Playoff Injustice

For weeks, Florida State fans have howled as the playoff committee has continued to drop the Noles after unimpressive performances. However, FSU is still in the playoff each and every week, and with the win over Georgia Tech in the ACC title game, Florida State will be in the top four tomorrow afternoon when the rankings are revealed.

So what if Florida State is 3 instead of 2 or 1, they are in the playoff, and if they are as good as they think they are, then they can win two games and win their second straight national title.

There is a team that is on the brink of being left out that will have a huge argument: Baylor.

Now I don't care at all about the Big 12, which only has 10 teams and plays no conference title game. I don't think the conference is that good. However, Baylor is 11-1 this season and will share the Big 12 title with TCU. Baylor will win the tie-breaker with the Horned Frogs because of their head to head victory over TCU earlier this season, but unless the playoff committee does something dramatic tomorrow morning, the Bears will not be in the Final Four.

Coming into this week, TCU was ranked #3 and Baylor was ranked #6. With no significant upsets on Championship weekend, it seems unlikely that the committee's opinion of Baylor will change dramatically enough to correct this error.

The committee could chicken out of this debate and simply give the number 4 spot in the playoff to Ohio State, who won the Big 10 Championship in convincing fashion over Wisconsin. In that scenario, Alabama and Ohio State would meet in the Sugar Bowl, while FSU and Oregon would face off in the Rose Bowl and both Big 12 schools would be left out of the playoff.

Before the season started, all we heard about was that the committee was going to place a high value on head to head meetings and winning your conference, but in their first attempt at creating a legitimate college football playoff, the committee seems to be abandoning their own criteria.

A week after coming back from a 24 point fourth quarter deficit to beat TCU, Baylor lost on the road to West Virginia. While West Virginia might not be the best team in the country, they are a solid football team who is tough to beat at home. There is no way that you could argue that loss is so bad that it should negate the head to head victory that Baylor holds over TCU.

If you want to talk about bad losses, Ohio State has by far the worst loss of any of the contenders when they lost at home to a bad Virginia Tech team early in the season.

I think the problem with this process has been the week to week rankings. The committee has been forced to give you their stream of consciousness thoughts on the season, before there is complete picture to look at. If the committee decides that Baylor's victory over Kansas State in the final game of the season makes their body of work stronger than TCU, they not only have to drop TCU who won 55-3 and did nothing wrong as the number three team in the country, but they have to move Baylor above Ohio State who won the Big 10 title game 45-0. In this scenario, both Ohio State and TCU would feel like they got shafted.

I think it would just be better if the committee came out at the end of the season and said here are your four teams, have a great Christmas. Of course, that would mean that ESPN wouldn't have their weekly show that creates so much hype and conversation for their network.

Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. I said at the beginning of the season that this would be the hardest task for the committee because they were basically making things up as they went.

Here is how I think it will play out. I think the committee will keep everything exactly like they had it on Tuesday. They really seem to want FSU and Alabama to meet in New Orleans which would put Oregon and TCU playing in the Rose Bowl.

The committee would probably match up Ohio State and TCU in the Fiesta Bowl in a consolation game.

The sport and ESPN is going to get what they want either way, we are going to spend the next week discussing what happens tomorrow at 12:30 pm.

An all too familiar feeling...

The morning after is always the worst. I know this because I have felt it, just like all Georgia fans have, too many times now.

This morning is when the reality sets in, and the full feeling of regret manifests itself. During the game, you can just be angry. You can yell at the television. You can explain how what you are seeing makes no sense whatsoever. Today, there is no one to yell at. Today we are left alone, with our thoughts.

Yesterday’s loss was inexcusable. There was no aspect of the team that played well. Offensively, Georgia started out great, but eventually we saw the downside of the injuries that Georgia has sustained. I am not criticizing Nick Chubb, but he is limited in what he can do, and the better defenses are going to be able to at least neutralize one aspect of your offense. Georgia, without another legitimate running back, is going to be good on the ground, but not good enough to win big games.

Georgia’s passing attack was what it has been all season. Anyone that criticizes Hutson Mason after yesterday’s game is just being lazy. Mason was not the problem yesterday. He made a couple of good throws and he made a few questionable decisions. His receivers didn’t help him at all. There were a couple of drops and the offensive line didn’t play nearly as well as they have for the majority of the season.

The biggest disappointment, in a day that was overwhelmingly disappointing, was the complete and total failure of Georgia’s defense to stop a one-dimensional offense. After trending up for the majority of the season, the defense is absolutely no where now. There is no reason to think that Auburn won’t put a thousand points on Georgia if the Dawgs can't stop simple run plays. Nothing Florida was doing yesterday was fancy, and many times, there was a player at the point of attack that had an opportunity to make a play, and time and time again, Georgia failed to make plays. Pruitt has to be held accountable for not being able to coach up his players to stop what Florida was doing, but at the end of the day; the players have to get it done.

The next step is looking at the rest of the season.  Just like the loss to South Carolina, this loss will feel worse and worse as Georgia progresses. This will most likely be a stark wakeup call for this team, and I would expect a great performance against Kentucky next weekend. Then Auburn will come calling and Gurley will be back. Georgia needs a Missouri loss to be back in the driver’s seat in the SEC East, so there will be some scoreboard watching over the next few weeks.

The playoff and the national title, which were a long shot, are now out of reach in any realistic scenario. Anarchy could reign, like it did in 2007, and Georgia could find their way back into the discussion, but there are about 10 things that would have to happen just right for that to happen.

I think it is time to start thinking about next year. No matter what happens, Georgia will have a new quarterback next season. Hutson Mason is a senior, and it is time for Georgia to consider moving on to Brice Ramsey. Ramsey seems to have a live arm, and the only way for him to get better is going to be playing in big games now. Mason isn’t winning games by himself, so what would Georgia lose by trying to give a few series a game to Ramsey?

The rest of the season should just be about improving. We need to get Sony Michel back on the field. I want to see what it looks like with just Michel and Chubb leading things in the backfield. I want to see more inclusion of Isaiah McKenzie in the offense. Early in the season, there were dynamic plays each week using McKenzie as a decoy and sometimes running him on the Jet-sweep. We also need to see the defense have a strong finish. I think Pruitt is a great coach and it would be silly to think that he has been able to already get his players working in his system without flaws, so we need to make sure that things are heading in the right direction going into bowl practice.

Earlier in the week, I said that losing to Florida would be the worst loss for the Dawgs since the early ‘80s. I think we will remember this game right along with the loss to South Carolina in 2012, the Bama Blackout in 2008, the loss to Tennessee in Knoxville in 2007, the loss to Florida in 2005, the home loss to Tennessee in 2004, and the loss to another bad Florida team in 2002. Each and every one of those games make me shake my head when I think about them, and after I finally get over the sick feeling in my stomach, I’ll be shaking my head about yesterday’s game for years to come.

Try to enjoy the rest of the weekend, and try not to think about football for a few days. We will turn the page to Kentucky on Wednesday, but let’s just get away from it all for a few days. 

A Cocktail PARTY for the Dawgs

As we approach another Cocktail Party this afternoon in Jacksonville, the two teams on the field are heading in very different directions.

Georgia is ranked 11^th by the college football playoff committee, but their path to the Final Four maybe the easiest in the conference. The SEC East is all but locked up, and a win in Atlanta would almost assure the Dawgs of a spot in the first playoff in college football history.

Meanwhile, Florida is heading into a time of transition. Will Muschamp is going to be fired at the end of the season, and everyone knows it. The Gators have been terrible the past two seasons. Florida has become an also-ran in the SEC, a conference that it dominated for the better part of two decades. It is hard to believe that the Gators have fallen as far as they have, but the reality of their situation has been put on full display this season. An embarrassing loss to Alabama. A triple overtime win over Kentucky. An ugly loss at home to Missouri. A game given away to rival LSU. At 3-3 on the season, the Gators will have to beat either Georgia, Florida State, or South Carolina to get to a bowl game. 

This is not Florida football.

