Why worry about GSU?

Take it from a midget who knows...

Saban: "People forget about Georgia Southern. They went through us like shit through a tin horn."

— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) November 19, 2015

Y'all more concerned about Richt's omelet with some five star that don't know shit about winning college football games. Maybe you'll wake up before kickoff.

Maybe.

Louisville unworthy...??

Maybe I couldn't hear those of you complaining about playing little ol' Louisville above the noise of the rest who have been complaining about going to Charlotte instead of Tampa. (Like that's even a real argument.)

But that situation has been settled so now the order of the day is to defeat Georgia. This is what the Cardinals need to gain respect in the college football universe. Already the Georgia fans are belittling the opposition as unworthy of an SEC power like the Dawgs. Good! It reminds me of the Alabama fans (1991), the Michigan State fans (1993), the BYU fans (2001), the Florida fans (2013 and the Miami fans (2013). LOL. [emphasis added]

"LOL" is right Jack. You need to check your sources down here. Real Dawg fans are excited about the challenge of Petrino's offense going up against Pruitt's young defense. Sure, Petrino may not have the arsenal of weapons he'd prefer on his roster yet. But still, his scheme stretches defenses and forces them to play solid, fundamental football.

Plus, dude. You never even mentioned the Grantham angle.

Ahh. Good times.

Grantham, Petrino, and then all the whining

1) say what you will, but the Cardinals have really bought into Grantham.

Louisville ranks 68th in total offense (83rd in rushing and 50th in passing) and ranks 6th in total defense (3rd in rushing defense and 30th in passing yards allowed). Louisville ranks 41st in scoring offense (32.6 points per game) and 18th in scoring defense (20.5 points per game allowed). (via Dean Legge)

Sure, the lesser opponents' narrative holds some water there in terms of explaining the defensive rankings. The Wake Forests, Boston Colleges, and Syracuses of the CFB landscape aren't going to move many chains and score many points. But as I'm preparing my own outlook for this bowl matchup, I think it starts with Kentucky as the Wildcats scored plenty of points to win both the game in lexington against Georgia dn then one on the road against Louisville.

(addendum - a quick glance shows that unlike the game against Georgia, Kentucky scored in each quarter against Louisville. Something to look at a little more closely when evaluating this common opponent.)

2) On the offensive side the Cards have had much changeover at quarterback and an old nemesis at running back.

The Cardinals do have some impressive talent elsewhere on their offense, headlined by senior receiver DeVante Parker, who is getting attention in NFL ranks as a potential first-round type of guy in the upcoming Draft. The 6-foot-3 Parker only played about half the season because of a broken foot in the preseason, but he still managed to catch 35 passes for 735 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 122.5 receiving yards per game. He's joined by 250-pound senior tight end Gerald Christian (30 catches, 359 yards), who transferred from Florida. In the backfield, Louisville features former Auburn running back Michael Dyer (110 rushes for 482 yards) and 5-foot-9 sophomore Brandon Radcliff (125 rushes for 648 yards), a talented duo that has split carries much of the season. (via Gentry Estes)

Dyer and Radcliff's numbers are inconsistent. Of course, Pruitt's defense has had some trouble stopping the run. But I still see the story here will first be how Louisville's receivers match up against Pruitt's secondary, and then who will be throwing them the football. Even though Petrino wants to run the football (and a lot, as he averages nearly ten more rush attempts than pass per game), he will want to be able to keep Georgia's talented linebackers honest.

3) The fans moaning about the bowl selection is a time honored tradition. But it's one I'm tired of entirely. The facts are that Georgia has a better record (overall and head-to-head) than many teams in seemingly better bowl games, but this year's selection process is a completely new one. Essentially, after the Citrus, all the bowls are the same. And while that will take some time for fans to get used to, it didn't take long for many to gripe openly about the location, payout, opponent, name of the bowl, etc.

My response: Get over yourself. Air your dirty laundry to the people that count. That starts with the SEC offices, Butts-Mehre and even Coach Richt if you're still pissed off about the record that landed us in Charlotte as opposed to Miami or Atlanta. The rest of us are kind of over it. Move along. Don't go to Charlotte. Don't watch the game. Whatever. The other fans and especially the players don't need to hear the griping and the yapping and the tweeting and the whininess.

I mean, do guys like Boss Andrews and Chris Conley deserve to hear y'all share your butthurt with the rest of the world in the days leading up to their last game as a Dawg?

