A game that is unlikely to disappoint

Georgia and Alabama don’t play that often, but in the past 15 years, when they do play, the game rarely disappoints.

The recent history of the Georgia/Alabama series started back in 2002 when an up and coming Georgia team traveled to Tuscaloosa where Georgia had never won before.

Leading up to the game, former Auburn coach and Georgia graduate, Pat Dye, said Georgia wasn’t “man enough” to beat Alabama.

Georgia came out and played very well at the start of the game and had a 12 point lead in the fourth quarter, before the Crimson Tide stormed back to a one point lead. Behind David Greene, Georgia got into field goal range, where Billy Bennett kicked at 32-yard field goal to give Georgia the 27-25 win. The win propelled Georgia on to its first SEC title since the days of Herschel Walker.

One year later, Alabama was falling apart when they came to Athens. Georgia dominated the first half of the game, leading 30-3 before Alabama had even made a single first down. Alabama made yet another comeback, but this one fell well short as the Dawgs completed the two game sweep 37-23.

Those first two games in the series were about one team on the rise, Georgia, and one team failing to rekindle past glory, Alabama. Despite what Alabama fans might remember, there was football played between 1992 and 2008, there just wasn’t a lot of good football played by Alabama. Each time the 

Tide hired a new coach, the shadow of the Bear loomed large over the coach and the program in general.

In early 2007, Alabama hired Nick Saban from the Miami Dolphins, and there was again hope that there would be a return to past glory. We all know that Saban would turn things around for the Tide, but in 2007, nothing was guaranteed. Ironically, the Georgia/Alabama series was back on in 2007 as the Dawgs headed back to Tuscaloosa trying to make it three straight wins over the Tide.

Alabama was having an up and down season under their new coach, and Georgia had already lost to South Carolina at home. The loser of this game wasn’t going to have the type of season they each hoped for.

It was a battle of two top 25 teams that was back and forth then entire game. Neither team led by more than 10 points at any time. Just as they did 5 years earlier, Alabama came back in the fourth quarter tying the game at 20 with only one minute left in regulation. For the first time in the history of the rivalry, the game went to overtime.

Alabama got the ball first but didn’t move a yard. The Tide had to settle for a field goal, leaving the door open for the Dawgs to win with a touchdown. Georgia wasted no time as Matthew Stafford threw a 25-yard touchdown to Mikey Henderson on the first play of Georgia’s possession to win the game 26-23.

As it often does in this series, the game defined each team’s season to a point. Georgia would lose to Tennessee soon after their win in Tuscaloosa, but they would recover to dance on the field against Florida, Blackout Auburn, and go on to win the Sugar Bowl over Hawaii and finish the season as the #3 team in the nation.

Alabama would struggle all season finishing the season 6-6 overall and 4-4 in the SEC. The very definition of average. The low point of the season would come in November, when the Tide lost at home to Louisiana-Monroe 21-14. A win in the Independence Bowl over Colorado gave the Tide a 7-6 record for the season. No matter what any Tide fan would tell you now, no one was convinced after the 2007 season that Nick Saban was going to be the man to return the Tide to national prominence.

That would change one year later.

There has been a lot of talk about the end of the Alabama dynasty in recent weeks. The 24 hour news cycle requires people to talk more than they think, so everyone is ready to write off the Tide because they have lost a few games over the past two seasons. All good things come to an end, so at some point, the Alabama Dynasty will be over. We still don’t know when and where it will end. Only time and perspective will truly be able to answer that question, but I can tell you where it began.

September 27, 2008 in Athens, Georgia.

Alabama had upset Clemson to start the season, but when the Tide rolled into Athens, they were the team with something to prove.

Georgia started the 2008 season as the number one team in the nation behind Stafford, Moreno, and Green. Georgia was undefeated, but they were unimpressive in the first few weeks of the season, so they had dropped to number 3 in the polls.

Georgia’s seniors asked Mark Richt to allow the team to wear black jerseys against the Tide for a 7:45 pm kickoff. The UGA Athletic Association website advertised it as “Blackout Bama.” When asked about the blackout, one of the Alabama assistant coaches said that Georgia was wearing black because they were going to their own funeral. How right he was.

