This year’s fake juice?

Florida will be garbed in Nike Pro Combat jerseys for the Cocktail Party.

 

My favorite part: “Florida’s uniforms have alligator-skin print on them from head to toe.”

I hope they look bitchin’ while they’re losing.

Yeah, but it’s the weather that worries me.

Just wondering:  when’s the last time we headed into a Cocktail Party game with the momentum so starkly in Georgia’s favor?

Strangely, a cause for optimism

The best thing about last night’s win is something to take from a couple of player quotes.  First, Justin Houston:

“We started out doing the little things, but toward the end we quit,” Houston said. “We stopped. That’s one thing we have to learn how to do is finish. That’s a team right there that plays a hard second half. We came out in the second half and we were light on our feet. We weren’t playing as hard as we did at the start of the game. We got to learn how to play all four quarters.”

Then, Sanders Commings had this to say.

“Really, when the game is close, that didn’t really happen to us,” Commings said. “When we have a big lead like that we kind of relaxed. That’s one thing we have to work on.”

Players clearly relaxed in the second half.  It wasn’t just apparent on defense.  Walsh shockingly missed the first extra point attempt of his career and special teams botched the last onsides kick.  But in the end, it didn’t matter.  It was a road game – an SEC road game – and a Georgia team that lost some of its focus, yet they still won the sucker.  That wouldn’t have happened earlier this season.

In this case, a lot of that was due to the toughness of the offense on that last scoring drive of the night, a 13-play (all runs) fourth quarter effort that took over eight minutes off the clock and killed any hope that Kentucky would be able to pull off another come from behind win.  That’s what was missing from some of the losses.

This team is steadily getting its act together.

UGA-UK recap: regression to the mean with a vengeance

The first bar we went to last night had big screen TVs, but no game.  The second bar we hit had the game, but no big screen TVs.  We stayed there.  (The cold Fat Tire on draft may have entered into our decision.)

The detailed observations are probably a little lacking as a result, but here are a few things, anyway:

• The Dawgs only had one long scoring drive on the night – the 7-play, 70-yarder which opened the second half – but it was huge.
• The key to Georgia’s passing game in the second half:  find A.J. Green.  The key to Kentucky’s passing game in the second half:  find Vance Cuff.  Both were equally effective.
• Monster game from Justin Houston, but the pass rush let Hartline step up in the pocket a little too much.
• Ho hum, another Brandon Boykin 100-yard kickoff return.
• Three fumble recoveries in one game?
• And five Washaun Ealey rushing TDs in one game?
• Another excellent game from Drew Butler.  His first punt set up Georgia’s fourth TD in the first half after the UK fumble.
• Aside from the turnovers, the other key to the game was run blocking.  Georgia’s o-line did.  Kentucky’s o-line didn’t.

Inevitable.

We all saw this coming after the Colorado loss, right?

STANDINGS	CONFERENCE			OVERALL
SEC – East	W-L	PF	PA	W-L	PF	PA	STRK
South Carolina	3-2	128	100	5-2	207	132	W1
Georgia	3-3	170	117	4-4	252	153	W3
Florida	2-3	121	105	4-3	193	131	L3
Vanderbilt	1-3	38	105	2-5	132	174	L2
Kentucky	1-4	145	199	4-4	278	253	L1
Tennessee	0-4	55	129	2-5	150	206	L3
SEC – West	W-L	PF	PA	W-L	PF	PA	STRK
Auburn	5-0	178	135	8-0	309	188	W8
Alabama	4-1	140	81	7-1	274	100	W2
LSU	4-1	122	77	7-1	204	125	L1
Mississippi State	2-2	55	65	6-2	229	136	W5
Arkansas	2-2	132	137	5-2	231	164	W1
Mississippi	1-3	90	124	3-4	220	224	L2

Me love crazy seasons.