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Three Observations
3. Making chicken salad. When the Georgia versus Arkansas game was set for noon, my first thought was about recruiting. That was going to be a huge weekend for visits. But a noon kickoff is about as sexy as a smoker's cough. The kids who play away games on Friday night don’t get back until late, and many of them can’t turn around and make an early kickoff.
But Kirby Smart and company pulled it off anyway. Read Jed’s recruiting 3-2-1 for more. It was a recruiting gold mine. When the signing class is done, look back on last weekend as the launch point.
In fact it was a perfect day. For seven hours, Georgia was the center of the college football universe. Myers Quad was packed for College GameDay. The recruits saw the students run into the stands an hour and a half before kickoff. Then they watched the ESPN guys working right behind them on the bridge. The atmosphere was so loud, recruits had to yell to be heard by their coaches who were sitting right beside them. College GameDay had its best ratings since 2015.
The fact that Georgia shut out the No. 8 team in the nation was just gravy.
Sexy, sexy gravy.
2. Can’t win against a narrative. The national pundits who keep saying the Bulldogs haven’t played anyone are becoming more annoying than South Georgia gnats. Yes, Clemson is not the powerhouse it was. And Arkansas was only a year removed from being bad. Vandy is awful and South Carolina is doomed. But what bugs me is that if Georgia beats a No. 8 team, then that No. 8 team wasn’t any good. If Georgia beats No. 18 Auburn, we will hear the same refrain. None of the pundits will mention that Georgia beat two top ten teams with either a backup quarterback or a starter who was injured so badly he wouldn’t play the next week.
And the same experts point to Georgia’s recruiting as if it were some unnatural advantage. The last time I looked, those kids could sign anywhere. Smart and company outworked a lot of people to land them. And don’t get me started on how “the transfer portal has helped Georgia.” That talking point is decidedly one-sided. Georgia has lost a ton of players to the portal. Miami, FSU, LSU, Florida, Temple, Tennessee and a host of other schools should send Smart a thank-you card.
1. Strengthening weaknesses. My concern for Georgia early in the season has been eliminated, at least statistically. I thought the Bulldogs secondary was going to get roasted a few times, especially by Clemson. Well, it’s hard to throw the ball deep when you are running from Jordan Davis.
And guess which team leads the SEC in passing defense? Georgia does. Fewest completions, fewest yards, fewest touchdowns allowed (one), second-most number of interceptions, fewest yards per attempt, etc. As I mentioned last week, a lot of that success in the secondary is masked by the effectiveness of the front seven. But the secondary is coming into its own. This is game six on the season. Kelee Ringo has grown each week. Now he and Derion Kendrick can shut down a receiver. Latavious Brini has been much better at star than I expected. Lewis Cine and Chris Smith can cover and tackle in space. And even Dan Jackson, the walk-on we told you about in the spring, is making plays. Now Tykee Smith returns to give the Dawgs much-needed depth. It seems the window to expose the secondary has closed quite a bit.
Two Questions
2. How will Mike Bobo attack? The former Georgia offensive coordinator is now calling plays for the Tigers. He has his work cut out for him this week as he faces the nation’s best run defense. Luckily Bobo has the same two offensive tackles who were beaten so badly last year when the Plainsmen came to Athens. But unlike last year, Auburn doesn’t have Anthony Schwartz or Seth Williams. In fact, Auburn’s best receiver may be Demetris Robertson, who leads the wideouts in receptions and touchdowns.
My guess is Bobo doesn’t want to try the “Bo-runs-around-for-39-seconds-avoiding-tackles-and decapitations-while-waiting-for-his-tight-end-to-get-open” play more than once a quarter. Rather, they will move the pocket to get away from Georgia’s soul-takers. They’ll run sweeps into the boundary and isolate their tailbacks on Georgia’s linebackers and pray for that Jordan-Hare voodoo to kick in.
Georgia fans are concerned about what Bo Nix did last week and rightfully so. Yet in his last two outings against the Dawgs, he’s hit 57 percent of his passes (51 of 90) with one touchdown and one interception. Of course, players improve, but against Georgia, Nix will need help from the run game. UGA is giving up 70 yards a game on the ground. It’s going to be tough to run the damn ball, Mike. But they will try.
1. Coming out party? Could this be the week that we see Darnell Washington’s big return? Yes, he played last week and destroyed a few linebackers. But maybe this week Georgia gets him the ball. I look for Washington, John FitzPatrick, and Brock Bowers to juice up Georgia’s power running game and play-action versus Derek Mason’s soft zone.
