Third and Willie lives!

Did anybody catch FSU converting a third-and-28 with a 56-yard TD pass – from the backup quarterback into triple coverage, no less – to tie last night’s game at 13-all?

For some reason, I find that strangely reassuring.

The ACC: It’s a football conference! It’s a basketball conference!

If anyone can figure out what these guys are up to, let me know.

That’s one helluva commute from Miami to upstate New York.  On the other hand, I’m not sure the NCAA has to host a men’s lacrosse tournament anymore, as the ACC’s will be awesome with the addition of Syracuse.

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The SEC stats story, at the first quarter turn

A few things to note, three games in:

• Vanderbilt is playing some impressive defense.  The Commodores are 21st in scoring defense and 10th in total defense.  They’ve grabbed ten interceptions.  They’re also fifth in the country in turnover margin.  If they can sustain that, they’ve got a good chance at a bowl game.
• On the flip side, Ted Roof doesn’t look nearly as smart without Nick Fairley.  Auburn is among the ten worst teams in the country in rushing defense and total defense, and not too far off from that in scoring defense.
• The power of the cupcake game:  just like that, Georgia finds itself 19th in scoring offense and 30th in total defense.
• Maybe it’s time to start paying attention to how well Florida is playing defense.
• Based on the stats, you could make the argument that South Carolina’s defensive line isn’t as dominant as advertised.  The ‘Cocks are tenth in the conference in sacks and last in tackles for loss.
• It looks like Kentucky and Ole Miss are in a death match to see which has the worst offense.
• The single most impressive stat so far has to be LSU’s #3 ranking in rushing defense, considering which schools the Tigers have played.

Just trying to have a little fun

I’m afraid I missed this moment yesterday, although I wish I hadn’t.

… The game was such a laugher that by the end Richt had to step in to prevent what he felt would be a mistake: Tight end Orson Charles playing defense.

The junior had apparently convinced defensive coordinator Todd Grantham to allow him to play on defense if the score became lopsided. Charles was heading onto the field with the defense late in the game, but that’s when Grantham ran the idea behind Richt, who vetoed it.

“There’s no way,” Richt said. “He was mad at me. But I said, ‘Look, Coach Grantham kept his promise to you, I made him break it.’ ”

Observations from the 35, SHON-ti-clear edition

Obligatory caveat:  yes, it was a game against a 1-AA opponent which has gotten more attention from its head coach’s weird rant than it has for its play on the field and whose nickname when pronounced properly sounds more like a men’s choral group than a football team.  (Maybe that’s because there is a men’s choral group with that name.)

Yeah, well, anyway, we’ve seen Georgia play too many times down to the level of its opposition.  And that’s by far the best thing I took away from yesterday’s game.  The team showed up focused and with a sense of purpose.  And maintained it all game, especially on defense.  It’s only one game and it was against the weakest opponent they’ll see all year, but if the Dawgs had to start somewhere to try to redeem the season, getting locked in and staying there was the right place.

In case you’re wondering, the worst thing I took away from yesterday was this lousy sunburn, on a day where the weather forecasters totally blew it.  Lesson learned:  any September game when it’s not raining, I’ll take sunblock.

On to the details:

• I didn’t realize beforehand that Tyson wasn’t going to play.  Evidently that gave Grantham the chance to throw out some exotic defensive sets.  If I’m not mistaken, at one point Georgia was deployed in a 2-4-5.  I doubt we’ll see that in SEC play.
• It’s not that Aaron Murray has regressed, but he’s not getting better.  His tendency to lock onto a receiver was on display several times yesterday and his mechanics when he throws on the run leave something to be desired.
• Bruce Figgins catching that pass in the flat continues to be money.
• Mason had some jitters on his first series, but looked better once he got comfortable.  He threw a couple of nice balls, like the touchdown pass to Charles.
• Biggest worry about the defense?  No sacks on the day, which means it still has only one for the season.
• It was a good game to work on the shotgun spread stuff, but the offense still looks more comfortable running out of I-formation sets.
• Amarlo Herrera looks like he’s gonna be a good ‘un.
• Yes, Carlton Thomas ran between the tackles with the results you’d expect, but say this for him – he’s not afraid to pass block.  And he’s not bad at it either.
• There aren’t any options behind Anderson at right tackle, which means there are going to be some scary moments against any defense with a decent pass rushing left end.  On the other hand, he has moments when he’s a dominant run blocker.
• It’s kind of funny given all the preseason talk about his speed, but Malcolm Mitchell has turned into Georgia’s possession receiver.
• Another week, another great Isaiah Crowell catch.
• I was glad to see the offensive line backups get in and play, but none of them exactly covered themselves in glory.
• At least we confirmed that Ken Malcome lives.
• Branden Smith, there’s no rule that says you have to try to return every punt.
• I was impressed with how fast the defense played, not just in terms of its sheer physical speed, but also in the way that players seemed to line up and play their assignments properly.  Maybe there is something to that learning curve business.