Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (CCG Week)

[satyanash 15355]

Collecting all the post-game analysis articles, including those behind paywalls, regarding the UGA game here:

(Gerald Goodridge) No. 5 Georgia 22, No. 2 Texas 19: Three things we learned

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The No. 2 Texas Longhorns once again couldn't overcome the offense’s inability to score in the first half, with multiple empty drives leading to a 22-19 overtime loss to the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs. That loss means Texas will likely host a first-round playoff game and need to win a month of extra football in order to claim a national title. The same issues that plagued Texas week-in and week-out continued to crop up in this game and ultimately made a difference in the game.

Texas can’t afford to leave points on the board

Whether it was penalties, trading TDs for FGs, or missing them, Texas left at least 11 to 13 points on the board in the first half, which put them in a bad position for most of the game. For most of the day, Quinn Ewers played one of his best games of the year, passing for 319 yards and his first interception came on a pass where Isaiah Bond’s lack of mobility caused a turnover on a well-placed ball. While Ewers threw a bad, late-game interception that allowed Georgia to kick the go-ahead field goal, he led Texas on a drive that covered the length of the field and set up the game-tying field goal.

Part of the issue stemmed from the Longhorns’ inability to move the ball on the ground and keep the Bulldogs out of the backfield. Quintrevion Wisner, coming off of back-to-back career weeks finished the game with just 51 yards on a 1.9 ypc average in regulation. UGA finished regulation with 14 tackles for loss and six sacks in the contest.

The defense can carry Texas to a championship

The Texas defense was once again lights out for most of the game, holding Georgia to just four scoring drives in the contest — three of which ended in field goals. Perhaps most importantly, trailing with the game on the line, the defense came up with a key turnover that gave Texas a shot to tie or win in the closing seconds. The Longhorns did a good job of keeping the UGA offense in check for the vast majority of the game, holding them to 54 total yards in the first half, and making key plays in regulation to send the game to overtime.

In regulation, the defense held Georgia to just four scoring drives, a 36% rate for the game with an average time of possession of less than three minutes. Georgia had three three-and-outs and had one touchdown in the entirety of regulation. With an offense that doesn't put up four consecutive empty drives in regulation, this could have been a lopsided win for the Longhorns.

Special teams have to be better

Despite Bert Auburn hitting the game-tying kick in regulation, he struggled to put the ball between the uprights — which is his only job. His two misses, both from the right hash from 42 and 51 yards, could have completely changed the game state and once again put the defense at a disadvantage after holding the opponent’s offense in check.

Perhaps the most emblematic play of the special teams woes is the fake punt on a 4th and 5 in the fourth quarter that allowed UGA to extend a drive that ended in the go-ahead field goal for UGA. One play after Jaylon Gilbeau made an open-field tackle for loss to set up what should have been a change of possession, the Bulldogs rolled the dice and no Texas player seemed to be prepared for the play and it cost Texas.

Danny Davis: Longhorns end SEC debut with overtime loss in the conference title game

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ATLANTA − In search of gold in its Southeastern Conference debut, Texas will instead have to settle for silver. Trevor Etienne scored on a 4-yard run in overtime and Georgia knocked off Texas in the SEC championship game on Saturday. With the 22-19 victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georgia (11-2) secured its third conference championship under ninth-year coach Kirby Smart and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

Texas was attempting to become the first team to win the SEC title in its debut season since the conference's inaugural season in 1933. Instead, Texas must wait to discover its CFP fate on Sunday. With an 11-2 record, Texas should be a shoe-in for a playoff berth and the Longhorns may even end up hosting a first-round game.
Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Daylen Everette (6) breaks up a pass intended for Texas Longhorns wide receiver Isaiah Bond (7) during the first half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Dec. 7, 2024 in Atlanta.

During Saturday's first quarter, Texas receiver Matthew Golden turned four receptions into 107 yards. One of those catches was a 50-yard gain on a third-down attempt that led to Bert Auburn's 41-yard field goal and the game's first points. Golden ended the first quarter by snagging a jump ball over Georgia's Daniel Harris to give UT 32 yards on 3rd-and-14, and Auburn later kicked another field goal. Georgia kicked its own field goal with 6:32 left in the second quarter. That was a win for the Bulldogs.

In the first half, Texas scored just six points despite reaching the UGA 25-yard line on three occasions and outgaining Georgia by a 260-54 margin. The Longhorns were also penalized eight times for 80 yards.

On the final play of the first half, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was injured on a Trey Moore sack. That led to Georgia opening the second half with a backup quarterback and a scoring drive as Gunner Stockton directed the Bulldogs on a 10-play, 75-yard possession that was capped by Etienne's 10-yard run.

