College Football Wrap-Up: Week 9

The Dawgs enjoyed an open date before next weekend's matchup with Florida in Jacksonville. Saturday night was another excellent night of football!

Ole Miss at LSU
The Bayou Bengals upset the third-ranked Rebels in another classic game in Death Valley.  It was a defensive battle between the two teams that slugged it out all night before LSU took the lead 10-7 on a touchdown, with only 5:07 remaining in the game. Ole Miss had an opportunity to tie the game with a 42 yard field goal attempt. A delay of game cost them 5 yards and, instead of trying for the 47 yard FG attempt, they decided to run one more play (really, Hugh Freeze?). Unfortunately for Ole Miss, Bo Wallace made a poor throw that was intercepted with only 3 seconds remaining and LSU held on for the victory.

Photo Credit: The Advocate/Travis Spradling

Ole Miss has a championship caliber defense, but their offense was average on Saturday night and Bo Wallace seems to be easily flustered. The Rebels drop to 7-1 on the season, but they still control their own destiny. Their two toughest remaining games will be played at home -- Auburn  next weekend & Mississippi State on November 29th. Meanwhile, LSU enjoys an open date before hosting Alabama on November 8th. LSU's team is improving and would love to play spoiler again when the Crimson Tide roll into Baton Rouge.

South Carolina at Auburn
Steve Spurrier proved once again that he's still one of the best playcallers in America. Unfortunately for Gamecock faithful, their defense is probably one of the worst in Spurrier's ten seasons in Columbia. The two teams combined to roll up nearly 1,100 yards of offense in the 42-35 Auburn victory. 

In a contest that went back and forth all night, Spurrier pulled out all the stops and converted an onside kick and four fourth down plays in their own territory. On the night, the Gamecocks converted 5 out of 6 4th down plays. If it weren't for 3 interceptions, Dylan Thompson had his finest game as a quarterback with 402 yards passing and 5 touchdowns. South Carolina drops to 4-4 and will host Tennessee this coming Saturday night.

Alabama at Tennessee
Lane Kiffin made his return to Knoxville and he had Alabama's offense firing on all cylinders to begin the game. Alabama opened a 27-0 lead on the road by scoring touchdowns on 4 out of their first 5 drives. Tennessee deserves credit for fighting back to cut the lead to 10 midway through the 3rd quarter, but the Crimson Tide were too much for the Vols to handle and eventually won 34-20.

The Volunteers dropped to 3-5 on the season and will need to win 3 out of the 4 remaining games to become bowl eligible. After their road trip to South Carolina next weekend, they host a vastly improved Kentucky team and a Missouri team that currently sits at 6-2.  They finish the season in Nashville versus Vanderbilt. Tennessee hasn't reached a bowl game since the 2010 season and they haven't enjoyed a winning season since 2009.

Mississippi State at Kentucky
The Bulldogs held off the Kentucky upset bid in another SEC contest, where teams combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense. Sophomore quarterback Patrick Towles lead Kentucky in passing yards (390) and rushing yards (76) and accounted for 4 touchdowns. The Wildcats dropped to 5-3 on the season and play 3 out of their last 4 games on the road, beginning with a trip to Columbia, MO next weekend. Mississippi State, which remains as the only undefeated team in the SEC, hosts an Arkansas team on Saturday that is still searching for their first conference victory under Bret Beilema.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 7

Georgia dismantled Missouri on Saturday 34-0. The Dawgs traveled to Columbia, MO without their star player, Todd Gurley, and put together their most complete game of the season.  Nick Chubb picked up Gurley's slack and rushed for 143 yards and 1 touchdown.  Hutson Mason played his best game of the season completing 22 out of 28 passes for 156 yards, 1 TD, and no interceptions. The defense played like the Junkyard Dawgs and stymied Mizzou's offense the entire game.

