LSU game time set

And it’s what you probably expected.

📺 times and networks announced for games on October 13: https://t.co/bBTbvF5Dqs pic.twitter.com/GyfJ2v5OP8

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) October 1, 2018

As someone traveling to the game from New Orleans, I’m glad we’ll be getting back at a decent hour.

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Observations from the racetrack, Urnge edition

This version of Observations is a little truncated, guys.  There’s only so much nuance a man can glean from watching a game on his cell phone while some of the coolest cars on the planet are whizzing by.  What I saw (on my phone, that is) was more of what we’ve been accustomed to seeing of late, a Georgia team using its talent edge to put away an opponent not in the prettiest of fashions.

Have some bullet points:

• Shuffling the offensive line and Pruitt’s skill in disguising his blitz packages didn’t make for the best of mixes on occasion and Jake Fromm’s game suffered for that — not just in terms of the fumbles, but also in what appeared to be a lack of comfort going downfield against a mediocre Tennessee secondary.
• Speaking of shuffling, I’m not sure what the coaches were going on with the quarterback rotation.  It’s not as if the end results were bad, as the offense still racked up good numbers, but I am starting to worry a little about how Fields isn’t being given enough of an opportunity to throw the ball, if only so that defensive coordinators don’t find tendencies to key on.
• Swift looked closer to the 100% Swift we all want to see.  Not quite there, though.  And he should have caught the ball on a perfectly designed screen pass that was destined for greatness.
• Nice second half, Brian Herrien.
• You may quibble with Chaney’s playcalling, but Saturday marked the umpteenth game where Georgia’s running game mashed a tired defense in the second half.
• Correct me if I’m wrong, but was that four fumbles, with the Dawgs recovering all four?  (And scoring on one recovery, to boot.)
• Speaking of which, that never would have happened if Nauta had made his block in the first place.  On the other hand, I didn’t catch anything egregious about Woerner’s blocking this game, so maybe that’s progress.
• If Demetris Robertson wants more meaningful playing time, maybe he should watch the way Mecole Hardman blocks on every play he doesn’t touch the ball.
• I’m not sure why they’re not trying to get James Cook more touches in open space.
• The front seven stepped up handling the Tennessee running game, which admittedly is no great shakes, but still…
• Every quarterback has to test Deandre Baker.  Once.
• D’Andre Walker continues to be a total badass.  Except for that stupid personal foul.
• Both UT touchdowns came as the result of breakdowns, the first being a coverage miscue (Reed, maybe?), the second being shoddy fundamentals, as some players overran the receiver and others whiffed on tackling.  LeCounte had a decent game up until that play.
• Special teams weren’t special across the board.  Blankenship got his groove back, but Camarda still seems to be in search of his.  The punt return game still consists of poor set up blocking and returners who are at times skittish of fielding the kick.  (Note that Godwin replaced Crumpton.)

The game was frustrating in the sense that it appeared to be on the verge of becoming a blow out in the third quarter, only to see Georgia fart around until the latter part of the fourth.  Still, the Dawgs dominated the stats and were never threatened.  It sure would be nice to see this team turn it on for more than a series here and there, though.

“The new approach to country clubs is not an employee perk.”

The best thing about this story is how they’re trying to sell not one, not two, but three country club memberships for the top brass in Nebraska’s athletic department as sound business practice.

You’re the best, amateurism.  Don’t ever change.

(h/t)

“It wasn’t a game anymore.”

Sure, in college football, especially when you’re trying to establish a new team culture, there may be a fine line between motivation and abuse.  I can buy that.

But they pay you $2.5 million a year in part to make sure you stay on the right side of that line.

An initial ESPN report in August and others that followed noted that Court could be verbally and psychologically abusive, often using food as a reward, a punishment and a tool for humiliation. Among the new allegations levied by former players interviewed by The Post, many of which also were shared with commission investigators:

●After a player on a weight-loss program had a poor weigh-in, staff members sat him in a chair and called together his teammates. Court poured snacks and Rice Krispie treats over the player, multiple ex-players said. “He was fat-shaming him,” said Donahue, the former lineman.

●Players say they were routinely pushed beyond their limits in workouts and then ridiculed for their struggles. “They would make a point to openly humiliate and embarrass you to the players around you and the coaches,” one ex-player said. “They also had video cameras. . . . Even if you were throwing up in a trash can, that would sort of be the highlight of their film — getting the camera as close as they could up to your face and videotaping you.”

