Carson "what the heck" Beck

Let's start with what we know.

• Beck has an NFL arm that he will use to play on Sundays.
• He has been pretty conservative with the ball dating back to last season. Checks down to safe(r) targets when necessary.
• Except when he doesn't. The biggest games we've had this season (@ Bama, @ Texas, Florida) he's made some costly decisions with the ball. It's not just the 11 total INTs this season compared to six (!!) total last season. It's that most of them have been very bad reads/decisions.
• Sometimes a QB gets dinged with an INT that could actually be another offensive player's fault - bad route, tipped ball, receiver got outplayed for the ball. Most of Carson's are entirely on him. And that's what's unsettling.
• That all being said, Beck is our clear QB1, and based on the fact that he's thrown 7 interceptions in the last three games and yet Kirby still has not pulled him, it ain't very close between Beck and QB2.
  

Some things we've seen and heard that shed some light:

• Bobo calls plays to start a game to get Beck in a rhythm. We know this based on our early game plans. When it goes well you get a 51-13 win over Kentucky in Athens last season. When it doesn't you get a 13-12 rock fight like we saw in Lexington back in September.
• Beck has lost his most trusted targets. This is pretty evident as well. Many times Beck and his targets are not on the same page. And it's not just McConkey and Bowers being in the NFL. Word is his greatest rapport with a receiver after 2023 ended was with RaRa - gone! Next was Colbie Young - not available.^*
• Beck is not like Stetson. Well duh, but let me broaden this out. We've had quarterbacks for years who have (at least) grown up in Georgia, some even lifelong Dawg fans. Zeier, Bobo, Greene, DJ, Hutson, Fromm, Stetson just to name a few. Beck I think is more like Stafford. He came to Athens because it was the right business decision. Beck wanted to learn from Monken and now Bobo, because they could best prepare him for the NFL Draft.

Personally, I don't fault that decision if it's indeed true. He signed with Georgia right as Coley was being replaced by Monken. His other SEC options were Florida and Alabama. We know Mullen wasn't a great recruiter, so I see why Beck chose not to take his chances in Gainesville. So it was Sark or the incoming Monken. Beck had to see a better opportunity in Athens with Fromm leaving town. He'd be in a QB room with JT Daniels (Soph), Stetson Bennett (Jr), and D'Wan Mathis (Fr).^** Alabama had Mac Jones (Jr) and Bryce Young (Fr).

Regardless, to my earlier point, Carson Beck is who we've got. In the third quarter against the Gators, Kirby/Bobo had every right to put in Stockton or Rashada. They didn't. That's all we need to know about which quarterback gives us the best chance to win. You can whine and complain, it doesn't matter. Beck is our quarterback. Ride or die! Just find a way to enjoy it. It's college football, not political nonsense. 😎

Kirby Smart and Mike Bobo know football. The rest of us are just thumb typing and sideline watching. Go Dawgs!

^{* Sounds like there is a chance Young makes it back on the roster. But at the moment for the unforeseeable future, the senior wide receiver is suspended pending battery and assault charges.}

^{** Jamie Newman had transferred to UGA, but opted out in August 2020. Since Newman was a senior and Bennett was a junior and former walk-on, I can see why Athens was the more attractive landing spot.}

National landscape - week 10, muddy waters

While I feel like we have a few teams that are definitely worthy, it's just a mess behind them right now. Luckily the real CFB Playoff rankings come out tonight. For now, let's get straight into it.

1. Oregon (bye)
2. Georgia (bye)
3. Miami (bye)
4. BYU (bye)
5. Indiana (hosts)
6. Texas (hosts)
7. SMU (hosts)
8. Ohio State (hosts)
   
9. Notre Dame
10. Boise State
11. Tennessee
12. Penn State

Oregon continues to show up and show out. Georgia is winning in spite of rampant turnovers behind a defense that looks like it's only going to get better. 

Indiana continues to impress. They go to Ohio State in a couple weeks. I considered dropping Penn State, but in the end left them at 12.

