I’m not sure what it is about Vandy that brings out the sugar-coating we’re seeing this week, but I flat out love this turn of phrase from Chip Towers, from his post entitled “Dangerous Vanderbilt team awaits Bulldogs”:
This is no ordinary Commodores team. They have some offensive issues and are unsettled at quarterback.
Some offensive issues? Here’s their current resume.
The Commodores rank 100th nationally in rushing offense (115.2 yards per game), 114th in passing (129.2), 117th in total offense (244.4) and 119th in first downs (11.6).
Last year, Vandy finished 80th in rushing offense, 105th in passing offense, 117th in total offense and 116th in first downs. So by Towers’ measurement, the Commodores have managed to regress from the one year they were run by a guy whose main claim to fame was doing unspeakable things to turkeys. I’m sort of curious to hear from Towers in what areas Vanderbilt’s offense doesn’t have issues.
As for being unsettled at quarterback, well, it’s Wednesday and James Franklin still doesn’t have a clue who will be starting for him at the position Saturday. So give Towers credit for something; that’s pretty much a textbook case of unsettled. The good news is that it’s a night game, so Franklin’s got a few extra hours to get a sign from God about who to choose.
Let’s be honest here: Vanderbilt is a mess on offense. Georgia shut them out last year when it didn’t know what it was doing on defense. Now that the Dawgs’ defenders look like they have a clue, are we really supposed to think there will be a drastic scoring improvement from Vandy this year? Why, exactly?
That’s not to say that Georgia couldn’t find some way, somehow to blow this game. But it’s going to take some doing. Don’t forget that Vanderbilt intercepted Stephen Garcia four times… in route to a 21-3 loss. Even with the Ole Miss meltdown, the Commodores are only averaging 11.5 points per game in conference play. In their two SEC losses, they’ve scored a total of three points.
Is it going to be an ugly game? No prediction about that, but I can’t say that would be a surprise. However, unless you think Vanderbilt can hold Georgia under fourteen points – maybe well under fourteen points – I don’t see how the Dawgs don’t win this one. Despite the danger.
Get The Picture 
Damn, are you trying to jinx us? I’ve watched much better Dawg teams struggle in Vandy, and occasionally lose. I don’t guarantee (in print) any victory, but then I’m superstitious like that.
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Without help, how many points do you think Vanderbilt is capable of scoring Saturday night?
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Have to agree Senator, I just can’t fathom them scoring, they simply have no one on offense that worries me at all, not with the way the D is playing.
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oh, but there will be help. you have to account for that
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Maybe so (I’m not crazy), but zero turnovers or dumb special teams plays against UT gives me slight hope in that regard.
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yeah- I agree with what you say, Senator – and like you point out, no huge mistakes (other than overthrowing wide open deep receivers) against Tennessee, gives us hope. Yet, as for your phrase:
However, unless you think Vanderbilt can hold Georgia under fourteen points – maybe well under fourteen points – I don’t see how the Dawgs don’t win this one.
the answer is obvious —- just watch South Carolina one more time. None of us are convinced that nonsense is behind us….hopeful maybe, but not convinced.
There is almost no way we lose this game.
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You’re not suggesting that Vandy’s offense is remotely on par with South Carolina’s, are you?
And since you brought it up, remember again that Garcia threw four picks against Vandy, finished with a 100.3 passer rating, and still saw his team win by 18.
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You ask if Vandy’s O is on a par with South Carolina’s O. Would that be pre-Garcia dismissal or post-Garcia dismissal?
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Yes. 😉
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Logic has nothing to do with this, Senator.
Seriously, I think we’ll hold them to 7 or less, but stranger things have happened.
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I’m like Russ-you never take any game for granted in the SEC. Scoring doesn’t have to come from their O. We aren’t that worried about our D, just cautious that no one gets injured such that they can’t recover in time for FU. Any school in the SEC that fields a team and practices….even a blind pig?
What exactly were the overiding offensive skills that let them beat us two out of four years and at Homecoming (and all the close calls weren’t from Cutler as QB)? Feel much the same way as I do about MSU. They play the Dawgs strong, many times as if donning Superman costumes just for UGA.
Not having a hissy-fit over this, just don’t ever feel good enough about any game being taken for granted. And don’t try to talk us out of our Dooleyisms, Senator.
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What we have not seen from recent Georgia teams is a tendency to take bad teams for granted (we certainly did see it from 2001-2008). It the recent past holds true we’ll beat them without much trouble.
I would not be surprised if we find a way to let them on the scoreboard… I say 24-7.
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Define “recent.” Did you think Colorado was a good team?
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How about UCF?
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Or kentucky
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Or Vanderbilt.
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No, not at all. I think Colorado, UCF, and Kentucky ’09 were our equal. I would have thought we were better going in but in retrospect I don’t think we were at all. By UCF i knew damn well we weren’t significantly better. Small sample size, that I give. But had we played an FCS team, we’d have mauled them.
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Oh, and those weird stats the Senator was talking about all off-season would seem to support the premise that we mauled some teams and merely competed with others.
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It should be a cake walk but then again a lot of things shoud have happened that didnt the last few years
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Said it over at Kyle King’s: For all their faults, the last two Georgia teams at least didn’t mess around against Vanderbilt. Let’s hope for more of the same.
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Hell it’s the AJC. They will take any opportunity to try and poke us with a stick. Page hit, page hits, page hits…..
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The most dangerous thing they could do is to take 3 straight knees and punt. I have to think their chances of winning go up drastically with that strategy.
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The AJC is giving Vanderbilt their typical game-week Georgia opponent Pupgrade®, prior to their inevitable post-game Dawgrade®.
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They ain’t in the “graded” class yet. Besides, I prefer Dawgpolled (spelled with one “l” if you don’t get it). They would be poled downward, if ranked, and fall in the polls.
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Your term is Lexicon-worthy. 😉
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It’s there as of two days ago. I didn’t think it needed to be explained then. Folks just don’t think dirty enough nowadays.
Gee, Senator, are we making up? Thanks.
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That comment was for Bulldog Joe… I added his invention to the Lexicon.
As for making up, when did we have a falling out?
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Just razzin’ and stirrin’.
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Speaking of a Pupgrade, Uber Gator Homer Edward Aschoff thinks Vandy is going to a bowl game:
http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/30330/second-half-sec-preview
They have three wins now and the only non-upsets the rest of the way are home games against Army and Kentucky. Who does Aschoff think Vanderbilt is going to beat, exactly?
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I don’t think one win against Tennessee, Wake Forest, and Florida is a Herculean task.
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Guys you seem to forget that we have a history of playing down to our opponent’s abilities.
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You mean like 43-0 last year?
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You know what I mean, you’ve seen it tool
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