Keys to a win on the plains

SEC road game. At night. In Auburn Alabama. The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

Hostile.

We're going to have to match the intensity of their crowd with hustle.

Auburn University, reinventing education since 1856.

1. Georgia must generate a pass rush that affects the play called. Auburn has allowed the most sacks in the country (21) and has vowed to make changes on their offensive front. Schumann has struggled to get guys in position to win battles, so he needs to find a way to get into the backfield to force errant throws by Arnold at worst. Something's gotta give. So let it be them.
2. Protect the football. Arnold isn't a world beater at quarterback, but he's protected the football. As a team they have a +4 turnover margin. So we can't afford to be putting it on the turf or in danger through the air.
3. Run the ball to set up the play action. It's the goal offensively every game. And it doesn't change Saturday night. We have a solid rushing attack. Roll the pocket on play action to help the young offensive line. Keep moving the sticks, then the scoreboard will follow suit.

My initial thought is a close game with Georgia pulling away late. But we know how it goes in Jordan Hare. You give them bastards an inch, they'll roll an entire town square with toilet paper.

Go Dawgs!

Post-Kentucky - The Facts of Life

Great SEC win on Saturday. It was Homecoming. The band played a lot. The game was in control early. And few if any injuries.

So another great day to be a Bulldog!

via

On offense, not much went wrong except for a couple interceptions. Gunner seemed in sync and had nearly 200 yards passing while averaging 6 yards per rush as well. Bowens led the way on the ground, Frazier looked good bouncing back from that critical fumble against Bama, and Walker looked good late. McCray also got some runs from non-short yardage situations.

Defensively we looked more in sync as well. Much more. Last week Jon Smith had Brent Rollins on Dawg Dispatch and they talked about how this roster as a whole is not filled with NFL talent like years past and how that is an adjustment for a coach like Schumann. So I was watching Saturday through that lens and it really made sense. We're not as fast to the ball in spots, and Saturday we got our first sack of the season by a defensive lineman - Nnamdi Ogboko. We are who we are and that's just the facts in 2025.

If anything it's something to watch. Coaches are going to have to work extra hard to make sure they have the right guys in and the right plays called on defense. It worked on Saturday as we gave a struggling offense an opportunity to continue to struggle. Kentucky limped to 225 yards passing and only had 45 yards on the ground. Their second touchdown came late against guys trying to gain some on field experience. (And to be fair, that probably wouldn't have had a chance to happen without a Puglisi interception.)

Special teams had a couple mistakes, like a block in the back on a Branch return. But had its usually stellar moments like a Thorson punt downed on the 1 yard line by Humphreys, who just batted it out of bounds instead of trying to field it and potentially letting it leak into the endzone.

Yep, great day. Onto Auburn!

Where do we go from here: Smart, Bobo, and Searels

To be clear, I think Coach went to bed early Sunday morning second guessing himself on that fourth down call to go for it. We had momentum. The offense was moving the ball and the defense was shaking things loose. Let Woodring do his thing, let the defense make a stop, then go for the lead.

Stockton looked really comfortable finally and Bowens was getting ten yards between the tackles. We were running the ball better than if we had a all-star dream wishbone with Brannan Southerland, Verron Haynes and Herschel Walker!

Absolute worst case, we end up losing in overtime.

Similarly, I believe Bobo also went to bed second guessing the personnel and the play calls if he knew going into that 3rd down that he had two plays to move the chains. That young right side of the line is learning as they go. That pitch to Jones was a tall ask on many levels.

Other than that, I liked the offensive play calling. I believe Bobo will continue to get comfortable with his playmakers and putting them in position to move the chains and score some points. We didn't run as much 13 personnel as I expected, but I think our tight ends were mostly out there to help block. Hopefuly as the offensive line gets healthy we can disguise those guys in more motion and downfield routes.

Speaking of the offensive line, I came into this season defending Searels. At least to some degree. And to be fair, we're missing some key components. It's a position room that needs some healing hands more than any other in recent memory. 

Coach Pittman (via SicEmDawgs)

But I hope Smart makes an offer to Pittman to come pitch in as an analyst. It can only help in my view. Puts Searels in an awkward position, sure. But this is a business. 93 thousand didn't show up Saturday night and millions of others tune in to see a loss.