I am a son of the 1990’s and 2000’s so you will have to forgive me if I’m not as confident as I should be that Georgia is going to win today in Jacksonville. I grew up on being disappointed in Jacksonville. As I said earlier this week, there have been too many times when Georgia had a better team than Florida, but managed to lose the game. Missed field goals, dropped passes, turnovers, and questionable coaching decisions have contributed to my lack of confidence.

On paper, this should not be a game. Georgia is head and shoulders better than Florida. Even without Todd Gurley, Georgia is one of the best rushing teams in the nation. Georgia’s offense is at the top of the SEC in scoring, and Hutson Mason looked like a legitimate threat at quarterback against Arkansas, something that would take this offense from very good to great.

Florida’s defense is the strength of their team, but even that is relative. In their five SEC games this season, Florida has allowed an average of 30.6 points per game. Nationally, the Gators are ranked 59^th in points allowed. While Florida has a strong secondary, they lack a dominant pass rusher, and even the best corners can’t stay with receivers forever.

Defensively, it feels like Georgia has turned a corner. A road shut out against Missouri and a dominant first half against Arkansas has senior Ramik Wilson saying this week that the defense as a whole is having fun and they can still get better.

By far, the worst unit on the field this afternoon will be the Florida offense. If you exclude a 65-0 win over Eastern Michigan in the opening game of the season, Florida is just averaging 21.4 points per game. That average would rank them 107^th out of 124 teams in college football. Almost worse than the lack of scoring is the fact that Florida has turned the ball over 16 times this season in only 6 games. Florida is hoping that starting freshman quarterback Treon Harris will be the jumpstart this offense needs. But then again, you are starting a freshman in your biggest rivalry game of the season.

All of the little details make me nervous. Maybe a new quarterback that can run a little bit will get the Florida offense going. The bye week for Florida has given them time to make some adjustments. Florida isn’t going anywhere this season, but they could absolutely ruin Georgia’s season today. 

Maybe Florida comes out today, with their coach under fire, and plays out of their minds in an attempt to help him keep his job.

All of those thoughts give me pause, but this thought is the one that I haven’t been able to shake all week:

Is it really possible for Georgia to lose their best player for 1/3 of the season, win all of the games that player misses, get the player back for the biggest game of the season (Auburn on November 15^th), and win the SEC title? It just doesn’t seem like something that would happen. At some point, you would think it would catch up to Georgia.

Losing this game today would be the worst loss for Georgia in almost three decades, and winning this game for Florida isn’t going to change the fact that there is major change coming to their program.

Following my head rather than my nerves, I know Georgia is going to win today. The Dawgs are just too good, and Florida simply isn’t good enough. The question is how do the Dawgs win? Is it like last season? 23-20 in a game that was never that close or will be like Georgia’s last two games, a dominant performance where the game was put away by half time.

I think it is going to be the latter. I think Georgia is going to put a beating on Florida, and I don’t think they are going to let up in the second half. Style points matter with the new playoff committee, and Georgia will raise some eyebrows today.

Chubb is going to have a big day, Isaiah McKenzie is going to take one to the house, and Mason will continue to make progress, but the star of the day is going to be the defense. I think Georgia’s defense will score today, and I think they are going to be dominant against an offense that lacks big play ability or confidence.

Enjoy this one Georgia fans, because Florida won’t be down for long.

Dawgs 48    Florida 10

What to expect from the College Football Playoff Committee's rankings

In an historic year of college football, the picture for the inaugural college football playoff is becoming clearer. This week, we will get our first look at the rankings from the playoff committee. 

The committee has waited until this late in the season to reveal it’s rankings so that they focus on what has happened on the field rather than pre-season rankings.

So what should we expect when the rankings come out on Tuesday night?

This is what my rankings would look like. The committee will be ranking a Top 25, which makes no sense to me, because there are going to be three loss teams in the Top 25 that have no chance of 

making the final four. I’m only doing 15 because this is hard enough.

1.       Mississippi State

2.       Florida State

3.       Alabama

4.       Oregon

5.       Michigan State

6.       Ole Miss

7.       Auburn

8.       Notre Dame

9.        Georgia

10.   Kansas State

11.   TCU

12.   Baylor

13.   Ohio State

14.   Arizona

15.   Nebraska

There are a couple of things you need to be looking for in the rankings. First, with only two undefeated teams from Power 5 conferences, the ranking on the one-loss teams will be critical. On name recognition, I would expect Alabama to be ranked as the top one-loss team, but you never know. The second thing to look for is how do they treat all of the SEC teams? Does a team like LSU that has two losses to two of the top 10 teams in the country get ranked higher than some one-loss teams from another conference? This would give us an indication of how much weight the SEC will carry as the season progresses. Lastly, I think we need to pay attention to Notre Dame. The Irish get special treatment in college football because they were a huge power 50 years ago, but more importantly, because their name means viewers. You would be naïve to think that the committee won’t try to put the Irish in to make sure that this first playoff puts up enormous ratings numbers.

Here is the reality of the rankings and the playoff picture: it usually works itself out. More often than not, the BCS worked itself out, and by the end of the season, I believe that the playoff picture will have only 5 or 6 teams with legitimate claims to one of the four spots.

Right now, I believe there are only seven teams that control their own destiny. Now, this has nothing to do with what I think will happen, this is just a list of teams that could win out and get in the playoff with no help.

-         Mississippi State: Obviously if you are the number one team in the country, and you keep winning, you will be the number one team at the end of the season. The road is still tough for the Bulldogs, but they are in control of their own destiny. 

-          Florida State: The Noles are the defending champions, and in my mind, they have the clearest path to the playoff. The one problem for Florida State is they can’t lose. Their schedule is not tough enough to be able to lose to an unranked team this late in the season and still make the playoff.

-          Alabama: Even though they could miss the SEC title game because of a tie-breaker to Ole Miss, there is no way a one-loss Tide team gets left out. They have looked impressive in their last couple of games, and running the table would mean wins over LSU, Auburn, and top-ranked Mississippi State.

-          Michigan State: The Spartans’ only loss was on the road to Oregon. If they run the table in the Big 10 and beat Ohio State in the Big 10 title game, it would be hard to see how they would get left out of the playoff.

-          Ole Miss: Despite the loss on the road to LSU, the Rebels are still in a very good position if they win out. They own the tie-breaker with Alabama, and they still have games with one-loss Auburn and number one Mississippi State on the schedule. Win out and the Rebels play in the SEC title game. The loss to LSU just means there is no room for error for the Rebels, because with a second loss, LSU would own the tie-breaker.

-          Oregon: Even though they lost to Arizona, the Ducks are still in control of their own destiny to win the Pac 12. There are major issues on the offensive line, so Oregon needs style points to make sure they stay on top of the SEC teams. The Pac 12 has been a disappointment this season, so there aren’t many chances for impressive wins left on the Ducks’ schedule.

-          Georgia: This is not a homer pick. If Georgia wins the rest of their games, they will, without a doubt, be in the playoff, and I think they would be ranked number 2 behind Florida State. Winning out would mean a win versus Auburn and then beating a Top 5 team in the SEC title game to be a one-loss SEC champion. Sure the SEC East is very weak, but Georgia has been impressive and still has a chance to impress even more.

These teams are still in the mix, but they need help:

-          Auburn: The Tigers’ loss to Mississippi State has them trailing in the SEC West standings. If the Bulldogs win out, Auburn would get left out of the title game, and would not be a lock at 11-1 to get into the playoff. Beating teams like Georgia, Ole Miss, and Alabama would make it hard to leave the Tigers out, but I think there would be a big debate on putting them in to be the number four team and getting a rematch with top ranked Mississippi State.

-          TCU: No team in the country will play the “what if?” game more than TCU. They had Baylor beat with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, but managed to blow a 24 point lead to lose. The Big 12 suffers because of two-loss Oklahoma and no title game to leave an impression on the committee.