Photo Credit: Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports

The entire team rose to the occasion after learning on Thursday afternoon that they would have to play without their emotional leader, Todd Gurley. While the offense grinded it out, the defense simply shut down the Tiger's offense. To understand how dominant the defense was on Saturday consider this:

• Saturday was the 1st time Missouri has been shut out since 2002 and it was the first time they've been shut out at home since 1992 (versus Colorado)
• Of Missouri's 43 offensive plays, 21 went for zero or negative yards
• The Dawgs held Mizzou to just 147 total yards and they didn't convert a 3rd down the entire game (0-7)
• Missouri ran 4 plays inside UGA's territory and 3 of them resulted in turnovers
• Saturday was the 1st time Georgia has shut out a ranked team since 1982.
• Georgia's four interceptions are the most in a game since the 2008 Sugar Bowl victory over Hawaii
• Gary Pinkel has been at Missouri as long as Coach Richt has been at UGA.  In 171 games as head coach of the Tigers, Missouri had never turned the ball over 5 times in one game... until Saturday
• Missouri is the first SEC team to be shut out this season

The Dawgs defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage both by shutting down the Tigers running game and also by making it easier for Coach Pruitt to drop seven into coverage on passing downs.

Here are some other observations on the game:

• Hutson Mason took command of the offense and was very efficient.  His touchdown run looked a little clumsy, but he did an outstanding job of selling the fake on that play.
• Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd are both excellent outside linebackers, but I'm pretty excited about our future there as well with Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy.
• I was surprised to hear that Brendan Langley was starting at CB on Saturday, considering he was moved to wide receiver after spring practice and had just been moved back to cornerback the week prior to the Vanderbilt game.
• Hopefully Langley can hold down that CB spot because it's obvious Swann plays much better at the Star position.
• Nick Chubb is an impressive young running back as we first learned versus Clemson in the opener. What impressed me about Saturday was the fact that he seems to be a running back that gets stronger as the game moves along.  Those 2 and 3 yard carries in the first half turned into 8 and 10 yard carries in the second half.

Finally, how impressive was this:

Pruitt's Impact
Georgia's defense is certainly still a work in progress, but they seem to be improving each and every week.  It's scary to think what Coach Jeremy Pruitt can do once he's had a chance to recruit the players he wants to run this system.  Through Pruitt's first six games, these two stats are impressive:

#Georgia is the only team in the SEC that hasn't allowed a play from scrimmage of 40 yards or longer this season.
— Jake Rowe (@Rowe247) October 13, 2014

#UGA Defensive Shutouts, '01-'14: B. VanGorder: 1 in 52 games W. Martinez: 3 in 64 games T. Grantham: 3 in 54 games J. Pruitt: 2 in 6 games
— Dawg Treasures (@UGAAlumnus95) October 12, 2014

Notables Around the SEC

• The dream continues for both Ole Miss and Mississippi State. After dramatic wins last weekend, they both delivered again as the Rebels won on the road versus Texas A&M and the Bulldogs defeated 2nd ranked Auburn at home.  Mississippi State is now ranked #1 while Ole Miss is at #3. In 2011, those teams were a combined 2-14 in SEC play.
• It appears that Egg Bowl will be a bigger deal this season than the Iron Bowl.

pic.twitter.com/BbzQKZyDJ7
— The SEC Logo (@SEC_Logo) October 12, 2014

• Somehow, some way Les Miles finds a way to win again. Florida had multiple opportunities to put LSU away, but just couldn't seal the deal as the Tigers hit a 50 yard field goal to break a 27-27 tie with 3 seconds remaining in the game. By the way, the Gators are 3-9 in their last 12 games. It's not looking good for Muschamp to survive after this season and the Gator Nation already has another coach in mind.
• Arkansas fell to 0-3 in the SEC after losing to Alabama 14-13, but they very easily could be sitting at 2-1 right now.  For the second consecutive conference game, they have blown 4th quarter leads.  The Razorbacks had more total yards than Alabama (335 to 227) and more first downs (18 to 10) than Bama. Not to mention, Arkansas won the time of possession (34:13 to 25:47) battle, yet they couldn't put Alabama away at home when they had their chance to do so.
• If Mississippi State continues to win, I'd say Dak Prescott has a very legitimate chance to win the Heisman Trophy.  What do you think?

