Rewatch notes, plus a retraction

Rewatched the Miss State game last night with the family. It made for a nice evening, so I highly recommend it if you are able. What follows are just a few notes I wanted to add to my original thoughts on the game.

The main reason I wanted to rewatch it is because that goal line stand was at the opposite end zone from where we were seated standing. And man was it even nicer to see up close on the tv screen. It was equal parts pathetic desperation on MSU's part, and sheer effort and domination for the real Dawgs. Best thing about it, those kids making plays are freshmen!

I mentioned Sunday how impressed I was with the secondary. The snaps Parrish played really showed how versatile this group can be. I think Blackledge even mentioned at one point that Aaron Davis is like a safety playing at corner. True enough as those guys hit and tackle as well as they cover.  And it's a beautiful mix of experienced older players and a lot of youth. McGhee's break up was just as awesome as JR Reed's. Very nice to see.

On Sunday I remarked on our "trouble running in between the tackles". Friend of the blog Scott suggested that I reconsider the play of the line, especially those inside offensive linemen. And true enough, Chubb had a nice gain on an inside trap. And that Sony run up the middle featured MSU's all world woman beater Simmons getting double teamed into the turf. Seriously, I think that cat is still buried there five and half feet below the surface.

Roquan.

Watching the replay and is it wrong to say that I hope Roquan Smith marries him a very fertile young lady?

Damn, son. Damn. #Dawgs

— Bernie (@BernieDawg) September 27, 2017

Seriously, that dude is everywhere. He could put the UGA Orbit buses out of business just jetting around campus during the week!

Lastly, at one point while the cameras were focused on Mullen, in the background you could see an assistant coach's hands holding a cell phone. Pan across to the other side and Scott Sinclair is pulling on Kirby's belt while everyone else is coaching. What a telling visual that could explain a lot about what we witnessed Saturday night.

Now, onto Tennessee. Because I guarantee you they'll be a LOT more focused on the game on the field. Go Dawgs!

Sunday Thoughts on being the much, MUCH better Dawg in the fight

It’s hard to know where to start, and time is short for me this morning. But I know this - I can’t wait to rewatch this game!

Probably the best way to break down my thoughts this morning is in these three parts:

Crowd 

Loudest and involved Sanford’s crowd has been since 2013 LSU. Now as usual, a lot of that had to do with what was happening on the field, which was in a word, spectacular. And we’ll get to the coaches and the players in a minute. But whenever the crowd noise can impose its will on an opponent it’s with more than a mention.

The level of engagement matched the intensity on the field. (Well, except for the crew behind me that spent 10 minutes having everyone check under their seat for a phone that ended up being in one of their pockets. Hahaha) It was a night to remember as a fan of Georgia football.

Coaches

The score clearly indicates that MSU was out-played. But it doesn’t take much to realize that in between the lines to see that it was the Georgia coaches preparation and game plan that set the tone. From the perfect play call on our first offensive series to having an answer for everything they asked Nick Fitzgerald to do, it was quite a statement for Smart and his staff.

As amazing as the game plan and play calling were (and yes, it’s time we give Chaney a break y’all; even I can see he’s earned it) it’s the physicality and the discipline on the field that is just as nice to see.

Take this for instance:

“We play physical and we practice physical,” Bellamy said. “Sometimes you’ll be like, ‘Gosh, coach, we’re going full pads again?’ But on Saturdays it shows how physical we are and I think that’ll keep carrying over.”

We might be a long way from realizing our dreams since it’s still just September, but it’s clear something is going right in Athens with Georgia football.

Players
I think I would start with Deandre Baker. His game last night is a welcome sight considering all those years we suffered under Willie Martinez with defensive backs out of position and never, ever, ever turning to the ball to make a play (not to mention avoid the interference penalty). There were times when Fitzgerald made the right decision to throw Baker’s way, but it was never because 18 was out of position, just in single coverage.

And that interception was just a thing of beauty. The defensive front seven has earned every bit of praise and headline they’ve made, but it’s time the secondary earned some props. They held their own while Parrish was out, and now they are their own force to be reckoned with.

Offensively, anytime you can use the program’s second all time leading rusher as a lead blocker for a true freshman sensation, you’re living life right. Even though we have trouble running in between the tackles, Chaney is using the players he has to find production outside of that. On Chubb’s direct snap touchdown run, great downfield block by pulling Wynn into a hole that Jayson Stanley opened up.

Fromm had his best game thus far (and again you have to commend Chaney for putting a true freshman in good positions to make safe throws. Perhaps the experience of trying to do the same thing last year for Eason helped in that regard). He started by completing his first eight passes and ended up  4-5 for 143 yards on throws of 10+ yards. So it’s not just checking down and throwing the ball away.

And I’ll end with the execution on special teams. Nizialek (sp?) is amazing. He’s now averaging 44.5 yards per punt and the ball is up in the stratosphere forever! Blankenship wth six more kickoff and guess what? Six more touch backs. I cry tears of joy every time it happens. What a time to be alive!

