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AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2008 > October > 16
Thursday, October 16, 2008
What a Dawg fan wants
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here, at the midpoint of the season, are some random thoughts on where Georgia stands and things this Dawg fan would like to see:
One of those things is a return to the no-huddle offense. Mark Richt tried no-huddle when he first came to UGA but it didn’t last. Mostly these days Mike Bobo only uses it in the two-minute hurry-up mode. But when the Dawgs have been in it, they’ve generally moved the ball well, and in Matthew Stafford they have a quarterback well-suited to no-huddle since he calls a lot of signals at the line. Unless we’re looking to eat up clock (as in the fourth quarter last week), the no-huddle looks appealing to me.
Speaking of that fourth quarter against UT, that had to be one of the best drives a Richt team has engineered. I mean, 11 minutes! It ate up so much clock and was such a vintage Georgia drive that it didn’t really matter that it eventually bogged down and only produced a field goal. It had already accomplished its goal. I don’t know how much of a role fatigue on the Vols defense’s part played in it, but you’ve got to wonder whether maybe bringing in both fullbacks to block and running student-body left is something Bobo should use a bit more often to give Moreno and King a chance to eat up some yards.
And speaking of having both fullbacks in at the same time, that might be something we ought to do more often considering Georgia’s precarious tight-end situation. I don’t know if Bruce Figgins was pressured to hold off on surgery and continue to play or decided that on his own, but obviously the Dawgs need him badly. The much-traveled and apparently underperforming Kiante Tripp is back on the OL, and a friend who paid closer attention than I did to the tight end play last week said the undersized Aaron White was getting tossed around like a rag doll. We need Tripp Chandler back soon.
On the subject of fullbacks, it’s great to have Brannan Southerland back because he’s such a great player, but it seems also to have lifted Shaun Chapas’ game. Those yards he got after the catch last week were big!
I understand Bobo is having Stafford throwing all that wide stuff to allow him to get rid of the ball quickly before his protection breaks down and to try to get the ball to someone out in space since our line isn’t opening up huge holes most of the time. But last week we seemed to rely too much on those screens (and got bitten by it with that interception). With Vandy known for its success sacking quarterbacks, it’s likely to be an issue again this week. Wouldn’t quick dump passes to running backs serve the same purpose as the screen? And at least it’s positive yardage even if they don’t break loose after the catch.
Ordinarily, Georgia fans might need to worry about whether the team would be looking ahead of Vanderbilt toward the LSU and Florida games, but thanks to Vandy’s record and the SEC East race this year, that ought not to be a problem Saturday.
At least, that’s what we’re hoping!
NOT KIDDING AROUND: It was interesting to read the perspective of the MOMania blog about games at Grant Field being more family-friendly than those at Sanford Stadium. Of course, part of the problem with crowding and parking and pricing is that UGA tickets are in demand; Tech tickets aren’t. But what caught my eye was the complaint about UGA making even a babe in arms have a ticket. Here’s the problem: The blog assumes a college football game is a suitable outing for young children and babies. Nonsense. The games run way too long and much of the season, unless you sit under an overhang, it’s too hot. Plus the little ones don’t understand what’s going on and quickly get bored and uncomfortable, which means they begin to bother the other fans around them. Not to mention the numerous trips to the restroom, concession stand, etc. that also disrupt the folks sitting in the vicinity. And all of that applies no matter which stadium you’re talking about, but it’s particularly a problem at a sold-out game. School-age kids are fine. That’s when I started taking my children to Georgia games. But when it comes to pre-schoolers and babies, I feel the same way my late lamented colleague Mr. Smithee felt about cinemas: Babies have no more business being at a college football game than they do at a movie.
