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Having read the article on Kaaya and Richt and seen Lu's recent post on the FB position and pacing, I went back and watch a bit more film on Rich'ts UGA offenses from the early 2000s. Specifically I looked at 2005 (DJ Shockley's year), 2007 (Stafford's sophomore year) and 2012 (Murray's junior year.) I wanted to get a feel for his offensive philosophies under different QBs, and while we can debate all day who was actually calling plays, some definite tendencies can be found.
In 2005 Georgia went 10-3 with losses to Florida (4 pts), Auburn (1 pt), and a shocker to West Va. in the bowl game. They did beat LSU to win the SEC that year, however. That's the game I spent the most time watching:
The Game Itself
Richt's philosophy for this game was simple - lean on the run game, win the first two downs to get into 3rd and short, keep Shockley's decisions simple and deliberate, and keep the offense on the field as long as possible.
To this end, UGA ran a lot of what Richt calls "21" formation (I formation with 2 WR, 1 TE and a fullback) in that game, especially early on. I believe he did this to get Shockley settled in early, limit his decisions, and establish the run. That said, their very first play from scrimmage out of that formation was a 60-yard playaction hitch-and-go to Sean Bailey for a TD. Right off the bat, Richt isn't afraid to let it loose and indeed this play in itself is a bit of a deception - LSU was crowding the LOS expecting run, all 3 LBs and the CB bit hard on the fake and it was an easy pitch-and-catch.
UGA continued to run that same 21 personnel for most of the 1st half that game, though they ran both shotgun-3 WR and some single back as well, particularly on early downs. Georgia's 2nd TD came out of that shotgun, 3 WR/1 TE formation. This time, a pump-fake by Shockley froze just about the entire LSU secondary and he found Bailey again in the corner of the endzone for an easy score. The route tree on this play was also deceptively simple for Shockley. The RB stayed in for protection, the slot and near-side receivers run quick outs, and Bailey runs a streak with a quick head-fake on the outside.
Their third score actually came off a blocked punt and started deep in LSU territory. A couple of inside runs made it 3rd and short. Shockley felt the pocket break down and scrambled 8 yards for the TD. I'd like to go deeper on this play - the formation on 3rd and 2 was an offset I but with two RBs rather than the FB, THREE TEs standing as WRs tight to the formation, and the offset RB motioning into the flat pre-snap. Before the play breaks down, the RB continues into the flat while the 3 TEs run crossing/pick routes to the middle of the field. Though the play didn't work as designed, I thought it a fitting example of a bit of creativity with personnel - imagine a short-yardage package of Herndon, Njoku, and Dobard as the WRs with Walton/Yearby and Gus as the two RBs...
As the game progressed (and with a two-score lead), Richt/Bobo gradually began to open up the offensive formations from the 21 package to more single-back, 3 WR looks. Most of the shotgun formation plays had at least one, sometimes two RBs in the backfield - often as extra protection for Shockley. However, the run game out of the 21 formation was WORKING, so they kept going to that well and LSU never really stopped them.
Another interesting play on 3rd and inches early in the 2nd half - UGA comes out in a jumbo package with the FB and 2 RBs offset in the backfield. The deep RB gets the handoff and cuts outside for an easy six yards...
By the 4th quarter, UGA has added a couple field goals and its 34-7. The final score ends up 34-14 and Georgia wins the SEC.
The Run Game
This was UGA's bread and butter all game, to the tune of 150 total yards rushing against a good SEC defense that knew it was coming. Most of the run concepts in this game were hat-on-hat blocking - inside or one-cut runs allowing the RBs to get downfield quickly. UGA used zone blocking for most of the outside runs, especially from the single-back look, allowing the RB time to scan the blocking and cut to the hole as needed. Interesting to note that Georgia had been leaning on the proverbial "Three-Headed Running Back" all year with Kregg Lumpkin, Danny Ware, and our very own Thomas Brown.
The Passing Game
Obviously the plan for this game was to lean on the run and keep the passing concepts simple and effective. Shockley ended up 6-12 for 112 yards - not exactly lighting it up - but that wasn't really the point for this game. That said, there were several plays that speak to some of Richt's tendencies as a playcaller. Specifically, Late in the 3rd quarter, UGA runs a playaction pass out of that 21 formation that is quintessential Mark Richt. The RB chips the LB and leaks to the flat, the 2 WRs run shallow crosses, and the TE runs a corner route - Shockley lays the football into the TE's hands for a nice gain.
Also, I did notice that as much as Richt was trying to limit Shockley's mistakes, he did allow him to check at the line quite often. To me, this shows a level of trust in his QB and demonstrates that he won't/didn't completely handcuff Shockley's ability to run the offense.
Conclusions
Of the games that I've watched, this one probably has the least bearing on our own personnel (with the possible exception of RB), especially as regards the QB position - Kaaya and Shockley are night and day in terms of skillsets. However, I do think this game highlights some of what I've been saying about Richt's offense since his hiring - it just makes so much SENSE. Limit penalties, establish the run, protect your 1st-year starter QB, play with a lead, and finish the game. Going forward, I'll be looking at how this compares to Matt Stafford's sophomore year at QB and I'll also look at the 2012 team with Aaron Murray (maybe the closest comparison to Kaaya we have.) The "Running Back By Committee" idea is certainly one we'll see this year from Richt - he's stated it many times - though he's not afraid to lean on a feature back if he has one (see Knowshon Moreno circa 2007-8.)
One more word on this game not related to the offense: Georgia's defense and special teams played extremely well in this game, making it much easier for Richt to stick with his offensive plan.
Overall, I think what this game shows is that Richt 1) can create an offensive gameplan that limits risk and maximizes his team's strengths and 2) can be creative without being "grab-bag."