And just like that it’s Tennessee week. Let’s go help the UT brass write out Butch’s pink slip!

Overcoming the Malkom Parrish injury

Smart said it's no "doomsday". And I tend to think the senior defensive back will be ready for the opener against App State. But it's worth looking at what our secondary would be like without him through the rest of August's practices as well as the season opener. After all...

“We could sit around and cry and whine about it. But it’s not a position we’re real deep at right now. It’s not a great situation but that’s what football is, guys. In football, you’re going to have injuries and you have to overcome them.”

In the short term, the lack of depth and experience in the secondary will get a boost as those young guys get more reps. There should be a lot of raw talent there and I imagine Smart will have a keen eye on their progress while Parrish is on crutches healing that tender foot.

But in the long term, with uncertainty and now an injury to a key starter, we should definitely be worried about our secondary unit opening up against a team that likes to chunk the rock around. Taylor Lamb is a senior quarterback for the Mountaineers and he'll bring a squad of shifty, athletic, and TALL receivers.

Parrish has experience, but the younger guys behind him have more the height you'd like to see at this level. Kirby and staff have been recruiting it, hard. Tyrique McGhee is largely believed to be the first guy behind Parrish. McGhee brings some game experience and will certainly be counted on regardless of whether Parrish makes it back for the opener or not. But I'd bet these freshmen step up to show what they can do.

At least I hope so. Because an injury can be a setback. But it can also be an opportunity. Is Parrish's injury just a chance at some more reps in shells? Personally, with their talent and size, I'd love to see someone like Speed, Brini or Poole step up and earn some actual playing time.

The Mizzou recap is pass heavy and undefeated

Just getting around to having the time to put these thoughts together. I think Kirby put it best in the post game press conference, we’re so close to being 0-3 really, but those guys are playing really hard and instead we’re undefeated. Unreal.

Eason

• Eason is growing up before our eyes. I know we came into that game hoping to be able to run more effectively. The game dictated that we go pass heavy, and 10 really stepped up. Couple bad balls and the one interception, but it’s obvious he’s something special.
• I mean we knew he was going to be special, but it’s different now. The comparison to Matt Stafford is no longer relevant because Eason has so much more composure than Staff did at this point.
• The bottom line is that Eason is working through his progressions which is why he’s starting. He’s reading things well and making plays with not just his arm but his head.
• I think the touchdown pass to Payne exemplifies this. Payne was open and it seemed an eternity passed before Eason finally decided not to throw to the receiver trailing in the back of the end zone. I was sure he'd waited too long, but he zipped that ball in there and Payne ran a great route to meet that throw.
• Just shows he has a different set of skills and his college football mind is developing up to his arm's talent level.
• Yes, he still has a long way to go, but you have to be encouraged with our quarterback’s growth, especially after that game winning 4th down throw.

McKenzie

• Kirby alluded to the only concern we can have about 16 at this point, and that is that there’s no way his body can handle carrying that much of the load the entire season.
• We’ll get to the offensive line in a minute, but Chaney has to find a way to get some yards using his stable of running backs and tight ends as well as guys like Godwin.
• 16 is dynamic and a game changer. We knew that before the season. But it’s more than a little uneasy seeing how much we have to rely on him.
• Still, McKenzie deserves all the accolades he should receive this week. The touchdown run is one only a few guys in college football can make. His first touchdown catch would have just been a long reception for many receivers, but he found a way to make it into a touchdown.
• And the game winner, whoa Nelly. Perfectly placed ball, but 16 went up and got it. Showed a lot of tenacity and grit.

Defense

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• Defense struggled but made a ton of plays when we needed them to. Not sure what Drew Lock was thinking on Mauger’s  interception in the endzone, but that was a game saving pick.
• And Mauger is clearly the type of player Smart wants. He’s a senior that hasn’t played much but continues to practice hard and makes the most of his time on the field.
• Coach Tucker is going to have to find a pass rush this week if our secondary is to have a chance to keep up with Ole Miss.
• After getting picked on repeatedly Briscoe improved in pass coverage in the second half, but some of that may be attributed to Missouri leaning more towards running the ball once they had the lead. Huepel has to be kicking himself for the shift in his philosophy after halftime.
• I was hoping we’d be more physical than we were, especially considering our lack of pass rush. The next couple games are critical for this defense. As a fan you want both the front seven and the d-backs to dictate the play, but we need at least one facet to step up.

Special teams

• I’m glad we didn’t have to line up for another field goal, but if we had it would’ve been interesting to see if the coaches actually would’ve stuck with Ham or given Rodrigo a shot.
• I would expect more emphasis on this phase of the game this week in practice. You can’t give up return yardage and leave points on the field like we have and expect to beat Ole Miss on the road and Tennessee the following week.
• And there’s moments to build on for sure. For instance, Tyrique McGhee had a great tackle in kick coverage. Just seems to me we have some guys sticking to their lane and others not as conscious about it or trying too hard to make a play.