SMU is undefeated in the ACC, their only loss was to BYU by a field goal. I still have little faith in Miami, but they just keep winning. So Clemson's loss is their gain.

The SEC...I don't know. Texas, Tennessee, A&M, and LSU are good teams. I decided to leave the two of them with two losses out, for now.

Clemson and Iowa State are two that slipped out, but could work back into the fray. I have them on the bubble behind the likes of Army who probably deserves to be ranked. And they will if they take down Notre Dame (at home) in a couple weeks.

Anyway, as always, we close this weekly post with this: Those are at least some intriguing matchups in Round 1. $till not $old on making the $ea$on thi$ long. But I'd watch, and I gue$$ that'$ why they expanded, right?

Digesting the WLOCP - the bad, the good, and the HAVOC

Let's get the bad out of the way. Carson Beck had another awful start. He continues to struggle connecting with targets and overall doesn't look polished like he did towards the end of last season. The interceptions were baffling, to be honest.

The defense struggled in the first half and clearly missed Jackson and Aguero. The Gators should not have gotten that last field goal to end the half. Our secondary followed their motion and left a weakened weak side over-matched.

That's it. That's the bad. The defense returned to form when Jackson and Aguero were given their helmets back and released from SEC officiating purgatory. Florida didn't amass 200 total yards of offense until that last touchdown drive midway through the 4th quarter.

Bobo called a great game, balancing it between managing through Beck's rough start and losing Etienne. Frazier stepped up into the role well, and Cash did his usual Cash things. So the loss of Etienne was troubling, but not devastating by any means.

And Hello! Peanut! 

We are all Peanut fans#GoDawgs | @DwightP_2024 pic.twitter.com/ee2ZPAVmNm

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 4, 2024

Saturday was probably the best game our tight end room has had this season: blocking, route running, and catching. That's encouraging!

Woodring and Thorson had great days, but until that bad snap/hold Florida was having an even better day at special teams.

I watched the tv version last night and was surprised to hear Herbstreit say the Georgia fans were not into it. In the stands I felt the opposite was true. Going back to Kirby's words to the fans after the Auburn game, I feel like Dawg fans have only gotten louder and dug in deeper behind the team.

And having a couple great defensive outings has helped. You take a play like Daniel Harris made, that brings a lot of noise from Georgia fans. Sacks, solid tackling, meeting the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage, CJ Allen leaping in anticipation of a bad pass...just HAVOC in general dissolves any perceived separation between those in red on the field and those in red in the stands.

Let's end with Beck. I'm sure you are hearing it too. No one knows more than Carson that he needs to be better. The fact that he's had three interceptions in each of the last two games and we've still managed to win both by two touchdowns is both amazing and nerve wracking.

But if you think he's not our best option by a wide margin, you're just not paying attention. Many coaches would've pulled the quarterback after that third interception in the early moments of the second half. And let's be honest, Beck could've had four by that time!

But Kirby did not pull him. That tells me Beck was still our best option to win the game. That being said, in the television replay I could see Kirby getting less "hand holding" with 15 and more firm in the "it's time to step up" message as we entered the final frame.

And let's be fair, Carson did step up. He was 11 for 11 in the deciding final 15 minutes of the game. 

I may spend another post on our quarterback later in the week, but for now let's acknowledge the fact that we've won four straight in Jacksonville. Something that we haven't been able to do since the '80s!

Go Dawgs! 

the Friday Misery says FTMF!

"We need a miracle!" screamed Dorsey Hill, now fortified by more than collards.

"Holding pigs for my dad to castrate was quite a challenge. I can't say that helped prepare me for football, but it sure did remind me a lot of sacking Steve Spurrier." - Bill Stanfill

"Hey Stevie...BOO!"

With your bright orange shirts and your sissy blue britches, you can go to Hell you sonsabitches! Gators...Gators...how'd ya like to bite my ass?!

