Random Thoughts on the Cocktail Party

Watching our special teams play was like watching a teenage cutter holding a box of Wusthofs. It was sad and gross to watch, yet the plot line would make a pretty decent Lifetime Movie with Meredith Baxter playing the role of Coach Richt. It was enough to make me miss Jon Fabris...a little.

But we won. And that's all that matters. After 17 trips to Jacksonville, I can tell you I've seen us play way smarter and lose.

And why did we win? Because the defense, which was a rolling shipment of fail last year, simply got dramatically better. The result -- If you have a few minutes to enjoy a cold beer and warm schadenfreude, read these Gator recaps from Orson Swindle and Run Home Jack over at EDSBS:

"You could give Charlie Weis a Garmin, fifteen Sherpas, a moving walkway made up of arrows saying "MARZIPAN FACTORY THIS WAY FREE SAMPLES" and the ball on the eight yard line and that piece of shit still couldn't find the end zone." - RHJ

"But don't say this is all necessary. It's not. Meyer's struggles in his first year got him to nine wins. [NAME REDACTED] learned and unlearned basic arithmetic on the job and still won seven games. This team will lose to Vanderbilt. This team will lose to South Carolina. This team will lose to Florida State, and they will miss a bowl game for the first time since the pre-Spurrier era. That is not good coaching. That's failure, and boring, depressing failure at that. At least fight James Franklin at the fifty when you're done losing to Vandy, Will, and thus give us something to cheer about." - OS

Honestly, I don't expect Weis to be back in Gainesville next year. Muschamp really can't fire the guy, but Weis has the career competence to look around and see that his QB situation isn't going to get much better (he's sampled the goods already). This is just a bad fit. The bad news...the Gators will be better off without him.

However, without Charlie's offensive reputation, there's the cold reality that the Gators' head coach is just a loudmouth ex-UGA player who is now 0-5 in Jacksonville.

And by the way ... going for it on 4th and 19 is an absolutely, positively stupid call. It doesn't matter that it worked. It's still such a galactically stupid call as to bring your entire thought process into question. Assuming there was a thought process to begin with.

See Also:
-- "If Weis is a Genius, then Addazzio was a Mastermind." - Orlando Sentinel


PWD

Auburn at Georgia Game Time

CBS is are using the six day option to decide on the kickoffs for the Nov 12th games.

The games up for that day:

Alabama at Mississippi State
Tennessee at Arkansas
Auburn at Georgia (likely two top 20 teams)
Florida at South Carolina.

LSU and Mississippi play Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech, respectively with kickoff times in the evening.  Kentucky at Vandy is already set for a 12:15 kickoff on the SECNetwork.

Presumably they are waiting for the Arky/SC and Bama/LSU outcomes, although it is hard to see why.  I guess you could see them picking Florida at a top 10 South Carolina for the spectacle of Spurrier possibly losing ground in the SEC East race to his old school.  I don't see what they would want from the Tennessee at Arky game.  As for waiting for 'Bama, having the team of the Century of the Year playing is worth something.  

The TV slots remaining are 12:00, 3:30, 6:00 and 7:45.  Apparently the selection order for those games is the 3:30 slot, then 7:45, then 6:00 and then 12:00 (although by the contract, CBS would have a first pick for both of their games).  I think we'll end up at 3:30 if South Carolina loses this week, since it'll be for the SEC East.  While CBS would love to have 'Bama, the compellingtude of two top 20 teams, the South's Oldest Rivalry, and the division title on the line wins out, in my mind.  If SC wins, it is still a toss up.


Predicted times:


Noon CBS: Florida at South Carolina
12:21 SECNetwork: Kentucky at Vandy
3:30 CBS: Auburn at Georgia (70%) or Alabama at Mississippi State (30%)
6 ESPN2 Tennessee at Arkansas
7:45 ESPN Alabama at Mississippi State (70%) or Auburn at Georgia (30%)

Either way, I don't see us kicking before 3:30, and we could get a night game (remember, set your clocks back on November 5th) at 6pm or 7:45pm.  The only way we are noon is if we lose to New Mexico State and Auburn loses to Open, OR CBS is picking the Noon game before ESPN picks, which makes it even murkier.  Or someone requests a noon kickoff. Whichever.

TD

PS. If you have anything more definite on the selection order that I couldn't find, please share that in the comments.

3 Questions Answered: Florida

On to the questions.

1. Will decided schematic advantage matter? No.  Hell, no.  I mean Jarvis basically called BS on it.  Grantham's adjustments in the second half were awesome.  For that matter the adjustments after the second drive were dead on (Florida had 152 yards at 7:34 in the 1Q; they had less than 70 the rest of the way).  Bobo's play calling was strong, again.  The two TDs on 4th down were exactly the right calls and to the right spots.  That sound you heard was Richt's cojones clanking together.  We showed up more prepared and with a better game plan.  When it the last time that has happened?
2. Can Aaron live down last year?  He had a serviceable game. There were some throws that were off, either because he or the receiver missed the route.  However, he never had the one WTF throw. I'll take it.
3. Will the defense handle the running game well?  Dude.  Just. Dude.  If you had told me we'd hold them to -19 yards rushing, I'd have bet my house on the game.  Outside of one Rainey run of 17 yards (that ended in a forced fumble), they had nothing.  The one bubble screen was the only time we seriously over pursued on a misdirection.  Very strong performance all around. 

I'll get to the special special team's play, which nearly cost us another game (hello, South Carolina), later.  Beyond that, we did what we needed to do.  It was very 2002, but we were on the other side of the score.