Offensive line

• I was legitimately optimistic after beating UNC. I saw real promise in the run blocking and thought we’d have some time to develop better pass protection.
• Nicholls showed our offensive front could be outworked. That was an eye opener.
• Then Saturday night we saw a great defensive front just dismantle them play after play. Charles Harris never stops. He might end up being All-SEC for sure and might be the best pass rusher we see, even better than Tennessee’s Barnett and Auburn’s Lawson.
• But we have to run the football more effectively. Just as McKenzie can’t carry us at receiver all season and survive, Eason can’t throw it 55 times a game. We just can’t rely on that week in and week out.
• The coaches know that. Chaney is in Athens because Kirby respected him as a play caller and developer of quarterbacks. If the line can’t run block we have to do two things: find guys who can and develop plays that get Chubb to the second level.

But in all honesty, what do I know? Seriously. I looked closely at our schedule in August and scoffed at Missouri being able to beat us. I truly believed we would go in there and run them out of the state.

So I don’t know squat, except that I have a bruise on my arm from pinching myself Sunday morning.

Did you see what we just did?

— Bernie (@BernieDawg) September 18, 2016

I know I love teams that fight hard. This team does. They believe in each other from start to finish. And that’s the biggest reason why we’re heading to Oxford undefeated.

Go Dawgs!

Around the Tailgate - Who's your breakout player for 2016?

Originally posted at BullDawg Illustrated

Michael Barnett

So we've discussed the issue at quarterback, and then yesterday we talked about the game we'd most like to win. Today we're going to see who the guys think will be 2016's breakout player.

Give me one player you think we need to watch for that could be this year's very pleasant surprise. And his last name can't have two consecutive B's in it.

Namaman: I am hoping the player(s) to watch this year will be the entire TE corps.  Still the most under-utilized position in offenses - especially UGA offenses - in recent history. Let's get back to where we have proven, NFL caliber TE's like McMichael and Watson that can help Lambert, Eason and Chubb open up things for the WR's as well.  That is one of my fondest wishes... GO DAWGS!

Robert: I want to go with Jackson Harris, but you have to assume that a lot of the tight ends are going to see playing time.  How about Michael Chigbu? Then again, Kirby said the receivers would most likely be by committee.  I still like the Chigbu pick.  He should get significantly more targets, and I expect him to have a breakout year and be the pleasant surprise.

The Wrangler: I am going on the defensive side of the ball and picking #7 Lorenzo Carter.  The defensive intensity Coach Smart has brought to UGA will motivate Carter to be the best he can be.  After a great 2014 season, he was very quiet last year.  You know he has been waiting all summer to prove that he can be the man.  Since we are breaking in a new offense, the defense will have to be solid to take some pressure off the offense.  I predict 10 sacks for Carter this year.

Smokewagon: Wow….another tough question!  Mecole Hardman is a name that I haven’t heard much in pre-season coverage.  I hope I didn’t miss a story on him being injured or otherwise not available. I admit that I have not been clicking on the blogs all summer!  Perhaps the new stealthy coaching staff is holding his explosiveness under wraps and away from the media.  If not Mecole, I would go with Charlie Woerner.  I think Nauta and Holyfield will have serious impact, but I don’t think that will be a surprise.

I agree with the Wrangler and that it will be a defensive player, and we're going to need a big man to step up on the defensive front early. So I going with a guy that I think started to come on strong there last season in Michael Barnett. I have it on very good authority that 94, although he's a nice young man, has a real mean streak on the football field. Plus he's coachable. And we have one of the best d-line coaches around in Rocker.

Thanks for joining us for this preseason primer around the tailgate. Hope you've enjoyed it, and Go Dawgs y'all!

Dominick Sanders' motivation

Nice piece on one of Pruitt's up and comers by Sarah K. Spencer on where Sanders gets his drive to excel, both on field and off of it.

"I just picture him watching me, watching over me, and that just gets my blood going and I just tell myself every day I'm going to execute, and I'm going to do it for him," Sanders said.

The Gamecock rewatch

Some final notes and observations after watching the televised version yesterday. Let's start the only place you can after that game, with Greyson Lambert.

The only blemish for Lambert on what really was about a perfect a day as a quarterback can have was a few wide open receivers downfield that were missed somehow. I wouldn't even mention it considered the day that Lambert had throwing the ball, except that there have been a few of these a game that he's either not seen or checked into a closer option. My analysis is that he is set on one option pre-snap most of the time (remember, he's only been on campus a couple months).

Otherwise, Lambert was a a machine. Seriously, he never made a questionable throw. Even the one incompletion was a ball thrown where the defender could not make a play on it. The Jay Rome completion was a dart that set up the first touchdown nicely. The back shoulder fade to Mitchell was reminiscent of another #11's signature throw in recent memory. And when Lambert's checks allowed some measure of a pass rush to develop, he appropriately extended the play or tucked it and ran.