Bring Pittman home and give him (and by proxy Coach Searels) a three month on the job interview.

But Bobo and Searels aren't the real problem. The former did masterful work Saturday night and the latter is making lemonade with bruised lemons and freshmen lemon squeezers.

So back to Smart, he's gotta be asking Schumann what they're missing. This, in my view, is of the upmost importance. If Searels needs to feel some pressure, our defensive staff needs a hard look. You can't keep winning in the SEC if you can't get to the quarterback with four rushers. Saturday night, we blitzed like Buddy Ryan on steroids in the first quarter. And had nothing to show for it. (Except a bunch of no flags for excessive Bama hugging. More on that in a later episode.)

If it's a personnel problem, make some adjustments/changes. If it's calls from the sideline, give Co-Defensive Coordinator Robinson some more responsibility. Again, this is a business. I really disliked our staff's body language in that opening quarter. I bet those of you in attendance could even see it from the stands. It wasn't a good look, and despite the adjustments, getting back into the game...as a fan it's hard to see. So how did our players feel?

In Schu's defense, the halftime report was his goal was to affect the quarterback. And we did that. Simpson at least cooled off. So his defensive players responded. But it's a 60 min game. Not 45.

Coach Smart said yesterday he worries about everything. He's a man of his word, we know that and he practices what he preaches when it comes to accountability. I know when that dude looks into someone's eyes, from a fan to a recruit and his family, to the players in that locker room, he intends to do what he deems best for this football team. 

We want it. They've earned it. Smart intends to deliver. So, re-evaluate and let's get the F after it!

On fumbles, dropped pass, botched 4th and short, etc.

Let's bullet this out as I'm going to try and keep it brief.

• First, congrats to the Tide on a helluva win. Not the same team we saw week one, and that's a credit to their coaching as well as their team leadership.
• We're reminded that any loss falls first and foremost at the head guy's feet. He and Schu looked dazed and confused by Grubb and DeBoer's gameplan.
• You don't give up eight consecutive third down conversions without diggin a hole for the rest of the way.
• I lost count, but at some point they had more than double total plays in the first half. That's taking a lot of gas out the tank of your defense and putting a lot of pressure on the entire team.

  

  Gaining the edge (via)

• Don't think we saw Frazier after that fumble. Don't expect that will continue, but with Bowens' performance I would expect 33 to be the starter this weekend.
• The Taylor drop was a gut punch. I'm sure the kid is beating himself up, but from what I've heard and seen he seems the type of player that can put it in the rearview quick. It was a great call, incredible route and that just shows he's gonna make a lot of plays for us down the road.
• Overall, if asked I'd give the offense more than a passing score, especially considering how they closed the gap some on total plays and time of possession.
• A few quick positives: 6.9 yards per carry! Wow. Special teams continue to be special. And sophomore OLB Quintavious Johnson looked special as well. I like that despite getting flagged for a horse collar tackle, coaches stuck with him. Couple plays later he makes a key tackle for loss.

As for the decision not to kick the field goal. I can be convinced it was the right call. I would've called for the kick, but I am not Kirby Smart and he is not me. Thank God! And I can be convinced that going with the hurry up was the right call. But given the personnel on the field, I think a pass there or running behind Morris in the least is the correct Monday Morning call.

Lastly, for those that consider the season over, I for one am much more concerned with Kentucky this weekend. Perhaps you are fretting too much about it being Alabama that we lost to again. I was there where you are when I went to sleep Saturday night. Worry about them later.

Make em quit! (explicit post, caution for sensitive clickers)

It's only Wednesday. I have a podcast to do tonight and I'm already tired of talking. Tired of typing.

Tired of losing to these assholes.

And that's just me. How do you feel about the state of our series against the Tide? And can you imagine how Kirby feels?

Our head guy was 0-1 against Alabama as a player. As our head coach, he is currently 1-6.

The one win was one we'll never forget. One we celebrated like malnourished and incredibly parched animals devouring a steak and goblet of wine. Crazed and deranged, but so goddamn happy!

Kirby likely felt the same, with the added cherry on top being it went down with his mentor/rival/former boss on the opposite sideline.