TD

We Got One More First Down

5-1 boys. Keep the bus rollin'.

Go Dawgs.

TD

CBZ Round Table on Georgia Florida

Kevin asks, I answer:

In what area do you see Georgia as having a specific advantage over the Gators? Passing offense vs passing defense.  The Gators have really struggled with Brantley out.  They weren't exactly world beaters, passing wise, with him in.  Murray has had his issues, but he is quite good when he is given a few seconds to make his reads.  I expect the Gators to come after him.  I also expect us to be able to exploit that with the TEs, RBs and quick routes like last week against Vandy.  Tyler Bray did a good job until Tennessee's lack of running game allowed the Gators to sit back and dare them to pass without Justin Hunter in the game.  We have more competent receivers than Tennessee and more plays designed to leverage that.

In what area do you see Georgia as being at a specific dis-advantage to the Gators? Individual big play threats on offense.  Hey, we've got very good play makers, especially Mitchell.  He will be individually as good as Rainey or Demps in a year.  At any given time, on any given play, at any given spot on the field, either of those guys can hurt you running or catching the ball.  We don't have that.

Give us one Georgia player that needs to play his best game of the season for Georgia to win this ball game (and why). Murray. The smart money would be on someone on defense, but I feel ok about them.  If Murray gets rolling, completes 60% of his passes and has one int. or less, I feel very good about our chances.  If he tops 325 yards, completes 65% of his passes, has 3+TDs/0ints and throws around 30 times, we win big.

Many thanks to Kevin at College Football Zealots for putting this together.

TD

3 Questions: Florida

This is a bit speculative, since I am writing it nearly a week early (due to being on a cruise during the whole week of Georgia-Florida).

1. Will decided schematic advantage matter?  Ignoring all evidence to the contrary, I don't believe in the Jacksonville curse.  I do believe Florida has consistently showed up more ready to play for the past 20 years.  Now, we come into a game where we have been doing a good job preparing and look to be a better team than Florida. Will that matter? We have to be able to run the ball, which is the Florida defense's 'weakness.'  Do that and we will be ok.
2. Can Aaron live down last year?  The 2010 Florida game was his worst.  Can he come out and play sound offense, deliver the ball well, and make good decisions?  
3. Will the defense handle the running game well?  Vandy has me nervous. Up until then, I'd have been very content with our game preparation and take our chances with Rainey, Demps, and Burton.  Now, I think it remains to be seen if we can correct the issues we have with misdirection and delay hand offs.  I feel good about slowing down Florida's pass offense, which you have to figure they will still try to establish.  I feel decidedly less so about playing soundly against their potent rushing threats.  Despite what we have seen the past few weeks from Florida, they aren't nearly as bad as they have looked.

A House Divided?

This isn't a house divided. This is a bad life decision.

TD

Dawgs vs. New Mexico State Kickoff Time Set

Dawgs to play New Mexico State at 12:30 on CSS.  At least we'll all be home in plenty of time to see the game of the century of the year. 

TD

College Pickem Results

Congrats to Aladawg for the only perfect ballot this week.

Richtflair extends his lead in the overall standings. I'll be on a boat (I've got a nautical themed pashmina!) the rest of the week, so posting will be sporatic. If you are cruising out of JAX this morning, we'll be the loud ones in red all week.

Go Dawgs.

TD

Jortastic

Warning: The following video isn't safe for those with any sense of decency due to the wide use white rap beats, bad fade haircuts, over-sized muffintops, men in body socks, flip flops with socks and the use of the color orange. Viewer discretion is demanded.

TD

College Football Zealots Mid-season Round-table

College Football Zealots has convened another round-table, this time in two parts.  The first questions are below.

At the mid-way point what makes you the most excited about this Georgia football team?  The upside.  While the simple answer is the defense, since it has been at least seven years since I didn't have a foreboding sense of abject dread every time we had to punt, the complete answer is the upside.  Georgia hasn't played a quality opponent with a fully put together game yet.  We've had good defensive performances.  We've had good passing performances. We've had good rushing performances.  We have had games where we didn't crap ourselves on special teams.  I realize it is a big 'if', but if we ever put it all together and keep it together, we will be a dangerous football team.

Which player has been the biggest surprise on defense (and why)?   Bacarri Rambo.  I was on him all last season and during the off season for his lapses in 2010.  He has stepped up big time and is a big part of why we are in the top 10 in total defense in the nation. Take away the two trick play TDs (Ole Miss and Vandy) and it is hard to remember anyone throwing a big pass against him.  This time last year, the mention of 'wheel route' would elicit a Pavlovian response of cursing about Bacarri from most Georgia fans.  Now, offenses have to trick play to get him off his coverage.  He plays pass coverage like a corner and running plays like a linebacker, and rarely makes mistakes on either.

What needs to happen for Georgia to run the table in the rest of their games?  1) Get better at recognizing misdirection and delays on defense; 2) Find a way to get the curse of Fabris off the special teams; 3) Have Murray finally get his timing on long pass plays down pat; 4) Get complete games from Crowell.  Special bonus answer in the event we play in the SECCG: Have all the pieces come together and hope Trent Richardson is suspended.

Part two is coming next week.  Many thanks to Kevin at CFZ for putting this together.

TD

Mid Season Questions

The folks at College Football Zealots have asked me to do another round table, this time in two parts.  I'll have my answers tomorrow, but I am curious about your thoughts.


At the mid-way point what makes you the most excited about this Georgia football team?

