Saturday, November 15, 2014
Two keys to victory: Auburn edition
Huge game. Win, and there's a good chance we're in Atlanta in a few weeks. Lose, and it's a long cold walk back to the car.
1. Touchdowns. A punt is a loss and a field goal just means you're not trying hard enough.
2. Win the turnover margin. Securing the football means you're giving Malzahn less chances to run the football, ergo score.
Auburn is in a curious position. They're coming off a hard loss that brought many questions to the surface. We know Malzahn is a great coach. Did he press the right reset button this week? I expect a loud raucous crowd and a back and forth slugfest. The coaches that did the best job preparing their team for that kind of game will be riding high tonight.
Have fun. Stay warm. And most importantly, Go Dawgs!
1. Touchdowns. A punt is a loss and a field goal just means you're not trying hard enough.
2. Win the turnover margin. Securing the football means you're giving Malzahn less chances to run the football, ergo score.
Auburn is in a curious position. They're coming off a hard loss that brought many questions to the surface. We know Malzahn is a great coach. Did he press the right reset button this week? I expect a loud raucous crowd and a back and forth slugfest. The coaches that did the best job preparing their team for that kind of game will be riding high tonight.
Have fun. Stay warm. And most importantly, Go Dawgs!
Friday, November 14, 2014
The twenty-four hour jitters
As usual I'll give you my keys to victory tomorrow. But here just 24 hours until kickoff, I have one big worry.
Can the crowd stay in the game?
I can see this turning heavily in Georgia's favor somehow. Much more likely I think it will be a close affair with one team taking control in the final stanza.
What we can't afford is for the electricity to wane if Auburn takes control early. So many college football games have little to do with the crowd noise and participation. They just don't. The teams determine the score in a sterile environment.
Tomorrow ain't one of those games. The fans have to be in it to win it from fifteen minutes before kickoff until the end of the game.
In fact, you only have to look at how Auburn's last game ended to envision some communication problems and confidence breakdowns at key moments. In that regard, like I've been saying all week, get there early and get there with your loudest voice. And then get louder.
Can the crowd stay in the game?
I can see this turning heavily in Georgia's favor somehow. Much more likely I think it will be a close affair with one team taking control in the final stanza.
What we can't afford is for the electricity to wane if Auburn takes control early. So many college football games have little to do with the crowd noise and participation. They just don't. The teams determine the score in a sterile environment.
Tomorrow ain't one of those games. The fans have to be in it to win it from fifteen minutes before kickoff until the end of the game.
In fact, you only have to look at how Auburn's last game ended to envision some communication problems and confidence breakdowns at key moments. In that regard, like I've been saying all week, get there early and get there with your loudest voice. And then get louder.
Battle ready.
I alluded to this edition of the Georgia-Auburn series earlier. With three picks on the day Tra Battle caught almost as many Brandon Cox passes as Tiger receivers did (the AU quarterback finished 4-12 for 35 yards and four interceptions). It was a monumental effort from the Georgia safety as Georgia went on to shock #5 ranked Auburn 37-15.
If you want to watch the whole game, here it is. You weren't going to get anything more done today anyway.
Go Dawgs!
That's cool Gurley. But don't quit your night job.
Of course he did. Just surprised there were only five.
Todd Gurley got 27 write-in votes in Athens-Clarke County general elections; 5 for state Senate, Online Athens reported
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) November 14, 2014
The Friday Misery is ready to BAT THAT SH*T DOWN!!
How do you get a WarDamnTiglesman to stop writing funny checks from under the table?
You bat that shit down.
We ain't ready. Not me. Not you.
We spent all week fighting over our own colors. We ain't ready. Our hashtags and our tweets and our lunch time chats and our phone conversations and our message bored typing and our emails and our BookFace posts and our dinner table conversations were all full of piss and vinegar and disdain for each other. We ain't ready. In a week when we should've pulled together, all we did was pull ourselves apart. We ain't ready. A day before the biggest damn game of the season and you're more worried about what I'm wearing tomorrow night than spending every goddamn second hating Auburn. We ain't ready. On the eve of the schedule's biggest nationally televised showdown and I'm more worried about whether there's enough bourbon in my tailgate cup to make it so far into the evening than I am about measuring just how high the Auburn tree grows without branching. We ain't ready. We had all week to do nothing but hate Auburn, and we just pissed that shit away. We ain't ready. We were kicking Kentucky's ass so hard it afforded us an extra couple hours to look down on our ugly ass step-sister from Opelika and yet all we did was beg Coach Richt to arrange our wardrobe. We ain't ready.
