- The NFL may be all about crazy passing statistics, but in college football, defense still wins championships. Alabama's defense is one of the best ever.
- LSU may have won if Les Miles takes Jefferson out after the first half. The decision to keep him in killed any chance the Tigers had last night.
- Andrew Luck was the best college quarterback I have ever seen. He did things at the line that Matt Ryan is struggling with now.
- The power conferences are really top heavy right now. And the SEC is still the best. It will only get stronger next fall.
- Teams on the rise for 2012: USC, FSU, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and Georgia
- Teams on the decline in 2012: Stanford, Baylor, Boise State, and Michigan State
- Tyrann Matheiu is one of the most amazing players I have ever seen. The guy just makes plays. Him and Matt Barkley are the top contenders for the Heisman heading into next year.
- The season started and ended bad for the Dawgs, but beating Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech in the same season for the first time since I have been a Georgia fan was awesome.
- Grantham getting Jordan Jenkins to come to Athens is the first chip to fall. More good news coming for Dawg fans in the next couple of weeks.
- Georgia Tech will continue to be no better than an 8-4 team until Paul Johnson realizes that just because he can recruit crappy players that fit his scheme on offense it doesn't mean you can have crappy talent on defense and be successful.
- The person I feel sorry for the most is Marcus Lattimore. The Gamecocks had their best season ever despite his injury. Hopefully he can be back at his old level next year, but unfortunately, I don't think that will happen.
- Texas was once again the most underachieving program in the country. How can a school with unlimited money and an unlimited talent pool with their own freaking television network suck.
- Despite their absolute embarrassment in the Orange Bowl, Clemson will be a force to be reckoned with next year. They were very young on both sides of the ball this year and the only real challenge in the ACC is FSU.
- This was not the year for kickers, especially in bowl games.
- Florida will still not be Florida next year. They may be better than 6-6, but they won't win the East.
- James Franklin did a great job at Vanderbilt but he is a dick. I hope they get destroyed in every game next year.
Showing posts with label Weekend Wrap Up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weekend Wrap Up. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The 2011 Season is Over
Here's what I learned this year:
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
My Final Thoughts on the SEC Championship
Doesn't Saturday already feel like a long time ago? About 72 hours ago, Georgia had built a 10-0 lead on #1 LSU and it looked like the Dawgs might pull the upset. But it wasn't meant to be. Here are my final thoughts on the game:
It sure is great to be a Georgia Bulldog.
- The defense was amazing. Allowing 0 first downs in a half is an amazing feat, especially against a highly ranked SEC opponent. Despite LSU scoring 35 second half points, the defense still played fairly well. LSU only had two real scoring drives the entire game. Their other points came off a punt return, a fumble inside Georgia's 30, another punt return into the red zone, and a pick 6. Sounds a lot like the South Carolina game, doesn't it?
- Bobo called a perfect first quarter and then fell asleep.
- Against a team like LSU, you cannot leave points on the board. And that is what Georgia did. Instead of a touchdown to TK on the first drive, we settled for 3. Instead of touchdown to Malcolm Mitchell (on a perfect throw by Aaron Murray) , Walsh missed another field goal. It should have been 21-0 and the outcome would have been much different.
- After the first quarter, the LSU defense was amazing. From pass coverage, to QB pressure, to stuffing the run. They are just so deep.
- As good as Brad Wing kicked for LSU, Butler was doing better. too bad our coverage unit started missing tackles.
- Damn the Honey Badger.
- Malcome should have started and gotten most of the carries. Crowell was hurt and looked like it (or he wasn't ready, either way). See my previous post for opinion on Crowell.
- Aaron Murray had a bad game statistically, but 7 dropped passes will do that. In the second half, LSU was in the backfield on every snap and Aaron was just trying to make plays. I can't really put the poor performance on him.
- The Dome was electric and then Mathieu returned the punt. It was a kick to the stomach and Georgia never recovered.
It sure is great to be a Georgia Bulldog.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Glory, Glory...HALLELUJAH!!!!
My first trip to Jacksonville since the victory in 2004 proved to be victorious this time around. I guess that means I am going to have to make the trip every year. I don't care how ugly the victory was, it was still a victory. And in this series, that is all that matters.
I will only spend a little breath on the bads, because we all know them. Special teams...WTF. Blair needs to see a shrink or something. The kick coverage was horrible too, even though I noticed a few more starters like Ogletree and Samuel out there. Murray made some great passes, but missed a couple of easy wide open throws. No where near as bad as last year, but still. Everything else wasn't perfect, but we won, so they are forgiveable. Now, onto the bright spots.
I will only spend a little breath on the bads, because we all know them. Special teams...WTF. Blair needs to see a shrink or something. The kick coverage was horrible too, even though I noticed a few more starters like Ogletree and Samuel out there. Murray made some great passes, but missed a couple of easy wide open throws. No where near as bad as last year, but still. Everything else wasn't perfect, but we won, so they are forgiveable. Now, onto the bright spots.
- People can give Todd Grantham crap all he wants about being a hothead, but he is one hell of a defensive football coach. He has turned this team into one of the best in the country in just two years. After the first play of the game that went for 72 yards, Florida had a grand total of around 160 yards. That is phenomenal against ANY team. The blitz worked well and we did exactly what you are supposed to do to a quarterback with a gimpy leg, make him feel uncomfortable.
- Jarvis Jones has been in beast mode all season, but it really showed. Man, I wish he would have came to Georgia straight out of high school. Grantham gets a lot of the credit for the defensive improvement, but I think Jones deserves a little bit as well. He is the play maker we needed to make the rest of the scheme work.
- Ogletree. Bad ass. All I need to say.
- Crowell had another solid game but the injuries keep biting him. I was proud to see him come back on the final drive and pick up a huge first down. People seem to be a little down on him right now, but come next season, injuries and conditioning will not be a problem.
- Coach Richt and Mike Bob deserve a lot of credit as well. The offensive game plan was pretty damn good. If Murray had not been all over the place with a few passes (and Walsh could actually make 30 yard field goals) this game could have been very one-sided. The play calling was very good.
- Hello Christian Conley! A couple of huge catches and one key PI call. It makes me giddy to think about the wide receiver position next season. King, Mitchell, Brown, Bennett, Wooten, Conley, and 6'7'' Lonnie Outlaw. That's a lot of size an experience for Murray to throw to.
- My final nod of the week goes to the much maligned Richard Samuel. He may still fall over way to easy when hit from the side and may never live up to the 5 star recruit he was out of high school, but Saturday this kid wanted that game and it was his determination that keyed the strong second half from the Dawgs. He ran hard and put his head down on every carry and showed the kind of emotion that has been missing in the Georgia backfield the last few years. When he crossed the goal line to give Georgia the lead, his excitement made me finally believe we were going to win the game. 17 carries for 58 yards may not be an impressive line, but this kid had one hell of a football game. It has been a long time, but in honor of Samuel's first touchdown since September 19, 2009, I present to you the return of the RICHARD SAMUEL TOUCHDOWN PYGMY GOAT (for more info, read this)
"I've never seen so many drunk people in my life. I jumped in crowd and all I could smell was whiskey."
And in victory, what a glorious smell that is!
GO DAWGS!!!
GO DAWGS!!!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Vandy Wrap Up: A Needed Ugly Win
Let me get this out of the way, first thing. I have mixed feelings on the Grantham situation. Coaches should not act like idiots dropping F bombs after game. There is no excuse for that. However, no head coach should ever go and start yelling at another team's player after the game, and that is what James Franklin did. From the camera angle, we don't know how much Franklin was yelling. The media has tried to make Grantham the complete bad guy in the situation, but maybe Franklin should get more blame as well. While Grantham could have gone about it with a few less F bombs, I am still glad he let Franklin know his place. I am glad Coach Grantham is passionate and will stick up for his players, but he needs to tone it down.
As for the game itself, it was ugly (to say the least) and not the outcome I expected. But a lot of people were expecting a tough game for Georgia, including Herbstreit and Corso on college Game Day, so I am not mad like a lot of people are. And for those who say this games shows that we are still horrible and are not headed in the right direction, I ask you this: Would Georgia have won that game in 2010? If you said yes, I would ask you to watch the Colorado game or the 2009 Kentucky game. Both losses to inferior teams where Georgia had leads in the second half only to give the game away.
And maybe this was just the type of game the Dawgs needed. The last time the Dawgs won an SEC game by less than 7 points was the 2009 game against South Carolina. And the time in the last few years that Georgia was able to stop a team driving in the closing minutes for a potential game winning (not game tying) score was Georgia Tech in 2009. All most of the players on Georgia know is losing close games. Finally, they got a chance to win one. Think back to 2007. An up and down Georgia team with a sophomore quarterback, a flashy freshman running back, and some up and coming play makers at linebacker won a close game at Vandy and used that to propel them to 7 straight wins and a Sugar Bowl. I'm not saying that is going to happen again, but remember that that game also ended with coaches yelling near midfield (albeit at our own players instead of the opposing coaches).
The biggest gripe I have about the entire game is the failure to cover the fake punt. At that point, Georgia had a 23-7 lead and had forced Vandy to kick them the ball back. Vandy had not scored a single point at offense and looked like they were about to get blown out. When the formation shifted, I jokingly yelled fake to the group of friends we had watching the game at my house. And, holy crap, I was right. From that point on, Vandy was back in the game and they had all the momentum. It was like that single play, followed immediately by the trick play, sucked all the life out of the defense. Vandy still could not pass the ball, but the defense's inability to wrap up on tackles nearly cost us the game. And don't get me started on the fake punt. There were multiple Vandy players who had a shot to block it, and when it happened I thought they were going to scoop and score. Our kickers are talented but they will be gone next year and if we don't improve, our freshman kicker and punter could be in for long seasons in 2012.
But the silver lining to this whole game was there were some definite positives from Saturday night. While the defense was certainly not stellar in the second half, they managed to only give up 160 yards passing and 65 of those came on a fake punt and a trick play. Vandy quarterbacks were forced into three interceptions, including a key one early in the game in the Georgia end zone. Ray Drew had a great game, including his first career sack, and looks ready to contribute down the line. And just think, when we play Florida we get Cornelius Washington and Alec Ogletree back. It may not be perfect people, but I feel a lot better about our chances with this defense taking on an injured John Brantley than I did about our defense that took on a healthy Brantley last year.
