Greene County (0-1) suffered a rough start to its 2025 season, losing 42-15 to Putnam County in Eatonton last Friday.
It was a frustrating start for new first-year head coach Darius Robinson, who was hired in February.
“We didn’t play to the standard, and there are some things that we need to fix before next week,” Robinson said.
The Tigers had several drive killers on the offensive side of the ball, including turnovers, false starts, and other senseless penalties. Their pass catchers also dropped passes thrown by quarterback Landon Garretson, while the offensive line struggled to block for tailback Dontriel Grable, especially in the second half.
Grable scored two first-half rushing touchdowns, but Greene couldn’t get its ground game going in the second.
“That’s not acceptable,” Robinson said. “We need to be able to run the ball in order to be successful.”
Defensively, the Tigers failed to force turnovers but also committed several penalties, which allowed Putnam to extend drives. Their defensive front also didn’t generate enough pressure, letting the War Eagles run free.
Putnam rushed for 340 yards and five touchdowns on the ground against Greene’s front seven on defense.
“We didn’t have guys in the right position and didn’t get much of a push up front,” Robinson said.
The former Valdosta assistant said his players will “focus” on those areas of need during practice this week.
“We’re going to harp on those things hard, get back to the basics,” he said.
Robinson acknowledged there were some positive takeaways from the loss, though. He thought the offense clicked well in the second quarter after a slow start.
Garretson connected with senior tight end August Haynes for a chunk gain, setting up Grable to score on the ground. The offensive line also created a big opening for Grable to run through on his second touchdown run.
The Tiger defense also forced several three-and-outs and made some big-time stops in the backfield.
Greene County hopes to bounce back this week against Twiggs County (0-1) on Thursday night. The Cobras are coming off a 41-18 loss to Treutlen in their opener. The Tigers won last season’s matchup, 36-0.
According to On3.com’s Massey Ratings, Greene County is predicted to be a 46-6 winner over Twiggs County.
“Not to take anything away from Putnam, but we beat ourselves in a lot of situations, and that can’t happen if we want to accomplish our goals,” Robinson said. “We need to focus on ourselves this week.”