-          Kansas State: A  home loss to Auburn is the only blemish on their record, but I just don’t look at K-State the same way I look at other one-loss teams. They haven’t been impressive in their wins, and there aren’t many chances to win a big game left on their schedule. I think they are a good team, but even if they run the table and win the Big 12, I don’t see how they would jump a one-loss SEC West team.

-          Ohio State: They lost, big, at home, to Virginia Tech. They also have their own history of losing big games to overcome. If they win out, they will need losses ahead of them to make the committee take them, because I honestly don’t think anyone wants to see the Buckeyes in the playoff.

-          Nebraska: Winning the Big 10 with one-loss and beating Ohio State in the title game would be a great season for Nebraska, but the weakness of the Big 10 is going to make it difficult for Nebraska. Their non-conference schedule was terrible, and I’m not really impressed with them when I try to watch them. Which is not often.

-          Notre Dame: At this point, the best win on their résumé is a win over Stanford. That is just not good enough. Yes, they played great in a loss to FSU, but they lost. When you play weak schedules you don’t have the luxury of losing the one big game you play. Beating Arizona State and a three-loss USC team wouldn’t change my opinion on Notre Dame.

This season has been amazing so far, and there is the potential for it to get even crazier in November. I think the SEC West will continue to cannibalize itself. Either Auburn or Ole Miss will get their second loss next weekend, I think LSU is going to give Alabama everything it can handle in Death Valley in two weeks, and I could see Mississippi State losing to Alabama and Ole Miss. A Georgia victory over Auburn, along with everything I just described would mean there could actually be FIVE teams in the SEC West with two losses! How does that tie-breaker work?

Florida State is almost a guarantee, unless they go on the road on a Thursday night to play one of those games that seem to trip up a top team every year. Oh, Florida State travels to Louisville this Thursday…

Michigan State, Ohio State, and Nebraska could all pick up another loss, and nothing would surprise me in the Big 12 or Pac 12 at this point.

I said earlier that it usually works itself out, I think it will, but the potential is there for more chaos than we have ever seen. Either way, it should be a lot of fun!

Those who fail to study history....

This week is why college football is the greatest sport in our country.

Georgia/Florida is one of the classic rivalries in all of college football, and even when it doesn’t matter, it matters. Played on a neutral site in Jacksonville, this game is one of the must see events in American sports. Formally known as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, this game always features hard hits, high stakes, and tons of emotion. You can guarantee at least 4 personal fouls, and there could be more, especially if the game gets out of hand.

This year, the game matters to both teams, but for very different reasons.

For Georgia, all of their goals are in front of them. Win out, win the SEC title game, and advance to the college football playoff. It’s that simple.

For Florida, this might be the last of the last chances for embattled coach Will Muschamp. The former Georgia player has had a rocky ride in Gainesville, and the only hope he has of surviving the season, is upsetting the Dawgs, and even then, it probably won’t be enough.

For the past twenty years, Florida has dominated this series. Since 1990, Florida is 18-6 against Georgia. That is by far their most dominating run in the series’ history which dates back to 1904. 

When you consider that Georgia has won the past three meetings, it shows just how bad things had gotten for Georgia in Jacksonville.

After the retirement of Vince Dooley following the 1989 season, Georgia hired he who must not be named to take over as head coach. He did terrible things in Athens, and thus, we do not speak his name. He never beat Florida, and he managed to make the divide between the two programs wider than it had ever been. The lowest of low points came in 1995, when Georgia hosted the Gators in Athens because the stadium in Jacksonville was being renovated. Steve Spurrier and Florida hung “half a hundred” on the Dawgs. When asked why Florida continued to run the score up late in the game, Spurrier just said that no one had ever scored 50 on Georgia in Athens, and he wanted to be the first to do it.

Jim Donnan managed to beat Florida once, in 1997, but his inability to win any game of significance led the Mark Richt being hired in 2001. Richt changed the culture in Athens, upset Tennessee in 2001, and won the SEC in 2002, but the Gators still had a hold over Georgia.

The theme that repeats itself throughout Mark Richt’s tenure as Georgia coach is one that should cause Georgia fans to pause as we head towards the weekend. While Richt has managed to close the talent gap with the Gators, Georgia has not always played up to their potential against the Gators.

In 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2010, Georgia was more talented than Florida but still managed to lose to the Gators. In 2002 and 2005, Georgia won the SEC but lost the Cocktail Party.

The past three years have been a different story. Georgia has managed to win three in a row in the series for the first time since winning six in a row from 1978 to 1983. Florida was ranked number two in the nation in 2012 when Georgia beat them for their only regular season loss. Last season, Georgia looked like they might put a Spurrier-type of beating on the Gators, until Florida fought back in the second half to make the game closer than it should have been.

This year, Georgia is the far better team. With or without Todd Gurley, Georgia should be more than capable of not only winning the game, but winning it comfortably.

However, if history has taught us anything, it is that this game will be closer than the experts think. This is Florida’s season. Just like when Georgia played South Carolina earlier this season, the Dawgs are going to get the Gators’ best game. Will Muschamp will rally his players, and they will give a great effort.

If Georgia doesn’t play at their best, the Gators will win again. A loss on Saturday would not only be the worst loss Georgia has suffered under Mark Richt, but it would be the worst loss for Georgia since losing to Penn State in the 1983 Sugar Bowl to lost the national title. 

Older Georgia fans still feel sick about that January night, and Georgia fans young and old will know their pain if the Gators pull off the upset this Saturday.

Maybe

With no game for Georgia this week, it would seem like a good time to take a look back over the first half of the 2014 season. Without rehashing each and every game, let’s try to remember just how we felt as this season has progressed.

Before the season, I think the general mood among Bulldog fans was one of optimism. There was hope for the defense with a new coordinator, there was excitement about having the best running back stable in the country, and we had been told that Hutson Mason was ready to lead Georgia to a title. All and all, things looked up after a disappointing, injury filled 2013 season.

Then the expectations went through the roof.

Georgia destroyed Clemson with a second half performance that was as good as any in the Richt era. All of a sudden, we were the team to beat in college football. South Carolina had an equally bad loss to Texas A&M, so there would be no doubt we would steam-roll the Gamecocks. It seems so obvious looking back, but Georgia was always going to get South Carolina’s best game, because their season was literally on the line.

After losing in Columbia, by an inch, Georgia was awful and would probably end up missing a bowl game. I don’t think there is a more fickle fan base in all of sports than Georgia’s. Over the next few games, Georgia would play well, but there were signs that when the season really got going, in October, Georgia would fall out of contention.

I will be honest and say that I thought this was going to be a 9-3 season after the mediocre performance against Tennessee.

Then our world fell apart. Gurley-Gate broke twitter along with the hearts of all Georgia fans. We were going to lose to Missouri and Arkansas, Gurley was never going to play again, and Georgia was doomed. Oh yeah, and fire Mark Richt, Mike Bobo, and even Greg McGarity.

The past two weeks have shown that this program is bigger than one player, and that this coaching staff isn’t all talk.

For years, Mark Richt has been labeled “Too nice to win.” Even this week I heard Georgia fans complaining that we were playing by a different set of rules than every other school in the nation. We bemoan our tough drug program that suspends players on their first failed drug test, because other schools wait until the second failed test.

Do you remember what Mark Richt said before the season? When asked why Georgia’s drug policy is so tough, Richt said that he loves each and every one of his players like they were his sons, and he doesn’t want his son doing drugs.

And that one comment shows you everything you need to know about Mark Richt and Georgia. Mark Richt isn’t going to cut corners to win. Mark Richt believes that if you follow the rules, hold players to a high standard, and do things the right way, then you will be successful. He should know about success, he is the longest tenured coach in America’s best conference.

No, he hasn’t won a national title, but he isn’t done yet.

Todd Gurley will most likely be reinstated before Georgia plays Florida next week. If Georgia can continue playing as well on defense as they have for the vast majority of this season, the Dawgs will be in position to do something very special this year.

All you could ask for when you enter November is a shot, and that is what Georgia has. The entire season is in front of them. If Georgia wins the rest of their games, they will be SEC Champions, and they will have a spot in the inaugural college football playoff.