Charleston Southern looking for win 100

The program started in 1991 and comes to Athens with only 99 tackle football wins since then. Do the math and that's not real good y'all. Like, worse than Chan Gailey Tech Era bad. But with last week's victory over Liberty, the Buccaneers have 18 victories in the last two seasons. So these are dudes that aren't used to losing.

And perhaps that explains their refusal to lay down for Vanderbilt on October 11th. CSU outgained the 'Dores in total yards and rushing yards. They also racked up 19 first downs in the 21-20 loss in Nashville. Of considerable note is the fact that Vanderbilt didn't score a point in the second half. The Bucs smelled blood and anchored down.

How did Vanderbilt pull out a win against this considerable FCS foe? Well, the most telling sign is that Charleston Southern was only 2/14 on third downs. Get them behind the marker and then force their hand. They'd much rather run the football than pass.

And that will hold true Saturday when they come to Athens. The more they run the football forward, the less time Bobo has to run the Wild Honkey Nick Chubb and Friends before giving Kid Ramsey his snaps.

Some links:
- Lead up article to CSU's game against Liberty last weekend
- The Bucs at 'Dores box score
- Their roster is filled with Georgia kids, including one with ties to AD McGarity

Dawgs vs vols - news from the hills

Some links to catch you up from the goings and comings in enemy territory.

- Vol coaches not only expect DT Trevarris Saulsberry to play Saturday (he re-aggravated a knee injury in August), but also to play a key role in the trenches.

“He brings presence in that he’s a 300-pound guy, and we’re a little short on those kinds of guys right now. He brings a lot to the room. It’s good to see him out there working with the reps.”

- Tennessee defensive coordinator John Jancek isn't distracted by his return to Sanford's sidelines:

“I could care less," he said. “I’m going there to win a game. I’m proud to be at Tennessee, and we’re going down there to try to do our job — obtain a victory.” 

Wrong sideline WilMart.

-  Something Cory hit on earlier this week, Tennessee will plan to use tight ends to help their offensive line in pass protection.

“We’ve had that in the package, as far as whether (the tight ends are) staying in for pass pro or just helping out,” Elder said. “That’s certainly part of the package, and we base that week to week on how much help those guys are going to need and so forth.”

-  Vol linebacker AJ Johnson is glad Gurley will be on the field for this year's game.

"I look forward to playing every opponent, but I know he's one of the top running backs," said A.J. Johnson, Tennessee's All-SEC linebacker. "I always like playing the best, so I'm glad he's back."

- At Rocky Top Talk, Chris Pendley previews the game and hopes Bobo doesn't run the ball much, if at all.

On Tennessee's side, this will be the deepest and best rushing attack the Vols have faced so far and likely will face this year (depending on your opinion of Alabama's RB stable). Their yards per carry allowed are solid enough so far, clocking in at 3.9 YPC, which is around NCAA average. Given that Tennessee's strengths lie in defending the pass (6.2 YPA, top third in the NCAA), that's another sign to run the dang ball.

- And OC Mike Bajakian on Pruitt's defense:

“They’re very disruptive. I think that’s the best way to describe them,” Bajakian said. “They’re very athletic and aggressive, they’re aggressive schematically and in their style of play. They create a lot of ball disruptions, take aways and we’ll definitely face that challenge.” 

Tennessee has their own depth issues at receiver

Josh Smith is still listed as questionable after missing practicing again yesterday.

Sophomore wide receiver Josh Smith, who’s still listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, did not practice Tuesday while recovering from a high ankle sprain.

Smith is second on the team in yards and was the only Vol to see the endzone against Oklahoma. Von Pearson is also nursing an ankle sprain and isn't expected to play.

However, it sounds more and more like Georgia's young secondary will see big Jason Croom, 6'5" 243lbs, out of Norcross GA. He missed the game in Norman altogether, but practiced in a regular jersey yesterday and appears full go coming back from a sore wrist. He only has 52 yards receiving, but is averaging over 17 yards a catch. You know Worley would like to get him back.

"...we've played them tough recently with worse teams."

Brick by brick. Rocky Top ain't completely reconstructed just yet. But that doesn't keep John Hollingsworth from taking a very realistic stance.

Chances of a Vols win (on a scale from 5-30): I'm going with 10. One one hand, this is one of four teams that present the biggest challenge for Tennessee. On the other hand, we've played them tough recently with worse teams.