The hype is real! Dak Prescott: The latest SEC QB to post 1,000 pass yds, 500 rush yds & 20 TDs in his 1st 6 games. pic.twitter.com/kUcQwmgIfk
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 14, 2014

Odds & Ends

• Clemson's offensive coordinator, Chad Morris, is considered the star of their coaching staff.  However, I believe their defensive coordinator, Brent Veneables, is the MVP of Dabo Swinney's staff.  I've been impressed with Clemson's defense (minus the 4th quarter of the UGA game) and their unit certainly shined on Saturday.  With Deshaun Watson leaving the game with an unfortunate hand injury in the first half, the game versus Louisville became a defensive struggle. The Tigers defense held the Cardinals to 1-17 on 3rd downs and limited them to only 52 yards rushing.  
• In my opinion, the unsung hero for Clemson was safety Jayron Kearse, nephew of former All-American Jevon Kearse, who ran down a Louisville wide receiver from scoring what would have been a game winning touchdown late in the 4th quarter. Amazingly, Clemson won on Saturday without an offensive touchdown as the Tigers scored TDs on special teams and defense.
• It sure was fun while it lasted, but the dream came to an end on Saturday.  The Yellow Jacket's appearance in the Top 25 was very brief.
• Notre Dame rallied in the 4th quarter for the second consecutive week to defeat North Carolina 50-43. The Irish must travel to Florida State this coming week and we'll know much more about both these teams after Saturday.
• Baylor scored 24 unanswered points in the 4th quarter and rallied to defeat TCU 61-58. The 119 points combined are the second most in a matchup of ranked teams. Bryce Petty kept his Heisman hopes alive with 510 yards passing and 6 TDs. Baylor moves up to 4th in the country, but still has a tough slate ahead with games versus Oklahoma (on the road), Oklahoma State, and Kansas State.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 6

Saturday was a great example of why I love college football! You couldn't have asked for a more action-packed day as 11 of the Top 19 teams lost.  The action began on Thursday night as Oregon was upset at home to Arizona, and it didn't end until the early morning hours on Sunday when Utah handed UCLA their first loss of the season.  More on that later, but first let's take a look at the Dawgs.

Photo Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports 

Georgia raced to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, and cruised to a 44-17 victory at home versus Vanderbilt. Todd Gurley once again led the way with 163 yards rushing and two TDs. Oh yeah, and he also managed to complete the longest pass of the season when he connected with Jeb Blazevich for 50 yards in the first half.  Is there anything Superman can't do?



Here are some other observations on the game:

• Overall, I was pleased with the defense.  They limited Vandy to 2 out of 13 on 3rd down conversions and the game was well in hand when Vandy scored their 2nd touchdown of the game in the 4th quarter.
• It was nice to see Bowman stay at home and make a good break on his pick six. We absolutely need to create more turnovers on defense to give us a better chance of success against the better teams we have left on the schedule.
• I thought it was interesting that Brice Ramsey saw action in the first half.  Coach Richt has indicated that he may continue to play both QBs. I believe it's a good idea simply because it gives Ramsey some good game experience prior to next season when he will be the likely starter.
• I'm glad Richt & Bobo have decided to continue utilizing the wildcat formation even without the injured Sony Michel. Now that Gurley had success passing out of that formation, it will give defensive coordinators something to think about when they see Gurley lined up in that formation down the road.
• It was nice to see Malcolm Mitchell playing again. He had a very limited number of snaps but hopefully he can stay healthy and begin making a difference soon. It was also nice to see Mason air out to Mitchell, even if it wasn't completed.
• Gurley passed Lars Tate as 3rd on the list for all-time rushing yards in UGA history.  He now has 3,147 career rushing yards. He only needs 86 yards to pass Garrison Hearst and become the 2nd all-time leading rusher. Gurley is truly having a remarkable season. He leads the SEC in rushing with 773 yards and he's still averaging over 8 yards per carry.

Around the SEC

Alabama at Ole Miss
The Rebels defense played remarkably well and Bo Wallace played mistake free in arguably the biggest game ever played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.  Ole Miss snapped a 10 game losing streak to Alabama with a 23-17 victory over the Crimson Tide.  The Rebels are 5-0 to start the season for the first time since 1962. Now can they maintain their momentum? They travel to Texas A&M this weekend. It will be a tough night game in a hostile environment against an Aggie team that's hungry for redemption.

Photo Credit: Jeronimo Nisa/Decatur Daily

Texas A&M at Mississippi State
Dak Prescott accounted for 5 TDs and Mississippi State cruised to a big victory over Texas A&M 48-31.  The Bulldogs led 48-17 late into the 4th quarter so the final score is misleading. Prescott is the possibly the best dual-threat QB in the country and, if he can continue to lead his team to victories, then he will certainly have an opportunity to win the Heisman Trophy.

