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AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October > 12
Thursday, October 12, 2006
A Tale of Three Quarterbacks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Three hotshot high school quarterbacks have made their debut as true freshmen on SEC teams this year, and how it’s gone for them so far pretty well sums up why many UGA fans fear the Bulldogs’ season might come down to: Peach or Music City?
Florida’s Tim Tebow has had the benefit of backing up a senior QB on a talented team and not being asked to do a whole lot — mostly running the same quarterback draw behind left tackle over and over, though last week he caught LSU flatfooted by faking the draw and throwing to a wide open receiver for a TD.
Arkansas’ Mitch Mustain initially looked to have the hardest row to hoe in that he was made the starting quarterback on a team coming off back-to-back losing seasons. But thanks to the emergence of a strong running game (including SEC-leading back Darren McFadden), Mustain hasn’t been asked to do that much, taking the pressure off him. As the Hogs racked up 279 yards rushing in upsetting Auburn, Mustain threw only 10 passes.
And then there’s Georgia’s Matthew Stafford. So far he’s backed up a shaky fifth-year senior, suddenly been promoted to starter when that senior got hurt, then found himself backing up a redshirt freshman after being ineffective, and now again backing up the senior, who looks even shakier. Along the way, Georgia’s offense has been mediocre at best.
Part of the problem, of course, has been the spotty play by the Dawgs’ offensive line. Part has been the difficulty a true frosh faces in mastering the various check-downs of Mark Richt’s offense.
But a bigger problem in Stafford’s development, I fear, has been Richt’s admitted lack of comfort dealing with a true freshman QB and the coach’s reluctance to rely on his stable of talented (if not league-leading caliber) running backs.
Every time the Dawgs seem to be establishing some rhythm in the running game, Richt pulls back and tries to pass. Let’s face it, Richt sees the running game as something necessary to set up his beloved passing game, not a way to win in itself.
Unfortunately, that puts more pressure on his quarterbacks, and until last game, the Georgia receivers weren’t helping matters by continually dropping the ball (especially when hard-throwing Stafford was at QB).
Throw in the complication of Richt not being able to rely any more on his defense to keep the Bulldogs in big games, and you’ve got trouble that belies Georgia’s 5-1 record and Top 20 ranking. With Florida, Auburn and the Trade School down the road, things ain’t looking too bright.
Like I said Sunday, a lot of us feel that Richt should give up on trying to make Joe T. into anything more than a backup QB who throws dying waterfowl and should play Stafford (or Joe Cox if Stafford falters too badly) so that our quarterback of the future can get plenty of real-game experience and mature.
But whether the head coach does that or continues to go with a mix of Joe T. and Stafford, the best thing he can do to help is quarterbacks is to RUN THE DAMN BALL. And not that stupid ACC draw out of the shotgun, either. That’s been proved not to work for Georgia time and time again, while the running game actually has clicked (when it’s been allowed to) out of the I-formation.
Poor blocking and all, Kregg Lumpkin still looks like the most effective back for Georgia with its less than imposing line (though Thomas Brown seemed to be picking his holes better against Tennesee and, consequently, was more productive). Danny Ware can continue to spell them, barring a return of his fumbleitis.
But whichever back it is, Georgia needs to establish the run to help out its inexperienced quarterbacks. The sooner Richt comes to terms with that fact, the more likely we’ll be looking at a possible 9-3 season insteady of 8-4 or worse.
DOG BITES: If you noticed the UGA student section primarily clad in black last Saturday, that was a result of a campaign by some students on the student-socializing Web site Facebook to “blackout” Sanford Stadium. The cheerleaders also were in black, and other fans must have gotten wind of it, too, because there was a lot more black sprinkled throughout the rest of the stands than usual. I thought it was a great idea. After all, our colors are red AND black, as I’ve said here before. … You also might have caught the shirtless guys in the front row of the UGA student section with their chests painted black with red letters spelling out “GO DAWGS!” Those were members of UGA’s Ultimate Frisbee team, of which my son is a member. A special woof! goes out to them. … The UT band may not know a lot of numbers besides “Rocky Top,” but you got to admit they’ve got guts, as they marched through the UGA campus on their way to Sanford Stadium Saturday. Of course, they didn’t go through the heaviest tailgating area on North Campus. … I doubt there’s a more productive fullback around than Georgia’s Brannan Southerland. … Spotted on campus before Saturday’s game was UGA basketball coach and renowned clotheshorse Dennis Felton. Surprisingly, he was just wearing a UGA shirt and slacks. Guess he saves the Italian suits for courtside.