He's completely right. Starting with last season and Pig's fumble. Of course, 2007 is another good example. Like 2007, Georgia enters this game already with an SEC East loss to South Carolina. Unlike last season, Georgia enters this game with a healthy Todd Gurley.

Win, and you avoid becoming Butch Jones' biggest "brick" yet. Lose, and just gonna be a lot of dark sarcasm in the classroom.

Humpday Hilarity - not those Trojans!

Live from a Troy AL Wal-Mart...

Clemson deep at RB too

Although not as experienced. They lose Roderick McDowell who had over a thousand yards last season (nearly 200 of which came against Georgia) in 189 attempts. They also lose quarterback Tajh Boyd who had 154 attempts himself. So it's expected that there would be some focus on who might absorb some of that load.

As a freshman, Howard averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 41 carries. As a sophomore, injuries held him back. Last season, he was banged up at times, but showed some growth in the passing game recording 123 receiving yards. Howard's brightest moment last season came against Wake Forest when he took a pass out of the backfield past three defenders for a 75 yard TD

He now enters the senior season of what has been a relatively quiet career but has a chance to end it with a bang, just like Roderick McDowell did last season. Howard is speedy and able to catch out of the backfield. He was a big-time recruit in 2010 and still has that home run ability, but in the past two years he's waited his turn behind Ellington and McDowell.

Finally healthy and the senior leader of the running back corps, Howard will have an opportunity to make some major contributions. I look for him to make sharper cuts, find holes, and be a major part of the run game, but only if he can make blocks and stay healthy. He has been listed as the starter on the most recent depth chart released by the staff.

Indeed. From the article and the depth chart it appears the load will fall mostly based on seniority. But Georgia's not the only program that has been recruiting the running back position well. With younger, talented backs like Gallman and Choice waiting in the wings, Georgia's defense is again going to have its hands full in the opener against the Tigers. Regardless of which one is in the backfield.

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl: keys to a victory formation

Short version: Dawgs win. Unless Todd Gurley gets abducted by Manti Te'o's girlfriend. (Again, within the statute of limitations on that one.)

This is Hutson Mason's game to shine. I'll get back to Gurley in a minute, because he's definitely a key to Georgia's victory. But when I reflect on where this program is, truly in transition between one legendary quarterback and his backup who is soon to be a fifth year senior, this is the game after Mason got the jitters out. This is the game after Mason lead his team back from a 20-0 hole. This is the game after the team, the offense and the huddle became his.

Nebraska gives up 7.1 yards per pass. Georgia averages 9.0. In the season opener the Cornhuskers gave up nearly 400 yards to Wyoming. Yes, WYOMING. They buckled down after that, but it was all to teams that don't have guys like Bennett and Conley (who practiced yesterday) and Wooten (playing in his last game not far from his home town) and two other seniors who contributed a lot in the passing game - Lynch and McGowan. Add in a couple eager, younger playmakers like Reggie Davis and Jonathon Rumph, and I think Mason will keep the Husker secondary busy. Very busy.

As for Gurley, in last season's Capital One Bowl he had 23 carries for 125 yards. He's fully rested and as healthy as he's been since mid-September. He's gonna get his.

On defense things are a little trickier. Grantham won't have Josh Harvey-Clemons or Sheldon Dawson. But the key will be stopping Ameer Abdullah on the ground. He has 59% of the rushing yards for Pelini. They weren't that good through the air with Taylor Martinez. At least not enough to really scare you. And they're a shadow of what they were once he went down with a foot injury in September. So yeh, it's all about stopping them on the ground. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out that this plays into Georgia's strength on that side of the ball.

Lastly, don't act the fool on special teams.

So, the keys: run the ball, catch the catchable passes, tackle them like you mean it, and don't go batshit crazy when kicking the football. Easy. Peasy. Lemon squeezy.

Cornhuskers talking the talk

I've only seen Nebraska play about 15 minutes of football this season. I think it was their game with UCLA too, so it was quite a while ago. Regardless, I don't know a whole lot beyond what I saw in the last Capital One Bowl. But they sound like they are taking the right approach to this bowl season's rematch with Georgia.

“We felt like we had a good chance of beating these guys last year,” Sirles said. “We kind of let it slip through our fingers a little bit. It’s almost a good chance to get back and get a little redemption.” 

“It might be frustration if we just blew them out last year,” Enunwa said, “but we lost.” 