The Tide offense rolled up and down the field in the first half, with the Georgia defense unable to stop the Tide. Meanwhile, the vaunted Georgia offense never got going. At half time, it was 31-0. Georgia fought back to make the final score look more respectable, but at the end of the day, it was a beating.

Alabama would stay undefeated all the way to the SEC title game where they lost to eventual national champion, Florida. Georgia would lose to the Gators in Jacksonville and worst of all, to Tech at the end of the season. For a team that started as number one, three losses was a huge disappointment.

Over the next few seasons, Georgia would struggle while Alabama would win national titles.

Fate would bring the two teams back together on December 1, 2012 in the SEC title game. As it had for many of the previous seasons, the SEC title game was a defacto National Semifinal with the winner of the game poised to take on Notre Dame for the National title.

This was the first time under Mark Richt where Georgia had put themselves in position to get to the National Title game. While the Tide were favorites, Georgia was ranked 3^rd in the nation, so it wasn’t like they didn’t belong on the field.

Georgia proved that they did belong, leading the Tide by 10 points early in the third quarter. Bama came back to reclaim the lead early in the fourth quarter 25-21. Georgia, behind Todd Gurley would storm back down the field to pull ahead 28-25 with 13 minutes left in the game. After a couple of punts by each team, AJ McCarron hit Amari Cooper with a 45-yard touchdown with only 3 minutes left in the game to give Alabama the 32-28 lead.

Georgia of course would come up just short on their final drive of the game when Aaron Murray’s pass to the end zone was tipped at the line of scrimmage and caught by Chris Conley as time ran out on the Dawgs dream of playing for the National Title.

As the anticipation for Saturday’s game increases throughout the week, prepare yourself for a game that will most likely be close on Saturday, but also have long lasting repercussions for both programs. 

Georgia/South Carolina Preview

Steve Spurrier is coming to town. Lock your doors and hide your women, because the Old Ball Coach is coming to Athens.

South Carolina is coming off a disappointing home loss to Kentucky last weekend, where they were completely and thoroughly outplayed for all four quarters. South Carolina lost their starting quarterback, Conner Mitch, for the season with a separated shoulder. South Carolina has struggled to stop the run in both of their first two games. South Carolina will come to Sanford Stadium on Saturday a mind-blowing 17 point underdog.

So this is going to be an easy win for Georgia right?

WRONG.

If there is one thing we should all know about being a Georgia fan, or even an Atlanta sports fan in general, is that it is never as easy as it should be.

I wish so badly that Georgia would come out and just run the ball up and down the field, while letting our star-studded defense dominate the game, but I know that won’t happen.

Georgia is far more talented than South Carolina. Other than Carolina’s wide receiver, Pharaoh Cooper, there isn’t a position on the field where South Carolina is better than Georgia. 

Like I said, this game should be easy. The obvious weakness of Georgia’s team is quarterback. After watching the first half of the game last week against Vanderbilt, I was ready to see the Grayson Lambert experiment come to an end, but the coaches saw differently. Lambert was better in the second half, and if going 0-7 and playing as bad as he did against Vanderbilt didn’t get Grayson Lambert benched, then nothing will. The coaches have made their decision, and Grayson Lambert is going to be Georgia’s starting quarterback this season.

As nervous as Georgia fans are about Lambert, the quarterback situation at South Carolina is even worse. The Gamecocks will be starting former walk-on quarterback Perry Orth on Saturday night. Orth was 13-20 for 179 yards against Kentucky coming in for Mitch who was hurt early in the game. Orth threw one touchdown, and a late interception that sealed the win for Kentucky.

Read that paragraph again. Steve Spurrier, offensive genius, quarterback guru, visor-tossing loon is bringing a former walk on quarterback between the hedges for the first start of his career. The Old Ball coach is a long, long way from Gainesville in the mid 90’s where he changed quarterbacks like they were underwear.

With Orth under center, South Carolina’s offense is going to be heavily dependent on the run, which means the load will be carried by Brandon Wilds. Spurrier will have many ideas about how to get the ball in his best players hands, so don’t be surprised if you see a lot of plays with Pharaoh Cooper taking a direct snap, or Cooper on a jet sweep. If I know this, Georgia’s coaches surly know this, and they should be ready.

