Georgia Offense overview

[sushihorn 3233]

Georgia runs a very conservative and conventional offense but has a lot of talent to work with.  This combination results in very few turnovers – 5 interceptions and 4 fumbles lost in 13 games.  They run the ball almost twice as often as they throw (63%-37%). 

The biggest thing (literally) is the offensive line.  It averages 320 lbs per man and is athletic for its size.  Everything builds on that.  They pass protect decently and run block very well.  Despite the conservative nature of the offense, they are #14 in total offense and #12 in rushing offense nationally.  But keep in mind that you have to adjust those numbers for 3 very weak opponents on the schedule.

The calling card of the UGa offense is the running game.  6.1 YPC is very impressive but again that this is somewhat inflated by the cupcakes, plus the dregs of the SEC: 8.6 YPC vs Austin Peay, 7.6 vs Mid-TN, 9.5 vs UMass will make anyone look better but even without that the running game is good, just not top 20.  The mix is mostly zone, power and counter.  Not much creativity here but it is effective even if the talent is somewhat under-utilized.  Kirby can afford that because he’s recruited very well.  It’s the Strip Club Offense: they just keep grinding, hoping to pop one.

Georgia splits carries evenly between Swift and Holyfield.  Both RBs are good size (215-ish) and have nice speed, power and reasonably good vision.  Tough runners that don’t go down easily but it’s the quality of the OL that makes the running game really go, which is why the backs seem interchangeable.  As per usual, the big boys do the work and the “skill players” get all the credit.

The WRs, while good are nothing special by Big XII standards.  Their top guys are all fast and Ridley has some size at 6’2”.  After facing a litany of receivers that can push LJH and CJ so far down the all-conf lists, UGa’s guys are not going to be a shock.  They make some spectacular catches but tend to drop passes in traffic.  They probably resemble TCU’s WR corps the most of teams Texas has faced: some deep threat but most dangerous catching a short pass, beating their defender and turning it into a big play.  The toughest coverage match up is the TE Nauta who is a downfield threat and also a decent blocker though less of a possession guy than most TEs.  The RBs aren’t used that much in the passing game.  Swift is a safety valve and screen guy mostly.  Holyfield has only 4 catches.

Jake Fromm is a good quarterback but he’s far from a complete passer and is very little threat to run.  He takes care of the ball and doesn’t make many mistakes (5 picks on the year).  Fromm has a strong arm and good accuracy but completes fewer long and intermediate balls than you might think.  Fromm was 1 of 7 on throws 10+ yds downfield vs Kentucky and 6 of 20 on those throws against LSU.  IMO he’s slow to read defenses, both blitzes and coverage.  He can throw almost any route and he hasn’t been under pressure much this season.  When Fromm gets pressure, he throws into coverage, resulting in a lot of PBUs against good teams.

Fromm has the arm strength and accuracy to hit wide open receivers over much of the field so he throws the 5 yard out to the far sideline well but has trouble with coverages.  His 65% completion rate has a lot to do with how much short stuff Georgia throws.  He’s an 80% passer on routes within 5 yds of the LOS, under 40% beyond 10 yds.  I suspect Fromm will be really good in a couple of years.  He’s clearly one of the better passers in the SEC now but in the Land of the Blind, the one eyed man is king.

[sushihorn 3233]

UGa generally uses base 11 personnel but sometimes will use 12 or 10 personnel also.  In the later, they are usually 4 wide or even empty backfield by motioning the RB out of the backfield on obvious passing downs.  It's the 2 TE packages that concern me the most since the Texas defenders haven't a lot less of that than 4 and 5 wide formations.

[JBJ 3648]

Georgia should be as confident in their run game against us as we are in our passing game against them.

Scares you to death.

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

4 minutes ago, JBJ said:

Georgia should be as confident in their run game against us as we are in our passing game against them.

Scares you to death.

No, see, they're going to be too successful. They'll end up running so much that they'll outrun their conditioning, and be too tired in the 4th quarter to keep scoring.

MENSA, my friends, MENSA.

[XYZ 2154]

Seems to me that Georgia can be MORE confident in its running game against Texas than Texas in its passing game against Georgia. Their OL is gonna maul our DL. I think that Texas needs to somehow win the turnover battle by at least 2 in order to have a chance.