As far as initial impressions go I'd have to give Nebraska an edge in terms of motivation, having saved their coach's job (at least according to locker room talk) and having lost the previous match up. We'll get into the actual on field, physical comparisons soon enough. But for now, is this enough to worry about? Just a little?

Monday's Meatloaf - when bean bags backfire

Any of you older siblings ever look back fondly on some of the pranks you pulled on your brothers and/or sisters? You know, to help prepare them for Life's pitfalls. It's noble work, if you are born into it.

Courage can be fleeting.

Anyway, one of my favorites was to take these decorative bean bags Mom had lying around the house and carefully place several on the blades of the ceiling fan. Then I made up some excuse for my younger sister to stand in the middle of the room. In a pinch this one usually worked like a charm - Just stand there and look at the fireplace. I think Santa is coming...do you hear the sleigh bells?  

Nevermind that it was June. But once the kid was placed appropriately I flipped the switch (note: for maximum effect, important that you toggle the fan speed to it's highest setting prior to setting the scene). The blades carry the weight for a few seconds before dumping their payload. Then you have a toddler who's eyes go from extreme wonderment to OMG What is happening?!?!! The ceiling!! It hates me!!

Then you wait an hour or so and set the scene again. Great fun. Until three decades later when your own kids trap you in your own scheme. I guess I had bragged about the prank once too often. My 11yo can be quite mischievous when she wants to be. And the 9yo can be an eager lemming to her older sister's misdeeds. To make a long story short, the master was done in my his own brilliant blueprint of deviousness. He cowered under a blanket to shield himself from the torpedoes of doom. He cried PLEASE!! Make it stop! THE HUMANITY!!! Their laughter tortured his ears from a safe distance, and he knew, should he survive the destruction, they would spend years reminding him of this pitiful moment when he was reduced to such an awkward display of distress.

On a positive note, at least I didn't need a diaper change after the entire affair. In another couple decades this story may have an entirely different ending.

Today's Ingredients
- Don't forget to register for the bowl pool. You don't want to miss out on the feats of strength!
- Groo is helping us get reacquainted with the Cornhuskers.
- Over seven minutes of Running Back U highlights? Thanks Greg!
- Tyler takes a moment to look forward to the playoffs, takes a left turn and finds a case study for what not to do.
- Of course, the Mack Brown saga has taken a turn since this was posted, but MaconDawg had some grand ideas for the soon to be former Longhorn coach in his next chapter.
- After what's been an anti-climatic yet still very intriguing year for him, Kimberley looks at what's next for Jadeveon Clowney.
- Feeling a bit reminiscent today, so the last few ingredients for today are some of the things I've earmarked and saved throughout the season. Outside of the arena, these are the things I will remember most about the season. I'm sure I missed a thing or two. So feel free to add in the comments.
- One of the brightest spots on the periphery of the actual action were the week to week videos produced. This one tugged a little harder at the heartstrings.
- Another masterful video, but fraught with ignominy.
- Maybe Muschamp should have Jeremy Foley schedule more chalkboards.
- If you're not into the whole brevity thing...In one single post just before the season began, Dawgden combined two of my favorite things to watch - the greatest movie to ever hate the Eagles and SEC football. It was a transcendental experience in Dudeism man.
- Lastly, I think we can all agree that Blutarsky hit the nail on the head when he shared his words and specifically this video as an encapsulation of why we're here. (addendum - he's at it again today)

The last person I'd like to recognize here is a commenter - tbone226. Way back when we were preparing to play at Auburn with a lake, I mentioned and provided a loose description of the picture below. I had been unable to locate it with Google. tbone made up for my lack in internetting investigation. Thank you again sir! That was one of the highlights to my blogging season and I look forward to using that picture again next August.

And the 2013 winner of Best Picture is....

That's a wrap for today Reader. Beware of flying objects. And giggling children.

Bernie

Today's keys to victory

The only offensive key I can dig up is for the offensive line to man up and play lights out. That Attachou kid has nearly a sack a game. The last thing Hutson Mason needs is to feel a lot of pressure when he's asked to pass. Make some holes for Gurley, Douglas and Green and create a nice pocket for the experienced backup turned starter.

Now to the other side of the ball.

We have to play disciplined defense. That means we have to tackle to the ground. None of that arm tackle crap that did us in back in '08. More like point of attack, wrap em up and take em down hard.