We ain't ready. But we're gonna get there. Tighten that belt. Drain that drink. Clench that fist and set that jaw. The days are up and we're down to hours now. Let's go...
Together.
It's not the colors on your back that matters, because it's what's in your heart that makes a difference. I give you my word and I raise my hand. Please, let's ready them as one and let's steady them for the storm of emotions. Let's prepare our hearts and minds to weather the tumult below our feet. It won't be given to us so we must prepare to take it, to earn it with every moment and every snap of the ball. Just to say we are ready is not nearly enough. We must breathe it with every word and we must clench it against the cold November night air.
We've spent 41 days on the road away from home. We withstood obstacles we didn't know existed. We fought enemies we thought were vanquished. They said we were a team but with just one player. They said we were a program without merit. They said we couldn't and yet we did. They said we'd perish and yet we survived.
Our flaws were exposed for the world to see. And yet we scored. Yes, we scored against the odds and while he sat; we scored when they said we wouldn't and we scored when they said we couldn't.
Talk is cheap and it said Mason wasn't ready. Talk is dirty and it said that other team "was due". Talk was for Saturday mornings and we came to play on Saturday afternoons. We didn't do it all but we did as much as we were able. We proved to be an imperfect team and an imperfect fanbase. Our vulnerabilities were displayed, at times embarrassingly. But together we're Georgia. Together we are one. Together we move forward, because divided we will lose.
They are Auburn. Their spring practice is writing checks and building "steeples". While we work, they copy answers and get the better grade. Lady Fortuna may have been born on Toomers' Corner, but she doesn't have a ticket to this game. She tried to hand me money but fumbled it on the snap.
They are Auburn. They cheat for the chance. We fight for the honor. They steal for the spotlight. We grind for the Glory. They are only Auburn, but we are always Georgia. Tomorrow is one more opportunity to stand beside you and with Munson in our ears and bourbon on our breath, hunker it down one more time you guys!
When the Dawgs take the field we will raise our eager hands and lay our voices down upon them as one. They will know we mean hard business when the earth beneath them shakes. There, in Sanford, we will stand side by side. Our voices will be one and our spirit will remain unbroken. We will bring everything we have to Athens, prepared to lay it all down.
Yes, the opportunity was there last year and it fell horrifically from our fingertips. This year, in Athens...tomorrow night, in Sanford, we're gonna BAT THAT SHIT DOWN!! Because we are Georgia, and because we are one.
Bow your heads please...Dear Lord, please protect the toilet paper dispensers in Athens this weekend. As well as our local livestock. And whenever you have a spare moment, hand Todd Gurley the ball. Again. Amen.
You bat that shit down.
We ain't ready. Not me. Not you.
We spent all week fighting over our own colors. We ain't ready. Our hashtags and our tweets and our lunch time chats and our phone conversations and our message bored typing and our emails and our BookFace posts and our dinner table conversations were all full of piss and vinegar and disdain for each other. We ain't ready. In a week when we should've pulled together, all we did was pull ourselves apart. We ain't ready. A day before the biggest damn game of the season and you're more worried about what I'm wearing tomorrow night than spending every goddamn second hating Auburn. We ain't ready. On the eve of the schedule's biggest nationally televised showdown and I'm more worried about whether there's enough bourbon in my tailgate cup to make it so far into the evening than I am about measuring just how high the Auburn tree grows without branching. We ain't ready. We had all week to do nothing but hate Auburn, and we just pissed that shit away. We ain't ready. We were kicking Kentucky's ass so hard it afforded us an extra couple hours to look down on our ugly ass step-sister from Opelika and yet all we did was beg Coach Richt to arrange our wardrobe. We ain't ready.
We ain't ready. But we're gonna get there. Tighten that belt. Drain that drink. Clench that fist and set that jaw. The days are up and we're down to hours now. Let's go...
 |
| Proof. Ain't the size of the Dawg in the fight, but the size of the fight in the Dawg. |
It's not the colors on your back that matters, because it's what's in your heart that makes a difference. I give you my word and I raise my hand. Please, let's ready them as one and let's steady them for the storm of emotions. Let's prepare our hearts and minds to weather the tumult below our feet. It won't be given to us so we must prepare to take it, to earn it with every moment and every snap of the ball. Just to say we are ready is not nearly enough. We must breathe it with every word and we must clench it against the cold November night air.
We've spent 41 days on the road away from home. We withstood obstacles we didn't know existed. We fought enemies we thought were vanquished. They said we were a team but with just one player. They said we were a program without merit. They said we couldn't and yet we did. They said we'd perish and yet we survived.
