College Football Wrap-Up: Rivalry Weekend

Saturday was arguably the best day of college football this entire season.  Rivalry weekend always delivers plenty of drama and Saturday was certainly no exception.  Let's start with the Dawgs victory in Atlanta.

Georgia's season has been full of crazy, down to the wire finishes so it was no surprise that the regular season finale would require two overtime periods.  The Dawgs rallied from a 20 point first half deficit and defeated Georgia Tech for the 5th straight time.  Here are my thoughts on the game:

• The defense looked horrible in pass coverage but I thought they defended the option fairly well.  In particular the Dawgs played well on the perimeter and when they needed it the most they did force Vad Lee into a big mistake on the JHC interception in the 4th quarter.
• Hutson Mason settled down late in the first half and had a nice performance for his first career start.  He finished with 299 yards passing, 2 TDs, and 1 INT.
• I would love to know what the officials saw on that Michael Bennett reception, fumble, and recovery.  I understand missing the call on the field but how could you review that play and rule it an incompletion?
• Chris Conley and Michael Bennett both had huge games combining for 12 receptions, 182 yards, and 1 TD.  Both WRs will play prominent roles next season.
• Gurley is such an incredible back.  The Dawgs have really begun utilizing him in the passing game since he returned from the high ankle sprain.  He simply owned the two OT periods with the entire 50 yards of offense on 4 rushing attempts.  I still don't believe he's 100% healthy but he is absolutely the most dynamic player we've had at Georgia in a long time.  We won't be able to enjoy Gurley after next season because he will almost certainly enter the NFL draft.  Here's to hoping that his health in 2014 resembles that of his freshman year instead of the nagging injuries he's endured this season.
• Special teams play have been poor to say the least this season. However, many have overlooked what a remarkable season K Marshall Morgan has enjoyed.  He has been perfect on PATs (46-46) and has made 18 out of 20 FG attempts. The FG he made in the 4th quarter was certainly pressure packed and he drilled it.
• Was it just me or do you believe Paul Johnson would have elected to go for two if they had scored on that 4th down play in the second OT?  I believe he knew that his defense was out of gas and had no answer for Gurley.

Photo Credit: Johnny Crawford/AJC

You have to give Tech credit because they came out aggressively and had the Dawgs reeling in the first half.  To Georgia's credit they didn't quit and kept fighting when it would have been easy to just lay down considering the injuries and disappointing losses this season.  Georgia has now won 5 in a row over Georgia Tech and 19 out of the last 23 in the series.  Mark Richt is now 12-1 versus the Jackets and Georgia is 21-4 in their last 25 games versus Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Neighboring In-State Rivalries

Iron Bowl: What a miraculous finish! You could watch college football for the next 10 years and not see another two plays as dramatic as the ones Auburn has had this season against Georgia and Alabama.  

Saban is the best head coach in college football and he has the crystal footballs to prove it but the decisions he made in the 4th quarter are certainly questionable.  He passed up the 32 yard field goal but then later decided to trot a kicker out there who has only attempted one field goal all season and asked him to make a 56 yard kick on the road, versus your biggest rival, with no time left. When the officials put one more second on the clock I thought Saban would attempt to run one more offensive play and try to score a TD.

You have to give Auburn a ton of credit. Yes, the game winning play was a fluke of sorts but the Tigers went toe to toe with Bama and deserved to win that game. They outrushed Alabama and converted more first downs than the Tide. Remember that even if Bama simply misses that FG wide right and the kick sails into the stands that the game is headed to overtime. Alabama fans have enjoyed an enormous amount of success the last 5 years but they will have a very difficult time overcoming this loss. Now Saban can sit at home and watch Auburn in the SEC Championship Game.

South Carolina/Clemson: The Gamecocks defeated the Tigers for the 5th consecutive time.  You have to believe that this is true.

It would seem that Dabo Swinney has turned into Steve Spurrier's new version of Ray Goff or Phillip Fulmer. #MindGames
— SportsTalk (@sportstalksc) December 1, 2013

The roles have reversed in this rivalry.  Clemson's players seem to play uptight while the Gamecocks play loose and relaxed. During the 5 game win streak the Tigers have committed 15 turnovers while the Gamecocks have only committed 3 during that span.  This past Saturday Clemson turned the ball over six times while Carolina didn't have a turnover.  This was only the sixth meeting with both teams ranked and S. Carolina has won 5 of those 6 times.

Florida State/Florida: The Gators hung with FSU for about a quarter and a half then the Seminoles took over the ball game.  The 37-7 rout was what everyone expected and now the Seminoles cruise into their conference championship game versus Duke. Meanwhile Florida has fired two of their offensive coaches and at least one junior (CB Loucheiz Purifoy) has declared for the NFL draft.

Coaching Changes
This is the time of year that you begin to hear about coaching changes.  Head coaches and/or assistant coaches are fired, resign, or leave to take positions at other schools.

• Wake Forest Head Coach Jim Grobe resigned on Monday. He did a spectacular job with the Demon Deacons and this is one to keep an eye on because Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris is rumored to be in the running to replace Jim Grobe. As you know, Georgia's opening opponent in 2014 is Clemson. They will already be breaking in a new quarterback with Tajh Boyd's graduation when they travel to Athens and it would be nice if they're adjusting to a new offensive coordinator as well.
• Southern Cal announced on Monday that their new head coach will be Steve Sarkisian which of course creates an opening at Washington.  I'm not convinced that this is a great hire for SC. In 5 seasons with the Huskies, Sarkisian's winningest season (2013) only resulted in 8 victories. Not to mention, the last Pete Carroll protege they hired (Lane Kiffin) didn't exactly bring back the magic for the Trojans.
• The Washington job is an interesting opening to watch because Vanderbilt's James Franklin has already been mentioned as a candidate.  UCLA's Jim Mora has already withdrawn his name from consideration.
• Florida Head Coach Will Muschamp has fired his offensive coordinator and offensive line coach which was no surprise. I'm not sure who he will find to replace Pease but whoever takes the job won't have any room for error or both the new offensive coordinator and Muschamp won't be in Gainesville for the 2015 season.

Georgia Coaching News
On Sunday news surfaced that Richt doesn't plan to make any changes to his staff.  There are many opinions out there among Dawg fans in regards to Richt not making any changes with his defensive staff, specifically his defensive coordinator.  My take on Grantham is that he is a very intelligent coach who understands the "X's and O's". He's also proven to be a very capable recruiter in his tenure at Georgia.  However, at times it appears that his scheme appears to be too complicated for his defense to execute. I wholeheartedly agree with this take that he needs to do a better job of subbing players, and I'm certainly tired of seeing the defense late to get set before the snap while they're waiting on the call from the sideline.