On the offensive side of the ball, Crowell's benching combined with his injuries clearly impacted the Georgia offensive attack. Despite this (an the poor defensive showing) Georgia still out gained Vanderbilt by over 100 yards of offense. Aaron Murray was still not flawless, bet his passes looked much better than they had in recent weeks. Marlon Brown and Michael Bennett both stepped up and had the best days of their career. And even though a couple of negative rushes near the end of the game hurt his average per carry, Richard Samuel looked better than I have seen in a long time. No doubt we need a healthy Crowell back there to keep our offensive successful, but hopefully this shows we can still move the ball some even if he isn't around. Keep in mind, at one point Georgia scored on 6 consecutive drives and it would have been 8 if Walsh had not missed the 42 yard field goal.
In the end, there are a lot of things to work on. Thank god the Dawgs have two weeks to rest and get healthy for Florida. The loss of Lattimore at South Carolina makes me think South Carolina will lose at least 2 of their 3 remaining tougher SEC games (Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee). Once again the Cocktail Party will most likely decide the fate of the SEC East. Hopefully, Georgia can get it together and get Richt victory 3 over the Gators.
As for the game itself, it was ugly (to say the least) and not the outcome I expected. But a lot of people were expecting a tough game for Georgia, including Herbstreit and Corso on college Game Day, so I am not mad like a lot of people are. And for those who say this games shows that we are still horrible and are not headed in the right direction, I ask you this: Would Georgia have won that game in 2010? If you said yes, I would ask you to watch the Colorado game or the 2009 Kentucky game. Both losses to inferior teams where Georgia had leads in the second half only to give the game away.
And maybe this was just the type of game the Dawgs needed. The last time the Dawgs won an SEC game by less than 7 points was the 2009 game against South Carolina. And the time in the last few years that Georgia was able to stop a team driving in the closing minutes for a potential game winning (not game tying) score was Georgia Tech in 2009. All most of the players on Georgia know is losing close games. Finally, they got a chance to win one. Think back to 2007. An up and down Georgia team with a sophomore quarterback, a flashy freshman running back, and some up and coming play makers at linebacker won a close game at Vandy and used that to propel them to 7 straight wins and a Sugar Bowl. I'm not saying that is going to happen again, but remember that that game also ended with coaches yelling near midfield (albeit at our own players instead of the opposing coaches).
The biggest gripe I have about the entire game is the failure to cover the fake punt. At that point, Georgia had a 23-7 lead and had forced Vandy to kick them the ball back. Vandy had not scored a single point at offense and looked like they were about to get blown out. When the formation shifted, I jokingly yelled fake to the group of friends we had watching the game at my house. And, holy crap, I was right. From that point on, Vandy was back in the game and they had all the momentum. It was like that single play, followed immediately by the trick play, sucked all the life out of the defense. Vandy still could not pass the ball, but the defense's inability to wrap up on tackles nearly cost us the game. And don't get me started on the fake punt. There were multiple Vandy players who had a shot to block it, and when it happened I thought they were going to scoop and score. Our kickers are talented but they will be gone next year and if we don't improve, our freshman kicker and punter could be in for long seasons in 2012.
But the silver lining to this whole game was there were some definite positives from Saturday night. While the defense was certainly not stellar in the second half, they managed to only give up 160 yards passing and 65 of those came on a fake punt and a trick play. Vandy quarterbacks were forced into three interceptions, including a key one early in the game in the Georgia end zone. Ray Drew had a great game, including his first career sack, and looks ready to contribute down the line. And just think, when we play Florida we get Cornelius Washington and Alec Ogletree back. It may not be perfect people, but I feel a lot better about our chances with this defense taking on an injured John Brantley than I did about our defense that took on a healthy Brantley last year.
On the offensive side of the ball, Crowell's benching combined with his injuries clearly impacted the Georgia offensive attack. Despite this (an the poor defensive showing) Georgia still out gained Vanderbilt by over 100 yards of offense. Aaron Murray was still not flawless, bet his passes looked much better than they had in recent weeks. Marlon Brown and Michael Bennett both stepped up and had the best days of their career. And even though a couple of negative rushes near the end of the game hurt his average per carry, Richard Samuel looked better than I have seen in a long time. No doubt we need a healthy Crowell back there to keep our offensive successful, but hopefully this shows we can still move the ball some even if he isn't around. Keep in mind, at one point Georgia scored on 6 consecutive drives and it would have been 8 if Walsh had not missed the 42 yard field goal.
In the end, there are a lot of things to work on. Thank god the Dawgs have two weeks to rest and get healthy for Florida. The loss of Lattimore at South Carolina makes me think South Carolina will lose at least 2 of their 3 remaining tougher SEC games (Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee). Once again the Cocktail Party will most likely decide the fate of the SEC East. Hopefully, Georgia can get it together and get Richt victory 3 over the Gators.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Too Much for UT
Another satisfying victory for the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday night. Like many others have written, it was certainly one of the most unusual games I have ever witnessed. From long possessions that resulted in few points to the 3rd and 56, just a strange game. But, this game felt a lot like the last few games for the Dawgs, in that the school remained somewhat close but the final outcome was never really in doubt. Here's my thoughts on this week's game:
The kind of bads (there were no real "bads" this week)
- Murray is still on his deep balls. Now, we can forgive because he was able to hit Mitchell deep twice, but he over shot TK twice wide open in the first half. If he hits other of those two passes, this game would not have been close.
- Mike Bobo, here's a little lesson: Calling a QB draw on third down once = Brilliant. Calling a QB draw again on third down later on the drive = Dumb. Also, Orson Charles is a mismatch, all the time. Just throw him the ball.
- Letting Simms complete that pass to the 1 on fourth and long. We had been pressuring his the two plays before, why we suddenly decided not to bring pressure on third and long is beyond me.
- The penalty marathon. It was horrible. From first down at the 23 and a sure fire 3 score lead to punting from around our own thirty. It did not matter here, but we can't waste good field position. This is why we continue to not put teams away when we clearly have the opportunity to.
- Injuries - Thank god it is just Vandy and the bye week coming up. We need Malcom Mitchell and IC healthy to beat Florida.
On to the goods!
- The linebacker play continues to get better each week. Just imagine what it will be like with Ogletree back in there. Gilliard was named SEC defensive player of the week and the Tennessee fans already hate Herrera and he's only a freshman.
- Grantham's D continues to get better each week. And they are mean. We injured their running back and their QB, and I am not sure how Da'Rick survived that brutal hit from Branden Smith.
- If I had to name a defensive MVP this season, it may go to Shawn Williams. Boykin is the best all around player on the defense, Jarvis Jones is an absolute beast, but ever ytime there is a key play, Shawn seems to be there.
- Crowell was pretty banged up, but he stayed in there and made some great runs in the second half. The second touchdown was a thing of beauty. Carlton Thomas continues to impress me as well and I definitely think he should be moved up to #2 on the depth chart.
- Malcom Mitchell is awesome. Great hands, great speed, and good routes. If he doesn't pull the hammy, that is a 93 yard touchdown.
- While Murray is still off, he made some good decisions to tuck and run and only made one bad throw (by my count).
Overall, it was a great night for the Dawgs. They are such a different team than they were 5 weeks ago. I have no crazy expectations of Georgia running the table, but I expect we will at least win a share of the SEC East title this year (even if we don't get the honor of getting smoked by LSU or Alabama). Saturday we go for the sweep of the state of Tennessee and then a much needed week to recover for the Gators. I'll have my mid season assessment of the team up on the blog later this week.
The kind of bads (there were no real "bads" this week)
- Murray is still on his deep balls. Now, we can forgive because he was able to hit Mitchell deep twice, but he over shot TK twice wide open in the first half. If he hits other of those two passes, this game would not have been close.
- Mike Bobo, here's a little lesson: Calling a QB draw on third down once = Brilliant. Calling a QB draw again on third down later on the drive = Dumb. Also, Orson Charles is a mismatch, all the time. Just throw him the ball.
- Letting Simms complete that pass to the 1 on fourth and long. We had been pressuring his the two plays before, why we suddenly decided not to bring pressure on third and long is beyond me.
- The penalty marathon. It was horrible. From first down at the 23 and a sure fire 3 score lead to punting from around our own thirty. It did not matter here, but we can't waste good field position. This is why we continue to not put teams away when we clearly have the opportunity to.
- Injuries - Thank god it is just Vandy and the bye week coming up. We need Malcom Mitchell and IC healthy to beat Florida.
On to the goods!
- The linebacker play continues to get better each week. Just imagine what it will be like with Ogletree back in there. Gilliard was named SEC defensive player of the week and the Tennessee fans already hate Herrera and he's only a freshman.
- Grantham's D continues to get better each week. And they are mean. We injured their running back and their QB, and I am not sure how Da'Rick survived that brutal hit from Branden Smith.
- If I had to name a defensive MVP this season, it may go to Shawn Williams. Boykin is the best all around player on the defense, Jarvis Jones is an absolute beast, but ever ytime there is a key play, Shawn seems to be there.
- Crowell was pretty banged up, but he stayed in there and made some great runs in the second half. The second touchdown was a thing of beauty. Carlton Thomas continues to impress me as well and I definitely think he should be moved up to #2 on the depth chart.
- Malcom Mitchell is awesome. Great hands, great speed, and good routes. If he doesn't pull the hammy, that is a 93 yard touchdown.
- While Murray is still off, he made some good decisions to tuck and run and only made one bad throw (by my count).
Overall, it was a great night for the Dawgs. They are such a different team than they were 5 weeks ago. I have no crazy expectations of Georgia running the table, but I expect we will at least win a share of the SEC East title this year (even if we don't get the honor of getting smoked by LSU or Alabama). Saturday we go for the sweep of the state of Tennessee and then a much needed week to recover for the Gators. I'll have my mid season assessment of the team up on the blog later this week.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Thoughts on Mississippi State
DE-FENSE (stomp, stomp) DE-FENSE (stomp, stomp)!
