One of the biggest questions on Georgia’s offense entering the season surrounded the group of wide receivers hoping to establish themselves as a consistent second option after A.J. Green. While several players have shown flashes of potential, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said none have truly emerged.
While Green has missed nearly all of the final four games of the season, his 47 receptions still more than double anyone else on the roster. The No. 2 receiver in terms of catches is senior Michael Moore, who will play his final game next week.
That leaves a group of younger players still searching for consistency, Bobo said. Tight end Orson Charles’ 21 catches were the high-water mark among returning players other than Green, while Tavarres King finished second on the team in receiving yards with 377 on 18 receptions. The rest of the returning wide receivers – Rantavious Wooten, Israel Troupe and Marlon Brown – combined for just 16 receptions and 302 yards this year.
“I think all guys showed flashes of ability to make plays, but we didn’t have a consistent guy at those spots,” Bobo said. “But they showed flashes and a lot to build on going into the offseason. We have talent there, but it’s just a matter of them doing it on a consistent basis.”
MAKING A PREDICTION
Texas A&M is far from a familiar opponent for Georgia – the two teams haven’t played since 1980, when the Bulldogs won 42-0 – but they do have a bit of common ground. The Aggies and Bulldogs played two common opponents this season, and neither met with much success.
Georgia dropped its season opener against Oklahoma State 24-10 on Sept. 5. The Cowboys provided a similar fate to Texas A&M, dropping the Aggiest 36-31 on Oct. 10.
Both team have also played against Arkansas, with A&M falling 47-19 on Oct. 3 and Georgia pulling out a victory on Sept. 19, but still allowing 41 points.
So, what can Mark Richt and the Bulldogs take from those early season matchups? Not much, according to Georgia’s head coach.
“People want to compare like opponents, but I think football is a game where some teams match up better against a team, and they might have matched up better against Okie State than we did,” Richt said. “I’m not sure if you can look at those common games and figure out what’s going to happen. All I can tell you is they’re very talented and well coached and they’ll take everything we’ve got.”
STAYING BUSY
December has been a hectic month for defensive line coach Rodney Garner – and not because of any last-minute Christmas shopping.
As the lone holdover from Georgia’s defensive staff after coordinator Willie Martinez and two other coaches were dismissed earlier this month, Garner has worked as the de facto defensive leader, taken on the responsibility of coaching the full defensive line as opposed to his previous role as tackles coach, worked on the film preparation and game-plan implementation as the Bulldogs prepare for Texas A&M and has spent much of the month out on the road recruiting.
“We spent a lot of time, and it was hard,” Garner said. “There were a lot of days I worked in the a.m. and then went out recruiting. Some days I didn’t go out recruiting at all, just so I could get a good feel for their offense. We’re just trying to get these kids the best game plan so they can go out and compete.”
While it has been a bit of a Herculean effort for Garner, he has had some help. Graduate assistants Mitch Doolittle and Todd Hartley are also helping to coach the defense, while injured senior Rod Battle has overseen much of the practice time for the defensive ends when Garner has been working on drills with the tackles.
It has been an adjustment, Garner said, but he doesn’t mind the challenge. And should Richt decide to keep him on as the coach of the full defensive line – something Richt speculated about when considering bringing on a full-time special teams coach – Garner said he’d be fine with the added responsibilities.
“I think Coach Richt has to decide what he feels is best for the staff,” Garner said. “Once he makes those decisions and fills out those assignments, you’re going to do what you’re asked to do. I don’t know which way he’s going to go, and he has not discussed anything with us other than that he’s looking.”
Showing posts with label Texas AandM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas AandM. Show all posts
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Practice Notes: Aggies Present Big Challenge to Dawgs' D
Georgia has faced plenty of fast-paced offenses this season, but Texas A&M will present a challenge unlike any the Bulldogs have battled before.
The Aggies run an up-tempo style that often yields 80 or more plays a game, keeping defenses on their toes and creating plenty of chaos on the field.
“It’s quicker than anyone we’ve seen,” Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said. “If you watch the film, they catch a lot of teams off guard, a lot of defenses aren’t ready.”
Oklahoma State and Auburn both ran quick-paced offenses as well, with the Tigers’ attack being a similar style of no-huddle to Texas A&M, but Georgia head coach Mark Richt said that the Aggies take things to an even higher level.
“They want as many plays as they can possibly get,” Richt said. “They are fast. That’s their goal. More plays, more yards, more points. That’s the way they see it.”
The results have been positive for Texas A&M, which ranks first in the Big 12 in total offense and fifth nationally, totaling 465 yards per game on average.
What makes the Aggies even tougher to defend is that they rarely substitute players, which prevents the defense from adjusting personnel, too, but A&M still manages to run multiple formations on offense.
