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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