And that especially has to happen early. Grantham can't let his guys come out too keyed up where they make simple mistakes, ones we've been prone to during the season. If we hold them down early, they'll get frustrated. And quite honestly, our offense could have the game in hand by then and ready to squeeze it tight.

But play good, disciplined defense first and foremost. Stop the dive play and force this black russian Vlad kid to make mistakes. Because he will make them when put into a position to do that. For as many times as he runs the ball, he only averages a couple yards a carry. And he has almost as many picks as touchdowns thrown. Hassle him and he's just Reggie Ball with an ill-suited name.

Next, when they get their yards and get to the redzone, they're one of the best in the nation at getting seven points when they get there - over 85%. Even in their losses they score touchdowns when they get to the redzone 75% of the time. Our defense in the red zone has been much better since that murderous October run. That's got to be another key right there. Give up the yards, man up and force a turnover or a field goal attempt at best.

Lastly, protecting the ball is always a key. And Georgia Tech has been more horrible at it than we have this month, at least until they played Alabama A&M last week. Going into that cupcake they were -4 at Virginia, -1 Pittsburgh and -1 at Clemson. Georgia's been better, not significantly better. But better. If we can create some fumbles like we did last week against Kentucky it would be great.

Now, I gotta go make sure the bourbon is packed so that when these guys heckle me about SAT scores I can say, "Hey! Richt is to yellow jackets as winning is to reggie ball."

Bernie's here. Set phasers to stun. (or whatever the hell...)

Early thoughts on the flats

Limited posting here the next couple days, so I'll make this quick and to the point. After all, this is a pretty straight forward matchup.

Offensively we're fine. It'll be awkward not seeing #11 out there, but Mason will get plenty of work with the 1s this week. And of course we always have Gurley. In fact, he's such an important presence I went back and looked at his first game against the Yellow Jackets. He averaged eight yards a carry and 10 yards a catch with two touchdowns. So #3 is Mason's greatest asset, just as he was for Murray.

Defensively is a different story. What concerns me is that we're preparing for this offense on one week of practice. Last year we had GA Southern as a primer and the benefits were obvious as we actually defended the triple option better against Tech than the Eagles. Still, we can learn a thing or two from 2011 when we had the Nerds one week after Kentucky. It'll just take some discipline and decisive tackling. Like this

Finishing in the positive for turnover margin would also help tremendously.

And special teams...I'm thinking a return to the house would be spectacular. That's what I got. How about y'all?

Coach Richt would like us to know more about Jalen Whitlow

So here he is.

via cfbstats.com

Although the average yards per rush and yards per pass attempt isn't on par with Nick Marshall, the attempts per game in both categories is almost equal to the Auburn playmaker we just went up against. So Richt is right to worry about another dual threat quarterback.

The difference is the playmakers around Whitlow as compared to Marshall. The Kentucky quarterback is the Wildcats' leading rusher. So they don't have a Tre Mason. And they definitely don't have a Sammie Coates who is averaging over 22 yards a reception on the Plains. Kentucky's Javess Blue (number 8 in your program) is their leading receiver - 35 for 451 yards.

So Whitlow poses a threat with his arm and his feet, but the surrounding cast around Whitlow alone should make things easier for the defense this week as compared to last.

*Kentucky has also used Maxwell Smith a lot at quarterback this season. But he hasn't played the last two games.

Wiggins recalls Armati Edwards. Kind of.

Weiszer brings you up to date on all things App State here. Including their move to FBS football and subsequent transitional period. But what Shaq Wiggins remembers is the Mountaineers' big time televised moment.

Just last week, ESPN Classic re-aired a showing of a game that increased Appalachian State’s visibility nationally when it stunned No. 5 Michigan, 34-32, in 2007.

“Every time somebody brings up App State, I remember that game,” Georgia freshman cornerback Shaq Wiggins said. “I saw it on TV. All I remember is the black quarterback with the dreads, No. 10, I don’t know his name, but that’s all I remember when they say App State.”

