I have been watching the play of the defensive line and I wanted to make a few comments about what I have seen. Let me say that I understand that it is early in the season and they are still getting comfortable in KW's system, but I think the d line should be doing more, and they have the talent to be really disruptive. I will include Overton, Russaw and Robinson since they normally have their hand in the dirt and/or generally rush the passer. Right now I believe our best line players are Tim Keenan, who is really hard to move and he seems to consistently get penetration, and Overton, who has been a beast at getting to the QB and making life miserable for opponent QBs. Russaw and Robinson are doing pretty well but they need more consistency. I notice that they get stonewalled often and they don't really keep their motor going. I like J Smith and T Smith, and they are pretty good against the run, but they don't seem to get much penetration and they are not really disruptive in the passing game. And Latham is still developing. I see him making plays occasionally, but again he needs consistency. But my biggest question is where is Jaheim Oatis? Last year he was a beast on the inside and he had a great motor, and I saw him consistently making plays and being a disruptive force. This year he is hardly seeing the field? Can anyone shed some light on this? Is he recovering from an injury? Is he not yet used to the new scheme? I really thought he would be our biggest playmaker on defense. As usual your insights are appreciated.
| FTBL Defensive Line Play
- Thread starter Crtuneman
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Oatis has been getting about 15 snaps a game... I've heard his still no quite 100%, but I'm not sure how much that is impacting his snaps. I think it's mostly a case of them having a pretty good rotation of guys there and he hasn't broken though.
Overall, I agree the DL as a whole he been too inconsistent. Been that way for a while, well before DeBoer came to town. Wommack isn't going to let that be the weak part of his defense though... so one way or another, I anticipate things will improve over time.
Overall, I agree the DL as a whole he been too inconsistent. Been that way for a while, well before DeBoer came to town. Wommack isn't going to let that be the weak part of his defense though... so one way or another, I anticipate things will improve over time.
Scrape&Search1032
Member
Pass rush wise was up front was pretty bad Saturday, outside our called blitzes, we really didn't generate anything organically. Needs to improve as we continue down the line in conference play. However, they did really well against the run.... and I hope to keep seeing that.
24and7
Member
Wommack supposedly brought a guy with him with the sole purpose of developing each defensive player the way they needed to be built up.. To focus on each individual weaknesses and correct them.. project Samson
24and7
Member
It seems like a ROACH THING.. for the past few years..
Scrape&Search1032
Member
This has been a issue for while, but they have played well this season. Especially against the run, I'm glad that hasn't been a consistent issue. Just need them to get better at getting to the QB at a consistent basis.
24and7
Member
Matt Shadeed
Alabama Crimson Tide
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They are giving up 119 ypg and ranked #42 in rushing D. Not the type rushing D that needs to be happening at Alabama. D by far has been the biggest issue. 2nd is penalties.
I think UGA only had 80 yards rushing because they got down so much they abandoned the run.
Alabama Crimson Tide
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They are giving up 119 ypg and ranked #42 in rushing D. Not the type rushing D that needs to be happening at Alabama. D by far has been the biggest issue. 2nd is penalties.
I think UGA only had 80 yards rushing because they got down so much they abandoned the run.
FWIW if you're going to look solely at a number, I'd suggest YPC average over total average per game. It's a less skewed, more practical number. But, IMO, even then, it should be used in conjunction with other stuff, especially after just 4 games when averages have barely began to settle yet.
But, the YPC against Bama is 3.41... not terrible, also not where they'd prefer it. It is better, as of now, than the last couple of seasons.
I noticed that as well. They are giving up 120 yds per game but only 3.4 yds per carry, which isn’t that bad. The logical conclusion is that the defense is not getting the opponents offense off the field. If you look at time of possession you see that opponents offense has 20 minutes per game on TOP. Part of that is the fast pace at which the offense scores. Here's something interesting. The defense is only allowing 17% conversions on 3rd down by opponents. What that means is that while the defense is getting them off the field in third down situations (Ga made 5 of 5 on 4th down, so that is an aberration) it is allowing teams to gain good yards on first and second downs. So what needs to happen is defense gets better penetration on first and second down to force the third down attempt. If they can do that (and don't let teams convert every 4th down they try) then the defense would look a lot better and the yds per game would drop.
Crimson&WhiteGecko
Member
Please keep in mind the defense has been called differently when teams are 4 down territory. Wommack discussed this in his last press conference. Kirby talked about it too. And by no means is Wommack happy with the 4th down conversion rate. Watch his press conferences. He addresses this stuff.
To ADD: we've had at least 2 opponents start playing 4 down territory before the half so far this season. They simply had NO choice because the offense was whipping that ass. And this is a team in its first year of new offensive & defensive game planning. So there are going to be some kinks that show up on offense (like not converting on 3 down like they should when teams are going on 4th) & there are going to be be some fluke situautions on defense (17+ play drives on defense & mediocre DL pressure because formations are being structured to limit the big plays).
I certainly don't like the defense not making stops. I hate it actually. But context matters too. As long as our offense is going to be scoring in bunches this is going to occur more on defense. See 2020 Ole Miss game. That was a shootout, primarily because Kiffin would go for it on 4th almost all the time. The reality is that 3rd stops defense is easier to manage than 4th down defense, especially when 3rd & short.