LSU at Auburn
Auburn played their most complete game of the season and dominated LSU in their 41-7 blowout victory. LSU could only muster 13 first downs and 280 yards of offense. The Bayou Bengals might be in store for one of their worst seasons in quite some time. They're currently 0-2 in the SEC and their remaining schedule is difficult with road trips to Florida, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. Their remaining home games are against a quickly improving Kentucky squad, Ole Miss, and Alabama.

Florida at Tennessee
Florida defeated Tennessee for the 10th straight time with a 10-9 victory in Knoxville. Butch Jones certainly must be very disappointed after his team could not manage to score a touchdown versus a Gator defense, coming off a horrible performance two weeks ago against Alabama.  The Gators mounted a 4th quarter comeback after replacing Jeff Driskel at QB with true freshman Treon Harris. Unfortunately for the Gators, the news about Harris wasn't so good on Monday.

South Carolina at Kentucky
Kentucky is now 4-1 on the season after defeating the Gamecocks on Saturday night. South Carolina appeared to be cruising to an easy victory when they jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter. However, Dylan Thompson threw 3 interceptions, including a pick six late in the 4th quarter.  Most of the blame will be directed at Gamecock defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward after his defense was gashed by JoJo Kemp with Wildcat runs. What I can't understand is this:

In case you're wondering, Mike Davis' last touch of the game was a 13 yard run with 8:00 left.
— SportsTalk (@sportstalksc) October 5, 2014

Mike Davis had 183 yards rushing (averaging 8 yards per carry) and they lead by 14 with less than 9 minutes remaining in the game yet Spurrier would not run the ball.  This is the 2nd game in a row that South Carolina has squandered a double digit lead late into the 4th quarter.  Kentucky is 4-1 and will have an opportunity to earn a bowl trip this season if they continue to play well.

Around the Nation

Arizona at Oregon
I was so relieved to see Arizona upset the Ducks on Thursday night. Every year the national media hypes Oregon and every year the Ducks lose a game they shouldn't lose.  That was Arizona's 3rd victory over a Top 5 Oregon team since 2007. Meanwhile, Arizona went from unranked in the AP Poll last week to the Top 10 this week.

Stanford at Notre Dame
Notre Dame survived at home 17-14 after scoring a touchdown on 4th and 11 with just over one minute remaining in the 4th quarter. The Fighting Irish have an improved defense under Brian VanGorder, but the rubber will meet the road when they have to travel to Florida State in two weeks.

Arizona State at Southern Cal
I'm not much of a Pac-12 fan but this was an exciting finish and I always enjoy seeing the Trojans get beat.



Nebraska at Michigan State
Michigan State led 27-3 over Nebraska heading into the 4th quarter and eventually held on for a 27-22 victory. The Huskers nearly mounted a comeback in front of an embarrassingly emptying stadium in the 4th quarter.  The Spartans shut down the Cornhuskers vaunted rushing attack and held Ameer Abdullah to only 45 yards on 24 carries. Nebraska plays a weak schedule, so I would imagine there's a good chance that there will be a rematch of this game in the Big 10 Championship game.

Utah at UCLA
Utah kicked a FG with 34 seconds remaining to defeat previously undefeated UCLA 30-28. The Bruins had an opportunity to kick the game winning field goal twice but missed a 55 yarder and then a 50 yarder, after a Utah penalty. UCLA was regarded as having one of the best offensive lines in the country prior to the season, but they surrendered 10 sacks on Saturday. Both teams are now 1-1 in Pac 12 play.

Oklahoma at TCU
Oklahoma had an 8 game winning streak coming into the game but lost to TCU 37-33.  This was a statement win for the Horned Frogs who play another highly ranked opponent next week when they face Baylor.  Meanwhile Oklahoma faces Texas next week in the Red River Rivalry.