Which player has been the biggest surprise on defense (and why)?

What needs to happen for Georgia to run the table in the rest of their games? 


TD

Life Calls

We are taking advantage of the bye week for non-blog related work. If the posting or comment moderation is less frequent. That's why.

Life calls.

PWD and TD

Geathers and Williams suspended.

#freeshawnwilliams
#freekwamebear

Stand by Your Man

Putting aside Clay Travis' histrionics interesting take (go find your own link) over what Coach Richt 'might have said' during the exchange, I do have a bone to pick with Richt.  Dude.  Stand by your man.

Hey, I get you are trying to diffuse a situation.  I get that Franklin is Jim Schwartz a whiny titttybaby for getting so up in arms over anyone saying anything after all of the shenanigans his team pulled during the game.  I also get you need to man up and apologize for things getting out of control.  I am sure commiserating with the crying child is not the right way to go.

Not the best moment for Coach.

TD

=======
UPDATE:
Ok, I've had an hour to mull over the video (and to watch it again several times).  After doing so, I have calmed down and also removed the hittroll's link above.  If you want to read Clay Travis, you can find it on your own.

As for my further thoughts, my problem with Richt remains his giving Franklin a passie to calm him down.  Thinking about the heat of the moment, Richt was just trying to get off the field when Franklin starts his soliloquy on respect.  He just said whatever to get him to quiet down.  The harsh 20/20 of hindsight says he should have smiled, said nice game, sorry about the confrontation...or 'WHAT IS YOUR DEAL?!?'...either would have been fine...and gotten his team to the locker room.

I'm still not happy about the comment, but I believe Richt wasn't intentionally taking Franklin's side over Grantham's.  No way he could have since he could have had any of the facts outside of the few that are sprinkled into JFrankies fit.

College Pick'em - Week 6 Standings

RichtFlair continues to lead the way.  Another multiple perfect week deal, with dawgy45 edging Mass Dawg on the tiebreaker.

Standings for Week 7
Rank	Selection	Edit	W-L	Pts	Tie Breaker Mich - MSU 14 - 28	Tie Breaker Winner
1	dawgy45's picks		12-0	78	27-34	(*)
1	Mass Dawg		12-0	78	35-31
3	R.I.P. Jonathan		11-1	77	27-31
4	expansionpalooza		10-2	75	21-28
5	SparkleCity Dawg's picks		11-1	73	23-27
5	melj_go_dawgs's picks		10-2	73	17-21
5	BallGroundBulldog		11-1	73	28-35
5	ga_dawg_in_ut's picks		11-1	73	13-16
5	SullyDawg's picks		11-1	73	27-21
10	bsellers's picks		11-1	72	24-30
10	underdawgma's picks		11-1	72	20-31
10	Tankdawg's picks		10-2	72	24-31
10	ugafan's picks		11-1	72	21-24
10	TXDawgs1's picks1		11-1	72	34-35
10	Cstrickland's picks		11-1	72	14-17
10	Updyke Tree Service's picks		11-1	72	31-28
10	Dawg Nuts		9-3	72	34-28
10	DawgRocker's picks		10-2	72	35-27
10	ppostlmayr's picks		10-2	72	27-24

Overall Standings Through Week 7
Rank	Selection	W-L	Pts
1	Richt Flair's picks	65-16	442
2	aueagle's picks	65-16	437
3	Hobnail_Boot	62-19	434
4	papadoc19's picks	64-17	431
5	jud92's picks	64-17	430
6	HunkerDownDawg's picks	62-19	429
6	ugafan's picks	61-20	429
8	ecdawg's picks	62-19	428
9	andyweaver's picks1	62-19	427
9	Updyke Tree Service's picks	61-20	427

Remember we will have selection due this week, even though Georgia is off.

TD

Vanderbilt Review

The Good:

• Pass offense. Vandy came into the game only allowing ~200 yards per game.  Murray had 326.  We are still plagued by the missed connections on the down field plays, including one off the hands of one receiver and another catch out of bounds that should have been in bounds.  
• Pass blocking. I didn't give the line enough credit.  Murray had plenty of time to throw nearly the whole game.  It showed.
• Pass defense.  Vandy wasn't going to light it up by going down field, but we held them to season lows in completions and QB rating, against season highs in attempts and interceptions.  All of that with the punter and RB a combined 2 for 2 and 78 of their 149 passing yards.
• Abry Jones, where passes go to die.
• Jarvis Jones. He only creates havoc and gets held.  Nothing less.

The Bad:

• Misdirection and delay recognition on defense.  I wondered when this game was going to happen.  One of the downsides with an aggressive, but young, defensive squad is that they can get caught out of position on QB runs.  We saw that happen time and again on Saturday.  I have confidence in Coach Grantham to work this out, but the problem is the need to do so quickly, since we'll face at least two QBs and offenses that dream about these kinds of defenses before we are done.
• Run defense in general.  Zac Stacy was lonesome on some of his runs.  I mean he wasn't even looked at until he had five yards.  
• False starts on the wildcat.  Dudes, stop screwing up our trick plays.

The Ugly:

• The spirit of Fabris.

The day after Drew Butler's eligibility runs out, Coach Richt should by him a gold watch.  Drew might have literally have saved his job with that tackle on the blocked punt.  

Also, you will note I didn't include the personal fouls and such in here.  I am not saying we should ever commit those types of penalties. I am saying, after watching the replay, I can't find grave fault with the players for committing them.  There was a crew of folks out who didn't perform their job very well that could have nipped a lot of this in the bud early, but didn't.  That John Jenkins got warned for his tackling is a good sign of what that crew was looking for.

