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AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2009 > January > 02
Friday, January 2, 2009
Game ball to the defense … finally!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The temptation after Thursday’s Capitol One Bowl was to say that there was nothing wrong with Georgia’s defense this season that playing against a Big 10 offensive line couldn’t cure.
But that’s not completely fair. While it was obvious that the Dawgs’ defense was faster than its opposition, notching six sacks mostly without blitzing, there was more to Georgia’s shutdown of the Michigan State offense than that. Stung by criticism of their play this season, especially in the last game, and publicly disrespected beforehand by Spartan players, Willie Martinez’s players stepped up and performed with an urgency and efficiency that had been missing much of the time this year. They swarmed the ball carrier. They wrapped up tackles. And in the first half they managed to hold State to just 6 points, despite the fact their bumbling brothers on the Dawgs’ offense and special teams kept giving the Spartans the ball in Georgia territory.
Whether this defensive turnaround was the result of individual effort on the part of the players or a product of better coaching by Martinez is hard to say, but since he’s shouldered the blame for the lousy D Georgia played the second half of the season, we should give the defensive coordinator credit for this return to the kind of play Bulldog defenses have been known for in the past. For the program’s sake and Martinez’s, let’s hope this wasn’t a one-game aberration.
Some other observations on the bowl game in Orlando: Inconsistency has dogged Matthew Stafford throughout his time at Georgia and that was the case again Thursday. With his already shaky offensive line hit by another injury and the Spartans blitzing, Stafford seemed hurried and unsure, several times missing wide-open receivers. But after Georgia adjusted its protection in the second half, Stafford again showed the brilliance that has had NFL scouts drooling ever since he emerged from high school, particularly on that touchdown pass to Michael Moore where he pump-faked and then delivered a perfect strike. Still, most observers seem to think he’d benefit from another year of college play. Let’s hope he reaches that conclusion, too. … Why is it Mark Richt’s teams have such difficulty putting together two good halves of play? Georgia was obviously the better team Thursday but kept the Spartans in it through turnovers, penalties and poor special teams play in the first half. Speaking of which, Georgia’s kickoff game continued to be a woeful mess. One went out of bounds and then there was that ridiculous pooch kick that gave the Spartans the ball near midfield. Richt badly needs a come-to-Jesus moment on special teams before next season. … What is it with Mike Bobo and the red zone? Georgia came out looking great in its no-huddle offense and raced down the field, only to go away from the no-huddle and sputter once they were inside Michigan State’s 20. We’ve seen this time and again, where the offense is cooking and then Bobo goes away from what’s working. … That last series of the first half was a puzzler. Georgia gets the ball near midfield with nearly 2 minutes left and proceeds to eat as much clock as it possibly can running just three plays. Richt explained it by saying he didn’t want his defense to have to come back on the field. So what was he saying, that he had no faith Bobo’s offense could get a first down, much less score, with that much time on the clock? He figured it would be three-and-out and so told them to take their time? Strange. … Nice to see Michael Moore step up at wide receiver when Michigan State took MoMass and A.J. largely out of the game. … If that was Knowshon Moreno’s last game as a Bulldog, as many people believe, he’ll be missed as much as a receiver as he will a running back. That touchdown catch battling for the ball sure didn’t hurt his NFL stock any. He’s a special player. It’ll be a shame if we only get two years out of him.