“They go fast without changing any personnel,” Richt said. “And what they do with the same personnel group is run multiple formations. Multiple formations and speed between plays is creating problems for everybody they’ve played.”
The battle plan defensively is the same as what Georgia used against Auburn – plenty of scout team work in practice against the hurry-up and close attention to film study to quickly recognize keys.
But more than the defensive adjustments, Richt said the best plan for stopping the Aggies’ high-flying attack is to keep it on the sideline.
“The longer we can hold the ball,” Richt said, “the better we’ll be.”
STAYING ON THE FIELD
With a makeshift defensive coaching staff for the bowl game, Richt said he wasn’t sure which of Georgia’s two graduate assistants – Todd Hartley or Mitch Doolittle – would coach from the field and which would head to the press box yet, but on the offensive side of the ball, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo remains comfortable on the sideline.
Bobo had coached from the press box virtually his entire career, but against Vanderbilt this season, he moved to the field and the result has been a dramatically improved offensive attack.
“We’ve improved in particular in the run game and possibly the overall intensity level of the team,” Richt said. “He’s got a lot of enthusiasm on the ground, and it hasn’t seemed to bother him to make the calls he likes to make, so I would think he’d keep doing it.”
TOUGH CALL ON ROBINSON
Georgia defensive end Montez Robinson will not travel with the Bulldogs to the bowl game in Shreveport, La. and remains on indefinite suspension, but Richt said he’s moving closer to a decision on the freshman’s future.
“We’re working on that decision is the best we can say,” Richt said.
Richt refused to put a definitive timetable on the decision, but he said the choice of whether to reinstate Robinson or dismiss him from the team has been a particularly difficult one.
Robinson spent much of his life in foster care and group homes and has shouldered a large portion of the responsibility for caring for his younger siblings. Richt said he remains torn in trying to balance the discipline necessary after Robinson was charged with assault earlier this month and the desire to keep him in a stable environment.
“It’ll be a tough decision, I can tell you,” Richt said.
INJURY UPDATES
Updating several key bumps and bruises as the Bulldogs prepare for the bowl game...
Reshad Jones has been in a green non-contact jersey for the past few practices. “He’s got more of a tendonitis issue in his knee, but nothing real serious," Richt said. He added that there may be some other nagging injuries but did not expect Jones to miss the bowl game.
A.J. Green has remained in Green but said he is completely healthy. Richt said the team remains cautious for now. “He’s doing everything, but we’re trying to minimize any contact right now," Richt said. "The day after Christmas, when we’re in pads that day, he probably won’t be in green and we’ll let him get some contact.”
Bacarri Rambo has made a full recovery since suffering a concussion after making a hit against Auburn. Richt said Sunday's practice was a particularly good one for Rambo, who shows no signs of hesitancy at the point of contact after the injury. “The speed at which he’s breaking on the ball, even when we’re asking our guys to thud runners and receivers, he’s doing a great job of making direct hits and he does it the way it needs to be done," Richt said. "Bacarri is really a fine football player.” “He’s sticking his face on those guys and wrapping up and running his feet with no hesitation right now.”
Wide receiver Marlon Brown has missed the past three practices after suffering a concussion last week during practice.
EXTRA POINTS
-- Asked about players for next year that have shown significant promise during the bowl practices, Richt offered defensive tackle Kwame Geathers and freshmen quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger.
-- Richt said that, while bowl practices are often a time for next year's players to get a start on impressing coaches, about 90 percent of the work done this month has been about preparing for the bowl game against Texas A&M.
-- Richt said it would have been understandable for some of the players to slack off a bit with the defensive coaching changes and the lower-tier bowl game this month, but he said for the most part the tempo has been high. "The second or third day of installation, it just wasn't good. I think the first couple days of install, Day 2 and 3, you could tell they were thinking too much. They were getting the calls but they weren't playing very fast. So we were pleased they were getting it, understanding it and communicating it well, but they really weren't playing fast enough and physical enough. Today, that was our big emphasis -- hey you know the plan now or at least you have it in your mind well enough to where you can start executing it with some speed and some physicalness. They did that today. It was a really good day. I guess you could have a problem with that, but I don't see that right now. I see a great attitude."
The Aggies run an up-tempo style that often yields 80 or more plays a game, keeping defenses on their toes and creating plenty of chaos on the field.
“It’s quicker than anyone we’ve seen,” Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said. “If you watch the film, they catch a lot of teams off guard, a lot of defenses aren’t ready.”
Oklahoma State and Auburn both ran quick-paced offenses as well, with the Tigers’ attack being a similar style of no-huddle to Texas A&M, but Georgia head coach Mark Richt said that the Aggies take things to an even higher level.