The rumor in January of 2010 was that Kirby Smart was offered the DC position at Georgia and was seriously considering the lateral move to his alma mater. It was also rumored that if Smart left Alabama then Saban was ready to hire Grantham and the two had already spoken about the potential opportunity. If Grantham is good enough for Saban to hire then he should certainly be able to do the job in Athens.

Coach Richt has made his decision and unless Grantham bolts on his own he will be the defensive coordinator in 2014.  We have a very talented group on the defensive side of the ball and they gained a great deal of experience this season.  It is my hope that the talent and experience translate into a cohesive unit that creates turnovers and makes opportunistic stops when needed.
Odds & Ends

• Bowl destinations will be determined this weekend but it appears that Georgia will land in the Gator Bowl. The most likely opponent is Michigan.  
• I doubted Missouri would win the SEC East even after they defeated Georgia in Athens but you have to give them credit. They finished the regular season 11-1 overall (7-1 in the SEC) and will face Auburn in the SEC Championship Game. Considering they went 2-6 in the SEC last season that is a remarkable turnaround for Gary Pinkel. They are a blown 4th quarter lead versus S. Carolina from having an undefeated season.
• Spurrier has certainly turned around South Carolina's program and this will be the 3rd consecutive season with 10 or more wins.  The Gamecocks only enjoyed one 10 win season in the first 118 years of their program so 3 in a row is quite an accomplishment.  Even with their success the last 3 years they have failed to win the SEC East in spite of beating the eventual division champion on the field.  South Carolina has a very young football team and doesn't lose many seniors.  However, they will lose their all-time winningest QB (Conner Shaw) and will likely lose 3  Jr. playmakers on the defensive side of the ball (DE Clowney, DT Quarles, and CB Hampton) to the NFL draft.
• Michigan had Ohio State on the ropes this past Saturday. Hoke may be criticized but I thought his decision to go for two was the right call (not to mention very gutsy).
• It is highly unlikely but what would happen if Duke beat FSU in the ACC Championship game, Michigan State beat Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship game, and Auburn beat Missouri in the SEC Championship game?  Could it mean a rematch of Auburn and Alabama in the BCS National Championship game? Fans outside of SEC Country would probably not tolerate it but stranger things have happened.  Bama could then potentially win their 2nd national championship in 3 years in spite of not even winning their conference division.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 13

Georgia easily defeated Kentucky on Saturday night by a final score of 59-17, but it was tough to witness Aaron Murray's college career cut short when he suffered a torn ACL in the 2nd quarter. After completing 18 of 23 passes for 183 yards and 4 TDs, Murray had to be helped off the field shortly before halftime. Murray has meant so much to this program the last 4 years and his legacy in the DawgNation is secure.  If you missed the Open Letter to Aaron Murray last week then I promise you it is well worth your time.

Photo Credit: Jason Vorhees/The Macon Telegraph

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 12

Heartbroken
Nearly 24 hours later and I'm still in shock!  I've never seen any play like Auburn's Hail Mary to win the game.  It was another classic game in the Deep South's oldest rivalry. Unfortunately for the Dawgs, they ended up on the losing side. I don't have a lot to offer in regards to the game, but here are my thoughts:

• Auburn won the 1st half and the Georgia won the 2nd half. The difference in the game: stupid luck
• For those fans in the DawgNation that complain about Mike Bobo, chew on this for a moment: Georgia has faced 5 teams in the current Top 18 of this week's Associated Press poll (Clemson, South Carolina, LSU, Missouri, and Auburn). In those 5 games the offense has averaged 512 yards of offense and 36.8 points per game. That's remarkable, especially when you consider all the injuries on offense this season.
• On the Hail Mary itself, I've heard a lot of criticism from fans and even former players that say the Georgia defensive backs should have just knocked the ball away.  I understand the argument but I'm not going to criticize the players.  In my opinion, Matthews was going for the ball (not knowing if the WR would be battling for it) and JHC came in to knock it away when they collided with one another.
• Now I do believe Georgia's defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham, deserves to be blamed.  Yes, the defense did play much better in the 4th quarter, but how do you expect to give up 566 yards of offense and win the game? You cannot rely on your offense to score 40+ points in these big ballgames every single time. There is simply too much talent on this defense to play so poorly on a consistent basis.
• You can't blame this loss on poor officiating, but when you know the name of the referee prior to the game, and you're already dreading the fact that he's officiating your game, it's not a good sign. I honestly don't know if the play should have been ruled a turnover, but I do know that the mild-mannered Mark Richt has never been penalized before yesterday. Let's face it, Penn Wagers will never get over the celebration in Jacksonville in 2007 and the SEC office is not going to hold their officials accountable.  
• This right here sums up the Hail Mary pass and our season in general.
• Ramik Wilson deserves to the SEC's Defensive Player of the week.  He had 18 tackles, 2 TFL, and 1 sack.
• If you're looking for a good recap from a professional writer then be sure to check out Seth Emerson's write-up from the Macon Telegraph.
• Aaron Murray is the greatest QB in UGA history.  He won't leave with an SEC Championship, but he holds every single significant SEC passing record, he is one of the toughest QBs I've ever seen play, and he leaves everything he has on the field every single time.  There is absolutely no way we have a chance to win that game yesterday without Aaron Murray. I don't know about you, but I plan on being in my seat early on Saturday night so that I can give him a standing ovation when they announce his name on Senior Day.

SEC Eastern Division

It's now down to Missouri and South Carolina and it's pretty straightforward to determine who will play the Alabama/Auburn winner for the SEC title the first weekend in December.  If Missouri wins their remaining two conference games (Ole Miss and Texas A&M) then they will win the division.  If they lose either one of those games then South Carolina will win the division. I believe Missouri will beat Ole Miss on Saturday and on the final regular season weekend, Carolina fans will be busy watching Texas A&M/Missouri, along with hoping that they can make it 5 straight versus Clemson.

Bowl Projections

Both ESPN experts are predicting a Georgia/Minnesota matchup in the Gator Bowl.  Earlier today came word of this:

According to a #GatorBowl ambassador I spoke to this weekend, #UGA and #Michigan are at the top of their "Big Board." #SEC #B1G
— Logan Booker (@LoganBooker_BI) November 17, 2013

CBS Sports projects us to play in the Music City Bowl versus Syracuse, while SB Nation projects a Georgia/Boston College matchup in the Music City Bowl, which would be a rematch of a bowl game played in Mark Richt's first season (2001) in Athens.