[thrillhammer 683]

9 minutes ago, XYZ said:

Their OL is gonna maul our DL.

Our DL will lock up their OL, freeing the safeties and corners to blitz.  Fromm is going down.

[So_co 69]

Another note of interest about the UGA WRs. They are all very physical in the run game. It's one of the biggest things the UGA coaches require of them before seeing any meaningful playing time. 

Here's a quote from Kirby earlier in the year:

“That’s the one thing our guys on the perimeter take pride in,” Smart said of Georgia’s receivers blocking. “They’re physical. You ask these other teams, 8, 87, 2, 9, 5, they hit you, and it wears you down.”

[sushihorn 3233]

30 minutes ago, JBJ said:

Georgia should be as confident in their run game against us as we are in our passing game against them.

Scares you to death.

Their offense needs help to hit 30 against any defense with a pulse.  Short fields from TOs or special teams play were the only reason they were able to do so against Florida, Mizzou and Kentucky.  When they didn't get that vs Auburn, LSU and Alabama they were in the teens or twenties.  Even against Tennessee, they were at 31 until the late TO and short-field drive.  This isn't WVU or OU on offense.

Don't get me wrong.  This is a very good TEAM.  The offense can wear most teams down eventually but they are unlikely to dominate unless they get field position from the other 2 units.

[Hamttx 419]

A significant change has occurred over the last 36 hours. The fact that Fields has allowed his discussion of possibly transferring to be made public, casts an interesting twist on this Georgia team.

The last time the issue of who plays came up was prior to the LSU game. Fromm’s performance that day was pretty bad. Many speculated that Fromm was simply uncomfortable looking over his shoulder and was simply concerned about playing poorly, which he did.

Should Fields transfer it would make Fromm Georgia’s only scholarship QB. Though they have two potential recruits coming in to much fanfare. They have zero depth at the position. And a lot can happen between now and kick off.

I believe this favors Texas. Smart will feel he needs to get both players snaps. And though that may not bother them at all. It could also blow up in their faces.

[UTEX_ME 4754]

I like Hager but he's going to get owned in this game. Hope I am wrong. 

[TexasBeta 1261]

1 minute ago, UTEX_ME said:

I like Hager but he's going to get owned in this game. Hope I am wrong. 

I'm sorry to say, that boy is not his dad and yes.. he's going to owned.  OU just brutalized him.

[sushihorn 3233]

1 minute ago, UTEX_ME said:

I like Hager but he's going to get owned in this game. Hope I am wrong. 

Todd Orlando’s schemes are designed to stop Georgia's style of running game.  The 4-0-4 front again puts 5 defenders inside the OTs.  Texas does have a personnel weakness at one DE spot and with overall depth on the DL.  Hager really should be playing the Buck LB spot, not DE.  One possible solution that I’ve seen Orlando run a few times is to align Hager like a 4-3 7-tech DE and give Wheeler B-gap responsibility.  That plays to both of their strengths by allowing Hager to use quickness instead of power sending Wheeler to a pre-determined gap.  But If UGa is able to sustain long run-heavy drives, Texas lacks depth to stop them through 4 quarters regardless of scheme.

[GoldAppleCorps 617]

So we'd be fools to play one on one. Let's not do that.

If the Texas defense has anything, it's the ability to bring a lot of really fast players from oddball angles and gaps. We're not going to get one DL to outright beat his man in front, so we'll need to bring two or three. After shifting around the 4i-0-4i set, just have everyone else feint at gaps, jump around, and generally be moving before the snap. When the ball is snapped, make the OL figure out who's blocking whom. Let the QB figure out what the coverage is, and even which players are doing the covering. The object is to have one OL blocking air, two blocking the same guy, and two defenders running free in the backfield. With 5OL plus a TE, that's six chances per play for someone to miss an assignment.

In reality, Georgia's offense is going to score. The object should be to make it take a while, run plays, and hope that the rust from the layoff coughs up holding penalties, the aforementioned missed blocking assignments, or other mistakes to put UGa behind the chains. I'm thinking this game should look like our historical tilts with the Cornhuskers of yore. Score on offense, take advantages of luck on defense, and try to make the Bulldogs play from behind.