Odds & Ends

• This past weekend was the first time in the history of the AP Poll that 5 out of the top 8 teams lost in the same week.
• Do you remember how well the 05' defense played for Georgia? That was Willie Martinez's first defense as coordinator. They were stout, but it was a result of having been coached and developed by Brian VanGorder.  I believe the we're seeing similar results for Louisville. Charlie Strong recruited and developed these players, but Todd Grantham is receiving the credit for their success. The Cardinals have the nation's #1 ranked total defense. Of course, they haven't played anyone in the Top 70 offensively. Louisville travels to Clemson on Saturday. Let's see how they fare against DeShaun Watson and company.
• I hate the hype that's associated with preseason football polls. I would prefer it if polls weren't even released until after week 4. Did you know that 5 of the teams ranked in the AP's preseason Top 15 already have 2 losses each?  That's the case after only 6 weeks of action.
• Two weeks ago Mississippi State was unranked.  Now they are third in the nation.
• I wonder how many Michigan fans would welcome back Rich Rod now? After the upset of the second ranked Ducks, Arizona is 5-0.  Michigan dropped to 2-4 on the season after their loss to Rutgers on Saturday.
• Georgia Tech is 5-0 and they've exercised demons this season with victories over Virginia Tech and Miami.  There's a good chance the Jackets will be 10-0 heading into the final two games of the regular season - versus Clemson and Georgia.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 4

Georgia dismantled Troy, 66-0, to move to 2-1 on the season. As I indicated last week, this is a bad Troy football team, but it was nice to see the Dawgs put them away early and clear the bench.  It was Georgia's largest margin of victory since 1958 and the first time they've scored more than 60 points since 2011. It would have been easy to come out flat for this cupcake opponent, particularly after a tough loss, but the Dawgs cruised to a 45-0 halftime lead and never looked back.  It was the first time Troy had been held scoreless in 99 games, which dates back to when Nebraska shut them out in 2006.

Photo Credit: AJC/Brant Sanderlin

Here are some quick observations on the game:

• Sony Michel sure did have a nice afternoon with 10 carries, 155 yards, and 3 rushing TDs. Michel and Chubb are going to be fun to watch the next 3 years.
• Isaiah McKenzie had his first collegiate punt return for a TD. I have a feeling this may the first of many punt return TDs he will have in Athens.
• Another game with no turnovers. Georgia is at +4 Turnover Margin on the season through 3 games. That was a nice interception from Tramel Terry in the end zone. Hopefully he can make some strides in becoming a contributor to this defense.
• I'm curious to see if the Dawgs will try to utilize Sony Michel in the wildcat formation, or Faton Bauta under center, when they're in the red zone down the road.
• Coach Richt indicated that Keith Marshall's injury doesn't appear to be serious. I hated seeing him on crutches after the game. 

Looking ahead for the Dawgs

Tennessee travels to Athens on Saturday, after enjoying a bye week. Unfortunately, it was picked up by CBS for a Noon start. I would much prefer a 3:30 or later start, where the home field becomes a much bigger advantage. Georgia has won 4 straight versus Tennessee, and the Vols are still looking for their signature road victory in the Butch Jones era.   Hopefully, the Dawgs are focused and ready to take on the Vols. 

Through three games, Georgia's offense is averaging 7.7 yards per carry and 304 yards per game. As a matter of fact, Todd Gurley is leading the nation with 9.8 yards per carry.  However, it is critical that Georgia become more consistent in their passing game. It would be nice if Scott-Wesley or Mitchell would return to action this week, but I'm not very hopeful based on what the coaches have shared.  Justin Worley has played fairly well, thus far, and Jalen Hurd is likely a future All-SEC type player, but the Vols are average along their offensive line.  In order for Georgia to win this game, their front seven needs to win the line of scrimmage.  It will be the first time Willie Martinez and John Jancek have returned to Athens since Coach Richt fired them in December 2009.

Around the SEC

Auburn at Kansas State

Auburn survived versus Kansas State on Thursday night.  The Wildcats did a marvelous job of shutting down the Auburn rushing attack, but couldn't overcome so many critical mistakes. They missed 3 field goals, had a turnover deep in their own territory, which led to an early Auburn field goal and then there was this:

It was the first non-conference win on an opponent's home field since the Tigers beat Virginia in Charlottesville in 1997.

Florida at Alabama
Blake Sims threw for 445 yards, Derrick Henry rushed for 111 yards, and Alabama overcame 4 turnovers in the first 32 minutes of the ballgame to cruise to 42-21 victory. Alabama's 645 yards of total offense are the most they have allowed in school history. Muschamp and his quarterback, Jeff Driskel, are both in their 4th years at Florida and it seems that the Gator fans are losing faith quickly in their ability to turn around the program.

Put Jeff Driskel on the bench please, I have seen enough.
— Emmitt Smith (@EmmittSmith22) September 20, 2014

Mississippi State at LSU
The Maroon Bulldogs went into Death Valley and took it to LSU. They lead from beginning to end, but after leading 34-10 early in the 4th quarter, they had to hold off a furious rally from LSU and escaped Baton Rouge with 34-29 victory.  This was a statement game for Dan Mullen. It was their first victory against LSU since 1999 and the last time they won in Baton Rouge prior to this week was 1991.

