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Comments
Yeah and on one of those “ massive hits” Targetting should’ve been called because the Ole. Miss dude lead All The Way with his helmet right under Gunners chin. Surprised it didn’t break his jaw !! But Our guy makes a great perfectly legal hit with his shoulder to the chest, almost used his back, and Boom in comes the Targetting flag !! Losing Thomas hurt an already thin Dawgs Defense.
Allot of holding by Ole Miss Not Called to . But it is what it is. I Will say Kirby needs to start getting much more aggressive with Officials Including threatening to contact the league office. Like The Other Coaches Do !!
@navydawg "Oh Boy !! It’s Convenience Time !! Let’s blame it All on Gunner !! Whoopie !! That’ll do the trick !! Let’s let a whole bunch of people off the hook !! NO !! 34 points scored would be Plenty enough in the majority of opponents Dawgs face. Kirby’s Defense failed every bit as much if not More than the Offense !!
I just knew when I saw the title of this story that it would get your attention!! Gunner did fine. They still had a chance to win it in the last minute of the game.
I think the boys at DN have a quota to fill.
Bobo is the problem. He has a hard time getting it out of his players. He is inconsistent and doesn't consistently seem to know how to take advantage of his own players abilities.
Yeah I guess I’m overly defensive of criticism to him. The reason is he reminds me of the glory days of CFB before NIL in particular and the TP.
I Need To Make A Correction, I Wrongly attributed the 34 points as Offensively, I forgot about the scoop and score for 7. So I stand corrected on that. But this Was a Tram fail in my view all the way up to Kirby and back down the ladder.
Your not in this group but there are some that are almost exclusively blaming it on Gunner and though No it wasn’t one of his better games I don’t think it’s fair or accurate to pin it all on him !! And Yes DN loves the click numbers !!
We've got arguably the best TE group in the country, but we rarely throw to those guys. Elias Williams is a monster - like Washington was - and an easy target. But we don't throw to him nor do we throw much to Delp or Luckie. Instead
Quoting you there. But that is Not Gunner’s fault. That’s on Mike Bobo. Gunner is Not allowed to change the plays He Said So earlier this season. Now when a play breaks down he can do whatever he can and that might include throwing to one of the TEs. But Bobo calls the initial play. Numerous Dawgs fans including Me have said that the TEs were under used all year long.
If Gunner is so bad How did the Dawgs win Twelve games ? TX has Elite Arch Manning and they didn’t win that many Or make the playoffs ? Why ? They Do have great receivers. So why didn’t they do Much better with such an Elite QB ? Could it possibly be that Gunner was Failed by less than Elite play calling ( See lack of TE usage) and a good at times bad at others O Line ? I sure think so.
P.S. Kirby Smart needs to learn how to “ work the officials” like Saban and Spurrier did. UGA gets Far to many penalties Against and not many in Favor of. Ole Miss got away with Allot of stuff including a picture perfect example of Targettimg when the Ole Miss guy lowered and lead with his helmet right under Gunner’s chin !! No call. Yet our guy leads to the chest with his shoulder a perfectly legal hit. Boom out comes the flag !! Don’t think these coaches don’t threaten to contact the NCAA I’m confident they do. Kirby needs to stop being to nice and do the same.
“Your not in this group but there are some that are almost exclusively blaming it on Gunner”
It’s because it is easy, they are lazy and repeating what others have said, they watched but don’t understand what they saw, didn’t watch and just looked at the stats/score or have an agenda…I am sure I may have left a few out.
All teams don’t win all games and all teams are not mistake free. But either you are or you’re not - a dawg.
It’s been 24 hours, it’s okay to be hurt - but move on from it all or find a team that always wins…and good luck with that.
I certainly don’t look at it all as being defensive - just being truthful & a dawg. Nothing wrong with that, keep standing up for your team.
I proud to be a dawg - I believe when all is considered, they had a heckuva year and I am looking forward to next season..
@navydawg…you need to do a better job of reading my posts before responding.
I never said Gunner was the sole reason we lost to Ole Miss or the reason we are out of the playoffs. I am not laying the blame only on him. We improved our record from 11-3 last season to 12-2 this season. I don't see a big difference in that record when both seasons we are out of the playoffs after our first game. The SEC is arguably a weaker conference this season than last, so like I said before, I do expect us to do a bit better. But throw the records out if we can't even make it past the 1st round of the playoffs 2 years in a row. I do think we have some of the same issues and problems we had last season now this season. Ole Miss has now beat us 2/3 times, and this last time was with an interim defensive coach.
Like I also said in a previous post…
"Georgia went in with a plan to physically dominate the Rebels. It didn't materialize. When Dawgs had 1st and goal down three, I thought they had Ole Miss checkmated. The following sequence typified the game for Georgia; missed assignments, yet another TFL and unable to move Ole Miss front. For stretches it looked like Ole Miss knew what was coming. Stockton never looked comfortable the entire night. And poor coaching decisions cost us points. Chambliss was clearly the more effective passer and his play made a difference.