Our flaws were exposed for the world to see. And yet we scored. Yes, we scored against the odds and while he sat; we scored when they said we wouldn't and we scored when they said we couldn't.
 |
| We are one. |
Talk is cheap and it said Mason wasn't ready. Talk is dirty and it said that other team "was due". Talk was for Saturday mornings and we came to play on Saturday afternoons. We didn't do it all but we did as much as we were able. We proved to be an imperfect team and an imperfect fanbase. Our vulnerabilities were displayed, at times embarrassingly. But together we're Georgia. Together we are one. Together we move forward, because divided we will lose.
They are Auburn. Their spring practice is writing checks and building "steeples". While we work, they copy answers and get the better grade. Lady Fortuna may have been born on Toomers' Corner, but she doesn't have a ticket to this game. She tried to hand me money but fumbled it on the snap.
They are Auburn. They cheat for the chance. We fight for the honor. They steal for the spotlight. We grind for the Glory. They are only Auburn, but we are always Georgia. Tomorrow is one more opportunity to stand beside you and with Munson in our ears and bourbon on our breath, hunker it down one more time you guys!
When the Dawgs take the field we will raise our eager hands and lay our voices down upon them as one. They will know we mean hard business when the earth beneath them shakes. There, in Sanford, we will stand side by side. Our voices will be one and our spirit will remain unbroken. We will bring everything we have to Athens, prepared to lay it all down.
Yes, the opportunity was there last year and it fell horrifically from our fingertips. This year, in Athens...tomorrow night, in Sanford, we're gonna BAT THAT SHIT DOWN!! Because we are Georgia, and because we are one.
Bow your heads please...Dear Lord, please protect the toilet paper dispensers in Athens this weekend. As well as our local livestock. And whenever you have a spare moment, hand Todd Gurley the ball. Again. Amen.
Pat Dye and two-ply Charmin
Just because I haven't used the blog to hate enough this week..
Somewhere Pat Dye has one thumb up his ass while trying to count to six, because that’s the abuurn way. #WarDamnTiglesmen
— Bernie (@BernieDawg) November 14, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Auburn's defensive breakdowns
I don't know about you, but I haven't seen much of Auburn yet. What I've gleaned from the media this week is that the offense is still very good but the defense is struggling. Sure, I could go pore over the stats - scoring 38 and giving 24 - but I'm a visual learner.
So I found this video with some highlighted breakdowns from the Texas A&M game. Now, it presents itself as a really bad comedy routine initially, but eventually Cubelic gets around to some worthwhile analysis.
What I found particularly interesting was how the Aggies' quarterback kept the Auburn defensive backs off kilter with play action and pump fakes. Now, play fakes haven't been Hutson Mason's area of expertise, but he's improved a lot there since September. Part of that is gaining confidence in his offensive line; another is having more targets running routes.
I can see this being a close game. In fact, I expect it to be. It may even come down to whoever has the ball last. But there's a part of me that thinks Georgia could really come out and give the Tigers sixty minutes of sheer hell. If Bobo establishes the run early (like we expect he will given Gurley's return), then those intermediate and long routes are going to be open.
And that's when things could really get fun.
So I found this video with some highlighted breakdowns from the Texas A&M game. Now, it presents itself as a really bad comedy routine initially, but eventually Cubelic gets around to some worthwhile analysis.
What I found particularly interesting was how the Aggies' quarterback kept the Auburn defensive backs off kilter with play action and pump fakes. Now, play fakes haven't been Hutson Mason's area of expertise, but he's improved a lot there since September. Part of that is gaining confidence in his offensive line; another is having more targets running routes.
I can see this being a close game. In fact, I expect it to be. It may even come down to whoever has the ball last. But there's a part of me that thinks Georgia could really come out and give the Tigers sixty minutes of sheer hell. If Bobo establishes the run early (like we expect he will given Gurley's return), then those intermediate and long routes are going to be open.
And that's when things could really get fun.
Scott-Wesley could do "something anytime now"
NCAA rulings aside, one of the more curious side stories this season has been the health, availability, and lack of production of Justin Scott-Wesley. He's gone from suspended but maybe not all that healthy to ready and sometimes even on the field. What's entirely missing are any stats to speak of in his junior season.
And sounds like Richt has been waiting like the rest of us.
And sounds like Richt has been waiting like the rest of us.
Wide receiver Justin Scott-Wesley has played in three of the last four games, but still hasn’t caught a pass this season. “He’s getting there, he’s working hard,” Richt said. “ I wouldn’t be surprised to see him do something anytime now, but it wouldn’t have surprised me last week or the week before.”A tip of the cap to the head guy's subtle motivation needle. And honestly, there'd be no better time than Saturday night if you ask me.
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