Well, you know he loves a challenge.

Groo’s got a great picture of the Kickoff (hell, by the time I’m done, I’ll have capitalized every key moment of the LSU game) that you should look at:

Evidently it’s not enough that Georgia’s kicking off from its 15-yard line to a guy with world-class sprinter’s speed. Fabris’ troops have to make sure he’s got a fighting chance to break the return by starting from 5-7 yards behind the line of scrimmage as Walsh lets fly with the kick.

The wind probably slowed them down, too.

As Rex Robinson said, “…it’s the kick-off coverage that is the adventure.”

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Georgia-Tennessee preview: do I really have to do this?

My natural reluctance to do these posts has only grown from week to week, and it wasn’t lessened reading this quote from Mark Richt:

Georgia’s kickoff coverage team has struggled throughout this season, culminating with a disastrous effort against LSU that allowed the Tigers to begin their final drive with exceptional field position.

While head coach Mark Richt said the team continues to address the problems, he said some of the issues are simply a matter of youth that can only improve with increased experience.

“I can’t sit here and say we’ve got 10 guys that are really getting after it and getting it done,” Richt said. “I think they’re trying their tails off but there’s a lot of youth on that thing and they’ve got to continue to mature.”

Cue the Ray Goff “buttah and buttah” quote.  Sigh.

Anyway, it’s a waste of time to write some sweeping overview and conclusion about tomorrow’s game, because, like the rest of you, I have no idea what Georgia team is going to step out on the field.  So you’re going to have to settle for bullet points from which you’re welcome to draw a larger truth.  If you dare, that is.

• Considering all the talent that’s flowed through these programs in the last fifteen years, how strange is it that there’s really only one front line receiver playing tomorrow?
• Semi-amazing stat:  Jonathan Crompton has more passing attempts this season than Joe Cox.
• We’ll see some tackling machines tomorrow, that’s for sure.  Rennie Curran leads the SEC in tackles per game.  Eric Berry and Rico McCoy rank third and fourth, respectively.
• I probably shouldn’t indulge myself like this, but I’m feeling better about Georgia’s defensive line than I have all season.  Houston and Weston have really come on.
• With the game he played last year, I’m happy that Robert Ayers has moved on.  I’ll no doubt regret this observation, but no current member of UT’s defensive line scares me as much.
• On the other hand, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that Joe Cox vs. Eric Berry does scare me a little bit.  OK, more than a little bit.
• As I noted in a previous post, Crompton’s yards per passing attempt figure shouldn’t strike fear into an opponent’s heart.  His longest completion of the season is 40 yards.  Willie Martinez, if you don’t challenge these guys in their short passing game, you don’t have a hair on your arse.
• By the way, that 40-yard completion was to the tight end who leads their receivers in average yards per catch.
• Georgia’s defense hasn’t allowed a running back to gain 100 or more yards on the ground all season.  Tennessee has won its two games when Hardesty has cracked the 100-yard mark and lost its three games when he hasn’t.  Just sayin’.
• I’ve got to give Phil Steele credit:  he’s picking Georgia as one of his upset specials this week.
• Finally, if you want to wallow in a statistical breakdown of the match up, check out a new blog I’ve been introduced to, College Football by the Numbers.

Let’s play two.

Give Southern Cal credit for one thing – the Trojans don’t shy away from trying to put together credible schedules.

… Steve Lopes, a senior associate athletic director who handles scheduling, said playing nonconference opponents such as Ohio State and Notre Dame on the road in the same season was “not something you’d really like to do very often.”

Lopes confirmed that he has “had conversations” with Texas and other teams from Bowl Championship Series conferences about possible home-and-home series.

USC is trying to fill dates in two-year cycles for 2015-2016, 2017-2018, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.

Pick up the phone, Damon.

Gators, Tigers, a fox and a hedgehog

It’s redundant to say “Chris Brown” and “great post” in the same sentence, so just take my word for it that his post over at Doc Saturday about Florida’s offensive strategies tomorrow based on which quarterback winds up playing is well worth a read.

Let’s just say that Chavis has a lot to prepare for.  And that if Brantley does start, the Gator offensive line had better turn in its best effort of the season.

Sometimes, all you can do is laugh.

Seriously.

In an Aug. 26 e-mail, associate athletic director for compliance Scott Williams mentions that Oklahoma State’s season opener was approaching — at that point 10 days away — and the school would need to make “a determination on Dez’s playing status.”

Five days later, still before a season-opening win against Georgia, Marcus M. Wilson, the NCAA’s assistant director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities, asks Williams about Bryant: “Why does his story keep changing?”

Bryant played; Oklahoma State won, in large part because of his effort on the field.  I have no idea how a man as good as Mark Richt is can have the kind of bad karma he’s suffering through this year, but there it is.

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UPDATE: Matt Hinton games this out.

Immortality, of a sort

How cool is it that even Tennessee bloggers refer to it as the Hobnail Boot game?

We’ll always have Munson.