2024 Georgia SEC Title Game Postmortem: Part Dos

I started writing this after the game and I stopped. Putting this game into context isn’t easy in one glib write-up. Too many individual plays in a tied game at regulation would have brought victory, some of them as simple as any of Georgia’s three fumbles being recovered, a made field goal or two, or #3 simply realizing that if he blocks Luckie on the sideline, Jahdae Barron has a jog-in pick six.

If that had happened, we’d be talking smack and irrationally confident about winning the whole thing.

Instead, too many pretend that Georgia whipped us when that didn’t actually happen.

I realized that there are some fundamental problems to address that probably need mention:

Nothing bad that happened in this game that should surprise you if you read anything I’ve written this year.

Plenty of good happened in this game. Namely, that Texas dominated most of it and lost it on a combination of penalties, own goals, known vulnerabilities, bad matchups and simple bad luck.

I wrote and then babbled on our various Youtube shows that Texas must get out to a big early lead and then hold on for the furious comeback. For reasons that have been explained many times.

That’s what happened. Except 1st half domination didn’t establish (or was prevented from establishing by stripes) the required 14-17 point lead, despite all of the play-making that should have enabled it. It cost Texas a touchdown win.

This postmortem is basically irrelevant given what’s in front of us and what I wrote in Point #1.

This postmortem is basically irrelevant given that no other team matches up with us like Georgia does on the lines of scrimmage, with the complementary coaching dissection of our weaknesses. Matchups is matchups. Georgia has good ones and some pretty good coaches.

This postmortem is largely irrelevant given that Georgia has played hard in about 11 of 52 quarters of football this year and about six of them and an overtime were against us.

We’re also not playing them again. “But we could….” No.

The Texas defense dominated for much of the game and carried us – as it has all season – but Texas was slow to adjust to very predictable Georgia patterns once the backup came in. The unwillingness to take logical risks with the game on the line in several high leverage situations (Beck can’t throw the ball, Pete – this is the game, dude — bring it) puzzled the hell out of me.

Focusing too much on negatives and some simple bad bounces distorts the reality of Point #2. Some of the negatives won’t happen again, some are baked into our cake from a coaching and player perspective and after 13 games with it noted and documented, you’re just whining.

Also, random bullshit occurs in football. So harping on it will only foment undue pants pissing and nonsense that I’m not in the mood to indulge.

So there’s your intro.

OFFENSE

Ewers played well enough to win and made some fine throws. For the second straight game, he hit some shots downfield and stretched the field. That’s big for our winter ambitions.

In the 1st quarter, he went 7 of 10 for 149 yards. He deteriorated predictably as the game wore on and the script ran out. He finished 27 of 46 for 358 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. He took some tough sacks that might have been avoided and made a couple of poor turnover worthy throws. He also competed and did some good stuff.

Overall, it was a QB effort that should have won for us against a defense that plays out of its mind when it sees the Longhorn logo, but the truth is that he’s a game manager, not a get-on-my-back guy. Everyone else has to show up.

Our running game was stoned by the Dawgs winning at the LOS. All three interior OL and Goosby struggled to get push. Sark got too stubborn running it and it cost us a couple of key late game possessions. 1st down run followed by 2nd and 12 ain’t a virtuous circle. I love Wisner with all of my heart and sadly he’s the only RB we can trust in a big game. This room needs a major offseason revamp. I will address that at a later time.

Golden and Moore were largely terrific. Golden had a touchdown drop on a pretty difficult play, but man we needed him to come up with it. Otherwise, his 8-162 stat line reflected his level of play. He’s been the guy for us down the stretch. Moore was terrific as well. 9-114-1. Several big boy catches and an agile touchdown scamper on a RPO that resulted in a Dan Jackson face plant. Golden’s holding call was nonsense.

I don’t have anything good to say about Bond. He’s hurt-ish, but I’m not sure that excuses running the wrong routes or just grabbing a guy’s arm on a run play because you don’t want to mix it up. We have to look at getting Wingo and Bolden more of a role instead of wishing and hoping for the returns on our September Bond in December.

Smart makes sure that when we play action and slide protect, particularly out of Pistol stuff or offset outside zone, Helm/Davis or a RB are guaranteed matchups against physically superior edges and linebackers in pass pro and it does not go well. Kirby has a good read on our protections and he understands that Ewers hates pressure – even if that pressure is being channeled by him by a blocker. When Ewers drops his eyes and brings down the ball, it’s a sack every time.

When he manages the pocket well, he creates space working with the blocker’s guidance of the defender and keeps his eyes up the whole time.

The Horns dominated offensively in the first half and got six points out of it. That’s a big part of the game result.

DEFENSE

Absolute dominance in the first half. Great game plan against everything Georgia likes to do and even some of the things they don’t.

Beck was flustered, Georgia couldn’t run and they couldn’t hold the ball. They drove for a field goal, had three 3 and outs and a 4 down turnover. Even their TE heavy sets weren’t changing the dynamic for them.

The dynamic changed when Trey Moore plastered Beck on the last play of the half.

In the second half, with a green QB limited to three QB relevant plays: QB draw from empty, WR quick screen, roll out single read dump off, Georgia had scoring drives of 75, 72 and 61 yards and then scored a touchdown in the first overtime handing off the ball up the middle with a QB with a broken wing after a telegraphed QB draw from Stockton.

An adjustment period is expected, but ours took far too long. If you want to play the “We held Georgia to 16 points in regulation and that should be enough, how dare you!” game that’s fine and at a certain level, it’s correct.

But it has little to do with the actual game that was played. The situation changes the math. Texas should have slaughtered Georgia’s second half offense after a brief adjustment period.

Seeing us treat an empty set seriously as if Stockton is going to make a three reads and nail a 18 yard curl route instead of run a telegraphed QB draw is a lack of adaptability. You blitz the hell out of it and make Georgia eat a 3 yard loss. You don’t accept a nine yard gain because you’re outnumbered and have LBs dropping into zone. Respond.

We also got flustered by the change in other ways. Beyond Georgia’s renewed scoring and yardage success, we logged 10 of our 15 missed tackles in the second half. That’s a season high and a high for any half in the season.

Andrew Mukuba played a great game at safety. 11 hard tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 pass break ups and complete recklessness with his body.

Jahdae Barron was nails. They targeted him 4 times, one catch, 9 yards. Huge interception that should have swung the game.

Hill did some very good things, but missed 3 tackles and didn’t understand some of his responsibilities when we varied fronts.

This play was a killer.

Note Simmons’ amazing pursuit and hustle. A human azimuth.

Burke has gotten criticism on this play, but he is a 4 tech. He’s squeezing inside. He has to play a peek-a-boo with a better athlete. It ain’t on him.

Hill has to know that Burke is squeezing and he has contain. Can’t wait and hop. Attack. Once #69 gets on you, you’re going for a ride. I’ve now pointed this out 56,000 times in varying forms.

Mukuba missed tackle. Have to get that stud on the ground.

Holding on Collins is fairly egregious.

Special Teams

If you look at the balance of offensive and defensive play over four quarters, Texas won.

They were whipped in the third phase: special teams.

Texas allowed a (ballsy) Georgia fake punt conversion and Auburn missed two field goals in a kicker friendly dome (one miss enabled by an offsides re-kick) while Georgia’s kicker was flawless.

The Georgia punter averaged 53.5 a kick. Kern averaged 39.

The only bright spot was a great Bolden punt return into Georgia territory.

That’s the ballgame right there.

Final

There isn’t a dominant team. Someone is going to win it and Texas is one of the primary contenders.

Before you can win the fight, don’t cut off your own head taking the katana out of the sheath.

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