Weekend Reflections: Kirby Smart accepts offensive grind as ‘who we are’
What I think about some things I saw over the weekend …
The top playmakers for Georgia’s back-to-back championship teams play in the NFL. Play-caller Todd Monken coaches there, too. The blue-chip recruits left behind were supposed to become UGA’s next generation of skilled stars with Mike Bobo as coordinator.
That hasn’t happened this season. The Bulldogs are more persistent than explosive. They must grind for yards and points.
Kirby Smart acknowledged that reality after Georgia’s game-clinching touchdown drive during the victory at Auburn on Saturday night. The Bulldogs marched 78 yards in 16 plays while using nearly nine minutes of the clock.
Georgia’s coach said that was out of necessity, not design.
“That’s really who we are,” Smart said. “We don’t have these explosive plays. And I’ve come to the conclusion, yeah, I want them. We’re gonna scheme for them. … But that’s who we are.
“We are a stay out of third-and-long (offense). We’re gonna run the ball. We’re gonna hit a quick passing game. We’re going to use (quarterback Gunner Stockton’s) legs.”
The truth is that finding a way without an explosive passing game has been the status quo for Smart’s Georgia teams. The 2021 and 2022 Bulldogs were outliers. Before, Smart tried to win big with the “man ball” formula: physical run game plus dominant defensive line.
He eventually got with the times of explosive offense. It all came together once Monken maximized the talents of Stetson Bennett, Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey.
The 2021 Bulldogs ranked second in ESPN analyst Bill Connelly’s adjusted offensive efficiency and produced 80 plays of 20 yards or more (56 passes, 24 runs). The 2022 Bulldogs ranked 11th in offensive efficiency with 98 explosive plays (70 passes, 28 runs).
In 2023, Carson Beck replaced Bennett as quarterback and Bobo took over as play-caller. The Bulldogs still had Bowers and McConkey, though both players were limited by injuries. Georgia ranked fourth in offensive efficiency with 85 explosive plays (65 passes, 20 runs).
It was inevitable that Georgia’s offense would slip once Bennett, Beck, Bowers and McConkey departed. I didn’t think the drop-off would be so big. So far, this season’s Bulldogs rank 19th in efficiency and are on a 12-game pace of only 52 explosive plays (36 passes, 16 runs).
“I’m OK with that as your identity,” Smart said. “But you really need to play really good defense behind that identity. And we played OK defensively (against Auburn). It’s crazy how good we can play at times and how poorly we can play at times.”
The Bulldogs will have to play elite defense consistently to make a run at a national championship, because their offense can’t light up the scoreboard like it used to.
Bobby Petrino’s failed gamble
Ex-Falcons villain Bobby Petrino becoming the interim head coach at Arkansas was worrisome. Might he slither his way back into a major job? So, it was a relief when Tennessee ran out the clock for a 34-31 victory over Arkansas at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
The Razorbacks had a chance to kick a tying field goal from the Volunteers 25-yard line in the third quarter. Petrino decided to go for it on fourth-and-3. The pass was incomplete.
“I’m mad about not kicking the field goal,” Petrino told reporters. “I kick myself in the head all the time for that one. I feel like we could still be out there playing and seeing if we could win or not, so it’s a bad decision.”
I can’t believe I’m defending Petrino, but I think he made the right decision.
This is a lost season for the Razorbacks. They were on the road against the No. 12 team in a lost season. There was nothing to lose by being aggressive except another game. Petrino’s play-call worked, but the execution was off.
It was the smallest losing margin for Arkansas in three games against power-conference opponents. The Hogs have six SEC games left on the schedule. Petrino might have a shot to keep his job if he wins enough of them because, despite everything, people apparently still love him in Fayetteville.
Big Ten’s private equity plan faces opposition
The Big Ten reportedly is seeking $2 billion in private investments. Here’s what Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) had to say about that:
“You’re going to let someone take and monetize what is really a public resource? … That’s a real problem.”
Yes, it would be a problem if public universities ever turned their athletic departments into commercial enterprises and lost sight of their educational missions.
NCAA schools have chased athletics dollars at all costs for decades. It was inevitable they would eventually seek an infusion of capital from outside investors. ESPN reported Friday that the Big Ten is closing in on a deal to do that.
There are potential pitfalls. Outside investors expect high annual returns on investment. That could exacerbate the short-term cash grabs that have defined college sports in recent years. Kristi Dosh, writing for Business of College Sports, also notes that investors can use their leverage to gain control of conference decisions like scheduling and blur “the line between university governance and private business.”
At least college presidents answer to elected officials, for better or worse.
Cantwell warned Big Ten presidents they could risk their nonprofit status if they take on private equity investors. Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.), chair of the bipartisan College Sports Caucus, introduced legislation to “prevent private equity from taking control of college sports or leveraging future athletics revenues and other assets as collateral for private and foreign investors.”
“College sports serve an educational mission — and they’re sustained by billions in annual public subsidies and tax advantages,” Baumgartner said in a statement.
He got the second part right, at least.
James Franklin’s ridiculous buyout
Penn State fired coach James Franklin on Sunday. He guided the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinal last season. But Franklin’s bosses decided it was time to get rid of him after Penn State (3-3) lost to Northwestern on Saturday.
It’s going to cost them about $49 million, according to USA Today. That’s the second-biggest buyout in college football history behind Jimbo Fisher’s reported $75 million parting gift from Texas A&M two years ago.
Maybe Penn State, like A&M, will go and hire a better coach. Even if that happens, everyone should remember these reckless buyouts when schools jack up ticket prices and student fees.
Several of them have done so in the wake of the House v NCAA settlement that includes revenue sharing with athletes. Penn State is on the list.
In February, the school announced it would be adding fees to tickets and parking passes to raise money for a “Legacy Fund.” The school said the initiative is in response to the House settlement but denied that it’s a “talent fee,” such as the 10% charge Tennessee added to football tickets. Penn State says the Legacy Fund will be used to fund additional athletics scholarships.
The bottom line is Penn State leaders are charging their customers more because they claim they need additional revenue to spend on athletes. What they and other administrators really need is enough discipline to stop including obscene buyout amounts in contacts for coaches.
It’s not like those coaches have real leverage. They aren’t leaving their cushy jobs when only a handful are available at any given time.
My Weekend Predictions were 5-5 after Sunday’s games
I need the Falcons to cover as 4½-point underdogs against Buffalo on Monday night for a winning week. It would already be a losing week if not for great decisions made by Georgia Tech coach Brent Key and Georgia quarterback Stockton.
The Yellow Jackets converted a two-point try after their first touchdown against Virginia Tech. They ended up covering the spread by a half-point. Stockton could have gone down after gaining a first down on the final drive (Smart said that’s what he instructed him to do). Instead, Stockton kept running for a touchdown that covered the 3½-point spread.
That’s what I like to see from favorites when I back them.
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