Petrino vs. Richt

[want2be]

When Petrino has his type talent he is the best play calling coach I have ever seen. All the players testify that is tough to learn the playbook (only 235 pages with over 12 formations with an average of 10 plays per formation)

Richt is a classy coach, but did anyone watch the play calling against Okie St. He very rarely called on pass play on 1st or 2nd down, which put them in predictable 3r down passing situations.(much like Nuttless) He may not have the confidence in his QB, Cox, who is a big drop off from Stafford. Granted the have a good running game, but I think I Dline and Backers are much improved.

If he comes to Fayetteville with that approach, Petrino will school him and prove to the rest of the naysayers how he can put together a winning game plan and program.

[want2be]

If the topic would have read "Petrino rapes Georgia in Game 2" you guys would have been all over it !!

[Howboutthemhogs]

If the topic would have read "Petrino rapes Georgia in Game 2" you guys would have been all over it !!

Agreed +1

[Razorfox]

Richt was awesome when he first got to Georgia and had David Greene as his QB.  I don't know what's happened to him since, but the playcalling has gone down.  Is it a new OC?

[want2be]

Richt was awesome when he first got to Georgia and had David Greene as his QB.  I don't know what's happened to him since, but the playcalling has gone down.  Is it a new OC?

I heard their fans are starting to complain about him (what's new, huh?)
He has a tough schedule this year also. I think the S. Carolina game will be a low scoring dog fight with a win by Ga.,but if poor ol Arkansas can beat the dawgs, their fans will get restless. Especially as much as Petrino is disliked in Georgia.

[hawgfan_18]

Richt was awesome when he first got to Georgia and had David Greene as his QB.  I don't know what's happened to him since, but the playcalling has gone down.  Is it a new OC?

i believe richt calls his own offensive plays

[Dr Carl aka Shorthog]

Richt used to call his own plays, but turned it over to a Oc a few years ago, I can't remember when. I have noticed a lot of people seem to really put Petrino up on a pedistal and put Richt down with Nutt in some cases. richt is a proven coach in the SEC. He has won the SEC, been to a BCS bowl, contended for a NC, and is consistently in the top 25 in recruiting and polls. While I beleive Petrino, if he stays at AR, will do these things as well, he is still unproven at this point as an SEC coach and has done little here to this point. It is hard to compare the two at this point. They have never even met in game play.

When Georgia comes in to town they will have a talented team and a good coach who will have them ready. Petrino will have his team ready. One thing this coaching staff does do is get the team prepared and will not accept mistakes. The problem is, I am not certain we have the players to really get to where the staff wants us to be as a team. Hence, you get the defensive and ST problems we have seen for a while now at Arkansas. Georgia will be battle tested more so than us, and will have superior athletes at a lot of positions, especially defense. It will be a good game when they come into hog town. Right now, IMO its a toss up. After Georgia plays SC, we will know better what our chances are of winning.

[Razorfox]

Well, he'll probably be a casualty of his own success.  Georgia has been pretty stinkin' awesome since he got there.  He'll be one of these coaches that will get fired for winning 8 games one year because the fans are used to winning 10 or 11.  The pathetic part is that he was the reason they had all those seasons where they won 10 or 11.

[jdevers]

  i believe richt calls his own offensive plays

I think Mike Bobo does actually.  Richt is the role model for the CEO style head coach.  Delegation, delegation, delegation.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Richt is a classy coach, but did anyone watch the play calling against Okie St. He very rarely called on pass play on 1st or 2nd down, which put them in predictable 3r down passing situations.(much like Nuttless) He may not have the confidence in his QB, Cox, who is a big drop off from Stafford. Granted the have a good running game, but I think I Dline and Backers are much improved.

I believe their game plan was formed knowing they were very limited at QB, partly because of Cox's limits, but also because he had the flu all week and they weren't sure how much they could get from him.

But I agree, their game plan didn't show me much at all.  I actually remember thinking that Richt should be using one of Nutt's game plans for that game.  He should have been very conservative and throw only safe routes, run reverses and quick outs to Greene, etc., because Cox looked poor.  I felt he should have leaned on that O line more, used clock, and tried to keep OSU's O on the sidelines.

