As disappointed as I was watching our opening game last night, I think perhaps I am more disappointed in the aftermath of the game. From the fans reportedly leaving early in the fourth quarter, to the immediate fire Coach Richt posts, to throwing cups from the upper deck down on UGA fans below, to the tweets to players about how bad they are etc etc, absolutely pathetic. We are ONE game into the season folks, and as disappointed as I was last night and continue to be, I also have to report I am VERY impressed with Boise State. They were without question the better team last night. They played better, they coached better, they were simply BETTER and we need to recognize that and move on. That being said, I do have some observations about the game, both negative and positive.
First of all, as I said last week, I believe we should defer in a game like that. Greater chance for early D success with the hype and noise in the dome. Instead we take the ball and have immediate penalties-false starts on our offense-here we thought the noise would impact Boise!! Those early penatlies set the tone for the first half really-UGA with POOR field position the entire first half. A credit to Boise both on defense and special teams. Also our inability to do ANYTHING offensively save an 80 yard brilliant run by Brandon Boykin. The D actually didn't do that badly in the first half. We gave up 7 points, forced an INT, only to see our QB throw an INT to set up the second Boise TD (our FR running back whiffed on a crucial block there). Of course much is made of Richt deciding to go for it 4th and 1 instead of kicking what likely would have been a fairly resonable 40-45 range field goal. I think this decision was the direct result of how much grief he took for NOT going for it in the Liberty Bowl. As it turned out, someone missed a block and we had no chance at the 1st down. I believe we should have kicked it but it is easy to say that now of course. That being said, again, the D did a pretty decent job holding down the Boise O, 14-7 at the half despite our offense basically doing nothing.
The second half, it was very apparent which side made adjustments. Boise came out firing in the second half and we never really threatened. We could not get pressure on Moore-we didn't seem to come often with a blitz and when we did, it was not disguised well and/or Boise was flat prepared to handle it. They did a MUCH better job the entire game of protecting their QB, unlike the dreadful performance of the UGA offensive line. When it got to be 28-7, we all knew it was pretty much over. To the credit of our offense, we made a few nice throws/catches and scored a couple TD's but after cutting it to 35-21, we could never get closer and our D could simply not get the ball back/make key stops when they needed to-sounds eerily like 2010 to me.
All that being said, there are some positives to take from this game. Crowell looked decent-he just needs to be used outside as much or more than inside the tackles. Orson Charles is a great weapon, Mitchell looked good late catching the ball-appears as adverstised. Marlon Brown had a couple nice catches and runs after the catch. On the flipside, Tavarres King had a dreadful night, he did not give many confidence he can step into the huge void left by AJ and Kris in our offense. On defense, I thought Jarvis Jones played really well. Christian Robinson led the way with 13 tackles but I was much more impressed with Jones-note to Jones and Crowell, please figure out a way to keep your helmet strapped on. None of my business but I am not a fan of the dreds. I thought Branden Smith, Shawn Williams, Boykin, all played well.
I did not think our OL or DL played well at all. Boise completely controlled both lines of scrimmage which is not a good sign looking ahead. Simply put, we must get better on both lines or this is going to be a long season and we will be looking for a new coach very soon. I was not impressed with our gameplan on offense or defense. We had all spring and summer to prepare for this game and it was clearly obvious which team was the better prepared. That is of course a really big concern as we move forward.
On the injury front, we lost "Tree" for 4-6 weeks. We had a walkon, Sulek playing the bulk of snaps for us at middle linebacker. No offense to this kid but there is NO WAY you can tell me he is the best we got. I am hopeful during this week of practice, they evaluate our healthy players and do indeed get our best 11 on the filed. If that means moving Jarvis back to the middle, I am all for it as that guy is a player and looks to me to be a great middle LB. Put Vasser, Stripling or even Drew at OLB, to me better options than the walkon. Surely that is going to happen. Other than Ogletree, no other injuries are serious. Amazing though, Samuel was going to back up Tree, then King flunks out and Samuel moves to RB, now Tree is hurt. Samuel would be starting at LB for us next week. We need him at both positions now, but I am still not sold on him at RB. Amazing how our depth shakes out so badly at certain positions.
Next up is perhaps the most critical game of the Mark Richt era. As bad as the Boise loss was in many ways, it was not an SEC opponent and Boise could very well end up being the best team we play this year. I know for sure that is the best QB we will face this year. SO, now comes the old ball coach and his confident bunch of Gamecocks. They gave up a bunch of points to East Carolina but scored a bunch as well. They feature probably the best RB we will face all year and the best WR we will face all year. Put those two kids on Boise with Kellen Moore, WOW. As I say though, this game provides the team a very quick way to redeem themselves against the defending SECe champs. The game is at home, they beat us in a close one last year, our guys should be ready to play outstanding football. Key word SHOULD. Spurrier has South Carolina at a level they have never been before. SECe champs and favored to do the same again this year. IF we can find a way to win this game, suddenly the Boise loss is not such a sour spot. Suddenly we are looking at our schedule and comparing it the rest of the SECe. We could win the game and still easily lose the division title but certainly a win in this game give us the early edge. I am not ready to break down the game just yet but let me just say, I still believe in Coach Richt, and still believe in our players. I will still be a loyal UGA fan regardless of how this season plays out. I will always respect and admire Coach Richt regardless of what plays out this year and the future. All that being said, we are now 14-13 in our last 27 games folks and something has GOT to change. I love UGA more than any one coach or player. I know I am biased but I really do believe our school/football progam should be in the top 10-15 EVERY year, if not higher. 8-5 and then 6-7, that simply can't continue and I feel sure it will not continue or else Coach Richt and company will be gone after this year. Until we are clearly out to hire a new coach, I will not throw out my potential candidates and I think fans that do that right now are not true fans. We have an AD in place now that knows what the heck he is doing. I trust that he will make the correct decision when the time comes. In the meantime, I am going to root for our coaches and playear, say a prayer for them and wish the best. I personally believe there are far more loyal UGA fans like me than like the kind that are already calling for Richt to get fired. I read one that said, even if Richt runs the table this year, he still wants him out. WOW.
Next Saturday is HUGE and I really think we are going to see our guys give a great effort. Will that be enough to beat SCarolina, I sure hope so but we shall see. Hope everyone enjoys Labor Day, should be a time to relax and rest up with all the rain. We in GA need some rain so not all bad.
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