Three Observations
3. Outcoaching Tennessee.
I usually don’t like to make claims about one coach being better than another as there are too many variables. One may have more talent. Or the perfect play call may have failed due to a missed assignment. We just don’t know enough. But I thought Kirby Smart asking the fans to help, making use of his environment like some modern-day Rambo running through the woods, was borderline genius. He married that to a sinister Machiavellian defensive scheme that had Hendon Hooker guessing all night.
It’s no wonder other programs want that same elite level of coaching. But there’s one Kirby and he isn’t going anywhere. So what do you do when you want their Nirvana but can’t? Well, you go get the Foo Fighters.
Kirby has only been a head coach for seven years, yet he has an expansive coaching tree. Mel Tucker, Sam Pittman, Dan Lanning, and Shane Beamer are all head coaches now. Lanning has Oregon in the top six. There’s actual Bo Nix Heisman talk. But then Heisman voters, like crows albeit less intelligent, like shiny things.
Despite losing Lanning and eight defensive starters, Will Muschamp and Glenn Schumann have done a truly remarkable job this year. Tennessee and Oregon are both averaging nearly 45 points a game, yet this UGA defensive squad held them to a combined 16 points.
Credit also needs to go to Tray Scott, Fran Brown, and Chidera Uzo-Diribe. Brown and Uzo-Diribe have made their marks on the field and on the recruiting trail. They’re stars in the making. Scott lost three starters up front, yet his defensive line stops the run better than Imodium A-D.
New additions Bryan McClendon and Stacy Searels deserve some credit, too. B-Mac doesn’t have a top wideout, yet the Dawgs have a top-10 passing offense. Searels' charges seem to play nastier than Shakira.
Watch the sideline during games. Smart has his college roommate by his side to help out with game management, which has been much improved this year. Some of those guys even know when they have a touchdown on the way before the ball leaves Stetson Bennett’s hands.
2. Watch out for these two.
Mississippi State has two of the best players in the nation. Emmanuel Forbes is a big, physical cornerback who leads the nation in interceptions. He has five picks on the year, two of which he has returned for touchdowns. He’s aggressive and anticipates well. Georgia may take some shots at him, but like a Mexican resort bar, there are safer places to take your shots.
Leatrick Griffin leads the nation in kickoff returns. He picks up 33 yards on average. Griffin also has blazing speed as a wide receiver. It will be imperative for Jack Podlesny to put his kickoffs into the endzone.
Mike Leach goes for it on fourth down all over the field. MSU has 23 fourth-down attempts on the season. Side note: They have only attempted 11 field goals. Making Mississippi State go 75-yards per drive is another good reason for Podlesny to kick it deep.
1. Facing the Air Raid.
Mississippi State has thrown the ball 448 times this year. The next closest team in the SEC, Georgia, has thrown the ball 325 times. Kentucky has 239 pass attempts. That just gives you an idea of the challenge Georgia faces. It’s a system the Dawgs seldom face.
The Air Raid relies on precision timing with a lot of short routes and screens. When you concentrate on stopping the pass, they hit you with effective runs. MSU makes a lot of first downs, keeps the ball away from you, and wins the time of possession.
Georgia will need to make the most of the limited number of possessions it will get. Getting a few stops early will be important as well. State likes to start quickly, outscoring opponents 76 to 14 in the first quarter. But then Georgia has been great in the first half, scoring 208 points and only allowing 41.
Also, Georgia leads the nation in red zone scoring, converting 50 out of 51 trips. The only place Georgia scores easier is at a Florida Tri Delt spring formal.
MSU isn’t as good as they used to be in pass protection, and Georgia showed its best defensive pressures of the year last week versus Tennessee. A healthy Jalen Carter sort of feels like cheating.
The key for UGA is to mix up the fronts and coverages to confuse Will Rogers. Make him execute and don’t give up any free plays. The Dawgs may drop eight players into coverage. Don’t panic. It’s been quite effective if mixed with other schemes against a Leach offense.
