Boy, this just keeps getting better.
Brett ain’t lettin’ up any time soon, it appears. At some point, you have to wonder if that factors into the equation for Ohio State.
Daily Archives: August 7, 2018
Under construction
Marc Weiszer picked up on an interesting tidbit.
On-going construction of the University of Missouri’s new south end zone complex at Memorial Stadium has forced the Tigers to switch sidelines for their 2018 home football games, school officials announced today. For the first time since the 2000 season, Mizzou will work from the West sideline while its opponents will occupy the East sideline.
… In order to implement this plan for the 2018 season, Mizzou asked for and received a waiver from the SEC’s Commissioner’s Regulations, which do not permit the visiting team bench to be directly in front of the student section. The waiver was granted based upon the unique circumstances associated with the on-going construction, the natural buffer that exists between the visiting team bench and student sections at Memorial Stadium, the lack of alternate routes available to prevent the teams from crossing paths when entering/exiting the field and Mizzou’s commitment to secure the visiting team bench area.
“We are grateful for the assistance we received from Commissioner Sankey and his staff, and believe that we have an effective plan in place to provide a safe and secure bench area for visiting teams at Memorial Stadium this season,” Sterk said.
So, when Georgia travels to Columbia this fall, the team bench will be directly in front of the student section. (Evidently there is some sort of a “natural buffer” between the two.) Nobody I know who’s traveled to Mizzou has been less than complimentary about the fans there, so this should be cool.
Still, it probably wouldn’t hurt to keep those helmets close by, boys.
Filed under Georgia Football, SEC Football
Name that caption, a Glanville, a Jones and a Saban walk into a bar edition
Never occurred to me that these three were on the same coaching staff.
By the way, here’s a story from the linked ESPN piece:
KIRBY SMART IS an assistant under Saban at LSU in his late 20s, working long and grueling hours. One day, Saban calls his staff together. Something is bothering him, and it’s not the game plan for Florida. He wants to offer some advice to his coaches. “All you young guys had better hurry up and figure out who you’re going to get married to because if you’re not careful, you’ll be sitting on the porch alone when you’re 60,” says Saban, who’s been together with his wife, Terry, since they were in high school.
The lecture sticks with Smart. When Saban leaves to coach the Dolphins, Smart takes a job at Georgia, where he meets Mary Beth, a former Bulldogs basketball player working in the athletic department. They get married a year after they start dating. Smart rejoins Saban in Miami the same year, then moves with him to Alabama.
After nine seasons with Saban, Smart becomes the coach at Georgia. In 2017, the Bulldogs defeat Auburn in the SEC championship game, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. Smart is on his way to watch tape when his phone rings. It’s Saban, calling to congratulate his protégé. Smart is stunned.
“I thought it was very thoughtful that he did that,” Smart says. “I’m sure Miss Terry made him do it. That’s OK too.”
The Process is everywhere.
Filed under Name That Caption, Nick Saban Rules
Casting a wide net
Boy, is this a sea change in Georgia’s recruiting.
Miami is fourth there, so to some extent Mark Richt is always gonna Mark Richt.
But as far as Georgia goes, think about what kind of resources you have to marshal in order to make 272 offers (24 more than Alabama!) that are properly researched — and seeing as this is Kirby Smart we’re talking about here, you can be damned sure every one of ’em has been properly researched. There’s a lot of work, a lot of people and a lot of money that has to go into making that click.
Not to mention a guy in charge who knows how to direct traffic.
Filed under Georgia Football, Recruiting
“Muschamp teams play like underdogs.”
Bill Connelly absolutely nails the root source of my reluctance to embrace the possibility that this is the year South Carolina takes the SEC East by storm.
They adopt the slowest possible tempo, which helps cut down on the overall number of plays and possessions — a good way for a team with a per-play disadvantage to increase variance. And while I’m sure he doesn’t object to scoring, the first goal of a Muschamp offense is to make sure it’s not putting his defense at a disadvantage. He has been a head coach for six years, and he has had only one offense rank higher than 74th in Off. S&P+ and only one defense rank worse than 36th in Def. S&P+.