Just like last season, every game this season you never knew which Georgia team would show up. Dawgs played some great games, but overall we've lost our dominant edge. We're running in circles and not really moving forward. Sure, blame injuries or whatever on this final loss. But, believe me, for Kirby to not make it past the 1st game of the playoffs for a 2nd year in a row is killing him. And it should. We're not finishing the drill. We're playing too much school yard football to survive and win games."
Does that sound like I'm blaming Gunner for all our problems? Absolutely not. But for our offense to get better he is going to have to get better.
Like I said concerning this season and how to improve going into next season - " I think it's a combination of a different scheme, better playmakers, better OL, and honestly a better QB that will get us to a more effective, efficient, consistent, and explosive offense going forward."
If you want to throw Bobo and the coaching staff under the bus as well, then that is fine with me. Bobo and Kirby have made coaching mistakes - one that cost us points against Ole Miss. We need a new scheme and that means coaching and game planning.
Man, I must the minority on this one. When an offense scores 30 points in a game they should win. Everyone is blaming the offense, but I do not see the nick picking about Coach Sch defense. Why, their QB had all day, scabbling left to right and GA did not have anyone to catch him. The secondary once again got exposed, time after time.
All the so-called experts picked Georgia why? Because they all felt like the defense was finally showing up at the right time. Guess, who didn't show up?
Yeah throw Gunner under the bus. That game was winnable but the play calling and lack of concentration to detail in the secondary lost that game. I agree with David P. They lost the clock management on that last drive. It’s sad all that these guys buy into and put into the team to have a head coach who is too stubborn to move on from his buddies. Lane K needs to send KS a thank you card for the $500k he received from KS getting schooled.
I want to say this to. I have lived in Rabun County home of Gunner Stockton since 2022. The people I’ve talked to here tell me he made Plenty of long bomb throws to Class A HS receivers.
So if that level of receivers could catch his deep passes why shouldn’t SEC Dawgs receivers Also be able ?
Some one will say Oh but your talking a whole different level of defense. True. But isn’t it Still relative ? He took his team to the State Championships twice. He Still holds Three State HS records. So HS offense vs HS defense right ? Relative right ?
So UGA has a nicely paid QB Coach and even more nicely paid OC. Are they not able to work out any decencies ? Football field is the same length in HS as it is in the SEC, 100 yds. Right ?
So and Again if he could make those throws consistently in HS why not now in the SEC where you have vastly superior strength & conditioning and supposedly vastly superior coaching.
People talk about his height. Have Yall seen these HS defensive linemen in the last umpteen years ? Size wise their right on par in Many cases they just need the extra muscle that collegiate level strength and conditioning give.
I submit that though
Yes he can and needs to improve, Gunner Stockton is not nearly as broken as Some try to imply.
How about just maybe the OC and QB coach finding ways to exploit his strengths and diminish his weaknesses. If the Coaches are just glorified Cheerleaders even I with two different types of cancer am willing to come do that and give that nice $$ to my widow um wife. I’ve Never seen any player Love his Team any more so than Gunner and Proves it every time he sets foot on the field. Gunner is a good memory of what CFB used to be all about……….
@navydawg It is because the difference between the #1 TE group in the country and the #40 TE group in the country isn't very big. Meanwhile the difference between the #1 WR or RB group in the country and the #15 group is huge. TEs who are the type of individual playmakers like Brock Bowers are rare. Even in the NFL who can you name? Travis Kelce and that's it. Most of the time TEs are complimentary players. That's why all the talk that Bobo should do more with Delp and Luckie never made any sense. Delp and Luckie were never Bowers. They can't get open without the the SEC caliber players at X and Y receiver that UGA didn't have. If anything Zachariah Branch getting more receptions in the slot than the next 3 or 4 WRs combined came at their expense. It is Smart who prioritizes getting the best high school TEs every year over getting competitive WRs. So this "yes the WRs are bad so why doesn't the QB and OC do more with the TEs then" is more scapegoating everyone else for Smart's choice to try to win titles with as little talent at WR as possible. And yes, this affects QB recruiting. 5 star QBs aren't going to come to UGA to throw to backups and role players because 1. it makes them sacrifice their body the way that it did to Fromm, Beck and now Stockton 2. it isn't fun because they never get to cut loose and use their talent and skill that they dedicated their childhoods working and sacrificing to develop and 3. it nukes any chance that they have to be a 1st or 2nd round NFL pick. You saw how Fromm's stock cratered after 2018 and Beck's after 2024. And yes, both Fromm and Beck got hurt from having to stand around and wait for mediocre WRs to get open downfield. Who is going to sign up for that and why? That's why blaming the QBs and OCs who come and go instead of the one guy that is here constantly makes no sense. Recall: I spent weeks warning people that Ole Miss was going to have plenty of time to prepare to defend a UGA offense with no X or Y WR capable of getting open deep like Bowers (though a TE), McConkey, AD Mitchell and George Pickens could. UGA's offense actually put up more points than I thought they would thanks to a big game by Frazier AND they got a score on defense and it still wasn't enough.