Other SEC Action

• Vanderbilt played their best game of the season and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns but the Gamecocks held off the Commodores for a 48-34 win.
• Missouri embarrassed the SEC by losing at home to a bad Indiana team 31-27.
• Arkansas and Texas A&M cruised to easy non-conference victories.

Around the Nation

Clemson at Florida State
The game I anticipated watching the most this week did not disappoint as Florida State escaped with a 23-17 overtime victory.  Clemson went into Tallahassee and outplayed the Seminoles for the vast majority of the game. Clemson's defense, in particular, played lights out and dominated the line of scrimmage during regulation. Critical mistakes made by Clemson's offense were the difference in the game.

Clemson reached the red zone 7 times vs Florida State and scored on just 3 of those drives. #CLEMvsFSU
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 21, 2014

In summary, Cole Stoudt underthrew a wide open TE in the first quarter, which would have been a touchdown, the kicker missed 2 field goals, a high snap cost them another opportunity to score a touchdown, and then a late fumble deep in FSU's territory cost them a chance to put the game away. You cannot fault Dabo Swinney for going for it on 4th down in overtime.  His kicker badly missed those two field goals.  Furthermore, you're a heavy underdog on the road and the home team has just seized the momentum. What I don't understand is why Chad Morris decided not to put Watson under center on that 4th and 2 play.

Get. Under. Center.
— Pat Forde (@YahooForde) September 21, 2014

Apparently, that sentiment was widely shared.  If you're a Clemson fan, you have to put this loss behind you. Sure, it's easy to get down after starting the season 1-2 with losses to Georgia and Florida State, but they have found a future star at quarterback and you can still have a decent season. They will likely win the next 8 games and be 9-2 when South Carolina comes to town on November 29th.


Other Action

• Forget what I wrote about Virginia Tech after their upset of Ohio State.  They have now lost two straight home games and fall to 0-1 in ACC play, after the loss to Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech's QB, Michael Brewer, who played with such confidence against Ohio State, threw 3 interceptions versus the Jackets and now has 8 on the season.
• Oklahoma survived a tough road game versus West Virginia with a 45-33 victory.  It looks like the toughest games that lie ahead for the Sooners will all be played in Norman (Kansas State, Baylor, and Oklahoma State).
• South Carolina's week 2 victory versus East Carolina is looking stronger each week.  A week after defeating the Hokies, the Pirates took UNC to the woodshed by outscoring them 70-41. They are now in this week's AP Top 25 Poll.

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 3

Yesterday was a tough loss for the Dawgs and a big win for the Gamecocks.  With Spurrier and the Gamecocks backed into a corner and needing a victory to basically stay alive in the SEC East, they defeated Georgia for the fourth time in five years. Two years ago the Dawgs were outplayed from beginning to end.  Yesterday, Georgia had opportunities to seize control and win the game and just didn't make enough plays when it counted.  Congratulations to the Gamecocks.  They were ready to play and ultimately made enough plays to win 38-35.

Photo Credit: John Kelley/georgiadogs.com

If you had told me beforehand that Georgia would score 35 points, and be at +2 in turnover margin, I would have predicted a victory for the Dawgs. Unfortunately, Georgia only converted those turnovers into 3 points and our defense gave up 452 yards. Many of the armchair coaches on Twitter and Facebook blame the loss on Bobo's play calling, when Georgia had a 1st and goal at Carolina's 4 yard line.  I'm in the minority, but I don't believe it was a bad play call. You have to give credit to South Carolina's defensive end for staying home and forcing Mason to make a decision.  If Mason throws the ball away, then it's 2nd and goal from the 4 yard line and you still have 3 opportunities to hand it off to Gurley and score.  I doubt many of those same critics were complaining about Bobo's play calling when Georgia scored on their first possession in only 2 plays, without Gurley touching the ball.

