For those who needed a 30-point win to avoid raging pessimism the rest of the year, who have now completely written off 2011, and those already checking coaching resumes, move along, nothing to read here.
For those who do occasionally grip reality, even if by mistake, here we go.
No, the offense didn't look as good as I expected. Aaron Murray misread and overthrew, and the receivers were inconsistent, dropping some imperfect but very catchable passes.
A shocking percentage of the rushing yards came on one play, from a defensive back. That said, Georgia has been woeful for years in using its speed - from wideouts and backs - on the outside to wear down a defense.
Murray was surprisingly mediocre, but he gets an ever-so-slight pass because the Dogs were trying some things on offense, the backfield remains questionable, the offensive line disappointed and there were drops.
Expect a much sharper offense the next go round. Rather, expect sharper and hope for a much sharper offense the next go round.
But, well, the one thing I've said all along that had to change was Georgia's ability to tackle and cover.
On defense and special teams, Georgia was nowhere near good enough in tackling. The major flaw in last year's team - no, it wasn't the offense - showed little or no marked improvement. It wasn't as bad as a year ago, but it certainly wasn't good enough to compete in the SEC.
On Boise State scoring drives, there gaps around Bronco carriers surprisingly often.
No Boise State play went longer than 20 yards. That's impressive efficiency. And no, losing Alec Ogletree at linebacker shouldn't impact the fundamentals of 10 others on the field.
As noted pregame Saturday, nope, size isn't really as relevant as some hoped. Really big usually means not very quick, and that showed at times. And a hurry-up offense can negate size as well.
The good news: Georgia had only four penalties through 3-1/2 quarters.
The bad news: Georgia had three penalties in the first 90 seconds.
Good grief.
People want to blame coaches, but nobody tells a player to screw up, they do it on their own. That's like blaming the farmer because the chef botched your chicken order.
A false start on the first play of the friggin' season? You wonder if the helmets are too tight.
Now, for some perspective (which clearly has no place in many minds):
No. 16 Notre Dame lost at home to South Florida.
No. 23 Auburn needed 14 points in two minutes to beat Utah State at home.
No. 3 Oregon lost to a backup quarterback who threw for all of 98 yards.
No. 65 (a guess) Oregon State lost at home to I-AA Sacramento State, where season ticket prices start at 50 bucks for the team picked to finish fourth in the Big Sky.
OK, that doesn't help much, but it's still relevant.
What is relevant: Georgia lost to a top-5 team - and re-read that several times for a dose of legit reality - and to a team loaded with confidence and a winning outlook. Yes, to a better-coached team, but a team perhaps more willing to be coached.
Many of Georgia's issues have to be put on the players, who still aren't making the simple plays they're coached to make.
All that said, yessireeeeebob, this Saturday in Athens is the biggest game in Richt's career at Georgia.
I'm not changing my belief about losing the first two games and still being able to go 9-3, because it's about progress and the quality of the football.
But that belief might be out the window by Saturday night's prime-time game if there's no progress and the quality of football doesn't improve.
If the Bulldogs look this Saturday like they did last Saturday, those players -who are at plenty of fault - probably won't have the integrity to fix their own problems and salvage the season. And it's even more doubtful the coaches will make changes that are already late in coming.
The clock will be officially and deservedly ticking.
FACTS ALERT, GET SOME ASPIRIN
Those still grousing about Mike Bobo's play-calling - find a team where fans aren't grousing about play-calling - might go back and read this AP story, back when everybody wanted Richt to give the reins.
Richt was the play-caller from 2001 through most of 2006, so Bobo has been the man from 2007 through 2010. That's six seasons for Richt, four for Bobo.
Under Richt, Georgia's average national rankings are this for the four offensive categories:
Rush offense: 60.3; pass offense: 43; total offense: 49.7; scoring offense, 45.2
Under Bobo:
Rush offense 53.3; pass offense, 54.8; total offense: 56.8; scoring offense: 36.
Richt's average: 49.6, Bobo's average: 50.2.
So, no, Georgia's offense is no worse, at least statistically, under Bobo. It's a wash, with several caveats.
Richt had David Greene for four years, then D.J. Shockley - who had sat and watched and played a little - and Matthew Stafford's first season. Bobo had Stafford for two, Joe Cox for one, and Aaron Murray as a freshman and sophomore. Bobo also didn’t have much at running back for two of those seasons.
The talent or coachability level decreased as well. Jim Donnan left a nice cupboard that Richt didn't waste, but the digression in tough players as well as coaching them up soon started. The fundamentals on defense evaporated, and Richt won with defense those early years, so the offensive foibles were masked.
They're not masked anymore.
This offense is Richt's offense. Period. A head coach has to wear the head phones no matter what unit is on the field, or not at all. A head coach who wears the headphone half the time is the executive coordinator of that offense.'
Richt has been the executive offensive coordinator from the start.
