It has been a while since the Classic City rocked the way it
did on Saturday night. Just off the top of my head, I would say this was the
biggest win and the most electric night in Sanford Stadium since Georgia beat
LSU in September of 2013. From start to finish, Georgia dominated a solid
Mississippi State team who came in with all the hype after their big win
against LSU last weekend.
It has been a while since we have seen Georgia play like
they have in the first month of this season. Georgia started the 2015 season
4-0, but that year quickly spiraled out of control when Georgia was crushed by
Alabama in Sanford Stadium. This 4-0 feels much different, but the season will
still have to play itself out.
There are a few things that I think we can feel comfortable
with as we head into the meat of the 2017 schedule.
First, this is the best defense Georgia has had since at
least the early 2000’s. I know people like to admire the 2011 and 2012
defenses, and they were good, but those teams played more of a bend but don’t
break style. The best term I can think of to describe this defense is “Controlled
Fury.” They are aggressive on every single play. The snap of the ball seem
unleashes an energy that explodes from all 11 players. On television, it just
looks like there are 20 guys out there going crazy. But the most amazing part
of this defense is the fact that they are always where they are supposed to be.
When the opposing offense makes a play, like Mississippi State did a couple of
times on Saturday night, they defense is there to limit the damage. There don’t
seem to be any big plays to be made against the Georgia defense right now.
Offenses will get first downs, they will complete some passes, but you are
going to have to march down the field on a 10 play drive if you want to score a
touchdown, and to this point, that isn’t happening very often.
Georgia won the game 31-3 last night and threw the ball 12
times. The game was over as soon as Georgia scored a touchdown on the first
drive of the second half, because there was no way Mississippi State was going
to score multiple touchdowns on our defense. Georgia ran the ball almost exclusively
in the second half because they could. My confidence in this team moving
forward is much higher than I am comfortable with, but it is all because I don’t
see teams having the chance to score a lot on our defense.
The next thing we know might be a little bit controversial,
but here it goes: there is no quarterback controversy at Georgia. Jake Fromm is
Georgia’s starting quarterback and it would be a huge mistake by Kirby Smart if
that changes as long as Fromm is healthy. I have changed my mind about this,
but I don’t see any reason to take Fromm out. My thought process was based on
the fact that Eason won the job over the course of the spring and fall, so the
coaches obviously believed he was the best of the two quarterbacks. The problem
is that from the moment Fromm came in the game against App State, he has looked
better than Eason has at any point in his career. Fromm is in control of the
offense, he is calling audibles at the line of scrimmage, and he is talking
with his receivers after plays. Fromm is the leader of this offense, and the
other players on the field seem comfortable with that.
By comparison, Eason has always seemed robotic and
uncomfortable. I chalked it up to him being a freshman and the offensive line
being so bad last year that he could never get comfortable. Eason has all the
arm talent in the world, and Georgia fans have been told for years that he was
going to be the next great quarterback in Athens, and I do think he will get a
chance to be a great quarterback, but it won’t be at Georgia. My guess is that
Eason will be the backup this season, and then transfer to a school with a
shotgun based spread offense where he will thrive.
The final conclusion that is safe to draw after the first
four games of this season is that Georgia is the best team in the SEC East.
Now, that isn’t saying much. Florida did manage to beat Kentucky by a point
last night, but their offense is offensive. Tennessee is still coached by Butch
Jones, so while they may be champions of life, they are not good enough to be
champions of the SEC. Vanderbilt got cocky over the past week leading up to
their game against Alabama, so the Tide had to remind them that they are indeed
Vanderbilt and they have nothing to be cocky about on a football field.
Missouri is quickly becoming the worst program in the SEC. I was genuinely
worried about South Carolina, but after the past two weeks, I think they are
still a good bit behind Georgia. Kentucky is a team to keep an eye on. They are
much more talented than any Kentucky team I can remember, and they are going to
win some games, but they showed last night that they aren’t quite ready to
truly contend in the East.
Now comes the tricky part. After last night, Georgia will
move into the Top 10, and we will have the entire college football world
singing our praises, just like they sang the praises of Mississippi State last
week. If this team is truly as good as I think they are, they will go to
Knoxville next weekend and prove just how good they are. A win in Knoxville
would set this season up to be a special one, but the ghost of Georgia teams
past has to make us a little nervous. Just when we think we are heading for
greatness, soul crushing disappointment has followed.
Over the first four weeks of this season, Kirby Smart has
proven that his team can win the big game. For the next three weeks, his team
has to prove they have the ability to beat the teams they should beat.
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