Odds & Ends

• Well, as bad as that fluke play hurt on Saturday night, at least I'm not a Gator or Yellow Jacket fan.  Florida lost to South Carolina, which virtually assures them of no bowl this season, and Clemson took Tech to the woodshed on Thursday night in front of a national television audience.
• Duke is now in sole possession of first place in the ACC Coastal division, with two games remaining and ranked #25 in the nation. It may be in David Cutcliffe's best interest to somehow finish 2nd in the division and not have to face FSU in the ACC title game.
• The Baylor/Oklahoma State game next weekend in Stillwater will be a de facto Big 12 conference championship game.  I really hope Baylor can finish the season undefeated, if for no other reason than I want them to finish ahead of Ohio State in the polls.  In spite of the Buckeye's 25 point road win, they dropped from 3rd to 4th in this week's AP Poll.  Baylor is currently #3.
• With Stanford's loss to USC, Oregon is now the favorite to head to the Rose Bowl since they will host the Pac 12 championship game.  This would likely match up the Ducks and the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl the week before the national championship game is played in Pasadena.

Notable Games Next Weekend

The game of the week is Baylor at Oklahoma State (as noted above).  Here are a few other notable games on the schedule next Saturday:

• Texas A&M at LSU: The Tigers are a 4 point favorite, but I'm curious to know the Over/Under on this game.
• Vanderbilt at Tennessee: The Commodores are bowl-eligible while the Vols need the win in order to have a shot to become bowl-eligible this season.  Can the Dores' make it two straight versus Tennessee for the first time since 1926?
• Missouri at Ole Miss: A loss for the Tigers will put South Carolina in the SEC Championship game for the 2nd time in four years.  A win for Ole Miss would help them move up in the bowl pecking order.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 11

After a very sluggish start in the first half, the Dawgs pulled away from Appalachian State and won 45-6 on Saturday. There's really not a lot of takeaways when you defeat a 2-8 team, but here's what I observed:

Photo Credit: Athens-Banner Herald

• Aaron Murray now owns the SEC Career Passing TDs record, previously held by Florida's Danny Wuerrfel. Murray has 115 passing TDs, which puts him into the Top 10 all-time NCAA record book.  He is within striking distance of the 5th all-time leader touchdown passer, Landry Jones of Oklahoma, who finished his career with 123 TDs. Murray has had a remarkable career at Georgia and will leave with the SEC Career records for Passing Yards, Touchdown Passes, and Total Offense.  Let that sink in for just a moment.
• It was nice to see Hutson Mason finally get a chance to play this season.  He went 11-14 for 160 yards, 1 TD, and 1 interception.  He is going to have so many weapons around him next season.  Hopefully, his 5th season will look more like the one DJ Shockley enjoyed instead of the one Joe Cox had in 2009.
• The only thing worse than running a fake punt versus App State is running one unsuccessfully.  What was that all about?
• Jonathan Rumph made a nice debut on Saturday.  I know he actually played a few snaps last week against Florida, but it was nice to see him make catches on Saturday. He actually finished the game 2nd in receiving yards.  If not for a hamstring injury that he suffered in the preseason, he really could have made a big impact on this team with all the injuries at WR.
• Along those same lines, think about our WR corp next season: Malcolm Mitchell, Michael Bennett, Chris Conley, Reggie Davis, Justin Scott-Wesley, and Jonathan Rumph, along with promising young scholarship players like Tramel Terry, Blake Tibbs, and Uriah Lemay.  The first six I listed could be starters or major contributors at any school in the country.
• Ray Drew has developed into a very fine defensive lineman.  He leads the team with 6 sacks on the season. In case you're wondering, that's four more than Mr. Clowney.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 10

WLOCP: Dawgs Win 3rd Straight Versus Gators

The Bulldogs raced to a big lead on Saturday and survived a second-half rally to defeat the Gators 23-20.  The victory on Saturday keeps the Dawgs in the race for the SEC Eastern division. More importantly, in my opinion, it finally turns the tide in this series. Prior to 2011, it was well documented that the Dawgs had gone only 3-18 versus Florida since Spurrier took over as their head coach in 1990. With the win on Saturday, Georgia has now won 3 straight and 5 out of the last 10.  Georgia now leads the all-time series 50-40-2.  Now onto the game itself:

photo credit Jason Getz/AJC

• Gurley proved once again that when he's healthy he is the best running back in college football.  In spite of not being completely healthy, he still rushed for 100 yards on 17 carries, had 3 receptions for 87 yards, and scored 2 touchdowns. And by the way, Cody Riggs wanted nothing to do with tackling Gurley on his long TD reception.
• Michael Bennett's return was overshadowed by Gurley, but you cannot underestimate the impact he has on this offense. Oftentimes, when Murray has to have a completion, he looks to Bennett.  In spite of all the other injuries, we're probably sitting at 7-1 instead of 5-3 if Gurley and Bennett had remained healthy.
• How about Aaron Murray?  The Tampa, FL native finishes his career at 3-1 versus the Gators.  He's now just the third QB in Bulldog history to beat Florida in three straight games.  He finished the game 258 yards passing, 1 TD, and zero interceptions.  I thought his pass to Wooten in the end zone should have been called a touchdown.  It's a shame they ruled it incomplete because that would have tied Danny Wuerffel's SEC Career Passing TDs record.  I would expect Murray to break the record this Saturday.
• You have to give credit to Georgia's offensive line.  The offense racked up 414 yards of total offense, and with the Dawgs clinging to a 3 point lead in the 4th quarter, they ran out the clock with a 8:17 drive.  It was reminiscent of the drive Georgia had to finish the South Carolina game earlier this season.  It must have been a miserable feeling for Muschamp & co. knowing that you have to get a stop and your defense just can't get it done with time running off the clock.
• Play of the game?  If it wasn't Rhett McGowan's key third down catch on that last drive it would have to be Corey Moore's sack that ended the Florida drive prior to UGA's last drive.  It was 3rd and 12 and Moore came through untouched to sack Tyler Murphy for a 14 yard loss.
• Player of the game?  It would be easy to make a case for Gurley or Murray, but I would have to go with DL Garrison Smith.  He finished the game with 9 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Not to mention he was the emotional leader of that defense.  It was nice to see the senior have such a fine game in last GA/FL clash.
• The defense deserves credit for playing well on Saturday. They limited Tyler Murphy to 174 yards passing, with no TDs, and he only completed 45% of his passes.  Meanwhile, their top rusher, Kelvin Taylor, only had 76 yards on 20 carries with no TDs.  As a matter of fact, Florida only had to drive a total of 64 yards for both of their touchdowns.
• Last season, after Georgia gave Florida their only loss of the regular season, many pundits argued that the Gators gave the game away with 6 turnovers.  They totally ignored that Georgia's defense created some of those turnovers, as well as the fact that Georgia had 3 turnovers of their own in that game.  Well, this year that can't be a crutch given that Florida won the turnover battle (1-0).  Here's something else to consider: In 2012 and 2013, the Dawgs have led each game from beginning to end.
• Yes, Florida is only 4-4, and yes it was an ugly second half for the Dawgs, but this is still a sweet victory in my opinion. We've defeated the Gators 3 consecutive times now...I will enjoy this victory all the way up until the next Cocktail Party kicks off in 2014!

