Georgia’s new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer comes from another world, a magical place where he could beam his orders directly into the quarterback’s brain.
But he’s in college ball now, not the NFL, and the change of environment required a change in technique.
Just yell out the play at the top of your lungs and hope the quarterback has the wax out of his ears.
That’s what happened Saturday, as the Bulldogs hurried to the line and Louisiana-Monroe tipped its hand on a blitz, suggesting Georgia counter with an alignment not originally on the menu.
“Schotty had enough time because we were no-huddle. He just kind of yelled out there and got (the quarterback’s) attention and we shift to the stretch play to the left and we score a touchdown,” coach Mark Richt said. “That wouldn’t have happened if Schotty was in the booth. That’s one of the advantages of being on the ground.
“Things like that let me know he is on top of it and is very capable.”
So, the fact that there are no communication systems inside the quarterback’s helmet — the kind that Schottenheimer employed as coordinator in the NFL for the Jets and Rams — did not seem to be a factor in his Bulldogs debut.
“All the quarterbacks were joking that it was probably great there’s not one,” quarterback Greyson Lambert laughed.
The offense in Game 1 of the Schottenheimer System was good enough to produce 51 points in a weather-abbreviated game. The yardage was spread fairly evenly between run (243) and pass (192).
OK, he did not exactly announce himself with fireworks — let the record show Georgia’s first possession of 2015 was a three-and-out, with a substitution penalty included.
Under Mike Bobo last year, Georgia’s offense averaged 458 yards per game. Against a sparring partner opponent, with still nearly 10 minutes to play when the game was called, the Bulldogs totaled 435 yards. So, an OK first impression, right?
“He’s definitely a sharp guy,” Richt said. And he apparently can project his voice like an opera tenor, too.
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