In short, Lambert unequivocally shut up the doubters. I think the progressions downfield is something worth keeping an eye on as he continues to mature under quality coaching. But how can you argue against him being the starter on a team that doesn't need a world-beater? Just a smart guy that can make the throws and the handoffs alike.

Onto the bullets:
- The only blemish overall was the kick coverage. I think Morgan only had one kick that wasn't either in the endzone or near it, yet still their returner had gaping holes to choose from as he jaunted toward midfield. We're lucky Morgan was there to plug it up and wrap him up a couple times. A kick return for a touchdown could've changed the mood dramatically.
- This offensive line is a joy to watch. Blackledge and Nessler made mention of their experience. But we've had experienced lines before. These guys are road graders. I guess we'll see how good they are when Alabama comes to town, but they've been a joy to watch the first three games and I think Coach Sale deserves some kudos for how clean Lambert's jersey has been.
- Sounds like the media just caught wind of Ramsey's punt last night since it happened towards the end as the clock was draining. We noticed it in the stands but tv was busy elsewhere I guess to give it much airplay. But when the timeout is called you can clearly see Ramsey mouth to the sideline "You want me to punt it?" The stories that emerged last night mostly attributed it to giving him a live rep in preparation in case he's ever needed to punt. But...you have to think it has at least an added benefit of giving opponents something else to look at.
- And what a nice punt it was!
- Malkom Parrish is a joy to watch. He has a nose for the ball and seems to embrace run defense on the edges so much I'm not sure why teams run to his side. I know I've said that before, but it deserves repeating. I won't compare him to #4, but I have a special place in my heart for defensive backs that play physical on the edges like Champ did.
- Jenkins and Floyd get a lot of the attention (and very much deserved), but Ganus and Kimbrough are earning their own mentions in the middle. The future Mrs. Ganus must've been impressed. :)
- The flags got old, did they not? I thought this crew did as good a job as they could've when the game was getting out of hand from an emotional standpoint. And the targeting call was the right call on the field, at game speed. Then the replay officials rightly overturned it. But a few other flags were excessive or questionable at best. Especially the offsides on the pooch kick.
- On the drive back the wife turned to me and asked, "So, South Carolina is really bad right?" That's a good question and my quick answer was "Yes, yes they are." So there's a word of caution there in getting too excited. I do believe Vanderbilt is better, at least defensively. And we had the added benefit of getting the Gamecocks a week after their quarterback went down. Once that Nunez kid can add some passes to his skillset, they should be much better offensively.

Still, all in all, just a masterful game. Especially for Coach Schottenheimer and his gameplan. Georgia didn't punt until late in the third and only had to face three third downs all night. I guess if you want to pick nits you could point out we only converted one of those. But really, that would be like eating a delicious steak only to complain about the steak knife needing to be sharpened.

Vandy rewatch

In an effort to not belabor a seventeen point road win, some bullets:

- If there's ever been a better pair of sophomore running backs to grace one campus at the same time than Michel and Chubb, I'm forgetting their names as well as their vision, drive, speed, power, change of direction, blocking technique, versatility as a receiver, etc., etc...

- There was a lot made around me in the stands of Schotty continually running the ball in between the tackles. But, can we blame him? Chubb averaged nearly ten yards a carry. I'm anxious to see some pitches and counters too. However I also understand the desire not to show the Gamecocks anything more than we need to. And Saturday there was no need to.

- Hope the tight ends can get more involved going forward. They were targeted a few times and both Blazevich and Harris had nice catches. The more yards our running backs get they more those guys should be able to find some open space.

- The offensive line played better against the Commodores than they did against ULM.

- Remember when so much was made about freshmen receivers not seeing the field until they could block? Yeh, thankfully those days are gone. Godwin may not be very big, but he got in the way of at least three Vanderbilt defensive backs on Michel's long touchdown run.

- The wife and I nearly threw up watching the officials get paychecks for absolutely no reason. Seriously, how hard is to see Leonard Floyd's helmet being wrenched in unnatural directions?

- But she took some measure of solace seeing Richt mouth the words "That's targeting!!" when they vaulted over the line to tackle Lambert before the snap. Because she had yelled the same thing from the stands Saturday.

- I felt good not great about the defense walking away Saturday. For all the quarterback pressure and tackles for loss and interceptions, we gave up a lot of dinks and dunks. Rewatching it I feel about the same. They set their jaws in the red zone and the first string (if there is such a thing under Pruitt) did not give up a touchdown. But I keep asking myself How much of that is Vandy's offensive ineptitude?

- Not sure why teams run to Malkom Parrish's side. He's good in pass defense. He's great in meeting the ball carrier at the point of attack.

- Easy to see why Mama Jenkins was saying her son Jordan's game was good but could've been better. His momentary shock at not getting blocked (at all!) on a couple plays meant the ball carrier only lost two yards instead of three.