There are plenty of obstacles on the way. Florida will be playing for nothing but pride in Jacksonville next week. Their coach is going to be fired, but Georgia managed to lose to Ron Zook a few times in Jacksonville, so anything is possible.

Kentucky is a much improved team who actually still controls its destiny in the SEC East. Georgia was lucky to win the last time they played in Lexington, and I witnessed Kentucky beat Georgia in that very stadium in 2006. Georgia will have to play well to win.

The Auburn game could shape up to be the biggest home game in Athens since the Blackout against Alabama in 2008. If Georgia and Auburn both come into the game with only one loss, then Athens, Georgia will be the center of the football universe on November 15^th. Beat Auburn, you clinch the SEC East, and then you have Charleston Southern and Tech before playing the SEC title game. A one loss Georgia team that wins the SEC title will make the playoff.

It is all right there. It won’t be easy, but it can happen. At this point, it should happen. Georgia was so close in 2012, maybe it is time.

Maybe, in a season where all seemed lost, Georgia will finally find the promise land.

Maybe doing the right thing in the Gurley situation will ultimately be a positive for this team, because it brought them together at just the right time.

Maybe, after 13 seasons, the best man coaching college football in America will finally get what he so richly deserves.

Maybe, in 2014, the nice guy will finish first.

Maybe.

Georgia travels to Arkansas, looking for a big win in Little Rock

It would not be an overstatement to say that Georgia’s game against Arkansas will define this season.

All indications are that Todd Gurley will return for the Cocktail Party at the beginning of November, which means that with all the problems that Georgia has had over the course of the first two months of the season, the Dawgs would have one loss and be in the driver’s seat to perhaps clinch the SEC East against the Gators.

Add to that, Georgia would be getting back the best player in the country who will have a huge chip on his shoulder after the embarrassing suspension that he has been subject to over the past two weeks. An angry Todd Gurley with something to prove, sounds fun to me.

Now all Georgia has to do is beat a team that has not won a conference game since before Georgia lost to Alabama in the SEC title game in 2012. Arkansas comes into this game with a 15 game SEC losing streak.

Arkansas is much better this year than they were in 2013. The Hogs nearly beat Texas A&M a couple of weeks ago, and basically gave the game away against Alabama last Saturday night. You will hear on the broadcast tomorrow that Arkansas has the biggest offensive line in football, bigger than any other college team and bigger than any NFL team. Arkansas loves to run the ball, and they actually have three more rushing yards than Georgia does this season, to lead the SEC in total rushing yards. 

Arkansas is a physical team on both sides of the ball.

Nothing about this game is going to be easy for Georgia.

Georgia looked great last week defensively, shutting out a ranked opponent on the road for the first time in school history. If Georgia can manage to stop the Arkansas running game, then they will have a great chance of winning this game. Arkansas doesn’t want to throw the ball, and they aren’t very good at throwing it when they have to do it.

However, Georgia’s offense is not nearly as potent as we have seen in recent years, and despite Nick Chubb’s great performance last week, it would be hard to see him holding up like that against a physical team like Arkansas. You have probably gotten tired of hearing me say this, but Hutson Mason has to step up and be the reason Georgia wins a game, and not just a reason that Georgia didn’t lose a game. Arkansas is going to sell out to stop the run, if Mason could complete just a couple of deep passes down the field, the Arkansas defense would have to respect the pass, and Georgia would be able to run the ball much more effectively.

I don’t feel confident about this game. Arkansas is going to upset someone this season. Georgia is coming off a huge, team victory last week, while Arkansas is coming off a huge disappointment. Georgia is traveling a long distance for the second straight week, and the lack of depth at running back has forced safety JJ Greene to return the running back position for this week only. Arkansas runs the ball well, which can control the clock and keep them in the game in the fourth quarter, and their size on defense would suggest that they can hold up against the Georgia running game all afternoon.

I don’t think either team can afford to fall behind by more than 10 points and expect to win this game. If Georgia jumps out to an early lead I think you could see Arkansas fold, thinking that they missed their chance last week against the Tide. If Arkansas jumps out to an early lead, they could ride the emotion of their fans all afternoon and pull away from Georgia.

I think Georgia can pull it out, but it is going to be tough. It is going to be ugly. And if Georgia wins the game, it will be because Georgia’s defense stepped up and stopped a great running attack. This will be old school, hard fought football.

Georgia 24  Arkansas 17

Go Dawgs.

Georgia shuts out Missouri

In hindsight it seems so obvious. After a week of turmoil and losing the best player in the country, of course Georgia would go on the road and dominate Missouri, 34-0. This season has challenged everything I thought I knew about college football, and while I was so pleased to see Georgia do well yesterday, I have a hard time getting too excited about the win.

As a fan of Georgia, you have to be proud at the way the players responded to the Gurley suspension. I speculated on Saturday morning that for one week the suspension could be motivation for the team to come together and play above their potential, and that is exactly what happened.

Missouri is not a very good team, but to go on the road and play like that in the SEC is not normal, no matter how good or bad a team might be.

Offensively, Georgia did what Georgia doesn’t usually do. They were content, for the entire game, with just running the ball right down their opponent’s throat even though Missouri knew that was what was coming. Often times, Georgia tries to trick the defense and many times, they get too cute with the play calling. Nick Chubb did a good job yesterday, but please don’t tell me that the plan for the rest of the year is to hand the ball off 38 times per game to a freshman running back.

Unfortunately, I believe that the conservative game plan had less to do with a confidence in Chubb, and more to do with Hutson Mason’s limitations as a quarterback. Mason managed the game very well yesterday, and that is not an insult. There were numerous times on third and medium situations where Mason made a big play to pick up the first down and keep a drive alive. However, at no point during the game did Mason stretch the Missouri defense vertically, and I can only remember two pass plays that tried to get the ball downfield. The coaches have now accepted what they have under center and they are going to try and go as long as they can with this dink and dunk passing game and relying completely on the running game. Yesterday it worked, but ultimately, it will be Georgia’s downfall.

The Georgia defense had a day that could change their season yesterday. Georgia was fantastic against the run, which had been Missouri’s strong point offensively. You could see how discombobulated the Missouri offense was when they couldn’t run the ball on first and second down. Maty Mauk had a terrible day, and his receivers didn’t help him one bit, but Georgia was amazing in the secondary. There were multiple times throughout the game where Mauk had all day to throw the ball, but Georgia was so good in coverage, he simply had to throw the ball away, or force an ill-advised throw into coverage. Not only did Georgia shut out Missouri, they never allowed the Tigers to penetrate farther than the Georgia 34 yard line. That is domination.

After the win at Missouri, Georgia is clearly in the driver’s seat in the SEC East. A lot could change quickly, but I don’t think there is much doubt that Georgia is the best team in this division. The question will be whether or not Georgia can win out, and put themselves back in a position to be in the playoff discussion.

Ok, now for the 800 pound elephant in the room.

With Saturday’s game behind us, the entire Bulldog Nation will now turn to Gurley Watch. It is expected that a decision on Todd Gurley’s eligibility will come down early this week (Monday or Tuesday). If the suspension is only one game, then Gurley would probably be able to play this week at Arkansas since Georgia held him out of the Missouri game. Obviously, Georgia fans are hoping to avoid a suspension that would cost Gurley, and Georgia, the rest of the season.

I have gone back and forth on this issue over the past few days. Part of me is so disappointed in Gurley that I don’t want him back. I don’t want to cheer for him. Another part of me wants to see him come back, and play well, because America loves a story of redemption, and I don’t want to judge a kid off of one big error in judgment.

What was obvious from yesterday’s game, Mark Richt, and his team, want Todd Gurley back. Before the game Richt fumbled over himself to make sure people knew he was disappointed in the situation, but not with Todd necessarily. After the game, players left the field with three fingers held high, a tribute to Gurley.

My gut feeling is that the coaches, and the team expect Todd to be back this season and they are already laying the ground work for Todd to be welcomed back when he is eligible again.