They tried some of that, but they didn't stick to it.  Actually, they didn't stick to anything, didn't have any clear idea what they wanted to do.  I was disappointed in that.

[Kilgor]

They have never even met in game play.

2002 Auburn vs. Georgia (Auburn lost 24-21).  Coach Petrino was the OC at Auburn.

[Destin2bAhog]

Richt was awesome when he first got to Georgia and had David Greene as his QB.  I don't know what's happened to him since, but the playcalling has gone down.  Is it a new OC?

Not much more than avg over 10 wins a season and a few BCS bowl games and a 4 SECEC and  2 SEC Titles.  Other than than not much has happened.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Bulldogs_football_under_Mark_Richt

[HotlantaHog]

Georgia has had great success under Richt that it didn't have under the previous couple of coaches. I didn't get a chance to see the OK State game and know Dogs may be down this year (having lost Stafford and Moreno), but I wouldn't underestimate Richt. He is a very, very good coach.

[UnLedded]

Am I the only one who didn't see alot wrong with the hit the UGa DB had on that kid from OK St. down around the ten yd line?  That pretty much flipped the game, no?  I only saw the highlights, but geeez.

[Kilgor]

Am I the only one who didn't see alot wrong with the hit the UGa DB had on that kid from OK St. down around the ten yd line?  That pretty much flipped the game, no?  I only saw the highlights, but geeez.

It was ridiculous.  Now you can't tackle with a shoulder???

It came right after Georgia stopped OSU on a 4th and 1 on the goal line.  The only problem with that was that the refs gave OSU over a yard on the spot so they got a 1st and goal. 

[bigdaddyhawg]

The only problem with that was that the refs gave OSU over a yard on the spot so they got a 1st and goal. 

I thought that was perhaps THE turning point of the game.  An absolutely criminal spot the linesman made there.

OSU might still have won the game, but that horrible call changed the game around in a HUGE way.

[3BoarsDown]

I heard their fans are starting to complain about him (what's new, huh?)
He has a tough schedule this year also. I think the S. Carolina game will be a low scoring dog fight with a win by Ga.,but if poor ol Arkansas can beat the dawgs, their fans will get restless. Especially as much as Petrino is disliked in Georgia.

I'm emersed in Dawgs living in ATL and I can't tell you how much fun I am having with the meltdown that is going on after one game. Bulldog fans are the most fairweather out there and they are turning quickly on Richt. They are starring a 2-4, 3-3 start in the face and the Pups aren't happy, they are very spoiled around here.

Joe Cox's outburst about him not wanting to hear people who never played the game being critical of him had me in tears of laughter driving home.

The SEC is a cycle, you can't stay on top forever.

[NWAFellows]

I'm emersed in Dawgs living in ATL and I can't tell you how much fun I am having with the meltdown that is going on after one game. Bulldog fans are the most fairweather out there and they are turning quickly on Richt. They are starring a 2-4, 3-3 start in the face and the Pups aren't happy, they are very spoiled around here.

Joe Cox's outburst about him not wanting to hear people who never played the game being critical of him had me in tears of laughter driving home.

The SEC is a cycle, you can't stay on top forever.

As someone who lives in Athens, I can tell you there were some calling for Richt's head before the season started. This has simply escalated the fire.

A lot of Dawg fans really let last year's preseason #1 ranking go to their head. They won't accept anything less now.

The main complaint I'm hearing now is that Richt doesn't let enough of the second and third team see game time, so when you lose some key players like Knowshon and Stafford you really take a performance hit the next season. Keep in mind that to most Georgia fans, an eight win season is considered a down year.

[hawgdavis]

They are nuts down here. They think the are suposed to win the NC every year. They forget it was Mark Richt that got them to that point. The one thing I will say about Mark Richt and why he cant seem to get over the top is IMO I think he is too nice a guy. No mean streak. That said UGA is lucky to have a great coach.