“They want as many plays as they can possibly get,” Richt said. “They are fast. That’s their goal. More plays, more yards, more points. That’s the way they see it.”
The results have been positive for Texas A&M, which ranks first in the Big 12 in total offense and fifth nationally, totaling 465 yards per game on average.
What makes the Aggies even tougher to defend is that they rarely substitute players, which prevents the defense from adjusting personnel, too, but A&M still manages to run multiple formations on offense.
“They go fast without changing any personnel,” Richt said. “And what they do with the same personnel group is run multiple formations. Multiple formations and speed between plays is creating problems for everybody they’ve played.”
The battle plan defensively is the same as what Georgia used against Auburn – plenty of scout team work in practice against the hurry-up and close attention to film study to quickly recognize keys.
But more than the defensive adjustments, Richt said the best plan for stopping the Aggies’ high-flying attack is to keep it on the sideline.
“The longer we can hold the ball,” Richt said, “the better we’ll be.”
STAYING ON THE FIELD
With a makeshift defensive coaching staff for the bowl game, Richt said he wasn’t sure which of Georgia’s two graduate assistants – Todd Hartley or Mitch Doolittle – would coach from the field and which would head to the press box yet, but on the offensive side of the ball, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo remains comfortable on the sideline.
Bobo had coached from the press box virtually his entire career, but against Vanderbilt this season, he moved to the field and the result has been a dramatically improved offensive attack.
“We’ve improved in particular in the run game and possibly the overall intensity level of the team,” Richt said. “He’s got a lot of enthusiasm on the ground, and it hasn’t seemed to bother him to make the calls he likes to make, so I would think he’d keep doing it.”
TOUGH CALL ON ROBINSON
Georgia defensive end Montez Robinson will not travel with the Bulldogs to the bowl game in Shreveport, La. and remains on indefinite suspension, but Richt said he’s moving closer to a decision on the freshman’s future.
“We’re working on that decision is the best we can say,” Richt said.
Richt refused to put a definitive timetable on the decision, but he said the choice of whether to reinstate Robinson or dismiss him from the team has been a particularly difficult one.
Robinson spent much of his life in foster care and group homes and has shouldered a large portion of the responsibility for caring for his younger siblings. Richt said he remains torn in trying to balance the discipline necessary after Robinson was charged with assault earlier this month and the desire to keep him in a stable environment.
“It’ll be a tough decision, I can tell you,” Richt said.
INJURY UPDATES
Updating several key bumps and bruises as the Bulldogs prepare for the bowl game...
Reshad Jones has been in a green non-contact jersey for the past few practices. “He’s got more of a tendonitis issue in his knee, but nothing real serious," Richt said. He added that there may be some other nagging injuries but did not expect Jones to miss the bowl game.
A.J. Green has remained in Green but said he is completely healthy. Richt said the team remains cautious for now. “He’s doing everything, but we’re trying to minimize any contact right now," Richt said. "The day after Christmas, when we’re in pads that day, he probably won’t be in green and we’ll let him get some contact.”
Bacarri Rambo has made a full recovery since suffering a concussion after making a hit against Auburn. Richt said Sunday's practice was a particularly good one for Rambo, who shows no signs of hesitancy at the point of contact after the injury. “The speed at which he’s breaking on the ball, even when we’re asking our guys to thud runners and receivers, he’s doing a great job of making direct hits and he does it the way it needs to be done," Richt said. "Bacarri is really a fine football player.” “He’s sticking his face on those guys and wrapping up and running his feet with no hesitation right now.”
Wide receiver Marlon Brown has missed the past three practices after suffering a concussion last week during practice.
EXTRA POINTS
-- Asked about players for next year that have shown significant promise during the bowl practices, Richt offered defensive tackle Kwame Geathers and freshmen quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger.
-- Richt said that, while bowl practices are often a time for next year's players to get a start on impressing coaches, about 90 percent of the work done this month has been about preparing for the bowl game against Texas A&M.
-- Richt said it would have been understandable for some of the players to slack off a bit with the defensive coaching changes and the lower-tier bowl game this month, but he said for the most part the tempo has been high. "The second or third day of installation, it just wasn't good. I think the first couple days of install, Day 2 and 3, you could tell they were thinking too much. They were getting the calls but they weren't playing very fast. So we were pleased they were getting it, understanding it and communicating it well, but they really weren't playing fast enough and physical enough. Today, that was our big emphasis -- hey you know the plan now or at least you have it in your mind well enough to where you can start executing it with some speed and some physicalness. They did that today. It was a really good day. I guess you could have a problem with that, but I don't see that right now. I see a great attitude."
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