I don’t think it is an overstatement to say that Georgia’s season will be decided before kickoff against Arkansas  on Saturday. With the defense making obvious progress and Todd Gurley in the backfield, Georgia will have a chance to achieve all of their goals, but without Gurley, Georgia might win the East, but they won’t be competitive against Auburn or the team they play in the SEC title game.

UGA versus Missouri (and the rest of the world)

It has been a truly amazing week in the world of college football. Last Saturday, we were treated to one of the most exciting Saturdays I can remember. In the wake of half of the top 10 going down, I was ready to write a long piece on how the playoff committee should analyze the current standings. 

Then the news broke.

Thursday afternoon we learned that Todd Gurley was indefinitely suspended, and all of a sudden, here were all these stories and details about Georgia’s best player selling his autographs in the back of cars. The information has been coming out steadily since the story broke, and it seems that we will have a resolution to the Gurley suspension by early next week. I won’t speculate on the length of the suspension, but trust me that is all it would be, speculation. Within the span of two hours on Friday afternoon, the AJC reported that their “sources” were telling them the suspension would be 2-3 games, and then it was that Todd Gurley would be suspended for the season. Later in the night, Georgia’s AD had to come out with a statement because there was so much misinformation being spread.

Today, we get back to why we love college football. Today we can focus on the games.

Georgia travels to Missouri for a game that will almost certainly decide who plays in the SEC Championship Game. Georgia fans were pessimistic before the suspension, so there is obviously no chance of winning now that number three is not playing. The reason Georgia fans are so doom and gloom about this game is they have seen Georgia be so mediocre at times this season.

Georgia’s passing offense has been simply offensive. Hutson Mason looks like a game-manager at best and a game-wrecker a good portion of the time. The Georgia defense can look absolutely fantastic on one play, and then allow a receiver to be running free in the secondary on the very next play. There is no way you could have confidence that this defense could come up with a big stop when we needed one.

We have seen what this team is capable of in the second half against Clemson, and ever since, we have struggled to understand how that team could look so mediocre against teams that aren’t that good like South Carolina and Tennessee.

Obviously there is no way we can go on the road today and beat Missouri, the defending SEC East Champions, right?

Wrong.

There is one part of this equation that I promise you will matter on Saturday that you haven’t considered: How good is Missouri?

Because he played against Georgia last year, you might be able to tell me the name of Missouri’s starting quarterback, Maty Mauck (Also because it’s a weird name). Name another player on the team.

Wait, they have that wide receiver with three names that is a beast. Nope, kicked off the team for hitting his girlfriend.

They have the defensive end that was the SEC’s defensive player of the year. Nope, he is busy breaking down barriers in the NFL.

What else you got?

Don’t feel bad, I couldn’t name anyone on their team either.

When you look at the numbers, Missouri is the very definition of average. There are 120 teams in the top level of college football. Missouri ranks 76^th in total passing yards, 59^th in total rushing yards, 42^nd in points scored, and 33^rd in points allowed. That’s right, they aren’t in the top 25% of any of those categories.

Well they are 4-1 on the season, so they must have played some pretty good teams. Nope. Wins over South Dakota State, Toledo, UCF, and South Carolina.

Well there you go, they beat South Carolina. Georgia couldn’t do that, so obviously they are better than Georgia. Missouri did beat South Carolina 21-20 at South Carolina three weeks ago, however, they trailed in that game by 13 points with less than 8 minutes to go. South Carolina practically gift wrapped the game for the Tigers, by allowing them to stay in the game, and then giving them a chance to win late. Over three and a half quarters, against a defense that Georgia scored over 30 points against, the Tigers managed just one touchdown. Missouri should get credit for winning the game, but the reality is that they were fortunate.

One week before their victory over the Gamecocks, Missouri lost at home to Indiana. Just let that sink in a minute.

Now I’m not telling you that Georgia is going to walk all over Missouri today, but I do want you to know that this is a game of two teams with some major issues. We are all too familiar with Georgia’s issues, but don’t be surprised today when Georgia is in this game. I don’t think Georgia will be able to overcome an early deficit, but I also don’t think Missouri is good enough to put Georgia away early and walk to an easy victory. Once the Dogs get on the field and see that they can play with this team without number three, the Tigers are in trouble.

For one day, for one game, the Todd Gurley suspension could work in Georgia’s favor. The team has to feel blindsided. Their best player and leader was on the practice field on Wednesday getting ready for this crucial game, and he was suspended 24 hours later. This is their friend. Nothing can unite a team like feeling that they are being attacked. The bunker mentality is a common tool used by coaches to motivate a team when the world is seemingly against them.

No one believes in us, except us, so let’s go out there and show Missouri, the SEC, ESPN, and the entire world that this team is just that, a team, and we are much more than one great player. We are the Georgia Bulldogs, we play for the “G” on the helmet, and not the name on the back of the jersey. Let’s go out there today, and show the world who we are.

How does that make you feel? How would that make you feel if you were 20 years old and one of your good friends had been dragged through the mud by an angry memorabilia salesmen from Rome?

Without Todd Gurley, Georgia will not win the SEC. Without Todd Gurley, Georgia will not make the College Football Playoff. Without Todd Gurley, the rest of this season will be a huge disappointment.

But today, for one day, Georgia can come together as a team, depending only on the man to their right and left, and they can win this game. We will let tomorrow take care of tomorrow, but for today, we will stand up as the Bulldog Nation and say that we are bigger than one player, no matter how great that player is. We are the University of Georgia, and today, just like every other day, it’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog.

Georgia 34      Missouri 27

Go Dawgs.

The Unthinkable

There is a lot of frustration and anger going around the Bulldog Nation tonight. In the first hour after the story broke that Todd Gurley had been suspended indefinitely by the University of Georgia, I saw national pundits complain that the NCAA rules were ridiculous, I saw local pundits take credit for knowing something was up, and I heard fans compare Gurley to the likes of Johnny Manziel and Cam Newton. Everyone was mad and everyone was trying to find someone to blame.

There is only one person to blame: Todd Gurley.

Gurley may just miss one game, he may miss two or three games, or we may never again see Todd Gurley in a Georgia jersey. It almost doesn't matter. Todd Gurley will never be looked at the same again. His name will always be associated with this scandal, and if Georgia loses at Missouri this Saturday, this season will end in major disappointment with Todd Gurley being the person to blame.

If he comes back, I will cheer him and so will you. He is a young man who obviously made a big mistake, but to whom much is given, much is expected, and Todd knew the rules and chose to break them.

Todd Gurley was on his was to being one of the most loved players to ever put on the Georgia uniform. From the moment that he touched that opening kickoff against Buffalo nearly three years ago, Georgia fans have held their breath each and every time #3 has touched the ball.

Now we will be holding our breath for the next few days to hear if Georgia's best player, and maybe the best player in the country, will step back on the field again this season.

By the end of May of 2015, Todd Gurley will be a first round pick in the NFL draft, and sometime next summer he will sign a contract that will make him a millionaire. If the reports are true, he tarnished his name, his reputation, and the University of Georgia for $400.

After today, Georgia's hopes for an SEC title are all but over, Todd Gurley's pursuit of the Heisman Trophy is over, and the image of a young man that we all held in such high esteem has forever been altered.

Was it worth it Todd?

Week in Review: Week 6

Biggest Story of the Week: It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world

It is hard to remember a single weekend that produced as much carnage as this weekend did, and in its wake, we are left with a wide open race, heading towards a playoff that we have no precedent for. I think it is honest to say that there is literally no telling what will happen next.

I have said all along that I didn’t think any team would run the table in the SEC West, and I believed that Alabama’s loss would be at Ole Miss. After watching yesterday’s game, I believe Alabama will lose at least one more game. For a team with as many athletes as Alabama has, they look very pedestrian on offense, and they got beat continuously on the same type of play defensively.