- Semi-sarcasm aside, if Lambert can take his offensive line out for ice cream, Floyd and Jenkins can take Mayes and Co. out for steaks and mashed potatoes and pork loins and macaroni and cheese.

- Can Collin Barber kick field goals too? I'm not joking when I say that if it weren't for Chubb, Barber would be the team MVP to this point. As we struggle to find answers at quarterback, we're going to need 32 to keep his game at this level. At some point the South Carolina or Alabama or Tennessee or Missouri games are going to drop down into field position games...much like the first quarter in Nashville.

- Davis took the blame for the uncovered pooch kick. All I'll add is that was awfully generous of him.

I'll have a post on the quarterback situation later in the week, so I'm not going to say much else about Lambert on Saturday. I understand the nervousness fans have watching him work through his progressions (although honestly, there were many times he was only watching one receiver). but I do think too much is being made about his 0-fer first half. There were some drops in there that could've been big plays and given Lambert some much needed confidence early on.

In a nutshell, weird things happen in Vanderbilt Stadium. And sometimes that includes 17 point wins that light up message boreds.

Georgia-Auburn rewatch: the defense

They are the story of the game. Because we figured we'd be able to move the ball on Auburn's defense. It really was just a matter of how much Bobo was tempted to throw the ball. But the defense was the same question mark going into this game that it has been all season.

And boy did they provide a definitive and resounding answer.

I sure sang the praises of the linebackers on Sunday, deservedly so. And much is being made of Pruitt utilizing Floyd at the nickel so he could have both him and Carter on the field at the same time. But looking over the game again it really shows how much work Mike Thornton and Ray Drew did in the trenches. As Richt said, it allowed Herrera and Wilson to "clean up". And with Thornton and Drew (as well as Bailey, Johnson and Dawson when they were in the game) standing their ground, the linebackers went to work. They were attacking the ball like they were back in October's road trip to Columbia and Little Rock. That road trip produced their best six quarters to date under Pruitt's new defense. Saturday produced it's first complete complete game since then.

In the secondary, Auburn did its fair share of testing Georgia on intermediate and deep routes. Marshall threw some into tight coverage and his receivers made some tough catches. Pruitt's d-backs made them earn it. Uzomah was targeted early and often. But the tight end never broke free on any crossing routes which Auburn likes to run on occasion. In the past those have killed us. Not Saturday.

I didn't realize until rewatching it just how much freshman Malkom Parrish played. He looked good out there. But really, the whole defense looked spectacular. And it really started with energy towards the ball; wherever it went there were red jerseys in hot pursuit. Disciplined and determined defensive football. That was a joy to watch again.

It's been something we've touched on here and there this season, and it's definitely going to get more and more attention as we transition slowly into Pruitt's second season, but the way he and his defensive staff shuffle in players is so nice to see. More importantly, as Tanner mentioned while tailgating Saturday, there's not a huge dropoff when Davin Bellamy or Reggie Carter or Sterling Bailey comes into the game.

And that speaks to coaching. These guys are being taught well. I know we're all still frustrated by the way the defense performed against Florida. And we should be. But there are sure signs to be excited about this defense. The consistency week to week will come. Saturday night, against a very dangerous offensive team with loads of speed and talent, was a big step.

Sunday thoughts on the pig pickin'

I don't watch College Gameday. But I did watch Twitter while it watched College Gameday, and the angst level was particularly high. Personally, I just kept wondering if word of the national disinterest in a Georgia sans Gurley team was reaching the ears and eyes of the team out in Little Rock.

Whether it did or it didn't, Richt's team made quite the statement. Whenever Hutson Mason hangs up the cleats he should make a nice career as a motivational speaker.

- That opening drive by Arkansas was everything this game was built up to be - smash mouth, physical football. It was efficient and bullish enough to make you a little worried.
- But if this was supposed to be a grind it out three yards and a cloud of dust affair, Georgia didn't get that memo by the time Mason took the first snap.
- That play action was probably Mason's best of the season and the ball was thrown perfectly to Conley. As impressive as Mason's 78% completion percentage was last week against Missouri, his 10+ yards per attempt yesterday was equally so.
- And that was clearly by design. Bobo decided to get the Razorbacks' defense off kilter early and his quarterback responded by making his best throws of the season.
- And then Chubb took care of the rest.
- I mean, what more can you say about this kid? I'll let Nabulsi handle that kind of heavy lifting:

Nick Chubb's first two starts: 68 carries 345 yards 5 catches 3 touchdowns 2 SEC road victories
— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) October 19, 2014

-  Seems to me that young man has earned a bye week. Good timing.

- Special teams. Take away the poorly executed onside kick and it was about as good of a day in the kicking game as you could ask for as a whole. Morgan had four of his seven kickoffs go as touchbacks.

- And hey! A blocked kick! Cool.

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- Damian Swann was everywhere the ball was it seemed: 11 total tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack, an interception. Wow.

