Merritt Hall hanging em up

It's been a developing story really, especially once Bing-Dukes moved from linebacker to fullback.

Hall will be missed, no question. Word is he was out there in street clothes this morning coaching the backfield. Damn good Dawg y'all.

To answer yesterday's question...

...looks like Bing-Dukes is permanent at fullback, at least for this season. In light of the list of concussions, the coaches didn't have much choice but to ask the freshman to help out on the other side of the line.

“If I can help the team, I’ll do it,” he said. “It will probably be just for this year and then I’ll move back to linebacker.”

The 6-foot, 230-pound Bing-Dukes moved from defense and practiced at fullback on Monday.

The move came after starting fullback Merritt Hall was sidelined with an injury. Georgia hasn’t said the nature of Hall’s injury, but the fact that Bing-Dukes is staying at fullback could be a sign that Hall may be out for a while.

He said Georgia coaches needed him there because they were “low at that position.” He said he’s a “quick learner,” and expects to grasp the offensive playbook fast.

“I miss it a lot,” he said of linebacker. “That’s my position, but if I can help out the team then that’s all that matters.”

How does Quayvon fit into the "H-back" role?

“I don’t know if he’ll even take any fullback reps,” Bobo said of Hicks. “… I think he plays with a good base. His issue sometimes blocking has been out in space, which causes him not to fit up properly. So we think getting up there close to the line will give him a chance to be successful in the running game. Now the passing game is going to be foreign. He’s used to running in the flat and that’s about it. So he’ll have to run some different routes and that will be an adjustment for him.”

Having had a week to process this, the move is mostly because of the lack of depth at tight end. With Jay Rome missing spring practice while recovering from foot surgery, Bobo will only have the services of Jordan Davis, plus walk ons Jack Loonam and Jared Chapple this spring. And since Quayvon Hicks played some tight end in high school at Pierce County the transition there should be a smooth one during spring practices, which begin in earnest next week.

But it also appears as if Hicks is being shifted into a different role as he heads into his junior season - the H-back. This is generally a hybrid tight end position that utilizes a lot of motion pre-snap. Motion makes the defense think before reacting. The offense can set the H-back up right where they want him just before the ball is snapped. This gives the defense little time to adjust and suddenly the play is beginning and the linebackers are still thinking about what they're seeing pre-snap. And as we all know, a defense that is thinking is not reacting nearly as quickly as it would prefer.

Although the H-back has been utilized in many ways since its inception, the fundamentals for the H-back remain the same - block, run and catch, Similar to a fullback, the H-back must run downhill to help create running lanes for the ball carrier. Meanwhile, running with the football out of this position typically comes after catching a pass rather than after a handoff. A good H-back will be able to do all of these things equally.

So if this transition is a successful one, what can we expect from Quayvon this fall? Looking over his 2013 stats paints a picture of inconsistency. On one hand he averaged 9.3 yards per touch. On the other that only includes ten rushes and five receptions. The reality is that Hicks struggled to find snaps at fullback behind Merritt Hall and also dropped some passes that would have possibly helped him fit better into the offense. Hall is almost exclusively a blocker and has clearly established himself as the #1 fullback for the next two seasons. Hicks adds some other dimensions for Bobo to utilize, especially if he can prove to be a dependable target in the passing game.

The good news is that the motivation should be high for Quayvon this spring. I would imagine he's eager to prove his versatility as a player in this offense, both for Georgia as well as his future stock in an NFL draft.

Some binoculars and then a microscope

While it takes the former to even begin to see the next season, we can use the latter to examine some themes, issues and points of interest. I like to call that process...March.

As I mentioned the other day, I've been compiling a list of things to put under the microscope this off season. Most are just general bullets that may flesh out a bit during spring practices. As you glance over the list, understand that I'm not ranking them in any way. Just separating out some storylines between the end of the 2013 season and the one that is upon us in....182 days.

