AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > August > 04 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USDogs look for primary ballcarrier
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Athens — Last year’s question — who’s the quarterback? — has been answered. This year’s question has become almost an annual stumper. Once again, Georgia doesn’t know who’ll be the primary ballcarrier. Once again, Georgia doesn’t even know if it’ll have a primary ballcarrier.
It has been a strange passage, this metamorphosis from Tailback U to Tailback Who? The school that gave the world Herschel Walker and Tim Worley and Rodney Hampton and Garrison Hearst has become the school where no back sticks out. Only once since 1992 — and only once under Mark Richt — have the Bulldogs produced a 1,000-yard back. Perhaps not coincidentally, that year was Georgia’s best of the past quarter-century.
Being his placid self, Richt doesn’t see the lack of a 1,000-yard back as a problem. “The good thing about Musa [Smith, who gained 1,324 yards in the breakthrough 2002 season] was that we had consistency there,” Richt said Saturday, speaking at Georgia’s media convocation. “But we didn’t have as many guys ready to play there. Musa was head and tails above everybody else. Until somebody separates himself from the pack, we’ll probably be [tailback] by committee.”
The latest committee includes Kregg Lumpkin and Thomas Brown, both of whom have been starters, and the redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno, of whom much is expected. Much was similarly expected of Lumpkin in 2004, when he was coming off a heartening freshman year, and then he hurt his knee on the first day of summer practice. He missed all of that season and wasn’t really right in 2005, but there were long moments last autumn when Lumpkin, who’s known as Lump, was clearly first among equals.
Not coincidentally, one of those moments came Nov. 11 at Auburn, when Lumpkin carried 21 times for 105 yards in the emphatic victory over the nation’s No. 5 team. That was pretty much the ideal, Lumpkin said, a big back getting the ball again and again “to pound and pound. I got goose bumps.”
It was, however, more an aberration than standard procedure. Only once before — in the Capital One Bowl against Purdue on Jan. 1, 2004 — had Lumpkin carried more than 20 times in a game. Contrast this with Tashard Choice, whom Lumpkin knows from high school camps: Choice averaged 21.2 for Georgia Tech last season.
“That’d be the running back’s dream,” Lumpkin said. “A lot of running backs would like to be in his position.”
Yes, Lumpkin is among those. The tailback-by-committee approach, he admitted, bothers him “a little bit. But it’s not all about you.” And he doesn’t envision the status quo changing anytime soon. “It’s hard to say, today being the first day of practice, but I imagine we’ll open up the offense for all three backs.”
There’s some merit in Richt’s rotation — fresh legs tend to move faster — and it’s true that Georgia averaged more yards rushing in 2004 and 2005 than in Musa Smith’s banner season. “If we had 180 yards but no one over 100,” Richt said, “I’d be more excited than if one guy rushed for 101 but that was all we got.”
Still, there’s much to be said for continuity, and there have been times when Georgia seemed to change backs just when Lump was beginning to pump and thump and develop those goose bumps. Another stat, a fairly telling one: The Bulldogs under Richt are 23-2 when they generate a 100-yard rusher.
In the grand scheme, it isn’t as essential to find a tailback as a quarterback. (And Matthew Stafford has assumed that position rather nicely, thanks.) But it’d be a shame if Georgia looks up five years hence and realizes it left another resource untapped. Lest we forget, Terrell Davis never had a 1,000-yard season as a Bulldog under Ray Goff. As a Denver Bronco, Davis had four.
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By Luda
August 4, 2007 8:31 PM | Link to this
I agree with CMR. If the team has a good rushing the ball than it is better than one guy going for a hundred and that is all. It is fun however to say to the fans of other schools that you guy is better and have the numbers to back up.
By NASCARfan
August 4, 2007 8:44 PM | Link to this
Luda, you’re insane. I’ve been thumping this barrell for years. Coach Richt’s biggest problem is his trying to please everyone, I think. There have been many times in Lumps time here when you can tell he was just getting it going only to yanked for Brown or Ware. Brown is a change of pace guy. Lump needs to be the pounder. Lump could gain 1400 yards this year if he gets 25 touches a game. I just thank God that it’s more in Coach Bobo’s hands than Coach Richt’s at this point.