Georgia added to its lead with Peyton Woodring's third-quarter field goal, but a 41-yard touchdown catch by DeAndre Moore Jr. tied the game with 13:54 left. The two teams then exchanged field goals in the final five minutes − Woodring made a 21-yard kick with 4:32 left and Auburn nailed a 37-yard try with eight seconds to go − to set up the overtime session. To open overtime, Auburn made his fourth field goal of the game to put UT up 19-16. Georgia then needed six plays to reach the end zone on its overtime possession and end the contest.

Jay Busbee: Georgia claims SEC championship in overtime against Texas

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ATLANTA — So it turns out conference championships between two playoff-bound teams still have a whole lot of significance ... especially if one of those teams looks very different after the game than it did before.

A year ago almost to the day, the college football world learned that sometimes, undefeated isn’t good enough to make the playoffs, if you lose your starting quarterback along the way. Georgia isn’t undefeated, not even close, and the Bulldogs also lost Carson Beck, their starting quarterback, in the SEC championship. How will Beck's injury affect Georgia's playoff possibilities going forward?

Georgia eliminated any need for a CFP selection committee judgment call by winning the SEC championship 22-19 in OT over a mistake-prone Texas. While it's unlikely Georgia will fall out of a No. 2 seed thanks to its strength of schedule, it's possible. And it's still an open question as to just how injured Beck is. Beck was injured on the final play of the first half, a chaotic sack and fumble that very nearly ended up as a Texas touchdown. Beck remained prone on the field for several seconds after taking the sack.

At the conclusion of halftime, three Georgia quarterbacks began warming up on the sideline, and none of them were Beck. Backup Gunner Stockton got the nod, and he immediately led a motivated Georgia offense to the first touchdown scored by either team on the afternoon. Later in the third quarter, Stockton again guided the Bulldogs deep into Texas territory, and Georgia extended its lead to 13-6 with a field goal in the final seconds of the third quarter.

Texas, for its part, faced two foes on Saturday: Georgia, and its own repeated mistakes and penalties. Texas penalties kept Georgia in the game the first half, negating two interceptions and a made field goal. Texas errors, including two missed field goals, gave hope to the Georgia sideline and motivation to the overwhelmingly pro-Georgia crowd in Atlanta.

And then came the fourth quarter, and these two teams remembered that they were playing for the championship of the mighty Southeastern Conference. Texas struck first, evening the score at 13 on a Quinn Ewers dart to DeAndre Moore for 41 yards and a touchdown.

On its very next drive, Georgia executed a flawless, gutsy fake punt on fourth-and-5, catching the Longhorn defense napping with an end-around run for nine yards. Twice on the drive, Georgia fumbled the ball, and twice recovered its own fumble. Georgia controlled the ball for 9:22 of the fourth quarter, covering 72 yards in 16 plays, but couldn't quite punch in the ball, and had to settle for a go-ahead field goal to put the score at 16-13.

So that put the ball in Ewers' hands with 4:32 remaining and the SEC championship on the line ... and Ewers promptly threw the ball straight into the hands of Georgia's Daylen Everette. That marked Everette's second interception of Ewers on the afternoon, and gave Stockton the opportunity to bleed clock.

But then Stockton's inexperience showed, to devastating effect. On a broken play, he heaved up a pass toward the Texas sideline that ended up in the hands of Texas' Jahdae Barron. That gave Ewers another chance to prove himself. He came through with a clutch fourth-and-4 conversion with just over a minute left in the game, and his end-zone pass to Ryan Wingo drew a critical pass-interference call on Georgia that put the ball at the Georgia 14 with 35 seconds remaining.

Ewers couldn't put the ball into the end zone, and that meant Texas' fate would rely on the foot of kicker Bert Auburn, who had missed twice already. His 36-yard attempt flew true, tying the game at 16 with 18 seconds remaining. In overtime, Texas took the ball first. Ewers misfired on pass after end-zone pass, and again the Longhorns had to settle for a field goal attempt. Again, Auburn converted, this time from 27 yards out, to give the Longhorns a 19-16 lead.

That put the ball in Stockton's hands again. After guiding the Bulldogs down to the Texas 12, he took off and ran the ball himself, taking a vicious, helmet-loosening hit from Texas' Andrew Mukuba at the 4-yard line. One play later, Trevor Etienne forced his way into the end zone for a 22-19 Georgia victory. (Beck subbed onto the field to hand the ball off on the game-winning play, but he was noticeably uncomfortable.)

The question now facing Georgia is how injured Beck is, and what effect that might have on the perception of the Bulldogs. Injuries and speculative effects shouldn’t impact a school’s seeding … but as 2023 showed, injuries can negate an entire season’s work in the eyes of the CFP selection committee.

