Georgia is getting ready this week to play for their biggest game of the season to date. Not only is the game with Tennessee a rivalry game, not only it is a SEC East divisional game, but it is also the perfect trap game. Looming large for Georgia is the trip to South Carolina on October 6th that will go a long way to determine who will play in the SEC title game in December. However, Tennessee is far too talented to be looked past.
There is also some history here to make Georgia fans nervous. It has been 6 years since Georgia started a season 4-0. That year, 2006, the Dawgs were 5-0 and hosting Tennessee in Athens. However, in 2006, the season came off the tracks against the Vols. After playing well in the first half, Georgia faltered in every aspect of the game in the second half and ended up losing 51-33.
I was at that game, and I remember sitting there once the game was over, and just trying to figure out what happened. Georgia would go on to have a horrible season, losing to Kentucky and Vanderbilt before salvaging what they could with wins against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech to finish the season 9-4, with all of those loses coming in SEC play.
If Georgia loses to Tennessee on Saturday I believe one reason could be Tyler Bray. I caught some flack a couple of weeks ago for calling Bray a great quarterback, but his statistics this season point to that being the fact. Bray has passed for over 300 yards in 3 of his 4 games this season. He has 12 touchdowns and has only 3 interceptions this season.
The rushing game hasn't really been a huge factor thus far in the season, but with Georgia focusing on the pass so much, it might be an X factor this week.
Another reason for Georgia to be nervous this week is that Tennessee (and their coach) are desperate. They have already lost to Florida, and another loss would all but eliminate Tennessee from the discussion in the SEC East. They are basically playing for their season.
In addition, Derek Dooley might be coaching for his job. Dooley came to the rescue after the debacle that was Lane Kiffin, blew out of Knoxville in the middle of the night. However, Dooley hasn't had much success and Tennessee fans aren't going to keep waiting for Dooley to figure it out. Dooley hasn't beaten Georgia since he became head coach, and he will need a big win very soon if he wants to keep his job.
Here is a little bit more history to make you nervous. In 2007, it was a horrible loss to Tennessee (35-14 in Knoxville) that was the reason Georgia didn't play for the SEC title. Georgia didn't even show up for that game, and at the end of the season, they were left wondering "what if."
Self inflicted wounds are a concern for Georgia, and I"m hoping that Mark Richt didn't open the door for some bad karma by calling for a "Red Out" against Tennessee. The last couple of times that Richt has done things like this, it hasn't exactly worked out. Against Alabama in 2008, Richt and the seniors called for a Black Out, but it turned out that Georgia fans were in mourning for a terrible performance as Bama routed Georgia 41-30 in Athens. In 2009, Georgia sported different helmets in the game against Florida, and subsequently lost to the Gators 41-17. And don't forget about last season. Georgia sported the Nike Pro Combat uniforms against Boise State. You couldn't recognize the Dawgs on the field, which was a good thing considering the way they played. Georgia won't be wearing anything different on Saturday, but this type of stuff seems so stupid to me. Do the players really need this stuff to be motivated? When was the last time Saban came out and said that Bama was having some gimmick for a home game? I understand it is fun for fans, but the fact that the head coach is involved just kinda bugs me.
Now, off my soap box, and moving on.
While everyone has been so impressed with Georgia's offense, there are some reasons to be nervous there as well. First, what if these freshman running backs start playing like freshman? I don't mean they forget how to run the ball, but what if they forget how to protect the ball. The fumble bug hasn't bitten Georgia yet this season, but if and when it does, it will be interesting to see how these young players bounce back from a big mistake.
Aaron Murray's history is another concern. Murray was nearly perfect against Vanderbilt, but it was Vanderbilt. Murray wasn't great against Missouri in Georgia's only other legitimate game of the season. Can Murray play within himself, make the right decisions at the line of scrimmage, and avoid the big mistake that has plagued him his entire career? This game might go a long way in showing whether this season we are seeing a new Aaron Murray or if the real Aaron Murray is the guy that makes great plays but can't avoid huge mistakes.
I know that last week's game has most Georgia fans riding high, but there are reasons to be nervous this weekend. Georgia will have to play a complete game to win, and Georgia fans need to be loud and proud on Saturday and help pull the Dawgs through a tough SEC East showdown. Oh yeah, and don't forget to wear red!
Coming tomorrow, the more optimistic side of things.
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