Muschamp on the Hot Seat

Zook was fired for going 23-14 in 3 yrs at UF. Will Muschamp is now 22-12 with South Carolina, Ga. Southern & FSU left to play. Do the math.
— Chris Huston (@HeismanPundit) November 2, 2013

Florida has games remaining versus Vanderbilt, South Carolina (away), Georgia Southern, and Florida State.  In the best case scenario, they will finish 6-6.  In Muschamp's defense, he inherited a mess from Urban Meyer and the Gators have been riddled with injuries this season. Muschamp went 11-1 during the regular season in 2011.  However, he's gone 4-5 since then and his record versus the Dawgs is now 0-3.  The Gator Nation is growing restless and, with FSU on the rise, many wonder if Muschamp will be coaching the Gators in 2014.

SEC East Race
It's down to just a three team race to win the Eastern Division. Missouri still controls their own destiny, after defeating Tennessee 31-3 on Saturday. South Carolina and Georgia are still in contention, while all the others teams have been eliminated.  The division winner may not be decided until Thanksgiving weekend.  Barring a Kentucky upset of Missouri this coming Saturday, nothing more will be decided in this race until November 16th, when Florida faces South Carolina and Georgia travels to Auburn.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 9

The Dawgs enjoyed a much needed bye week before next weekend's matchup with Florida. Meanwhile, the game of the week in college football, as far as I'm concerned, was South Carolina vs. Missouri.

South Carolina started the game with Dylan Thompson at QB, because of the knee injury Conner Shaw suffered last week in their loss to Tennessee.  With South Carolina trailing Missouri 17-0 in the 4th quarter and South Carolina desperate to win the game in order to stay alive in the SEC East race, Spurrier called on Conner Shaw.  Shaw entered the game and engineered three scoring drives (all for 63 or more yards) to tie the game with only 42 seconds remaining in regulation.  Facing 4th down in the 1st OT and down by seven, Shaw completed a 15 yard TD pass to force a second overtime period.  After Carolina kicked a FG in the 2nd overtime, Missouri missed a 24 yard field goal attempt when it bounced off the left upright and the Gamecocks escaped with a 27-24 victory.

I recently had a South Carolina fan tell me that they have one of the youngest teams in America, while dismissing the notion that Spurrier would possibly retire after the season.  They may only lose 5 starters total, but you cannot discount the impact of losing Conner Shaw after this season. He is a tough, proven leader who has developed into a very fine quarterback.  His gutsy performance last night was one of the best individual efforts I've seen from a player all season long. 

Who is in the Driver's Seat to win the SEC East?
Missouri still controls their own destiny.  They have four conference games remaining: Tennessee, @ Kentucky, @ Ole Miss, and Texas A&M.  If they win those 4 games they will win the East regardless of what else happens.  South Carolina appears to be in the second best position because they own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Missouri and they have the best chance of winning their remaining conference games.  They play Mississippi State at home next weekend and then have a bye week before they play Florida at home on Nov. 16th.  The game between Georgia and Florida this weekend is essentially an elimination game.  The loser may not be mathematically eliminated, but it's nearly impossible for that team to win the division.  The best chance the Dawgs have at winning the East is to win out and hope that Missouri trips up at least 2 more times.  If the Dawgs and South Carolina both finish 6-2, and Missouri finishes 5-3, then Georgia would advance to the SEC Championship because they beat the Gamecocks in the head-to-head match-up in September.

BCS Championship Picture 
Alabama, FSU, and Oregon all looked very dominant in their wins yesterday. Florida State really needs Clemson to keep winning to help their strength of schedule.  They will play an undefeated and Top 10 Miami team this coming weekend, but anyone who has paid attention knows that Miami could have easily lost their last two games to mediocre opponents.  North Carolina had them on the ropes last week and yesterday they had to rally at home to beat a .500 Wake Forest squad. Personally, I would love to see Alabama and Florida State in the BCS Championship game, and Oregon versus Ohio State could be played in the Rose Bowl. Baylor is still undefeated and has moved all the way up to #5 in the nation. However, they would need 3 of the 4 teams ranked ahead of them to lose in order to have a chance at the BCS Championship game.

Tennessee's Misery
Tennessee was defeated by Alabama yesterday 45-10.  That was the 7th consecutive loss the Vols have suffered in that series. Meanwhile, Tennessee has endured 9 consecutive losses to Florida and 4 consecutive losses to Georgia.  Since 2006, Tennessee is only 2-19 versus their three biggest SEC rivals. Butch Jones has faced a brutal schedule this season.  If you don't believe me then just consider this: 

According to STATS Inc., #Vols would be 1st team since 1993 Pitt to play ranked opponents in 7 of 8 weeks (if Mizzou, Auburn stay ranked).
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 24, 2013

Of course, Florida and Georgia are no longer ranked, but both teams have been ravaged by injuries.

World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party Preview
As noted earlier, this game is critical for either team to maintain a chance at winning the SEC East.  While Georgia's ultimate goal has already been dashed, it would certainly help matters if they could gain their 3rd consecutive victory in the series for the first time since 1989. Meanwhile, Muschamp is looking for his first victory in the WLOCP.  After going 0-4 as a player with Georgia in the early 90's, he has started off 0-2 as a head coach for the Gators. Both teams had this weekend off to heal up before Saturday's contest. Georgia's injury report is lengthy to say the least.

There are 24 players on Georgia's official injury report tonight, 13 of whom have started at least one game this year.
— Seth Emerson (@SethEmerson) October 24, 2013

Meanwhile, Chip Towers of the AJC reported last week that the Gators have had 9 starters miss multiple games with injuries.

It's hard to predict what will happen on Saturday.  In my opinion, the game is a toss-up. I believe that having Todd Gurley healthy for this game is critical.  His presence cannot be overstated.  He is a difference maker for the Dawgs, and if he had remained healthy, I really believe Georgia would be sitting at 6-1 instead of 4-3.  In addition to his running abilities, he also opens up the passing game because safeties have to cheat up, which in turn makes them more vulnerable to be beaten with play action and deep passes.  I would expect Michael Bennett to return on Saturday as well, based on practice reports from last week.  It would be a huge bonus if we could Josh Harvey-Clemons and Chris Conley back on the field as well.