Last year, Florida State finished the regular season undefeated and won the ACC championship despite the fact that they lost quarterback Jordan Travis to season-ending injury along the way. When selecting the members of the four-team bracket, the College Football Playoff selection committee decided that Travis’ absence made Florida State a materially worse team, and selected Alabama as the fourth seed instead.

Georgia didn’t suffer an immediate quality drop-off after Beck left the game; indeed, the Bulldogs looked far sharper in the third quarter around Stockton than they had all first half around Beck. But the late fourth-quarter interception was a brutal blow that allowed Texas to tie the game and force overtime. Fortunately for Georgia and Stockton — and unlike last week's eight-overtime victory against Georgia Tech — the Bulldogs only needed one overtime period to erase that mistake and claim the SEC title.

 

[Pato del Muerto 53331]

43 minutes ago, satyanash said:

While Ewers threw a bad, late-game interception that allowed Georgia to kick the go-ahead field goal,

He did what now?  Why bother reading content from someone who wasn’t paying attention?

[satyanash 15355]

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Georgia beats Texas for the SEC Championship

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A wild, back and forth brawl and low-scoring contest was a fitting SEC Championship conclusion. Texas had many chances to get the victory, many of them created by the Longhorns’ own efforts and a few gifted by questionable Kirby Smart decisions in the fourth quarter, but ultimately couldn’t make the plays to win. Texas’ carefully calibrated offense once again met its match in a focused, well-prepared, and obviously very talented Georgia team. The Bulldogs, with the aid of about 80 yards of penalties called on Texas in the first half along with two missed field goals from “Sideshow Bert Auburn,” were able to withstand the surge from the initial play script from Steve Sarkisian and Quinn Ewers. Texas had a 260-57 yardage advantage in the first half but only a 6-3 lead.

Without a more robust lead from the early drives which have powered Texas wins all season, the Longhorns had to struggle for offense most of the game and could never establish the run game. Any hopes that an injury on a sack-strip of Carson Beck by Trey Moore would save Texas in the first half were quickly dashed by a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive Georgia had to open the drive with back-up Gunner Stockton at the helm. Georgia’s run-centric offense rebounded in the second half and the Dawgs ended up with 141 total rushing yards and a pair of key scores to win the game in the end.

Quick thought no. 1: Beat in the trenches

It’s hard to escape the conclusion Texas simply wasn’t as good as Georgia up front for the second time. The Bulldogs were repeatedly able to reset the line of scrimmage against the Texas run game and frequently drew max protection calls from Sark which turned Gunnar Helm into a blocker rather than the team’s leading receiver. Quintrevion Wisner was never able to start imposing his will on the game with the Texas O-line, which badly missed Kelvin Banks despite Trevor Goosby playing reasonably well. Wisner ended up with 19 carries for just 51 yards at 2.7 ypc and without the ability to control the game or clock late with the run game, Texas was vulnerable. There was a difference in the efficacy of the screen game as well without the star tackle.

That the Longhorns were able to force overtime was largely due to Smart’s decision to allow Stockton to throw on 3rd-and-long on the Texas side of the field, a call that resulted in Stockton panicking against a blitz and missing receivers over the middle in order to throw a “jackpot!” toss out wide Jahdae Barron picked off at the Longhorn 34. On the other side of the ball, Georgia was finally able to establish their tight zone run game and Trevor Etienne, who’s return to play was massive, ran the ball 16 times for 94 yards at 5.9 ypc with a pair of touchdowns. He also caught five balls on seven targets for another 28 yards, which doesn’t sound like much, but every one of them was air in the lungs of Stockton. The Texas “defense + run game” formula simply wasn’t there as strong as it was for the Bulldogs.

Quick thought no. 2: Texas kryptonite

Georgia is very well designed to defeat Texas, as we’ve seen now over two contests. The Dawgs are the only team which has been able to totally stonewall the Longhorn run game, largely due to their ability along the D-line to control the line of scrimmage. The D-line trio of Mykel Williams, Warren Brinson, and Xzavier McLeod combined for six tackles for loss and the linebackers and defensive backs added a few more to total 15 tackles for loss on the day as well as six sacks. The nature of the Texas offense is oriented around carrying a very high volume of single-read plays in the passing game. The Longhorns rarely run deep progressions or utilize a pro-style spread passing attack that doesn’t have a targeted receiver using motion or a move to serve as a primary target. Normally veteran Ewers in this offense is able to generate points early on the play script and hit a few key plays later in the game to keep an opponent out of reach. Georgia, with a title on the line and a terrific pass-rush, was able to weather all of those designs without yielding more than a single score on a terrific RPO slant from Ewers to DeAndre Moore.