When you go on the road in the SEC and score 35 points in a hostile environment, you have to expect that your defense can hold up their end of the bargain.  Yesterday, Georgia again improved on defense in the 2nd half but, ultimately, the Dawgs could not get enough stops to win the game.  Four out of 5 of South Carolina's touchdown drives went for 75 yards.  You're not going to win many games playing defense like that.  Furthermore, even if Georgia had scored a touchdown when they began that drive from Carolina's 4 yard line, I'm not so certain that Georgia could have held Carolina from going right back down the field and scoring again. They certainly scored at ease earlier in the 4th quarter when they ran four straight running plays.

The bottom line is that South Carolina's offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage and that was ultimately the difference in the ballgame.  South Carolina had success running the ball (averaging 4.97 yards per carry) and Dylan Thompson had all day long to sit back and carve up our zone coverage.  Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd were completely neutralized by Carolina's massive OL. We put very little pressure on Thompson and Carolina's WRs exploited our inexperienced secondary. The good news if you're a Dawg fan - I doubt we see a better OL than Carolina's the rest of the season.

Here are some other observations on the game:

• Todd Gurley showed, once again, why he's the best running back in the nation. His 17 yard carry in the 3rd quarter, that went for a first down and kept Georgia's drive, alive was just unbelievable. He finished with 131 yards on only 20 carries (1 TD) and Carolina's defense was scheming against him the entire game.
• I was surprised that Georgia didn't keep Sony Michel and Isaiah McKenzie more involved in the game.  Obviously, they had the both receptions on the opening scoring drive of the game and they both had a few touches later in the game, but I fully expected that Bobo would utilize them in the short passing game all day.  As they become more familiar with the offense, I expect that both of them will see more significant playing time.
• Nick Chubb had limited work (4 carries for 36 yards), but looked impressive again. Meanwhile, Keith Marshall appears to have dropped to 4th in the rotation.
• The first holding call that negated a gain by Gurley was obvious.  However, the holding call that negated a 54 yard TD run from Gurley looked like a weak call to me. 
• The secondary is young and inexperienced (as evidenced by a true freshman and a redshirt freshman walk-on starting), but I do believe they will improve as the season progresses.
• We desperately need Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley to get healthy very soon.  Conley and Bennett are valuable possession receivers but neither possess big play-making ability. The Dawgs need more speedy playmakers at WR.
• You have to feel bad for Marshall Morgan today. He sets an SEC record with 19 consecutive made FGs and then misses two critical ones that could have changed the outcome of the game. Hopefully, he can shake this loss and help Georgia win a big game later this season.

The Dawgs need to regroup and get back to work on Monday. They cannot afford to have a letdown versus Troy on Saturday.  The Trojans fell to 0-3 on Saturday so I'm not concerned about an upset, but I do hope the coaches and players rally and see it as an opportunity to get better, particularly for the defense. Tennessee comes to town and two weeks, and they have an open date before, so they will spend the next 13 days preparing for Georgia.

Around the SEC

Kentucky vs. Florida: The Wildcats took the Gators to triple overtime in the Swamp and Florida escaped with a 36-30 victory. Does this mean the 2-10 team from last season has made significant strides or does it mean the 4-8 team from last season really still stinks?  I suppose time will tell.

Tennessee vs. Oklahoma: The Vols held their own in the first half and then the Sooners pulled away  for a comfortable 34-10 victory. The Vols are now 2-1 on the young season and will have an extra week to prepare for the Dawgs in Athens. I'm sure Butch Jones would love to gain a signature road victory in Athens.

Arkansas vs. Texas Tech: In a renewal of an old Southwestern Confernce rivalry, Arkansas rushed for 438 yards and 7 TDs in a 49-28 victory. The Razorbacks, who punted only once the entire game, have won back-to-back games for the first time in over a year.  Arkansas has an opportunity to make it three consecutive wins next week when Northern Illinois rolls into town.

Otherwise, it was a pretty uneventful week in the conference. On Thursday night, Auburn travels to Manhatten, Kansas to take on the 2-0 Kansas State Wildcats. 

