Sunday Thoughts - Stop the Insanity

South Carolina and Arkansas have proved to be credible opponents, even at this early juncture of the season. But Missy State is a program that is still building. It was on the road, but there's no excuse to losing to them.

• The appropriate perspective is that we are a program building towards next season, yet with plenty to play for this season. Unfortunately, we played like the former and not the latter last night.
• And for that there is little to no excuse. Understand, I'm not condoning the discourse that demands Coach Richt's head. He's our head coach today, tomorrow and next season. But in my estimation he needs to evaluate how he prepares his team for play. He took a young, growing, talented team into Starkville MS and lost to a team that is not as deep, but wanted it more. No excuses, it starts at the top.
• If Coach Richt wants to be coaching this team beyond 2011, he needs to instill that urgency in his staff first, and his players second. Because right now, it's not there. It's not even in the same area code.
• As far as specifics in the game, I was right about Murray to Durham being the difference. But I didn't account for poor ball protection and poorly timed penalties.
• The only ray of sunshine this morning is Aaron Murray. More on this later, but Granthams' defense has let us down. Bobo's offense has let us down. But Murray has been above expectations. Yes, he had some very poor decisions last night that could've been disastrous. But he has guts and a desire to win. If a redshirt freshman continues to be a shining example of leadership for this team, that says a lot for the lack of leadership that we saw last night.
• The last play of the 3rd quarter exemplifies how I feel about this kid. Facing a crucial 3rd and 6, he goes deep and trusts his receiver (Tavarres King) to make the play. Stood up, stepped in and made a throw.
• Offensively, I thought last night was a microcosm of the season. No one ready to step up to the challenge. Ealey was on the cusp, but fumbled it away. Murray wants to, but isn't quite ready. Offensive line has the experience to, but can't seem to dominate for more than a series of downs. AJ....he was in Athens frackin' Georgia....
• Defensively, I thought we looked like a team in transition. After the first few minutes we played well. But wilted down the stretch. Our pass coverage seems lost between aggressive and Martinezesque. As much as that should seem expected, I had a much different set of hopes. Chris Damn Relf isn't the QB that should've beat us with his legs and his arm.
• Special teams continue to disappoint. We need kickoff coverage and punt coverage to help with field position. Yet they continue to do the opposite.Whiskey Tango Foxtrot...

If I'm hurting now, I know you are Reader. I argued earlier that the two toughest games of the season could be behind us. They were both games that could've been wins. Then came last night. Mississippi Sate is no South Carolina or Arkansas. If you're Georgia you win games like this. I expected it to be close for 3+ quarters, but it was the other dogs that pulled away at the end.

I can only urge you to draw closer to this team, this coach. I'm as mad at Coach Richt and his staff as you are. But the reality is that no matter what is said or written...he's our guy. If you start pulling for this season to go in the toilet, you're not a Dawg fan. Strap your chin strap on tight. It's gonna be tough.