One player we will miss for certain this season against Florida is Jarvis Jones.  By my count, in his only 2 appearances versus the Gators he made 17 tackles (8.5 TFL), 7 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.  If you care to relive any of the incredible plays Jarvis Jones made versus the Gators, then you will enjoy this:


Odds & Ends

• If you're looking for a good Mid-season Progress report on Georgia, then look no further than here.
• In Steve Spurrier's 21 seasons as head coach at Florida and South Carolina, his teams have only been shut out one time. The lone shutout was pitched by Georgia 2006.  The Dawgs defeated South Carolina 18-0 that season in Columbia.
• Texas A&M has scored 41 points or more in their last 11 games, dating back to last season.  The last time they were held under 41 was against Alabama last November.
• Missouri's ability to create turnovers is really what helped them gain the lead versus South Carolina and Georgia had two costly turnovers in their game versus Missouri a couple of weeks ago. Well, it just so happens that Missouri has created a turnover in 38 consecutive games, which is the longest streak in the country.
• Prior to Saturday's contests (and Georgia's bye week) the top two tacklers in the SEC were Georgia ILBs Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson.
• After the Cornhusker's loss on Saturday to Minnesota, Bo Pelini has to be back on the hot seat.
• Speaking of the Golden Gophers, Mark Schlabach projects the Dawgs to face Minnesota in the Gator Bowl.

There is still a lot of football to be played this season.  Here's to hoping the Dawgs can make it three straight against the Gators on Saturday!

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 8

Georgia has managed to go from a Top 10 national championship contender to dropping out of the Top 25 altogether in just 2 short weeks.  The Dawgs blew a 13 point 4th quarter lead on Saturday at Vanderbilt and now enter the bye week with a 4-3 record.

This tweet provides a good summary on the game:

3 ST mishaps, 2 horrible calls by refs, conservative play-calling for depleted offense, & defense still struggling sums it up. #Pray4Conley
— BigRedBaller (@UgaRecruitingBI) October 19, 2013

Georgia played poorly in all three phases of the game.  The Dawgs have been plagued by horrible special teams play all year and yesterday we couldn't overcome those mistakes.  A muffed punt by Swann and high snap from Frix on a punt resulted in 14 of Vandy's 17 points in the 4th quarter.  Vandy also managed to score a TD in the first half with a fake FG.  As poorly as the defense played at times yesterday, and as much as the injury-riddled offense struggled, Georgia still wins this game yesterday with just average special teams play.  Instead, our special teams were just a train wreck.

Offensively, the Dawgs were conservative in play-calling.  In defense of Coach Bobo though, what else would you expect when you're missing your top two tailbacks and your top three wide receivers.  Plus, let's be honest, the offensive line play has been inconsistent.

On the defensive side of the ball there is simply too much talent for Georgia to be playing this poorly.  Yes, the Dawgs played the majority of the game without their best defensive lineman (more on that in a moment) and their starting safeties.  However, Vanderbilt mounted a comeback with their backup quarterback.  Bottom line, when we needed a stop we couldn't get one, which is unacceptable when you're playing Vandy.

The other obstacle Georgia couldn't overcome yesterday were two terrible calls by the officials. The new targeting rule that was put into place this season made a huge impact.  As for the call on Ray Drew in the 1st half, someone please explain to me why this official is pulling his flag before Drew even makes contact with the QB.  In my opinion, this call was appalling and, when it removes your very best defensive lineman from the game in the 1st half of play, it definitely has an impact on the game.  The 2nd targeting penalty call against Ramik Wilson is simply baffling.  I'm astonished that it was even called in the first place.  At this point in the ballgame, the Dawgs are up by 13 with 13:30 to go in the game.  The hit by Wilson caused it to be an incomplete pass.  It's 4th down, which means that Vanderbilt has lost possession and Georgia has the opportunity to extend their lead, or at the very least take more time off the clock and change Vanderbilt's field position.  The Dawgs played too poorly to simply blame the game on these bad calls, but it certainly did impact the outcome of the game. 

With the new targeting rule it's a 15 yard penalty, automatic first down, and the player that committed the penalty is ejected.  Each targeting call is reviewed by a replay official.  If after reviewing it the official doesn't believe it's a legitimate attempt at targeting to the head or neck area, then they can overturn the player's ejection. In Wilson's case, they reviewed it and properly ruled that it wasn't targeting, therefore Wilson got to stay in the game.  The part that baffles me though is that the 15 yard penalty and automatic first down still stand.  WHAT?  If a video replay shows that no infraction was committed then why is the penalty still enforced? The NCAA Rules Committee needs to change this in the offseason.

Reversing a call but enforcing the penalty anyway is like keeping a defendant in jail even after the guilty verdict is overruled #targeting
— Molly Newsome (@NewsomeMolly) October 19, 2013

The SEC is loaded at the skill positions on offense this season and many of the talented defensive players from last season are now playing in the NFL.  Those two factors have definitely contributed to the high scoring games in SEC play this season.  I honestly believe that the new targeting rule, and the lack of holding by offensive lineman that is called, are two more contributors to those high scoring offenses.  Let's face it, the targeting rule is being driven by an effort to better ensure the safety of players.  With the scrutiny (and lawsuits) that the NFL has faced over the concussion issue, I believe the NCAA is trying to err on the side of caution. However, the law of unintended consequences might take effect, in which case you will see more knee and ankle injuries as players become hesitant to even tackle above the waist, for the fear of an official making a poor judgement call.

In news that won't comfort many Georgia fans, Aaron Murray now owns another SEC career record.  He is now the all-time leader in Total Offense. The record was previously held by Florida legend Tim Tebow.  It's hard to believe but Georgia now holds the SEC career records in Total Passing & Total Offense (Murray), Total Rushing (Herschel Walker), and Total Receiving (Terrance Edwards).  The Total Receiving records held by Edwards will likely be broken next Saturday by Jordan Matthews of Vanderbilt when they travel to play Texas A&M.

Last week was deemed "Upset Saturday," as 7 ranked teams were defeated.  However, yesterday's games resulted in losses by 8 teams in the AP Top 25 as #3 Clemson, #6 LSU, #7 Texas A&M, #8 Louisville, #9 UCLA, #11 South Carolina, #15 Georgia, and #22 Florida were all defeated.  It was also the first time since September of 2007 that five AP Top 10 teams lost on the same day.

Missouri is definitely in the drivers seat to win the SEC East, although I'm still not convinced they will prevail.  A win against South Carolina on Saturday though will pretty much seal the deal, considering that will give them a 2 game lead with tiebreakers over Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina.  Georgia's only chance to win the SEC East would require the Dawgs to run the table versus Florida, Auburn, and Kentucky and then have Missouri lose 3 games.  After hosting South Carolina this Saturday, they have home games remaining with Tennessee and Texas A&M and road games versus Kentucky and Ole Miss.

Consider this about Missouri: In four weeks they've gone from unranked in the AP Poll to #25 to #14 to #5.

Congratulations to Auburn and Tennessee for notching big wins on Saturday.  Auburn survived a wild game in College Station while Tennessee gained their signature win for the Butch Jones era. Every new coach needs a big win in their first season to gain buy-in from the players they inherited and to solidify to recruits that the program is on the rebound.  I told one of my Vol buddies in September that I really believed Tennessee would either beat Florida, Georgia, or South Carolina.