[Teddy 25]

Sorry to have to disagree, but I feel like this one isn't quite as accurate as your defensive assessment. Just my opinion of course. This sort of feels like deja vu of the OU fans' comments right before the Rose Bowl last year, about how UGA's offense isn't that good (with their "just look at the stats" comments, especially in regards to QB and WR play). Granted, yours are much nicer and more eloquent way of putting them than OU fans... And I got a good laugh out of the Stripper Offense definition, never heard that and makes perfect sense. 

Regarding the cupcakes, even with those figured in, Sagarin has UGA's SOS at #8 in the country (UT also has a good one at #12). UGA played 7 top 30 teams (UT played 3). Only Tennessee played more top 30 teams in the country (8) than UGA.  If you want to remove the 3 cupcakes' stats, UGA averaged 231 yds/game rushing (20 yds/game less than the with the cupcakes in there). That would still be good for #17 in the country. Also, that's without removing the 16 teams in front of them 3 easiest games as well (as I bet their averages would drop too). Wiscy, Clemson and OU are the only 3 P5 teams in the country, that don't run a triple option, with a better rushing yards per game. And they're only slightly better than UGA's average, and all play in weaker conferences, with weaker SOS'. Also, removing the cupcake games the yards/attempt is 5.46, which would still keep UGA in the top 15-20 in the country. UGA lost Chubb and Michel and is only averaging about 10 yds/game less than last year.

Swift is the best back in the country. He was hampered the first half of the season due to off-season surgery to repair both hamstrings. He's got a ridiculous combo of power, speed and elusiveness. It's like Chubb and Michel got married and had a baby. He's 215 lbs but in a 5'9" frame with great speed. He can juke you or run over you. Highly suggest watching this all the way through: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On_Cv9w5H_4 Holyfield is great too, not as fast or elusive as Swift, but loves contact. He's a big part of the ground and pound tactics of the offense. 

Regarding WRs, they're only "nothing special" in regards to their stats, similar to your take on Fromm (see below on that). I'll take UGA's receivers any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. You will see several of them in the NFL in the next couple of years. And yes, Nauta the TE is very good. He's leaning towards leaving early for the draft after this game. 

Fromm beats Ehlinger on every stat minus total yards, with Ehlinger getting nearly 50% more pass attempts than Fromm. If Fromm had as many attempts as Ehlinger, he'd have 3,700 yards on the year with his current averages. But as the first point of your breakdown said, UGA is a conservative pro-style offense (aka efficient, no need to take unnecessary risks, and most importantly keeps UGA's defense off the field and fresh). Fromm has better completion percentage (#9 in the country), Yards/attempt (#6 in the country), 14th in TD passes, #3 in Passer Rating Efficiency. Better QBR, etc. etc. Fromm sees the field better than most QBs in the country, and has a knack for identifying what the defense is doing pre-snap and getting UGA into the right play. He's the reason in back-to-back years two five stars have been run out of Athens (Eason, now Fields). He's that good. 

[Hank Chinaski 6310]

5 minutes ago, Teddy said:

This sort of feels like deja vu of the OU fans' comments right before the Rose Bowl last year, about how UGA's offense isn't that good (with their "just look at the stats" comments, especially in regards to QB and WR play). Granted, yours are much nicer and more eloquent way of putting them than OU fans.

I mean, they're sooners; eloquence is not their strong suit. 

[So_co 69]

 

Holyfield likes contact is an understatement 

[sushihorn 3233]

Teddy

I'm just going to touch on a few highlights.  Only 5 teams on Georgia's schedule were ranked in the final coaches poll, not 7: Bama, Kentucky, Florida, LSU and Mizzou.  If you're using rankings at the time the game was played, you'd have to add ISU, USC and TCU to Texas' ranked opponents.  Since Texas only played one non-P5 team, any adjustment for that would be very small.

The UGa receivers are nothing special compared to what Texas has seen in conference play on a weekly basis.  There isn't one of them as physically dominant as ISU's Hakeem Butler, Baylor's Jalen Hurd, Tech's TJ Vasher or either of the top 2 Texas WRs.  They don't have nearly the productivity or the reliability of WVU's Sills, OU's Brown & Lamb or OSU's Tylan Wallace.  That's not an insult, it's a testament to the high level of receiver talent that Texas has been forced to deal with all season.

[Jkwellborn 6653]

 
Holyfield likes contact is an understatement 

Because he ran trucked a safety? He didn’t have many options that didn’t involve contact on that play.