Georgia’s defense has been so fun to watch this year. Jordan Jenkins played like a man possessed in Nashville, and the talent that Georgia has on the defensive side of the ball makes me feel so much more confident about this team this season than in years past when we knew we just had to outscore everyone.

The game plan for Georgia could not be simpler. Run the ball on offense, and throw when needed off play action. Defensively, stop the run and take advantage of Orth who would have to be super-human not to be overwhelmed by the moment on Saturday. Any time Orth drops back, Georgia will be sending the most talented trio of linebackers in the country right into his kitchen, and my guess is he will not be able to handle it. The secondary will be licking their lips at the idea of this green quarterback throwing early trying not to get hit. I would be shocked if Georgia doesn’t get at least one interception.

There is no reason Georgia should lose this game.

There is no reason that Georgia shouldn’t cover the spread in this game.

But, then all we have to do is remember a mere 11 months ago, in Jacksonville, Florida. Georgia found a way to lose a game that was impossible to lose.

There will be many tests for Georgia this season, but this first test is the most important test of all. Can we finally get out of our own way, and drop a game to a team that is on the verge of disarray?

South Carolina is already 0-1 in the league, and they will lose at least 3 more games this season. Georgia isn’t a perfect team, but they are much better than the team they are playing on Saturday night. Georgia is at home. Georgia HAS to win this game.

The Dawgs will get the win, but I wouldn’t lay the 17 points if I were betting your money.

South Carolina 17   Georgia 31

Go Dawgs.

Week 3 Preview

Fans, pundits, and prognosticators spend the summer months analyzing the coming college football season, but once the season finally kicks off, it takes a short period of time for us to see that all of that talk means absolutely nothing.

The reason I believe college football is the greatest sport we have is because its regular season is a test that lasts 15 weeks. Every week, we peel off another layer of hype, to slowly reveal the ultimate truth in the form of a National Champion.

There were a few themes that were hyped all summer that have already been put to rest. Let’s start with the demise of the SEC. I cannot tell you how many times I heard the SEC West’s bowl record referenced. The West went 2-5 this past bowl season, and apparently, that meant that the amazing games and drama produced by the SEC West meant nothing.

The reality is that the SEC was never as dominant as it was perceived to be. 7 straight national titles was great, but it coincided with multiple programs around the country going through transitional periods. USC, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Florida State, and Notre Dame all had coaching changes, probation, scandals, or rebuilding seasons during the SEC’s reign at the top of college football.

The new reality is that many of those programs are on the way back, while some of the SEC’s top programs are in a bit of a transition themselves. Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, and LSU all have serious questions at quarterback coming into 2015. As good as some of those teams are, they will struggle to repeat past dominance because quarterback is the most important position in football, and you can’t just throw anyone in there and expect to get results.

The NFL is the most popular sport in America because of parity. Each year, teams that struggled the year before make the playoffs, and many times, teams that played in the Super Bowl, miss the playoffs. With some of those traditional college football powers beginning to regain past glory, at the same time, SEC teams are reloading, what we have in 2015 is a dream for a college football fan: parity.

There are many notable games this weekend, Auburn/LSU, Ole Miss/Alabama, Tech/Notre Dame, and BYU/UCLA. Those are all games that feature two teams ranked in the Top 25. Outside of those matchups, there are plenty of intriguing games like Georgia/South Carolina, Clemson/Louisville, Kentucky/Florida, and Stanford/USC that are must see this weekend. In any of the games I listed, I would not be surprised if either team won. That is both amazing and exciting. There is no person in the country right now that could predict the playoff teams with any kind of certainty, and that is a great thing for college football.

There will be questions answered this weekend, but in reality, even a team losing on Saturday would still have a good chance of making the playoff if they ran the table, so we won’t be able to make any definitive statements on the playoff for another month at least.

Everyone would agree that Ohio State is number one, but they might be in the most precarious situation of all. Their assumed dominance could lead to complacency at times throughout the year, and the wrong loss, to the wrong team, could completely derail their attempt at defending their title.

With the coming week of college football put into context, here is my preview of Week 3, the first of 

many, Showdown Saturdays.

Auburn v. LSU  3:30 pm CBS

The Auburn Tigers almost ruined their entire season last Saturday against Jacksonville State. They needed overtime to take out the Gamecocks at home, in a game where most people showed up to see Auburn’s new video board, rather than to see a competitive football game. There is no way the Auburn Tigers could have a lot of confidence as they travel to Death Valley on Saturday afternoon to take on LSU.

