Why, hello there, Arian Smith.
Damn, that was gorgeous.
I really want to see what all the moving parts, from the OC to the QB to the receiving corps to the o-line and running backs getting to play in an offense where opposing defenses are forced to respect the run pass… whew, what all that looks like with a year under their collective belts.
That’s not too much to ask, is it?
Filed under Georgia Football
Something Kirby Smart said during last night’s presser:
On playing a lot of players…
āItās so unfortunate that you donāt get a chance to do that but thatās the world we live in. The Conference schedule has made it tough, and our inability to get a big lead has made it tough. But, I was proud of those guys. I wish that we could play them more. Thatās what kidās do, they come to Georgia to play in the games. The games weāve been in, we havenāt been able to do that. But I was proud of Arian Smith, I was proud of Daijun Edwards, what a warrior he was to continue to run the ball with toughness.”We were able to get Broderick (Jones) in the game, Darnell (Washington) played a lot; we played a lot of guys on the defensive line that didnāt have a real good series there. We subbed out, put some threes in and didnāt play real well that last drive they scored on. But thatās the way you learn. Iāve been around it for years where Iāve been at places when you get a lead, put them in and you find out a lot about a kid. You find out, hey, he might still be a year away, but getting that experience under his belt is invaluable.āĀ Ā [Emphasis added.]
To which my smart ass response is:Ā okay, so why isn’t Georgia one of those places?Ā At least more often?Ā (Last night was good in that regard, as all but nine players who travelled managed to play.)
I don’t mean to be pointing a finger just at Smart, either.Ā He is following in Mark Richt’s footsteps.Ā (Indeed, the second half of last season reminded me more than anything of how Richt coached the 2015 season after the embarrassing loss to Florida.)
On one level, sure, I get it.Ā A win’s a win and that’s what coaches are paid to do.Ā But a steady grind ’em out approach has its costs, and player development/analysis is one of them.Ā If your team stays healthy, the downside is minimal, but 2020 hasn’t been that kind of season.
And before you go down the “that’s why you need cupcakes on the schedule” road, there are plenty of mediocre to bad teams in the SEC this season.Ā Georgia played two of them, Kentucky and Mississippi State, in its last four games and took its sweet time putting them away.
It’s as much a mindset as the quality of opponents, in other words.Ā And it’s one that has been embraced in Athens for some time — weirdly enough, by coaches who have been at those kind of places before arriving in Athens.Ā Maybe it’s something in the water.
Filed under Georgia Football, Strategery And Mechanics
I mean, is this the way a man should talk to the best defensive coordinator in all of college football?
As I said yesterday, the perfect topper to this would be the SEC fining Grantham for not following proper mask protocol.
Filed under Gators, Gators...
This is some stat of the day ($$):
Alabamaās 42-13 win against Auburn is its largest ever against a ranked Auburn team.
The previous bests were 31-7 wins in 1971 and 2001.
Bigger than the Bear and Saban ever managed?Ā Yeah, that might stir a few boosters up, Gus.
Filed under Alabama, Auburn's Cast of Thousands
Yeah, this is working out splendidly.
For the record, Rutgers is 2-4 this season; Tennessee is 2-5.Ā Rutgers has lost one game, Ohio State, by double digits.Ā Tennessee has lost five straight games by double digits.
But at least Phil Fulmer got a job out of that debacle, so there’s that.
Filed under Because Nothing Sucks Like A Big Orange
Syracuse pulled a Reggie Ball in the waning moments of its game against NC State.
And, yes, to make things even more perfect, that’s former Tech announcer Wes Durham on the call.Ā He must have had some serious flashbacks watching that go down.
Filed under ACC Football, Georgia Tech Football