Ole Miss will lose twice as well. Yesterday, they lived off of the crowd, and played spectacular defense, while the offense sputtered for the majority of the game. In truth, Ole Miss should have won by about three touchdowns yesterday, but their offense was just inconsistent. You can’t expect Bo Wallace to play consistently, and there are just too many good teams on the schedule.

At this point, you would have to favor Auburn to win the west, unless. Unless Mississippi State can beat the Tigers this Saturday in the weekend’s marquee game. I believe that the winner of the Mississippi State/Auburn game will win the West, and the SEC, and take a place in the playoff.

Notre Dame got a big win on Saturday, and they look to be on a collision course with FSU in a couple of weeks. The winner of that game, which will be FSU, will claim a spot in the playoff.

The other two spots could go any number of ways. A one-loss SEC West team would have a great case for giving the SEC a second team in the playoff. The Big 10 is not getting a team in the playoff unless Michigan State runs the table and looks dominant doing it. Baylor and Oklahoma were the only hopes for the Big 12, and I’m not sure that Oklahoma can get back in the picture. The Pac 12 will continue to cannibalize itself, because it is full of good teams that aren’t great.

The bigger issue facing college football is how you rank these teams moving towards the playoff. The thirteen member committee that will decide the playoff have an impossible debate facing them, and in the first year of the new system, there is no way of knowing what direction they will take the sport.

Will they value teams that have no losses, but no big tests? Will they value a team that has a loss on the road to a quality opponent more than a team that loses on the road to an unranked team? Will they look at the SEC and say that the league is so good that a one loss SEC school is better than an undefeated team from another conference? There will be no way to prove them right or wrong until the teams play on the field.

As a SEC fan, I will always favor teams that play tough schedules whether they have a loss or not. After watching all of the games in a season, I want the best teams in the playoff. I have a hard time with FSU because they play in a conference that is considerably weaker than the SEC or the Pac 12. 

At the end of the season, the Noles will hang their hats on beating Clemson at home with their back-up quarterback, a win over an overrated Notre Dame team, and a win over the third or fourth best team in the SEC’s weaker division. Yes they won the title last year, and if they run the table they should be in the playoff, but they wouldn’t have earned that spot in 2014, they would be living off of last year’s success.

The good news is that more often than not, these things tend to work themselves out, but this season feels a lot like 2007, where there were no great teams. I think it is entirely possible that there will be 2 teams in the playoff with 2 losses, and that those two teams could end up playing for the title.

We will continue to get answers in the weeks ahead, but a loss by FSU, Notre Dame, and Baylor would leave no chance for undefeated teams, and more controversy than we have ever seen before.

With only a couple of weeks until the playoff committee releases their first rankings, winning will become more important than style.

Biggest Win of the Week: Mississippi State over Texas A&M

The Bulldogs are for real. They dominated from start to finish against a good A&M team, and look to be the real deal in the SEC West. They host Auburn this Saturday with a chance to make a case to be in the discussion for the playoff. With so many good teams in the SEC West, a win over Auburn would mean that Mississippi State would have won 3 of the 6 divisional games on their schedule without a loss. They have been impressive so far, but a win against Auburn would move them from the underdog role, to the favorite in America’s best conference.

Biggest Loss of the Week: South Carolina falls in Lexington

For the third time in six weeks, the “honor” of the worst loss lives with the Ole Ball Coach. The Gamecocks were dismantled at home against A&M. Gave a game away at home against Missouri, and now, they have managed to go on the road and lose a game against Kentucky that they had no business losing.

With games against Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, and Clemson still ahead, South Carolina is the leader in the club house for most disappointing team of the year.

The Heisman Race:

1.      Todd Gurley

2.      Dak Prescott

3.      Jameis Winston

The College Football Playoff if the season ended Today:

1.      Auburn v. 4. Mississippi State

2.      FSU v. Baylor

Thought Process:

If you look at the wins of the undefeated teams, Auburn should be number one hands down. FSU is the defending champion and would deserve a chance to defend unless they lose a game. Baylor is now the front runner in the Big 12 with Oklahoma’s loss, and maybe the only hope for the Big 12 to get a team in the playoff. Mississippi State is in a great position, already having wins over A&M and LSU in the daunting SEC West.

Three Things to Watch for Next Week:

1.      Auburn @ Mississippi State

2.      Pac 12 Eliminator: UCLA hosts Oregon

3.      SEC East Title Game: UGA @ Missouri

Showdown Saturday in the SEC

Today, you are going to see firsthand why the SEC is the preeminent conference in all of college football. Three games featuring teams that are ranked in the top 15, one traditional rivalry, one road test for a preseason top 10 team, and one Homecoming.

I’m not going to lie to you, I’m pretty excited that we have a weekend like this in college football and Georgia is playing Vanderbilt. For those of you who haven’t watched college football this year, this is a different Vanderbilt team than we have seen for the past few years.

James Franklin is now the coach of Penn State, and Vanderbilt has gone back to being the doormat of the SEC. They aren’t nearly as talented as they have been under Franklin, and they are going to missing their starting quarterback. They will be starting a freshman in his first game, between the hedges, against a Georgia defense that needs some positive momentum. Good luck Vanderbilt.

Georgia fans need to be looking for three things on Saturday.

First, with the return of Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley, can Hutson Mason be effective in the passing game? The entire season depends on Mason’s ability to take a little pressure off the running game, and this will be the easiest chance that Mason will have for finding his touch on deep passes.

Second, the defense needs to have a high energy, shut-down kind of day. We need to see the defense have a lot of success, and ideally, force multiple turnovers. Just like Hutson Mason, the defense needs some positive momentum heading into the toughest three game stretch of the season.

Third, is number 3. I don’t want to see him today. With Sony Michel already out, and Keith Marshall not nearly his  old self, Todd Gurley shouldn’t have to play the second half of the game. Georgia needs to get off to a great start on offense, blow the doors off of the ‘Dores, and give Gurley the rest of the day off. No player in the country means more to his team than Todd Gurley means to Georgia, we can’t risk a silly, unnecessary injury against an opponent like Vanderbilt.

Georgia is going to roll on Saturday, so just sit back and enjoy the rest of the SEC games this week.

Georgia 45   Vanderbilt 13

Here is a quick look at the rest of the day in the SEC:

Florida v. Tennessee (Noon, SEC network)

This game is important because, by definition, one of these teams has to win this game, and the other team will lose. The winning team will have just a sliver of hope for the rest of the season, while the losing team should start looking at Spring Practice dates and recruiting rankings. Tennessee’s weak offensive line plays into the strength of the Florida defense, but Florida is terrible on offense and AJ Johnson should be able to keep the Florida running game under control. I think it’s going to be close.

Florida 20  Tennessee 23

Texas A&M v. Mississippi State  (Noon, ESPN)

Kenny Hill and the Aggies have been the surprise of the season so far, but Mississippi State could take over that title with another win. The bizarro Bulldogs have already won on the road at LSU, which means a win versus the Aggies would put them undefeated in conference, and two big tests down. I am on record saying that no SEC team is going to run the table this year, so avoiding an early loss is critical with so many big games left on the schedule. Mississippi State might be for real, but they are going to have to prove it.

Texas A&M 48  Mississippi State 35

Alabama v. Ole Miss (3:30, CBS)

It is not an overstatement to say that this is the biggest game in the Grove since Archie Manning was playing quarterback. Ole Miss has been on the rise since Hugh Freeze became their coach, and this is the culmination of everything they have worked towards. Last year, the Rebels knocked off LSU, but beating King Saban and the Tide would be a pivotal moment for the program. Oxford, which is an amazing place to see a football game, is going to be crazy, but the Tide are used to big games, and they are going to be focused on “the process.” I thought this was Bama’s loss before the season, so I’ll stick with it.

Alabama 30  Ole Miss 31

LSU v. Auburn (7:00, ESPN)

LSU’s season is on the line. With a home loss to Mississippi State two weeks ago, the Tigers are on the brink of being reduced to the spoiler role and it is barely October. Big games loom for both of these teams, so neither can afford to lose Saturday night. I think the Tigers are going to win…. Just kidding. LSU will play well, but Auburn is too good.