[rljjr]

Let them be disillusioned with their coach and program. Fine by me. I doubt they'll get a better coach right now than Richt.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I believe their game plan was formed knowing they were very limited at QB, partly because of Cox's limits, but also because he had the flu all week and they weren't sure how much they could get from him.

But I agree, their game plan didn't show me much at all.  I actually remember thinking that Richt should be using one of Nutt's game plans for that game.  He should have been very conservative and throw only safe routes, run reverses and quick outs to Greene, etc., because Cox looked poor.  I felt he should have leaned on that O line more, used clock, and tried to keep OSU's O on the sidelines.

They tried some of that, but they didn't stick to it.  Actually, they didn't stick to anything, didn't have any clear idea what they wanted to do.  I was disappointed in that.

I agree. I think Richt thought he could get more out of Cox than he did, balancing the run game that he expected that experienced O-Line to produce. But Cox was sick(no excuses, just fact and arrived late by private jet) and didn't produce and left thenm fairly one dimensional and unimaginative in their play calling and they were victimized by Bill Young's risky "stunt and take chances" defense. It might not work out that way game after game....I expect it will finally bite OSU in the butt at some point and they will get embarrassed. Georgia happened to be the victim this past week. Don't expect that every week.

Georgia will be a strong team coming to Arkansas and with a chip on their shoulders. Should we win, it won't be a fluke and it will be something to be proud of.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

It was ridiculous.  Now you can't tackle with a shoulder???

It came right after Georgia stopped OSU on a 4th and 1 on the goal line.  The only problem with that was that the refs gave OSU over a yard on the spot so they got a 1st and goal. 

True enough. We are becoming a nation of wimps. That was a perfect text-book tackle by the rules....just a good, darned hard one. No reason for a flag at all.

[keithh1999]

Ok, I will agree that Petrino hasn't proved anything in the SEC yet.

That being said, how many of you would take Richt over Petrino as our coach?

Nuff Said.

[want2be]

Look for backup running threat QB Gray to get more touches against S. Carolina and us.

Also Samuel looked good runnning the ball against Ok St. Caleb King who was the starter is out with a hamstring pull for the first two games, but he will be ready against the Hogs.

With  more of the dual threat QB, Gray and King along with calling a few pass plays on early downs Georgia will look be more explosive on offense.

Question is.....How do we match up on defense ? And how many points will our offense tally ? Again, I think this will be the breakout game for Petrino to show off his gameplan to the SEC. Something he was limited to last year due to the QB, lack of depth a RB, Poor Oline, etc. Can we score more than 30 on the mighty Dawgs? Yes

[jackflash]

One game is a little early to say their season will go down the drain. i think they win the South Carolina game wonder how much offense south Carolina has?

[dr__dawggy]

+1 for Hogville.

You all are much kinder toward CMR and the Dawgs than we are on our own boards.

There are calls for Bobo's head (Offensive Coordinator), Calls to fire the special teams coach, Calls to bench Cox in favor not of Gray but freshman Murray (start a true freshman..it worked for So Cal so it would work for us)...calls to switch offensive schemes (our "package" is antiquated), calls for CMR to be more wild eyed and put some fire in the players bellies...Calls to fire the whole staff and bring in NFL assistants....I could go on, but you get the idea.

Prediction...we will not be the same team by game three that we were in game one....not saying whether we will be better or worse...a crisis presents danger and opportunity...we could unravel totally or come together as a team and as supporters. Time will tell.

[Kilgor]

Let me change a few things and see if it looks familiar. 

They are nuts down here. They think the are supposed to win the SEC every year. They forget it was Houston Nutt that got them to that point. The one thing I will say about Houston Nutt and why he cant seem to get over the top is IMO I think he is too nice a guy. No mean streak. That said Arkansas is lucky to have a great coach.

How about we let Georgia determine what is best for them since they are a hell of a lot closer to the situation than us?  A novel idea I know...

