Two keys to #EndTheSkid

1. Force their pass rushers to think. Minimize their propensity to get upfield with screens and a varied and determined rushing attack. If their front seven is allowed to pin theiir ears back and go, that spells bad things for Lambert and our passing game. Act and then counteract.
2. Protect the ball. Too simple? I don't think so.

the Friday Misery addresses the red clay on Grandma's rug

In a week of crazy college football news, I'd like to take a moment to address the bastard in the corner.

You see, when someone "resigns", people are naturally inclined to say nice things. They do this for one of two reasons: 1) they like the guy, or 2) the don't like the guy but are super excited to see the asshole leave and want to say something positive in an attempt to show they're the bigger person.

Bull. Shit. Spurrier was, is, and always will be a prick. If you don't think so, tune in tomorrow when he stumps for his own cause on national television under the guise that he just did something selfless for the South Carolina program, all while the team continues to play out the schedule that the ol' ball coach was too scared to face hisownself. And those ESPN dipshits in suits will pucker up for that ass until it gleams brighter than the day Satan birthed him.

The ol' Cock Coach doing his "bend over buddy"
exercises, in perpetuity.

Argue that he's one of the best to ever coach...okay, if you really feel so inclined. Talk about how he revolutionized the forward passing game...hey, I get it if you feel you must. But don't pretend he's a saint when that douchebag would push over your grandma in the express checkout lane if her 16th item was her prescription blood thinner medication.

Coming to grips

The self-loathing is understood. The bickering is to be expected. And the descension in the ranks is all too familiar.

We ain't what we thought we were. That's on us. It's not on Greyson Lambert. It's not on the long concession lines. It's on us. We smiled and waved during every bit of the media hand jerking. We convinced ourselves the gamecocks beat down was something to build upon, only to find out it was just another empty-caloried cupcake.

The sooner we accept the fact that we brought this misery on ourselves the sooner we can stop pretending we have all the answers. 

When all we really have are questions.

Southern hospitality

A brief historical perspective to clarify the here and now...

In this youthful rivalry, the away team has always come out on top. We went out west to witness the first edition and those midwesterns were as accommodating as they were dumbfounded when you asked them why the tea wasn't sweet. They bent over backwards to apologize for the "old man football" comment and they pretended to not care about professional baseball more than college football.

Pinkel in yet another Moment of "Zin"

So cute. Until the next year when we rolled out the red carpet, injured their quarterbacker, then promptly shit the bed. And of course last season back in Columbia Brendan Douglas went head over heels and the paper tigers took the weekend off.

So this being hospitable bullshit ends tomorrow night. I mean, right? These bastards have been geographically misplaced for more than three seasons now. The newness of having a team from way out yonder in the conference has all but worn off, so there's no reason to even go open the door for them. They know where the beer is. Let em get it theirowndamnself. They know to say "Yes ma'am" when they're addressing Mrs. Bernie and they know we don't talk about basketball season before the leaves finish their grand descent.

I hope this message is clear - this ends now. Southern hospitality gives way to tough love tomorrow night. It's like when your cousin Zeke didn't wipe his feet before going into Grandma's house and tracked red clay on her grandma's rug that was the only thing survived that fire back in 18 hundred something and then your Uncle Pete took Zeke out back and gave him a whatfor.

Nothing personal, just the way we do the things we do. Because then Uncle Pete picked ol' Zeke up and helped dust him off, smiled, and said "If you ever leave your goddamn brains by the front door, you better damn well leave your boots there too!"

Gary Robin Pinkel will walk right in here, grab the jug of chardonnay from the fridge, plop down on Grandma's sofa her father bought right before he lost his job in 1929, prop his feet up on the coffee table, loosen his belt, drink straight from the bottle, change the channel to some Lifetime movie, and then lay a fart right there just as you're suggesting he take his feet down please goddammit and thank you.

Don't let Gary Robin Pinkel fart on your grandmother's Depression Era couch. Now, bow your head...Dear Lord, please help us tackle tomorrow as if Zeke is climbing up the steps and reaching for the screen door handle. And also, GOD BLESS CHUBB! Go Dawgs!

58 carries. 210 yards.

It has little to do with this two game skid, but I just can't get comfortable thinking about this Homecoming game. And I'm not alone either as I've heard many question the 16+ point spread.

Why?

Is it the fact that it's a night game? Is it Missouri's record (which happens to be the same as Georgia's)? Or is it last year's game in Columbia when the Dawgs absolutely humiliated Missouri? Chubb and Co. carried the load 58 times for 210 yards on the way to a 34-0 victory.

But even that isn't reliable evidence. Missouri's defensive front is young, but man are they talented. Just looking at the tackles for loss, last year the team had 104 on the season and this year through six games they have 57. Leading the way is sophomore lineman Charles Harris with 11.5 TFLs amongst his 29 total tackles. Then there's redshirt freshman Walter Brady who has 8.5 TFLs, 6 sacks and an interception.

All that to say that this isn't the same defense that got railroaded last year. But it'll need to a similar performance from Georgia's offensive line if we're going to be able to end the skid. Schottenheimer is running the ball at about a 58% clip. If the o-line comes ready for the challenge it might allow their offensive coordinator to get closer to last year's 67/33 split in favor of running the ball.