Finally, and clearly, we aren't at the level I thought we were.  Vandy exposed our run defense.  I'd hate to be on the defense this next week two weeks with the way they played.  Can't think Grantham is going to be a pleasant person to be around.

TD

BOOM!

(H/t Senator Blutarsky)

Like the goatee? I grew it on the way over. (Image:ABH)

I love that the State Patrolmen look like they are nervous.  That'll tell you all you need to know about what Coach Richt had to say.

TD

Venerate or Denigrate? My Thoughts on Grantham

Wait, let me title this 'My thoughts on Franklin.'  Lost in all of this, due to the choke sign last year, is that Franklin is way more than complicit in what happened.  As what happened in the game, the second guy is the one that always gets caught.  His condescending statements about the situation merely show that:

“We just had a tough, emotional game and some things were said that I didn’t think were appropriate. I went to find Coach Richt and didn’t find him, so I found one of his assistant coaches and it didn’t go well. We’re not going to sit back and take it from anyone.”

Now, I'm not going to say Grantham is blameless here.  Clearly he has a temper and that temper got the best of him.  But is Grantham supposed to 'take it' when the other guy gives it out?  If the story that Franklin was chastising a Georgia player on the field is true, then the whole situation sits on Franklin's shoulders.  That is a way bigger issue than the choke sign last year.

Of course, there are people willing to lay all the blame on Grantham for everything due to something he did a year ago without even worrying about how it went down, or why.  Grantham is a very passionate coach.  We need that.  From my seat, Grantham didn't do anything other than stand up for his guys.  We, as Georgia fans, deserve whatever we get if we are willing to cast him aside for that.

If I am proven wrong, I'll say so.  Until then, I believe there were at least two men involved that could have handled their business differently.  Regretfully, only one is getting the blame.

TD

3 Questions Answered: Vandy

After the finish in Nashville last night, I'm sure I'll screw this up somehow...

1. Will Georgia be up for the game? No.  Not sure why Crowell is out, but if you want to blame Coach Richt, well, just blame him. The defense looked stout at time and less so at times.  The offense, without the more open running with Crowell, and more missed opportunities in the passing game, looked pedestrianer than normal. I was worried this would be the case, and it was.
2. Will we see a more open playbook in the second half if we have a 2+ score lead? See above.
3. Can the defense keep up the intensity? At times, yes.  At other, more important times, no.  Much will be made about Grantham's actions, probably rightfully.  However, if Coach Franklin made comments to a Georgia player about their play, especially after the entire game of uncalled chop blocks and such, well, I fully support him.  As for his unit, I would sure hate to have to wait two weeks to get Grantham off my back, because the next two weeks will not be hugs and cuddles.

I am relieved we won.  I think we've all expected a game like this, one were we don't play very well again. We won on the road.  Move on.  I guess.

Half Way Home - Mid-Season College Football Review

I'll take a look at Georgia later this week or early next week, but I wanted to look around the college football landscape and see what has surprised me.

• Expansion. Well, I'm not surprised, but it has been a story.  I've thought for a while TCU was headed some place other than football hell the Big East.  I guess Missouri's handling of trying to get out of the Big12 is a bit of a surprise.
• Southern Cal's lack of defense.  I think Arizona State's improved play has everyone not in Tempe scratching their heads.  On the other hand, Monte Kiffin has looked like Monte Hall coaching this bunch.  
• Hot seat talk about Dooley.  Hey, I'm not taking up for the guy.  I hate orange as much as the next guy.  However, any Tennessee fan that thinks fter 18 games, six of which are being played with essentially an all-star high school team, that Dooley isn't getting it done is an idiot.  He might not be the long term answer, but clamoring for a new coach now gets you a Mike Locksley type hire.  Not an improvement.
• Oklahoma State's offense. Dude. They look like UNLV basketball in the 80's.
• Texas A&M's first half play.  Wow, they are among the best teams out of the gates I have seen in a long time.
• Texas A&M's second half play.  Wow, they suck.
• Wisconsin's march through the B1G.  The Badgers called the Houston Nutt QB Transfer Clearinghouse and ended up with Russell Wilson from NCState.   Dude is 83 of 111 for 1391 yards and 13 TDs.  The Badgers have the easiest road to the BCS championship game at this point, with only road games against Michigan State and (snicker) Illinois between them and a rematch with Nebraska at Lucas Oil Stadium for the B1G championship.  Oh, and their defense is the tits.
• Decided schematic advantages.
• Georgia Tech throwing the football. Paul Johnson hates that newfangled shit, but it sure works.
• Clemson at 6-0. Wins over Auburn, Florida State, and Virginia Tech? A coach named Dabo? Nah, no worries, man. Just living the upstate dream.
• Auburn's defense.  They've made amends a bit with their strong performance against South Carolina, but they won early on mirrors and camera angles. Ted Roof has looked every bit the former head coach at Duke with the way his unit has tackled.

What about the season to this point has surprised you?

3 Questions: Vanderbilt

Playing in Nashville always worries me.  Normally, it isn't that much of a game, but we always struggle early there.  Vandy's D is much better than in years past.  Vandy's offense is Vandy's offense.