This isn’t the most aesthetic brand of ball. But it is a way to stay close to your opponent, when you know you probably aren’t going to generate an inherent efficiency or big-play advantage. And it’s going to look better at a school that doesn’t have quite so many talent advantages, especially when you can play the “No one expects us to win!!!” card.
That’s Will Muschamp. And, as Bill notes, to be fair to Boom, sometimes that works and works well, as it has in his second years in both Gainesville and Columbia.
But he’s ditching it now, or so he claims. And he’s relying on a offensive coordinator who’s never taken the wheel for any period longer than a bowl game, about which, by the way, Connelly has this to say:
SC didn’t light the world afire in the bowl win over Michigan, but a turnover advantage and a couple of big run plays allowed a comeback.
In other words, Carolina won that game the way Carolina won all season long.
They do have Deebo Samuel back, and you won’t hear me say that’s not a big deal. It is. But does anyone truly believe without any hesitation whatsoever that Muschamp is breezily walking away from the coaching philosophy that’s defined his career? Even if you’re one of those who accepts that on faith, how realistic is it to expect a seamless transition?
Bill thinks the ‘Cocks won’t have to be as lucky as they were last season to succeed because Samuel makes them better on offense and special teams. But I also notice that S&P+ is projecting 7 regular season wins. The truth is likely to lie somewhere in there, but I think I’ll either need some on the field convincing that the new scheme is up to the task, or Boom’s gonna need some more of that turnover luck.
Filed under 'Cock Envy, Stats Geek!
AJ-C, I don’t think that word means what you think it means.
Sorry, dude, but this wasn’t the “worst article” of your paper’s coverage of Georgia football.
It’s kind of a dead giveaway when you scrub the tweet and change the header of the linked article. If you kick a man while he’s down, at least have the stones to own it.
Filed under Georgia Football, Media Punditry/Foibles
Priorities, priorities
Shot.
Chaser.
Well, nobody said amateurs have to earn real degrees, amirite?
Filed under Academics? Academics., The NCAA
Take out take
One of the genius’ most endearing traits is blaming his defensive coordinator for Tech’s failings whenever it’s convenient. Here’s the latest example of something he’s bitched about since last November:
The Jackets were insufficient when it came to building on leads on offense and protecting leads on defense (particularly at the ends of both halves).
“I think that hurt more than anything with us,” linebacker Victor Alexander said. “Just to know how close that was for us.”
The details seem seared into coach Paul Johnson’s memory. At the media day, he didn’t need prompting to revisit the season-ending loss to Georgia at Bobby Dodd Stadium, a 38-7 loss.
“We take the ball and run out eight minutes in the second quarter (actually, 6:17) and score to make it 14-7 at half, but with less than a minute to go, they come back and score right before half and take the momentum,” Johnson said. “Those things just take you out of games.”
You know what else takes you out of games? Watching your defense hold Georgia to a three-and-out to start the second half in a 17-7 contest… and then have your vaunted triple option attack lose seven yards on a three-and-out series to give the ball right back.
226 yards of total offense for Georgia Tech that day, the lowest output of the season. But it was the defense giving up a field goal before the end of first half that took the Jackets out of the game.
Funny how the mind plays tricks like that sometimes.
Filed under Georgia Football, Georgia Tech Football
Whatever happened to…?
In case you’re wondering, it seems Cameron Nizialek will be booting the ol’ pigskin for the Evil Genius in the AAF this coming season.
Maybe that’s why he has Columbia listed as his college instead of Georgia.
For the record, I don’t see any kids there listing Georgia as their college. At least Shaq Wiggins has the sense not to list Tennessee as his, though.
Filed under Georgia Football
Get The Picture 
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