[rebelbruiser]

When Petrino has his type talent he is the best play calling coach I have ever seen. All the players testify that is tough to learn the playbook (only 235 pages with over 12 formations with an average of 10 plays per formation)

Richt is a classy coach, but did anyone watch the play calling against Okie St. He very rarely called on pass play on 1st or 2nd down, which put them in predictable 3r down passing situations.(much like Nuttless) He may not have the confidence in his QB, Cox, who is a big drop off from Stafford. Granted the have a good running game, but I think I Dline and Backers are much improved.

If he comes to Fayetteville with that approach, Petrino will school him and prove to the rest of the naysayers how he can put together a winning game plan and program.

His QB was recovering from the swine flu.  There is a chance that played a role in the playcalling as well.

[rebelbruiser]

Richt used to call his own plays, but turned it over to a Oc a few years ago, I can't remember when. I have noticed a lot of people seem to really put Petrino up on a pedistal and put Richt down with Nutt in some cases. richt is a proven coach in the SEC. He has won the SEC, been to a BCS bowl, contended for a NC, and is consistently in the top 25 in recruiting and polls. While I beleive Petrino, if he stays at AR, will do these things as well, he is still unproven at this point as an SEC coach and has done little here to this point. It is hard to compare the two at this point. They have never even met in game play.

When Georgia comes in to town they will have a talented team and a good coach who will have them ready. Petrino will have his team ready. One thing this coaching staff does do is get the team prepared and will not accept mistakes. The problem is, I am not certain we have the players to really get to where the staff wants us to be as a team. Hence, you get the defensive and ST problems we have seen for a while now at Arkansas. Georgia will be battle tested more so than us, and will have superior athletes at a lot of positions, especially defense. It will be a good game when they come into hog town. Right now, IMO its a toss up. After Georgia plays SC, we will know better what our chances are of winning.

Richt has never won fewer than 9 games in a season during his 8 seasons in the SEC.  UGA is one of the best jobs in the SEC because the talent base in Georgia is second only to Florida in SEC states, but still 9 games or more every year in the SEC is impressive.  I think he falls short of 9 wins for the first time this year, but even then the guy has done a great job.  Every coach has a rebuilding year every few years.  I just don't understand the flack Richt gets.  People forget that UGA had not made an SEC title game appearance in the first 9 seasons of the game's existence, prior to Richt's arrival.

[razorbrass]

Let them be disillusioned with their coach and program. Fine by me. I doubt they'll get a better coach right now than Richt.

I hear TCTWF has already been on the phone to Athens.  Does that change your mind?

[want2be]

+1 for Hogville.

You all are much kinder toward CMR and the Dawgs than we are on our own boards.

There are calls for Bobo's head (Offensive Coordinator), Calls to fire the special teams coach, Calls to bench Cox in favor not of Gray but freshman Murray (start a true freshman..it worked for So Cal so it would work for us)...calls to switch offensive schemes (our "package" is antiquated), calls for CMR to be more wild eyed and put some fire in the players bellies...Calls to fire the whole staff and bring in NFL assistants....I could go on, but you get the idea.

Prediction...we will not be the same team by game three that we were in game one....not saying whether we will be better or worse...a crisis presents danger and opportunity...we could unravel totally or come together as a team and as supporters. Time will tell.

Georgia has 2 quality opponents to test their skills before playing us. We do not have that luxory  and there are still alot of unknowns about the Hogs.

Georgia will beat S. Carolina but it sounds like the fans want to see more offense. We will probably have a weaker defense that Ok St or S Carolina, so I would expect Ga to get more points against us.

As good as Petrino is at game prep at play calling, he still must have a major concerns with the kicking game. Other than kick off returns, we appear to be worse than last year.

[wholehog92]

Richt used to call his own plays, but turned it over to a Oc a few years ago, I can't remember when. I have noticed a lot of people seem to really put Petrino up on a pedistal and put Richt down with Nutt in some cases. richt is a proven coach in the SEC. He has won the SEC, been to a BCS bowl, contended for a NC, and is consistently in the top 25 in recruiting and polls. While I beleive Petrino, if he stays at AR, will do these things as well, he is still unproven at this point as an SEC coach and has done little here to this point. It is hard to compare the two at this point. They have never even met in game play.