• offensive line - we did well in recruiting here this year. But I'd still like to go back and look at what we have as a follow up to this and this.
• coaching changes - expectations, both tempered as well as unleashed!!!!!1
• where's quayvon - started out with a bang then disappeared, wtf?
• In Hutson we trust
• Coach Richt's affordable healthcare act - we can't have a worse season injury-wise, can we?
• defensive backs - reasonable expectations for improvement
• the schedule

God. I miss football y'all. 

Gameday - battle tested or battle weary?

I think it's the former. And that is something we know these pansies from the midwest are not, having blitzed through a slate of games my daughter's flag football team could manage.

Anyway, here's some thoughts as I hit the road for Athens:

• Can we have the old Quayvon back? We caught a nice glimpse, but then he all but disappeared. I think there's more than has been alluded to (couple missed assignments against North Texas, Hall playing more consistently). There could be more there, regardless it'd be nice to see him in there even more than we saw last week. As much as I like me some Merritt Hall, Quayvon is a difference maker there and seals the edge so well on those basic pitch runs to the tailback.
• Speaking of basic plays, does Bobo dumb things down dial things back today offensively? He's got more younger players taking the field than he has in a while. Plus, there has to be a concerted effort to keep Missouri's offense off the field. And then if need be, can the offense switch gears fast enough if it becomes yet another shoot out?
• And speaking of concerted efforts, can we play as a whole team today? Can the special teams, offense and defense rise together to greet this very occasion with similar levels of intensity, focus and sheer will? I really want to see more pressure on Franklin, and I think that's where we see the difference in the schedules pay off for Georgia as opposed to the team with all the cupcake icing around their mouth.

Our offensive and defensive lines have been grinding things out for over a month. Most games are won in the trenches. I like our chances right there.

Go Dawgs!

Wednesday's gimpy ankle headers

Looking more and more like Todd Gurley won't be ready by the time the team leaves for Knoxville. Let's just hope that has much more of an impact on his Heisman numbers than the actual game itself.

Some other things of note:

• A lot of comparisons to Saturday's win over LSU in terms of crowd noise/excitement with 1984's win over Clemson. I wasn't there for Kevin's Butler's monster kick, but Marshall was. So he adds some thoughts on the big win.
• And in another post, sUGArdaddy has some cool and historical thoughts on the LSU game, as well as some observations.
• Any way Connelly breaks down the stats, he comes to the only conclusion possible - LSU at Georgia was just a remarkable game.
• Another fun activity this week has been all of the pictures from the LSU game. Tyler brings up some good "winning" ones from Jim Hipple. The second does the most for me I guess - Richt fist pumping, Bauta flying, troopers smirking, Watts Dantzler just being Watts.
• Where was Quayvon on Saturday? Mostly spectating like me and you.
• Chris Conley gets mic'd up!
• Murray Poole scouts Tennessee.
• It's been a while since Tennessee beat a ranked team. Quite a while.
• Looking for some Vol stats in bold colors? Here ya go. Like we said yesterday, Butch Jones' first defense up there really knows how to take the ball away.

Lastly, Loran writes a letter to Larry Munson. Can you imagine the replay his voice would be getting this week if he'd been around to give us the picture on Mett's last incompletion?

Can Friend's porous line protect Murray?

There are two things that give me great pause going into this SEC opener: USC tailback Mike Davis and the Gamecocks' defensive front. We looked at slowing Davis down yesterday. How will the Dawgs address protecting Murray?

Well, it's looking more and more like Xzavier Ward will play sometime soon ($). And while that might not mean as soon as Saturday, it remains a possibility. This is welcome news, but we should take it with some caution. Doesn't sound like he'll be ready for a full workload anytime soon either. Coaches will continue to be careful with the sophomore offensive tackle's knee which has been problematic since he signed with Georgia.

But I'm sure we might see some extra-jumbo sets. Ward has been working at left tackle mostly. Earlier this week Richt stood by Kenarious Gates at that position. Houston has been moved everywhere but center. Theus is accepting his role as a backup. It sounds like chaos, but is it controlled chaos?