Before the season, Auburn was everyone’s pick as a surprise team this season, but I wasn’t buying the hype. Auburn couldn’t stop the run last year, and if the first two game of this season are any indication, nothing has changed. Enter Leonard Fournette. Fournette could be the best running back in the nation, and he will be licking his chops as he watches Auburn’s defense fail to stop backs that don’t have 1/10^th of the talent of Fournette. On the other side of the ball, Auburn has not been efficient on offense with Jeremy Johnson under center. Johnson has thrown too many interceptions, and hasn’t been effective running the ball the way we saw Nick Marshall run the Auburn offense over the past two seasons.

LSU has flown under the radar all off season and they continue to be overlooked, but that will end on Saturday. Just like we saw last year, the SEC West will deliver great game after great game, and the winner of those great games will then have all the pressure in the world placed on them moving forward. The reality is that no team will survive the SEC West without a loss, and if a team makes it through with only one loss, they will be the only one to do so. LSU is a terrible matchup for Auburn, offensively and defensively. Les Miles has said that Death Valley is where opponents dreams come to die, after last week’s close call, I think Auburn’s nightmare of a season will begin on Saturday afternoon.

Auburn 16   LSU 27

Ole Miss v. Alabama  9:15 pm ESPN

Last year, Ole Miss gave Alabama their only regular season loss, in a game that Alabama had won a couple of times. For the Rebels, it was a national statement that they were a legit contender, and it lead them to one of the greatest seasons in their school’s history.

This year, Ole Miss won’t surprise Alabama, and this will be the truest test of where the program is and where it is going. You don’t just walk into Alabama and beat the Tide, you have to earn it. Alabama has looked good so far, and so has Ole Miss, so unless you have something really important to do on Sunday morning, stay up late on Saturday night and watch this game.

There are huge questions for both of these teams at the quarterback position, and Saturday night will go a long way to providing answers. If Chad Kelley can lead the Rebels to a win, then Ole Miss will be in the driver’s seat for Atlanta. If Jacob Coker struggles, Alabama’s quarterback race could be opened back up very quickly.

Instinct would tell you that Ole Miss can’t win this game. Saban doesn’t lose these types of games. Ole Miss has come a long way in just three short years, but to be the man you have to beat the man, and they aren’t quite ready to walk that aisle just yet.

Ole Miss  23  Alabama 31

Florida v. Kentucky  7:30 pm SEC Network

As good as some of these other games are, this is, to me, the most intriguing game of the week. Neither Florida or Kentucky are going to win the National Title this season, but the result of this game will tell us so much about both of these teams.

Kentucky took a big step forward last week going into Columbia and beating South Carolina. They looked explosive on offense and solid on defense. Florida is not a good team, but they have 

Kentucky’s number. The Cats haven’t beaten the Gators in 30 years. Kentucky’s schedule is very interesting. They get Florida, Missouri, Tennessee, and Auburn all at home this season. They only have three road games left this year, Mississippi State, Georgia, and Vanderbilt. I’m not ready to say 

Kentucky can win the East, but it’s not going to be a cake walk beating this team, especially in Lexington.

Meanwhile, Florida continues to try and find their way under first year coach Jim McElwain. Last week’s sideline rant in the face of Kelvin Taylor grabbed all the attention in the lead up to this game, but it matter when the Gators take the field. It says a lot about where Florida is that a win against Kentucky would be big for the program, but that is exactly what is on the line this weekend.  It is entirely possible that a loss this weekend against Kentucky could be the first of 6 straight losses for the Gators. The next winnable game I see on their schedule is Vanderbilt on November 7^th. McElwain might get this program back to great heights, but he isn’t going to do it this year.

History is going to be made in Lexington, and you better get ready for a Fall full of pain in Gainesville.

Florida 17   Kentucky 20

I was going to do an extended preview of the Tech/Notre Dame game, but I’m not sure the Irish are going to have enough healthy players to field a team. Tech should be able to win this game, but only because of Notre Dame’s season ending injuries to their quarterback, running back, and starting tight end.

South Carolina/Georgia preview coming tomorrow.