When Georgia comes in to town they will have a talented team and a good coach who will have them ready. Petrino will have his team ready. One thing this coaching staff does do is get the team prepared and will not accept mistakes. The problem is, I am not certain we have the players to really get to where the staff wants us to be as a team. Hence, you get the defensive and ST problems we have seen for a while now at Arkansas. Georgia will be battle tested more so than us, and will have superior athletes at a lot of positions, especially defense. It will be a good game when they come into hog town. Right now, IMO its a toss up. After Georgia plays SC, we will know better what our chances are of winning.

I give us the edge right now, but agree with the majority of your post.  GA's play calling looks like Nutt right now because they only have one legit reciever until proven otherwise and from the looks of their offense, they aren't executing anything very well right now.  That gives a team the ability to double up Green, single the other reciever and either pressure the QB or stop the run with the extra man.  I understand he put himself in this position, but they were decimated with injuries last year and a good bit of talent went to the NFL early.  Tough to get everyone on the same page under those circumstances VS Nutt just making poor practice decisions.

[Pistol Pete]

Seems to me that UGA has been winning on talent alone. The same reason Florida, Oklahoma, Penn State, Ohio State, Tenn, Auburn, LSU, and a few others have won so much. Their "system" is out of date.

Teams had better have the passing ability to either get down the field, or pull the defense off the line. And, the running ability to get down the field, or pull the defense to the line. It's that simple.

The only reason Florida has won the last 2 NC's that they have, is because they didn't play USC in the Championship games. They were matched with teams very similar to themselves.

[truckfan2009]

If the topic would have read "Petrino rapes Georgia in Game 2" you guys would have been all over it !!

haha.

Is there video?

[dowils]

+1 for Hogville.

You all are much kinder toward CMR and the Dawgs than we are on our own boards.

There are calls for Bobo's head (Offensive Coordinator), Calls to fire the special teams coach, Calls to bench Cox in favor not of Gray but freshman Murray (start a true freshman..it worked for So Cal so it would work for us)...calls to switch offensive schemes (our "package" is antiquated), calls for CMR to be more wild eyed and put some fire in the players bellies...Calls to fire the whole staff and bring in NFL assistants....I could go on, but you get the idea.

Prediction...we will not be the same team by game three that we were in game one....not saying whether we will be better or worse...a crisis presents danger and opportunity...we could unravel totally or come together as a team and as supporters. Time will tell.

Georgia is good football team and the fans are just like other fans, if they aren't winning, they want to try to express their opinions about what they think will help the team win.  I will say though, Georgia needs to keep Richt, He is a good coach and won't have a bad season.  I really like him and if we lose Petrino, I would take Richt in a heartbeat.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Richt has never won fewer than 9 games in a season during his 8 seasons in the SEC.  UGA is one of the best jobs in the SEC because the talent base in Georgia is second only to Florida in SEC states, but still 9 games or more every year in the SEC is impressive.  I think he falls short of 9 wins for the first time this year, but even then the guy has done a great job.  Every coach has a rebuilding year every few years.  I just don't understand the flack Richt gets.  People forget that UGA had not made an SEC title game appearance in the first 9 seasons of the game's existence, prior to Richt's arrival.

This is because, in general, people are stupid, greedy, selfish beings with short memories for blessings and long memories when they don't get what they want.

I hope, for UGa's and Richt's case, the powers that be in Athens are a lot smarter and patient that the idiot fans.

[Tripod1]

I'm on the wagon that believes we have the right coach and in time he will get us to the top, if he stays.  That being said, if Coach P was not our coach I would love to have Richt.  He is proven that he can win, he contends for SEC and NC titles, gets to BCS games, and is top quality in his day to day actions and living.  Those qualities are hard to find on the big scene today.  I pull for the Dawgs but will not be pulling for them next week.

