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 1

Revenge: Dawgs Tame Tigers!
In the words of the late Erk Russell, "There ain't nothing like being a Bulldog on a Saturday night!"  Todd Gurley ran wild and the Dawgs defense shut Clemson down in the second half to win 45-21.  Georgia racked up 328 rushing yards on only 41 attempts. Defensively, the Dawgs pitched a shutout in the 2nd half, while limiting the Tigers to 15 yards and only one first down.

Photo Credit: AJC/Brant Sanderlin

Todd Gurley is a BEAST! I believe the DawgNation has known this since 2012, but it became apparent to everyone across the nation on Saturday night.  Gurley amassed 293 all-purpose yards offensively, while accounting for 4 touchdowns.  He rushed for a career high of 198 yards on only 15 carries, with 3 TDs.  His 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the 2nd of his career.  Check out Gurley’s stat line in his two games versus Clemson: 27 rushes, 352 yards (13 yards per carry), 5 rushing touchdowns, and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.  I'm quite certain that the Tiger faithful are happy they won't have to face Gurley once again.

The sideline is clearly the only thing preventing Todd Gurley from running for 800 yards tonight.
— Spencer Hall (@edsbs) August 31, 2014

Everyone in the DawgNation was looking for signs of improvement on the defensive side of the ball. When Coach Richt hired Jeremy Pruitt from Florida State, everyone around the program believed it was a game changer.  If the first game is any indication then it was a great hire.  Clemson had good success versus the Dawgs in the 1st half, but Coach Pruitt and his staff made adjustments at halftime and the Tigers were stymied in the second half.  Clemson had 7 drives, in the 2nd half, and only ran 22 plays.  Here is a breakdown of the number of plays per drive: 3, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3, and 3.  9 of Clemson's 15 drives resulted in a 3 and out.  Another drive ended with an interception.

In the 2nd half, Clemson offense averaged 0.68 yards per play. Only had 15 total yards in the half. Dawgs defense looked like a new bunch!!!
— Trent Smallwood (@UgaRecruitingBI) August 31, 2014

Here are some other observations from the game:

• Todd Gurley is the stud on offense but Leonard Floyd is a freak on defense.  Coach Pruitt lined him up all over the place and he abused Clemson's right tackle all night.
• Amarlo Herrera was named the SEC's Defensive Player of the Week, after leading the Dawgs with 12 tackles, 3.5 TFL, and 2 sacks.  I love how Coach Pruitt used the ILBs.  In Grantham's scheme the ILBs rarely ever blitzed.  Herrera had 2 sacks in one game whereas last season he recorded only 0.5 sack the entire season.  Reggie Carter did an outstanding job in coverage, knocking the ball away from Peake on a play which would have resulted in a big gain otherwise.  
• Georgia played 21 different defenders on Saturday night.  Again, this is a big change from the previous defensive regime. The Dawgs looked fresh in the 2nd half, while Clemson looked like they were out of gas.  Going back to the ILBs, it was rare for anyone to get playing time last year other than Wilson and Herrera.  Both are fine football players, but neither are great in pass coverage.  Carter and Kimbrough played a significant number of snaps and looked impressive.
• #TailbackU - Gurley is the headliner, but the Dawgs have a stable of talented running backs.  True freshmen tailbacks, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, combined to rush for 103 yards on only 10 carries.  Nick Chubb simply would not be denied on his TD run (the last 35 yards with just one shoe). The future looks bright!
• Have you ever seen 3 rushing TDs on 3 consecutive offensive plays?  Gurley and Chubb toted the rock but the offensive linemen did some heavy lifting.  It's demoralizing for a defense when you know the offense is going to run the ball and you can't stop it.
• In all, 9 different true freshman saw action on Saturday night.  Jeb Blazevich made a nice catch to convert a first down. Isaiah McKenzie, Michel's high school teammate, had 44 all purpose yards and was a shoestring tackle away from breaking a punt return for a TD in the 4th quarter.  This kid is very talented and I believe he will break a punt return for a TD before the season is over.  He was dubbed the "Human Joystick" in high school and highlight tape is just plain sick.
• Special Teams were actually "special" on Saturday night.  Gurley's kickoff return for a TD was a huge momentum swing in the game.  That play wasn't all Gurley though.  If you watch it again you will see that it was very well executed by the whole KO return team.  The other noteworthy item for special teams was the fact that Richt has decided to go with his best players for those squads.  Both Keith Marshall and Sony Michel were on the kickoff teams.  Very good night's work put in by both punters and Marshall Morgan.
• Deshaun Watson is going to be a very fine football player. He looked very impressive for it to be his first college football game in a very tough environment.  It's only a matter of time before he unseats Stoudt as the starting QB at Clemson.
• If you would like to enjoy the highlights again then watch this.  I promise that you will enjoy it! If you're interested in hearing an opinion from the Tiger's point of view then here you go.

Other Notable Games

• Texas A&M had the most dominating performance of the week when they throttled South Carolina in Columbia on Thursday night.  I would caution everyone that is ready to write off the Gamecocks' chances of winning the SEC East this season.  It is way too early to make judgement on a team after one game.  A healthy Mike Davis would have made a huge difference, in my opinion.  I fully expect the Gameocks to regroup and be ready to take on the Dawgs in 2 weeks.
• Alabama's defense looked pedestrian, at times, but they were able to hold off West Virginia to win the the second part of the Chick-fil-a Kickoff classic.  Sure, it was a sloppy performance, but Bama has way too much talent to write them off this early in the season as serious contenders.
• The Glory Days of 2013 are over for the Vanderbilt Commodores.  The Dores had "their doors blown off" by Temple.  It's never good to lose by 30 at home, regardless of the opponent, but particularly when the opponent went 2-10 the previous season.
• FSU and LSU both won neutral-site games versus Oklahoma State and Wisconsin, respectively. Both teams are very talented and I believe they will improve as the season moves along.  Unfortunately for LSU, the SEC West is going to be rugged this season.

Looking ahead for the Dawgs

As the season progresses, I fully expect for defenses to put 8 or 9 players in the box to try to shut down the running game.  As defenses challenge the Dawgs, we will have to get better at throwing the ball downfield. We definitely need the speed and play making ability of both Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott Wesley.  In case you have forgotten about the kind of difference Mitchell can make in a tight game, watch this.  

Dawg fans should be excited about the outcome of Saturday's game, but I hope the players don't buy into the hype from the national media.

Georgia is now the favorite in the #SEC. pic.twitter.com/YjEMMjXB6r
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 2, 2014

 

It was just one game.  I cannot agree more with this column written by Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph.  Let's take it one game at a time and enjoy the season!

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.