Look for Georgia to mix coverages and show different presnap looks to confuse the MSU wide receivers who run routes based on how the defense lines up. Hendon Hooker is still hearing Javon Bullard's footsteps.
Two questions
2. Is Sanford Stadium becoming scary?
If we’re honest with ourselves, Sanford Stadium doesn’t have the reputation of being an absolutely miserable place to play. When pundits talk about loud stadiums, they mention Neyland or LSU at night. Arrowhead Stadium or a Seattle Seahawks home game are usually on the list. Kyle Field can be really loud, but these days it’s full of Texas A&M fans screaming for Jimbo Fisher’s spleen. Even South Carolina is loud until all the towel-waving is over and they actually kick off.
Sanford seldom makes the list. Until now.
Dooley Field is fast becoming known as one of the loudest venues in sports. And that’s despite one end of it being more open than Brock Bowers.
It’s a place you don’t want to go, like your mother-in-law’s lingerie drawer. It’s terrifying and it's a no-win situation.
I’ve been to plenty of stadiums. If you think it’s loud in the stands, I can tell you it’s ear-splitting on the field. In section 313, you hear the people around you. On the 30 yard-line, the offensive linemen get a 360-degree auditory assault.
Last week, Kirby challenged the Georgia faithful. Tennessee fans accused him of being scared. But Smart basically told UGA fans they could affect the outcome in a tangible way. No need for lucky hats or superstitious rituals—-just show up and yell until you are light-headed.
It worked. And each time Tennessee jumped, the crowd somehow got even louder. That was mind-boggling. But then it started to rain and everyone thought the fans would scatter. Georgia had the game in hand and it was pouring. Yet the Georgia fans got even louder when the rain came.
Imagine being Vols center Cooper Mays trying to snap a wet ball in a deluge with all that noise focused on you. All those fans screaming, some even giving you the finger.
Sanford Stadium is a beautiful venue, but it hides a dark side now.
1. Will Georgia lose any coaches?
There are a ton of openings in the college football coaching ranks. Those athletic directors and their search committees are looking at Georgia’s success and the effectiveness of Kirby’s tree mentioned above.
Todd Monken, with his previous experience as a head coach and his NFL background, is being touted for the USF job. He is familiar with the Tampa area from his time with the Bucs. Georgia Tech is kicking the tires on him as well. Monken will be very selective when it comes to opportunities. Our Auburn site has heard rumors about Monken being targeted there as well.
Dell McGee is being mentioned as a candidate for the Auburn job. My guess is that they go after an established head coach, though. McGee will be highly attractive to many of the other non-Power 5 schools with his recruiting history and tailback development.
Glenn Schumann has had one hell of a debut as a defensive play caller. With the success that Lanning has had, Schumann will get a hard look from athletic directors and search firms.
Will Muschamp seems to have found his niche here in Athens. I’d be surprised if he left. It would take a really good situation to uproot him.
One Prediction
This could be another statement game if Georgia just picks up where it left off last week. Or it could be a fight for all the reasons I mentioned above.
For example, as Balyen points out in his deep dive, “Mississippi State has scored an average of 42.3 points per game in its six wins this year…[but] only averages 13 points per contest in its three losses.”
Feast or famine for that offense. I am predicting Georgia feasts so long as it doesn’t give up any special teams blunder or easy scores. Cutting down on penalties in the secondary would be helpful. MSU needs Georgia to make mistakes. That’s its only real hope (and it can happen). I just don’t see Stetson Bennett or Jalen Carter making a lot of those right now.
P.S. Did I miss it or was the Orange takeover of Sanford quite the dud?
P.P.S. On this Veterans Day, we here at UGASports want to thank you for your service. We have the best jobs in the world and are serving the greatest community ever, because you made it happen. I want to especially thank my two older brothers and my two nephews who served. This little grunt is up next.