[Teddy 25]

1 hour ago, sushihorn said:

Teddy

I'm just going to touch on a few highlights.  Only 5 teams on Georgia's schedule were ranked in the final coaches poll, not 7: Bama, Kentucky, Florida, LSU and Mizzou.  If you're using rankings at the time the game was played, you'd have to add ISU, USC and TCU to Texas' ranked opponents.  Since Texas only played one non-P5 team, any adjustment for that would be very small.

The UGa receivers are nothing special compared to what Texas has seen in conference play on a weekly basis.  There isn't one of them as physically dominant as ISU's Hakeem Butler, Baylor's Jalen Hurd, Tech's TJ Vasher or either of the top 2 Texas WRs.  They don't have nearly the productivity or the reliability of WVU's Sills, OU's Brown & Lamb or OSU's Tylan Wallace.  That's not an insult, it's a testament to the high level of receiver talent that Texas has been forced to deal with all season.

The top 30 (not 25) teams is off Sagarin’s list for all teams, just saw it as a stat he had listed so posted it. So it’s current rankings using his top 30 off his formula. It’s pretty close to the regular rankings, with some teams a few spots off from where regular polls have them. I’ve just used him for years on his SOS and other stats, he’s formula based and therefore fairly unbiased on conference/school name. 

Guess we shall see about those receivers.   The productivity is a byproduct of UT throwing nearly 50% more than UGA. UGA’s has 3 receivers and a TE that average more yards per reception than your top guy. Reliability wise, UGA has second lowest drop rate in the SEC, behind only Bama, on the most recent stats I could find. Not saying they’re better, but they are as good as what you’ve been facing. Should be fun matchup to see. 

[tantric superman 4667]

We are going to skull fuck these wall-eyed assholes.

[sushihorn 3233]

Georgia has the running game that Texas aspires to and is building towards.  Obviously we are structured more like Ohio State but I'm talking about in terms of forcing an opponent to account for it.  Until this year we were not able to RS freshmen OL and QBs because of personnel issues that Tom Herman inherited.  That's how bad things were when Herman took over.

On the QB comparison I would never trade Sam for Fromm.  Notice that Texas has basically the same 3rd down conversion rate as Georgia with considerably less run threat.  That is largely the reliability and feet of Sam Ehlinger.  Fromm gets more yards because his receivers see more single coverage due to the ground game - which results in more YAC despite throwing a higher percentage of short passes.  For the same reason, Fromm will rarely have to convert against 8 in coverage yet Sam is more likely to convert 3rd and long even with more men dropping.  Fromm also is 30% more likely to throw a pick (per attempt) despite that.  Add in Sam's ability to convert with his feet - 13 additional TDs and another 25-30 1st downs rushing.

[sushihorn 3233]

1 hour ago, Jkwellborn said:

Because he ran trucked a safety? He didn’t have many options that didn’t involve contact on that play.

That would make Holyfield almost as tough as our QB.

 

[EuroHorn 3204]

Our defense will match up better with an offense that doesn’t have a qb who is a run threat.  Hopefully ehlinger doesn’t take a hard hit to his injured shoulder 

Edited December 19, 2018 by EuroHorn

[bejezuz 329]

1 hour ago, Teddy said:

Guess we shall see about those receivers.   The productivity is a byproduct of UT throwing nearly 50% more than UGA. UGA’s has 3 receivers and a TE that average more yards per reception than your top guy. Reliability wise, UGA has second lowest drop rate in the SEC, behind only Bama, on the most recent stats I could find. Not saying they’re better, but they are as good as what you’ve been facing. Should be fun matchup to see. 

You're saying your passing attack is as good as Oklahoma, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech because of drop rate? 

You know that our top two receivers measure in at 6'4" and 6'6", right?  They're not super explosive, but they're still incredibly clutch and really hard to keep the ball away from.    

We envy your size on the offensive line, and your front seven on defense, but sleep on our skill players at your own risk.  

[kopp0e 1135]

9 hours ago, sushihorn said:

Their offense needs help to hit 30 against any defense with a pulse.  Short fields from TOs or special teams play were the only reason they were able to do so against Florida, Mizzou and Kentucky.  When they didn't get that vs Auburn, LSU and Alabama they were in the teens or twenties.  Even against Tennessee, they were at 31 until the late TO and short-field drive.  This isn't WVU or OU on offense.