How much do I hate florida? Turn the toaster oven to 500, throw it into the center of a thousand suns, and then into the molten lava center of a box of pizza bites.

the legacy of Willy Napier

On the day of November 28, 2021, Napier was known for bringing success to the Sun Belt Conference's UL-Lafayette. He was known as a solid recruiter, and was replacing known counter-recruiting aficionado - Danny Mullen. It seemed a thoughtful pivot for the bull gator intelligentsia.

Also, Billy had turned that ULL program around. They made bowl games in all four of Napier's seasons there as he lead them to a 40-12 overall record. Could he be the full package for florida? And would that aforementioned intelligentsia give him the space and time to right the ship that Muschamp, Sharkdaddy McIlwain, and Mullen had steered into jagged rocks?

Recruiting has improved, which is to say the current gator coaches engage in it and recognize its importance. But (current Georgia backup QB Jaden Rashada) is currently suing Napier and the Gator Guard Collective for failing to stand by their NIL commitment of $13 million and change. It's the first suit of its kind.

And for any gator fan that has stumbled from their single-wide/meth lab over here? When I type "suit" I'm referring to a legal action, not the fact that your 15 jersey with the sleeves ripped off matches your frayed edged jorts.

So in summation, it's been and still is rocky water in the swamps around Gainesville. Ya hate to see it! Where does the SunBelt Billy legacy lead? A win tomorrow could warrant it more time on the gator sideline. A loss might find it at the bottom of the swamp chained to a concrete block.

a Hate as old as time

Gator family, or alligatoridae as it were, have been around since well before Steve Spurrier returned to Gainesville. I'm talking the Eocene epoch, like before they evolved into eatin' boogers. Man came along roughly 29 million years later. Many species of alligatoridae are now extinct. So despite the age difference, the overall record in this series is almost unfathomable - 8 billion humans and nearly a billion dogs to roughly 3 million embiggened lizards.

Why? Well, all scientists agree (even the ones on campus in Gainesville wearing their lab coats backwards) that the alligator evolved much more slowly than mammals and even birds.

I know, shocker right?! These are the reptiles whose fans clap as if their left hand is on fire. Have you ever seen an alligator wearing jean shorts? No, me neither. Then again, I guess jorts are cheaper than alligator skin outerwear.

According to their team fanpage Wiki, in 2010 after outlasting the Dawgs in overtime 34-31, their fans "were found to gather in large numbers for group courtship, the so-called 'alligator dances'." Egad! Sounds like a scene from a late night Cinemax flick.

No thank you! So despite all the millenniums of evolution (mostly on our part fellow Dawg fans), the goal remains the same.

Beat.

Florida.

of note

Did you know that during the years of Prohibition, Georgia dominated this series 6-2-1? Which proves that a florida tackle football team is no better when they are sober.

I believe I took this pic prior to the 2017 WLOCP. On one hand I took it because I have two daughters, and this is not mine nor their mother's impression of "chivalry". But I also took it because...screw you florida douche ass punk! Be a man and carry the case of beer! Jesus, it's not a toothbrush or, Heaven forbid, a non-fictional account of College Football prior to the 1990s!

I imagine it went down something like this:

"Hey babe, let's go catch that bus and get to lil Dickie's tailgate. And can you carry the beer? This bad ass lanyard and my Skoal Bandits are really weighing me down."

"Well, you made me pay for them, so I guess it's only right."

Back to reality. Danny Wuerffel ain't walking down that tunnel tomorrow. More to the point, Trevor Etienne ain't gonna be wearing a helmet with the cute cursive print on it. Prohibition is long over. It's time to work those corked bottles, snap back cans, twist tops and shot glasses. It's the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party! It was a metal, steel chair. With about a five inch cushion! JAWS was about a shark, not a gator. Monthly parole is no longer a undergraduate major, the Urban era is done. FTMF! That's what my coach said. One bit, two bits, three bits ain't gonna get you shit tomorrow! Lindsay RAN so Munson lit the cigar. Your fans throw meth raves and your players throw cleats. You're so poor, you couldn't keep Cam Newton on the roster. You're closer to a circus than a College Football Playoff. To give a nod to ol' Dorsey again, "I haven't worked since Texas, and I haven't slept since Clemson. You expect me to go back home when we play Ole Miss in six days!??" God IS a Bulldog!

