remarkably similar programs. Yet there are some key differences that explain why the programs are headed where they are.
Comments
The huge difference, in my mind, was not mentioned. Clemson has Dabo. Dabo is an offensive coach. UGA has Kirby. Kirby is a defensive coach and was and is at the highest level in college ball. And he is intense and I would say he is now getting better defensive players than Clemson. So it is Kirby's defensive coaching against Dabo's offensive coaching. I still go by defense wins championships. Unless the offense is something else, like theirs was, along with their defense mind you, when Clemson won it all twice. Without a really good defense, you are not winning squat. No matter how good your offense is. You can win with a really good defense and just an above average offense. Because that defense will keep getting the ball back to the offense, which not only gives the offense more opportunities, but also wears out the other teams defense.
So I will take a consistently good UGA Kirby Smart coached defense over a Dabo coached offense. I just think that the offense has a lot more variables that can mess it up or make it less consistent, than a Kirby Smart led fire-breathing intense defense. Offenses can be spectacular, i.e. 2019 LSU and Clemson with Watson, etc. But they come and they go. Saban usually always had a great defense and a running game. Qb's were adequate and they came and went and managed the game and hit some big play action passes in the 2nd half of games. And more lately great receivers also added to the mix. Defense has always been his one constant(defensive coach), along with the running game. And it makes sense. Again, get the ball back to the offense and wear out the other defense and then run the ball in 2nd half. And score some points along the way and then end them in the 4th quarter. 😁
Well-written article, Connor!
And as all us ol’ timers say, “Clempson still sux!”
Go Dawgs! National Champions! 1942, 1980, 2021
Clemson and UGA are 2 programs headed in opposite directions. The similarities between the programs in 2022 are minimal. Clemson has been a house of cards program built on 2 CFB HOF QB's (from GA). They were elevated by being the best team in a weak conference. One of their 2 championships was won on the last play of the game on an illegal pick play that the refs didn't have the guts to call (Bama fatigue?)
The Clemson program has been passed by. Clemson's failure to adapt to the new rules (TP) has dropped them out of the top 5 CFB programs. Clemson has been slow to adapt to NIL as well. Clemson's location and size may severely limit its ability to compete on the NIL playing field. Swinney's failure to adapt will continue to set the Clemson program back. Swinney's antiquated view of the TP is born out of stubbornness. CKS view is born out of elite recruiting. Huge difference.
Wanted to comment on the Sentell article on CB Washington but couldn't there. Since Riley's mentioned it here I will comment here.
Love the player. Hate the move. It would be better for the UGA '22 season for this young man to be honing his skills on the high school gridiron rather than taking a scholarship as a developmental player in Athens this season. Numbers are tight and an experienced CB or S transfer would have been a huge benefit to the '22 team. In addition, with the other higher ranked and more experienced CB's coming in this year, there is a chance he hits the TP before he see's significant playing time. UGA also loses a future, potential Channing Tindall -type CB contributor a year before he hits his college peak.
Their fan base will find out how good a coach Dabo is now after losing both coordinators and all that continuity. Go Dawgs!!
Exactly right. We'll said.
Tindall was a backup outside linebacker (OL). It's not that hard for a Freshman DB to contribute, especially one as talented as this kid. They don't "NEED" to bring anybody in off the portal. If the right guy comes along, they'll make it work, scholarship-wise. I wouldn't get bogged down that much in that part of the game. Especially with the NIL Collective UGA has in place. Somebody will pay for his education.
So you think a 170 lb kid who is still supposed to be in HS can step in and compete at CB in the SEC? So did Nick Saban with older, more experienced and better developed DB's entering the CFBCG last season. How did that turn out? To ask a kid to play in this situation is unfair to the kid and unsafe for the kid. He will be overmatched physically. What that equates to is a redshirt development season. A basically unused scholarship that would be better used on a proven player that can play this season. If this kid sees the field this year over Lassiter, Green, Everette, Singletary and/or Humphrey things will be very bad in Athens.
Tindall made a big contribution to a championship team (and a lot of $$) because he stayed around long enough to develop and show his talent. He was there to step in when he was needed. Washington really isn't needed until the '24-'25 season. '23-'24 should be his developmental season. He won't be needed (or play) this season and is taking a scholarship from a more experienced guy that could/will be needed.
Players staying in HS is a great way to stash players until they are ready to play at an SEC level.
JT Daniels started for USC in 2018 as a College Freshman in what should have been his Senior year of High School. Kobe Bryant and Lebron James walked out of high school onto an NBA court and became two of the greatest athletes the sport has ever seen. So yeah, I think kids coming out of high school can step on a football field as College Freshmen and compete. It's been done and in today's athletic environment with all of the preparatory training and camps, it's becoming a helluva lot more common.
He's a rare talent that's been training for this most of his life. Don't underestimate these kids. BTW...there's a huge difference between playing in the front 7 and playing in the defensive backfield.
I think Kirby would rather train em, than retrain em. I know I would. You never know what kind of psychological kaleidoscope you're going to get from somebody else's team. LOL. They got lucky with Derion Kendrick. No need in pushing your luck if you can help it. They've still got Tykee. It seems like he may actually contribute this year. We'll see.
BTW...Everett, Singletary and Humphrey are also Freshmen. No more developed than Washington. Just sayin'.
I expect all of those guys to see the field at some point this season. Giving UGA, possibly the best secondary in all of College Football, in 2023 & 2024.
Is anybody else seeing the weird ads replacing the comments section in some of the more recent articles? I'm using an ad blocker that's generally been very effective and they're still showing up. One of them is overtly sexual. Not that I'm a prude, it just all looks really sketchy.
Really? The other 3 freshman played 4 years of HS football. Washington played 3. Logically they are all 1 year older with an extra year of physical and skill development. Are you really that dumb or do you just enjoy trolling?
Okay chief. It is hard to believe that that statement came from an adult. So now Washington is a Kobe Bryant and Lebron James level prospect? Basketball not football. They still played 4 years of HS basketball. JTD played QB where the game is played mostly between the ears. He played at USC because they had no one else.
CKS rarely plays freshmen. HE understands that freshman need time to develop physically. Forget about the complex defensive schemes in play. How many times has that 170 lb DB come up to stop a 220 lb 22 year old RB on a sweep? CKS would rather they stay in HS and develop physically. Since freshman rarely play big minutes he can break them in over the course of the season.
As far as needing better players with experience? UGA doesn't need them IF they win the CFBCG. But if they don't win then they will have needed better players. The odds are that they don't repeat. And the reason the odds are that they don't repeat is because of inexperience at DB. Washington does not help you there. Another player from the TP could. When UGA added Kendrick a year ago he instantly became the best CB in the room. Saban has added 4-5 players this off season who instantly became the best player in their respective rooms at AL. Adding Washington means you just added the 7th best player in the room. Who knows what you could've added from the TP but the chances are that he would've been able to contribute more this season than someone who should still be playing HS football. Football 101 for everyone who isn't interested in just trolling.