3. Outcoaching Tennessee.
I usually don’t like to make claims about one coach being better than another as there are too many variables. One may have more talent. Or the perfect play call may have failed due to a missed assignment. We just don’t know enough. But I thought Kirby Smart asking the fans to help, making use of his environment like some modern-day Rambo running through the woods, was borderline genius. He married that to a sinister Machiavellian defensive scheme that had Hendon Hooker guessing all night.
It’s no wonder other programs want that same elite level of coaching. But there’s one Kirby and he isn’t going anywhere. So what do you do when you want their Nirvana but can’t? Well, you go get the Foo Fighters.
Kirby has only been a head coach for seven years, yet he has an expansive coaching tree. Mel Tucker, Sam Pittman, Dan Lanning, and Shane Beamer are all head coaches now. Lanning has Oregon in the top six. There’s actual Bo Nix Heisman talk. But then Heisman voters, like crows albeit less intelligent, like shiny things.
Despite losing Lanning and eight defensive starters, Will Muschamp and Glenn Schumann have done a truly remarkable job this year. Tennessee and Oregon are both averaging nearly 45 points a game, yet this UGA defensive squad held them to a combined 16 points.
Credit also needs to go to Tray Scott, Fran Brown, and Chidera Uzo-Diribe. Brown and Uzo-Diribe have made their marks on the field and on the recruiting trail. They’re stars in the making. Scott lost three starters up front, yet his defensive line stops the run better than Imodium A-D.
New additions Bryan McClendon and Stacy Searels deserve some credit, too. B-Mac doesn’t have a top wideout, yet the Dawgs have a top-10 passing offense. Searels' charges seem to play nastier than Shakira.
Watch the sideline during games. Smart has his college roommate by his side to help out with game management, which has been much improved this year. Some of those guys even know when they have a touchdown on the way before the ball leaves Stetson Bennett’s hands.
2. Watch out for these two.
Mississippi State has two of the best players in the nation. Emmanuel Forbes is a big, physical cornerback who leads the nation in interceptions. He has five picks on the year, two of which he has returned for touchdowns. He’s aggressive and anticipates well. Georgia may take some shots at him, but like a Mexican resort bar, there are safer places to take your shots.
Leatrick Griffin leads the nation in kickoff returns. He picks up 33 yards on average. Griffin also has blazing speed as a wide receiver. It will be imperative for Jack Podlesny to put his kickoffs into the endzone.
Mike Leach goes for it on fourth down all over the field. MSU has 23 fourth-down attempts on the season. Side note: They have only attempted 11 field goals. Making Mississippi State go 75-yards per drive is another good reason for Podlesny to kick it deep.
1. Facing the Air Raid.
Mississippi State has thrown the ball 448 times this year. The next closest team in the SEC, Georgia, has thrown the ball 325 times. Kentucky has 239 pass attempts. That just gives you an idea of the challenge Georgia faces. It’s a system the Dawgs seldom face.
The Air Raid relies on precision timing with a lot of short routes and screens. When you concentrate on stopping the pass, they hit you with effective runs. MSU makes a lot of first downs, keeps the ball away from you, and wins the time of possession.
Georgia will need to make the most of the limited number of possessions it will get. Getting a few stops early will be important as well. State likes to start quickly, outscoring opponents 76 to 14 in the first quarter. But then Georgia has been great in the first half, scoring 208 points and only allowing 41.
Also, Georgia leads the nation in red zone scoring, converting 50 out of 51 trips. The only place Georgia scores easier is at a Florida Tri Delt spring formal.
MSU isn’t as good as they used to be in pass protection, and Georgia showed its best defensive pressures of the year last week versus Tennessee. A healthy Jalen Carter sort of feels like cheating.
The key for UGA is to mix up the fronts and coverages to confuse Will Rogers. Make him execute and don’t give up any free plays. The Dawgs may drop eight players into coverage. Don’t panic. It’s been quite effective if mixed with other schemes against a Leach offense.
