Newspaper Page Text
6
Monday, November 15, aoio | The Red * Black
. - _< -> .j J.'T* v 1 -- M , i 1- j v , i ' tv'.a ' \ ■ ww< '
t
">!£’. -*F' JtHtA Ms.
m ntt JIIBS TBfes< ; * jB '!*'’’
~ jg jgfc , %^ r
MgSgt -|- wKßliKT'i l^ ' I 1 O'i'mlßi I^BgHHBnBHBP^^^P’
IP* / .ill -
11 "‘
-* _ wp^
WES BLANKENSHIP ITntao.Buc.
DEFENSE: Players credit loss to a lack of focus
► From Page 1
Houston said “I guess not” when asked if the
problems were because players haven’t learned
the defense yet.
“Some guys isn’t as focused as they need to
be. It hurt us. It’s been hurting us all season. I
don’t know,” Houston said.
Nine months after installing anew defen
sive scheme, the Bulldogs are still struggling
to be in the right place at the right time to
make a play or just get a simple stop.
The same held true against Auburn.
“I guess people wasn’t where they needed
to be and they just kept running the same
plays over and over and people still wasn’t get
ting where they needed to be,” Houston said.
And it’s not as if the defense is completely
void of talent (See: Justin Houston, Akeem
Dent), but the Bulldogs are failing at even the
basic fundamentals of the game.
“I think it was just missed tackles and
maybe a blown coverage here and there, but
bottom line is we have to make plays," comer
back Brandon Boykin said.
Said Rambo: “It’s just the little things that
have been costing us this year.”
Those “little things” have led to six losses
to teams Georgia had the potential to beat.
The Bulldogs have underachieved and the
record shows that.
But 463 Auburn offensive yards, seven Tiger
touchdowns and another loss later the Georgia
Bulldogs' locker room was full of blank stares
and shoulder- shrug type responses after the
game.
Boykin said the Bulldogs simply “didn’t
step up to the challenge,” though they knew
the offensive firepower Auburn has.
“We expected it,” Boykin said. “We knew
they were going to run the ball. We knew they
had great running backs and a QB that could
run the ball. We knew all these things coming
in. We prepared for it and we didn’t get it done.
I don’t know what else to say really.”
The Bulldogs are at a loss as to why these
mistakes continue to happen.
And that’s how they have managed to get
to the number six in the loss column.
FUTURE: Departures to
deplete team’s talent
► From Page 1
Georgia fan’s future
parade, but I just don’t see
how this scenario gets
much better next season.
If anything, the 20tQ
Auburn team is the best
example for why it’s not
going to get better and
why Richt might not be
the man to lead the ship
back on course
Tommy Tubervllte.
his last two yew At' Jgm a-
Autaum before being let#)
after the 2008 season, went
9-4 and 5-7. Sound famil
iar?
There’s no denying
Richt has a burgeoning
star for the next three
yean at quarterback in
Aaron Murflft M* life hkrd
to figure out elms the
rest of the production is
going to come from next
season.
For starters, who in the
world is Murray going to
throw to? If Grata games ,
back, clearly
not anyone tlwt tab* seen a
mock draft.
And no one needs to be
reminded Just how bad the
Georgia offense was with
out Green out there.
INSTANT REPLAY
Orson Charles looks like
the logical answer based
off this season, but he’s a
tight end, and it’s easier
for defenses to design cov
erages to stop a tight end
than it is a receiver lined
out wide, such as Green.
Just take a look back to
the fopr games Green was
out: Defenses designed
their coverage to slow the
tight ends, and the only
one able to make plays in
ttepMsing game in
Oreen’s four-game absence
was Kris Durham. For the
record, Durham is gone
next season.
Marlon Brown looked
like the logical answer
when he was signed as the
No. 2-rated receiver in the
country out of high school,
but two seasons have
passed and Brown looks
like another player that
won’t live up to his poten
tial while at Georgia.
It is hard to even envl
atat a scenario in which
Gotorgia’s running game
jdglu vo the slack otfen-
Jufety; ottheg it’s been
wpiat 8 Season, and
ujfleas standout high
school running back Isaiah
Crowell decides to attend
Georgia over Alabama, I
don’t see an improvement
in the running game next
m fV j< MfWj
1 ■*"' ■ • tt#K. s ■
SEAN FRANCIS TAYLO* ITnßntßuci
▲ (Top) Junior A.J. Green (8) caught two touchdown passes in the first quarter
against Auburn. (Above) Quarterback Aaron Murray (11) shined for the Georgia
offense against the Tigers, completing 15 of Ms 28 passes for 273 yards.
