The Truth: #DEFENSE

I don't care if we're 4-3 or 3-4...as long as we stop people.  I don't care if we substitute like crazy or play the starters every play...as long as we stop people.  I don't care if he uses 17 towels or announces his defense over the PA...as long as we stop people.  I don't care if he's a jerk or Sunday School teacher...as long as we stop people.  But, I do care that we don't stop people and he doesn't seem to budge.

 

Bobo looks like he actually studies the game in the offseason and watches other teams.  He figured out that we could score a bunch of points.  In the last 3 years, we've seen the hurry up, Aaron master the back shoulder throw, way more 1 back sets, and the pistol get used like crazy.  We've even seen wildcat here and there.  We didn't want to do the 'look over to the sideline for the play', but when it became apparent that could help us score more points, we did it.

 

This Saturday is a great example.  We adjusted to Hutson on the fly and got some points before halftime.  Grantham either has a great game plan and does nothing at halftime and we get run over in the 2nd half because the other team made adjustments or we get steamrolled early and he can't make adjustments until halftime, after which we play pretty good.  What do they have all those white boards for on the sideline?  Pictionary?

 

But, I don't have to analyze much to know that we can't stop people and win a game ugly.  Bama played an ugly 1st QTR in Lexington this year, but it was 0-0 after 1.  They played horribly in the first half vs. Mississippi St. offensively and scored a TD right at the end of the half.  They were up 10-0 at half time.  We're incapable of that.  If our offense stalls the least bit, we're in for a mess and a dogfight.  And that's the problem.  It's a different age in CFB, but other teams still come to play defense sometime.  In 2003, we were losing the Vandy 2-0 at halftime.  That literally happened.  Our offense actually gave up the only points.  They were wretched, but our D kept it from being a run-away.  We settled down and won by 19.

 

Here's the deal.  We structure our team different than Bama.  I'm okay with that.  They didn't win their division this year, so it didn't work for them either.  But, here's the answers.  We finished the regular season #48 in Total Defense.  Auburn finished #52 and Mizzou finished #75.  That's your two division winners.  Statistically, we had a better defense when it comes to yardage.  It's that simple.  And we played 2 high powered OOC games against teams that can churn our yardage like crazy (Clemson and Tech).  But, defense is about points.  We finished #80 in scoring defense.  Auburn finished #31 and Mizzou finished #14.  There you go.  That's the difference between 8-4 and 11-1.  Our offense is as good as theirs.

 

Offensive ranks:

#20 UGA - 38.2 ppg

#17 Auburn - 38.6 ppg

#14 Mizzou - 38.8 ppg

 

We're giving up 29.4 ppg.   Auburn at 22.5 and Mizzou at 19.4.  BTW, that tells me Mizzou's D will be the difference on Saturday. 

 

Mizzou gained 27 turnovers.  Auburn gained 17.  We gained 14. 

 

Mizzou is +15 in turnover margin.  Auburn was +1.  Georgia was -6.

 

And that's the ballgame, folks.  A rash of injuries, minus 6 turnovers, a scoring defense that ranks 109 in the country and you've got 8-4.  With our schedule, if you'd have told me those stats in August, I'd probably have taken 8-4 and twice on Sunday.  The Vandy game still kills me, but Richt did a remarkable job holding it together.  I've never left a stadium with the feeling I did in knoxville, winning a thriller against a rival but being so depressed because of what we'd lost.  With alll that...If Chris Sanders, Nick Marshall, Isaiah Crowell and Boo Malcome are still on the team, we're still a whole lot better.  Get more players, preferably not knuckleheads.  And stop people from scoring a lot.  It's not that complicated.