By McDonoughDawg
August 4, 2007 8:46 PM | Link to this
Stafford rocks..with him having experience, get back…
Dawgs roll….
By dawg4life
August 4, 2007 9:15 PM | Link to this
Lump will run hard 16 to 20 times, Moreno 10-13 times and Brown 6-8 times. Moreno and Lump will be close in the end on yds and Stafford will finish like Ben Roth. did 2 years ago and his rookie year with the steelers.
By Ben S.
August 4, 2007 9:27 PM | Link to this
I trust Richt. He is around the backs everyday and knows his system. I do believe that Lumpkin would average over 100 yards a game if given 20 carries a game. But, CMR made a good point. I would much rather see 180-200 yards total than just one player with 100. Should be an exciting year regardless.
By Cyberdawg
August 4, 2007 9:53 PM | Link to this
Programs that feature only a single primary ball carrier don’t have the stable of quality backs on the UGA roster. Unless one GA player is clearly better than the others it doesn’t make sense to do anything but rotate fresh players of equal ability. Richt is doing what makes sense.
By Buck in the NW
August 4, 2007 10:24 PM | Link to this
Mark, you’re beginning to sound like some other old timers like Josh Kendall and other who don’t reconize change when it happens. Reminds me of the Ohio St. “D”. In the pros, more backs are catching the ball than ever before. Also, what would you do with the talent you have at QB.? One of the best but we must give the ball to one guy 25 times and let all the other talent sit and wait? No, Bobo’s “O” is simply a change to reflect the time and talent. It wouln’t supprise me a bit to see Lumpkin gain almost as many yards as last year with less carries.
By SEAdawg
August 5, 2007 2:27 AM | Link to this
I dunno. Having played D-I ball, I can tell you that the concept of ‘finding a rhythm’ is a legitimate concern: it doesn’t matter if a player is a true freshman or a senior, you’re gonna need a certain amount of plays before you shake off the butterflies and get the ‘feel’ back. (Obviously, it takes fewer plays for the more experienced players.) I’d feel more comfortable if Richt rotated ‘em all in during the first half and then picked the ‘hot hand’ to stick with for the 3rd and 4th quarters.
But hey, I’m not payed millions of dollars to coach, so I’ll trust CMR’s judgement.
By A-ville Ranger
August 5, 2007 2:56 AM | Link to this
I do believe you need a go-to back when the game’s on the line.That stat of winning 23 of 25 when a back goes for 100 isn’t entirely a fluke.I don’t think it is just a coincidence that Richt’s best season was the one he had a 1000 yard runner (Musa) either.Now for my pick to be the featured back,Moreno will win it if the coaches give him the opportunity by that I mean the carries.
By duff
August 5, 2007 7:30 AM | Link to this
“If we had 180 yards but no one over 100,” Richt said, “I’d be more excited than if one guy rushed for 101 but that was all we got.” With all due respect to CMR, I believe this is the wrong way to think about it. Perhaps sticking with the back that is rolling would get you 200 yards.
The truth is, great backs get better every time they touch the ball. They get into a rythym. Fresh legs are overrated. I’ll take a back that has been pounding the ball all day over fresh legs any day. Some of the games when Lumpkin has been hot, you could just tell he was ready to break one. The best example was vs. Auburn last year when he stiff armed a linebacker and planted his War-Eagle-Tiger-Plainsman a$$ into the turf on his way to the end zone. You cant tell me someone fresh off the bench with a clean jersey could have done that. It is a conundrum though…T.B. the TB is awesome too, and by all accounts so is Knowshon Soprano (sorry, couldn’t resist the NJ reference). How to decide who is the back to stick with? Perhaps that will be one of the benefits of CMR handing over the OC duties. Maybe he can walk around the locker room and see who’s breathing fire and ready to deal out some hurt!!! Go Dawgs!!!
