[su_spacer size=”20″] Georgia went up to Nashville as 21 point favorites and Dawg Nation expected the red and black to put a whoop’in on the Commodores and take the shine off their anchor. UGA won Saturday’s game 31-17, but it was not a victory that would win any beauty contests. There were many media members and fans that were left scratching their noggins with some of the play calls on offense. Coach Mark Richt explains some of those decisions in his Sunday press conference.
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There were several times in the game where the Georgia offense went from finally firing on all cylinders to sputtering into stagnation. At times, it seemed like the coaching staff did not want to try to put the ball in the air, which makes sense given the lack luster play of Greyson Lambert for a good part of the contest.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Coach Richt explains the reason for slowing down the offense in the 2nd half and especially the 4th quarter:
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. . . The decision to run the ball three times deep in our territory and not throw it, that was my decision . . . I was trying to chew up as many time outs as possible and hopefully know it out of there; so, some of those things have to do with me. Towards the end, when we’re trying to use as much clock as possible, huddle instead of going no huddle, a lot of those are my calls.

[su_spacer size=”40″] Of course, Mark Richt didn’t call the whole game. So what did the Head Coach think of his Offensive Coordinator’s, Brian Schottenheimer, first away game strategy?
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I think he called a game that was just fine. We just got to execute a few things a little better at times.

[su_spacer size=”40″] Many fans want the Dawgs to open up the offense, especially as they look ahead to a game that everybody has circled on the calendar for October 3rd, when the Alabama Crimson Tide comes a calling to Sanford. The word “vanilla” has been thrown around quite a bit by analysts, fans, and media to describe Georgia’s offense. There are a few possibilities here as to why we’ve seen what we’ve seen.
[su_spacer size=”20″] 1. The coaches are keeping the play calling “vanilla” on purpose so as not to give any game tape of note for Spurrier and South Carolina or Saban and Bama to use to scheme and game plan for when they play Georgia.
[su_spacer size=”20″] 2. The coaches are not keeping things “vanilla” on purpose. It is what they feel comfortable letting the offensive personnel they have run.
[su_spacer size=”20″] 3. The coaches are going with what works until the opponent stops it.
[su_spacer size=”40″] So far, the running game is working, but as we saw glimpses of in the Vanderbilt game, there will be times that the quarterback will be required to throw the ball to make a play to convert a first down. There has been many a game won as well as a conference and national championship with a stout defense and punishing ground game. While not always sexy and not always pretty, it works. Just ask the 1980 Georgia Bulldawgs Southeastern Conference and National Championship team.
[su_spacer size=”40″] That begs the question, do you prefer your Georgia offense: Vanilla, Rocky Road or Everything But The …?
[su_spacer size=”40″] Mark Richt post game interview – Schottenheimer’s play calling
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