Ewers got off to a hot start and was 16-25 for 228 yards at 9.1 ypa with zero touchdowns and a pick in the first half. The interception and lack of touchdowns was a killer and his final line was 27-46 for 358 yards at 7.8 ypa with a touchdown and two picks. Not a bad performance, but also not enough to get points on the board against a stingy defense without a run game in support. The six sacks also piled up, along with the penalty yards, to turn much of Texas’ passing game production into empty calories. Georgia’s ability to stop the Texas run and hold up to the early drives once again was brutal for the Longhorns. When paired with an offensive front physical enough to run the ball on Texas’ only defensive weakness, a tendency to absorb some power runs, it makes Georgia an extremely tough matchup.

Quick thought no. 3: There were chances along the way…

The fact Beck was knocked out of that game and replaced by a jittery Stockton and it didn’t hurt Texas was frankly pretty shocking. The ball bounces in funny ways and today it always seemed to bounce to Georgia. In fact, Georgia literally fumbled four times and only lost possession on one occasion. Texas ended up turning the ball over three times to Georgia’s two and eroding many of their advantages. Smart really almost blew the game with his decision-making in the fourth. After a huge drive which ran 16 plays for 72 yards and ate 9:22 of fourth quarter clock, the Dawgs faced 3rd-and-goal at the Texas 3. In that moment, Smart’s Dawgs ran a pass with Stockton hoping to steal a touchdown and escape potential disaster. It was batted down and in came the field goal unit to take the 16-13 lead. The right answer was to pound the ball twice with Etienne and in a worst case scenario, force Texas to drive the length of the field with 4:32 left of clock to potentially get the ball back for a shot at a chip shot field goal.

Smart must have felt that losing his holder Beck and back-up holder Brett Thorson (the punter) made longer field goals too risky. Texas wasted this chance when Ewers tried to force a comeback to Matthew Golden (which had been a reliable play till then) and was intercepted by Daylen Everette for a second time. On the next drive, facing 3rd-and-13 at the Texas 31 with a three-point lead, Smart again let Stockton try to make magic happen and was rewarded with the Barron interception. Ultimately the Georgia defense and run game were able to hang on and deliver the win. Sark’s steady barrage of play-calls were unavailing. The Longhorns did have success throwing shots to Golden, who was targeted 13 times and caught eight balls for 162 yards, and Moore who was targeted 14 times for nine catches worth 114 yards and a score. Ewers’ nailed a lot of throws in these settings but they just couldn’t find the end zone.

One of my own least favorite moments came on an early 4th-and-1 at the Georgia 28 yard line. Sark sent in Arch Manning in a suspicious looking quarterback sneak formation which turned out to be a direct snap to Jaydon Blue he took outside for a first down. The drive would bog down in the red zone and Texas only got a field goal for their troubles. That was a chance to score with an unexpected pass from Manning which instead only served to keep a field goal drive alive.

Quick thought no. 4: Defense and special teams…

Texas’ lack of elite special teams were again tough in winning a “defense + run game” style of game against a team that was not only a match but perhaps Texas’ superior in the run game department. Michael Kern had a pair of 39-yard punts which didn’t do much to flip field position. Auburn missing field goal attempts of 42 and 51 yards was obviously massive in an overtime loss. The Georgia fake punt was crucial and given the timing and context, after losing the very good starting punter, would ideally have been sniffed out. Texas had just tied the game and Georgia’s field goal drive enabled by that fake drained the clock and killed the Longhorn momentum.

The Texas defense had a sort of mixed performance. Ultimately they played well in holding Georgia to only 16 points in regulation and forcing multiple fumbles they were simply unlucky to not recover. One dimension which will not sit well though was the performance by Stockton in managing some of the longer Georgia drives. Stockton was 12-16 on the day for 71 yards at 4.4 ypa with an interception, which is pretty poor, but he converted a pair of big third downs and did real damage in the quarterback draw game on a few fairly obvious designs. Andrew Mukuba finally put an end to all of that with a massive hit near the goal line which may have concussed the back-up but it was too little, too late. Georgia was in 1st-and-goal on the Texas 4 and Beck was able to handle the task of handing off to Etienne for the game-winner. Mukuba had a terrific game overall with 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass break-up, a forced fumble, and he knocked the quarterback out of the game. Getting his targeting penalty overturned was huge for Texas in the upcoming playoffs. Ideally the Texas linebackers would have had more production and the safeties would have been less essential to the effort, particularly against the run game.

Quick thought no. 5: What’s next?
Hopefully Texas doesn’t get Georgia again.

The 5-seed gets a terrific draw, perhaps facing Boise State and Arizona State back-to-back, but it will probably go to Notre Dame, bumping Texas to six or lower. A 6-seed and home game in DKR against an 11-seed Alabama with the winner advancing to play the ACC Champion (as of this writing it looks like Clemson) in the second round. If that’s indeed the draw, Alabama would offer another very tough test of the Texas run defense although the Crimson Tide secondary is considerably easier to attack than the Georgia unit. If Texas is lucky, the committee will rank Boise or ASU over Alabama in the 11-seed. In the second round the 6-seed gets the ACC Champion. Both are mostly paper tigers but Clemson is the tougher draw thanks to a physical run game and a SEC-caliber D-line the SMU Mustangs won’t have.

