I couldn't agree with you more! It's as if for whatever reason, BN is party to this approach. It makes me wonder who's in charge, AR or BN. For me, this is a huge red flag. There is no question that AR had to know there were pro scouts in attendance at the game and so he went full drop back. What is also intriguing is that we were down some wr starters and yet we forced the throwing game. Anyhow, thank you for pointing this out in a very compelling way. Not that it will change anything.
I never said we'd get the same results... good or bad. But the 12 personnel is a popular offensive grouping/set up that we run. Yes, Kirby under-performs... still. We run the 11 personnel more often, and I believe it's more useful, but if we had NFL tight-ends then I would use the 12 personnel more often in short yardage. And as far as Kirby goes, he's still the same below average, at best, game day play-caller. His advantage is all the 5* star players he has on his team. So, mentioning that UGA runs the 12 personnel was not me admiring his offense nor his play calling. And yes, they are under achievers on offense. If anything Kirby is a liability... with great talent to smooth over his shortcomings as a game day coach. And yes, their defense is a differnt story.
AR would still be running right now had he kept the majority of those read options. He could have gone for 100 yds in the first half alone had he decided he wanted to run the ball.
Running exclusively from the bunch set, probably, but there are other ways to line up and run from. The 12 personnel, the 20 personnel, 21... 22. We could even run from the 10 personnel, but I have yet to see us use that personnel.
Think about this. Why did they sell out for the run? It was our strength. It also meant they didn't respect our passing, they know how inconsistent AR is and that we were not like to win with his arm. The fact that they clogged the middle and sold out to the run allowed AR to pad stats throwing. Yet his arm wasn't near enough. I am convinced AR was auditioning for the nfl scouts and what's worse I believe BN knew it too.
Re uga, yes their strength is in the D. However, their O is well balanced and they have a qb who manages the game as good as anyone in the league. They have an excellent OC imo, and have a good enough O to win lots of games without having a great D. The games where it has been close I'm convinced it was more of apathy for the teams they were playing than anything else.
The missing ingredient was our 3rd team PR gifting 7 points, easy pick 6 dropped the play before the muffed punt, Johnson’s easy walk in TD drop, 4 third down penalties kept Vandy on the field and crazy int off improbable bounce that’s probably 1 in a thousand. This game was on the shoulders of the team and not 1 player.
Stats alone doesn't tell the whole story. Clutch plays. Third down conversions. Key plays to keep the drive going. Right audibles. And the biggest key for any qb is wins losses. I can't think of a game although I've certainly not followed uga football, but where SB cost them a game. The main point is uga's O is efficient and has been for 2 years now with SB. And the O for uga has been effective enough (granted excellent D) to have them in a great position to win a second title.