Teams that have been successful against this defensive line have had a tackle that was able to (at least somewhat) neutralize Clowney. For as many times as we saw that one highlight from the Outback Bowl there were just as many times that Michigan's Taylor Lewan was holding his own against the all world defensive end. Last week (despite "reports" of a stomach virus) UNC's James Hurst did the same, if not more.

Coach Will Friend doesn't have that one man answer, but the question I have is will he just rotate bodies in there in hopes of stumbling onto a solution, or is there a plan in place?

Look for Bobo to do a lot of what the Tarheels did - run away from Clowney and use screens to neutralize the pass rush. But also look for a player that wasn't in Athens in 2011 or in Columbia last year to do his part...Quayvon Hicks.

Practice notes - 9 days

Simulated game last night under the lights. Here's some observations and thoughts. You can get the full stats that UGA provided here.

• Looks like JJ Green has emerged as the third string tailback. Brendan Douglas suffered a knee sprain a few days ago and Green really made the most of the workload last night (12 rushes for 62 yards) as the coaches sat Gurley out and only gave one carry to Marshall. He'll likely be the lone tailback behind the sophomore tandem as AJ Turman and Douglas nurse their injuries.
• Another freshman that will evidently be hard to keep out of a redshirt (despite so much depth at his position) is receiver Reggie Davis who had a couple catches for 29 yards.
• Malcolm Mitchell was back in action after the swelling went down in his knee, which kept him sidelined Tuesday. And even bigger was the fact that Damian Swann returned to action after giving everyone a scare Tuesday as well.
• Once again Brendan Langley and Shaq Wiggins had interceptions. Wiggins returned his for a score.
• Richt praised Christian LeMay for his representation of Tajh Boyd. He evidently had some good runs to keep the defense guessing. That's a positive sign for the next week's preparation.
• The captains for the Clemson game were announced: Aaron Murray, Arthur Lynch, Garrison Smith and Connor Norman.
• While the offense has been considered such a strong point for this season's team with so many starters having returned, one position appears to be reappearing more and more in the playbook - fullback. Quayvon Hicks had two touchdowns last night, presumably on his two carries for seven yards. This is welcome news for guys like me that long for the days of consistent and varied production from that position.

Practice resumes this afternoon with a special teams scrimmage.

Quayvon Hicks: size PLUS scheme = playing time

"He's the guy you want to get off the bus first." - Coach Bobo talking about fullback Quayvon Hicks.

via

Hicks, a sophomore from Pierce County, is turning a few heads this spring. And it's not just because the depth chart at his position is a lot narrower. Merritt Hall is nursing an injury and Zander Ogletree is not in Athens any longer.

All that being said, what makes you a little nervous about that last sentence may also convince you to get the pitcher of kool-aid out of the fridge. As consistent as Hall proved to be in run and pass blocking last season before an ankle injury sidelined him against Florida, Hicks has an extra few inches and 30+ more pounds.

If that's not enough for you, there's this:

“You don’t read any stats about him, but just playing some fullback (Friday), he picked up a blitz and just did it with enthusiasm,” Richt said. “He’s very physical, and he’s just starting to play a lot faster, and he’s more comfortable with the scheme. He’s just blocking extremely well, pass blocking, run blocking. He actually had a short-yardage run (Saturday) and he’s got good ball skills.”

Richt talked about Hicks in the context of how there was less separation between the starters and backups at many spots.

“I don’t want to brag too much about him, but he’s really starting to look like he could become a heck of a fullback,” Richt said.

Reminds me of how much Richt gushed over LSU fullback JC Copeland before the 2011 SEC Championship game.

“This kid Copeland, I smile when I talk about him because he’s a beast,” Richt said. “He wears No. 44 but he looks more like a (defensive tackle). He’s a guy that has worn out more Sam linebackers than anybody I’ve ever seen in a season. Normally by the end of the game, those guys are jumping out of the way when he comes downhill at him. …Hopefully our guys won’t jump out of the way of him.”

The key for Hicks has always been picking up the scheme so that he can help his large frame pick up the blitz and get in the way of would be tacklers. Physically, he walked onto campus ready to go. Now it sounds like his mind is in the right place when the opportunity has come knocking.