Georgia's offense is so absurdly inconsistent, it's clear - and has been to these eyes from almost the start of the Bobo era - there are too many people in meetings and giving input. No offense or defense left alone to its coordinator and staff is so good and bad as Georgia's.
Conversely, Richt - and any coach - is right to point out when a player doesn't do a simple job, execute, even if it's a back just getting in the way of a defender, etc.
On the other hand, I'm not sure Richt's playbook has changed much since 2001. Boise State had some awfully nice plays designed to freeze or fool defenders, and it worked. Georgia's plays, as designed, just don't seem to do that, to 'wow' you or worry a defense.
And when they do come up with something - like they hidden-ball play-action bomb - Richt says that play can only be run once or twice a year.
That's a crock.
LOUGHDMOUTHINGS
Did you see Hawaii coach Greg McMackin call back-to-back timeouts to huddle his players on the sideline and tear into them?
That was absolutely glorious, the play of the weekend.
"We just had a little visit and talked family business," McMackin said. "I won't say what was said, but it took me two timeouts to get everything I wanted to say done. The official gave me a weird look."
And yes, I heard you just say "dangit, Richt needs to do the same, or somebody needs to do that to Georgia's coaching staff."
And yes, you’re right. ...
Dear people who don't pay attention: The uniforms were a one-game deal. It has been reported for two months that it was a one-game deal. It's not the uniform for the season.
Pay attention. ...
Notre Dame lost to South Florida, which isn't that huge an upset.
Still, because of the TV-fueled greed, it's a great Saturday when Notre Dame and Texas can lose. And Texas has passed Notre Dame on this list.
The college football landscape is fixing to get stupid. Hopefully, it'll all change back to sanity within a decade since nobody cares about anything but money (which is followed 30 seconds later from our nation of nincomtwits about too much greed). ...
Thank you, Boise State, for again proving the farce that is recruiting ratings. Sadly, so many pinheads will continue to miss the point.
I don't care about a star next to a name in February – when he has something in common with the rest of us: ain’t neither played a down of college football, so until that changes, hush - I want somebody to play like a star. ...
Future Hall of Famer – ahem - Jason Heyward is hitting .220. An outfielder should be able to hit his weight.
Oddly, his strikeouts are down. But so are all of his other numbers, all pro-rated to his decrease in playing time.
On the other hand, Dan Uggla is hitting around Heyward's weight, will set a career mark for homers, is having his second-best career year in strikeouts.
RBIs aren't much, 70, but the guess is he'll end up within 10 points of his career average. He's 23 behind right now. ...
Atlanta QB Matt Ryan is talking about the bomb more. Good. The Falcons have to diversify the offense, and showed some of that in the preseason.
Ryan's a good enough athlete to float the pocket a little bit, give some defenses a little more to deal with. And he has to look more often to somebody other than Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez.
After all, they don't want to get into a Georgia funk of predictability. ...
From Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press:
"How did medical personnel get that moth out of Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday's right ear?
a) "Tweezers.
b) "They shined a light in his left ear.
c) "They waited for Bat Night.
d) "They told Tony La Russa it was a pitcher, and he went to the mound and removed it." ...
From the "I did not know that" Dept.: Eric Bieniemy is Colorado's offensive coordinator. …
Quasi-correction: One line opened with Boise State a 6-point favorite. In June. Yeah, early and irrelevant.
And that's a pretty big chunk.
Once that group got some money going from Georgia/SEC/skeptics, it dropped to a point. Then logic returned and it jumped up to around 3 quickly.
Six is a lot - it came from the Golden Nugget - and certainly was almost more of an attention-getting opening than reality.
Like Florida being a 13.5-point favorite over Tennessee, and Auburn minus 3.5 over Mississippi State, and Alabama only minus 6 over Florida.
Again, no preseason magazine should come out before media days, and a line coming out before college baseball is over is mighty suspect.
Plus, Boise State head coach Chris Petersen is, as one website noted, now 40-23 against the spread, 63.5 percent, and usually as a favorite.
The best sentence in that observation by beyondthebets.com:
"And this is a team that wiseguys lined up at the door to bet against in early June?
"Overthinking at its worst."
Well, overanalyzing. Ain't much thinkin' going on. And yes, I picked Georgia for solid reasons, including thinking the 2010 team wouldn't show up, but it did. ...
For all of the heat directed at Richt and Bobo, it should be substantially greater on defensive coordinator Todd Grantham than it is.
The Bulldogs were again woefully out of place way too often, and still missed an astonishing number of tackles. That's not about a scheme change - talk about overthinking at its worst - that doesn't affect how linebackers play and defensive backs play.
That said, a scheme change is in order for any pressure up front and any coverage in the back. ...
A giggle from Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times:
"Vin Scully announced he will return in 2012 for a 63rd season as the play-by-play voice of the Dodgers. That is, health willing and the divorce judge doesn't award him to Jamie."
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