1. Will Georgia be up for the game? Having an off week before Florida is a double edged sword.  Getting an extra week to heal and prep is huge. With the way our defense is playing, I hate for them to have a week off. That leads me to the concern I have about Vandy and the team not being focused on Saturday night.  The Commodores are strong defensively, especially on the run. 'Bama exposed their weakness on the short passing game, so look for us to leverage Orson's size and the running backs' receiving abilities early. Talent wise, this is a 24+ point win.  If we show up and play the same defense we've been playing, it could end up being that much or more.
2. Will we see a more open playbook in the second half if we have a 2+ score lead?  Richt gigged Bobo's play calling a bit about us getting ultra conservative on the last drives in Knoxville.  I don't expect us to take multiple down field shots if we have that kind of lead.  I hope we will do more than a 23 dive on 3rd and 8 on back to back to back to back drives. 
3. Can the defense keep up the intensity?  Many commentators have made mention of how weak Georgia's schedule is in pointing out how strong the defense has looked.  What they haven't mentioned is how they looked vis a vis the 'really good' defenses in the conference.  For example, Mississippi State gained 193 yards (3.3 yards per play average) against LSU and scored two offensive FGs.  Against Georgia, Mississippi State had 213 yards (3.2 ypp average) and scored one offensive FG.  If the Dawgs do close to Vandy what Alabama did (190 yards, 4.4 ypp, 0 points), that is one more indication where the defense is.

As a bonus, will we finally get the long run back from Smith or Boykin we've been waiting on?

You mean...other than their confessions?

My favorite part of the news that Auburn has been cleared of any wrong doing is the part where the NCAA says the allegations against Auburn didn't meet "the burden of proof."

To clarify...that means a confession isn't enough enough proof.

More allegations surfaced in March when the four former Auburn players raised additional claims of wrongdoing in the program.

Raven Gray, Stanley McClover, Chaz Ramsey and Troy Reddick told HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" that they received thousands of dollars while being recruited by or playing for the Tigers.

They said the cash was delivered in book bags, envelopes and even handshakes. Ramsey played at Auburn most recently, in the 2007 season

And by confession...I mean four confessions.

Auburn is running circles around the NCAA. We are truly in the Golden Age of NCAA Rule Violations. Bear Bryant tips his cap to the Aubies. We all stand in awe.

PWD

Spurrier: Master of Deflection

Look, coaches and the media long have had a love-hate relationship.  We saw what happens when mamma's rile gets up last week.  This week, we saw Spurrier at his finest.  Spurrier spent all of 1994 ignoring a writer for the Orlando Sentinel, something that is incredibly hard to imagine now.  Now, on a bitchiness scale, I rate this up there with St. Urban's "You're a bad guy" rant.  This is a two days before Aunt Dot gets to town, and you ate the last of the chocolate chocolate chip Häagen-Dazs, you asshole, bitchrant.

As a PR move, it is glorious.  He fires Garcia earlier in the day.  His allin bet on Garcia staying off High Life and reefer long enough to finish his senior season is called down.  Spurrier put winning above doing the right thing, probably the best thing, pure and simple.  How to keep the story away from the truck of fail that was the decision to let Garcia off the mat at least four more times?  Make counter accusations!

Awesome move, Coach.  When you are done, I think Exxon could use some advice on blaming those pesky seals for all the cuteness and shit they leave on rocks, which makes it harder to clean up spilled oil.

TD

=======
Ed Note: In the spirit of blogeristic integrity, it should be noted that Quinton did a 5 questions with Ron Morris before the 07 game.

Garcia Kicked off South Carolina's Team

Really.  They mean it this time.

#genesmithassurances

SEC Bowl Projections

As we've hit the half way point of the season, here are some thoughts on SEC and BCS bowl projections.

National Title: Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Rose: Wisconsin vs. Stanford
Fiesta: Oklahoma State vs. Michigan/Nebraska
Sugar: LSU vs. Boise State
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. West Virginia

Comments: I have Bama over LSU simply by virtue of the home field advantage on Nov. 5th. I have Georgia Tech winning the ACC because they are tough to defend with only a week to prepare, and the weak ACC is begging them to win it.  Although, GT could slip out of that spot if Virgina Tech beats them.  Remember, VT has a bye week before facing the Yellow Jackets, and Paul Johnson's track record when a BCS team has more than 7 days to prepare can generously be described as "poor."  If the winner of Nebraska at Michigan has two losses or less, they'll get the Fiesta Bowl at large spot. A Big 12 flashback of OkSU and Nebraska would make great TV.

CapitalOne: Arkansas vs. Michigan/Nebraska
Outback: UGA vs. Penn State
Cotton: Auburn vs. Texas A&M
Chick-Fil-A: South Carolina vs. Virgina Tech
Gator: Florida vs. Michigan State
Music City:  Tennessee vs. Florida State
Liberty: Mississippi State vs. Houston
The Bowl in B'ham Nobody Watches: No SEC Team Eligible

Comments: In my projection, I have Georgia beating UF or AU, but not both. I have South Carolina making the SEC title game, but losing to Arkansas, Clemson and Alabama which might knock them down a slot in the bowl pecking order.  I think Tennessee and Miss State will both end up bowl eligible.  Vandy would need to beat Georgia, Tennessee or Wake Forest to have a shot at bowl eligibility.  That's not impossible, but it's not likely either.  As for Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl...I just don't have the stomach for putting Kansas State in that spot.

Thoughts?

College Pick'em - Week 6

Another week with three perfect picks.  DinDawg predicting a big Oklahoma win on the tiebreaker.  Great job by kdsdawgs and brad1165, too.  For the season, Richt Flair is a limousine ridin', jet flyin', kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin' son of a gun WOOOO!! leader half way through the season.