Pass happy offenses - another look behind and ahead

A few weeks back I wondered if perhaps we'd seen the worst of it when it comes to defending against elite arms. Well, I went back and updated the spreadsheet I used, and to put it plainly...we ain't out of the woods just yet. (In parentheses I've noted the change in completion percentage and QB rating.)

	comp %	yards	TD	INT	rating
Boyd, Clemson	66 (+5)	1449	14	2	182.22 (+33)
Shaw, S. Carolina	68.8 (+4)	927	7	0	173.92 (+7)
Thompson, N. Texas	68 (-3)	1346	8	5	139.49 (-10)
Mettenberger, LSU	68.2 (+3)	1738	15	2	190.12 (-15)
Worley, Tenn	55.8 (-6)	940	9	6	121.54 (-20)
Franklin, Missouri	67.9 (+1)	1407	13	3	160.18 (+5)
Carta-Samuels, Vandy	66.1 (+8)	1561	10	6	152.05 (+14)
Driskel, Florida	70.9	444	2	2	143.45
Murphy, Florida	72.2	530	5	1	181.52
Bryant, App State	72.0 (+5)	900	6	2	170.3 (+32)
Marshall, Auburn	59.2 (-2)	902	4	4	126.64 (-18)
Smith, Kentucky	57.9 (+1)	634	4	1	158.5 (-4)
Lee, GA Tech	44.7 (-11)	625	7	4	133.69 (-85)

via cfbstats.com

Further impressions and other notes:

• Given Florida's change at quarterback after Driskel's injury I just added in Murphy's numbers for comparison purposes. Could've done the same thing for Kentucky, but looks like Max Smith will only miss the one game, and he's really their best option under center.
• Other than a pretty significant upswing for Florida in Tyler Murphy and a huge drop for Vad Lee on The Flats (bless his heart), things have remained relatively steady. 
• The next two QB's we face have only improved the last couple games. Oh joy!
• Looking at the SEC passing offense rankings, Missouri is fourth and Vandy is fifth. Catch our breath a bit, then we have Florida at 11th, Auburn at 12th and Kentucky at 10th.
• The longer I look at that chart the more it appears Georgia's pass coverage has two more weeks of a trial by fire before getting any type of relief from the other side of the line of scrimmage. Murphy has definitely been a statistical upgrade in Gainesville, but from what I've seen he is not on the level of what we've already faced as far as a murderers row of pure passers - Boyd, Shaw, Mettenberger, Worley). 
• Nick Marshall averages 5.42 yards per carry, and 7.5 per pass attempt. After a scare Saturday night, will he be around by the time we visit The Plains? I admit I haven't seen him play much thus far, but given his numbers on the season he reminds me of a young quarterback that is much quicker to trust his feet than what he's seeing downfield.

And again, just because:

Murray, Georgia    64.9 (-7)    1534    14    3    176.87 (-18)

The unbearable lightness of lackadaisicalness

North Texas is a 32 point dog in Athens tomorrow. So why are we so nervous? Sure, Akron set the stage well last week in Ann Arbor. But there are examples that hit much closer to home.

There was Troy in 2007 where the Dawgs won by double digits - albeit barely - in a game that was way too uncomfortable to watch. There was also Marshall in 2004, another 10 point victory over a mid-major, 13-3. Not to mention UAB in 2003, a narrow 16-13 victory by the skin of our teeth. Or more directly, a Blazer missed field goal.

Recently, you only have to look at last season's games against both Buffalo and to a lesser extent Florida Atlantic. Both were early season charity games that saw the defense struggle to contain an offense that should have barely put up a fight. Instead, we give up nearly 200 yards rushing to Buffalo and 134 to FAU on the way to allowing 23 and 20 points respectively.

Which is why I posted this last week in terms of stopping the run. The Mean Green can run the ball if someone lets them. They have some playmakers and they're bringing about 20 offensive linemen with them (seriously, take a look at how many big uglies they carry on their roster). Are we going to force them into long yardage on third down? Can we contain their mobile quarterback?

To the point, if we're going to have a shot in hell against LSU's punishing attack, we're going to have to develop an attitude and an identity on defense. Quick like. We can't be caught off guard by a fledgling football squad, or approach them with a lackadaisical attitude.

Our offense should be able to name their score tomorrow. I just hope our defense can follow suit.

Pass happy offenses, is the worst behind us?

Blutarsky hit on the new SEC meme that was put on grand display in the national game of interest this past Saturday. And that is that defense is minimalistic bordering on optional in the SEC this season. Georgia-South Carolina set the bar high (or low depending on how you look at it) and Alabama-Texas A&M cleared it easily.