- If the first few games were about watching the secondary struggle, the last two have been about watching them play with more and more confidence. Sure, it was uncomfortable to watch the second half slide into Arkansas' favor, but the reaction to the ball and the overall coverage skills are vastly improved over the first couple weeks of the season.

- Staying with the second half drop, give Arkansas credit. They didn't give up and took everything Georgia was giving. It many ways, that was the team we expected to see in the Razorbacks.

- Which makes the way Georgia started even more impressive and brings me back to that first point. During two weeks when little attention is being given to the team as a whole, the coaches have had the guys ready to play and the team leaders have led with their words and their play.

Looking forward to the bye week. Looking forward to some closure in Gurley-Gate. Looking forward to spending 14 days devoted to nothing but hating Florida.

It's always week to week with Pruitt

Last week it was Brendan Langley. Who will it be in Little Rock?

For the fifth time in six games, Georgia sported a different starting defensive backfield. Seven different Bulldogs have earned the nod at the beginning of at least one game.

Senior cornerback Damian Swann doesn’t expect that trend to change as the season progresses.

“(Pruitt) wants to play the guys who have the best week in practice. Not to say (guys who aren’t starting) didn’t have a good week in practice,” Swann said. “But I think everything that goes on with the different lineups, that’s coming from Pruitt. Whatever Pruitt wants, that’s how we’re going to play. Every week, guys are competing for playing time." (via Benjamin Wolk)

Sunday Thoughts on Grown Chubb Football

Georgia wins, Missouri loses, and Sakerlina doesn't win. So pretty damn good day.

- My first thought after the game was over was that if we thought we showed them some Grown Man Football in 2012, we were wrong. Dude, that was just a whoopin'.

- Possible I missed a few, but I had the number of times Gurley was mentioned about even with Chubb.

- That being said, "Baby Gurley" made me puke a bit in my mouth every time I heard it.

- I guess the big question for us is, "When did your nervousness relent?" Only getting a couple field goals despite two early turnovers was uneasy. Then the Tigers came out hot in the second half and I found myself reminding my kids (who had pronounced the game over about an hour prior) that this was a team that came back from twenty down to beat the one team that beat us.

- But Bobo wasn't done. Nick Chubb and Brendan Douglas weren't done. And Pruitt wasn't done either.

- So...turnovers, pressuring Mauk, or time of possession...where do we start? Logic and reason say with the pressure applied to Mauk.

- The defense yesterday was a thing of beauty. Pruitt mixed in different looks for the Missouri quarterback and let his guys go to work. As a result, Mauk spent much of the afternoon on the run with not much of anywhere to throw the ball.

Hey dude, you want this? Here you go.

- And the run defense was much better than I anticipated. Those are two good running backs and as a team Missouri was averaging 178 yards a game on the ground. Georgia held them to 50 yards total.

- Back to the pressure up front, Missouri was 0-7 on third down and Mauk finished 9-21 for 97 yards. Oh yeh, and four interceptions. When he was on the run (when he is the most dangerous and the most likely to covert third downs) he only completed one pass that I remember.

- Overall, a confident defense playing lights out on the road? Yes, I think I like that a lot.

- Next, turnovers. The secondary just seemed to always have the play in front of them. The Missouri receivers are not what Pinkel usually has in terms of talent, but the Pruitt's defensive backs were rarely trailing the play like in previous games.

- The beneficiaries were Mauger, Swann and Sanders. Mauger had two picks!! They just always seemed to know where Mauk was going.

- And the Mauk fumble, man, God bless Leonard Floyd's long arms! (Just watched that play again while typing this and the wife would like to add that he was obviously being held too.)

- The time of possession was skewed heavily in Georgia's favor, mostly due to being +6 in the turnover margin. 42:23 to 17:37. Wow.

- Missouri had 12 drives, only one went for more than four plays. Only four plays in Georgia territory, three of which were interceptions. They were never even in field goal range and only sniffed the goal line once on the last play of the half, a play that ended with a dropped pass that was perfectly placed. And a holding penalty.

- The only word to describe it is dominating.

- And while that word can be used to describe Georgia's punishing rushing attack, it can also be used to describe Hutson Mason's afternoon. Yes, he "managed" the game well, but he also made some throws we haven't seen much of since the bowl game. That touchdown pass to Bennett was perfect. And Bobo used Mitchell well on the outside to stretch Missouri's defense enough to create room for Chubb and Douglas.

Great game. I'm hopeful we'll get Gurley back for the next game. Regardless, Little Rock presents a difficult road test. Halfway through, it's been an eventful season and a very tumultuous week. But Georgia now is firmly in the driver's seat nonetheless.

Go Dawgs!

Week by week

When you're a young, inexperienced unit, and guys around you are dropping like flies, you really have no choice but to live in the moment.

