It would be easy to make excuses for the team but, in the end, the truth would be simple: Ryan Mallett played like Ryan Mallett and the Georgia defense had no answer for him.
You see, all week long, the media and the journalists have tried their best to make Georgia Bulldog fans believe that without A.J., this team cannot win. However, in two weeks, the team has proven that it can indeed win—if they can ever get out of their own way.
Today, the run defense showed up in against the veteran running presence of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Aside from the one-yard touchdown run by Knile Davis in the first quarter, no other tailbacks made a significant contribution to the running game for the Hogs. As a unit, they carried 20 times for 59-yards (less than three yards per carry).
So, unlike last week, the run defense did a nice job of stopping the run and forcing the quarterback to make plays. Unfortunately for Georgia, they couldn't do two things well, on defense, at one time because Ryan Mallett had a field day with Georgia's secondary.
He was rarely pressured into a poor pass and every touchdown he threw, of which there were three, his man was left wide open. By the end of the day, the receivers had all-star numbers: Joe Adams snagged six balls for 130, Greg Childs caught three for 82, D.J. Williams...six for 61—see a poor trend here?
The secondary never seemed to show up today and that cost Georgia big time—none bigger than on Arkansas last possession of the game (a 36-yard, game winning touchdown).
Truthfully, if you didn't know any better, you might have actually believed that Willie Martinez never
left the sidelines because it was deja vu all over again.
But, this article is not meant to be a recap. If you watched the game, you know what happened, and you can surmise from your own intelligence how it transpired—no need to do it for you here. That said, what is perplexing is how everyone seems to keep telling themselves that A.J. Green would have been the difference.
As outstanding a football player as A.J. Green most certainly is, he is one guy and, as much as some outlets would like you to believe it, he is not the only piece this team needs to win on Saturday.
Furthermore, to say that A.J. is the only guy worthy of catching the ball on Saturday is disrespectful to Kris Durham. Durham has done a tremendous job in A.J.'s absence. No, he doesn't have the speed, the highlight reel grabs, or the NFL pedigree, but he does have 13 receptions for 260 yards and one touchdown (through the same number of games last season, Green had 17 receptions, for 275 yards, and three touchdowns). Durham may not be Green, but he's done a phenomenal job filling in for him this season.
Even more, a great point was made by Quinton McDawg over at the Georgia Sports Blog following the game on Saturday. He stated that the Alabama Crimson Tide have been without their Heisman winning playmaker for the last two weeks and they haven't missed a beat. His point, great teams can survive the storm—that's what great teams do.
Is this Georgia Bulldog team a great team?...No, it's a young one, with a redshirt freshman quarterback and a new defensive scheme—period.
This loss will lead to a lot of "hot seat" talk—be prepared. Some of the arguments for the inconsistencies of Richt's team this season will be valid, while others could likely be chalked up to the ridiculous rantings of a message board maniac. Neither argument will make a difference where this season is concerned—that's a fact. Richt is not going to be fired this season, but he could be under a lot more pressure if this 1-2 start turns into a 7-5 or 6-6 finish.
Curious to hear your thoughts after three weeks of play by this Georgia Bulldog team. Where do you stand on them now? I haven't given up on them but I certainly have begun to temper my expectations a bit more after today.
No comments:
Post a Comment