Meanwhile, Auburn controls their own destiny in the SEC West.  If they win out, then they will have the opportunity to play for the SEC championship.  Their only loss is to LSU, which now has 2 conference losses.  Their last 4 conference games are on the road versus Arkansas and Tennessee, then they finish at home with Georgia and Alabama.  Auburn's defense has improved from last season, but their offense has particularly made dramatic improvements.  Last season they ranked 115th in Total Offense. This season they rank 19th in that same category.

SEC media days back in July: #Auburn picked to finish 5th in the West. #Missouri picked to finish 6th in the East.
— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) October 19, 2013

Kyle Field at Texas A&M is known as the "Home of the 12th Man."  The students take great pride in standing for the entire game and their fans create a very tough environment for opponents.  Interestingly enough, since the Aggies joined the SEC they have suffered 4 conference losses--all four have occurred at Kyle Field.  Since 2012, Florida, LSU, Alabama, and Auburn have each defeated Texas A&M at Kyle Field.  I would argue that teams in the SEC are used to playing on the road in tough environments unlike teams in other conferences. 



In ACC action, Florida State went on the road and just punished Clemson 51-14.  Clemson turned the ball over on the 1st play from scrimmage and it was all downhill for the Tigers from there. The game was basically over with when FSU extended their lead to 34-7 on the 1st possession of the second half. They looked vastly superior on both sides of the ball. The Seminoles did a good job of confusing Tajh Boyd, at times, and on other occasions their coverage was simply suffocating the Clemson WRs. Offensively, Jameis Winston is as good as advertised.  I saw his performance earlier this season against Pitt, and was impressed, but last night he proved himself by excelling on the road in a hostile environment and with a national television audience.  Could a redshirt freshman QB win the Heisman in consecutive years? After last night's performance (and if FSU keeps winning), he has to be at the top of the list. Unfortunately for Clemson, that was a make or break moment for their season. They still have a shot at an at-large BCS bid if they win out, but their ACC and National title dreams went by the wayside last night.  

Nationally, I would put Alabama, FSU, and Oregon in a category all to their own. After those three teams it's really difficult to determine who belongs in the discussion for the national championship.  Ohio State?  Their schedule is a joke.  Stanford? They lost to a Utah team that is now only 4-3. Baylor? They're undefeated but the Big 12 (or whatever it is called now) is weak.  Miami?  I'm not convinced but they will get to prove their worth if they defeat FSU. Missouri? Again, not convinced yet, but if they keep winning each week you will have to include them in the discussion.

Where does Georgia go from here?  Well, the latest bowl projections place Georgia playing Michigan State in either the Gator Bowl or the Outback Bowl.  However, the Dawgs have 3 big rivalry games left to play with Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech.  Not to mention they should be playing for pride and those seniors (especially Aaron Murray).  While 2013 won't be the season every Dawg fan was hoping for, they can still finish strong and build momentum going in to next season.  Injuries have decimated Georgia this season, and many of the players won't be returning to play until next season.  However, if Gurley can regain his health, and play near 100%, then the Dawgs will have an opportunity to win each game left on their schedule.  Todd Gurley is a game-changer and will open up the offense in spite of all the injuries at WR.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 7

That was a frustrating loss yesterday afternoon in Athens.  On one hand you have to give credit to Missouri.  They were well prepared, played with confidence, and quite frankly made more plays than Georgia.  On the other hand, the Dawgs had a great opportunity to win the game, in spite of: a) missing all those injured players and b) finishing the game with a turnover margin of minus-4. Prior to yesterday, the Dawgs had the longest home winning streak in the SEC and the 2nd longest in the nation.

On Friday I tweeted that defense and special teams had to make some plays in order for us to beat Missouri so I wasn't necessarily surprised by the upset.  

For the 3rd time this season it's #DawgsvsTigers 4th time we're facing an undefeated & ranked team. Defense & ST must make some plays!
— David Cleveland (@DRockUGA01) October 12, 2013

Our defense and special teams have played poorly as a whole all year. We've lived off our explosive offense scoring enough points to win ballgames.  When you're missing your top 2 RBs and your top 3 WRs, you cannot continue to expect your offense to score 35+ points week in and week out.  

With that being said, the two turnovers at the end of the first half made a huge impact on the game.  Instead of going into halftime down 28-10 it very well could have been 21-17.  An 18 point halftime deficit is hard overcome in the SEC. If you go into the half down by four, and knowing you get the ball back at the beginning of the 2nd half, that leaves you a lot more room for error.  As it was, the Dawgs couldn't afford the mistakes they made in the 4th quarter and expect to win.

As it relates to our defense, this article probably captured my thoughts better than anything else I've read this weekend.The defense played well in stretches (1st 2 series of the game and the 3rd quarter) but you cannot allow 3 consecutive TD drives in the first half.  Then Mizzou's starting QB is injured in the 2nd half and you finally have them on the ropes, only to watch the defense give up a touchdown with the 2nd string QB leading the charge.

I think Coach Grantham is an intelligent football coach and a great recruiter, but I'm growing concerned that he is not the right man to be our Defensive Coordinator.  Our defensive line has improved from last year in my opinion. Unfortunately, our LBs are a liability in coverage, and our secondary is a mess.

If you take away the North Texas game, and just consider the other 5 opponents we've faced (Clemson, S. Carolina, LSU, Tennessee, and Missouri) the defense is yielding 33.4 points per game.  Keep in mind, this only accounts for points given up by the defense (not for points surrendered by the offense or special teams). You simply cannot be a championship caliber team giving up that many points per game.

Through the first 6 games of the season, the Dawgs have started 6 different true freshmen on defense.  Given our youth and inexperience, I expected growing pains, but if this is our defense in "midseason" form then we're in trouble.

There were some bright spots on defense:  a) Georgia generated 4 sacks (2 from Ray Drew) b) Shaq Wiggins and Josh Harvey-Clemons both made some plays throughout the game and c) the defense continues to look better defending the run than they did last season.

The offensive line did well with their run blocking assignments for the most part, but our tackles were consistently beaten when Murray dropped back to pass.  That's discouraging, although I do believe Missouri's defensive line is legit.

I doubt that there is a college football analyst in the country that would have predicted this at the midpoint of the season.  Even though Missouri holds the tiebreaker over Georgia, I don't believe that they are in the driver's seat.  Missouri still has to play Florida, South Carolina, and Texas A&M (now without their starting quarterback).  Not to mention they have to face a Tennessee team hungry for an upset and Ole Miss on the road.  While they've improved dramatically from last season, I will be surprised if they win the East.

If Missouri loses twice, and Georgia wins out, then we'll head to the Dome as SEC East champions for a 3rd consecutive season. With our injuries and games looming versus Florida and Auburn (on the road) that will be a tall task.  If Georgia loses again then I like South Carolina to win the East.  South Carolina looked dominant on the road versus Arkansas and Connor Shaw is having a very impressive senior season.They play at Tennessee this coming week and they're at home versus Florida next month.