Standings for Week 6
Rank	Selection	Edit	W-L	Pts	Tie Breaker OK-TX 55-17	Tie Breaker Winner
1	DinDawg Fan's picks		12-0	78	35-21	(*)
1	kdsdawg's picks1		12-0	78	27-21
1	brad1165's picks		12-0	78	17-10
4	jathebirdyboy's picks		11-1	77	32-28
4	Polarshark		11-1	77	31-21
4	macdaddy's picks		11-1	77	31-24
4	snoopdawg's picks		11-1	77	21-14
8	RobertKBurnham's picks		11-1	76	42-34
8	marks31's picks		11-1	76	30-21
10	Mass Dawg		11-1	75	35-17
10	LM		11-1	75	35-24
10	Annapolis Dawg's picks		11-1	75	27-20
10	Dawgirl's picks		11-1	75	24-21

Overall Standings:

Overall Standings Through Week 6
Rank	Selection	W-L	Pts
1	Richt Flair's picks	54-15	373
2	aueagle's picks	55-14	368
3	jondeal's picks	55-14	367
4	Hobnail_Boot	52-17	366
5	contrarian's picks	53-16	365
6	ecdawg's picks	53-16	363
6	blaked04's picks	55-14	363
8	jud92's picks	54-15	361
9	HunkerDownDawg's picks	52-17	360
9	papadoc19's picks	54-15	360

Isaiah Crowell Stats

So far, Isaiah Crowell has been just about everything Georgia fans could've hoped for in a freshman tailback who lacked super powers or the first name Herschel.

Over a 13 game season, he's on pace for over 1200 yards rushing and about 9 TDs.  Those are pretty realistic and potentially conservative numbers given that Vandy, New Mexico State, Kentucky and likely a tier 2 Big Ten team represent four of the remaining seven opponents.

His statistical splits against ranked teams and SEC opponents are solid so he's rising to the level of the opponent for the most part.  He's also playing banged up.

Obviously, the one area where he can improve dramatically is his conditioning.  His average yards per carry per quarter are:
-- First Quarter = 6.2 yards/carry
-- Second Quarter = 5.6 yards/carry
-- Third Quarter = 3.4 yards/carry
-- Fourth Quarter = 3.7 yards/carry

If you prefer a look by half, it's 5.9 yards per carry in the first half and 3.5 yds/carry in the second half. 

In fairness, he probably didn't see the fourth quarter of very many high school games as dominating as his team was.  But still...UGA and Crowell must find a way to get him ready for more work.

The flip side of this equation...if you're an elite high school running back recruit like Keith Marshall (RB from Raleigh, NC), you can realistically look at the success of Crowell and still see tremendous playing time.  Crowell would likely be happy to have you take some of his snaps. (Weirdest sentence I've written in a while)

I'm pleased for him as he's having a great freshman season.  The coaches just have to find a a way to get more quality carries from him in the fourth quarter of games.

PWD

Gilliard and Walsh Named SEC Players of the Week

Gilliard for his 12 tackles (a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss), strip and pass break up.  I was remiss in not mentioning his play earlier.  Walsh for his two FGs.

DGDs.
TD

Tennessee Review

Despite what some pundits think (no links, you can feed their troll habits without my help), I'm remain happy with the team's play. Fourth strong defensive effort in a row.  Strong play calling when we needed it.  Strong running from Crowell later in the game.  A win in Knoxville.  I'll take it.
The Good:

• Coaching adjustments.  If I'm going to call out the lack of coaching acumen, it is only appropriate that I laud it when it goes well.  The half time adjustments were good.  The second half play calling was very good.  
• Special props to the call on Crowell's second TD run.  In the second half, almost every run was to the left side of the line, presumably to protect against him losing the ball out of his sprained right wrist.  We went back to the play that we ran at Mississippi from inside our own 5 that gained 25+ to the right side.  It was as well blocked and well executed Saturday night.  As a bonus, Tennessee's defense was completely expecting him to cut left when he cut right.
• Energy.  Loved going for it twice on 4th down on the first drive. Crowell kept answering the bell. The defense kept hitting hard.  It was a nice change after the last two trips to Knoxville.
• -20 yards allowed rushing.  I've seen some people pointing to this being a product of how bad the Vols rushing offense is.  To that, I'd answer that those guys didn't just fall down behind the line on their own.  
• Keeping Bray off kilter enough that he never got into a rhythm. 
• Walsh getting his mojo back.
• The defense not falling into super prevent on the last drive.  Yes, they only had :18 seconds, but we still came after them very hard.

The Bad:

• 4th and 56.  Damn.  I know you could call a hold on nearly every play (and the first one against Aron White was particularly tictac), but damn.  Although you could make a case that you'd rather get all of your holds for one game out of the way in one drive.  
• An 8 minute, 12 play, 28 yard drive.  I am not sure how you do that.  Wait, you end up 4th and 56.
• Not getting that last first down.  The game is on the line.  Finish them.
• Murray's long passes.  Give Bobo credit, he kept giving Murray chances to work it out (which he did with the long Mitchell pass), but they were there all night and he just isn't in sync on the long ball right now.
• I miss Orson Charles in our passing game.
• The long 3rd and 4th down conversions allowed in the first half.  I started having flashbacks.

The Ugly:

• The first half.

One last observation.  When it was 3rd and 56, why not throw it long?  At that point, armpunt isn't the worst option, right?  In all a strong game.  Still areas to improve in, but strong.