[Pistol Pete]

I'm on the wagon that believes we have the right coach and in time he will get us to the top, if he stays.  That being said, if Coach P was not our coach I would love to have Richt.  He is proven that he can win, he contends for SEC and NC titles, gets to BCS games, and is top quality in his day to day actions and living.  Those qualities are hard to find on the big scene today.  I pull for the Dawgs but will not be pulling for them next week.

He lost me with the endzone dance against Florida.

[rebelbruiser]

He lost me with the endzone dance against Florida.

See, now I actually bought into that, and I thought it was one of his better moments.

A good coach figures out what it takes to get the best out of his team.  In 2007, he had somewhat of a young team that needed a confidence boost.  He told them he expected them to get a penalty after that first score, and they all ran on the field.

Had they gone on to lose that game and struggle the rest of the year, I might buy what you're saying, but it gave them the swagger they needed, and they didn't lose a game from that point on.  They were were coming off a bad loss to UT and a narrow win over Vandy.  They needed a boost, and it gave that team a boost to finish out the year with some really strong performances.

To me, that's the hardest job a coach has, figuring out the psychology of each team, because they're all different, and figuring out how to motivate them to give them the swagger they need to win big.

[GuvHog]

How did his other psychological ploy work out for him -- trying to inspire his team by wearing black jerseys against a top ten opponent? 

If you have to pull stunts to get your team up for big games, you have a serious problem.

The Black jerseys were origionally planned only to be worn against LSU when the game
is played in Baton Rouge. They have however, used them a few other times too.

[hawgdavis]

Kilgore I have lived in Athens for 23 years now I think I can speak a little on the Dawgs. I do work around and at the university. In a sence I work for UGA, I know Mark Richt and many of the players, see them all the time. I think I can add my 2 cents to what is going on down here and I dont think what is going is far to a realy good coach and man.   

[Hoggish1]

Richt was awesome when he first got to Georgia and had David Greene as his QB.  I don't know what's happened to him since, but the playcalling has gone down.  Is it a new OC?

Richt gave up the play calling.  He may have to take it back (shades of Allbarn and Tubby vs. Franklin).  But let's hope he doesn't do it before Petrino has a chance to school him.

[want2be]

Richt gave up the play calling.  He may have to take it back (shades of Allbarn and Tubby vs. Franklin).  But let's hope he doesn't do it before Petrino has a chance to school him.

Looks like Richt may try to be less vanalia against SC this week. He is going to use the running QB, Gray more and he is a threat. Caleb King is not for sure going to play this week, but he will be ready for the Arkansas game.  Ga. should beat S.C. in a low scoring affair. I am interested to see if they try to pass more on 1st and 2nd down situations or if he continues to play smash mouth.

If Petrino can score over 35 against the Dawgs and beat them, will that be enough to prove to the SEC that our offense is for real?

[bigdaddyhawg]

If Petrino can score over 35 against the Dawgs and beat them, will that be enough to prove to the SEC that our offense is for real?

So if we score only 28 against UGa, then we haven't prove we're for real??  Not sure how that can be right, since OSU, with one of the top offenses in the nation that showcases MAJOR offensive talent, only scored 24 against them.

Now if you're premise is to prove our offense is an "elite" offense, one of the top in the country, then perhaps I'd agree with you.  But if we can score the same 24 OSU did, I think we'd have enough proof that we're legit.

BTW, I expect us to score just a little bit more than that 24.

[want2be]

So if we score only 28 against UGa, then we haven't prove we're for real??  Not sure how that can be right, since OSU, with one of the top offenses in the nation that showcases MAJOR offensive talent, only scored 24 against them.

Now if you're premise is to prove our offense is an "elite" offense, one of the top in the country, then perhaps I'd agree with you.  But if we can score the same 24 OSU did, I think we'd have enough proof that we're legit.

BTW, I expect us to score just a little bit more than that 24.

I think our running game is much better than Okie State, except their QB-Robinson gave them an extra running threat that we do not have. I also think we have more quality receivers to go to including wide outs, tight ends, and tailbacks. Lastly, I think Petrino has a better playbook and better play calling.

Unfortunately, I am not counting on field goals to add any points.

[bigdaddyhawg]

I think our running game is much better than Okie State ...