Bret Bielema's first season at Arkansas is not exactly going how he had planned.  After starting the year 3-0 versus cupcakes they have lost 4 straight games.  Their next opponent?  Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

As a Dawg fan you have to hate Spurrier, but you must appreciate his wit:

Spurrier: "I do feel badly for Arkansas. That’s no fun getting your butt beat at home, homecoming and all that."
— Josh Kendall (@JoshatTheState) October 12, 2013

Hugh Freeze had an opportunity to win a big game on Saturday night and it slipped through his fingers.  Ole Miss scored with just over 6 minutes remaining in the game to go up by a touchdown. Johnny Football worked his magic and tied it up with a 6 yard TD run about 3 minutes later and then, after holding Ole Miss on the next possession, he had enough time to put A&M in FG range. Texas A&M hit a 33 yard field goal, as time expired, to drop the Rebels for their 3rd straight loss.  Ole Miss won't have time to lick their wounds though because LSU is coming to town on Saturday.

LSU slugged it out with Florida and won 17-6.  Two thoughts I had regarding this game: a) Florida's defense is outstanding and b) Florida's offense is very mediocre.  I will be shocked if Florida's offensive coordinator, Brent Pease, is with the Gators in 2014.

The only consolation after the Dawgs lost yesterday was that Florida and Georgia Tech lost as well.  Tech was handled for the 2nd consecutive season by BYU and now has lost 3 straight games.

Last week I admitted that the SEC's run as claiming the national championship will likely come to an end in 2013.  However, I still firmly believe that the SEC is the best conference in the nation from top to bottom.  This week the SEC set a record for most schools in the Associated Press college football poll with eight ranked teams, 3 of which are in the Top 10.

Speaking of college football polls, I would prefer if polls weren't even released before October because so much of the rankings are based solely on what teams did the previous season.  This week's poll is much more realistic than any preseason or early season polls, because it's based on how teams have performed this year. If you take a look at the AP Top 25 that was released today, you will see that Georgia has already faced 4 out of the top 14 teams this season and still has games remaining against 2 other top 25 teams. Does anyone in the nation face a tougher schedule than Georgia?

Everyone is calling yesterday "Upset Saturday" as 7 ranked teams were defeated.  Stanford was knocked off by unranked Utah, Texas may have saved Mack Brown's job (for now) by knocking off the Sooners, and Penn State beat Michigan in 4 OTs.  Now that Michigan has dropped from the polls, Ohio State doesn't have any games remaining versus a ranked opponent. I certainly hope it keeps a 13-0 OSU team from playing for the national championship.

The formal announcement will be made this week, but the news broke last week that Tennessee and Virginia Tech have agreed to play one another in 2016...at Bristol Motor Speedway.  It sounds like a intriguing idea at first considering Bristol is located right at the Tennessee/Virginia border and practically halfway between the two schools.  Not to mention they will be able to seat 150,000-160,000 fans at this venue.  However, can you imagine how horrible the view will be for many of those seats?


Next week the Dawgs will try to recover versus Vanderbilt.  The Commodores had this weekend off so I feel certain they should be fairly healthy entering the game on Saturday.  I have no doubt that the Dores spent much of last week gameplanning for Georgia. Considering the incident between Franklin and Grantham after the 11' game, and the fact that Georgia blanked the Commodores last year, I have no doubt that they will be fired up and ready to play on Saturday.  With or without Gurley, the Dawgs better be well prepared and ready to go.  As I said last week, now would be a good time for the defense put it together for an entire game.

Meanwhile, the biggest game in college football will be between Clemson and Florida State.  College Gameday returns to Tiger Town and there will be plenty of hype for a Top 5 showdown. The winner still has a shot at the national championship game.  The loser will have to win out to remain in contention for an at-large BCS bowl bid.  FSU has Miami and Florida remaining on the schedule, while Clemson plays at South Carolina to finish the season.  If the loser of this game drops another one down the road, the best that team can hope for is the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.  This rivalry predates FSU joining the ACC.  The most memorable game in this series for me is the 1988 classic at Clemson, so I will leave you with this highlight clip.  Deion Sanders returns a punt for a TD but the play of the game was Leroy Butler's puntrooskie.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 6

Another nail-biter and the Dawgs escape Knoxville with a 34-31 OT victory!  It was a game that left you with mixed emotions.  Obviously, SEC road wins are hard to come by and it’s always nice to beat Tennessee so you certainly appreciate the victory but on the other hand the Dawgs lost some huge playmakers to season ending injuries.

Overall it was a very gutsy performance, particularly for the offense.  I said before the season that this was a trap game because it’s tough to maintain playing at such a high level after the gauntlet we faced with our September schedule.  It was on the road in a tough environment and you knew that Butch Jones was eager to get his big signature win.  You enter the game without your two best playmakers (RB Todd Gurley & WR Malcolm Mitchell) then you lose your starting RB (who had his best game last year vs. Tennessee) in the 1^st quarter followed by losing 2 of 3 remaining top receivers in the 3^rd quarter.

With less than 2 minutes to go in regulation, down by 7, with the home crowd going nuts,  Aaron Murray takes the Dawgs down the field and scores a TD with just 5 seconds left on the clock.  First and foremost, that was an unbelievable drive by Aaron Murray knowing that he was missing so many playmakers.  Then consider this: 62 yards out of that 75 yard drive were picked up by true freshman playing in their first ever SEC road game.

While you have to give the offense a lot of credit the defense is becoming increasingly frustrating.  After playing a very decent first half it seems like they regressed in the 2^nd half.  The DL and LB play have improved for the most part but the secondary is still struggling.  I understand that the defense is young but there is plenty of talent and Grantham is one of the highest paid coordinators in the business.  With all the injuries the offense has sustained you cannot continue to rely so heavily on the offense to carry the team for the remainder of the year.

Grantham’s defense has been built around disrupting the QB and creating TOs.  So far this year we’ve only picked off one pass and our 3^rd down defense is dead last in the league.  Georgia has some legitimate playmakers on defense with Ray Drew, Leonard Floyd, Jordan Jenkins, Sterling Bailey, JHC, Tray Matthews, etc. but we haven’t seen anything resembling a very solid game yet.  This coming Saturday would be a good time for the defense to step up and play big.

Another game, another costly special teams mistake.  Marshall Morgan has proven to be a threat with his leg.  The rest of the special teams units leave a lot to be desired.

Congratulations to Aaron Murray on becoming the All-Time Passing Yards leader in SEC history.  3 of the top 5 in conference history are now Dawgs – 1) Murray 2) Greene and 5) Zeier

The Dawgs have now won 4 in a row versus Tennessee and 5 out of the last 6 in the series.  Since Tennessee won 8 straight versus the Dawgs in the 90’s Georgia has gone 10-4 since then.