By JW
August 5, 2007 8:09 AM | Link to this
Being fresh in the 4th qtr. should cut down on fumbles late in the game. Also they are not beat up when they go pro. Hearst and Davis are a good example.
By fayncDAWG
August 5, 2007 8:28 AM | Link to this
A-VILLE RANGER: My concern is that Richt will start Lumpkin and TB ONLY BECAUSE THEY’RE SENIORS! It’s obvious that neither is a breakaway threat. I just hope that if Moreno and Caleb King are discovered to be the breakaways that the Dawgs so desperately need that they will be given the oppurtunity to be the Feature RB.
By fayncDAWG
August 5, 2007 8:33 AM | Link to this
Seems as if Georgia, since 2002 when they were perhaps the best team in the nation, has gotten further and further away from the most accurate philosophy in college football (esp at RB and WR): CAN’T TEACH SPEED; SPEED KILLS!
By James
August 5, 2007 8:57 AM | Link to this
King and Moreno have never had a D-1 carry in their life, and you are saying they should be the feature back. You are going by the hype the media puts out there. Trust the coaching staff! Moreno and King will be here for 3-4 more years. These seniors provide more than just great running ability. They know the system..the blocking schemes, playbook, etc.
By fayncDAWG
August 5, 2007 9:54 AM | Link to this
James; I’m glad that in 1980 Dooley was not quoted saying “Hershel will be here 3-4 more years.”
By BD
August 5, 2007 10:42 AM | Link to this
some good points made here. but don’t many folks suggest that yds./carry is a much more important stat than yds./game?
kind of an embarrassment of riches, really—we’ve got 3-4 really excellent backs (though i’ve always favored the hard-luck lump—a good kid). i do think though, cmr has sometimes abandoned the running game too quickly. what was it tuberville told him after his 1st auburn game… ?
By Pig Farmers Stink
August 5, 2007 11:15 AM | Link to this
I think the duhawgs should go with the running back with the least amount of DUI’s. That way, he’ll play all season without having to go to court. make sense?
By Lee
August 5, 2007 11:27 AM | Link to this
I don’t care if one back runs it 40 times per game, or if four backs run it 10 times per game, there is one thing I ask…
Please, for the love of God, do not run that silly a55ed shotgun draw anymore. Hire a Priest to exorcise that play out of the book. Hire a hypnotist to put a spell on Bobo and Richt so that if either one of them even THINK about running that play, they get an immediate case of diarrhea.
Who thought that play up anyway, Reggie Ball?
By reality check
August 5, 2007 11:37 AM | Link to this
None of the Georgia backs have had DUI’s Pigbrain.
What team do you support, or do you just specialize in ignorant criticism?
You are a miserable loser
By CapeCodDawg
August 5, 2007 11:37 AM | Link to this
I’d prefer finding a #1 and sticking with him for most of the carries,but SEAdawg made a valid point. Find the hot guy and let him go. I think whichever back shows the best breakaway ability with decent knowledge of the system should be the starter. No.I’m not a football coach,but I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night.
GO DAWGS
By I-DOG
August 5, 2007 11:44 AM | Link to this
I’m on the fence on this one. I agree that most rb’s need to find a rythym and need some carries to do that. Does Lump need 25 carries a game? I don’t know.
Dawg 4 life has it about right. I think Bobo will give Lump 20-22 carries a game on average, Moreno 10-11, Brown and Southerland will get the rest which would be about 5-6.
Brown and Moreno will each get at least one catch out of the backfield.
There is also something to be said for fresh legs. Mr. Bradley points out the Davis had 1,000 yards 4 times for the Broncos. He also did quite well in 1992 for Goff as Hearst’s backup. He was much fresher than the D when he got his 6-8 touches in the 2nd half and didn’t he average over six yards a carry that year? His first real college season?
The next year he pulled the hammie and we had no other rb’s and he tried to rush it back, he was NEVER healthy.
