Thankfully, the Georgia Bulldogs have now played a game and placed a “W” in the win column, but the first two quarters on Saturday were hard to watch. Even so, I was grateful to be watching. I feel like I missed a lot during the game due to cooking some ribs and parenting some children, but watching it again always helps to understand a little more about what happened. As I mentioned in my last post, upsets are likely to be abundant and offense may be hard to find this year. Having said that, Saturday for the most part didn’t let me down on that prediction. Mississippi State won over LSU with tons of offense and Oklahoma fell to Kansas State with almost no defense. Georgia and Auburn looked bad in their respective first halves as well. So, here are a few take aways and thoughts as we head into the Auburn weekend here in Athens.
Offensive Disappointment
We all know it didn’t look good at times. I was disappointed in our offensive line and running game. We didn’t block well until late in the game and that must improve. And yes, the performance of D’wan Mathis left much to be desired, but I will say the penalties didn’t help his chances for success. So, I am not ready to judge him to harshly. I am grateful like most of you for Stetson Bennett. I am also happy for him to get the chance to be the hero. He played well and is a damn good dawg and we Georgia fans are lucky that he is still around.
Bright Spots on Offense
I will say that our offense looked different and much more imaginative than last year. They ran different routes, some quarterback runs, and they even threw the ball to the tight end a few times. George Pickens looked good, but they have got to get him the ball more often. Kearis Jackson had some moments, and I love that number Zero also known as Darnell Washington. I am real excited to watch him play for a couple more years. It is obvious they have to improve, but I like the core of what I see changing on offense. They might end up being pretty good with some consistent quarterback play
Special Teams
Wow! This went well. A blocked punt, two field goals, booming punts from Jake Carmada, and great return yardage. It was a big factor in keeping the game so close despite all the penalties. A nice debut for the new special teams coach, Scott Cochran.
The Defense Did Not Disappoint
They looked exceptionally good and created plenty of havoc with pressure and turnovers. The linebacker play is outstanding once again. Cornerbacks and safeties are up to the task and the Defensive line seems strong. However, a bigger tests lie ahead in the SEC so they will have to keep improving as well.
Enough with All the Florida Hype
Florida put up a lot of offense over Ole Miss Saturday and they are now the focus of all the SEC hype. Let me share share some more stats with you from that game. Did you know that Florida gave up 35 Points, 613 total yards, 29 First Downs while allowing 7.9 yards a play? Did you know that? Probably not! So, let’s hold off on anointing them SEC East Champs for now.
Looking Ahead
It seems so odd to be playing Auburn in October, but I must say that I like it. It feels a lot better than playing them after Florida like so many times in the 90s. There really is no messing around this year. Every game is a big one. College Gameday is coming to town but there will be no fans allowed around the stage which just feels weird but also fitting during this peculiar time. As of today, Vegas has Georgia as an 8 point favorite. What do they know that we don’t know? Well, maybe they know that JT Daniels has been cleared and will be playing. Or maybe they know that Stetson Bennett can still be effective versus a top caliber SEC team. Maybe they know that Georgia’s defense isn’t likely to surrender many points to a Goober Gus Malzahn offense. Whatever they know, I sure hope they are right. Personally, I would have thought the line would end up being around 3 or lower.
Bottom Line
I think Georgia might look a good bit better this week on offense. However, I have absolutely no idea who is going to take the snaps. It could end up being all three candidates, but hopefully we will settle into a clear leader very soon. Below are some videos of past Auburn games that help drive my dislike for them. I always share some of these videos during Auburn week. Never forget!