LSU 24  Auburn 33

South Carolina v. Kentucky (7:30, SEC Network)

Can you imagine a more beautiful thing than the Ole Ball Coach losing to Kentucky, I can’t. With Georgia looking like they could lose again this season, we should all be cheering for the Wildcats to go ahead and get their big win this season over a wounded Carolina team, giving the Gamecocks their third SEC loss.

Carolina 24  Kentucky 27

Enjoy a fantastic Saturday!

Go Dawgs!

Where do we go from here?

I can honestly say that I was never really worried about Georgia losing to Tennessee on Saturday. To me, Georgia was in control for the vast majority of the game. If Hutson Mason doesn't turn the ball over with two interceptions, Georgia probably covers the 17 point spread that they were favored by. More than anything, yesterday's game has left me with the uneasy feeling that this season, which promised so much following the Clemson game, may end up like last season, with Georgia fans, players, and coaches asking themselves, what if.

Moving forward, Mike Bobo has to figure out how to make this offense more versatile without a legitimate passing threat. We saw one play yesterday out of the "Jet Sweep" look, where Sony Michel was lined up a quarterback and Isiah McKenzie was running across the formation at the snap of the ball. Put Todd Gurley in as a set back to either side of Michel, and Georgia's three most dangerous players are all threats on the same play. I think Georgia has to do more creative things like that if they are going to continue to be prolific on offense. As good as Todd Gurley is, and he is better than advertised, against the best defenses in the league, you can't be one dimensional and win. Missouri, Arkansas, Florida, and Auburn will all be able to contain Gurley unless there are other offensive wrinkles that take the focus off #3 for at least a play or two.

I've said all along that Hutson Mason is the key to this season, and that is why I am no longer optimistic that this season will end with Georgia playing in the SEC title game. Mason looked bad against Tennessee yesterday. The two interceptions were poorly thrown balls. There were about four more passes that were really terrible as well. He showed no poise in the pocket, and his feet were bouncing around constantly. The best plays he made yesterday were when he was running the ball, or when he was blocking for Gurley.

Mark Richt and Mike Bobo want to win more than any fan watching at home. They obviously know the players on their team better than we do, and they feel that Hutson Mason gives Georgia the best chance to win right now. Having not seen any of the backups play in a significant game, you can't possibly say that Bryce Ramsey or Jacob Park would be a better option. Mason only has one more chance to turn me around on him as a player. Next week, he will have all of his weapons back. Malcom Mitchell, Johnathan Rumph, and Justin Scott-Wesley are all on track to return to action against Vanderbilt. Against a bad team in Vanderbilt, maybe Mason can finally show that he has the ability to deliver the ball down field with accuracy, because at this point in the season, he hasn't been able to challenge opposing defenses.

Mason's longest pass play of the season is 36 yards. That was against Troy, so it doesn't count at all. Mason's second longest pass play was against South Carolina, for 35 yards. You will remember this play because it was a pass to Isiah McKenzie that traveled about 5 yards in the air, and McKenzie darted his way into the end zone on Georgia's second offensive play. It might look like a 35 yard pass on the stat sheet, but it wasn't.

Mason is averaging 6.7 yards per attempt so far this season. By comparison, Todd Gurley is averaging 8.8 yards per attempt, Sony Michel is averaging 9.7 yards per attempt, and Nick Chubb is averaging 6.3 yards per attempt. When looking at those numbers it is staggering that Georgia is averaging 45.1 points per game this season.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm still optimistic about where this defense is headed. Despite giving up 32 points to Tennessee, I feel like Georgia is doing a lot of positive things on defense, and just not quite executing to the best of their ability. Yesterday, the tackling wasn't good for the first time this season, but that Tennessee running back, along with their two top receivers, are big guys that are hard to bring down.

Georgia is doing a good job at getting after the quarterback, and in this age of bend but don't break defense, they have the ability to put the opposing team behind the chains early and then hold them on third and long.

However, there is one play that I am now tired of seeing. In every game this season, except for the Troy game, Georgia's opponent has scored a touchdown by throwing to either a tight end or a receiver in the slot and getting that player matched up with either Amarlo Herrara or Ramik Wilson. The plays look so similar its maddening. The ball travels over the arms of the defender who has his back to the quarterback while chasing two steps behind the receiver. Georgia has to do a better job about getting into an extra defensive back on the field in those situations and not putting their middle linebackers in those situations. It is not an accident that it keeps happening. Opposing teams are seeing it on film, and purposefully attacking the weakness week in and week out. Jeremy Pruitt needs to figure it out, or Georgia will continue to give up big plays right down the middle of the field.

The one thing you do have to give Georgia's coaching staff a lot of credit on is the drastic improvement that we have seen on special teams this season. Georgia was awful on special teams last year, and it cost the Dawgs a possible victory against both Vanderbilt and Clemson. Missing field goals is going to happen from time to time, but the solid performance by Georgia's kick and punt return teams along with their absolute excellence on the coverage teams has kept Georgia in a positive field position for the majority of the season. It seems like Georgia's opponents are starting drives close to their own 20, while Georgia always seems to have the ball around their 35. That is a huge difference, and the special teams play on the fourth quarter punt yesterday set up the game winning score on defense.

I started this blog by saying that Georgia fans were going to be left wondering what if again this season and I really believe that. What if Georgia had a quarterback that could soften up defenses for this amazing stable of running backs? What if Georgia's defense had just a little more experience in the secondary. What if?

I hope I'm wrong, but this seems to be a good team in a year where there are no great teams, that is just too flawed to make a run at a title.

At this point last season, Georgia had survived the toughest September in school history. They were undefeated in conference play, and looked like they had all the ability in the world to make a strong run towards the SEC title. October changed all that. Georgia went 2-2 last October, with one of those wins coming in overtime against Tennessee in a game Georgia should have lost. Losses to Missouri and Vanderbilt doomed the Georgia title hopes, and sent the season into a free-fall.

October will again define Georgia. Next week will hopefully be a confidence booster against Vanderbilt before heading on a two game road trip that will make or break the season. Georgia travels to Missouri on October 11th for what could be an SEC East title game and then travels all the way back out to Arkansas on October 18th to play a physical and much improved Razorback team. Win those two games, and Georgia will be a Top 10 team in the hunt for the playoff. Lose either of those games, with Florida and Auburn still looming, and you can kiss the playoff goodbye.

The time is now for Hutson Mason step up. The time is now for the Georgia defense to grow up. The time is now if Georgia is going to rise up and become the team we all hoped they would be. It is either now, or never for the 2014 Georgia Bulldogs.

Georgia/Tennessee Preview

It is time for Georgia to decide what kind of season it is going to be in Athens. Georgia was at the top of the college football world after crushing Clemson in the opening week of the season, but the loss two weeks later to South Carolina left a lot of questions in the Bulldog Nation. After dismissing Troy is predictable fashion, the 2014 season will truly begin to take shape tomorrow at high noon, between the hedges.

Who are the 2014 Georgia Bulldogs? On offense? On defense? What should we expect from this team the rest of the season? 

If I told you I had the answers, I would be lying, but I think I know who this team is, and I think you are going to like it. I think Georgia is one of the best teams in the country, and I fully expect Georgia to go on a winning streak that is going to last a while.

Georgia has the best running back in the country, they have play makers all over the field on offense and defense, and apparently, now we can execute special teams plays without messing everything up.

Tennessee is a solid team. They might go to a bowl game this year. But they aren't on Georgia's level. Tennessee is rebuilding their offensive line, and that will be the difference in the game tomorrow. Georgia will play solid against the run, and try and force Tennessee to throw the ball. Justin Worley is an average quarterback, and even though Georgia's secondary is suspect, they will hold up against Worley. There are some threats at the wide receiver position, but I think the Georgia game plan is going to be to pressure Worley early and often and not give him time to get the ball to those receivers down field. 

The smart guys in the desert think Georgia is a 17 point favorite tomorrow, so that should make you feel even better. 

