The state of my state of mind

Bill Connelly ($$), on this week’s SP+ ratings:

Georgia won’t get a revenge opportunity against Alabama until the SEC Championship at the very earliest, but if what we’ve seen through two weeks is any indication, the Dawgs might once again have the talent to challenge the big dog if or when given the opportunity.

Georgia’s 56-7 win against a UAB that had — past tense — a top-15 defense was a massive Week 2 statement, one that, combined with the predictable Alabama sleepwalk past Mercer, closed the gap atop the SP+ ratings a bit. Alabama’s ratings slipped a bit after beating a lower-tier FCS team, 48-14, but Georgia’s rose as well, and after trailing by 8.1 adjusted points per game a week ago, UGA trails Bama by only 1.8 points now.

It’s not that I’m holding out confident hope that this is the year Georgia takes down Alabama.  It’s that I no longer think it’s crazy when somebody else suggests it’s a reasonable possibility.

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SEC speed, baby

UGA's defense shines again, giving up zero points across the depth chart. https://t.co/l1EheIcx3h

This was the most impressive play of the day though. pic.twitter.com/VlmioghCxB

— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) September 12, 2021

The best thing about that play is that I bet that quarterback has never run faster in his life.

Just when you think you’ve seen everything…

Southern Cal’s kicker gets ejected for targeting on the first play of the game.

pic.twitter.com/6ustsyo0xh

— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) September 12, 2021

USC would go on to get blasted by Stanford, so the Clay Helton death watch is back on again.

A question of strategy

In case you missed it because of ESPN’s nonsense, here’s the Mailman to Jermaine Burton pic.twitter.com/deTVVbpgkZ

— Jon Tweets Sports (@jontweetssports) September 11, 2021

Just wondering:  to be in man coverage, don’t you, like, have to have a man covering?

“We heard all the rumors about the quarterback situation.”

Marc Weiszer makes a solid point about Kirby’s decision making so far this season.

Social media has not been kind to Smart in past quarterback decisions — ones with more riding than a home game against a Group of Five team in UAB, who was more than a three-touchdown underdog.

There’s the narrative of how he could let future NFL first-round draft pick Justin Fields transfer to Ohio State while Jake Fromm, now a practice squad player in Buffalo, held on to his starting job. All Fromm did was lead Georgia within a busted defensive play of a national title and then back to the SEC championship game the next season.

There’s the question that still comes up about why JT Daniels didn’t get on the field until game seven last year. Coming off a torn ACL at Southern Cal, Daniels finally got the call after Georgia was all but out of the SEC East race.

Fair or not, that’s been the narrative.  Yesterday’s results won’t change that, but who cares?  Smart pushed the right button.  Add to that which coach made the questionable decision to go for it on fourth down in Georgia’s opener, and you’re justified in thinking maybe, just maybe, Kirby Smart’s got his in-game shit together.  At the least, he hasn’t made a bad move yet.

Name that caption, pre-game edition

Todd Monken, JT Daniels and George Pickens. pic.twitter.com/YeZ948WNBo

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) September 11, 2021

I doubt the subject was Stetson Bennett, but who knows?

Dragon’d

We saw this sitting on the UAB sideline all game and wondered if we’d ever get to see it in action.

#Dawgs Georgia football No Context Photo o’ the Day 9/12

💯🐶🏈 #GoDawgs #DawgsOnTop pic.twitter.com/aSt2pGBIT8

— GATA Dawgs (@BassinDawg) September 12, 2021

So, thanks for that, anyway, Carson.

The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat

Tell us you’re an ACC program that lost on the last play of the game to an FCS school without saying you’re an ACC program that lost on the last play of the game to an FCS school.

These poor FSU cheerleaders. pic.twitter.com/GnPkAqfnlV

— Michael Casagrande (@ByCasagrande) September 12, 2021

Promises made, promises kept.

After the first two games of the season, Georgia’s leading receiver is… Brock Bowers.

#TEU