Dawgs in the Polls
Pre - 2010

AVERAGE:
19.00
BCS: TBD
A&H: TBD
AP: 23
Billingsley: TBD
CFN: 3
CFP: 27
Colley: TBD
ESPN Power: 24
Harris: TBD
Legends: TBD
Massey: 21
Sagarin: 13
SI Power: 20
USA Today: 21
Wolfe: TBD


Last game: Game Central
Louisiana Lafayette Rajun Cajuns
Georgia 55
LA-Lafayette 7
Athens, GA
9/4/2010
Next game: Game Central
South Carolina Gamecocks
Georgia
South Carolina
Columbia, SC
12:00 PM EST - 9/11/2010
QUICKLINKS: Stats | News | Videos | Links


Thursday, September 24, 2009
Posted by Nate at 11:13:31 AM
IS THE DEFENSE DEFENSELESS?
The current state of the “Junkyard Dawg” defense is a really tough thing for me to swallow. After last season, I was more than a little upset about the play of the defense. An apparent lack of focus and fundamentals had me calling for staff changes since those two things (along with recruiting) are the main reasons these guys make the crazy money they make. The easy analysis of the 2009 season is that we’re seeing more of the same and Willie Martinez should be dialing up George O’Leary for some resume advice. I really want to rant and be that “fanatical” fan, but I just can’t do it. Call it excuse-making or blind homer-ism or whatever you like. Let’s take a closer look at the South Carolina and Arkansas games (ignoring the OSU game since I think most would agree the D really didn’t play that bad).

South Cakalaka: The biggest tell for this game is clearly time of possession. The Gamecocks had the ball almost 10 minutes more than the Dawgs (34:21 to 25:39)!! That time differential led to USC getting 83 offensive plays to UGA’s 53. Yes, they outgained us 427 yards to 308, but looking at average per play and you’ll see that we actually outgained them 5.8 yards per play to their 5.1. Now, let’s factor in 3 turnovers, one of which was a pick-six (totally not on defense) and the other two were deep in Georgia territory (both inside 30 yard line). In spite of the career day by Garcia and the horrible situations the defense continued to find themselves in, the Gamecocks were still forced into 5 field goals and only converted 35% of their 3rd downs. Finally, penalties continue to plague us; 4 of the 13 penalties committed by Georgia resulted in first downs for the Gamecock offense. This was not a good performance by any means, but it was hardly the gashing it appears on the surface.

Arkansas: This was a slightly different story, but, again, not as bad as it seems. The first thing I have to say about this game is that Ryan Mallett will be playing on Sundays. He is the real thing at QB, so there has to be a certain amount of kudos you have to give Arkansas for just simply executing. Having said that…turnovers continued to be a problem and kick return coverage also hurt. Two more fumbles and an interception resulted in Hawg points and a kick off return deep into UGA territory also reared its head in the form of points. The good from this game is that Arkansas managed only 77 yards on the ground and converted only 3 of 14 third down attempts (21%). Those are solid numbers by any defensive standard. A lack of pressure on Mallett and the big play were really the undoing for Georgia in this game.

So, basically, my point is that I’m not quite ready to pass judgment on the 2009 Dawg defense. Clearly, I’m VERY unhappy with the points on the other side of the scoreboard thus far this season, but I can also see that the defense isn’t entirely to blame for all those crooked numbers. Let’s see how the defense performs when the offense protects the ball a little better and special teams performs the way they should.
.

COMMENTS:
Friday, September 25, 2009
Posted by Steve Wisnewski at 12:59:20 AM
Just because we turned the ball over in the Arkansas game doesn`t mean we need to give them a pass when they get burned for touchdowns each time on long pass plays. Where are the turnovers that we should be creating? why does our D look totally out of place all the time?

If Martinez is not a liability, what at all makes him an asset? And if you are not an asset, you shouldn`t be a D cord. in the SEC. I never said anything last year about firing him, but it`s time for a change. Thanks. I feel better. Hope you`re well
Friday, September 25, 2009
Posted by Nate at 10:54:43 AM
What`s up Steve!

No, you make a fair point, but I guess I`m willing to tip my cap a little to some near perfect execution by a very talented QB. Mallett put a couple balls where only the receiver could make the catch, and then the receiver made the tough catch in pretty decent coverage. When that happens, any defense is toast. I`m certainly not trying to absolve the defense with this post by any means. I just think it might be a little too soon to draw too many conclusions about this defense.

The take on Martinez is very interesting. I like your point about the irrelevence of him being a liability. We need assets on the coaching staff, and if he`s not one then he needs to be replaced. My take though is that so far he seems to be both. He`s been a liability with his stubbornness in changing things up during the game. However, it should be pointed out that he has coached the DBs for all of Richt`s tenure. We`ve had a lot of talent come through the defensive backfield in those years, and he definitely deserves some credit for recruiting those players and further developing their talent. Thomas Davis and Tim Jennings, specifically, were very raw and are now starting in the NFL (even if Jennings is only because of injury).
.
.

ADD A COMMENT:
Name:
Comment:
Bookmark and Share
NatesDawgs.com is not affiliated in any way with the University of Georgia, the University of Georgia Athletic Association, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) or the NCAA.