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Kirby Smart ready for Georgia identity to emerge after spurts ‘all over the place’
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Posts: 10,480 admin
Kirby Smart ready for Georgia identity to emerge after spurts ‘all over the place’
ATHENS — Kirby Smart can understand why there are questions about Georgia football at this stage of the season, and he’s ready to get some answers on Saturday.
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The scary thing is, the all over the place play, means I'm Munsoning really hard over this upcoming game. I even read somebody's model predicted an Auburn win (barely, but still). It's Auburn, where plenty of balls have bounced against the Dawgs (Prayer at Jordan-Hare, anyone). It's Auburn, who often plays dirty pool. It's football, where any given Saturday can happen.
I think we are what we are on Defense until Bullard gets healthy and then that solves alot of concerns.
It's the offense that is searchng for it's identity mostly. What I see is the run game stopping the passing game somewhat, holding the passsing game back in the sense that I know Bobo wants to be balanced(who doesn't right?) and he's a little afraid of just "not running" on a particular drive when we seem to be throwing the ball downfiled with ease, it's like he's thinking ,"oh yeh, we have to be balanced, let me call a run or two straight up the gut!' The play goes for miniscule yardage and now you just gave the opposing teams Defensive Coordinator a sigh of relief. Now it's 2nd and long or 3rd and long and they can now pin their ears back and get after CB and put their DB's at the first downmarker and keep everything in front of them and hold us to a field goal attempt. Becasue our FG kicker can't be trusted Kirby did just go for it on 4th down and a couple of times pcked up the 1st down.
We're not a good running team and it's concerning considering the talent pool we have. THey're either not coached up or it's a flawed scheme of blocking. GO watch the replay of the ORegon game and watch the holes their O-line opened against Colorado. Colorado has superior athletes to UAB or Ball. It will blow your mind. They created more running lanes in that one game than I have seen at UGA in all of our games so far this season.
I always worry about important games against real opponents. There's no question Auburn can beat us if we don't play better than we have been. It's about time for this Georgia team to make a smallish quantum jump. We have the talent, but do we have the team? Frankly, I 'm not sure.
That's not me giving up on the team. Far from it. Quite the opposite. It's very clear Kirby always wants two things in every game. One is the win. The other is for his team to grow and develop, including during the games themselves. He is fully capable to adding stress, making the game harder than it has to be, in order to develop the team and the individual prayers. I expect the Auburn to thus be a little harder to watch than it would be were Kirby about the show and the style points, but that's not Kirby.
I expect us to win, but it could be ügly. We could also blow Auburn away if we're clicking on all cylinders. Have we had a great week of practice. Will our communication be significantly improved. What about the injuries and their impact. Ladd playing? Etc. We need to improve a whole lot, but constant improvement is Kirby's game plan for a long season.
Go, Dawgs!
Once again Kirby shows why he’s the best. Calls it like he’s sees it. He knows this team is still finding itself. Road game at Auburn is just what they need. Find out who is ready for big boy football and who is not.
@reddawg1
Yes, UGA has been throwing the ball downfield with ease. Reliably catching it is another matter. Truth is, UGA has average athletes at WR. Throwing to them more won't make them better. Instead it will lead to more plays resulting in dropped passes, throwaways, sacks and INTs. "What if Monken and SB IV were still here instead of Bobo and Beck!" you might ask. Funny thing: only one WR averaged more than 2 catches for 25 yards a game last year and he is hurt right now. And the WR with the most natural ability and NFL potential from last year's team is now playing for Texas. Monken compensated for the WR issue last year by throwing it a lot to the RBs - among WRs only Ladd McConkey had more catches than Kenny McIntosh - and of course the TEs. But Bobo didn't have the personnel to replicate that this year even before injuries resulted in so much playing time for walkons like Cash Jones and Mekhi Mews as well as Dillon Bell mostly playing out of position.
Now I don't necessarily hold Bobo blameless. Granted with Darnell Washington moving on to the NFL, Brett Seither transferring and Lawson Luckie getting injured, UGA doesn't have the talent or depth at TE that they did last year. Still, Bobo needs to get both Bowers and Delp on the field as much as they can get away with it. No, Delp at 6'5", 245 lbs. and merely above average athleticism, can't do what Washington did. But it would improve the edge blocking on running plays and give Beck another big target with good hands as a safety valve. On the typical passing play, you could send Beck on a deep sideline or middle pattern and use Delp as a checkdown option. Bowers, Delp and (when healthy) McConkey could give UGA a formidable and versatile trio. I just hope that Bobo realizes this in time.
@thedec
Yes right now our best passing options are to the TE's and throws to a bunch of different guys. True we don't have a 1st round draft pick in the group at the moment, but we have( I believe) most of our receivers are more than capable type guys. THere isn't a guy that I think to myself ,"Oh I hope he doesn't throw it to him!" Which I have said that to myself in the not to distant past.
THe question I want to know is who is going to be that guy that BEck feels confident in that when the chips are down, that guy will come through, like an A.D. Mitchell?
We lack the burner guy at RB that I believe we have coming next year if they honor their commitments. We have good, not great backs but if a hole presents itself they will find yardage.
THe strength of UGA is that we are a team and a really good team that doesn't have to rely on a spectacular WR or RB or even QB. Well maybe BB! BUt you get my point. Good to great defense, and solid all the way around goes a long ways.
I agree with the part about UGA having average athletes at the WR position. I'm going to be a broken record about this until it changes, but I fail to understand why UGA cannot recruit a single 5-star WR. Is it B-Mac's fault? Is it a lack of NIL cash? Is it a lack of offensive creativity and firepower? All of the above? Sure, I know that some of these kids are prima donnas and want a lot of flash and cash. But certainly, there has to be AT LEAST ONE that wants to play for the defending National Champions and get the attention that being the #1 ranked team brings. I just don't understand it and until we find that true elite WR, our deep passing game is going to continue to be average -- with or without a healthy Ladd McConkey. Go Dawgs!
It is an interesting conundrum… yes Ladd is out, but AD was out most of last year, as was Arian Smith. Ladd was also battling injuries at this point last season… leading to dropped passes, fumbled punt returns, difficulty high pointing the deep ball, etc. On balance, it seems to me our receiving corps are as good or better than last year at this point in the season.
Last year, for the most part, Georgia didn’t have solid success throwing deep or down the sideline until late in the season. In the post season, the Dawgs lit it up with the deep passing game.
While Beck has really done well in the four ‘warm up’ home games, he and his receivers seem to have some chemistry issues—except for MRJS. I think/hope we will see the chemistry improve as the season progresses. Really need to get Ladd back, but also need to work on developing more chemistry between Beck and Arian, IMHO. Arian was a difference-maker in the post season last year.
I think it was last week's game where one of the commentators made a good point. Where most teams have their starting 11 and they may rotate one or two players, Georgia rotates many many more players. That means it's going to take a little more time to gel than it would if only the team's 11 starters get all the plays
@DallasDawg yeh, you would think maybe a 5 star receiver would be drooling to come to UGA and be that guy rather than go to someplace like Ohio St and just be one of many.
If you came to UGA and say had Brock Bowers ability at wide receiver, you'd be pretty much gauranteed 7-10 catches a game and playing to win championships! I don't get it either.
Like many of you I’m nervous about this game. No need to repeat what many of you have already said about the mechanics of the game. All I’ll add is that I sure Hope that our O line and D line have an optimum performance, and that perform at a far higher level than Any of the first four games. Go Dawgs !!