Don't get me wrong.  This is a very good TEAM.  The offense can wear most teams down eventually but they are unlikely to dominate unless they get field position from the other 2 units.

This is accurate, UGA looked beyond hopeless vs LSU... UT needs to stop the run 1st...

[Sgt Hulk 13644]

How is Fromms accuracy when he has 18 seconds to throw because we don’t pressure the QB?

[So_co 69]

8 hours ago, sushihorn said:

That would make Holyfield almost as tough as our QB.

 

Lol.  Not bad, but not close to the same either.

[thrillhammer 683]

16 hours ago, TexasBeta said:

I'm sorry to say, that boy is not his dad and yes.. he's going to owned.  OU just brutalized him.

hager goes 100 mph on every play but damn if he isn't in the wrong place at the wrong time on every play.  getting owned is nothing new.  he tries hard though, and he'll make a couple of tackles.  he's not worthless, he's just not a menace.

[bigcigar 1161]

52 minutes ago, So_co said:

Lol.  Not bad, but not close to the same either.

You’re right. One was a qb coming out of a cut and the other was a rb with 10 yards of steam.

[So_co 69]

2 minutes ago, bigcigar said:

You’re right. One was a qb coming out of a cut and the other was a rb with 10 yards of steam.

The bigger difference is related to the poor guys that are getting trucked.  One was ready, prepared, had a good base, and attempted to launch himself into the tackle.  The other was engaged with a blocker, already falling down, and reaching for an arm tackle.  

[bigcigar 1161]

Just now, So_co said:

The bigger difference is related to the poor guys that are getting trucked.  One was ready, prepared, had a good base, and attempted to launch himself into the tackle.  The other was engaged with a blocker, already falling down, and reaching for an arm tackle.  

Sitting 10 yards back waiting to get plowed isn’t a big difference to coming off a block. There was no launch...no idea what the fuck you’re talking about.

[So_co 69]

13 minutes ago, bigcigar said:

Sitting 10 yards back waiting to get plowed isn’t a big difference to coming off a block. There was no launch...no idea what the fuck you’re talking about.

I'll just agree to disagree.  Just looking forward to a good game.  

[Tex Long 4346]

16 hours ago, So_co said:

 

Holyfield likes contact is an understatement 

__ Led with crown of helmet - check

__ Helmet-to-helmet - check

__ Intentional contact - check

This, this right here, this is pretty much straight violation, no doubt about it. This is NEVER called (that I've seen, so far). If, in fact, the rule is something about player safety, this should be a fifteen yard penalty and ejection... I mean "disqualification".

[sushihorn 3233]

1 hour ago, bigcigar said:

You’re right. One was a qb coming out of a cut and the other was a rb with 10 yards of steam.

That was Sam's THIRD cut on that run.  He had to cut inside to avoid 58, outside to avoid 60, then adjust his path to avoid running into his own blocker before trucking the safety.

[bigcigar 1161]

1 minute ago, sushihorn said:

That was Sam's THIRD cut on that run.  He had to cut inside to avoid 58, outside to avoid 60, then adjust his path to avoid running into his own blocker before trucking the safety.

 Nah bruh. Just not the same as a rb running straight for 10 yards and running over a db waiting on the tackle.

[So_co 69]

It's cool.  You guys like your guy, and I like mine.  We all have our angles.  

Moving on.  I have a question about the DL and how the guys rotate during the game.  Looks like #90 is the star.  Does he play just about every snap or is he part of a rotation?  How about #94 and #97?  Do they rotate much or is it #97's show?  Do you expect Hager to continue to get the start and play much of the game, or will the backup with a little more mass see some more PT?

Edited December 19, 2018 by So_co
Meant #97 and misspelled Hager

[bigcigar 1161]

13 minutes ago, So_co said:

It's cool.  You guys like your guy, and I like mine.  We all have our angles.  

Moving on.  I have a question about the DL and how the guys rotate during the game.  Looks like #90 is the star.  Does he play just about every snap or is he part of a rotation?  How about #94 and #97?  Do they rotate much or is it #97's show?  Do you expect Hager to continue to get the start and play much of the game, or will the backup with a little more mass see some more PT?