Odds & Ends

• Georgia Southern overcame a 25 point deficit and led Georgia Tech late in the 4th quarter.  The Jackets avoided an embarrassing upset with a touchdown pass with only 23 seconds remaining to secure the win 42-38.  Tech is now 3-0 with victories over Wofford, Tulane, and Southern.  They kick off conference action next weekend when they visit Virginia Tech.
• Virginia Tech came down to earth quickly when East Carolina went up 21-0 in the first quarter.  The Hokies came back to tie it at 21 late in the 4th quarter only to watch the Pirates storm right back down the field and score again to win 28-21. It's difficult to play a quality opponent the week following an emotional win, particularly with a noon start.
• Boston College, led by former Florida quarter Tyler Murphy, stunned ninth-ranked Southern Cal 37-31. Meanwhile, Virginia also captured an impressive victory over a ranked Louisville team at home on Saturday afternoon. Action in other ACC games can best be described by these pictures:

Packed house ... RT @rustindodd: Kansas! Duke! Wallace Wade Stadium. pic.twitter.com/R3M4cjDvpp
— Troy Machir (@TroyMachir) September 13, 2014

.@ByCasagrande RT @DannyMartinez4: This is kickoff. Randy, Al and Sun Life Stadium have done this. I have no words. pic.twitter.com/yne7OErOD6
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) September 13, 2014

Next week is an opportunity for Georgia to improve in all areas and hopefully it will allow Georgia to play many of the reserves who will be called on for more significant minutes later in the season. Otherwise, it should be a fun day to watch college football action. The two games I'm looking forward to the most are Florida vs. Alabama and Clemson vs. Florida State. Also, I'm interested to see how Mississippi State matches up with LSU on a Saturday night in Death Valley. Until next time...Go Dawgs!

College Football Wrap-Up: Week 2

The Dawgs had a bye week after their convincing victory last weekend over Clemson.  There was plenty of action otherwise in the world of college football.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

B1G-Time Dissapointment
The Big 10 Conference (which by the way is now comprised of 14 schools) suffered a disastrous day when conference members Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State all endured non-conference losses on prime time television.  In the national marquee game of the week #3 Oregon defeated #7 Michigan State. After leading 27-18 in the 3rd quarter, Oregon scored 28 unanswered points to win 46-27.  Michigan faced off against Notre Dame for their final game in their historic rivalry.  The Fighting Irish won 31-0 in South Bend. It was the first time since 1984 that Michigan was held scoreless in a game.  The game that I enjoyed the most was Virginia Tech's upset of Ohio State in Columbus.  Defensive coordinator Bud Foster blitzed all night long, sacking Ohio St. quarterback J.T. Barrett seven times and forcing 3 interceptions.

Big 10 fans you wonder why fans from other conferences look down at the conference? It's weekends like this. No spin or agenda just results.
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 7, 2014

Meanwhile, Nebraska needed a late touchdown at home to break a tie and put away FCS opponent, McNeese State 31-24.  In other action, Central Michigan humiliated Purdue at home 38-17, Northern Illinois defeated Northwestern, and Iowa and Illinois needed 4th quarter rallies to defeat Ball State and Western Kentucky.

So do we start referring to them as the Power Four?
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) September 7, 2014

 It was a pretty uneventful slate of games in the SEC.  South Carolina defeated a very respectable East Carolina team 33-23 and Vanderbilt was throttled by Ole Miss 41-3.  Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas, cruised to easy victories over cupcake opponents.  Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri also won in non-conference action over mid-major opponents.

Odd & Ends

• Virginia Tech appears to be a legitimate contender in the ACC Coastal division.  They avoid Florida State, Clemson, and Louisville in the regular season and they will be at home versus Georgia Tech, Boston College,and Virginia.  The division may very well be decided when the Hokies travel to Pittsburgh to play the Panthers on a Thursday night in October.
• Florida looked impressive in their 65-0 victory versus Eastern Michigan.  Yes, it was a directional school that only won 2 games last season but it's progress if you're a Gator fan. Florida rolled up 655 yard of offense and 27 first downs.  I do believe the Gators will be much improved this season.  Unfortunately, they did lose a valuable weapon for the season in yesterday's game.
• It was interesting to see a familiar face on the Notre Dame sideline last night.  Brian Van Gorder is the new defensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish and he obviously had his squad well prepared to face Michigan.  Van Gorder, as you may recall, was the first defensive coordinator Mark Richt hired when he became head coach at Georgia.  He held that position from 2001-2004 and was very successful. Since leaving Georgia a decade ago, Van Gorder has worked for 7 different collegiate or professional football teams.
• Southern Cal topped Stanford 13-10, in spite of the Cardinals out gaining the Trojans in total yardage 413 to 291. Stanford committed 2 turnovers and also missed two field goals.  The most bizarre incident in this game occurred when Southern Cal's athletic director, Pat Haden, confronted the officials after his head coach was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

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 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!