Now let us bow our heads...dear little baby Jesus, in the words of Dan Magill, please smite these florida Philistines and keep our ice cold and our Dawg hearts warm. In the name of Nat Hudson, Robert Edwards, Dick Sam IV, and Nakobe Dean...Amen and Go Dawgs!

Hate week, florida edition - 4th & 3 Dudes

I'll let you be the judge, but I don't think I exuded enough hate.

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Mid week feelings on the WLOCP

We're getting close! As I cross over the Trout River each day and putter towards MLK, get closer and closer to taking that exit instead. Hope all y'all traveling down in the coming days drive and fly and boat safely. The weather is good this year. I think we'll head into the game in the low 80's, so it could hot sitting in portions of the stands. But overall a very pleasant weatherly outlook.

As for the game:

• I like that we are healthier than we have been in a month or so. Getting Tate back is big. Sounds like Mykel will still be on a play count. On their side of the field, they have a lot of playmakers listed as questionable - RB and especially wide receiver. Most of the real game experience is still available though; the exception being senior RB Montrell Jackson. They've done pretty well with freshman Jadan Baugh toting the rock.
• Here a few days out it just feels like a game that starts slowly before we really lean on them. So it could be close at half, but I like our interior lineman on both sides of the compared to theirs.

I enjoy this week for the social media posting too. One of the greatest Dawg fans I know, Billy goes old school with this post:

And Greg came in with the full video experience. Go Dawgs!

A video that never gets old. “Screw Florida and the mule they came in here on!”. Erk Russell ‘1980 pic.twitter.com/9vJXns7w9d

— 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑔 - 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑎𝑡! (@Dawgsfan4ever) October 29, 2024

National landscape - week nine, Oregon stands tall

Oregon stood up to Ohio State and dominated Illinois. Those are their only wins against ranked opponents. Does that make them worthy of the top spot? At this point I have them neck and neck with Georgia. Then again, it doesn't mean too much to be #1 vs #2 now that the playoff includes 12 teams. 

1. Oregon (bye)
2. Georgia (bye)
3. Clemson (bye)
4. BYU (bye)
5. Texas A&M (hosts)
6. Penn State (hosts)
7. Ohio State (hosts)
8. Notre Dame (hosts)
9. Iowa State
10. Miami
11. Texas
12. Boise State

The biggest move this week was A&M jumping up to #5. Last week I had LSU at #6, and really thought the winner of Saturday evening's game wouldn't be that strong of a consideration. But the Aggies showed me something different...in the second half. Marcel Reed makes them a true contender I think. Going to South Carolina will be a true road test, and they get Texas at home to close the season.

Elsewhere in the SEC, Georgia sits on their bye weekend. Moved Texas down a spot after their win over Vanderbilt. That's mostly because I still don't believe they have an offensive line that can consistently let their playmakers make plays. They're really, really bad.

Miami beat FSU by three touchdowns. Think about that for a moment. As recently as a year ago all the way back to the 90's, that would be a major headline. FSU is that bad and I really don't think Miami is that good. Again, without some help from the referees, the Canes could be 5-3.

The Big 10 is truly a mystery to me. After Oregon, what team is deserving? Indiana probably should be next. In the end I decided to let the Ohio State at Penn State game this weekend shake things out.

BYU notched a cross country road win against UCF to stay atop the Big 12. Their biggest competition for the top spot is Iowa State. The Cyclones definitely have the harder schedule ahead: Texas Tech on Saturday and at Utah later in November. 

The Golden Domes trounced a good Navy team. That loss to the Salukis really brought Notre Dame around.

Which brings me to #12. I don't know how you can leave Boise State or Army out of the equation at this point. The reason they expanded the playoffs was to give teams like these a chance. Army is undefeated and is probably the one team that no one really wants to play. But I'm sticking with the Broncos as they beat my original Group of 5 inclusion, UNLV.

And just because it's hate week: Where are the Gators you ask? Basking in their OT loss to the Vols maybe?