The Longhorns in a 6-seed would be well set up to make a deep run and perhaps still claim a National Championship. A 7-seed would pit them back up against Georgia in the second round, which is unlikely and clearly undesirable. If they fell as far as an 8-seed or 9-seed they’d be facing an opponent like Tennessee with a tough matchup against Oregon (probably) in the following round. That might be better for the Horns but is also less likely.

We’ll see how things shake out. Texas clearly has a very strong team and is potent with time to prepare a fresh quiver of Sark play-calls for Ewers to fire into an opponent. Now we wait.

 

[satyanash 15355]

Carter Yates: After SEC Championship loss, how far will Texas fall?

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Texas won't get a first round bye in the College Football Playoff after losing the SEC Championship in overtime to Georgia. Instead, they'll host a first round game at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in two weeks.  The Longhorns are slated to fall into the 5-7 seed range. The Big Ten Championship and ACC Championship games are the last remaining to determine their fate. If those games go as planned, undefeated Oregon will be the No.1-seed if and SMU will be the 3-seed. That would leave 11–1 Notre Dame, 11–2 Penn State and 11–2 Texas fighting for the 5-7 seeds. Because Notre Dame is not in a conference, they cannot be slotted higher than the 5-seed. 

On3 has Texas slotted at 7-seed, playing 10-seed Indiana. USAToday has Texas slotted at 6-seed, playing 11-seed Alabama. SI.com has Texas topping out at the 5-seed, playing 12-seed Clemson. It's important to note all three publications have Indiana at the 10-seed and Alabama as the 11-seed. Two of the four (On3 and USA Today) have Big 12 Champion Arizona State as the 12-seed. If the Ducks go down, I predict they'll slide into the 5-seed. This means it's safest to assume Texas is the 6-7 seed with either Big Ten Championship outcome. If Texas is the 6-seed AND SMU loses the ACC Championship, there's a high likelihood the First Round matchup is an intrastate affair with an 11-seed SMU. If SMU takes care of business, this is most likely Texas vs Alabama for the third year in a row.

If the Committee drops Texas to the 7-seed, they are by all intents and purposes locked into a battle with Indiana. The College Football Playoff Selection Show is Sunday, December 8 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

 

[LTtxfan 49909]

SEC Championship Slips Away | Georgia def. Texas, 22-19 | Quinn Ewers Performance | Playoffs

 

[satyanash 15355]

Joe Cook: Red zone woes prove to be the difference in Texas' 22-19 overtime loss to Georgia

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ATLANTA — In two games against the Georgia Bulldogs, the Texas Longhorns are 3-for-5 in their red zone attempts. The SEC Championship saw the Longhorns go 1-for-2 officially inside the 20, with one trip resulting in a Bert Auburn missed field goal and the other being the kick that Auburn converted to tie the contest at 16 and eventually send to. But after the game, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian lamented his team’s inability to succeed in the high red zone. Defining “high red zone” as reaching inside the opponent’s 25, and the Longhorns’ failure to move the football in the last quarter of the field shines through. Especially in a game Georgia won 22-16 because it scored a Trevor Etienne walk-off touchdown in overtime after the Longhorns managed just a field goal.

Texas had five trips inside the high red zone in the SEC Championship. Those ventures were no flukes either. In regulation, the Longhorns amassed 379 yards with 353 of them through the air via the arm of Quinn Ewers. Only Alabama, who notched 374 passing yards in a win over the Bulldogs, recorded more yards through the air on the UGA defense in 2024. The Longhorns failed to convert yards into points. On those five ventures inside the high red zone, Texas netted six total points. There were opportunities to add more points on the board, as Matthew Golden, DeAndre Moore, Ryan Wingo, and Gunnar Helm all had chances on Saturday to haul in six-point scores in situations where Texas snapped the ball inside the Bulldog 25. Those opportunities were left unconverted.

“I think the negative plays kind of hurt us when we got there,” Sarkisian said. “I think a couple of the penalties when we got down there hurt us, as well. You’re playing behind the chains, which is never where you want to be in the red area. Anytime you’re in third-and-long in the high red, red, those are difficult circumstances to be in.”

