College football’s state of parity, in one sentence

Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin on facing Ohio State: "It's kind of like going to recess and they have the first 85 picks."

— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) September 16, 2019

Brilliant.

Now that the cupcakes are gone

Thought this chart of ESPN’s FPI remaining strength of schedule was interesting.

That’s ten SEC teams in the top seventeen… but not Alabama (44th).

By the way, given the SOS ranking, Georgia’s 4.5% chance of winning out is actually pretty impressive.

Two for the price of one

I mentioned Lawrence Cager’s masterful blocking job Saturday.  Here’s one of my favorite examples, where on Blaylock’s big touchdown, he clears the way by knocking out not one, but two, ASU defenders.

Analysis: The film doesn’t lie. @PFF_Brent @dayneyoung https://t.co/PpEd8WGJdL pic.twitter.com/pg2Ko1X4Dw

— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) September 16, 2019

I bet that gets a few “atta boys” in the film room this week.

Ahmad Wagner Watch

Ahmad Wagner –

Contested Catch: ✅
Circus Catch: ✅
Juggling Catch: ✅#BigTimeCatch: without a doubt pic.twitter.com/w6zFvuZcLm

— Cam Mellor (@PFF_Cam) September 15, 2019

Okay, I admit it.  I’m obsessed.  Wagner’s now my favorite SEC player who doesn’t wear red and black.

After the Florida game, his stats are still absurd.

On just 18 career targets, Wagner has come down with 9 receptions and drawn 8 (!) pass interference flags against smaller DBs overwhelmed by his size and ability to box them out on jump balls.

The only thing I can’t figure out is why they don’t throw to him more.

How can you tell when the offensive line is doing its job?

This is pretty dang impressive.

Here's the breakdown of every Power 5 team's rushing attack based on yards gained.

I much prefer looking at yardage stats like this (especially early in season) bc a couple big plays can really throw off yds/att data pic.twitter.com/0hi4yUfeZS

— Ryan McCrystal (@Ryan_McCrystal) September 16, 2019

Georgia is second in all three categories.  It’s also the only team on that list with less than 10% of all its running plays going for zero or negative yards as well as over half its runs going for 5+ yards per attempt.

Cry havoc, and let loose Bill Connelly’s stats!

UGA’s got a 17.9% havoc rate so far, 42nd overall. (29th at LB, 39th at DB.)

Last year: 15.6% havoc rate, 75th overall. (9th at LB, 95th at DB.)

Definite improvement, especially in the back, but after Vandy, Murray St, and Ark St, you’d have maybe hoped for bigger improvement. https://t.co/P9ZTNkAdn5

— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) September 16, 2019

Hopefully, it’s a work in progress.

A reader bleg… and a bash

Finally!  Now we can talk about the Notre Dame game.  I’m going to start by reminding one and all about what a great trip I, along with much of Dawgnation, had in 2017.  Everyone in South Bend was friendly and gracious.  And everyone coming to Athens deserves to have the same courtesy extended to them.  Make ’em feel welcome enough they can tolerate a big loss, amirite?

Moving on, I received an email from reader Timphd, who has a request for us that I’ll share here:

I am hoping you and the other readers can give me some advice. I am coming back to campus for the Notre Dame game next week. My first game back since the early 90’s. I live in Maine and it is nearly impossible to get back for a game due to work and family demands. However, in the last two years I have made the Notre Dame game in South Bend and the Rose Bowl against Oklahoma.

Next week my wife, son and daughter in law are headed to Athens for the game. We paid through the nose for tickets but have no regrets. What I need advice on revolves primarily around the logistics of the game. Here are my questions for the readers:

How early before kickoff do you have to present to the gate to be sure you don’t miss the kick? I nearly missed the kick in Pasadena due to how long security took. I used to like watching pregame warmups. How early would we have to get there for that?
Where is the best tailgating? I know we won’t be able to set up a tailgate, but we hope to have a little time to engage with other fans and get a sense of the scene now. As I said, my last trip to Athens for a game was in the early 90’s. I am sure much has changed.

Where should we try to grab lunch and/or dinner if we are mostly on foot? What are the recommended food options within walking distance of the stadium. How about after the game for (hopefully) celebratory drinks? I expect the whole town will be hopping and lines will be long, which ones are worth the wait? Or are there some off the beaten path places that people recommend?

As someone who rarely travels downtown on game day, I’ll leave it to you guys to share advice in the comments.  I will say that between the extra seats being sold, ESPN’s appearance and the level of ACCPD’s crowd/traffic management, I expect Athens to be a zoo Saturday.

As far as pregame goes, plan on heading into the stadium 45 or so minutes ahead of game time to watch warmups.

As far as tailgating goes, my group plans on being in early Saturday and setting up for the long haul — and, believe me, with the game not ending until after eleven, a long haul it will be — so y’all are invited to drop in and see us any time you like that day and spend some time enjoying yourselves.  I’d love to see any of you.  As always, we will set up in the lot by the tracks just north of the stadium.