Anyway, as always, we close this weekly post with this: Those are at least some intriguing matchups in Round 1. $till not $old on making the $ea$on thi$ long. But I'd watch, and I gue$$ that'$ why they expanded, right?

Let's re-visit a florida gator nightmare sequence

Nama shared this last night. What a game!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Row Sixty: A Georgia Football Podcast (@rowsixty)

We happened to be sitting behind Nolan Smith's grandfather. He busted a knuckle celebrating during that fumble return. So I went home with a bloody polo, but beyond overjoyed!

The longest two and a half minutes of Dan Mullen's career. And precipitated one of Kirby's greatest halftime speeches (at least to our knowledge) where he implores the team to "make them fucking quit!"

I can't wait for Saturday!

Episode 9 - 4th & 3 Dudes

This episode may be sensitive for any Texas listeners. If you or someone you know suffers from the Georgia pass rush, seek professional help. And also grow a pair!

Follow, rate, review - 4th & 3 Dudes

National landscape, week eight shakes things up!

Perhaps last week I was a bit hasty in saying "the waters are a little less muddy." Bama was wildly inconsistent on the road and Texas didn't bother showing up until the 3rd quarter. And even then, only had spurts of success. Let's dig on in shall we?

1. Oregon (bye)
2. Clemson (bye)
3. Georgia (bye)
4. BYU (bye)
5. Penn State (hosts)
6. LSU (hosts)
7. Ohio State (hosts)
8. Notre Dame (hosts)
9. Iowa State
10. Texas
11. Miami
12. Boise State

I watched Miami beat Louisville on the road. I'm still not sold on them winning the ACC, but it was a win in a hostile-ish environment. Clemson however still has the better resume, and I believe the better overall team. Let's not forget, Miami was the beneficiary of bad calls against VA Tech, Cal, and now Louisville. They could easily be 4-3. So the Canes move into the rankings, but that's all I got for them right now.

ACC-lite: Notre Dame looked impressive against GA Tech in the Benz. But again, they'll need to beat Navy this weekend and Army late next month to stay in.

Georgia's win in Austin moves them up into a bye. I debated on how far Texas should slide and landed on (newcomer to the rankings) LSU hosting and Texas moving into a first round trip to Columbus. Alabama's lackluster performance in Neyland was more than enough for me to move them out, especially given it is their second loss in the state of Tennessee. Did the Vols show me enough to move back in? Nope. Keeping the SEC at three teams.

What about A&M, the SEC's other undefeated team (in conference play)? I decided to be as fair as possible. I took to social media and asked followers to vote on these five teams as a third entry for this week's rankings - A&M, LSU, Missouri, Texas, and Vanderbilt. LSU ran away with more than 50% of the votes. (If you don't follow me, here's the FB page and here's my TXitter.)

Moving on, Oregon benefitted from Texas' beat down to move up into the top spot. And they may not give it back as they have #20 Illinois this weekend, and after that their next ranked opponent could be in the Big10 Championship game. I didn't like the idea of both Penn State and Ohio State hosting a 1st round game, but with Bama and Texas Tech dropping out it was hard not to. They play each other in a couple weeks anyway. It'll sort out.

What about Indiana you say? They are undefeated, but the schedule seems soft to me. If they keep winning and take down the Buckeyes next month... 

In the Big12, BYU remains atop the conference with Iowa State. I keep BYU as the conference winner and it seemed time to move the undefeated Cyclones in.

As far as true contenders for the whole enchilada...Dawgs definitely showed they can put things together. Again, I don't think Oregon is going to move much, so I have them as a true contender. And then I guess you have to include Ohio State as well since their game with the Ducks could've gone either way. And I think they're my only three at this point. Everyone else either hasn't impressed me enough to put on that level, or they are simply suffering from a weak schedule so far. We'll see.

Anyway, as always, we close this weekly post with this: Those are at least some intriguing matchups in Round 1. $till not $old on making the $ea$on thi$ long. But I'd watch, and I gue$$ that'$ why they expanded, right?