’ Hr
mL 5 *1 .- *> mM
Hk ""rtflMj
WES BLANKENSHIP I Ti Rio * Buck
▲ The Georgia defense had a difficult time corralling Auburn's Cam
Newton (2) on Saturday, resulting In 48 points aNowed to the Tigers.
season either.
The offensive line loses
its best offensive lineman
Clint Boling —and one
could make a pretty com
pelling argument that the
offensive line may have
regressed this season.
Unless Richt pulls a
rabbit out of his hat with
Crowell, there doesn’t look
to be the Marcus
SMS
Lattimore or Cam Newton
type talent that can come
in and change a team's
whole offensive Identity
and program in one sea
son.
College football isn’t
like basketball where you
can quickly rebuild the tal
ent base In a hurry on the
recruiting trail.
In football it takes time,
and Oeorgla looks a long
way off from competing for
the SEC title.
Whether tens, and espe
cially Athletic Director
Greg McGarity, are willing
to give Richt that time to
bring it back remains to be
seen. But as the tiring of
Willie Martinez has proven,
there is no quick fix for
Georgia.
GAME
REWIND
PLAYER OF THE
GAME:
Cam Newton, Auburn
quarterback
The Helsman Trophy can
didate ran all over
Georgia's defense, racking
up 151 yards rushing on 30
carries with two touch
downs. The junior also
threw for 148 yards and
two touchdowns to lead his
Tigers to victory. Newton
also became the first quar
terback in SEC history to
rush for at least 2,000
yards and pass for at least
1,000 yards in the same
season.
OVERLOOKED PLAYER
OF THE GAME:
A.J. Green, Georgia wide
receiver
The Bulldogs went to
Green early and often in the
first quarter, as the junior
had more than 100 yards
receiving after the first 15
minutes. Though the
Bulldogs' offense struggled
the rest of the game, Green
finished with nine catches
for 164 yards and two
touchdowns. He was the
go-to target for quarterback
Aaron Murray, and kept find
ing ways to get open.
KEY MOMENT:
Nick Fairley’s late hit on
Aaron Murray
With just a couple min
utes left in the game and
the Tigers up 48-31,
Auburn's 298-pound defen
sive tackle threw himself
into Murray after Murray
had released the ball. That
drew a flag, a roughing the
passer penalty and ignited
tempers on both sidelines.
An eventual almost-brawl
broke out, leading to two
Auburn defenders being
ejected and Mark Richt's
decision to take a knee
with 28 seconds left in the
game.
KEY DECISION:
Mark Richt deciding to
kick a field goal rather than
go for it on fourth down
At the very end of the
third quarter, Georgia had
the ball on the Auburn
18-yard line and was down
35-28. Instead of going for
it on fourth down, Richt
decided to kick a field goal
rather than roll with the
momentum the Bulldogs
had built on the drive. Richt/
settled for three points
instead of taking a chance
at the end zone, knowing
his defense was struggling
to get a stop all day.
Heading into the fourth
quarter with the score tied
would have given the
Bulldogs a chance to con
tinue the shootout.
QUOTE OF THE GAME:
Richt on taking a knee to
end the game:
‘The reason why I did
that was tempers were flar
ing. Tempers were getting a
little bit out of hand, and I
thought if we ran another
play, there was a chance
something could break out,
so I thought we'd just take
a knee and make sure that
nothing broke out. I wanted
all our guys to be able for
Georgia Tech game, and
when things get that hot
and that emotional, it's
hard to control, and I didn't
want anything to happen
that would embarrass
Georgia or embarrass the
Bulldog Nation."
BY THE NUMBERS:
Auburn:
Total offense: 463 yards
Passing: 148 yards
Rushing: 315 yards
Penalties: six for 73 yards
Third down conversion:
10of-14
Time of possession: 34:15
Georgia: *
Total offense: 354 yards
Passing: 273 yards
Rushing: 81 yards
Penalties: 10 for 89 yards
Third down conversion: 4-of
-9
Tima of possession: 25:45
Rachel G; Bowers