Wow. For all the issues Georgia may have on offense and special teams, the defense has surely made up for them. For three straight weeks, the Georgia defense has been absolutely dominant to the point where the offense knows it doesn't need to continue scoring points to win. At no point in the game after Georgia held state to a field goal to make the score 7-3 did I feel Georgia was in trouble. Todd Grantham's system is finally paying off and it makes me excited to see how the rest of the year goes. Here are my thoughts on the game from Saturday and what's coming next.
- Pressure was coming from the linebackers all day long. Jarvis Jones notched a pair of sacks and has clearly proven why he was a 5 star recruit out of high school. Cornelius Washington had the best game of his career, but of course he had to go out and do something stupid and get suspended. Hopefully this opens the door for the Pastor of Disaster to finally make his impact.
- What a difference having a true nose tackle makes. Having Geathers and Jenkins in the middle makes Abry Jones and Deangelo Tyson awesome. Speaking of Jenkins, he finally made his first big play at Georgia. I loved seeing him sling Perkins around like he was nothing.
- Amarlo Herrera has done an admirable job filling in but I was very glad to see Christian Robinson back in the lineup. He had a nice pass break up on a key third down that most players would not have made.
- The secondary coverage has been great. Now, if we just learn to actually catch those interceptions before we run for the TD, we'd be awesome. I counted three for sure pick sixes we dropped.
- Blair Walsh...ugh. I know a lot of these misses are from almost 50, but that last miss was BAD.
- Aaron Murray was up and down again. He had some nice throws but all three picks were bad. The passing game plan sucked in my opinion.
- Speaking of the play calling, why the hell was Murray throwing with the Dawgs up 21 on a first down inside MSU territory with 8 minutes on the clock. I know it was first and 18, but three more runs would have ran another two minutes off the clock. You pin them back deep and make them go the length of the field three times in 6 minutes instead of risking them getting the free touchdown. The other part of the offensive game plan I did not like is the complete lack of throws downfield. We went deep once (the incompletion to Bennett) and that was it.
- Orson Charles is in full beast mode. No linebacker in the SEC can cover him one on one (well, no linebacker currently on Georgia's schedule anyway).
- Crowell looked great in the first, not so much in the second. But the blocking was also much worse in the second half as MSU definitely made adjustments to clamp down Georgia's running attack outside the tackles. FWIW, I thought Crowell stayed in bounds from what I saw on the replay.
- Malcom Mitchell is only a freshman. I repeat, only a freshman. This kid is good.
Overall, another solid win over an SEC opponent. I said this to some friends the other night, but this season is starting to feel a lot like the 2003 team. A solid defense that keeps the team winning despite inconsistency on offense. Don't forget that Georgia's leading rushed in 2003 was Michael Cooper and David Greene only had 13 touchdowns to go with 11 interceptions. But that team found its way to the SEC Championship game and finished #7 in the country. The Dawgs are set up for similar results. A win over Rocky Top would continue to build this strong momentum as we get closer to the game that will most likely decide the SEC East, the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville.
GO DAWGS!!!
Wow. For all the issues Georgia may have on offense and special teams, the defense has surely made up for them. For three straight weeks, the Georgia defense has been absolutely dominant to the point where the offense knows it doesn't need to continue scoring points to win. At no point in the game after Georgia held state to a field goal to make the score 7-3 did I feel Georgia was in trouble. Todd Grantham's system is finally paying off and it makes me excited to see how the rest of the year goes. Here are my thoughts on the game from Saturday and what's coming next.
- Pressure was coming from the linebackers all day long. Jarvis Jones notched a pair of sacks and has clearly proven why he was a 5 star recruit out of high school. Cornelius Washington had the best game of his career, but of course he had to go out and do something stupid and get suspended. Hopefully this opens the door for the Pastor of Disaster to finally make his impact.
- What a difference having a true nose tackle makes. Having Geathers and Jenkins in the middle makes Abry Jones and Deangelo Tyson awesome. Speaking of Jenkins, he finally made his first big play at Georgia. I loved seeing him sling Perkins around like he was nothing.
- Amarlo Herrera has done an admirable job filling in but I was very glad to see Christian Robinson back in the lineup. He had a nice pass break up on a key third down that most players would not have made.
- The secondary coverage has been great. Now, if we just learn to actually catch those interceptions before we run for the TD, we'd be awesome. I counted three for sure pick sixes we dropped.
- Blair Walsh...ugh. I know a lot of these misses are from almost 50, but that last miss was BAD.
- Aaron Murray was up and down again. He had some nice throws but all three picks were bad. The passing game plan sucked in my opinion.
- Speaking of the play calling, why the hell was Murray throwing with the Dawgs up 21 on a first down inside MSU territory with 8 minutes on the clock. I know it was first and 18, but three more runs would have ran another two minutes off the clock. You pin them back deep and make them go the length of the field three times in 6 minutes instead of risking them getting the free touchdown. The other part of the offensive game plan I did not like is the complete lack of throws downfield. We went deep once (the incompletion to Bennett) and that was it.
- Orson Charles is in full beast mode. No linebacker in the SEC can cover him one on one (well, no linebacker currently on Georgia's schedule anyway).
- Crowell looked great in the first, not so much in the second. But the blocking was also much worse in the second half as MSU definitely made adjustments to clamp down Georgia's running attack outside the tackles. FWIW, I thought Crowell stayed in bounds from what I saw on the replay.
- Malcom Mitchell is only a freshman. I repeat, only a freshman. This kid is good.
Overall, another solid win over an SEC opponent. I said this to some friends the other night, but this season is starting to feel a lot like the 2003 team. A solid defense that keeps the team winning despite inconsistency on offense. Don't forget that Georgia's leading rushed in 2003 was Michael Cooper and David Greene only had 13 touchdowns to go with 11 interceptions. But that team found its way to the SEC Championship game and finished #7 in the country. The Dawgs are set up for similar results. A win over Rocky Top would continue to build this strong momentum as we get closer to the game that will most likely decide the SEC East, the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville.
GO DAWGS!!!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Looking Back at Ole Miss
What the hell, Georgia fans? Why is it that everywhere I go, people seemed to be upset about the outcome of the game this past Saturday. Why? Was the game perfect, certainly not. But it was a solid victory over an SEC team on the road. Here are my thoughts on Saturday's victory and what it means going forward.
- First things first, the defense was dominant. Holding a team to under 200 yards of offense, whether it is Ole Miss or Soutwestern Prairie View State means you had a solid effort from your defensive squad. Coach Grantham's guys are finally starting to figure things out and it shows. And my counter argument to, it was only Ole Miss, is that they still did not have 200 yards even with a trick play that went for almost 40. Take out the drive where they scored their only offensive TD, and the Rebels gained around 130 yards. That's awesome.
- Crowell is becoming the feature back we thought. He had big run after big run in the first. And even though he was clearly winded in the second, he still made some nice cuts to pick up extra yards. Samuel is serviceable, if he would just learn to stay on his feet. And Carlton Thomas is slowly but surely making me a believer.
- Hello Aron White. Glad to see our other tight end finally make an impact.
- Offensive play calling was much better, but I did not understand the reasoning for going so conservative when the lead was only 11.
- Justin Anderson is not good, but unfortunately he is all we have got right now.
- Murray looked better this week than he did against Coastal Carolina. Too bad Bobo won't let him take more shots down field. The interception was on OC, not Murray. The only bad 'lock on' moment I saw was the 4th and goal when he tried to pass to Crowell. But the pass interference was called, so it doesn't really matter.
- Special teams is really struggling right now. Part of it is players (Walsh-what the hell) and a lot of it is coaching. After great games against the Carolina school, Brandon Boykin had a bad day on kick returns. Drew Butler continues to kick well, however.
- Shawn Williams is a beast. I can't wait to see him and Olgetree back in the same lineup. Remember that the defense did all this on Saturday without Ogletree and Christian Robinson.
- What is the biggest difference in Georgia's pass defense now vs. 2 years ago? Now, the corners and safeties actually play the ball instead of the crap Willie used to have them do. I saw at least three break ups that could have been catches if the players had not watched the ball and knocked it down.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Carolina is Done, On to Mississippi
The Georgia Bulldogs completed their two game set against schools from South Carolina on Saturday with a 59-0 domination of Coastal Carolina. And while everyone expected the Dawgs to easily dispatch the Chanticleers, they did in convincing fashion which has not been the norm for Georgia against cupcake schools. This was a domination in every sense of the word and it was just what the Dawgs needed after two tough opponents to open the season. Just a couple of quick observations:
A couple of other thoughts:
- The burst that Crowell had on his first quarter touchdown was ridiculous. This kid is the real deal, both running past people and through them. Let's hope for 20 touches this week.
- The line was dominating. Even though they did not record a sack, they were making plays in the backfield and keeping the quarterback on the run from start to finish.
- Blair Walsh has some issues right now. One second he misses a 35 yards, the next he makes it from 56. One kickoff looks horrible, the next sails through the back of the end zone. We need him to get this right.
- Great game by Shawn Williams filling in at ILB. It makes me feel a lot better about facing Miss State without Ogletree.
- Aaron Murray is struggling right now. He throws into coverage too much and seems to have lost the ability to throw on the run. Wasn't that one of strengths last year?
- Happy to see Ray Drew finally make his debut. He looked pretty good, making a few tackles and getting some good pressure on the QB.
A couple of other thoughts:
- I attended the most insane high school football game I have ever seen in the Georgia Dome on Saturday night. It was my high school (South Gwinnett) vs. my wife and step brother's high school (Central Gwinnett). The final score was South 63, Central 55. The game featured over 1,300 yards of offense between the two teams, ten turnovers, and about 40 penalties. Apparently, no one plays defense in high school football anymore (I'm kidding, just not in this game). Malaci(sp) Jones, the younger brother of Notre Dame wideout TJ Jones, had like 280 yards and five touchdowns. We need to make this kid an offer.
- Penn State has to score late to beat Temple. Ohio State gets beaten by Miami. And Notre Dame knocks off Michigan State. People want to talk about the SEC East being down, but they need to be talking about the Big Ten getting beat up as well.
- Pitt and Syracuse are joining the ACC...and I don't really care. This definitely feels like a basketball move. The Big East is pretty much dead. The team I feel bad for is TCU, who was finally moving to a major conference only to see that conference dissolve before they get there. Maybe Boise State will them come back to the MWC. With the ACC growing, don;t expect any of those schools to jump to the SEC. West Virginia or Missouri are the most likely candidates for team #14.