Omenihu (90) will be on the field most snaps. Nelson (97) will start and Wilbon will rotate in some (70/30?). Not sure on Hager. I’d expect Roach to split snaps with him, but really have no idea.

[sushihorn 3233]

Charles Omenihu (#90) is the star and he plays 75-80% of the snaps, even against teams that take 80-90 offensive snaps per game and there are a lot of them in our conference.  Chris Nelson (97) is a key run stopper and Gerald Wilbon is his likely replacement next year; that's more of a true rotation.  Hager (44) starts at DE but Ta'Quan Graham (49) usually gets 20+ snaps in relief.  With the running threat, you may see some 4 DL packages to get more beef up front.

[So_co 69]

14 minutes ago, bigcigar said:

Omenihu (90) will be on the field most snaps. Nelson (97) will start and Wilbon will rotate in some (70/30?). Not sure on Hager. I’d expect Roach to split snaps with him, but really have no idea.

Thanks.  What the coaching staff chooses to do with Hager will go a long way into determining how the game goes IMO.  It's no secret that he can get swallowed up in the run game by bigger OLs, so with a huge OL with a physical run game on deck, what will Orlando do.  On one hand, Hager is a team captain, and a legacy player in his final game, so sitting him for long stretches in the game takes away the glory of his last game in the Burnt Orange.  That being said, he very well could be a liability against a run game like UGA's.  Really tough decision for Orlando here.  

Then on the other side, I know that Omenihu has really excelled in getting in the backfield for TFLs and Sacks.  What's the word on him in the run game?  Stout at the point of attack?  More of a threat at running the RB down from the backside?

[So_co 69]

10 minutes ago, sushihorn said:

Charles Omenihu (#90) is the star and he plays 75-80% of the snaps, even against teams that take 80-90 offensive snaps per game and there are a lot of them in our conference.  Chris Nelson (97) is a key run stopper and Gerald Wilbon is his likely replacement next year; that's more of a true rotation.  Hager (44) starts at DE but Ta'Quan Graham (49) usually gets 20+ snaps in relief.  With the running threat, you may see some 4 DL packages to get more beef up front.

So would a four man front look like #90, #97, #94, and #44 across?  Or would there be a different fourth man?

[cdain3 3454]

18 hours ago, So_co said:

 

Holyfield likes contact is an understatement 

He's a Trey Sermon type back. Nothing we haven't seen.

[sushihorn 3233]

6 minutes ago, So_co said:

So would a four man front look like #90, #97, #94, and #44 across?  Or would there be a different fourth man?

Sub Graham (#49) for #94 as most likely.  That allows Hager (#44) to align as a 7 or 9-tech DE which is more his strength.  He played there standing up as a Buck LB (Jack LB in Georgia's nomenclature) and did well last year.  The other possibility is a 3 DL, 5 man front with Hager and either Roach or McCullogh as OLBs.

[So_co 69]

6 minutes ago, sushihorn said:

Sub Graham (#49) for #94 as most likely.  That allows Hager (#44) to align as a 7 or 9-tech DE which is more his strength.  He played there standing up as a Buck LB (Jack LB in Georgia's nomenclature) and did well last year.  The other possibility is a 3 DL, 5 man front with Hager and either Roach or McCullogh as OLBs.

That 4 man front seems to utilize the personnel a little better overall than trying to shoehorn #44 in as a 3-4 DE.  Would limit the ability to substitute much though.  Many teams that the Dawgs have played have really worn down in the second half with that massive OL leaning on them all game.  

[So_co 69]

Here's the expected line up for the UGA OL with a couple of notes.

LT 71 Andrew Thomas (6-5, 320, So.) - 1st team SEC Coaches Poll; Projections have him as a top 10 pick once eligible

LG 66 Solomon Kindley (6-6, 335, RSo.)

C 53 Lamont Gaillard (6-2, 308, Sr.) - 1st team SEC Coaches Poll

RG 77 Cade Mays (6-6, 318, Fr.) - Former 5-star playing due to an injury, but may have played his way into a starting role

RT 79 Isaiah Wilson (6-7, 340, RFr.) - First year starter; Former 5-star; Very consistent year; Dominant in run game; Decent in pass pro
 

[sushihorn 3233]

5 minutes ago, So_co said:

That 4 man front seems to utilize the personnel a little better overall than trying to shoehorn #44 in as a 3-4 DE.  Would limit the ability to substitute much though.  Many teams that the Dawgs have played have really worn down in the second half with that massive OL leaning on them all game.  