In stark contrast to the Longhorns, Georgia was 3-for-3 in the red zone with a touchdown and two field goals. The only touchdown of the game for the Longhorns was via the pass from well outside the high red. Needing a game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter, Ewers found Moore on a short pass over the middle. Moore made one defender miss and rumbled for a 41-yard game tying score. Yards through the passing game were easy to come by for Texas. Ewers was 27-for-46 for 358 yards and a touchdown along with two interceptions. One pick was on a ball misplayed by Isaiah Bond on the Longhorns’ first drive. The other was in the fourth quarter, but the favor was returned by Georgia right after to set up the Longhorns’ first game-tying field goal that made it 16-16.

Plus, Texas boasted two 100-yard receivers against the Bulldog defense. Moore caught nine passes on 14 targets for 114 yards with his 41-yard score. Golden hauled in eight passes on 13 targets for 162 yards with a long of 50. He averaged 20.3 yards per catch. Ground yards were a chore, something that exasperated Texas’ high red zone issues. Quintrevion Wisner, part of a Texas rushing offense that had seemingly found a stride over the course of the last month, was held to 51 yards on 19 carries. Texas officially had 31 yards rushing. The sack-adjusted total? Not much better. Fifty-eight yards.

The 2024 SEC Championship remained tight throughout, even with the Longhorns zooming up and down the field early to a certain extent. The complexion of the game seemingly changed with Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was injured on the final play of the first half. He was replaced by Gunner Stockton, who in his first drive led the Bulldogs down the field for a score to make it 10-6 Georgia. Stockton was also the reason the Longhorns were able to tie. He threw an interception to Jahdae Barron late in the fourth to set up the game-tying field goal when draining the clock was available to the Bulldogs if Stockton had just held onto the ball. Barron, who seemingly had nothing but green grass in front of him and said as much postgame, was tackled by an unblocked Oscar Delp even though Jaylon Guilbeau could have made contact with the Georgia tight end. Had he, Texas might have put up six defensive points.

That didn’t happen and in overtime after Auburn hit a field goal, Stockton rushed up the middle on the Bulldogs’ first possession. He was leveled by Andrew Mukuba, his helmet was knocked off, and rather than put in third-stringer Ryan Puglisi, Georgia trotted Beck back into the game for the mandated play off for Stockton. There was not much Beck could do, as his throwing arm had been iced down for most of the second half. He was in there to hand off the football. In the red zone, the Bulldogs succeeded again. The overtime conversion is not reflected in the official game stats, but the fourth successful trip in the red zone won the game and the 2024 SEC Championship for the Bulldogs. “The overtime was kind of a microcosm of the game,” Sarkisian said. “We couldn’t put the ball in the end zone. We had to settle for a field goal. That opened the door for them to score and win the ballgame.”

The season does not end for the Longhorns. Sarkisian rightly acknowledged in his postgame press conference that his team is a playoff lock, and a home game is very likely. But as Sarkisian also acknowledged, his team will improve in the high red zone if it wants to advance and contend for a national championship. After all, the inability to turn trips into touchdowns is what cost his team the SEC championship. “If we’re fortunate enough to see them again, we’re going to have to improve in that area,” Sarkisian said.

[LTtxfan 49909]

Still pissed about our terrible OL play and blocking again vs jawja.  Just ridiculous that Texas could not run the ball.  Disappointing execution by Texas offense might kill our chances to get to the national championship game this season. 😬

Georgia takes the SEC Chanpionship 

[satyanash 15355]

On 12/9/2024 at 8:07 AM, LTtxfan said:

Still pissed about our terrible OL play and blocking again vs jawja.  Just ridiculous that Texas could not run the ball.  Disappointing execution by Texas offense might kill our chances to get to the national championship game this season. 😬

Georgia takes the SEC Chanpionship 

Meanwhile UGA ran the ball with ease... their O-linemen were winning against our D-linemen 1-on-1.

Georgia has the O-line and D-line we thought we had.

 

[someguy 1539]

check out the uncalled hold on Trey Moore in the second clip.

[Noozak 415]

Check out the hold from the center there in the first clip that sprung that run.

[satyanash 15355]

Ian Boyd: Does Texas have an offensive identity for the playoffs?

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The loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship was troubling for the Texas Longhorns. For the second time this season, they squared off against the perennial SEC contender and were unable to generate points. Once again, the Longhorns found themselves missing the level of power in the trenches necessary to overcome Kirby Smart’s “big human” built Bulldogs.

The recruiting win during the week leading up to the SEC Championship for defensive tackle Justus Terry stands out all the more now after Georgia once again proved they are still the toughest team in the SEC up front with the hardware to back it up.

This loss puts Texas in an interesting position heading into the playoffs for what it revealed about the offense’s ceiling against top defenses. The bracket would protect the Longhorns from a rematch with Georgia until the National Championship, but what sorts of offensive concepts and specific players can this team hang their hats on against playoff-level competition between now and this hypothetical round three? Is Georgia uniquely suited to stop Texas or did they reveal flaws other top teams can exploit?