- Florida State is back...almost.
- What a devastating injury for Justin Hunter of Tennessee. That leaves Tyler Bray with only Da'Rick to throw to. We'll see how is stats hold up.
- LSU at West Virginia on Saturday night in Morgantown is going to be a hell of a scene.
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Effort Was There, Now We Need Results
What a tough game for a Georgia fan to watch. Saturday's 45-42 defeat at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks may be one of the most gut wrenching games I have seen at Georgia. There have been bad losses and close losses, but this is one game where I felt the team played pretty well, yet still ended up on the losing side. There are not many times can you say that 3 plays in a game make the difference between a loss and a blowout victory. The effort put forth by the team on Saturday was such a seismic difference from week 1 that I felt Georgia just deserved to win. But that didn't happen.
So let's start with what went wrong:
At the end of the day, this game should have been a victory. The team I saw on Saturday looked nothing like the one we saw in the Dome last week. If they cut just a few of the mistakes, they could begin to play great football. We should get an easy win on Saturday against Coastal Carolina and it would not surprise me to see us follow that with four more wins. The talent is there.
GO DAWGS!!!
So let's start with what went wrong:
- Three turnovers lead to three touchdowns (including 2 defensive scores). Couple this with the fake punt and that is how the Dawgs lost the game. We can't lose the turnover battle. This felt a lot like a game from the 2009 season, in that respect.
- The passing game was almost non-existent in the first half. Murray was constantly on the run and receivers were not getting open. As a matter of fact, I think there were only two completions to receivers the entire first half. The interception was horrible, with Murray throwing it directly into a blanketed man. Murray's numbers look pretty good this year, but he has not been up to par with last season.
- The offensive line is still not providing proper protection. I know the play that ended with Clowney causing the Murray fumble was a screen, but you at least need to try and block a little bit. Justin Anderson still looks lost on pass coverage.
- The running game may have had a nice day, but why are we running out of the shotgun on 3rd and 1?!?
- Jordon Love's pass interference may be the play that cost the Dawgs the game. We got good pressure and it was a bad pass from Garcia. There was no need to hop on the guy's back. It gave Carolina new life and Lattimore scored just a few plays later.
- What is up with Walsh? The chip shot field goal he missed ended up being the difference in the final score!
- No receptions for Orson Charles. REALLY?!?
- Brandon Boykin is the best player we have right now. Solid on defense, makes things happen on offense, and is just amazing on kick offs.
- Rambo and Cummings had great games. It made me feel that we really missed Rambo against Boise. Garcia was basically a non-factor with the exception of the touchdown to Jeffrey.
- The receivers showed up in the second half and looked like they may be a good bunch. I said it last week and I'll say it again, Malcolm Mitchell should be starting.
- The defense overall played a hell of a game. Lattimore racked a ton of yards on a few carries in the 4th, but other than that the Dawgs did a much better job tackling him than they did last year. Garcia was held in check and we even got some sacks. It is a shame when a defensive effort like that was wasted with turnovers. If you take out the fake punt, the defense allowed 335 yards. Pretty damn good against a team with a senior quarterback and All-Americans at receiver and running back.
- The coaching was better. Definitely not perfect. Allowing the fake punt was all on the coaches. I mean, it was Spurrier after all.
- Michael Bennett has good hands. He may be the slot guy we are looking for.
- Marlon Brown and TK have talent, we just need to get them the ball.
- Isaiah Crowell showed on Saturday why he was the #1 running back recruit in the country. 158 total yards on just 18 touches and two scores. We have to get him the ball 25 times a game. His running on Saturday reminded me a lot of Knowshon Moreno. A number of times he got hit right at the line of scrimmage, but somehow ended up with a 3 yard gain. And if you watch the game, look for a play in the first half when a SC defender blows him up about 10 yards into a carry, he shrugs it off and picks up another 15 or so. The kid is that good, we just need to use him. (added video)
At the end of the day, this game should have been a victory. The team I saw on Saturday looked nothing like the one we saw in the Dome last week. If they cut just a few of the mistakes, they could begin to play great football. We should get an easy win on Saturday against Coastal Carolina and it would not surprise me to see us follow that with four more wins. The talent is there.
GO DAWGS!!!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thoughts on Florida and Where To Go From Here
With the alcohol completely out of my system, here are my thoughts on the loss to Florida on Saturday:
- I have seen this written a lot and I have to agree, Georgia looked completely unprepared during much of the first half. Murray made a couple of bad throws and the team looked like a deer in the headlights.
- As I said in my drunken rant, Urban Meyer's use of Chris Rainey really solidified everything that was questioned about his character. All he wanted was to win to the point of using Rainey as the feature of the offense for much of the first half.
- I watched the game with a Florida fan and had some great conversations throughout the game. While the TV kept trying to point out the "brilliance" of the Urban Meyer wrinkle offense, we both agreed that if they had just let Brantley sit back and pass, Florida could have had a much bigger lead.
- Aaron Murray played like a talented freshman. The mistakes were bad, particularly the fumble that not only killed a good drive but flipped the field. The second interception was Aron White's fault. That being said, there is not way this game goes to overtime without Murray on the field. The coach staffing seemed to abandon the running game in the second half, leaving it all on Murray. He answered the call. Unfortunately, the high throw to AJ in overtime will erase the great second half effort.
- Caleb King was a beast when he got the ball and Ealey was clearly bothered by the knee, but the total carries were basically the same.
- Could this finally be the breakthrough we have been waiting for from Orson Charles?
- Where is Wooten?
My last thought concerns overtime. For Georgia, going to overtime was the perfect set up for a victory. Florida was without their starting and back up kickers and the pressure was on their punter. If the Dawgs at least had a field goal on the board when Henry goes to kick, it would have been a much tougher situation. But with no fear of a loss with a miss, Henry nailed the kick. Georgia never seems to get the lucky bounces against Florida. Another game in Jacksonville lost and with it, perhaps even bowl eligibility. I surely do not want the season to end in Sandford stadium in four weeks, but it may just happen.
- I have seen this written a lot and I have to agree, Georgia looked completely unprepared during much of the first half. Murray made a couple of bad throws and the team looked like a deer in the headlights.
- As I said in my drunken rant, Urban Meyer's use of Chris Rainey really solidified everything that was questioned about his character. All he wanted was to win to the point of using Rainey as the feature of the offense for much of the first half.
- I watched the game with a Florida fan and had some great conversations throughout the game. While the TV kept trying to point out the "brilliance" of the Urban Meyer wrinkle offense, we both agreed that if they had just let Brantley sit back and pass, Florida could have had a much bigger lead.
- Aaron Murray played like a talented freshman. The mistakes were bad, particularly the fumble that not only killed a good drive but flipped the field. The second interception was Aron White's fault. That being said, there is not way this game goes to overtime without Murray on the field. The coach staffing seemed to abandon the running game in the second half, leaving it all on Murray. He answered the call. Unfortunately, the high throw to AJ in overtime will erase the great second half effort.
- Caleb King was a beast when he got the ball and Ealey was clearly bothered by the knee, but the total carries were basically the same.
- Could this finally be the breakthrough we have been waiting for from Orson Charles?
- Where is Wooten?
My last thought concerns overtime. For Georgia, going to overtime was the perfect set up for a victory. Florida was without their starting and back up kickers and the pressure was on their punter. If the Dawgs at least had a field goal on the board when Henry goes to kick, it would have been a much tougher situation. But with no fear of a loss with a miss, Henry nailed the kick. Georgia never seems to get the lucky bounces against Florida. Another game in Jacksonville lost and with it, perhaps even bowl eligibility. I surely do not want the season to end in Sandford stadium in four weeks, but it may just happen.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Thoughts on Arkansas
I've waited a few days before writing my thoughts on the last minute loss to Arkansas on Saturday. For much of the game, Georgia looked like a team lost. Lost in the expectations of the fans, in the talent of the other team, and looking for an identity of its own. My thoughts on this game were all over the place, from the incredibly disappointed to the extactically optimistic. When we stopped the Hogs again after getting back to a tie in the fourth, I'd be lying if I said I did not think we were going to win on a field goal. If there is one word I could use to describe my feelings, the word is polarizing. We are 1-2 and looking at a long season ahead, but there certainly are some bright spots from the game.
Let's start with the bad:
- We lost. There's nothing worse than losing in football. Doesn't matter if it is by 1 or 100, it is still a loss in the books. And while I am happy we fought back and had a chance to win, it doesn't really matter in the end.
- Poor Aaron Murray. Yes, he held on to the ball too long a few times, but his receivers were covered. Would you have rather he thrown it up and risked an interception?
- Blown coverages. We got burned short and burned deep. Why can we not defend a crossing route over the middle???
- Without AJ, it is clear we are missing a deep threat. Arkansas stayed in man coverage and the receivers were not getting much separation to take advantage.
- Ealey is a good runner, but we need Caleb back in the game. He is an excellent blocker Ealey clearly is not getting the job done.
- We really missed Branden Smith.
Now, the positive:
- Murray is a special player. Yes, he still makes some freshman mistakes. But he was about one 15 yard pass away from having his very own "David Greene" moment.
- Durham continues to impress me. When AJ gets back, Durham may get even more chances to shine.
- The tackling was improved.
- We fought back. The team could have easily caved with Arkansas up 14 in the 4th. But they didn't. To all those fans who left, shame on you. The team didn't quit, why did you???
We've got to pick up the pieces and move on. There is still a lot of season left. Losing to arguably the best South Carolina and Arkansas teams each school has had in at least a decade does not make me feel so bad. We can right the ship in Starkville on Saturday.
GO DAWGS!!!!
Let's start with the bad:
- We lost. There's nothing worse than losing in football. Doesn't matter if it is by 1 or 100, it is still a loss in the books. And while I am happy we fought back and had a chance to win, it doesn't really matter in the end.
- Poor Aaron Murray. Yes, he held on to the ball too long a few times, but his receivers were covered. Would you have rather he thrown it up and risked an interception?
- Blown coverages. We got burned short and burned deep. Why can we not defend a crossing route over the middle???