To ADD: we've had at least 2 opponents start playing 4 down territory before the half so far this season. They simply had NO choice because the offense was whipping that ass. And this is a team in its first year of new offensive & defensive game planning. So there are going to be some kinks that show up on offense (like not converting on 3 down like they should when teams are going on 4th) & there are going to be be some fluke situautions on defense (17+ play drives on defense & mediocre DL pressure because formations are being structured to limit the big plays).
I certainly don't like the defense not making stops. I hate it actually. But context matters too. As long as our offense is going to be scoring in bunches this is going to occur more on defense. See 2020 Ole Miss game. That was a shootout, primarily because Kiffin would go for it on 4th almost all the time. The reality is that 3rd stops defense is easier to manage than 4th down defense, especially when 3rd & short.
TerryP
Staff
I think I've made it pretty clear over the years I'm a stats/analytics guy. I haven't started looking at efficiency numbers. Injuries? Yes. It's time to watch those. But averages? No. You can't. Across the board there is no equality to judge based on opponents.
Justneedme81
Member
Misleading. Gotta be careful when you make an argument like this. Go back to the play by play chart and you'll see Etienne ran the ball mostly on 1st downs and sometime on 4th, depending on what the look was. He only had 12 carries. Half of his carries that went further than 4 yards, we had missed assignments. You circled Dillon Bell. He only had 2 carries for 9 yards.
I don't think the run was there for Georgia all night. They had few opportunities, but honestly... I wouldn't trust the number. You gotta dig in deep:
Alabama 41-34 Georgia (Sep 28, 2024) Play-by-Play - ESPN
Play-by-play action for the Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs NCAAF game from September 28, 2024 on ESPN.
TerryP
Staff
Let's go with that theory.
How long are the drives? How much time are they taking on the clock? Four touchdowns down, they knew it could have been as many as six.
Scrape&Search1032
Member
Just sit back, turn on the film.... and watch. It tells all.I wouldn't trust the number. You gotta dig in deep:
Alabama 41-34 Georgia (Sep 28, 2024) Play-by-Play - ESPN
Play-by-play action for the Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs NCAAF game from September 28, 2024 on ESPN.www.espn.com
Justneedme81
Member
what i'm saying is there's two version of the truth:
Georgia - "OH, we could've had this play. we could've ran on them. we missed opportunities"
Alabama" We did great job of taking away run for the most part. we did this and that. "
Both can be truth and both can be lies.
24and7
Member
I just hope Bama will keep “ striking the iron, while it’s hot”… I was pissed when we got cute, instead of dropping the blade and watching the rolling heads”…. I kept telling people that halftime would kill that momentum… and that UGA would adjust and attack,after halftime ( they got their pride)…
musso
Member
@Justneedme81 Nothing you said negates my point. I’ve watched the game 3 times.
If your QB is throwing interceptions, fumbled while escaping pressure, and effectively sacked for a safety, all while your RBs are getting over 4 yards/carry … then it says you’re passing more than you should be.
As good as Beck is, I bet he’s never been down 28 in a hostile environment before and been asked to throw 50 times before. UGA for so long has been able to remain balanced on offense because their OL usually has its way and their defense has always kept opponents points low. Getting down so fast was a shock, which I argue, in hindsight, should have led the UGA offense to slow down and lean on their running game, at least until our run D forced them away from it. When your defense can’t stop an opposing offense, then you need to ask your offense to help out by keeping the opponent’s offense off the field. Hence, that’s what UGA did on that long (15 play?) TD drive in the 2nd qtr. The problem is it was 4 TDs too late. I think they should have opted for slow methodical drives sooner. Imagine if UGA would have chosen to run the ball (rather than throwing from their end zone) and avoided the safety. That probably would have led them to not needing a TD in the final minute.
Look, we won the game, and it’s a moot point. But just watch if we play them again. We better be ready to stop their run. Beck cannot win throwing 50 times a game.
On a related note, I think there’s a good chance UGA doesn’t even make it to the SEC title game.
If your QB is throwing interceptions, fumbled while escaping pressure, and effectively sacked for a safety, all while your RBs are getting over 4 yards/carry … then it says you’re passing more than you should be.
I realize how difficult it would be for any coach to say, “We need to run the ball more,” down so badly. But the key is that it was still early.
As good as Beck is, I bet he’s never been down 28 in a hostile environment before and been asked to throw 50 times before. UGA for so long has been able to remain balanced on offense because their OL usually has its way and their defense has always kept opponents points low. Getting down so fast was a shock, which I argue, in hindsight, should have led the UGA offense to slow down and lean on their running game, at least until our run D forced them away from it. When your defense can’t stop an opposing offense, then you need to ask your offense to help out by keeping the opponent’s offense off the field. Hence, that’s what UGA did on that long (15 play?) TD drive in the 2nd qtr. The problem is it was 4 TDs too late. I think they should have opted for slow methodical drives sooner. Imagine if UGA would have chosen to run the ball (rather than throwing from their end zone) and avoided the safety. That probably would have led them to not needing a TD in the final minute.
Look, we won the game, and it’s a moot point. But just watch if we play them again. We better be ready to stop their run. Beck cannot win throwing 50 times a game.
On a related note, I think there’s a good chance UGA doesn’t even make it to the SEC title game.
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