But the point he makes (through a Rece Davis final thought on the weekend) speaks to experienced quarterbacks having the advantage, at least thus far. Murray, and his veteran compadres in McCarron, Manziel and Shaw, are all off to great starts this season. So I thought it might behoove us to take a look at how future opponents are faring under center. I left Boyd and Shaw in there for comparison purposes.

	comp %	yards	TD	INT	rating
Boyd, Clemson	60.4	439	3	0	148.64
Shaw, S. Carolina	64.9	661	6	0	166.66
Thompson, UNT	70.9	818	5	2	149.72
Mettenberger, LSU	65.2	797	9	0	205.29
Worley, Tenn	61.4	372	5	1	141.66
Franklin, Missouri	66.7	530	4	1	155.12
Carta-Samuels, Vandy	58.8	670	4	3	138.1
Driskel, Florida	70.9	444	2	2	143.45
Bryant, App State	67.4	307	2	1	138.1
Marshall, Auburn	61.4	585	4	2	144.78
Smith, Kentucky	57.1	544	4	0	162.31
Lee, GA Tech	55.6	314	6	1	219.17

Impressions:

• First and foremost, still very early as most of this is based on two, maybe three games worth. But these stats give us something to chew on nonetheless.
• For what it's worth, Vandy, App State and Kentucky use more than one quarterback. What you see here are their leaders thus far.
• Mettenberger has really had his way early. And he'll go against an Auburn pass defense ranked dead last in the SEC this Saturday as his last primer before a return trip to Athens.
• Speaking of conference rankings in pass defense, the Dawgs will play three of the bottom five - Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Auburn. (The other two of that group by the way is Georgia and Alabama. Food for thought.)
• Unless you believe in Vad Lee's stats against the likes of Elon and Duke, Mettenberger is the most efficient and productive passer on our schedule. But he too, to a lesser extent, is a product of some cupcake crumbs. His passer rating against TCU in the opener - 126.2.
• Driskel is just gonna do Driskel things y'all.
• Overall, the most experienced and dangerous quarterbacks appear to be behind us.

And just for the sake of comparison:

Aaron Murray - 71.2  /  632  / 4  /  1  /  194.77

Stopping the run begins with the Mean Green

North Texas offers an opportunity to "get well" against the run for Grantham's defense. And they really must make strides next Saturday. Because LSU will present the biggest test in terms of stopping the run since we played Alabama in December.

But when the rush defense is giving up over 200 yards on the season (and 269 a game the last six games) you don't have the luxury of overlooking any opponent, including North Texas. So here goes.

So far this season the Mean Green use multiple backs, all about the same size (5-9, 220) - Brandin Byrd, Antoinne Jimmerson and Reggie Pegram. Together they've averaged 3.79 yards a carry on a team that had 478 rushing attempts last season to 375 passes. I would expect Byrd to get the bulk of the carries; he's the senior and is averaging nearly five yards per attempt.

Perhaps the best measure of what to expect is last year's season opener when North Texas went to Baton Rouge. The Mean Green managed only 219 total yards, most of which came on an 80 yard pass play (note: remember the name Brelan Chancellor as he torched the entire Tiger secondary on that play). Later in the fourth quarter with the game well out of reach, North Texas constructed a 13 play drive covering 66 yards for their second touchdown (another pass to Chancellor).

Overall, UNT ran the ball 35 times that evening against LSU and managed only 76 yards, including two failed end arounds to receivers for -13 yards.

So what can we expect to see differently from our defense? Personnel-wise we know that the coaches are wanting to see what they have behind Ramik Wilson. That likely means freshmen Tim Kimbrough and Reggie Carter will see some playing time beside Amarlo Herrera. In fact, I'd expect both to get long looks. And two other freshmen - Ryne Rankin and Johnny O'Neal - could also come into play. But right now the pecking order appears to have Kimbrough just behind Carter on the two deep behind Wilson and Herrera.

I think we'll also see a deeper rotation along the defensive line in an effort to get some experience up front. Grantham and Wilson have really tinkered with the personnel here. It'll be interesting to see who steps forward. I also think we'll key on the run and let the secondary play a lot of man coverage against the smaller Mean Green playmakers. It will put pressure on our linebackers who will have to make reads quickly to cover the intermediate routes as well as help in run support when the ball is handed off.

It'll be time to worry if North Texas starts to average 7+ ypc. That will likely mean the starters play longer and the playbook is opened up more and more. But if we can hold the Mean Green to under 4 ypc, that'll translate into long third down conversion attempts and better time of possession. Then we can send the Mean Green home with a nice paycheck to go along with a good thumping.