- Without AJ, it is clear we are missing a deep threat. Arkansas stayed in man coverage and the receivers were not getting much separation to take advantage.
- Ealey is a good runner, but we need Caleb back in the game. He is an excellent blocker Ealey clearly is not getting the job done.
- We really missed Branden Smith.
Now, the positive:
- Murray is a special player. Yes, he still makes some freshman mistakes. But he was about one 15 yard pass away from having his very own "David Greene" moment.
- Durham continues to impress me. When AJ gets back, Durham may get even more chances to shine.
- The tackling was improved.
- We fought back. The team could have easily caved with Arkansas up 14 in the 4th. But they didn't. To all those fans who left, shame on you. The team didn't quit, why did you???
We've got to pick up the pieces and move on. There is still a lot of season left. Losing to arguably the best South Carolina and Arkansas teams each school has had in at least a decade does not make me feel so bad. We can right the ship in Starkville on Saturday.
GO DAWGS!!!!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Thoughts on South Carolina
We knew it was going to be a tough game with AJ out of the lineup. At times the offense looked good, but only getting 6 points off three trips to the red zone killed us. But that's not the really story of this game.
Following the game, many people were quick to jump online and immediately blame the defense. Yes, the tackling was bad, but Lattimore is the real deal and sometimes, good players make good plays. Overall, I felt the defense actually played pretty well. Before you jump down my throat, let me explain.
On the legs of Lattimore, South Carolina moved the ball down the field fairly easy today. The defensive gameplan was pretty dead on, the execution was what killed us. It began in the first quarter with arguably the most important play in the entire game. Georgia forced Carolina into a 3rd and long, but a 21 yard draw by Lattimore kept the Gamecocks on the field. they would keep the ball for the first 8 minutes of the game and ended the drive with a touchdown. At that point, are defense was already beat down.
From that point on, the Georgia defense was able to hold its won pretty well. Yes, Carolina did score again, but if you were to tell me after the opening drive that Carolina would only score twice more the entire game, I would be pretty happy. the defense stood strong through much of the second half, holding Carolina to only a field goal. Justin Houston continued to be a beast, notching three sacks and forcing a fumble. What hurt the Georgia defense all day was not the scheme as much in the fact they were on the field for most of the game. The Georgia offense only had the ball 8 times in the game and four of those ended in three and outs. With a tired defense, that is just inexcusable.
Onto the offense, where I really have to question the lack of creativity in the play calling. I know we had a redshirt freshman making his first road start, but in my eyes Aaron Murray looked up to the challenge. He threw the ball well and did not make the mistakes he made in week 1. The problem was, we once again failed to force our wide receivers into action. With AJ out, clearly we don't have that great deep threat, but three passes beyond fifteen yards is not going to get the job done.
Ealey looked good running the ball, especially in the first half. I know Caleb was nursing an ankle injury, but I would have at least liked to see him on the field. He is a different type of runner than Ealey and maybe that change in style would have opened up the run game a little more. the Ealey fumble really killed the game for us. I felt we had the momentum swinging our way, but it just wasn't meant to be.
Overall, this was a bad game but there are a number of good things to take away. I think the defense will only to continue to improve. Coach Grantham's system was solid, now we just need to crank up the execution. Aaron Murray is going to be a great quarterback. He looked poised on the road and will only continue to get better. This is only one loss and at least it happened early. With a pass heavy Arkansas team coming to town, hopefully the defense can continue to get pressure and maybe force some bad throws from Mallet.
We've got ten games to go in the '10 season. Let's not panic. A 17-6 loss on the road to Carolina is bad, but we were still within a touchdown with the ball with about 7 minutes left in the game.
And hey, things could be worse. At least we lost to a talented team. Can't say the same for Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech.
GO DAWGS!!!
Following the game, many people were quick to jump online and immediately blame the defense. Yes, the tackling was bad, but Lattimore is the real deal and sometimes, good players make good plays. Overall, I felt the defense actually played pretty well. Before you jump down my throat, let me explain.
On the legs of Lattimore, South Carolina moved the ball down the field fairly easy today. The defensive gameplan was pretty dead on, the execution was what killed us. It began in the first quarter with arguably the most important play in the entire game. Georgia forced Carolina into a 3rd and long, but a 21 yard draw by Lattimore kept the Gamecocks on the field. they would keep the ball for the first 8 minutes of the game and ended the drive with a touchdown. At that point, are defense was already beat down.
From that point on, the Georgia defense was able to hold its won pretty well. Yes, Carolina did score again, but if you were to tell me after the opening drive that Carolina would only score twice more the entire game, I would be pretty happy. the defense stood strong through much of the second half, holding Carolina to only a field goal. Justin Houston continued to be a beast, notching three sacks and forcing a fumble. What hurt the Georgia defense all day was not the scheme as much in the fact they were on the field for most of the game. The Georgia offense only had the ball 8 times in the game and four of those ended in three and outs. With a tired defense, that is just inexcusable.
Onto the offense, where I really have to question the lack of creativity in the play calling. I know we had a redshirt freshman making his first road start, but in my eyes Aaron Murray looked up to the challenge. He threw the ball well and did not make the mistakes he made in week 1. The problem was, we once again failed to force our wide receivers into action. With AJ out, clearly we don't have that great deep threat, but three passes beyond fifteen yards is not going to get the job done.
Ealey looked good running the ball, especially in the first half. I know Caleb was nursing an ankle injury, but I would have at least liked to see him on the field. He is a different type of runner than Ealey and maybe that change in style would have opened up the run game a little more. the Ealey fumble really killed the game for us. I felt we had the momentum swinging our way, but it just wasn't meant to be.
Overall, this was a bad game but there are a number of good things to take away. I think the defense will only to continue to improve. Coach Grantham's system was solid, now we just need to crank up the execution. Aaron Murray is going to be a great quarterback. He looked poised on the road and will only continue to get better. This is only one loss and at least it happened early. With a pass heavy Arkansas team coming to town, hopefully the defense can continue to get pressure and maybe force some bad throws from Mallet.
We've got ten games to go in the '10 season. Let's not panic. A 17-6 loss on the road to Carolina is bad, but we were still within a touchdown with the ball with about 7 minutes left in the game.
And hey, things could be worse. At least we lost to a talented team. Can't say the same for Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech.
GO DAWGS!!!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Thoughts on: Louisiana-Lafayette
Now that I've had a chance to rewatch the game on the DVR, here are my thoughts on the 2010 opener:
- Todd Grantham is awesome! All of the Georgia coaches were wearing white shirts on Saturday, except for Coach Grantham who sported a black Georgia polo. He was fired up when we made great plays, but even more fired up when Rambo blew his coverage on the 60 yard touchdown. I've never seen a crowd get so excited about a coach chewing out a player. It was the complete opposite of Willie.
-That was the most vanilla offense I think I have ever seen us run. The running plays were mostly straight up the middle, we did not run any zone reads, and even barely used the toss sweep. So while the rushing numbers were not fantastic, they were pretty good considering ULL was stacking the box.
- Murray is a playmaker. While the touchdown run may have not been the best decision, he still got the ball into the end zone. But the play that really impressed me was the incompletion to Logan Gray in the end zone. even if he would have caught it, there would have been a penalty, but it was a great scramble and throw. I also really liked the come back route by Orson Charles. Murray can definitely make things happen and with a more open playbook, he may out up some really big numbers this year.
- Jakar Hamilton is going to be great in the secondary. covers well, hits hard, and should have had two picks.
- Justin Houston was unstoppable. I see him getting the Pollack treatment from now on.
- The player who impressed me the most: Christian Robinson. Seemed to be everywhere, all game long. He has a bright future in the 3-4.
- My last thought concerns the AJ Green situation. I think it is horrible that the NCAA has not made a ruling. If he is going to be suspended, make that decision. even if AJ did not attend the party in Miami, the NCAA can deem any type of contact as a violation. Since it seems pretty clear that he was at least invited to the party, that may be what they are looking at. Or it could be something different all together. Either way, the decisiveness is crap. They made a ruling on Dareus at Alabama, why can't they make one on AJ.
All in, a great way to start. We didn't look flat like we typically do in these cupcake games. The defense looked great and the offense looked better on TV than it did in person. Next week is going to be a battle.
GO DAWGS!!!
- Todd Grantham is awesome! All of the Georgia coaches were wearing white shirts on Saturday, except for Coach Grantham who sported a black Georgia polo. He was fired up when we made great plays, but even more fired up when Rambo blew his coverage on the 60 yard touchdown. I've never seen a crowd get so excited about a coach chewing out a player. It was the complete opposite of Willie.
-That was the most vanilla offense I think I have ever seen us run. The running plays were mostly straight up the middle, we did not run any zone reads, and even barely used the toss sweep. So while the rushing numbers were not fantastic, they were pretty good considering ULL was stacking the box.
- Murray is a playmaker. While the touchdown run may have not been the best decision, he still got the ball into the end zone. But the play that really impressed me was the incompletion to Logan Gray in the end zone. even if he would have caught it, there would have been a penalty, but it was a great scramble and throw. I also really liked the come back route by Orson Charles. Murray can definitely make things happen and with a more open playbook, he may out up some really big numbers this year.
- Jakar Hamilton is going to be great in the secondary. covers well, hits hard, and should have had two picks.
- Justin Houston was unstoppable. I see him getting the Pollack treatment from now on.
- The player who impressed me the most: Christian Robinson. Seemed to be everywhere, all game long. He has a bright future in the 3-4.
- My last thought concerns the AJ Green situation. I think it is horrible that the NCAA has not made a ruling. If he is going to be suspended, make that decision. even if AJ did not attend the party in Miami, the NCAA can deem any type of contact as a violation. Since it seems pretty clear that he was at least invited to the party, that may be what they are looking at. Or it could be something different all together. Either way, the decisiveness is crap. They made a ruling on Dareus at Alabama, why can't they make one on AJ.
All in, a great way to start. We didn't look flat like we typically do in these cupcake games. The defense looked great and the offense looked better on TV than it did in person. Next week is going to be a battle.
GO DAWGS!!!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Thoughts on Arkansas
Well, I might as well give up trying to figure out what this group of Bulldogs is going to do when it steps on the field on Saturdays in 2009. I knew the Dawgs would score more than most people thought (I predicted 34 points), but no way did i for see the Dawgs giving up 41 and scoring 52 of their own. Here's a run down of what I saw out of the Dawgs last night.