●Two former players told of a 2016 weight-room incident in which a player was vomiting in a trash can following a workout. Court was speaking at the time and grew upset that he was interrupted. Court pushed the player into a refrigerator, screamed at him and tossed the trash can across the room. He then forced the player to clean the mess, the players said.

●Injured players were sequestered from teammates in an gravelly area near the practice fields called “the Pit,” and Durkin referred to them as a “waste of life,” a phrase some players heard as degrading but another characterized as being said “in a joking way.”

A person close to Durkin said the coach told investigators that he had never called any player “a waste of life” and that “the Pit” wasn’t designed to punish injured players but rather was set up to provide a safe area for individualized workouts that were customized based on the constraints of their injuries.

●During meals and in the training room, players were shown graphic videos featuring loud music, violent imagery and animals killing each other. The videos were intended to motivate the players. “There would be videos of animals eating other animals, pulling them apart,” one player said. “Video segments of, like, zombies just pulling out the intestines of other people.”

“A predator attacking prey,” former wide receiver DeAndre Lane said. “Kind of just to get you in that mind-set: Attack, kill or be killed.”

Not sure that qualifies as such.

Nature Boy goes between the hedges.

I had a great time in Monterey, but I have to admit to a wee bit of regret missing this live:

WOO! pic.twitter.com/ZvSVpRMeSx

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 29, 2018

James Franklin was, is and will always be James Franklin.

Nobody does post-game celebrations like James Franklin does them.

James Franklin had a heated exchange with a Penn State fan who wasn’t happy with the 4th down call. pic.twitter.com/FSc7B93SZj

— The Athletic CFB (@TheAthleticCFB) September 30, 2018

If nothing else, you have to admire the man’s consistency.  He’s still a dick.

You can’t coach stupid.

Yeah, of all the ways to complain about a bad non-call, accusing the ref of sexual assault is probably the least optimal.

What Kirby wants

I have a feeling that whatever team stats you might lay in front of Georgia’s head coach for a response, this one would please him the most.

No FBS team in 2018 has given up a lower percentage of big plays than the @FootballUGA defense.

— SportSourceAnalytics (@SportSourceA) September 30, 2018

SEC Power Poll, Week Five

With every passing week, I feel more and more comfortable saying that we’re seeing the East beginning to regain ground against the West.

Except for, you know, that whole Alabama thing.

1. Alabama.  I don’t know about you, but I am shocked and appalled that the Tide didn’t cover a seven-touchdown spread.  Will Saban blame the media?
2. Georgia.  Don’t look now, but the best team in the country that isn’t playing its best beat a division rival by 26.
3. LSU.  With three out of the next four games against ranked teams, we’ll know a lot more about these Tigers by the end of October.
4. Auburn.  It’s becoming apparent that Auburn doesn’t sport a very good offense.  So far, though, that hasn’t caught up to Gus’ bunch.
5. Kentucky.  Handling South Carolina would normally be a pretty big deal, but it’s not like the ‘Cats haven’t been doing that of late.
6. Florida.  If anybody should know that Nick Fitzgerald can’t beat you with his arm, it’s Dan Mullen.
7. Texas A&M.  I dunno, maybe dinging the Aggies a couple of spots is an overreaction on my part, but struggling with Arkansas isn’t a good look.
8. Missouri.  The first recipient this season of a bye week bounce.
9. Mississippi State.  When’s the last time an SEC West team lost both its cross-divisional games in back-to-back weeks?
10. South Carolina.  So much for that “Carolina is ready to challenge Georgia in the East” narrative.
11. Ole Miss.  There’s bad defense and then there’s defense that lets Joe Burrow ring up a 209.71 passer rating.
12. Vanderbilt.  At 3-2 and with Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee left on the schedule, the ‘Dores have a real shot at bowl eligibility.
13. Tennessee.  Jeremy Pruitt earned the first of what could be several moral victories this season.
14. Arkansas.  The Hogs are the living embodiment of the principle that bad teams find a way to lose.

Fabris Pool results, Week 5

Another week without a tiebreaker.

STANDINGS for WEEK 5

Rank	Selection Name	Standings Adjustment	W-L	Pts	Tie Breaker Game 27-26
1	wtjoyner	Adj	9-1	9	24-26

All hail wtjoyner!

As far as the seasonal race goes…

SEASON STANDINGS through Week 5

Rank	You	Selection Name	W-L	Pts
1		Ant123	35-15	35
2		Call me Lilliputian, we in Swifts World	34-16	34
2		StoneColdDawg	34-16	34
2		Dr. Goober	34-16	34
5		Robert Hoover	33-17	33
5		econodawg	33-17	33

… long way to go.