GATA 16! (via AJC)

Shit, I got sidetracked and all glory-eyed. Sorry. Because those are not these teams. These teams are not even the same as the teams that met last year in Tuscaloosa. Jalen Milroe used last year's win against Georgia to add a few zeros to his paychecks. (I guess Carson Beck did the same somehow...)

Back on track...I don't just want a win. I want to dominate in the trenches. I want Gaston thirty yards downfield shoving a d-end into the dirt. I want Gunner lowering a shoulder into a Tidy linebacker just for the blessed feeling of it being 2nd and 2 and not 2nd and 4. I want Kirby to throw his visor/headset not just in pure unadulterated frustration, but in all out fucking jubilation!

Cash Jones being hoisted in the endzone by Micah Morris like the angel he is. CJ Allen breaking hearts and Chris Cole hitting a running back so goddamn hard it takes the running right out of him. He's just a back, laying on the ground. Hoping he's injured just enough that he can stay on the sideline until their team bus is warmed up.

Yes, make em quit. Make them cry for their mommas. Make them be glad they're losing so they're happy there's less potential of playing us again in Atlanta. Make em act like Auburn fans and turn their sad September eyes towards basketball season.

"Tidy bama bangs you got there bro. But how ya like our Dawg fangs!"

Go Dawgs! Beat em by a hunnerd.

Bama @ UGA - shock the monkey!

It's a BIG week. And it's past time, so let's dig in.

Peter Gabriel's early 1980s hit song has many interpretations. It comes to mind as I write this post because I've always interpreted the monkey as not literal, but figurative. Metaphorical.

The song is about jealousy. Again, my interpretation. But I'm wedging it into this post because this series between Georgia and Alabama is also currently rooted in jealousy. Is it time to "get the monkey off our collective back"? Sure. But it's more than that.

Lemme explain. And let's start with a question. Is UGA now the premiere SEC football program? We can make an argument for the yes column. But it comes with caveats - that's partially due to the Alabama coaching change. And oh, also...Have we beaten them in Sanford? No, like recently?

Nope. The last time we beat Alabama in Athens I was a new dad to my now 24 year old. iPhones were not only absent from shelves, the phones we could carry in pockets were not Smart.

Meanwhile they've got wins against us in five different cities. This series (at least recently) is so jacked up, I can make two seemingly dichotomous statements that are both true:

1. In the modern era...let's says since 1980, Coach Mark Richt has been our most successful coach again the Tide. Yes, you are correct: He had an early win against both Franchione and Shula to prop that statement up on...
2. ...but I digress. It was Richt's 2015 loss to the Tide that was the beginning to his end.

Weird, right? Then again it's college football. It's SEC football.

Former Bama head dude and current Gamecock OC.
Lifetime loser to Georgia

Since 1984, we've gone 6-13 against the gumps. Our last home win was in 2003. We beat them on the national stage in Indy, so are we jealous of them as a program? I'd say probably not. Not anymore. But a rebuttal brings up two years of home games - 2008 and of course, 2015.

Not only bad losses, but two of the worst in program history.

"Overrated! OVERRATED!" - chants from the visitors in '08

"Dressing for their own funeral." - Scott Cochran in the lead up to our funeral in '15

These days are different. We fired Richt and got our guy in Kirby Smart. Bama fans lost their guy in Saban to retirement and as a result, carry a lot more envy than Dawg fans do. 

But that needs to play out on the field. That's something that didn't happen last year in Tuscaloosa, and it didn't the year prior in Saban's swan song in Atlanta. Saban (with and without Kirby) owned us, and now Kalen DeBoer is stating his case. Shock the monkey to life is what I say. No one would really be surprised when/if we win Saturday night. But it'd be nice to prove to those knuckle draggers that there's a new king in the South. 

Am I jealous of the Alabama football program? I would answer a lot less today than a few years ago. What would make my answer more definitive? A win Saturday night 'tween the hedges! Go Dawgs!

Bye week thoughts and episode 22

In the episode linked below, we cover most of my thoughts on the latest victory over Tennessee. I would like to add a couple more though.

Nama touched on it, but it wasn't emphasized enough that our defensive front isn't generating enough pressure. Especially on third down.

That may be the best offense we see for a while. And when I look at upcoming quarterbacks we are scheduled to face, Aguilar may be a step or more ahead of the rest. I don't know. I guess we'll see if the national media's "faith" in Arch reaps any rewards.