"Everybody is going to go off this one game, just like they did when we beat Clemson," Green said following the 35-32 victory over the Vols. "They thought we were the best team in the country. We don't pay any attention to it. We go week by week, and we know what we've got to do.

"We've improved a lot since the spring, and we've improved a lot since the first game. When you're in that first game, you don't really know what's going on until after you watch the film. The more film you watch, the more you've got to do to correct it, and that's what we're doing."

Rico Johnson latest victim of the "secondary curse"

Who "favorites" a tweet like that anyway?

Gentry Estes is reporting that Johnson is dealing with a "recently discovered long-term medical issue." Georgia will likely place him on a medical redshirt, thereby allowing him to stay on scholarship while not counting against the 85 man limit.

Losing Johnson would be another blow for a thin and inexperienced Georgia secondary that has dealt with attrition for various reasons for much of the past year.

A former standout at Swainsboro (Ga.) High School, Johnson signed with UGA as a wide receiver earlier this year after a season of prep school. He switched to cornerback prior to the start of preseason practices. He earned a spot with the second-string and has played in each of Georgia's four games to this point, either on defense or special teams, totalling five tackles.

Ugh.

"I started tearing up on that first kickoff."

Tramel Terry's come a long way. Great piece by Weiszer on his journey from ACL surgery to Bobo's wide receiver to Pruitt's defensive back.

“He’s got a lot to learn,” defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt said. “He loves ball, works hard every day and he’s going to be fine. He’s just got to continue to go to work. I did like his energy during the game. He’s still got a ways to go as far as getting the whole big picture.”

Said Terry: “I was an offensive guy, everybody knows that. I couldn’t move too well when I first got back off my ACL. I felt like I got all that quickness back. It’s just making me better. Knowing the offensive side of the ball is just making me a better DB. I’ve just got to catch up on the schemes of the overall picture better.”

Fenteng likely done for season

Can still qualify for a redshirt, but goshdarnit!

Even if the secondary doesn't improve all season..

...it ain't gonna be for lack of trying. (via Emerson)

Georgia's secondary was configured a bit differently during the media viewing period of Tuesday's practice. It did not, however, include Shattle Fenteng.

The junior cornerback, who was shut down the past two weeks because of shoulder problems, was not at practice, indicating that he's still not ready to play. Fenteng, a junior college transfer, was set to be a key addition to this year's secondary, but has yet to play.

A couple other defensive backs were back after recent injuries: Starting cornerback Damian Swann, held out of the Troy game because of a headache, was in a regular white jersey. Safety Quincy Mauger, who went out with a shoulder stinger, was in a green non-contact jersey but was participating.

Mauger was not with the first team, however, after starting against Troy. J.J. Green, the sophomore who was ejected for targeting after one play against Troy, was with the first team at safety in the nickel defense. Aaron Davis, who has started the past three games at safety, shifted down to cornerback. Devin Bowman, who started the first three games at safety, was also with the second team.

Sheldon Dawson, the junior who has not played in the past two games, was with the second team at the star position.

We've talked a lot about how refreshing it's been to see some adjustments within the game. Gotta also give Coach Pruitt his due for making changes day to day. He's been doing it since spring. And as nice as it would be to see a solid starting lineup week to week, it's good to know he's not just giving it an "Aww shucks" shoulder shrug and then return to banging his head against a wall.

Clempson post mortem ad nauseum

First, my apologies. Yesterday's post wasn't even up to the low standard I've spent the last six seasons developing. When I went back and read it yesterday afternoon it looked as if I had typed it half-drunk at one in the morning. For instance, I didn't even finish the thought about the offensive coaches using Grantham's towels. Did anyone else notice that?

Anyway, a few more points to make on a great season opener after re-watching it in all its Glory Glory.

• Enough is being made of all the defensive stands and incredibly efficient toss sweeps on offense. So let me use the next few bullets to point out some (comparatively speaking) concerns that showed up on the replay.
• Like the fact that the offense, looking at a three point lead and seemingly never ending gifts of great field position, just could not do anything to pull away in the third quarter.
• There were times when the quarterback and the receivers were not on the same page and times when Mason had to rush a decision based on the pass rush. Some of that can be explained to freshman jitters, like Sony Michel not turning around to receive a swing pass. Some of it will need to be addressed in the off week.
• The offensive line absolutely dominated....in the fourth quarter. Here's one question: Outside of Clemson being dog tired late, why was the blocking so much better for three running backs compared to one? Maybe I'm missing it, but it didn't appear to me that Keith Marshall did anything wrong. But his average per rush is vastly different than his position mates.
• However, on Gurley's 50 yard touchdown to make it 38-21, I still don't see how he saw any daylight at the line of scrimmage. (2:05 mark)

• Really ashamed of myself for not mentioning Taylor Maxey yesterday, even though I mentioned his great game on Twitter Saturday night. He came out of nowhere to fill in some pretty big shoes. There were times when I really thought Merritt Hall was just in a different jersy. And that's about as big of a compliment as I can give. 