Look for him to knock a few of Grantham's boys around this Saturday.

Rewinding Ole Miss

It's getting kind of exciting. Coming off a win against Florida always elevates the heartrate, and now that we've handled Ole Miss the goals get just a little bit closer and within our reach. I eagerly cued up the DVR yesterday to check out the televised version of the game. Here's some additional observations.

• Special teams have taken a step forward: touchbacks and kickoff coverage are both good and getting better; punt return decisions are more sound; punting game was solid as Barber and Erickson averaged over 47 yards, including an absolute bomb by Barber that spanned 60 yards and the 49 yarder downed at the two that lead to the safety; extra points aren't tragically tense of late.
• Marshall Morgan had a very bad hook. I heard Kevin Butler post game talk about it some. His assessment was that he's too far over the ball. That says to me the kid needs two things: confidence and time. Would love for him to get a clutch kick here down the stretch. But file this one away for the off season, hope he gets some help that he's clearly not getting in Athens (I mean, just look at what Blair Walsh is doing since he changed zip codes).
• Despite the early protection issues that lead to drive killing sacks, I like the confidence Bobo showed in the passing game. The protection improved greatly after the first couple of drives and after the defense stopped the Rebels on their 4th down attempt Bobo took charge. Eventually the offense followed suit.
• Still, it was a curious touchdown drive there before halftime. The crowd was clearly unnerved with all the seconds dripping off the clock just to finally call a play and then lose more yards to a sack.
• Even still, it all worked out. Thanks to one of Murray's best throws of his career. I rewound that one and watched it several times. We all went from complete distress to complete elation in a matter of seconds. College football at its finest.
• I love passes to the tight end. Four receptions for 58 yards between them. Excellent. Jay Rome is slowly emerging as dependable target and Lynch is the dangerous weapon we figured he could be - blocks, blocks, blocks...then leaks out for a big gainer.
• I was wrong yesterday on my Alec Ogletree assessment. His play wasn't simply amazing, it was also spectacular. I know we frowned on all the talk about "rust", but he played Saturday as if the switch had finally been flipped.
• Also, Brother Zander proved that Jacksonville wasn't a fluke. Bobo clearly trusts him to do some things that we haven't asked Hall to do to date.
• Also notably improved, Branden Smith. Had a helluva game, coverage was spot on and continues to be one of our best tacklers.
• Overall, Ole Miss was who we expected: a fiesty young team that would make us earn our keep. They made things interesting early and we did our share to help them along. But the halftime adjustments coupled with our depth and talent eventually forced them to submit. Long was contained to 21 yards rushing, Moncrief didn't have a single catch.

It all sets up an even bigger weekend coming up. Beat Auburn, just like everyone else.

Final thoughts on the WLOCP

First, a pictorial essay. Taken after the head coach gave the referee more than earful following Blake Sailors bloody nosed scrum on the muffed punt late in the first quarter, this photo shows Dawg fans all they needed to know. So much going on, mainly that Richt is pushing his intensely aggravated defensive coordinator back to the sideline. Also, obscured by Grantham's somehow still perfectly placed microphone, Blake sailors is like WTF bro? My nose is a bloody mess, and not in the British way either dude! You've got Cornelius Washington coming in too, as well as Sheldon Dawson; C-Wash gave an inspiring speech before the game and Dawson KTMFO on the gators second kick return. All the while the referee is trying to decide if he should throw another flag due to the fact that Richt is clearly holding, mouthing off and playing without a helmet. (Luckily said ref was out of flags at the time and reached for nothing but a palm full of air.)

Ok...so I've re-watched the full 60 minutes of gator fail again. It was nearly as glorious in high definition Driskelian as it was in the live Muschumpian version. Sorry this is a day or more late, because I know we're ready to move towards Ole Miss. I think I'm still on St. Simons time. Regardless, here's a couple of late thoughts.

