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Ark/Georgia write-up...Sort of
I saw this posted in one our arkansas forums and though you guys could benefit.
Sanford Stadium is not Death Valley.
Georgia's defense is not LSU's.
Last season, Ryan Mallett played pretty crappy at Baton Rouge. In the Hogs' first seven drives, Mallett threw a pick then failed on six straight third downs.
Mallett recovered and led the Razorbacks to scores on their next five possessions. Against the Tigers' excellent secondary and some risky blitz tactics, Mallett only completed 17 of 39 passes. He still made 227 yards. Run plays gained 172 yards for the Hogs. A lot of that was Dennis Johnson, now sidelined, but Knile Davis could do as much given the chance.
The offense that scored 30 points at Death Valley is going to do less at Georgia, where the coach has to beg fans to participate?
The flipside here is the very widespread and shallow assumption that Arkansas's defense is going to fall apart in SEC play. What happened to the Hogs in the Georgia game last season? And why doesn't anybody notice that Arkansas never had another game like that the rest of the season, not even against much more potent offenses?
Why didn't Florida, Auburn, or South Carolina run up the score on Arkansas? Anybody give that some thought? Why did the Gators score 41 on the Dawgs in Jacksonville, just 23 at the Swamp against Arkansas? Why did the Gamecocks put up 37 points at Sanford, but only 16 at Fayetteville?
This "broken defense" stamp on Petrino's Hogs is based on one game. What happened in that game?
Arkansas's secondary consisted of
Strong safety Tramain Thomas, had barely played as a freshman, sat most of the season. Moved from corner to free safety during '08. Playing because Elton Ford, eight-game starter in 2008, was recovering from a broken neck bone. Ford would have been back, but he sprained an ankle in late August, so Robinson had to reshuffle safeties.
Free safety Matt Harris, fifth-year senior with four career starts at various positions; and Anthony Leon, a juco newcomer. Harris finished the season playing strong safety, where his speed mattered less. Ford and Thomas started the bowl game.
Cornerbacks Ramon Broadway (on-and-off starter in past), Rudell Crim (juco newcomer), David Gordon (freshman), Andru Stewart (juco newcomer), Jerell Norton (missed 2008) and Greg Gatson (no meaningful experience in two seasons).
Strong safety: Thomas (new to the position, no experience, misfit for the position, battlefield promotion)
Free safety: Harris (battlefield promotion in '08, little experience, misfit for the position), Leon (new juco, misfit for the position)
Corners: Crim (new juco, little experience playing corner), Broadway (journeyman who'd struggled to hold starting job), Norton (coming off injury redshirt, never quite right), Gordon (freshman who needed to redshirt), Stewart (new juco), Gatson (squadman).
This secondary, hampered by the August injury to lead cover corner Isaac Madison, was stunningly ineffective in this game.
Arkansas cornerbacks made a grand total of two solo and three assisted tackles on pass plays. Broadway only had two assists. Crim had a solo and an assist. Gordon, Gatson and Stewart had zero tackles, other than special teams. Norton had one. Georgia completed 26 passes, only four for single-digit yards. The Hogs had to rely on safeties and linebackers to chase down receivers.
The secondary was in flux the rest of the season, with depth practically unusable, but it never had another game as bad as Georgia.
Changes to the secondary have been substantial, but we also have to acknowledge that the guys who were burned by Georgia played better after that.
What has changed...
Safeties: Willy Robinson has prepared his safeties to switch between free and strong. Usually the free safety is Thomas, now and experienced junior; and Crim, who played safety in juco and appears more suited for it. Ford adds a lot of experience in reserve. Stewart has moved here too; unclear how good he is.
Corners: Madison is back with 13 career starts, and Broadway as a fifth-year senior has kept his job for now. Close behind is soph Darius Winston, a bigtime talent. True freshman Eric Bennett is listed as second team, but I wonder how much WR will trust him this week.
Then we have the issue of the linebackers.