You've seen what that would lead you to this conclusion??

In 2008, OSU led the Big 12 in rushing at 245.5 yards per game.  Arkansas had less than half that last year at 113.5.

Hunter led the Cowboys and the Big 12 in rushing with 1555 yards, or about 120 yards per game.

Considering they run a pretty balanced attack, those rushing numbers are impressive.  I seriously doubt we'll even approach anything like those results this year.

I agree with the balance of our WR's, TE's, and RB's as part of our passing game, but the production we'll have in our running game is far from being proven.

BTW, count on FG's or not, but it is a fact of our 48 points vs. Mo. St. 12 points were produced by our place kicker.

[want2be]

You've seen what that would lead you to this conclusion??

In 2008, OSU led the Big 12 in rushing at 245.5 yards per game.  Arkansas had less than half that last year at 113.5.

Hunter led the Cowboys and the Big 12 in rushing with 1555 yards, or about 120 yards per game.

Considering they run a pretty balanced attack, those rushing numbers are impressive.  I seriously doubt we'll even approach anything like those results this year.

I agree with the balance of our WR's, TE's, and RB's as part of our passing game, but the production we'll have in our running game is far from being proven.

BTW, count on FG's or not, but it is a fact of our 48 points vs. Mo. St. 12 points were produced by our place kicker.

You are comparing our running game last year to this year. It will not compare. Petrino prefers to be more balanced like he was at Louisville, but unfortunately he only had a one man wrecking crew of Mike Smith last year, along with a good game by Johnson at LSU. This year we have not only Smith and Johnson, but Petrino will also have interesting packages for the only backs. Wingo will be a stud and Knile Davis is the best north-south runner on the team.Isn't it interesting that Petrino did not redshirt one back. We have alot of different options for whoever is hot.We will average over 200 yards on the ground this year, unless teams stack the box, then we will throw for 300yds. 

[phadedhawg]

Georgia has always owned us.  I'm very nervous about our next game.  Here's hoping that Coach Patrino can start a new era in regards to Georgia.  I think for once we have a coach that can compete with the big name coaches in the SEC. 

I'm concerned about our current talent though...

[bigdaddyhawg]

You are comparing our running game last year to this year. It will not compare.

I understand that's what you're saying, but what facts are you basing that on??  Just to have more RB's to run the ball doesn't guarantee any different results.

Now I believe we will see more success running the ball this fall, but it won't be anywhere near the success OSU had last year -- that would lead the SEC in rushing, and no way that's going to happen, I don't care if we've got Emmitt Smith, DMac, and Walter Peyton running the ball for us.

We'll run the ball effectively IN SPOTS, but our O line is not good enough to just line up and run it and don't give a rip who knows.

Besides, with RM and our WR's, I'm not sure you don't want to "feed the studs" for all they are worth, with mixing in enough run to keep people honest.

[want2be]

I understand that's what you're saying, but what facts are you basing that on??  Just to have more RB's to run the ball doesn't guarantee any different results.

Now I believe we will see more success running the ball this fall, but it won't be anywhere near the success OSU had last year -- that would lead the SEC in rushing, and no way that's going to happen, I don't care if we've got Emmitt Smith, DMac, and Walter Peyton running the ball for us.

We'll run the ball effectively IN SPOTS, but our O line is not good enough to just line up and run it and don't give a rip who knows.

Besides, with RM and our WR's, I'm not sure you don't want to "feed the studs" for all they are worth, with mixing in enough run to keep people honest.

Okie St had 171 yards running and 135 passing against Ga for 306 total yards.....Petrino is going to take what Ga. gives him, but he likes to set up the pass with the run. Our running game should have the potential to have the success of our passing game this year (but it all depends on what defenses key on)...........The running game was not proven against Mo. St. primarily because they stacked the box the entire game. Ga will not do that. I think our offense this year will get more yards against Ga than Ok State did.

Mike Smith has proved himself, Johnson is proven, and Wingo will have special packages to use his skills......And if they concentrate on stopping the run........Petrino will make them pay thru the air.