On that map, it’s designated as N08.  I’ll try to post a picture of where we are in the lot once we get there on Saturday.  In any event, I hope you’ll drop by.  If you time it right, you may run into Hoppy, star of stage, screen and the Montana Project, who’s also making it back to Athens.  If nothing else, maybe you can put a face with a moniker.

A good time will be had by all, I promise.

Observations from the 35, Arkansas State edition

Well, they did it.  Georgia went out and played itself a full 60-minute, focused game and creamed a Sun Belt opponent.  Over six hundred yards of offense and a shutout on the other side of the ball gave us a strong hint of what this team is capable of when firing on all cylinders — and I’m not sure that characterization is totally fair, given those results came with a starting offensive right tackle out with injury and a receiving corps and quarterback still working out their timing, among other issues.

Damned impressive, in other words.  How ’bout a few bullet points?

• My game ball on offense goes to Lawrence Cager, who seemed to be blocking somebody downfield on every major gain Saturday and tossed in a terrific touchdown catch to boot.  That’s how you grab a starting job and hang on to it.
• The receiving corps was down two starters, lost another key player in game, and didn’t miss a beat.  Blaylock and Pickens are coming on strong and fast.
• Matt Landers, you’ve got to lay out for that long ball, man.
• So much for the annual promise of the tight ends becoming more involved in the passing game.
• The offensive line handled a big defensive front with zero difficulty.  If Arkansas State was resorting to stunts and twists like Georgia faced in its first two games, it was hard to notice, because nobody got through.  It was Trey Hill’s best game of the season and that’s a very good sign.
• Every scholarship tailback scored?  Very cool.
• Fromm was Fromm and it’s exciting to watch him hone his timing with this receiver group.  As it was, at times, Saturday seemed almost too easy for him.
• I thought Bennett showed nice progress.  He didn’t force any throws, showed nice touch and also some good wheels on his run.
• Every week that goes by reinforces how ridiculous this defense’s overall speed is.  They simply overwhelmed the ASU offensive line up front and pounded the hell out of the Red Wolves’ quarterback.  That Quay Walker sack on a delayed blitz looked like he was shot out of a cannon.
• On the d-line, Georgia got a terrific game out of Tyler Clark and solid ones out of Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt.  If they keep that up, Georgia’s front seven is more than good enough.
• Tae Crowder still drives me crazy.  He’s smart, has some of the best instincts of any player on Georgia’s defense, always seems to be there to make a play… and is inconsistent on wrapping up his tackling.
• Tyson Campbell had the best game of his career.  He was lights out on every play where the pass was in front of him and getting better when he covered with his back to the quarterback.  Solid tackling in the run game, too.
• I’m guilty of not saying enough good things about J. R. Reed.  In position seemingly on every play and a solid tackler, he’s simply the glue that holds the defense together.
• Special teams very quietly have turned themselves into a real force.  I’m at the point where I’m surprised there’s a return on a Blankenship kickoff.  He was also perfect on nine kicks for scores.  Camarda has been a most pleasant surprise.  We knew he has a big leg, but this year, he’s found a level of consistency that was lacking before.

As for coaching, well, we jump on Smart’s case for things like the fake field goal/fake punt in last year’s LSU game/SECCG as evidence that his coaching leaves something to be desired, but coaching also involves getting your team ready to play, something that’s not always easy in a game like Saturday’s.  Instead, he had Georgia ready to play from the get go and for the first time this season there was no period when the team relaxed.  Roster management through the first three games has been excellent and Georgia showed just enough wrinkles on both sides of the ball against ASU to give Notre Dame something to think about.

In case you can’t tell, I really like where this team is at right now.

SEC passer ratings, Week 3

Per the ever-ready cfbstats.com:

The top and bottom are the real eye openers.  Joe Burrow’s completion percentage is ridiculous, especially considering he’s near the top of the group in pass attempts.  If he can maintain even 80% of that production, LSU is going to be a dangerous team this year.

Bo Nix, on the other hand… let’s just say his Heisman campaign needs some work.

Monday morning buffet

Grab yourself a plate and go.

• Georgia is favored by 13 points over a top 10 team.  Think about that for a minute.
• Next season, every SEC West team faces Auburn Alabama and LSU in back-to-back games.  Weird.
• There sure seem to be lots of folks telling the NCAA “no” lately.
• Through three weeks, Georgia is the fourth best team in the county in yardage differential.
• Pac-12 officiating:  still inept, but with full disclosure.
• Son, you’re gonna need a bigger lemonade stand.
• The main reason I hope this gains legs is that I would love to see Dabo in front of a legislative committee bitching about player compensation in a moment made to be captured for the recruiting trail.
• The state of college football marketing, in less than 280 characters.