A few ticks into the second quarter, Thomas had intercepted Cox and returned the football past the 50. Arkansas held a 21-10 lead, and Ryan Mallett had been deadly on Georgia's side of the field. Arkansas middle linebacker Jerry Franklin was called for two personal fouls after the play and ejected. One flag was a retaliation shove after a typically dirty play and classless in-face cursing by Georgia. The second was a scaredy-cat flag because Franklin accidentally bumped the ref. Struck the ref, no, pushed him, no. Bumped. Clumsy.
Arkansas was not ready to replace Franklin, one of the team's few experienced linebackers. In came true freshman Terrell Williams. His second play, Williams lined up wrong, and Georgia tailback Richard Samuel went 80 yards up the middle through Williams' gap.
That exchange completely rewrote the direction of this game. A kickoff and touchback put the Hogs 80 yards from the end zone, and they went three and out. Georgia, repeatedly exploiting the soft middle, drove for the go-ahead score.
Playing with a lead, the Bulldogs were able to present base formation, play-action and throw over the Hogs' bewildered secondary. Over and over. Safeties were stretched to the breaking point with lapses occurring inside and out.
This. Will. Not. Happen. Again.
Mark Richt and Mike Bobo were afraid to let their rookie QB take chances in his first SEC start on the road. At home, they will be much more comfortable. They will ask Aaron Murray to go for big plays downfield. Murray is smart, mobile, with excellent mechanics, gets rid of the football in a flash. He's not big but very tough. Murray can win games. He is a redshirt freshman but has been through two springs at Georgia.
Georgia's offense has been like a model airplane with broken pieces scattered all over the floor. Richt's sitting there with his tube of glue, sticking Caleb King (ankle) back together, having repaired Olinemen Ben Jones (knee scope), Cordy Glenn (mono), Josh Davis (ankle), Trinton Sturdivant (second ACL), Chris Burnette (concussion), and Tanner Strickland (shoulder), working on Rantavious Wooten (knee), Shaun Chapas (ankle) and two-way threat Branden Smith (concussion), doghousing Washaun Ealey (hit and run) and Tavarres King (minor in possession), and most important of all...A.J. Green (selling his jersey to an agent).
The Dogs should have diverse weapons and a veteran Oline. Their tight end depth chart is as good as you could imagine. Green is a world-class home run hitter. Georgia should stretch the heck out of any pass coverage, and the QB can burn an overly conservative defense with his feet. Caleb King and Ealey are a good tailback rotation.
Georgia had a small fraction of this functionality last week in scoring two field goals at South Carolina (and being fortunate not to have been blown out).
Even if the Bulldogs get all of their players back for Saturday, they have been unable to practice much as a complete unit.
Further, Georgia is supposed to have a great advantage in special teams. Last season, punter Drew Butler was first-team All-America. Kicker Blair Walsh was 20-22 on field goals with five of 50 yards or more. Brandon Boykin returned three kickoffs for touchdowns. Walsh kicked 17 touchbacks.
Walsh kicks deep but returnable. Last year, Georgia on average put opponents on the 25-yard line. Last week, South Carolina averaged the 26. Butler had a 32-yard punt to the SC 33, where he’d usually place one inside the 20; and when punting out of a hole he got just 40 yards.
If you look at the SEC statistics, Arkansas opponents on average have returned kickoffs to the 21, with five touchbacks. Dylan Breeding’s punt average is slightly longer than Butler’s, his net much longer (he’s had none of his three punts returned). Joe Adams is averaging 15 yards on punt returns. Dennis Johnson had gotten 26 yards on kickoffs, and his injury was a meaningful setback for the team.
Nevertheless, the Razorbacks have progressed in areas that were weaknesses in 2009, while Georgia is in flux.
At the root of Georgia’s favorite status for Saturday’s game is Coach Richt. The Dogs had a difficult challenge to open 2009, having to begin at Stillwater with a new QB. Georgia’s offense looked like crap in week one scoring just 10, and many assumed the team was headed for a losing season. Next two weeks, the Dawgs scored 41 and 52 points in SEC games.
Richt knows how to reshuffle his cards and pull off some great bluffs. He’ll have enough players to come up with something surprising.
With a defense trying to figure out how to man the 3-4 scheme with the available players, loads of uncertainty and fragility on offense, and a young QB, Georgia is going need a great deal of home field advantage to draw even with the Razorbacks this time.
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Originally Posted by msj0001
