Starch missing in Dogs’ offense

Athens —- Mark Richt reminded everybody Tuesday that he is not into style points because, in his words: “Winning to me is pretty stylish.”

It was a fine, catchy phrase to help keep players focused. It will be even better as an opening shot if Georgia wins out and Richt is trying to lobby pollsters to help push his one-loss team into the BCS title game.

There’s only one problem: If the Bulldogs don’t get better, they’re not winning out. They’re not winning at LSU on Saturday. They’re not winning against Florida next week.

They’re not giving Richt another chance to tell the world, “Winning to me is pretty stylish.”

“We’ve been really shooting ourselves in the foot, one or two plays a game in the red zone, and that’s hurt us,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “The positive thing for us we’re still putting up 24. If we get everything ironed out, we’re scoring 45.”

Yes, well, right now they look like a nice dress shirt that’s been stuffed in the corner of a suitcase for two days. Iron away.

The Dogs’ touchdown percentage in the red zone is 64.3 percent (18-for-28). That would be respectable, except for the fact they were 8-for-8 in the first two games against Georgia Southern and Central Michigan. In the Southern or Mid-American conferences, they would rock. But they’re only 10-for-20 in the five games since.

There is an advantage to playing LSU and Florida in consecutive weeks. If Georgia defeats the past two champions, nobody will complain, “Yeah, but they should’ve scored 40.” Style won’t count as much.

But isn’t it safe to conclude that there are things Georgia has gotten away with against South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt that it won’t be able to get away with in Baton Rouge and Jacksonville?

“Probably not,” Stafford acknowledged.

Even Richt seems to understand the Dogs have been walking a fine line, saying of the LSU game: “We might be able to get a field goal here or there.”

We have heard a lot about the season-ending injuries at left tackle, first to Trinton Sturdivant and then to his replacement, Vince Vance. Richt echoed remarks Tuesday when he said: “We’re not gonna sit here and cry about it and make an excuse. But when your left tackle has been through his [freshman] year and plays at 285 pounds, and shows up the next year 310 pounds and has confidence and then he goes out, guys start losing their continuity. You have to shuffle people around, and it’s not easy.”

Those words would carry more weight if Georgia was struggling to move the ball this season. But that hasn’t been an issue. Further, this is still an offense that starts three crown jewels: Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and A.J. Green.

Yes, things naturally get more difficult closer to the goal line. That’s on Richt and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. It’s still football.

It’s the 20, not “Checkpoint Charlie.”

“Kicking field goals when you’re 40 yards out, that’s OK,” Moreno said. “But when you’re on the 15 or the 10, that’s when you want to put touchdowns on the board.”

LSU this week, Florida next week. Now is the time to start impressing people.

The Dogs were a preseason No. 1. The drive to that spot actually started in game eight a year ago. They were 5-2 after a loss to Tennessee and a narrow escape at Vanderbilt. Then they rolled up 42 points on Florida, 45 on Auburn and 41 on Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl.

We haven’t seen anything remotely close to that since Central Michigan week.

Richt: “I think people equate a lot of points to being a superior team. If one team is scoring 45 points a game and the other team is scoring 32, they think, ‘That one must be better.’ But that’s not always true.”

This would be a good time to prove it.

jschultz@ajc.com

NEXT FOR GEORGIA

> Who: at LSU

> When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday

> TV; radio: CBS; 750 AM