Let's talk about the Dawgs. Everyone knows and loves Todd Gurley, but I am getting more and more excited about watching Sony Michel. He is fast, that is obvious, but he looks like he isn't even trying when he is running the ball. The word that comes to mind is smooth. He glides across the field and makes the defenders look silly.

The reason this offense is appointment television is because right now, there are four players on offense that can take it to the house each time they touch the ball. Gurly, Michel, Chubb, and wideout Isaiah McKenzie can all go the distance as soon as they get the ball in their hands. First and ten from the Georgia 20, Boom! Gurley 80 yards for a touchdown. At this point, I'm more surprised when Gurley is tackled than when he scores.

The most rare thing in sports is an athlete living up to the hype. Todd Gurley lives up to the hype every week. The opposing team knows they have to stop him to win, and they just can't do it. Please, please enjoy watching number 3 carry the ball, because you aren't going to get to see it much longer. 

The most important thing that can happen for Georgia over the next two weeks is for Hutson Mason to start establishing himself as a credible threat passing the ball. The toughest part of the schedule that remains for Georgia is back to back road games at Missouri and Arkansas. Georgia will have to be balanced to win those games, and Georgia can't be balanced without Mason improving. 

Georgia is going to start showing the world just how good they are tomorrow, I think we are going to have a lot of fun. 

Georgia 51   Tennessee 27

Go Dawgs!

What can we learn about Georgia this weekend?

This week is an example of a time-honored tradition in college football, the cupcake game. Georgia is paying Troy to come to Athens this weekend to get a butt kicking. For fans, it is hard to get excited about watching Georgia play Troy, for players it feels like a bye week before another big game next Saturday, and for bloggers it leaves you writing at 6:50 am on a Friday morning because you just realized you never wrote a preview for this weekend...

Coaches insist that you have to respect the team that is coming in to play you and anything can happen, but this Troy team lost to Abilene-Christian last week, so no, you don't really have to respect them as a legitimate threat. Even if Georgia underwhelms for the first half, first three quarters, or the entire game, they aren't going to lose.

There is nothing positive that Georgia can take out of this game. The only thing that could happen that would effect the rest of the season, is an injury so let's just hope that nothing significant comes out of the game.

Rather than pretend to break down anything having to do with this game, I want to pass along a quick story that I heard this week on Athens' radio. 

Tuesday, Mike Bobo, Jeremy Pruitt, and Mark Richt addressed the media in that order.

Bobo stepped up and took responsibility for Georgia losing to South Carolina. Bobo said that when you have the ball first and goal from the four, you should score a touchdown, and as the offensive coordinator, it is his job to make sure that happens. A reporter asked specifically about the play-calling, and Bobo said that at the time the thought he was calling the best play he could call to help us Georgia score. He said that he is always trying to get better as a play caller, and he would learn from the South Carolina game just like he tries to learn from every game he coaches.

Next, Jeremy Pruitt steps up. Pruitt said that he appreciated what coach Bobo said, but that coach Bobo was wrong. Pruitt said that when you go on the road in the SEC and score 35 points you should never lose. Pruitt said he and the defense were to blame for the loss to South Carolina. Pruitt made no excuses for the poor performance, he only said it was up to him to get the players to perform better in the future.

Finally, coach Richt stepped up and said that he was the head coach, and ultimately the responsibility for all players and coaches fall to him. 

As frustrating as the loss was, Georgia fans should feel good about the future with these three men leading our program. So often you hear coaches make excuses, blame referees, or pass the buck, but Georgia's coaches are all taking responsibility for the part that they played in the loss, and furthermore, they all think that their shortcomings were why the team lost. 

I'm not saying that the attitude of the coaches means that Georgia is going to run the table, but it is nice to hear them step up and be held accountable. 

Georgia still has big questions on defense, and it remains to be seen whether Hutson Mason is capable of leading this team to big wins in the SEC, but for some reason, I feel really good about where the program is headed.

Georgia comes up inches short in Columbia

The first thing that everyone wants to do after losing a big game is assign blame. As fans, we are frustrated that things didn’t go the way we wanted them to, so by figuring out whose fault it is, we have an outlet for that frustration. As soon as the game was over, Twitter and Facebook where full of people trying to decide who was to blame.

There were plenty of candidates yesterday, and they are all points of frustration for Georgia fans going back farther than just this game.

Start with missed field goals. Throughout the Richt era, there have been multiple games that Georgia has missed field goals and lost the game. Yesterday, Marshall Morgan set a SEC record by hitting his 19^th consecutive field goal. He then proceeded to miss two field goals, missing out on six points in a game Georgia lost by three points.

The next candidate for who is to blame would be the penalties. Penalties cost Georgia seven points on a long touchdown run by Todd Gurley that was called back for holding. The call itself was borderline at best, either way, Georgia takes a touchdown off the board at a time in the game where South Carolina grabbed the momentum and established at two score lead at half time.

Or you could blame the defense. After putting on a fantastic display against Clemson in the second half, the Georgia defense looked a lot like it has over the past few years. There were open receivers all over the field all night. Georgia’s defense never got pressure on Dylan Thompson. Georgia’s defense was terrible on third down. Georgia never turned the ball over, so all 38 points that South Carolina scored can be attributed directly to poor defense.

My favorite scapegoat is Mike Bobo and the play calling. Georgia made a big play on defense in the fourth quarter, and gave the offense the ball on first and goal at the 4 yard line. Hutson Mason fakes to Gurley on first down, and gets called for intentional grounding. Georgia never got back to the four yard line, and ultimately the Dawgs miss the game tying field goal. So why, why, why didn’t Georgia give the ball to Todd Gurley 4 times from the four yard line, score a touchdown and win the game? It’s not fair to judge the play calling that way. Georgia scored 35 points on the road, in a place where they hadn’t scored more than 20 points since 1996. How can you hang this loss on Mike Bobo when his offense scored 35 points?

On that particular series, as with all play calling criticism, we have the benefit of hindsight to strengthen our argument. If Mason throws the ball away in an area that doesn’t draw the flag for intentional grounding, then Georgia is second and goal from the four, Gurley gets the ball on second down and Georgia scores, then no one cares that Georgia didn’t give the ball to Gurley on first down. If Georgia scores on third and goal from the 10 instead of throwing an incomplete pass, then no one cares. More to the point, if Georgia runs Gurley three times and he doesn’t get in the end zone, then Georgia fans would be setting their hair on fire that Bobo is terrible because he just ran three times. Bobo calls the plays, the players have to get the job done.

The frustrating reality of this game is that it was the very definition of a team loss. There were so many opportunities for Georgia to do just one thing better in multiple areas of the game that could have changed the outcome. Georgia was the more talented team, but in the end, the failed to execute in the critical moments.

South Carolina wasn’t as bad as they looked against Texas A&M, and Georgia isn’t as good as they looked against Clemson. At this point, I could see Georgia winning out, and I could also see Georgia losing two or three more games. After two games, I think we have more questions than answers.

Like I said two weeks ago, it is a long season, and you can’t draw conclusions from such a small sample size.

However, the biggest key to this team’s success will continue to be the play of Hutson Mason. The defense is going to be average most of the time, and hopefully great once in a while. The running game is going to consistently be the backbone of the offense. The difference between winning and losing is going to be Mason. Yesterday, Mason wasn’t great and at the critical moment of the game, he made a terrible error in drawing the intentional grounding penalty. I’m not saying that the loss is his fault, but ultimately, his play will dictate how far Georgia can go. He has to manage the game better than he did yesterday, and he has to make better decisions at crunch time.

All is not lost after just one loss. Troy comes to Athens next Saturday in a classic “Get Right” game. Tennessee and Vanderbilt follow, also in Athens. The Vols are much improved, while Vanderbilt has reverted to the Vanderbilt that we all know and love to beat. I would expect Georgia to win the next three at home, with the season being defined by back to back road games at Missouri and Arkansas.

The story of the 2014 Georgia Bulldogs is yet to be written, and we have a long way to go.

Go Dawgs.