We could also see a coming out party for Kearis Jackson, too. Like Washington, he’s played already, but while on a short leash. Yet what if the Peach County receiver is healthy? He caught 10 passes against the War Eagles last year. If he’s back in the rotation fully, look for Jackson on crossing routes and screens.
One Prediction
Most Georgia fans feel very confident about this game. Even with Stetson Bennett as the starter. The older ones, meaning those who have been scarred repeatedly from letdowns, are quite wary. Upsets happen. No fall hurts worse than the one taken from high hopes.
On paper, this should not be close. Yes, Auburn beat LSU and stole some of their Cajun voodoo to use later as needed. But the Plainsmen also have fluffed their record by steamrolling a hapless Akron team that has one win and by bullying an outmatched Alabama State squad. Auburn lost to Penn State and needed Bo Nix’s best game to beat a down LSU team. This was the same Auburn team that needed the SEC refs to bail it out against Georgia State.
I expect Georgia to harass Nix worse than a hot intern at a construction company. The Bulldogs will get those turnovers Kirby Smart has been mentioning this week. If Auburn decides to come after Georgia on defense, well, let’s see what James Cook and Kenny McIntosh can do versus those highly touted linebackers. Plus there’s always Brock Bowers, AD Mitchell, and Jermaine Burton versus Auburn’s man coverage.
Really it comes down to mindset. Many Georgia fans are still waiting for the other shoe to drop. They’ll wait each week. Like a whipped dog, every raised hand causes them to cringe until they see it is holding a treat. The players do not share that mindset.
In fact, I asked one staffer what the players thought about facing Nix and Tank and the Speedy Shivers. He said the guys on defense aren’t thinking about individual players. They aren’t thinking about individual teams. They are only thinking about shutouts. They don’t want anyone to score on them. Ever. In this universe or any parallel ones. This wasn’t coachspeak. This wasn’t the folly of youth. This was an honest conversation about how these guys are focused on that goal. No one scores.
Can they stop everyone? No. But they damn sure think they can, and they plan to play that way.
Each week I ask you to join the Watch Along Show. And many of you have. But This week I have a new request. We want to get our YouTube channel to 20K subscribers. It costs you nothing but the time it takes to click on this link. We are growing the content there and have some neat ideas we plan to implement. So please help us get there.
Krystal now delivers! Download the app or go to www.krystal.com to place an order for delivery or pick-up before or after the game. Use code “appsnack” with your first order and get two Krystals and a small soda FREE with minimum order.
Three Observations
3. Making chicken salad. When the Georgia versus Arkansas game was set for noon, my first thought was about recruiting. That was going to be a huge weekend for visits. But a noon kickoff is about as sexy as a smoker's cough. The kids who play away games on Friday night don’t get back until late, and many of them can’t turn around and make an early kickoff.
But Kirby Smart and company pulled it off anyway. Read Jed’s recruiting 3-2-1 for more. It was a recruiting gold mine. When the signing class is done, look back on last weekend as the launch point.
In fact it was a perfect day. For seven hours, Georgia was the center of the college football universe. Myers Quad was packed for College GameDay. The recruits saw the students run into the stands an hour and a half before kickoff. Then they watched the ESPN guys working right behind them on the bridge. The atmosphere was so loud, recruits had to yell to be heard by their coaches who were sitting right beside them. College GameDay had its best ratings since 2015.
The fact that Georgia shut out the No. 8 team in the nation was just gravy.
Sexy, sexy gravy.
2. Can’t win against a narrative. The national pundits who keep saying the Bulldogs haven’t played anyone are becoming more annoying than South Georgia gnats. Yes, Clemson is not the powerhouse it was. And Arkansas was only a year removed from being bad. Vandy is awful and South Carolina is doomed. But what bugs me is that if Georgia beats a No. 8 team, then that No. 8 team wasn’t any good. If Georgia beats No. 18 Auburn, we will hear the same refrain. None of the pundits will mention that Georgia beat two top ten teams with either a backup quarterback or a starter who was injured so badly he wouldn’t play the next week.
And the same experts point to Georgia’s recruiting as if it were some unnatural advantage. The last time I looked, those kids could sign anywhere. Smart and company outworked a lot of people to land them. And don’t get me started on how “the transfer portal has helped Georgia.” That talking point is decidedly one-sided. Georgia has lost a ton of players to the portal. Miami, FSU, LSU, Florida, Temple, Tennessee and a host of other schools should send Smart a thank-you card.
1. Strengthening weaknesses. My concern for Georgia early in the season has been eliminated, at least statistically. I thought the Bulldogs secondary was going to get roasted a few times, especially by Clemson. Well, it’s hard to throw the ball deep when you are running from Jordan Davis.