If what I typed above is true, it bodes well for our defense getting better as the season progresses.

And I keep going back to something Kirby has mentioned a couple times - this team has something different. You can argue, successfully, previous teams have been more talented. But specifically looking at last season in comparison, this team has something they didn't - leadership.

So I trust they are healing up, getting better, and getting some rest this off week. Then they're ready to GATA!

Now, onto the show! Please subscribe, like, subscribe, comment...all that stuff. Thanks!

Tennessee...whew!

What a game on Saturday huh? Aguilar is a couple steps up from that other kid whose name I can't pronounce. Or type.

So what did we learn? I'll take a stab at a list. 

• We're a good team. We're built different than previous versions of a Smart led team. But we can compete against this 2025 schedule and beyond I think.
• We're a young team. I believe we are deep, but when you go on the road in the SEC and that roster gets trimmed down, it exposes your youth. Proud of the way Kirby and Co. rallied them into a team that could fight back.
• We're a lucky team. That's a pretty good kicker (went 3/3 the week prior with a long of 53). I don't think the false start penalty mattered. Good snap, good hold. Bad swing.
• The OL especially struggled. I thought the play calling got too conservative after that amazing drive to open the second half. But on the other hand we seemed to click in 13 personnel. I hope to see that a lot going forward.
• In fact, I would bet if we looked at Reddell's participation, most of his snaps would land in the 4th quarter. Barbour we know is done for the year, and Elyiss Williams made the trip but I don't recall seeing him. I'll re-watch tonight.
• Regardless, with three tight ends and one back in, we really found success both on the ground and off play action especially. I'd love to see more of this going forward. Even with Barbour out, I think we are deep enough at tight end and I think the backs we have would thrive in it.
• If there is one thing thing that surprised me more than anything else, it was our defensive backs, especially Ellis Robinson IV. We know they're going to end up in one on one a lot to start games against Heupul offenses. Even as Schu and Kirby began to put the "roof" back on with our safeties we continued to struggle in 50/50 matchups.
• Also worth noting, Tenn's receivers are better this year. That fact plus Aguilar's arm and composure caught us just as off guard as our secondary.

All things considered, we got to the season's first bye week at 3-0. Just as we hoped. So there is that. Most importantly, the coaches have some good film on their young guys and we should be healthier at OL before the tilt against the Tide. 

Looks like we're recording this week's episode on Wednesday. I'll try and have more then. Go Dawgs!

The OL, Gunner and episode 21

Below is the 21st episode of 4th & 3 Dudes. You can like, share and subscribe in your favorite podcast feeder and on YouTube. Thanks to our guest hosts, Cuz Kate and Ainsley! First, a couple thoughts on our first SEC showdown of the season!

I was one who asked for patience with the offensive line before the start of the season. But after Saturday's showing against the Governors, I was disheartened.

After re-watching and seeing some analytical posts, I feel much better. It's a unit with a LOT of talent and potential. It's there, just not consistent yet. I stand by my point in the podcast that they are not up to the standard we need for an SEC road game, especially. However, I think we'll see growth sooner rather than later.

If you've joined the Bulldog Bourdon Social Club, Jon makes some great points about Gunner in the VIP lounge. I agree that QB1 won't be hemmed in on Saturday, and I think the stats and, more importantly, the scoreboard will reflect that.

Regardless, we'll rely on our defense and special teams a lot this season. Go Dawgs! Let's beat the Vols...again!

Transitioning from week one to week two

Below is the latest episode of 4th & 3 Dudes. You can like, share and subscribe in your favorite podcast feeder and on YouTube. But first, a couple thoughts.

Last week the coaches let Gunner hold the reins for three quarters. I make a point in this episode that when Pugs came in the offense really didn't miss a beat. So I wonder if this week the split will be closer to 50/50. Even better, would like QB2 and even QB3 to get some game time experience.

Overall I think we all agree that its great to see so many young players get time on the field. I mean, Elyiss Williams caught a touchdown pass in his first collegiate game!

But like Nama said, at the end of the day, we really just want to end the game against the Governors without injuries. A healthier team heading to Knoxville would make us all happy. Especially the coaches.

Okay...on with the show!