The problems against Georgia

Smart and the Dawgs changed up their plan from the first matchup for stopping the Texas offense. In the first matchup Georgia played Jalon Walker at Mike linebacker and put the D-line into odd fronts before walking him down to serve as an Edge with another true Edge opposite. This time Georgia was mostly in quarters coverage and more traditional 4-2-5 type fronts and personnel, unless the Longhorns played with two tight ends in which case Georgia used more of the base 3-4 defense. The run game simply wasn’t there against the Bulldogs, largely because of personnel mismatches up front.

You can see multiple things going wrong on this snap for the Longhorns. They miss a combination which allows nose tackle Nazir Stackhouse (#78) to enter the backfield untouched, which is never helpful, but even if they had blocked him the defensive end has set a very tight edge on the left guard Hayden Conner, killing the horizontal stretch potential for the play. There were positive snaps of inside zone and long trap but the more direct power game ran into similar issues.

Any given run play tended to result in at least one Georgia D-tackle creating a mess on the interior which more or less doomed the play. These issues weren’t restricted to the run game either.

In the first clip, Quinn Ewers‘ movement in the pocket won’t remind anyone of Ben Roethlisberger or Tom Brady, but he has virtually no options on a two-man route with the running back still yet to work free for a check down. Even if he’d kept his eyes down the field after stepping up, Mykel Williams (#13) probably hits him during the throw and potentially turns Texas over.

On the second clip, this is a very bad decision but Cam Williams has also been put on skates and pushed into Ewer’s face. Against two-high quarters coverage the Longhorns routinely defaulted into trying comebacks or fade routes against 1-on-1 coverage outside. Ewers threw some good balls, some of which were dropped, and a couple of bad ones that were picked. Over and over again you saw Georgia decisively winning 1-on-1 matchups and blowing up plays.

Sarkisian’s solutions?

Obviously Texas may not face another team as talented up front as Georgia. The Bulldogs are well known for making the hoarding of weapons up front the foundation of the program and haven’t always left many freaks left for everyone else.

That said, the playoffs will feature more teams with good fronts who aren’t easy to run the ball against. The playoffs are generally a “who’s who” of teams that have either unique size and power at D-tackle to bedevil college rushing attacks or else lucky schedule draws. Even beyond that, Georgia’s ability to play press-quarters didn’t make life easy either, particularly without a healthy Isaiah Bond on the perimeter.

We got to see some of Sark’s new spread solutions for creating open targets for his quarterback within closer proximity. Texas ran a number of different crossing patterns built around motion, legal picks, and occasionally nifty route running in order to try and beat Georgia’s coverage.

These clips are useful for explaining how it was Ewers was able to throw for 358 yards without ever troubling denting the Georgia defense. A lot of factors went into that outcome, including penalties, negative plays from stuffed runs and sacks, and even Georgia’s punter. But ultimately Texas had to work hard to get guys open under the safeties and struggled to find windows to punch the ball in once the Horns approached the end zone. Georgia’s coverage blanketed a lot of the 1-on-1 shots Texas was able to create and 50-50 balls went more like 70-30 in the Dawgs’ favor.

Without the ability to consistently control the line of scrimmage, Texas’ lack of off-schedule playmaking really burned them. When Ewers can escape the pocket he’s capable of doing some magic on the move, but he tends to put his eyes down when he’s caught in congestion and thus loses his greatest weapon, that amazing ability to flick the ball off platform down the field.

The other possible solution, the true progression passing game from spread sets, was also questionable. Here’s a few mesh plays where Texas tried to use 1-2-3 progressions rather than using motion and rubs to create a one-read play:

The shallow cross to the post-wheel side of the field has been open for Texas at least twice a game yet they rarely get to it. On clip one Ewers’ eyes are all over the place before he throws the wheel route without seeing the cornerback sitting on it. Meanwhile the shallow cross is running open underneath. In the second clip he had the shallow in his sights but an unseen corner blitz ruined the play.

So how does Texas answer for a team that can stop the run and create pressure while denying the initial reads in the passing game? The best answer is to block better so the runs and designed shot passes can land. Whether Texas looks more like the team which ran over Texas A&M or was trampled by Georgia against other playoff teams will tell the story of the Longhorns’ run.

Eric Nahlin: Close but no cigar for Texas in the SEC Championship game

Quote

Written by Coach Venables, a long-time successful Texas high school defensive coordinator.

Sometimes, despite all you do, it just doesn’t work out the way one might have figured after watching this defensive battle go to overtime before determining a winner. Both defenses hammered toe to toe with points coming at a premium price. Georgia lost their QB1 at the end of the first half and UT missed two field goals after racing up and down the field between the 20’s. The toughest part to swallow is you know you won everywhere but the scoreboard. Sometimes chickens, sometimes feathers.