And guess which team leads the SEC in passing defense? Georgia does. Fewest completions, fewest yards, fewest touchdowns allowed (one), second-most number of interceptions, fewest yards per attempt, etc. As I mentioned last week, a lot of that success in the secondary is masked by the effectiveness of the front seven. But the secondary is coming into its own. This is game six on the season. Kelee Ringo has grown each week. Now he and Derion Kendrick can shut down a receiver. Latavious Brini has been much better at star than I expected. Lewis Cine and Chris Smith can cover and tackle in space. And even Dan Jackson, the walk-on we told you about in the spring, is making plays. Now Tykee Smith returns to give the Dawgs much-needed depth. It seems the window to expose the secondary has closed quite a bit.
Two Questions
2. How will Mike Bobo attack? The former Georgia offensive coordinator is now calling plays for the Tigers. He has his work cut out for him this week as he faces the nation’s best run defense. Luckily Bobo has the same two offensive tackles who were beaten so badly last year when the Plainsmen came to Athens. But unlike last year, Auburn doesn’t have Anthony Schwartz or Seth Williams. In fact, Auburn’s best receiver may be Demetris Robertson, who leads the wideouts in receptions and touchdowns.
My guess is Bobo doesn’t want to try the “Bo-runs-around-for-39-seconds-avoiding-tackles-and decapitations-while-waiting-for-his-tight-end-to-get-open” play more than once a quarter. Rather, they will move the pocket to get away from Georgia’s soul-takers. They’ll run sweeps into the boundary and isolate their tailbacks on Georgia’s linebackers and pray for that Jordan-Hare voodoo to kick in.
Georgia fans are concerned about what Bo Nix did last week and rightfully so. Yet in his last two outings against the Dawgs, he’s hit 57 percent of his passes (51 of 90) with one touchdown and one interception. Of course, players improve, but against Georgia, Nix will need help from the run game. UGA is giving up 70 yards a game on the ground. It’s going to be tough to run the damn ball, Mike. But they will try.
1. Coming out party? Could this be the week that we see Darnell Washington’s big return? Yes, he played last week and destroyed a few linebackers. But maybe this week Georgia gets him the ball. I look for Washington, John FitzPatrick, and Brock Bowers to juice up Georgia’s power running game and play-action versus Derek Mason’s soft zone.
We could also see a coming out party for Kearis Jackson, too. Like Washington, he’s played already, but while on a short leash. Yet what if the Peach County receiver is healthy? He caught 10 passes against the War Eagles last year. If he’s back in the rotation fully, look for Jackson on crossing routes and screens.
One Prediction
Most Georgia fans feel very confident about this game. Even with Stetson Bennett as the starter. The older ones, meaning those who have been scarred repeatedly from letdowns, are quite wary. Upsets happen. No fall hurts worse than the one taken from high hopes.
On paper, this should not be close. Yes, Auburn beat LSU and stole some of their Cajun voodoo to use later as needed. But the Plainsmen also have fluffed their record by steamrolling a hapless Akron team that has one win and by bullying an outmatched Alabama State squad. Auburn lost to Penn State and needed Bo Nix’s best game to beat a down LSU team. This was the same Auburn team that needed the SEC refs to bail it out against Georgia State.
I expect Georgia to harass Nix worse than a hot intern at a construction company. The Bulldogs will get those turnovers Kirby Smart has been mentioning this week. If Auburn decides to come after Georgia on defense, well, let’s see what James Cook and Kenny McIntosh can do versus those highly touted linebackers. Plus there’s always Brock Bowers, AD Mitchell, and Jermaine Burton versus Auburn’s man coverage.
Really it comes down to mindset. Many Georgia fans are still waiting for the other shoe to drop. They’ll wait each week. Like a whipped dog, every raised hand causes them to cringe until they see it is holding a treat. The players do not share that mindset.
In fact, I asked one staffer what the players thought about facing Nix and Tank and the Speedy Shivers. He said the guys on defense aren’t thinking about individual players. They aren’t thinking about individual teams. They are only thinking about shutouts. They don’t want anyone to score on them. Ever. In this universe or any parallel ones. This wasn’t coachspeak. This wasn’t the folly of youth. This was an honest conversation about how these guys are focused on that goal. No one scores.
Can they stop everyone? No. But they damn sure think they can, and they plan to play that way.
Each week I ask you to join the Watch Along Show. And many of you have. But This week I have a new request. We want to get our YouTube channel to 20K subscribers. It costs you nothing but the time it takes to click on this link. We are growing the content there and have some neat ideas we plan to implement. So please help us get there.