Let's start with the bad, because there was plenty of it. While the game plan put together by Willie Martinez did what it was supposed to against South Carolina, it failed miserably against Arkansas. The Dawgs were repeatedly beaten short, deep, over the middle, and in the flats. In other words, the Georgia defense did very little to shut down Ryan Mallett all night long. Mallett has a great arm (even better than I thought coming in) and made some great throws, but in most cases he was simply playing pitch and catch with open receivers. Was the coverage really that bad? My answer is no and here is why. Georgia's complete failure to get any kind of pass rush allowed Mallett to take his time. A good quarterback with plenty of time will find someone open, no matter how good the coverage is. I felt like I was watching a Patriots game from a few years ago where Tom Brady had all day to find Randy Moss. There are major issues with the pass defense and luckily for Georgia, there is not another big time passing program on the schedule for the next few weeks.
Once again, the kickoffs were an issue. After a good week against Carolina and some decent kickoffs in the first half, the Dawgs seemed to go back to the directional kicking. Walsh ended up kicking 2 in a row out of bounds. Georgia then brought in Bogatay and had him kick a pooch kick which gave Arkansas position ahead of the 40. Giving teams with any kind of offense this good of field position is just asking to be scored on. Penalties were once again a major problem, but at least Reshad Jones managed to avoid any personal fouls this week. Other than the pass defense, the other major concern I have for Georgia going forward is the turnovers. Once again, two fumbles inside our own 35 left Arkansas with a short field and the capitalized on both. You can't keep asking the defense to get a stop and then turn around to head back out two plays later in worse field position they were in. Losing the turnover battle 3-1 every game is not going to cut it with LSU, Tennessee, Florida, and Auburn left on the schedule.
Now, onto the good things about the win over Arkansas.
The Dawg Nation can no longer doubt Joe Cox. The performance he put up last night may have been better than ANY performance Stafford put on in 3 years at the position. For his 375 yard, 5 touchdown performance, the Ginger Assassin (or Ginger Ninja if you prefer) was named National Offensive Player of the Week. Add in the dropped pass by TK, and Cox would have had over 400 yards and 6 scores. His passes had zip, the deep balls were on the money, and the decision making was great. He found the open man, be it Mike Moore, Orson Charles, or AJ Green and never doubted his arm. What a great performance.
AJ Green turned in another amazing game and is really starting to show what a difference being healthy makes. AJ had an amazing 2008, but in '09 he looks stronger, faster, and more confident. We may be looking at the best receiver to ever come through Athens and quite possibly the best receiver in the country. Richard Samuel's 80 yard run was a thing of beauty, but overall he had a pretty pedestrian night. I was very excited to see the great effort turned in by Caleb King. King ran like a man who was ready to be a top player in the SEC and I can only expect his carries will increase in the coming weeks.
We won the game and that is all that matters. We come home to face Arizona State before LSU comes to town. Let's hope Coach Richt and the staff make some changes, or we could be in for more shootouts this season.
GO DAWGS!!!
Let's start with the bad, because there was plenty of it. While the game plan put together by Willie Martinez did what it was supposed to against South Carolina, it failed miserably against Arkansas. The Dawgs were repeatedly beaten short, deep, over the middle, and in the flats. In other words, the Georgia defense did very little to shut down Ryan Mallett all night long. Mallett has a great arm (even better than I thought coming in) and made some great throws, but in most cases he was simply playing pitch and catch with open receivers. Was the coverage really that bad? My answer is no and here is why. Georgia's complete failure to get any kind of pass rush allowed Mallett to take his time. A good quarterback with plenty of time will find someone open, no matter how good the coverage is. I felt like I was watching a Patriots game from a few years ago where Tom Brady had all day to find Randy Moss. There are major issues with the pass defense and luckily for Georgia, there is not another big time passing program on the schedule for the next few weeks.
Once again, the kickoffs were an issue. After a good week against Carolina and some decent kickoffs in the first half, the Dawgs seemed to go back to the directional kicking. Walsh ended up kicking 2 in a row out of bounds. Georgia then brought in Bogatay and had him kick a pooch kick which gave Arkansas position ahead of the 40. Giving teams with any kind of offense this good of field position is just asking to be scored on. Penalties were once again a major problem, but at least Reshad Jones managed to avoid any personal fouls this week. Other than the pass defense, the other major concern I have for Georgia going forward is the turnovers. Once again, two fumbles inside our own 35 left Arkansas with a short field and the capitalized on both. You can't keep asking the defense to get a stop and then turn around to head back out two plays later in worse field position they were in. Losing the turnover battle 3-1 every game is not going to cut it with LSU, Tennessee, Florida, and Auburn left on the schedule.
Now, onto the good things about the win over Arkansas.
The Dawg Nation can no longer doubt Joe Cox. The performance he put up last night may have been better than ANY performance Stafford put on in 3 years at the position. For his 375 yard, 5 touchdown performance, the Ginger Assassin (or Ginger Ninja if you prefer) was named National Offensive Player of the Week. Add in the dropped pass by TK, and Cox would have had over 400 yards and 6 scores. His passes had zip, the deep balls were on the money, and the decision making was great. He found the open man, be it Mike Moore, Orson Charles, or AJ Green and never doubted his arm. What a great performance.
AJ Green turned in another amazing game and is really starting to show what a difference being healthy makes. AJ had an amazing 2008, but in '09 he looks stronger, faster, and more confident. We may be looking at the best receiver to ever come through Athens and quite possibly the best receiver in the country. Richard Samuel's 80 yard run was a thing of beauty, but overall he had a pretty pedestrian night. I was very excited to see the great effort turned in by Caleb King. King ran like a man who was ready to be a top player in the SEC and I can only expect his carries will increase in the coming weeks.
We won the game and that is all that matters. We come home to face Arizona State before LSU comes to town. Let's hope Coach Richt and the staff make some changes, or we could be in for more shootouts this season.
GO DAWGS!!!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Week 11: Impressions and Ramblings
Georgia 42, Kentucky 38
- Wow, what a game. I told other people this weekend that if I wasn’t a Georgia fan, that game would have been awesome. However, I am a Dawg fan and I almost had a heart attack. The important thing is that Georgia came out of Lexington with a victory.
- Wow, what a game. I told other people this weekend that if I wasn’t a Georgia fan, that game would have been awesome. However, I am a Dawg fan and I almost had a heart attack. The important thing is that Georgia came out of Lexington with a victory.
- While I may not have correctly guessed the final score, at least I was right about Georgia jumping out to a big lead. The Dawgs got out to a quick start scoring two quick touchdowns on a pass from Stafford (career high 373 yards passing with 3 TDs) and a hard fought six yard score by Knowshon Moreno (123 yards and 3 TDs). The offense kept going most of the day, scoring touchdowns on six of its ten total possessions.
15 touchdowns on the season with 3 games to go. Please come back next year!
- While Mohamed Massaquoi did not quite match Fred Gibson’s Georgia record of 201 yards receiving, the senior from Charlotte turned in a hero worthy performance. MoMass had eight catches for 191 yards and a touchdown. After two costly fumbles on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter, it looked like he may end up being the goat. With Georgia down three points and the ball inside its own 20, Stafford hit Massaqoui across the middle and Mo did the rest. 78 yards later, the Dawgs were inside the Kentucky 10 and Stafford hit AJ Green for the game winning touchdown.
The Texas gunslinger waited just long enough to find AJ in the back of the endzone for the winning touchdown.
In the words of Jonathan Moxon in Varsity Blues, “If we go out and half-ass it 'cause we're scared, then we'll always wonder if we were really good enough. But if we go out there and give it all we've got... that's heroic.” Mohamed, that was a heroic effort.
- The downfall of Georgia’s special teams continues to perplex me. Maybe we have been spoiled with great kickers and excellent special teams players, but the breakdown in punt blocking and kick-off return coverage on Saturday was embarrassing. Not to mention that we have stuck by the directional kick off game plan with limited success and an out of bounds kick off on Saturday initially looked like it might spell disaster for the Dawgs. If Kentucky had not returned the favor with a kick off of their own out of bounds, the special teams collapse could have yielded a far worse outcome than it ultimately did.
- The defense stepped up when they had to in the 4th. Is it just me, or does Georgia’s defense seem to strike fear in exactly NO ONE? What happened to the days when teams were scared to come across the middle because Thomas Davis or Sean Jones was waiting for the kill. I really miss Brian Van Gorder.
Texas Tech is for real
- I thought the Red Raiders would fold in their second week in the spotlight to a well rounded Oklahoma State team who took Texas to the wire. I was wrong. The offense led by Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree scored on seven consecutive possessions after a fumble on the opening drive and never looked back. Their defense also showed its muscle, keeping the Cowboy offense in check in the blowout victory.
- I thought the Red Raiders would fold in their second week in the spotlight to a well rounded Oklahoma State team who took Texas to the wire. I was wrong. The offense led by Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree scored on seven consecutive possessions after a fumble on the opening drive and never looked back. Their defense also showed its muscle, keeping the Cowboy offense in check in the blowout victory.
- Graham Harrell is a heck of a quarterback. Over the last ten years, Red Raider quarterbacks have consistently put up huge numbers in their pass happy offense. But Kliff Kingsbury, BJ Symons, and others all failed to find success at the next level. I believe that Harrell will be a different case. He makes every throw with crisp accuracy and has the arm strength to play on Sunday.
The Heisman front-runner could not be stopped on Saturday
SEC Championship Match Up
- If Alabama and Florida win their remaining games, the game in Atlanta will most likely be a match up of the #1 team in the country against either the #2 or #3 team in the BCS.
- If Alabama and Florida win their remaining games, the game in Atlanta will most likely be a match up of the #1 team in the country against either the #2 or #3 team in the BCS.
- Alabama was pushed to the limits against LSU on Saturday. After Jarrett Lee’s latest interception-filled game (including another pick 6), do you think The Hat is regretting the decision to kick Ryan Perrilloux off the team?
North Carolina knocks off Georgia Tech
- Butch Davis has built a solid program in Chapel Hill and is now in position to play for an ACC Championship. The offense was not brilliant, but put points on the board in beating the North Avenue Trade School, 28-7.