- Haven't mentioned the Zander sighting yet. This is a guy that many thought had long seen his last down as a Bulldog, and he comes off the bench to have his biggest game. With Hall hurting and Hicks back home with a concussion, this was huge.

- I know Jarvis earned every accolade (and more) he has received thus far for his performance, but my favorite play was Cornelius Washington blowing up, I mean absolutely demolishing the Florida tackle right into Driskel as he was throwing. That was the one that ended with a Swann interception. Just a terrific play from start to finish and one that encapsulates the game pretty well.

- Offensive line did a great job. Looked even better on tape than they did from the stands. Richt was right on the call in show when he half teased that they really gave Murray too much time. Hope this helps them puff out their chests a bit.

- Kudos to Murray for standing in there and delivering, especially on that 4th quarter drive. Ben puts it best here if you want a complete thought on it. But on what was shaping up to be one of his worst nights (thanks mostly to him, but also to some receivers to be perfectly fair), he delivered like a champion.

- Todd Damn Gurley. I re-watched with my 8yo. She summed up the whole game pretty well by saying "That's my boy!!" whenever Gurley carried the ball, and "That's my man!!" whenever Jarvis flexed his muscle.

- Just a really ugly game that Georgia came out of smelling like a rose. I know a lot of people are upset that the media is making this out to be a Florida loss more than a Georgia win. But truly, both teams have earned that distinction. Florida was a shell of a #2 team, and Georgia has more than earned the reputation of a team that pales under the lights. The challenge now is to go out and prove this wasn't an anomaly. 

So tomorrow I'll have plenty of Ole Miss stuff up. Is it really "a trap"?

Knives vs Guns in the trenches

If Tyler will allow me to pile on for a moment.

I agree, the offensive line should be improved in 2012. As much as I'll miss the guys we lost, Coach Friend's unit will be better equipped to succeed this season. As TD pointed out, the protection was slim and the running lanes were next to nil last season. And not all of that is the offensive line's fault. We had a fullback position that was under-utilized and a tight end position that wasn't able to contribute much blocking wise.

Bruce Figgins is one of my favorites to wear the red and black. I was thrilled to learn last year that he would be moving to fullback because it would allow him to be on the field with Orson, Aron or both and would put a good set of hands out of the backfield. However the result, was Figgins only caught 7 passes for 96 yards and 1 touchdown. What's more is he never carried the ball. Never. His counterpart Zander only carried it twice.

I listened to Richt's reasoning on this (previously unforeseen) development numerous times via the call-in show. Historically, Figgins had never taken a handoff. They weren't planning to (ever) allow him to carry the football. This narrows your offensive weapons and minimizes your choices. Even if it's only somewhat minimized, it still allows the defense to eliminate an option out of the backfield with zero risk of getting burned.

The tight end position did the same thing, albeit from a different direction. Aron White and Orson Charles were terrific targets for Murray. They combined for 54 catches, 675 yards and 9 touchdowns. Of course, Orson did most of the heavy lifting with those stats, but White was a frequent target in the red zone with nearly half of those touchdowns.

The problem is blocking. With all the speed and elusiveness we had at the TE position last season, we didn't have a competent blocker at the position. This, combined with the stripped down version of the fullback position, severely handicapped our protection and blocking schemes.

Enter Artie Lynch and Quayvon Hicks. Lynch has the size of a bonus offensive tackle (6-5, 270+). Hicks dwarfs our current options at fullback (let's face it, Samuel is not a fullback) and has experience taking handoffs. If he can catch up quick this summer he should be starting sooner rather than later. And Lynch, if he can sit in a zone and catch seam route in addition to his blocking duties, we're two steps ahead of where we were last season. Both in terms of protection and options within the playbook.

Of course there are things to iron out along the offensive line, much that only experience and starts can bring along. But I'll be watching Hicks' development closely this August. And come September 1st, I'll be watching the number of times Bobo and Murray call Lynch's number on passing downs as closely as anything else. If those two offensive components can come together, we'll no longer be bringing switchblades to gunfights.

statistics taken from cfbstats.com