P.S. A last word on the 21 personnel - though Richt used the old I formation, smashmouth concept basically all game long to great effect, I wouldn't be too concerned about it becoming our base package. As I'll hopefully show through the other film I've watched, Richt was simply using what worked best in that situation.
In 2005 Georgia went 10-3 with losses to Florida (4 pts), Auburn (1 pt), and a shocker to West Va. in the bowl game. They did beat LSU to win the SEC that year, however. That's the game I spent the most time watching:
The Game Itself
Richt's philosophy for this game was simple - lean on the run game, win the first two downs to get into 3rd and short, keep Shockley's decisions simple and deliberate, and keep the offense on the field as long as possible.
To this end, UGA ran a lot of what Richt calls "21" formation (I formation with 2 WR, 1 TE and a fullback) in that game, especially early on. I believe he did this to get Shockley settled in early, limit his decisions, and establish the run. That said, their very first play from scrimmage out of that formation was a 60-yard playaction hitch-and-go to Sean Bailey for a TD. Right off the bat, Richt isn't afraid to let it loose and indeed this play in itself is a bit of a deception - LSU was crowding the LOS expecting run, all 3 LBs and the CB bit hard on the fake and it was an easy pitch-and-catch.
UGA continued to run that same 21 personnel for most of the 1st half that game, though they ran both shotgun-3 WR and some single back as well, particularly on early downs. Georgia's 2nd TD came out of that shotgun, 3 WR/1 TE formation. This time, a pump-fake by Shockley froze just about the entire LSU secondary and he found Bailey again in the corner of the endzone for an easy score. The route tree on this play was also deceptively simple for Shockley. The RB stayed in for protection, the slot and near-side receivers run quick outs, and Bailey runs a streak with a quick head-fake on the outside.
Their third score actually came off a blocked punt and started deep in LSU territory. A couple of inside runs made it 3rd and short. Shockley felt the pocket break down and scrambled 8 yards for the TD. I'd like to go deeper on this play - the formation on 3rd and 2 was an offset I but with two RBs rather than the FB, THREE TEs standing as WRs tight to the formation, and the offset RB motioning into the flat pre-snap. Before the play breaks down, the RB continues into the flat while the 3 TEs run crossing/pick routes to the middle of the field. Though the play didn't work as designed, I thought it a fitting example of a bit of creativity with personnel - imagine a short-yardage package of Herndon, Njoku, and Dobard as the WRs with Walton/Yearby and Gus as the two RBs...
As the game progressed (and with a two-score lead), Richt/Bobo gradually began to open up the offensive formations from the 21 package to more single-back, 3 WR looks. Most of the shotgun formation plays had at least one, sometimes two RBs in the backfield - often as extra protection for Shockley. However, the run game out of the 21 formation was WORKING, so they kept going to that well and LSU never really stopped them.
Another interesting play on 3rd and inches early in the 2nd half - UGA comes out in a jumbo package with the FB and 2 RBs offset in the backfield. The deep RB gets the handoff and cuts outside for an easy six yards...
By the 4th quarter, UGA has added a couple field goals and its 34-7. The final score ends up 34-14 and Georgia wins the SEC.
The Run Game
This was UGA's bread and butter all game, to the tune of 150 total yards rushing against a good SEC defense that knew it was coming. Most of the run concepts in this game were hat-on-hat blocking - inside or one-cut runs allowing the RBs to get downfield quickly. UGA used zone blocking for most of the outside runs, especially from the single-back look, allowing the RB time to scan the blocking and cut to the hole as needed. Interesting to note that Georgia had been leaning on the proverbial "Three-Headed Running Back" all year with Kregg Lumpkin, Danny Ware, and our very own Thomas Brown.
The Passing Game
Obviously the plan for this game was to lean on the run and keep the passing concepts simple and effective. Shockley ended up 6-12 for 112 yards - not exactly lighting it up - but that wasn't really the point for this game. That said, there were several plays that speak to some of Richt's tendencies as a playcaller. Specifically, Late in the 3rd quarter, UGA runs a playaction pass out of that 21 formation that is quintessential Mark Richt. The RB chips the LB and leaks to the flat, the 2 WRs run shallow crosses, and the TE runs a corner route - Shockley lays the football into the TE's hands for a nice gain.
Also, I did notice that as much as Richt was trying to limit Shockley's mistakes, he did allow him to check at the line quite often. To me, this shows a level of trust in his QB and demonstrates that he won't/didn't completely handcuff Shockley's ability to run the offense.
Conclusions
Of the games that I've watched, this one probably has the least bearing on our own personnel (with the possible exception of RB), especially as regards the QB position - Kaaya and Shockley are night and day in terms of skillsets. However, I do think this game highlights some of what I've been saying about Richt's offense since his hiring - it just makes so much SENSE. Limit penalties, establish the run, protect your 1st-year starter QB, play with a lead, and finish the game. Going forward, I'll be looking at how this compares to Matt Stafford's sophomore year at QB and I'll also look at the 2012 team with Aaron Murray (maybe the closest comparison to Kaaya we have.) The "Running Back By Committee" idea is certainly one we'll see this year from Richt - he's stated it many times - though he's not afraid to lean on a feature back if he has one (see Knowshon Moreno circa 2007-8.)
One more word on this game not related to the offense: Georgia's defense and special teams played extremely well in this game, making it much easier for Richt to stick with his offensive plan.
Overall, I think what this game shows is that Richt 1) can create an offensive gameplan that limits risk and maximizes his team's strengths and 2) can be creative without being "grab-bag."
P.S. A last word on the 21 personnel - though Richt used the old I formation, smashmouth concept basically all game long to great effect, I wouldn't be too concerned about it becoming our base package. As I'll hopefully show through the other film I've watched, Richt was simply using what worked best in that situation.
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