And I think that would mean very good things for this offense Saturday night.

Schotty calling out Lambert?

From the file "two pennies for your time"...

To some degree it's easy to read too much into this -

"He's got to know, hey, this is third down. This is a pretty important play," – Schottenheimer on Greyson Lambert

— Sarah K. Spencer (@sarah_k_spence) October 14, 2015

But from my view outside the arena, it might help Lambert perform better on third down if you perform better on first and second.

Now more than ever this needs has to be a run-oriented offense, even without its star running back. Lambert has shown he can make all the throws when he's comfortable. Third and long ain't doing anybody any favors. So do more to get Sony and Marshall into space on the early downs.

Ball security a big key against Missouri

Different year, same old Mizzou. I've seen the Vegas lines, and I know it's a night game against a team that has really, really struggled this season, but we know what it looks like to lose to these guys at home.

Which is why despite what many fans and Vegas oddmakers think will be an easy victory for the Dawgs, this Homecoming game could be spoiled if the Tigers get a turnover or two.

With an offense struggling to identify its identity, much less score points, the Tigers (4-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) have needed their defense to keep games competitive.

Sound familiar?

It should.

Mizzou went through a similar stretch last season and was able to tread water in the SEC East long enough to win the division title behind a suffocating defense that created its own fortune with turnovers and favorable field position.

This year, through three league games, the equation has been simple: Takeaways equal victory.

Missouri’s defense, leading several statistical categories in the SEC, forced three turnovers against South Carolina on Oct. 3 and the team won by two touchdowns. Against Kentucky and Florida, the Tigers didn’t get a takeaway and lost both games.

In other words, the margin is thin for Missouri. And that's right where Coach Pinkel has succeeded since they joined the SEC.

Spurrier's fall from grace

I'll miss the bastard on some level. He was good for college football on some level. And you have to admit he always ran a clean program...on some level.

In that sense he should go down as one of the most successful coaches in college football history.

But man I sure am glad we tore that asshole a new one before he jumped ship. 

Clear eyes. Full heart. Mark Richt.

I'm angry. You are too. It's one of those soul-searching weeks. And this one comes right after another one we had hoped would be the last for awhile. On a personal level, I keep asking myself, "Am I now one of those fans that's satisfied with an eight, nine, or ten win season and a bowl game?"

My current answer to that question is, "Satisfied is a strong word." I am one to support the coach as the head of the program until his last moments on the sideline. I remember being ready to see Coach Donnan step down but still cheering for him and his players to win games.

Is that weird? I don't think so.

And I know I have less faith than most that we can find a better coach for the University of Georgia than Mark Richt. That is to say, I think the chances are greater that we reach the top with Richt than we do with whomever Butts-Mehre might choose next.

Truthfully there's a lot that I don't know. But I know this picture is worth a thousand words.

via Sonny Kennedy

In a game that chews players up for the almighty dollar so they can spit them out to make room for the next "five star", that is a moment of pure love. Many will point to that picture and say it's proof that Richt would walk away from the actual game to pray with one player. I see it and recognize a man who understands that he has this one moment to help his player at this most crucial time in his life. He knows that this player is hurt as much emotionally as he is physically. In that moment, Richt is a father, a coach, and a man of faith with words of encouragement for Nick Chubb.

That last sentence will stick in many fans' craw. And believe me when I tell you that I get it. I understand your side of things and why you're frustrated. I want to win as badly as anyone, but I'm also one that sees that there are moments bigger than the game of football.

I sit here as a fan that yearns daily for the time when my team is celebrated nationally as much as locally. But I'm proud of my team, even in defeat and especially in moments of pure despair. I'm proud to be a Georgia Bulldog. I'm proud of the players that wear the G that my kids look up to. I'm proud of our coach, Mark Richt.

Like PWD said, I hope Richt is here forever and wins championships. Many folks can only look at the past and point to its failures. They stand on "five yards short" and "Urban did this" and "Chizik did that", and they shout about the facts as they see them.

I don't look at the past. I prefer here and now as it relates to the future. Recruiting is much improved. Support for the program is trending upwards. These young players Richt and his coaches keep putting out there are going to grow up with experience under their helmets.

That's real change. That's actually learning from past mistakes. To me, that's proof that this is not the same program it was when we lost all those games in 2009-2010. Not even the same program it was when we came so close in 2012. 

I don't know what the future holds. But I know Missouri is next, and that I'll be there giving everything I can in support of my team, its coach, and his players.

Sunday's Thoughts on my knee jerking

Special teams - We punt into the endzone but can't kickoff into it. WTF?

Defense - Tennessee did exactly what we knew they were going to do. Is the Butts-Mehre DVR broke? Do I need to send a copy of the Florida-Missouri game in? And the tackling was pee-wee poor.

Offense - Only accounted for 17 points on a day we lost our star running back on the first play from scrimmage. That's a mixed bag as there were some great plays and some awful ones. But we're not doing much to get playmakers into space. There are times I feel like it's still early September and the playbook is only a few pages long.

Emotion - We played with little to none. Was that a deliberate 180 because of the pre-game warmups before the Bama game? I don't know. But I don't like it.

Where does Richt look to right the ship on a season getting tossed around the stormy sea? I'd start with emotion.

Meanwhile, on the Bulldog Internets today....