He got MUCH better when he went to pros for a few reasons: 1.) better coaching (I admit that), 2.) One of the best offensive lines on a Super Bowl winning team 3.) That line Zone blocked with a one cut system (perfect for Davis who ran a 4.55 40 which is about as slow as an NFL running back can be…EVERY running back since Davis has gained 1,200 yards in the Broncos system. Heck, Olandis Gary gained 1200 in that system. 4.) He had a guy named John Elway handing him the ball, Oh and that team had hall of fame candidates like Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey and Shannon Sharpe to catch Hall of famer Elway’s passes. That might have helped.
No question that Davis matured in the NFL, but Goff would have loved to have had him healthy for the 2nd of his two year career at UGA. We can blame Coach Goff for a lot of things, Mr. Bradley, but he did not misuse Terrell Davis. He Did misuse Robert Edwards early in his career.
By Buck in the NW
August 5, 2007 12:02 PM | Link to this
The Dawg “O” will have defenders spread from side line to side line. The RBs will be expected to BLOCK, run and catch passes.Our RBs will have plenty of time to shine but here’s your key……ALL PURPOSE YARDS…..THAT WILL BE THE KEY STAT OF EVERY GAME. IN THE AU GAME LAST SEASON, DID LUMPKIN CATCH A PASS OR A TD PASS? LISTEN TO COLLEGE OR PRO BALL AND YOU’LL HEAR THAT PHARSE USED BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT COACHES ARE LOOKIN FOR. IF I CAN REACH THAT 100 YD. MARK IN 13 PLAYS AS OPPOSED TO 20 RUNS ARE YOU GOING TO BE MAD? THINK ABOUT HOW DISRUPTIVE THAT’LL BE TO A “D”. BOBO WAS AND IS A TOUGH NUT AND HE’LL KNOW WHEN IT’S TIME TO STICK IT IN THERE.
By johhnyv
August 5, 2007 12:23 PM | Link to this
This team needs IMO to find a primary back. Maybe, it’s Lumpkin. My bet is on Moreno. This kid is explosive and punishing. He will make you miss and will make you pay if you try and tackle him.
By Quaildawg
August 5, 2007 1:37 PM | Link to this
Mark, If I had to characterize the Dawgs O under Richt it would be be one of no clear identity. Stats would say that they were pretty balanced but we weren’t an O built around the running game first or vice versa the passing game first. I believe that Coach Richt had to make some adjustments to the style he had employed at FSU that allowed them to go no huddle and utilize the momentum they created to steamroll people. Thanks to crying by other SEC coaches the rules were changed and took this advantage away. I feel confident that Coach Bobo will begin to employ an O that will create momentum and develop certain identities on that given day. I think most coaches would agree that to be a primarily running or passing team can put you in matchup disadvantages given the nature and speed on D1 defenses therefore the neccessity to be willing and able to utilize your talent in various ways to attack and keep D’s off balance. I would be curious to see if UGA had a 1000+ runner this season and ended with a 7-5 or worse record if you would write a follow-up article lauding UGA for their commitment to feeding the rock to a particular back to get to your standard of 1000 yards?! BTW-I see you have picked up Tim Tuckers old whipping stick on the Terrell Davis bit. FYI-UGA was the only D1 school who recruited TD from LBS to play TB. Many others wanted him to switch to DB. Also he had a career at UGA filled with nagging injuries (not to mention limited eligibility) that never allowed the coaches to really tap his talents. The first glimpse we got was vs. Auburn his SR year. Don’t forget he played nose guard in HS!
By wil walton
August 5, 2007 2:03 PM | Link to this
Does a swing pass out to the TB count as a “touch”? If so, that’s the only way that any one of the backs will hit 20+ touches a game. Carries + Receptions = just as effective. Doubt there will be a feature back. It would be nice to know that one of them is in the rhythm, and Matthew can hand it off to gain a 1st down in a 3rd & long situation when the DBs are sitting back. Rotating backs, nah. Let one of them earn the starting nod for the upcoming game during the previous weeks practice. Then spell them for 1 or 2 plays several times a game to get those “fresh legs” into the defensive backfield. I can imagine Lump pounding the D, and any one of T.Brown, Moreno or King coming in and taking one to the house because the D is stacked at the line.
