DEL.ICIO.USUGA FOOTBALL
Dogs’ defensive woes by the numbers
Recent struggles haven’t been duplicated by Bulldogs since 1900
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, November 10, 2008
For just the second time in the program’s 116-year history, the Georgia football team has allowed 38 or more points in three consecutive games.
The first time?
Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com
Kentucky: Dogs allowed 226 rushing yards to an offense led by freshman QB Randall Cobb.
Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com
Florida: Allowed a respectable 373 yards to the high-powered Gators, but generated no turnovers.
Jason Getz/jgetz@ajc.com
LSU: The Bulldogs allowed 597 yards to an offense with QB troubles.
William McKinley was president of the United States.
E.E. Jones was the Georgia coach.
The year was 1900.
No wonder Georgia fans are in culture shock about the amount of points scored against the Bulldogs the past three games. For those Bulldogs with a strong stomach, here are eye-opening numbers to give it a historical perspective:
THE FIRST TIME
The only previous time Georgia allowed 38-plus points in three consecutive games:
Nov. 10, 1900: Clemson 39, Georgia 5
Nov. 17, 1900: North Carolina 55, Georgia 0
Nov. 29, 1900: Auburn 44, Georgia 0
(Note: This stretch of games ended E.E. Jones’ first and only season as Georgia’s coach.)
THIS TIME
The big difference this time, other than the 108 years that have passed, is that Georgia has won two of the three consecutive games in which it has allowed 38-plus points:
Date Score Note
Oct. 25, 2008 Georgia 52, LSU 38 Most points scored by LSU vs. Georgia since 1936
Nov. 1, 2008 Florida 49, Georgia 10 Third most points scored by Florida vs. Georgia in 87 meetings
Nov. 8, 2008 Georgia 42, Kentucky 38 Most points scored by Kentucky vs. Georgia in 62 meetings
3-42: That’s Georgia’s all-time record in games in which the opponent scores 38 or more points, with two of the wins coming in the past three weeks (the only other was a 56-49 quadruple-overtime victory over Auburn in 1996.)
2: Games, out of Vince Dooley’s 288 as Georgia coach from 1964-88, in which the Bulldogs allowed 38 or more points — a 45-6 loss to Nebraska in the 1969 Sun Bowl and a 38-14 loss to Mississippi State in 1974.
2: Games during Mark Richt’s first seven seasons as Georgia coach (2001-2007) in which the Bulldogs allowed 38 or more points — a 51-33 loss to Tennessee in 2006 and a 38-35 Sugar Bowl loss to West Virginia at the end of the 2005 season.
4: Games this season in which the Bulldogs allowed 38 or more points — a 41-30 loss to Alabama plus the past three games.
WHAT’S WRONG?
The past three games have dropped Georgia to 11th —next-to-last — in the SEC in scoring defense, ahead of only Arkansas. Much must go wrong to allow 38-plus points in three consecutive games. Here are five things, for starters:
• Regression against the run: After allowing just 427 yards rushing in its first seven games, Georgia has allowed 599 in its past three, including 226 by Kentucky.
• Red-zone blues: Georgia’s defense has allowed opponents to score touchdowns on 14 of their past 17 red-zone (inside the 20-yard line) opportunities.
• Low pressure: A season-long problem has been the lack of pressure Georgia’s defensive ends put on opposing quarterbacks.
• Turnover troubles: Georgia turnovers allowed Florida to start drives at the Bulldogs’ 1-, 10- and 25-yard lines, leading to 21 of the Gators’ 49 points.
• Special teams troubles: Georgia special-teams breakdowns — a blocked punt, a shanked punt and a 96-yard kickoff return — put the defense in bad field position against Kentucky, leading to 21 of the Wildcats’ 38 points.
RICHT’S REACTION
Coach Mark Richt on criticism of Georgia’s defensive philosophy:
“It’s the same basic defensive scheme we’ve had since we got here. So it’s not like some kind of philosophical issue. The philosophy of our defense hasn’t really changed hardly at all in eight years. We have not been in this spot in the past, so that’s not the problem.”
Richt on how to turn it around:
“It’s a team game, and it’s going to take the entire team to get the point total down. That’s the bottom line. It’s not just the defense. … It takes the offense; it takes lack of turnovers. It takes our special teams to play well. It takes our defense to play well. It takes us to not have penalties that, when you stop a drive, allows the drive to keep going. It takes all those things.”
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