  

  Richt giving me the thumbs up. (via)

• One more offensive point, and we'll dive more deeply into this later, but I thought Mason did a great job of managing the game. There's an adjustment we have to make as fans to the way in which he quarterbacks y'all. Him going 18 of 26 for 131 yards without an interception was just what we needed.
• Special teams were great. Not a lot that I caught on tape that we don't already know. Was nice to see Reggie Davis field the punts with confidence. Isaiah McKenzie may have another gear to offer though. We'll see.
• We all kinda knew that having the defensive backs press at the line of scrimmage could go a long way towards fixing what 2013 ailed us. But my goodness was it good to see it play out on the field.
• That's not to say there weren't issues. Like Swann getting beat off the line by Mike Williams. Now, Williams has about five inches and thirty pounds on Swann. But as we get more acclimated to Pruitt's style (read: purging ourselves of past transgressions) it will be interesting to see 1) how much we press and in what situations 2) how well our current db's progress from soft zone stances and 3) if teams like Sakerlina can exploit this as some sort of weakness.
• Sometimes I'm accused of being overly critical of the fans. I have a separate post coming that will address the entire opening day experience. But in terms of noise level, some of you have very short memories. My feeling Saturday night from my seat was that fans got loud, really loud, but that it took 45 minutes to get there. Watching the replay confirms this.
• Any bias aside, Sanford Stadium remains one of the most beautiful venues to watch a game. But the fans are largely disengaged in comparison to other places I've experienced.
• However, I will say I was proud that my 92,000 friends didn't boo an opposing player during an injury timeout, much like what we saw in Death Valley a year ago. In that regard we did out perform our Clemson counterparts.

Great game. Great atmosphere. I may watch it again just because it was so splendiferous. But we always need to take a moment to temper our emotions a touch. After all, we haven't won an SEC game since Aaron Murray was carried off the field. 

Somehow, that feels like years ago.

Sunday Thoughts on Gurley and his committee

It's an embarrassment of riches in the Georgia backfield. 2009 called and said "WTF?"

Gone. (via)

• I thought this graphic the Senator put up by Brenner of the Post and Courier told the whole story. ANd was largely the reason why I felt pretty confident going into this opener. But Clemson came to play and gave Georgia all it could handle. For about 30 minutes.
• I was mostly disappointed in our pass rush in the first half. Stoudt (and Watson) had plenty of time even though the Tiger offensive line was beleaguered and very green.
• But man oh man. When they clamped down on that offense in the second half and the pass rushers were able to pin their ears back....Katie bar the door.
• Todd Gurley deserves as much positive press as he can get. And I will get to him in a moment. But I'm officially convinced that there is not a human being on God's green Earth that can block Leonard Floyd.
• I'm proud that after all the talk this off season, this is my only bullet devoted to the defensive secondary. They appeared out of place at times and didn't turn to the ball as much as I would hope. But they only missed one tackle. And y'all...they clamped that shit down in the second half. That has to make you feel good.
• Clemson really rushed the ball well in the first half by pounding it up the middle time and time again.
• The other big concern I had was the offensive line. And they too were a tale of two halves in many ways. Really dominated the line of scrimmage the second half.
• How big was that three and out on Clemson's second series?
• There was a lot of buzz around the stadium as Gurley mostly rested during the first half. But holy shit on a shingle their defense looked incredibly tired the second half. As least compared to Gurley's fresh legs.
• Special teams were solid. And that was very cool. The coverage teams were especially disciplined.
• Did anyone else notice that Grantham's towels were alive and well with 

With an off week I'm looking forward to rewatching this game. It was a great day to be in Athens. Almost as good as it was to be a Georgia ball carrier.

New faces we'll see tonight

It's time. As I aim the truck east, let's take a moment to introduce ourselves to some of the new players we'll see tonight.

• Lorenzo Carter. Definitely will see some snaps at OLB. Which is impressive since all we've heard are good things about Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd as well.

• Isaiah McKenzie. Really sounds like Richt will pull the trigger on letting us see what all the return game hub-bub has been about.

• Dominick Sanders. Look for him in nickel sets in the "star" position.

• Nick Chubb. Can he block on passing downs? Do we have specific sets designed for his skills? Does it even matter?

• Sony Michel. More likely to see him on kick returns, but could also see him in the backfield as well, where he's been neck and neck with fellow freshman Chubb.

• Shattle Fenteng. A local kid returns after going away to junior college, and should play in the secondary.

• Rico Johnson. True freshman that came to Athens via the prep school route and he has evidently been very steady for Coach Pruitt in camp.

Others to look for who might come into the game under special circumstances: Dyson Sims (77, OL) and Isaiah Wynn (55, OL) have had good camps; has Jeb Lazevich (83) impressed enough at TE, or are there enough injury concerns for Rome and Jordan Davis?; Malkom Parrish (14) is another DB we might see.

Other than those, who'd I miss that ou expect to see tonight?