By DrDawg
August 5, 2007 3:11 PM | Link to this
Great backs get stronger the more they carry the ball. Let Lump have it 30 times in every game and we win the SEC.
By Lee
August 5, 2007 3:40 PM | Link to this
If y’all would take off them Bulldawg Blinders and look objectively at the last three years, you would see that none of them [Brown, Lumpkin, Ware] were really that impressive. All three are average, at best. Yeah, sure, they each had some highlights, but none of them put together a complete season that you could call exemplary. Yeah, I know that all three have had some health problems, maybe that’s why they never really stood out in my mind.
Too much has been made of Brown’s “pound for pound, the strongest guy on the Bulldawgs” status. He’s still a 185 pound back who doesn’t have that “speed burner” type speed.
Lumpkin, who is the best all-round back they had, still is average. A little to slow to get around the corner, not really powerful enough to bust it up the middle 20 times per game.
Ware is probably the biggest disappointment of the three. A big, strong back who never really had that “killer instinct.” Seemed afraid to get hit. Might be the reason he went from 1st string freshman to 3rd string junior.
Thank goodness they had Southerland. An old school fullback who absolutely punished the defense. Bonus, he could catch the ball on the run and make some good plays in the open field.
By Cuz
August 5, 2007 4:52 PM | Link to this
With one QB as Head Coach and another as OC, I think the days of the 30 carries per game by one back are gone with “there goes Herschel, there goes Herschel!” I see a lot of dump routes to the RB’s though when the primaries are covered.
By RxDawg
August 5, 2007 5:06 PM | Link to this
Whoever is carrying the ball, they need to step up. Last year’s 4.5 ypc for all running backs just tain’t getting the job done. That would rank about 70th in the country for ypc.
By RxDawg
August 5, 2007 5:09 PM | Link to this
Excuse me, 4.3 ypc. I forgot to add Southerland’s. That, of course, is worse. We need more production out of the running backs.
By Steve
August 5, 2007 6:04 PM | Link to this
Look, Lumpkin is a great back as long as he’s healthy, Brown has shown brilliance, and Moreno and King will get their chances eventually.
But please CMR, for the love of all things Pigskin, let’s at least win a game in October this year, okay??? Kicking the crap out of Florida, SC and Auburn would be nice, too…..
By tim
August 5, 2007 7:19 PM | Link to this
The ‘06 season may well prove to be the pivotal year in coach Mark Richt’s (CMR)career.
What we witnessed was nothing short of phenomenal on the part of CMR.
It was my impression that he faced a mutiny within the team. Who is going to be starting quarterback? Looked like there was an attempt to make Stafford look bad, and Joe Cox to look good, as in I catch yours, but not yours. therefore Cox becomes #1 QB. Right? Wrong! In comes CMR and plants his foot where it belongs.
CMR does a serious self-evaluation, and comes to the correct conclusion that Mike Bobo would be the best person to coordinate the offense. Right again CMR!!
CMR is now doing what he does best, assembling the best, and managing them.
I say we are going to have us a “BIG DAWG” year this year and way in to the future.
By Dawg JT
August 5, 2007 10:42 PM | Link to this
I wanna see If or When will The Gaytors come and play in Athens???
By Cuz
August 5, 2007 11:33 PM | Link to this
Tim, very astute observation. I thought the same but could never prove it nor did I want to think that anyone would intentionally drop a pass. Then I figured that maybe they just could not get a handle on the “other” QB passes. I think more of the latter but some of the former. I think you are spot on on the CMR evaluation. Coach the team, not the offence on the field.
Dawg JT, I don’t want to play the Gators in Athens. I don’t want to play them in the Swamp. Either keep it in JAX or JAX and Hot Lanta. We need to give the South Georgia faithful a home game at least every other year.