At least his head stayed intact.

I meant to post this the other day when I saw it:

Darren McFadden is just different from the rest of us.

A first stab at getting a handle on UT ’07

Tennessee’s schedule and results to date:

Tennessee (2-2,0-1)

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Sept. 1  at California.......... 31-45 L  
Sept. 8  SOUTHERN MISS.......... 39-19 W 
Sept. 15*at Florida............. 20-59 L  
Sept. 22 ARKANSAS STATE......... 48-27 W

Tennessee’s key statistical standings in the SEC to date:

• Scoring offense:  5th, at 34.5 per game
• Scoring defense:  12th, at 37.5 per game
• Passing offense:  1st, at 285.8 yards per game
• Passing defense:  11th, at 250.8 yards per game
• Rushing offense:  11th, at 132.2 yards per game
• Rushing defense:  9th, at 188.2 yards per game

Other than scoring offense, statistically Tennessee shapes up a lot like Ole Miss.  And before you jump to the conclusion that perhaps that’s a little unfair because the Vols played current #3 Cal, you might want to take a peek at some of Cal’s stats:  #70 nationally in total defense, #98 nationally in passing defense, #58 nationally in rushing offense.  (Also, don’t forget that Auburn held the same Florida team in the same venue to 240 less yards of offense than did Tennessee.)

Nope, the Vols have gotten their rankings the old fashioned way – they’ve earned them.

If you want to see a breakdown of the Vols’ good and bad so far this year, this score card in the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal is as good a place to start as any.  I don’t think it’s any big secret what Tennessee has to do to get better.  The question is whether the Vols can do anything about it in time for Saturday’s game.

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Not so fast, my friend.

Over at Statistically Speaking, Matt raises some good points about a few schools that are getting a little more love than they’ve probably earned to this point.

For example, here’s what he’s got to say about South Florida’s win over West Virginia:

… The Bulls won 21-13 despite having homefield advantage, forcing 6 turnovers (including one that was directly returned for a touchdown), and knocking out West Virginia’s starting quarterback, Pat White. Step back a moment, away from the emotion of the biggest win in school history, and see the Bulls for what they are. The Bulls were outgained by 163 yards, out first downed 21-13, and their star quarterback, Matt Grothe, completed only 11 of his 20 pass attempts…

Bonus points for the Reggie Ball reference at the end of the post…

Reggie Nelson’s triumphant return to Gator Country

Looks like some folks in Gainesville may have taken the Gator loss Saturday night a little hard.

Juvenile humor, true

I gotta admit this gave me a chuckle, though:

It would only be better if John David Booty was in the SEC … I openly admit to having the maturity of a 12-year-old. I’m sorry, but I can’t help but giggle a little to myself every time the announcers call a play run by South Carolina QB Chris Smelley, highlighted last week by, “that play was all Smelley,” after he avoided the rush to make a throw. It only gets better on October 13th when Auburn and QB Brandon Cox takes on Arkansas, led by QB Casey Dick. Sorry, it’s just the beginning of October and I’m already punchy.

I guess I’m looking forward to hearing the broadcast team this Thursday night.

Dawg stat watch: what it takes to win, week 5.

Again, I’m tracking seven SEC statistical categories that have in common that Georgia excelled in each of them in ’02, ’03 and ’05, the three years that the Dawgs have made it to Atlanta under Richt (you can read the background on my analysis here). They are

1. Hold opponents under 17 points per game.
2. Finish at least +8 in turnover margin.
3. Average better than 380 yards per game on offense.
4. Finish in the top five in total defensive yardage.
5. Finish in the top three in first downs.
6. Finish no worse than third in passing yardage.
7. Finish no worse than third in sacks.

After the Mississippi game, here’s where the Dawgs rank in each category:

1. Points allowed per game: 17.2
2. Turnover margin: 0
3. Total offense per game: 385.6 yards
4. Total defense per game: 303.2 yards, 3rd in the conference
5. First downs: 106, 6th in the conference
6. Passing yardage per game: 207.4, 8th in the conference
7. Sacks: 9, 5th in the conference

Really, given how things went against Ole Miss, there are no real surprises in the stats this week. I’m not too concerned about the drop in the standings for sacks, per se, as there are three teams bunched right in front of Georgia statistically speaking, but of course it was a concern that the defensive line got very little pressure on Adams in the game itself.

The Dawgs are starting to make a move in first downs and could rise considerably there with a good offensive showing against Tennessee. However, passing yardage is looking more and more like a lost cause, as Florida, currently the third ranked team in the SEC, averages almost 60 yards per game more than Georgia.

The +8 goal for turnover margin will be tough to achieve as well, as Georgia would have to average better than +1 per game for the rest of the year to make that figure. Of course, if Georgia were able to accomplish that, you’d have to like its chances in every game left on the schedule.