TD

3 Questions Answered: Tennessee

I had questions.  Now I have answers.

1. Will we slow down their passing offense enough? Yes.  We held Bray to a season low in passing yards.  He only had one game with fewer than the 18 completions, and he only threw 24 times in that game (compared to the 33 times he threw Saturday).  Rogers had a couple of big catches on their one TD drive, but was largely silent, especially in the first half.  We didn't him him as much as I thought we would need to, but we kept his rhythm off enough to make it a long night.
2. Can we score enough points to win? Wow.  If you'd told me we'd win with 20, I'd have counted on rain or something else.  Give Tennessee credit.  They played really strong defense in the first half.  We only had the ball three times in the first half.  The Vols bowed up when they needed to.  I have to give Bobo credit with the play calling in the second half.  He kept going to the long ball because it was open, and despite Murray consistently missing those open guys.  He mixed run and pass very well on both TD drives.  
3. Which team will make the biggest special teams screw up? It ended up not mattering.  We blocked an extra point that would have made it interesting.  They missed a FG early, but I don't think that mattered either.

Hey, a road win in Knoxville is a road win in Knoxville.  Our defense held Tennessee to -20 yards rushing.  Taking sacks and tackles for losses out they still only had 41 yards rushing.  I'll take that all year.

Quick Tennessee Thoughts

I'm on the road for the weekend, so it'll be this evening before I have more.  Here are my very quick Sunday morning impressions:
* Very happy to see us keep the play calling organic, especially on the final TD drive. I told the people I was with to watch out for us to be content to let the D win it once we got the TD. Very happy to be wrong.
*I applaud the line getting a whole game's worth of holding penalties out of the way on one drive.
*Bray is very good. He stays in the pocket, makes good decisions and is a strong leader.
*Crowell showing up and playing strong hurt was huge. The second TD call with him was awesome playcalling. We'd been running to the left to protect that arm. Going right was genius.
*Quite a good defense we have.
*It was good to see us stop someone with the game on the line. If there is any indication that this isn't last year's D, bowing up and keeping them from doing anything on the game ending drive is it.

More this evening. Congrats to Coach Richt on number 100.  DGD. 

TD

Safe Travels

I have obligations in South Georgia for Saturday night, but will be watching the game.  With any luck and my phone battery holding out, I'll live blog a bit. 

I apologize in advance if I end up with a technofail.

Go Dawgs!

Tennessee Preview

Crowell on the carry (Image:Hipple)

Well, here we are.  34 hours from kickoff and still fretting about how in the world we're going to win in Knoxville. I mean we went up there the past two times and crappantsed ourselves right out of the gate.  Hell, I didn't even wear the shirt I wore to watch the game home in either year.  Threw them both away immediately. 

Now we are strong on defense, especially passing defense. We're second in the nation in 3rd down defense. Teams are scoring on us when they get into the red zone, but teams have only been in the red zone 9 times all season.  Nine.  That is good for top 10 in the nation.  Tennessee has been in the red zone 22 times, good for top 25 in the nation.  The Vols like to sling it down the field, the one thing Kellen Moore wasn't really able to do in the opener.  If Rambo and the corners play strong, I look for a win.  I don't expect to keep the Vols out of the end zone all night, but I do expect them to have to earn the scores.  If they hit a couple of quick deep pass plays, I could be in the market for a new shirt.

On offense, I like our chances to run the ball on them.  The Vols got eaten alive by Florida with Demps and Rainey.  For that matter, Cincy and Buffalo had more success running the ball against them.  One interesting note, they are much better in the second half against the run, averaging a full 3.33 yards per carry better in the second half.  That is why I think Bobo will be forced to be let go of his four corners offensive philosophy and keep Tennessee's defense on their toes.  Tennessee lets up in the 3rd Q in passing D, with that being the highest QB rating allowed.  Will Crowell get that signature long run he's been dreaming about?

Overall, I'm nervous, but like our chances.  If we can run the ball effectively and take shots down the field with our deep threats, which I think we can, we'll be in the game.  If our defense can force Tennessee into a short zone passing game, instead of allowing them to open it up, which is easily their strength, I like our chances. 

Matchups to watch:
-Rambo/Boykin on Da'Rick. Easy choice, right? Rogers has become Bray's go to man.  Put aside the Twitter/Facebook non-sense; this is where the Vols will focus early.  Establish Rogers and spread the ball to Rivera and Arnett.  A few token running plays for good measure.  Shut down Rogers and you force Tennessee into a game they aren't prepared to play and probably can't win.
-Their punting vs. our punt return team. So much hilarity could ensue.  It is possible to see a blocked punt, a punt returned for a TD, a fake punt and a fat guy TD.  Hell, it is possible to see that on one play.  We don't want to play field position exchange with them. Bobo is much more comfortable opening the playbook with room to operate.  Their passing game is too dangerous to only make them go 50 yards for a TD. 
-UGA Oline vs. their blitz package.  Murray has been hit way too much. Changes are afoot on our line.  We've got to keep him protected.  If he starts forcing and short arming throws, we'll give them too many opportunities to score, either through lack of conversions or picks. 

I expect Dooley to have seen what Mississippi State did with that little jet/bubble screen and use it to free up the deep guys.  Also, lest we forget, the misdirection and play action Tennessee used in 07 and 09 to clean our clocks remains the one thing our defense still consistently fails to play strong on.  We have to be ready for that or find a way to neutralize that threat.