Why can't the UGA fandom just acknowledge that Smart needs to change his approach to recruiting and playing WRs? Because Smart signed 5 talented WRs - 3 in the top 100 - yet they spent all year watching a bunch of guys fail to get open from the bench. But instead of challenging the head coach over that, Dawgnation and the commenter blame the QB and OC. Again. Typical. No other fanbase or media of a big time program does this and it is mystifying. Like a coach at Florida, Miami, Ohio State, USC or LSU could go 10 years without recruiting a single 1st round pick at WR or RB (Sony Michel was a Richt recruit) and keep his job. All the 5 star QBs that decommit? The other fanbases will point out how QBs like that want guys to throw downfield to. The UGA fanbase assassinates the characters of 17-18 year old who don't want to spend their careers getting blasted by blitzers and blamed by fans for no one getting open. It is unreal on one hand but very entertaining on the other. Guys, Ohio State and LSU teams only won 1 title WITH all that talent on offense. It is fascinating that so many UGA fans year after year believe that they have a chance without it. But the fans are one thing. The media writers at the AJC knew that UGA didn't have the players at WR and RB to succeed in the playoff. They see these guys every day in practice. They know that Delp and Luckie don't have the speed, quickness or change of direction that Bowers does. You could even move Bowers to X receiver and he would easily make an NFL roster. There are a ton of teams where he would start at slot WR if those teams are willing to play a bigger guy there to create mismatches against slot CBs. Delp and Luckie? Not a chance. But the Dawgnation writers kept the "best TE group in the country" propaganda fed to them by the UGA coaching staff going just the same.
@randomsportsfan…I would like to challenge your comments concerning our TE group and its use.
Just go back and watch the game we won against Ole Miss earlier this year. I have been harping on the lack of use of our TEs since early last season. We FINALLY used them extensively in the game against Ole Miss - (9) completed passes to TEs Luckie and Delp for almost 100 yards that game. TE use made a HUGE difference in the outcome of that game. We also used Williams a time or two in other games and those were crucial catches.
Since that first Ole Miss win, we have put the TEs mostly back in the closet and relegated them to blocking. Kirby emphatically wanted us to "Run the Ball and stop the Run".
We scored more points in that game and had 510 yards of offense - the best offensive showing of our season.
I am not a coach nor do I want to start bashing Bobo or Kirby. We can't control their decisions. I agree with you that we need more elite WRs. But, we proved in that game that we can effectively use TEs and have a high powered scoring offense.
Where did that offense go???
P.S. We may not have the best TE room in the country, but every service I have read lists both Delp and Luckie in their Top10-15 TEs in the country.
I assume everyone agrees that improving as a player SHOULD be every player’s goal. Gunner is a very good QB. He’s a leader. He’s tough as nails. He’s not the problem. The problem is very poor play calling. I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: Bobo’s play calling is analogous to manic depression. At times it’s very good. At times it’s appallingly bad. It’s almost always bad when we’re leading in a game. Becomes far too conservative. He’s not a really good OC. Of course, our DC ain’t exactly great either. Plus, our O Line coach has always been mediocre. IMO, all three need to be replaced. Of course, that is not going to happen.
To keep doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. That’s where we are. We have very good players. Therefore, we will continue to be a very competitive football team. Will we get past the first round of the CFP? Maybe. Will we win another natty? Maybe, but not likely. Some fans are satisfied with the results we’re seeing. Actually, that’s somewhat understandable. However, when you consistently recruit at the level we do, you shouldn’t see what we saw against a relatively poor Bama in the regular season or what we saw Thursday as we lost to an Ole Miss coached by Pete Golding. If we pay our coach $13,000,000+ a year, those performances are unacceptable.
Bottom line: The headline should be: UGA Coaches, Especially the Coordinators, Must Improve or Move On!
@JBMDawg46….I'm not disagreeing with you at all. I have seen Bobo call some brilliant games (like that first Ole Miss game we won this year) and individual plays, but I've also been baffled by many of his game plans, offensive schemes, and plays. So, it has been a frustrating ride at times with Bobo at the helm. In his defense, I do think he has been forced to change his approach to the offense at times due to Gunner's abilities and comfort level.
I do think a new offensive scheme or at least some serious tweak in the way we approach the offense is in order.