I felt there were many big plays that swayed the final outcome. I thought the biggest play of the game was the fake punt converted from the minus 30 by the bulldogs. Prior to that gamble the Georgia offense had not peed a drop against a strong longhorn defense. UT caused three fumbles but recovered zip. The Horns had two pass interceptions but lost both to penalties. Texas outgained the dawgs by a huge margin but had zero success once inside the red zone. I have a suggestion.

We have zero big backs to crash the GL. We don’t have a series to hang our hat once inside the ten. Our QB running threat is on the sidelines—he’s also our biggest back. Why not run our zones, counters, and dropback’s with our dual threat QB where we have a run/keep option. We aren’t keeping the backside honest with our current attack. Seems to me we are cutting our play selection in half without a threat out the back door—defenses can sell out once flow is established. The GL scramble makes the dropback passing call a two way option once defenders choose to abandon a spy into their coverage.

It almost seemed like a Big 12 officials crew again today. We hold—they don’t. The roughing penalty (Hill 0) was just horrible and rubbed out a grounding penalty against Georgia. We had five false starts/offsides when I quit counting. Coach Smart spent more time in the field of play than inside the coaching box. Gift him a zebra shirt and a whistle and he looks the part while he strays inside the white lines.

While I believe we won the fight, our individual mistakes lost the war. We should have scored on four drives during the first half alone—and not all FG’s. I thought we got everyone’s best effort but not their sharpest. We should still be a force in the playoffs if we correct the little things. Clemson will not beat themselves but we are definitely more talented. Something tells me we are headed for Oregon and then hopefully Georgia for a third slugfest. A few thoughts:

Ewers (3) played really well but did get away with two poor throws—his oskie could have been prevented if our WR battles a little tougher.

Golden (2) had a terrific game—he’s a weapon you can count on each week. Moore (0) had a great game with his long td a thing of beauty. Wingo (5) is a clutch player—still waiting on his breakout game. Bond (7) is hurt again but managed two holds first. Bolden (11) is fast becoming a fan favorite and its well deserved.

Manning (16) had two runs on keeps—the five yarder was against a GL defense.

Blue (23) had a good fourth down run in limited action. Wisner (26) had trouble getting back to the LOS most carries.

Campbell (52) was benched in the second half (again). Hutson (54) played well in pass protection. Williams (56) was good in pass protection. Majors (65) had his worst game since ever. Goosby (74) was good in pass pro. Conner (76) was good in pass protection. Helm (85) had his worst game since he was a freshman. The OL played very well on passing plays for the most part but couldn’t bite a biscuit on running schemes.

Hill (0) once again made his usual positive impact on the game. We go from mountains to valleys when he leaves the game. Guilbeau (3) had one good play on a quick screen. Mukuba (4) had several terrific tackles—big play factor is this transfer.

Muhammad (5) beat deep once—not a big factor this week. Barron (7) had a great interception plus several quality tackles—good senior for sure. Moore (8) had several hustle plays but best was the hit on QB that put him out of game. Holmes (9) got good snaps and came on strong against the deep passes. Simmons (11) had big sack but two offsides canceled two quality plays one an interception.

Taaffe (16) had more missed tackles today than the rest of the season combined. Lefau(18) just isn’t big enough to be a factor against these guys. McDonald (25) had a few good tackles but 16 and 4 played most of the snaps. Gbenda (33) good effort but just not many plays made.

Broughton (45) was solid but no flashy plays. Sorrell (88) once again a very good game. Great senior. Burke (91) had three good plays but one missed alignment (neutral zone) cost us a big play. Collins (95) very solid game—big time senior will be missed. Norton (15), Mitchell (90), and Lole (99) held the LOS very well in limited action.

Clemson—you’re up sport.

 

[dcar00 14902]

6 hours ago, satyanash said:

Meanwhile UGA ran the ball with ease... their O-linemen were winning against our D-linemen 1-on-1.

Georgia has the O-line and D-line we thought we had.

 

#3 Gillebeau is getting held like a motherfucker on the first play.  Of course no call.  Our WR's got called twice for the same exact shit.  Call it both ways or don't call it at all.

[bluto 4980]

4 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

#3 Gillebeau is getting held like a motherfucker on the first play.  Of course no call.  Our WR's got called twice for the same exact shit.  Call it both ways or don't call it at all.

Gill had no idea where the ball was or what was happening, he ran straight to the wr I guess thinking it was a quick screen. 

[dcar00 14902]

49 minutes ago, bluto said:

Gill had no idea where the ball was or what was happening, he ran straight to the wr I guess thinking it was a quick screen. 

that was his job initally.  he is supposed to engage the wr. he's trying to pull off as the runner cuts it outside towards him but the UGA WR grabs him and turns him so he can't make the play.