The one-handed catch that Chris Conley made in the first half for a TD is as good as you will see in college football.  As a matter of fact, it was the best catch I’ve seen since AJ Green made that spectacular one-handed catch against Colorado for a TD in 2010.

Georgia Tech dropped their 2^nd straight game and now Paul Johnson’s record at Tech versus Virginia Tech, Miami, Clemson and Georgia is 6-16.  As a matter of fact, he’s only beaten Georgia, Miami, and Virginia Tech one time each.  The athletic director that hired Paul Johnson is now the AD at Clemson.  You have to wonder if the new AD will make a coaching change after the season if Tech doesn’t either upset Clemson or Georgia.

Auburn beat Ole Miss on Saturday and unless they totally fall apart should make a bowl this season.  That’s a big step forward from last season when Auburn went 0-8 in the SEC.  Ole Miss has lost two in a row and next they have to face Texas A&M.

It’s beginning to look like a soap opera in Columbia with Clowney and Spurrier.  First, Clowney appears out of shape to begin the season and now the OBC is questioning the severity of his injuries while he sits out ballgames.  He’s obviously a very gifted football player but he doesn’t really help his team’s chemistry.  It will be interesting to see how he finishes the season.

FSU exposed Maryland while Northwestern broke my heart by not beating Ohio State.  More and more I’m beginning to believe that the SEC’s run as claiming the National Champion may come to an end in 2013.  Honestly, in the final year of the BCS I really won’t be surprised to see 4 unbeaten teams at the end of the year.  I know these things typically work themselves out but who is going to beat Ohio State or Louisville.  Oregon and Stanford play each other so one of those teams will knock the other out and the same holds true for FSU and Clemson.  Alabama is still #1 and undefeated but I could certainly see them losing before the end of the year.  There are still several weeks left to play so we’ll l see what happens.

The Dawgs face a serious test this weekend.  Missouri rolls into town with a 5-0 record and ranked #25 in the polls.  Their schedule has been weak but their offense appears to hitting on all cylinders.  Georgia has to find a way to plug in new players at RB and WR and continue scoring points.  Gurley is 50/50 to play and if he can’t go the Dawgs will rely on two true freshmen.  Both players have been impressive but consider this: when they signed JJ Green in February they had intended on him playing WR or DB.  Brendan Douglas only received a scholarship offer from UGA with less than 2 weeks to go before signing day.  They played very well on Saturday combing to rush for 154 yards on 27 carries so let’s hope they can continue to carry the load until Gurley returns.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 5

Yesterday in Athens was simply spectacular.  The atmosphere all day long was second to none as far as I’m concerned.  College Gameday was in town and set up just around the corner from our tailgate.  The weather was beautiful, the crowd was one of the best I’ve ever been a part of, and the Dawgs pulled out the victory!

It’s hard to know where to begin with this game.  Murray was fantastic yesterday completing nearly 60% of his passes for 298 yards and 4 TDs.  Furthermore, he led his team down the field for a TD when LSU had taken the lead with just over 4 minutes remaining in the game.  I hope all the talk of “Richt and Murray can’t win the big game” has been put to rest.  September’s not even over with and the Dawgs have beaten the #6 ranked team TWICE.

After the Dawgs made a special teams blunder (or two) in each of their first 3 games, they took advantage of LSU’s mistake on that punt return.  That was a huge play and really countered the turnover we had earlier in the game.

I thought Cam Cameron outcoached Todd Grantham yesterday.  In my opinion, that LSU offense was more prolific than Clemson and South Carolina.  Mettenberger was threading the needle on certain throws and both of their starting WRs (Jarvis Landry & Odell Beckham) will be playing on Sundays.  They were killing us with that crossing route all game.  On a positive note our run defense was solid and we were able to sack Mettenberger 4 times.  More importantly you have give credit to the Dawgs getting the stop they had to have when the game was on the line.

At one point, I saw 5 true freshman on the field sprinkled in with many sophomores and redshirt freshman.  These young players are getting better each game.  Josh Harvey-Clemons (sophomore) had 15 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and a pass break-up.  Tray Matthews (freshman) made 2 great hits that broke up what would have been long completions for 1^st downs.  Leonard Floyd (freshman) and Jordan Jenkins (sophomore) both had big sacks in the 4^th quarter.  Everywhere you look on defense you see young, talented players that are only going to get better with some playing time.

Speaking of Floyd, he is now tied for 3^rd in sacks among SEC players while Clowney is 9^th.  I never would have guessed that before the season.

I’ve harped on the fact that holding is rarely called anymore when it seems very obvious on certain plays but apparently those officials yesterday have a different understanding than I do of what constitutes pass interference.  Don’t get me wrong, UGA got away with it on a couple of occasions but I bet LSU could have been flagged for it at least a handful of times.

If you had told me before the season that Georgia would face 3 Top 10 teams in the first 29 days of the season and win 2 out of 3 with the only loss being a 3 point road game I would have taken it in a heartbeat.  Georgia is just the 5^th team in the last 15 years to defeat 2 Top 10 teams before October 1^st.  Through week 5, Georgia has played the toughest schedule in the nation according to the Sagarin ratings.

Georgia’s offense is playing at a very high level.  The Dawgs are averaging over 41 points per game.  When you think about the competition we’ve faced (3 Top 10 teams) and the fact that our two best offensive playmakers have missed all (Malcolm Mitchell) or a good portion (Todd Gurley) of those games it’s really mind boggling.  Coach Mike Bobo certainly doesn’t get the respect he deserves.

LSU had played 63 straight games without allowing 40+ points prior to Saturday’s game.  The last time they allowed at least 40 points was in 2008.  The opponent?  UGA.  The Dawgs won in Death Valley in October 2008 52-38 with Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, AJ Green, and company.  However, the defense scored 14 of those 52 points  that day with Darryl Gamble picking off two passes and returning both for TDs.

I certainly hope that Todd Gurley gets healthy soon.  He is such a punishing runner and while he was very durable last year (missing no significant time in 14 games) he has already missed a big portion of two games so far this season.

Georgia should be favored in every game from here on out but I believe this week’s game against Tennessee is a trap game.  The Dawgs are coming off an emotional win versus LSU and now have to travel to Knoxville.  Butch Jones is looking for his signature win in his 1^st season and he will pull out all the stops to upset the Dawgs.  I very vividly remember Tennessee upsetting Georgia in 2004 the week after an emotional win over LSU.  I hope the Dawgs are done celebrating the win and ready to get to work on this week’s gameplan.  The only thing that makes me feel better is that John Jancek and Willie Martinez are running their defense.

My only non-Dawg, CFB thought this week is now that USC was the 1^st to drop the hammer on their coach, who is next – Texas or Nebraska?