This is a major concern.  It will help to get some early stops, which is why Texas will take some risks to control the running game.  It would help even more to get a lead to convince Kirby to pass more and run less.  We do have some depth that hasn't been used much.  In a league that prioritizes pass rushing, there are only 2 spots on the defense for big run stoppers.  We'll need at least 3 for the Sugar Bowl.  #55 Christmas-Giles has enough game experience that the coaches will use him.  #91 Chisholm and #99 Coburn have played less and might provide depth if Orlando goes 4 DL.

[Teddy 25]

14 hours ago, bejezuz said:

You're saying your passing attack is as good as Oklahoma, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech because of drop rate? 

You know that our top two receivers measure in at 6'4" and 6'6", right?  They're not super explosive, but they're still incredibly clutch and really hard to keep the ball away from.    

We envy your size on the offensive line, and your front seven on defense, but sleep on our skill players at your own risk.  

I’m saying the passing game is just as good, yes. But not just because of drop rate. UGA doesn’t have to pass a lot due to an excellent run game. Big12 QBs have about 50% more attempts than Fromm, so their total yards are going to trump his naturally, same goes for receivers. But if you look past just overall yardage he trumps most QBs in almost every category; completion %, yds/att, TD/INT ratio, QBR, etc. 

Also, he said reliability was an issue with our receivers. Figured part of his thinking was drops, so I referenced UGA’s receivers drop rate. I’m merely replying to his opinion on that part. 

Also, I literally said, “not saying UGA’s receivers are better, but they’re just as good as the receivers you’ve been facing.” I never once downed your receivers or even said UGA’s were clearly better. Sorry for any confusion, hope this helps clear some things up. 

[Jkwellborn 6653]

I must have missed the GA wrs on the Biletnikoff list.

[sushihorn 3233]

The SEC is not exactly known for sure handed WRs. There are a bunch of fast athletes, which is fine when the objective is to stretch the defense with the occasional deep shot and to throw easy short passes that they can turn into something.  That's very different from having to identify the soft spots in 7 or 8 man zone coverage regularly or making the same read as your QB on an option route against tight man help coverage downfield.  As athletes I accept the UGa WR corps as equal to much of the Big XII.  They are better blockers than most of what we see in conference play also.  But they haven't shown me some of the key skills needed in an offense that passes more than 35-40% of the time.

And drops per se are not the only issue.  Georgia's passing game allows a lot of PBUs.  Partly that results from Fromm not reading coverages that well.  The other part is that his WRs aren't as good securing the ball and get a lot of them knocked loose in traffic.  Against the decent defenses, somewhere between 10% and 20% of Fromm's pass attempts were broken up.  Since most of his passes are short and underneath the coverage, about 2/3 of those passes should have a near ZERO chance of producing a PBU.  Looked at from the other direction, somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of Fromm's passes into coverage got broken up. 

[So_co 69]

34 minutes ago, sushihorn said:

The SEC is not exactly known for sure handed WRs. There are a bunch of fast athletes, which is fine when the objective is to stretch the defense with the occasional deep shot and to throw easy short passes that they can turn into something.  That's very different from having to identify the soft spots in 7 or 8 man zone coverage regularly or making the same read as your QB on an option route against tight man help coverage downfield.  As athletes I accept the UGa WR corps as equal to much of the Big XII.  They are better blockers than most of what we see in conference play also.  But they haven't shown me some of the key skills needed in an offense that passes more than 35-40% of the time.

And drops per se are not the only issue.  Georgia's passing game allows a lot of PBUs.  Partly that results from Fromm not reading coverages that well.  The other part is that his WRs aren't as good securing the ball and get a lot of them knocked loose in traffic.  Against the decent defenses, somewhere between 10% and 20% of Fromm's pass attempts were broken up.  Since most of his passes are short and underneath the coverage, about 2/3 of those passes should have a near ZERO chance of producing a PBU.  Looked at from the other direction, somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of Fromm's passes into coverage got broken up. 

Do you have links to those pass breakup stats?  I'd be interested to see them.

[sushihorn 3233]

It's from the stats page on UGa's own website.