The Indiana offense is a thing of beauty. 50% run, 50% pass. Key playmakers everywhere, and many of those guys are from the G5. Brilliant, Joe Moore OL finalist group, and a stout defense that gets to the passer and creates serious havoc.
OK Brother Montana I readily concede that I misread the Intent of your comments Here and on other threads and for that I apologize. Nothing I said was Ever meant to be personal to you.
@ randomsportsfan points out the Quality of our TEs and he uses a once in a generation Bowers as a measuring stick. I Agree with You we Don’t and Didn’t need a Bowers like performance from our TEs. Their sheer Size would defeat most man on man players in the secondary. Just being “ pretty good” would be more than sufficient. Of course we’d Love a reincarnation of Bowers !!
You’ve stated Gunner needs to improve I fully agree, HE fully agrees. I think you can agree that this season was his First real year at starter ? The “ being in the system” though holding some value does Not measure up against Real game snaps. If practice was Better than real game ( something Kirby touts) then we’d have probably beat Ole Miss.
I’m Not as you said throwing Kirby and Bobo under bus. But You, Me, Countless Dawgs fans are calling for Gunner and the rest of the team to improve. Coaches shouldn’t be exempt from that ideology.
There’s NO other HC I’d want at UGA than Kirby. But Even He needs to be flexible. Needs to be Wiling to take on fresh ideas and at least test them. Trying to be a carbon copy of Nick Saban in today’s football Might not be enough to win at high levels consistently any more.
If Mike Bobo a very DGD in my book is Willing to adapt his philosophies and at least Try fresh ideas perhaps we can win more with him. BUT if there’s a Very high caliber unemployed NFL guy out there willing to come to UGA why not change Bobo’s title let him keep the same pay and move the NFL guy to OC ? That way it doesn’t bust up the very obvious friendship between KS and Bobo.
Not saying you but I’ve read Allot of Gunner can’t do this and Gunner can’t do that and Gunner will Never be Elite. And pray tell How do we Know that when he’s Not been Allowed to play to his capabilities ?
Numerous QBs through out CFB are Allowed to change plays at the LOS but Not Gunner. He stated that very clearly earlier this year. But in order to not make his OC look bad and the fierce loyalty he has he said “ I trust Coach Bobo’s plays completely”. In my view Gunner is playing under a handicap. YES he plays himself when plays that were called in break down. And on Countless of those plays on third down and even fourth down Gunner picked up the First down by HIS play. Many of the so called Elite QBs might Not have made those broken but Critical plays out of fear of taking a wicked hit.
The Elite QBs are playing for their future in the NFL. Gunner plays for his Team and the here and now.
The Elite QBs are going to Demand big NIL $$ And might even Demand that they start. I’ll never forget Justin Field’s father making the Demand that he start. In fairness to Justin I never heard HIM say that. It was his father.
An Elite QB very well might leave us high and dry if things don’t go his way and not only leave us for More big NIL but actually play Against us.
Some will say Well look at Gunner he went to SC. On this first part I could be very wrong but I’m not sure he initially got an offer from KS and UGA. So correct me if I’m wrong on that. But Gunner wasn’t chasing $$ he was Following the Bobo name out of Loyalty to his HS Coach George Bobo, Mike’s Dad. Gunner is a fiercely loyal person. SC was NOT his first choice !! He has said Many times he grew up dreaming of being an UGA Dawg !!
Though it’s not something worth raising a pennant at Sanford Stadium . I Do think this is important. In the season prior Dawgs had to go to OT to beat both GT and TX in the SECCG. But This season there was no need of OT and Both of those teams had supposedly improved. YES we did have to go to OT vs TN but that was Very early in the season and the Dawgs including Gunner were green as grass !! The first loss to Bama ( Still Very early in the season) could just as easily be attributed to bad in game decisions by Kirby. So in my view there Has been improvements made.
Last thought of this Novel Lol !! The Bye time in my view was a momentum killer !! But Kirby said he has “tweaks” that he was gonna employ to off set that. What ever those tweaks were they were not enough. So it was in my view a Team loss including Coaching and game management. Coached and managed Properly Gunner Stockton might Be an Elite QB !! You can bet he will study his mistakes like a finals exam in school !!
If Kirby, Bobo, Gunner and the rest of the team Embrace getting better and that also means some Changes in ideas and long standing philosophies then the Dawgs might advance to winning the Ntl. Title next year. STOP trying to drive a square peg in a round hole when it’s obviously not working. One full year as starting QB with a 12-2 record does Not indicate to Me that Gunner is a failure and that we Can’t win consistently at high levels with him at QB. Many of the Same people said the Same things about Stetson. And Stetson with Much respect had a Far better supporting cast than Gunner. We’ll see……….. P.S. If I offended you on a personal basis before I apologize I consider you a friend. Sorry this was SO lengthy but I feel necessary.