TD

Tennessee - 3 Questions

Jenkins with the pwn. (Image:Hipple)

Another week, another must win game.  I'm concerned about Tennessee.  If there is one thing this Georgia team has struggled with for a number of years is the ability to consistently play good football. We can continue the debate about the level of the competition, but we've had three strong defensive performances in a row. Can Grantham's D put up a fourth dominating performance?

1. Will we slow down their passing offense enough? There is no doubt losing Justin Hunter changes the complexion of each of Tennessee's remaining games.  Still, Bray is dangerous enough with the weapons left at his disposal.  Georgia's defense, specifically our passing defense, is the stoutest Bray has seen all year (currently 4th in the nation at just over 150ypg allowed).  Against the only competent pass D he's faced, Bray was 26/48/3TD/2INT.  His passer rating was a respectable 116.87.  Still Florida got to him enough to make those errors pay, with 3 sacks and 6 more TFLs.  Either way, I don't see Bobo having the luxury of playing four corners offense in the 4th quarter.  The good news is the D line matches up well with them on the front.  That'll give some opportunity to drop guys in to coverage, or even better bring multiple looks to keep Bray from being comfortable.  I'd love to see Big John do a full body take down early.
2. Can we score enough points to win? The other side of that coin is scoring enough points to win.  I don't foresee this being a 2006 style score fest.  I do think it'll take more than 24 points to win. Fortunately, they've struggled containing strong running games. Crowell will get his share of looks.  I look for more Smith/Boykin plays, too.  The Vols haven't been getting to the QB too much, but anyone that has played Georgia this year has reversed any sack issues they've had.  When Murray has been comfortable, he's been very good.  When he's been turfed a few times, he's been less so.  Keeping Murray upright, either through some miraculous improvement in blocking or scheme is huge.  Involving more play makers might be necessary.
3. Which team will make the biggest special teams screw up? They kick the ball short and don't cover well, have given up blocked punts in back to back games, allow long returns with regularity.  We can't stop a fake punt, our kicker has the yips, and a few decent high school teams could pull off an on-sides kick against us.  With a game that has the potential to be this close, these are the types of plays that matter. Lord, please let Boykin's teeth be healthy enough for him to house a punt.

I think we'll need Rambo and the rest of the secondary to have monster games.  They've played very well, clearly, but Tyler is a QB unlike what they've seen since week one.  Which went so swimmingly.  

Any big questions on your mind?

TD

Rejected Tennessee Locker Room Posters

Who did they get to check this, me?

The other one considered:

Did I miss any?  Extra points for art.

TD

Missouri is Looking for Summer Air Conditioning

Raise your hand if you know what I'm talking about?

In the days before luxury student living, there was just student living and less.  Many, many places didn't have air conditioning, especially the older houses in the pre-5peoplelivinginonehousewillmaketheneighborhoodgotohellandcauseprostitutionandmeth days of Athens.  As a result, it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for people to find a summer hookup with AC. 

Now, Mizzu is looking at the SEC for air conditioning.  You know, just until the the B1G comes calling.  The folks in Columbia really wants to play in the smart, but slow, conference.


For the school that is literally holding two conferences' direction in their hands, they have some very interesting PR approaches. Looks like Deaton, et al., are forgetting the SEC isn't run by Dan Beebe.

TD

Tennessee Road Game

The hardest part about going to an away game is figuring out what your tailgate plans are.  Knoxville is a relatively easy three hour drive from Atlanta, four hour drive from Athens, and 25 years from both places.  Last I checked, there were some hotels a relatively short drive from Knoxvegas, keeping in mind that getting out of downtown there is like leaving Atlanta, but no mass transit, only one interstate and more donkey carts. 

Getting in shouldn't be that big of a deal with a 7pm kickoff.  There are some open tailgate options, with the best one I've seen being the Hedges2Hardwood's soire.  Contact them for more info.  They promise coozies. UGA's official spot will probably be the Knoxville Marriott.  It is also my experience that if you can get past the nasty orange, Tennessee fans are always happy to share their hooch. 

I mean moonshine.  Not their lady companions.  Gotta keep it in the family.

TD

Fun Free Office Pools - Week 5

Awesome job by Romedawg with the perfect slate in week 5.   Richt Flair takes over the top spot for the season.

Standings for Week 5
Rank	Selection	Edit	W-L	Pts	Tie Breaker AL-UF 38-10
1	romedawg's picks		11-0	66	34-17
2	Meat686's picks		10-1	63	24-21
2	DinDawg Fan's picks		9-2	63	28-30
4	allyugadawg's picks		9-2	62	31-17
4	uga009's picks		10-1	62	27-20
6	sowegaboy's picks		10-1	61
7	aueagle's picks		9-2	60	34-27
7	DawgRocker's picks		9-2	60	31-17
7	dfreemsuga's picks		9-2	60	27-24
7	aladawg's picks		9-2	60	24-13
7	The Green Notebook		8-3	60	24-20
7	SWGADAWG's picks		10-1	60	24-21
7	dcdawg10's picks		10-1	60

Season Standings:

Overall Standings Through Week 5
Rank	Selection	W-L	Pts
1	Richt Flair's picks	43-14	302
2	aueagle's picks	45-12	298
3	jondeal's picks	44-13	297
4	blaked04's picks	44-13	296
5	Hobnail_Boot	42-15	293
6	wdouglas's picks	39-18	292
6	jud92's picks	44-13	292
8	contrarian's picks	42-15	291
9	ecdawg's picks	42-15	289

All Saturday games again. Get your picks in. 
TD