- Paul Johnson’s team moved the ball into Tar Heel territory on numerous occasions but could not put points on the board. I hope Mark Richt has a copy of the game on tape, because that was the perfect example of how to shut down Johnson’s triple option offense.
You lost to a team whose primary color is baby blue.Final Thought
- As ugly as the game was, the only thing that matters is that Georgia’s record is now 8 -2. Since we are no longer in the national title hunt, style points mean nothing. We go to Auburn this Saturday to face a down Auburn team. Let’s make it three in a row over the War Tiger Plainsmen.
Even with Auburn struggling, the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry should be one hell of a fight.
GO DAWGS!!!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Week 10: At a Loss for Words
Week 10 of the college football season has passed. Here are my thoughts.
Florida 49, Georgia 10
- Is that score correct? Everything that could have gone wrong on Saturday did. We lost, plain and simple. Hats off to Florida, they are a good football team.
- We should have known Georgia was in trouble when Penn Wagers was assigned as the head ref for the game. There were four clear mistakes by the refs that made a difference in this game:
1. The failure to overturn the spot of the challenge. It was clear on the replay Tebow's knee was on the ground before he got the first.
2. Hands to the face on the interception. Both players had their hands up the other's face. Game changing call.
3. The no call on Stafford's first interception. Don't get me wrong, Stafford threw a bad pass but AJ Green was grabbed and the pass interference should have been called.
4. The no call against Louis Murphy on the 44 yard touchdown pass. Asher Allen is a great corner and there is no reason Murphy should have been that wide open. The replay clearly showed Murphy pull Allen out of the way. This play put the game out of reach.
- Once again, we moved the ball but failed to put points on the board. Walsh has done a great job this year, but missing a 27 yard kick is unacceptable. And once again, the play calling in the red zone was questionable at best.
- Hats off to Matthew Stafford for trying to play through the pain. The young offensive line had a bad day and Florida was constantly putting pressure on Stafford. We completely abandoned the rush after Knowshon's fumble and the other interceptions were a result of Stafford trying to make something happen.
Georgia Tech Upsets Florida State
- While the Dawgs can't seem to catch a break this season, the North Avenue Trade School keeps getting them. With under a minute left, the Seminoles fumbled into the end zone and Tech recovered. The Jackets are now in control in the ACC and have a very real chance of playing for the conference championship.
Texas Tech shocks Texas
- Mike Leach and his crazy offense may not be so crazy after all. The Red Raiders scored on a touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree with 1 second on the clock and shocked the Longhorns. The Red Raiders move on to face a tough Oklahoma State team next week. Two crazy coaches, two crazy offenses, and one shot at the Big XII title are at stake.
Alabama
- The Crimson Tide is your new #1 team. If both Bama and Florida remain undefeated, there is a very real chance the winner of the SEC Championship will be headed back to the National Championship game.
My Final Thought
- This weekend was bad. Next weekend, Georgia heads to Lexington to meet Kentucky (who squeaked by Miss. State by 1 on Saturday). Dawgs, it is time to get back to winning before the trip to the Plains on the 15th.
GO DAWGS!!!
Florida 49, Georgia 10
- Is that score correct? Everything that could have gone wrong on Saturday did. We lost, plain and simple. Hats off to Florida, they are a good football team.
- We should have known Georgia was in trouble when Penn Wagers was assigned as the head ref for the game. There were four clear mistakes by the refs that made a difference in this game:
1. The failure to overturn the spot of the challenge. It was clear on the replay Tebow's knee was on the ground before he got the first.
2. Hands to the face on the interception. Both players had their hands up the other's face. Game changing call.
3. The no call on Stafford's first interception. Don't get me wrong, Stafford threw a bad pass but AJ Green was grabbed and the pass interference should have been called.
4. The no call against Louis Murphy on the 44 yard touchdown pass. Asher Allen is a great corner and there is no reason Murphy should have been that wide open. The replay clearly showed Murphy pull Allen out of the way. This play put the game out of reach.
- Once again, we moved the ball but failed to put points on the board. Walsh has done a great job this year, but missing a 27 yard kick is unacceptable. And once again, the play calling in the red zone was questionable at best.
- Hats off to Matthew Stafford for trying to play through the pain. The young offensive line had a bad day and Florida was constantly putting pressure on Stafford. We completely abandoned the rush after Knowshon's fumble and the other interceptions were a result of Stafford trying to make something happen.
Georgia Tech Upsets Florida State
- While the Dawgs can't seem to catch a break this season, the North Avenue Trade School keeps getting them. With under a minute left, the Seminoles fumbled into the end zone and Tech recovered. The Jackets are now in control in the ACC and have a very real chance of playing for the conference championship.
Texas Tech shocks Texas
- Mike Leach and his crazy offense may not be so crazy after all. The Red Raiders scored on a touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree with 1 second on the clock and shocked the Longhorns. The Red Raiders move on to face a tough Oklahoma State team next week. Two crazy coaches, two crazy offenses, and one shot at the Big XII title are at stake.
Alabama
- The Crimson Tide is your new #1 team. If both Bama and Florida remain undefeated, there is a very real chance the winner of the SEC Championship will be headed back to the National Championship game.
My Final Thought
- This weekend was bad. Next weekend, Georgia heads to Lexington to meet Kentucky (who squeaked by Miss. State by 1 on Saturday). Dawgs, it is time to get back to winning before the trip to the Plains on the 15th.
GO DAWGS!!!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Weekend Wrap Up: ONE DAY IN THE VALLEY
Week 9 of the college football season has passed. We survived our trip to New Orleans and Baton Rouge and it is now on to face the hated Gators in Jacksonville . Here are my thoughts on the victory over LSU, the Tiger Stadium experience, the other big games from the weekend, and the upcoming clash with the Gators. Welcome to Hate Week 2008.
VICTORY!!!
What an amazing game in Death Valley on Saturday. We arrived at Tiger Stadium expecting to see a hard fought SEC battle that would be won in the trenches. What we got was a shootout that looked a lot like it belonged in the Big XII. Despite the efforts of the Bayou Bengals, the Dawgs kept their focus and left Louisiana with a 52-38 victory.
Georgia 52, LSU 38
- The offensive line played an amazing game. They gave Stafford enough time to stand tall in the pocket and get the ball to open receivers. The boys up front also opened the holes to allow Knowshon Moreno to slash his way to another huge game (163 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown.)
- Matthew Stafford may have played his best overall game as a Georgia Bulldog. He made some great throws despite getting hit by the LSU pass rush. The long touchdown pass to AJ Green was a thing of beauty, as Stafford waited just long enough for AJ to get past the coverage and delivered the pass before getting hit hard by the defender.
Stafford also ran in a score from 5 yards out on a third and goal.
- Daryl Gamble is getting better every week. I had a number of people tell me before the game that they thought Gamble would play a big role. Gamble had 13 tackles and returned two Jarrett Lee interceptions for touchdowns. He was awarded SEC defensive player of the week for his efforts.
- Georgia played a great game, however there were definitely some issues. LSU gashed the Georgia defense for over 500 yards and once again the Dawgs failed to deliver the final knock out punch. There were way too many missed tackles and that must be improved before the Florida game.
This was a huge win. The boys were warming up their dance skills for next week.
The Tiger Stadium Experience
- As advertised, a visit to Baton Rouge is everything it is advertised to be. The fans are crazy and definitely make you feel intimidated. If I never have to hear "Tiga' Bait" again, I won't be sad. I also witnessed grown men throwing dog biscuits at us and heard about the LSU cops turning the other way to a man getting beaten on the ground.
- We were on the top row of Tiger Stadium (row FF in section 641) but the view was actually very good. Death Valley is very steep so while you are very high up, you are actually still pretty close to the field.
- The LSU band puts on a great show. It is too bad that their fans seemed to give up on their team in the 3rd quarter. When Georgia took the lead at 38-17, the place began to clear out. The Tigers certainly did not quit, but their fans did.
Other Games
- Penn State defeated Ohio State and has pretty much guaranteed themselves an undefeated season.- The suddenly hot Virginia Cavaliers knocked off the Bees from the North Avenue Trade school . Tech has tough games with Florida State, Miami and Georgia left on their schedule.
- Oklahoma State gave Texas a run for their money but came up short in the end. That trip to Stillwater to open the season in '09 keeps looking tougher and tougher.
- Alabama beat Tennessee in another ugly game for the Volunteers. Is Fulmer's career at UT going to end without being bowl eligible?
Showdown in Jacksonville
- This may be one of the biggest Georgia-Florida matchups in Cocktail Party history. The Dawgs really got under the skin of the entire Gator nation with the celebration and the beatdown in 2007. The tag line for this year's game: "There Will be Blood"
GO DAWGS!!!!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Week 8: Impressions and Ramblings
Week 8 of the college football season has come and gone. Another Dawg victory, a massacre in the Lone Star state, and a scare for 'Bama are among this week's highlights. Here are my thoughts:
Georgia 24, Vanderbilt 14
- Without Blair Walsh's two missed field goals, my prediction of a 34 - 13 victory for the Dawgs would have been pretty close. Like the UT game last week, this was a game that was close on the scoreboard but not really that close on the field. Georgia once again dominated in yards (425 to 245) and one of Vanderbilt's touchdowns was the result of an interception deep in our own territory. While Georgia failed to put the pesky Commodores away, I had little doubt who would end up with the victory.
- Stafford really loves throwing the ball to AJ Green. Stafford only had 13 completions for the day and 7 of them went to Green. The second half was a struggle for Stafford, which is cause for some concern. There were a couple of occasions where he completely overlooked our tight ends who were wide open. Also, if Stafford would have taken the time to plant his feet, the interception by DJ Moore would have been a touchdown to Massaquoi instead.
You're looking at the SEC Freshman of the year.
- Every week Knowshon Moreno amazes me with his heart and play on the field. It is my opinion that there is no player in the SEC more valuable to his team right now than #24. Over 170 yards on 23 carries, another touchdown, just another day at the office. It will be a real shame if he isn't at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York in December.
This is the definition of walking in untouched.