Look for Georgia to mix coverages and show different presnap looks to confuse the MSU wide receivers who run routes based on how the defense lines up. Hendon Hooker is still hearing Javon Bullard's footsteps.
Two questions
2. Is Sanford Stadium becoming scary?
If we’re honest with ourselves, Sanford Stadium doesn’t have the reputation of being an absolutely miserable place to play. When pundits talk about loud stadiums, they mention Neyland or LSU at night. Arrowhead Stadium or a Seattle Seahawks home game are usually on the list. Kyle Field can be really loud, but these days it’s full of Texas A&M fans screaming for Jimbo Fisher’s spleen. Even South Carolina is loud until all the towel-waving is over and they actually kick off.
Sanford seldom makes the list. Until now.
Dooley Field is fast becoming known as one of the loudest venues in sports. And that’s despite one end of it being more open than Brock Bowers.
It’s a place you don’t want to go, like your mother-in-law’s lingerie drawer. It’s terrifying and it's a no-win situation.
I’ve been to plenty of stadiums. If you think it’s loud in the stands, I can tell you it’s ear-splitting on the field. In section 313, you hear the people around you. On the 30 yard-line, the offensive linemen get a 360-degree auditory assault.
Last week, Kirby challenged the Georgia faithful. Tennessee fans accused him of being scared. But Smart basically told UGA fans they could affect the outcome in a tangible way. No need for lucky hats or superstitious rituals—-just show up and yell until you are light-headed.
It worked. And each time Tennessee jumped, the crowd somehow got even louder. That was mind-boggling. But then it started to rain and everyone thought the fans would scatter. Georgia had the game in hand and it was pouring. Yet the Georgia fans got even louder when the rain came.
Imagine being Vols center Cooper Mays trying to snap a wet ball in a deluge with all that noise focused on you. All those fans screaming, some even giving you the finger.
Sanford Stadium is a beautiful venue, but it hides a dark side now.
1. Will Georgia lose any coaches?
There are a ton of openings in the college football coaching ranks. Those athletic directors and their search committees are looking at Georgia’s success and the effectiveness of Kirby’s tree mentioned above.
Todd Monken, with his previous experience as a head coach and his NFL background, is being touted for the USF job. He is familiar with the Tampa area from his time with the Bucs. Georgia Tech is kicking the tires on him as well. Monken will be very selective when it comes to opportunities. Our Auburn site has heard rumors about Monken being targeted there as well.
Dell McGee is being mentioned as a candidate for the Auburn job. My guess is that they go after an established head coach, though. McGee will be highly attractive to many of the other non-Power 5 schools with his recruiting history and tailback development.
Glenn Schumann has had one hell of a debut as a defensive play caller. With the success that Lanning has had, Schumann will get a hard look from athletic directors and search firms.
Will Muschamp seems to have found his niche here in Athens. I’d be surprised if he left. It would take a really good situation to uproot him.
One Prediction
This could be another statement game if Georgia just picks up where it left off last week. Or it could be a fight for all the reasons I mentioned above.
For example, as Balyen points out in his deep dive, “Mississippi State has scored an average of 42.3 points per game in its six wins this year…[but] only averages 13 points per contest in its three losses.”
Feast or famine for that offense. I am predicting Georgia feasts so long as it doesn’t give up any special teams blunder or easy scores. Cutting down on penalties in the secondary would be helpful. MSU needs Georgia to make mistakes. That’s its only real hope (and it can happen). I just don’t see Stetson Bennett or Jalen Carter making a lot of those right now.
P.S. Did I miss it or was the Orange takeover of Sanford quite the dud?
P.P.S. On this Veterans Day, we here at UGASports want to thank you for your service. We have the best jobs in the world and are serving the greatest community ever, because you made it happen. I want to especially thank my two older brothers and my two nephews who served. This little grunt is up next.