Alabama 24, Ole Miss 20
- Alabama stopped Ole Miss from converting a 4th down late in the 4th quarter and ended the Rebels' hopes of upsetting another top 5 team. Alabama is starting to show signs that they can be beaten, especially with the injury to Terrence Cody. I've seen conflicting reports about what the injury is, but they all seem to think he will only be out a few weeks. I doubt it. When a man that size either badly sprains or tears a muscle in his knee, I don't see how he will be back at full strength in a few weeks. Mount, it's up to you to prove me wrong.
When Cody hit the ground with a knee injury, a 6.5 was measured on the Richter scale.
Texas 82721320, Missouri 1122993
- Missouri looked worse in the first half against Texas than we did in the first half against Alabama. Has the Big XII just decided to completely ignore defense? I know Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and others have good skill players, but when both teams are putting up over 500 yards of offense, it is a little ridiculous.
Why do the 'Horns score so many points? Ask Roger Clemens.
Ohio State kills Michigan State
- I thought MSU had a good chance to win. Javon Ringer has looked great this year, and I finally thought the Spartans may be for real...Never mind. Now we have to hear about Ohio State (along with USC who beat poor Washington State with their 4th string QB 69-0) as being a contender for the National Title.
ACC = Parity
- Your top team in the ACC this year- Georgia Tech. What year is this, 1990? Maryland knocks off Wake Forest, Virgina has suddenly won 4 in a row and knocked off UNC, and preseason top 10 Clemson is now under .500. With Duke actually looking better this year (they were leading Miami into the 3rd quarter on Saturday), there is very little difference from those teams at the bottom and those on top.
Overall, another good weekend for the Dawgs. We're 6-1 and headed to a showdown in Baton Rouge with the Bayou Bengals. The game has been chosen as the CBS game and will kickoff at 3:30 PM EST. Thank God. Most of the Bubba 'N Earl crew will be there this week as we celebrate my bachelor party. It should be one hell of a match up.
GO DAWGS!!!
*Pictures courtesy of the AJC, ESPN, and texassports.com
Monday, October 13, 2008
Week 7: Impressions and Ramblings
Week 7 of the college football season has come and passed. Here are my thoughts:
Georgia 26, Tennessee 14
- Now that's more like it. I know the media has downplayed our victory over Tennessee and I agree the score was not indicative of the game. However, after the crushing loss to 'Bama and two straight crushing losses to UT in '06 and '07, we needed this one bad.
- The two interceptions in the Red Zone were discouraging, however I was proud of the way our offense played. We had players hit the "Big Game" milestones at all three positions (Stafford with 300 yards passing, MoMass with 100 yards receiving, and Knowshon over 100 rushing).
- Blair Walsh is a beast. Only a kicker who drills the ball like he does is able to get a kick that was blocked squarely to still go through the uprights. He is a future All-SEC kicker.
- I love the 1-2 punch of Massaquoi and Green. We finally have a set of receivers that make Stafford look like the good QB that he is (we'll look the other way on AJ's touchdown drop. He is still a freshman).
Georgia 26, Tennessee 14
- Now that's more like it. I know the media has downplayed our victory over Tennessee and I agree the score was not indicative of the game. However, after the crushing loss to 'Bama and two straight crushing losses to UT in '06 and '07, we needed this one bad.
- The two interceptions in the Red Zone were discouraging, however I was proud of the way our offense played. We had players hit the "Big Game" milestones at all three positions (Stafford with 300 yards passing, MoMass with 100 yards receiving, and Knowshon over 100 rushing).
- Blair Walsh is a beast. Only a kicker who drills the ball like he does is able to get a kick that was blocked squarely to still go through the uprights. He is a future All-SEC kicker.
- I love the 1-2 punch of Massaquoi and Green. We finally have a set of receivers that make Stafford look like the good QB that he is (we'll look the other way on AJ's touchdown drop. He is still a freshman).
This is how to resond to a cheap shot - by scoring a TD just a few plays later.
- Willie dialed up a great defensive plan. We held UT to 1 yard on the ground. Considering what Fulmer has done to us in the past, this number is amazing.
- Eric Berry may be the best defensive player in the SEC. He is the reason Knowshon had trouble breaking off any big runs. If only he would have stayed in the state.
"Berry throws a left hook and down goes Moreno."
- And lastly, the 17-play, almost 11-minute drive in the 4th may have been one of the best drives I have ever seen. We basically took Tennessee entirely out of the game by not letting them have the ball. It was awesome.
The Red River Shootout
- Like expected, neither team played much defense in this game. Texas is a solid team and Colt McCoy looks like the Heisman front runner. I wonder what the final score would have been if that INT in the end zone had not been overturned.
Massacre in the Swamp
- The Gators put a whipping on the Bayou Bengals like they did to Tennessee last year. The media is gushing over Tebow again and Florida is back in the top 5. I'm not sure where Les Miles's vaunted defense was, but they sure didn't come ready to play this week.
Vanderbilt - Back to Reality
- Vandy, you got Croomed. See ya at 12:30 next Saturday.
Missouri Falls to Okie State
- Oklahoma State is much better this year than the team we saw last year in Athens. Mike Gundy has got his team firing on all cylinders and Chase Daniel looked human.
Bad SEC Teams
- Coming into this season would anyone have belived that at the midway point the three worst teams in the SEC would be Auburn, Tennessee and Kentucky ?
This season is turning out almost as crazy as last year. We get Vandy for Homecoming this week and then the real season starts in Baton Rouge on the 25th.
Go Dawgs!!!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Weekend Wrap Up and Tuesday Night Football
Just watching the Florida Atlantic-Troy matchup on Tuesday night football as I fill in for Streit on the Weekend Wrap Up...
We have Tuesday night football nowadays and I don’t know why I’m watching it. I don’t care for football on Tuesday night or on Wednesday night for that matter. But as Bubba says about most college football traditions…its still better than petting an f’ing rock, and I guess Tuesday night football is better than some of the dredge that’s on television (i.e. the Debate). So, when you’re stuck at home on a Tuesday night why not watch the Howard Schnellenberger game of the week.
Speaking of former head coaches at da U, what about the job Butch Davis is doing at North Carolina. Many Cleveland Browns fans would disagree, but Davis is a really good football coach. He gets his real chance this weekend by playing Notre Dame in Chapel Hill. Notre Dame might not be the best 4-1 team in the country, but like it or not, they are the most watched. Many eyes will be on that game this week in Chapel Hill. I think Davis and the Tar Heels will boost the ACC’s image problem this week. I hope I’m right. I hate Notre Dame, like most Southerners do, and I’m kind of feeling sorry for the ACC these days. That conference hung its hat on Florida State and Miami, who ended up playing each other in a slap fest this past weekend.
Seriously, did anyone watch Florida State-Miami on ABC? Florida State won 41-39, holding off a furious Miami rally in Dolphin Stadium. That’s right, Dolphin Stadium. Sadly, there’s no more OB (the old Orange Bowl), and I guess you CAN really come up in Dolphin Stadium AND treat Miami that way. Remember when this series featured Deion Sanders versus Michael Irvin and Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp? As much as some old-time SEC fans hated it, the college football world practically stopped in the ‘80s and the ‘90s when these two got together. Last weekend, there were no rankings between these two, no old Orange Bowl and no care.
And so the ACC now looks a little foolish putting its eggs in that state of Florida basket. So, here’s to North Carolina helping the ACC’s image a little bit this upcoming weekend. Sure, Paul Johnson is doing some good things over there on the Flats, but I promise that we won’t ever mention them much.
So there it is. A little Tuesday night football, a little Weekend Wrap Up of yesterday’s ACC teams, and a little hope for our sister conference this weekend against Notre Dame.
--Earl
In full disclosure here, I haven’t written much on the blog since the Alabama game. It was a disappointment, no way around that. But, its time to play the hated Viles and ring that victory bell again on our way to another shot at Alabama in Atlanta. Everything’s still left to play for: the SEC East, the SEC Championship and a National Championship.
How ‘bout ‘em Dawgs!
We have Tuesday night football nowadays and I don’t know why I’m watching it. I don’t care for football on Tuesday night or on Wednesday night for that matter. But as Bubba says about most college football traditions…its still better than petting an f’ing rock, and I guess Tuesday night football is better than some of the dredge that’s on television (i.e. the Debate). So, when you’re stuck at home on a Tuesday night why not watch the Howard Schnellenberger game of the week.
Speaking of former head coaches at da U, what about the job Butch Davis is doing at North Carolina. Many Cleveland Browns fans would disagree, but Davis is a really good football coach. He gets his real chance this weekend by playing Notre Dame in Chapel Hill. Notre Dame might not be the best 4-1 team in the country, but like it or not, they are the most watched. Many eyes will be on that game this week in Chapel Hill. I think Davis and the Tar Heels will boost the ACC’s image problem this week. I hope I’m right. I hate Notre Dame, like most Southerners do, and I’m kind of feeling sorry for the ACC these days. That conference hung its hat on Florida State and Miami, who ended up playing each other in a slap fest this past weekend.
Seriously, did anyone watch Florida State-Miami on ABC? Florida State won 41-39, holding off a furious Miami rally in Dolphin Stadium. That’s right, Dolphin Stadium. Sadly, there’s no more OB (the old Orange Bowl), and I guess you CAN really come up in Dolphin Stadium AND treat Miami that way. Remember when this series featured Deion Sanders versus Michael Irvin and Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp? As much as some old-time SEC fans hated it, the college football world practically stopped in the ‘80s and the ‘90s when these two got together. Last weekend, there were no rankings between these two, no old Orange Bowl and no care.
And so the ACC now looks a little foolish putting its eggs in that state of Florida basket. So, here’s to North Carolina helping the ACC’s image a little bit this upcoming weekend. Sure, Paul Johnson is doing some good things over there on the Flats, but I promise that we won’t ever mention them much.
So there it is. A little Tuesday night football, a little Weekend Wrap Up of yesterday’s ACC teams, and a little hope for our sister conference this weekend against Notre Dame.
--Earl
In full disclosure here, I haven’t written much on the blog since the Alabama game. It was a disappointment, no way around that. But, its time to play the hated Viles and ring that victory bell again on our way to another shot at Alabama in Atlanta. Everything’s still left to play for: the SEC East, the SEC Championship and a National Championship.
How ‘bout ‘em Dawgs!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)