October 2, 2022 · 9:09 AM

The return of an old favorite

Hey, there.

Said outside linebacker Nolan Smith: “We’re going to get everybody’s best shot. We’ve seen it with Bama and Texas. They gave us their best shot.”

The hunters got hunted last night.

66 Comments

Filed under Georgia Football

66 responses to “The return of an old favorite”

  1. Doug Gillett
    October 2, 2022 at 9:23 AM

    Well, if we know we’re going to get everybody’s best shot, then we need to start handling those best shots better than we have the past couple weeks.

    It really seems like we’ve been reading a few too many of our own press clippings. Every article since the Oregon win has been about how the Dawgs are so good we’re just going to roll right through the schedule and not face a real test until maybe Tennessee or Kentucky late in the season. If that’s what our players thought, I hope last night disabused them of the notion in a big way.

    Liked by 14 people

  2. Ran A
    October 2, 2022 at 9:30 AM

    I think the polls will help them get right. Fully expect them to drop to 3 today. And you know what? Thy should.

    Liked by 12 people

  3. eethomaswfnc
    October 2, 2022 at 9:35 AM

    We knew going into the season we would get everyone’s best shot. When we give our best shot back, there are only 2 teams in the sport that can play with us. We miss Nakobe, Quay, Channing, Jordan, and Lewis for their leadership on the defense. We miss the quiet competence of Travon. We miss the shutdown ability of Derion.

    We miss Jamaree. We miss Zeus and James. We miss JT for his willingness to focus on the team over his own goals. Those guys just went about their business.

    All of them kept their teammates focused on the prize.

    It’s time for Brock, Darnell, SBIV, Warren Mac, Sedrick, Nolan, Pop, and Chris to step into those roles and get their mates refocused.

    Liked by 4 people

  4. Spell Dawg
    October 2, 2022 at 9:42 AM

    “Next man up” wasn’t first in line for a reason. It’s a relatively young team with some key injuries; they will be finding out what they were made of as a team each week. IDGAS to look up the exact games, but there are plenty of “scares” over the last decade for the top teams in easy-win situations.

    Becoming a stronger team is what matters now. I’m fine with breaking a few hearts like they did last night, along the way.

    Like

  5. Roswell Dawg
    October 2, 2022 at 10:06 AM

    I was wondering why Monken didn’t dial up some quick sideline throws or bubble screens early to give Stetson some confidence and timing and maybe spread their defense out a bit. We seemed frozen for the first half…….

    And……. what everyone else said.

    Who knows what Kirby is saying to these guys but one assumes at least ‘don’t think so highly of yourselves.’ That’s the polite version.

    You get your behind kicked around for 40 minutes straight by an unranked team, and you lay down like they did, then you have no claim on anything. Nothing.

    Their DC called a great game, and it was clear we were vulnerable to blitzing. We had no answers for their pressure.
    Their quarterback played like he was the defending national champion for most of they game. Ours didn’t.
    No one has anything to be proud of. Except Edwards who should have been in the game earlier. And Darnell who knocked their safety back five yards on his last reception. My Gawd………..what a beast.

    Liked by 3 people

    • FlyingPeakDawg
      October 2, 2022 at 10:26 AM

      Monkey not dialing-up more screens and slants to slow down their all-out blitzing for 3 quarters was a head-scratcher for sure. Stetson took one of the worst beatings since FL ‘20 game. I can’t callout any one OL because they were all whiffing on blocks so bad it looked like they had somewhere else to be.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Odontodawg
      October 2, 2022 at 9:50 PM

      I imagine Pod is quite proud of his performance last night – and should be. Kirby gushed about him post-game.

      Honorable “who should be proud” mention to Brock. Only saw him poorly miss one block on the outside. Otherwise, some tough catches on less than perfect throws and the huge play in the red zone late.

      YMMV.

      Like

  6. beatarmy92
    October 2, 2022 at 10:17 AM

    Why didn’t Mizzou get UGA’s “best shot?”

    Like

    • eethomaswfnc
      October 2, 2022 at 10:29 AM

      We used it in Atlanta?

      Seriously, I really don’t understand why these guys can’t stay focused on the task at hand. We didn’t need our best shot to beat Missouri by 20+. We just need to play to our standard week in and week out.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Derek
        October 2, 2022 at 10:54 AM

        They’re kids. I suspected keeping that early pace up would be a challenge.

        Our guys start thinking they’ve arrived. Meanwhile other coaching staffs are watching tape and coming up with ways to make us uncomfortable.

        The early blow outs were a bit of a mirage. As they say, its never as good as it seems and never as bad as it seems. We’re somewhere in the middle. Which is pretty damn good.

        I’m happy we’re being tested. It’ll help later.

        Liked by 2 people

        • eethomaswfnc
          October 2, 2022 at 11:00 AM

          That’s my point. We didn’t need to play like we did against Oregon to handle Missouri. Just play to our standard.

          -2 or more in turnover margin removes the margin for error. The guy made a perfect move to knock the ball out on Milton. The sack/fumble is typically the OL’s fault (I haven’t seen the play, so I don’t know if that was the case). You have to take advantage of opportunities to get turnovers when they are presented.

          Like

      • sniffer
        October 2, 2022 at 11:55 AM

        Last year the focus was clear. Win a championship. This year’s leadership has one and they’re not locked in on another championship.

        Like

  7. Texas Dawg
    October 2, 2022 at 10:28 AM

    For a team of this caliber, you would expect to get everyone’s best shot. USUALLY that results in a tight first quarter then the better team shows who they are and pulls away to a nice comfortable win. They don’t make you sweat it until the clock strikes zero.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. dawgsaregods
    October 2, 2022 at 10:32 AM

    I don’t want to say Nolan is making excuses here, because I believe he’s a strong leader who holds himself and the rest of the team accountable, but I’ve always believed the “We get everyone’s best shot” narrative is a little bit overrated. Bama has presumably gotten everyone’s best shot for a more than a dozen years now, and it hasn’t seemed to matter much. If you’re significantly more talented than your opponent and you handle your own business, it really shouldn’t matter how badly the other team wants to beat you.

    The last two weeks say more about our lack of focus and execution than they say about Kent State or Missouri, IMO. With all due respect to those teams, if we play the way we’re supposed to play, we should run them out of the stadium.

    Liked by 6 people

    • gurkhadawg
      October 2, 2022 at 10:54 AM

      Bingo!

      Like

    • charlottedawg
      October 2, 2022 at 11:10 AM

      Is it it a lack of focus or do we just have straight retards on our team who are never gonna work out?

      One game (Kent state) can be an anomaly, two games in a row, means we suck

      Keep in mind mizzou is a bad bad team. They fact they were in our backfield all night and our offense couldn’t score in a whore house with a sack of twenties means we might not even get to Atlanta to play the Tina turner to bamas Ike.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Derek
      October 2, 2022 at 12:29 PM

      Alabama has had their share of close calls and/or losses to inferior opposition over the years. Far more close calls tho and those are quickly forgotten.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ben Dukes (@BenDukes)
      October 2, 2022 at 6:45 PM

      “it hasn’t seemed to matter much”

      Come on. Bama lost to TAMU and had 3 other 1-score games last year. They barely beat Auburn the week before skulldragging the Dawgs in Atlanta.

      Every single year there’s a Bama win that they had to scratch and claw to get through. Ohio State has them too. Hell, Bama had one a few WEEKS AGO, and people are just brushing that one out of their collective memories.

      And the “best shot” isn’t “how bad the other team wants to beat you.” It’s the other team is willing to completely change what THEY do, in order to attack what YOU do. It’s analysts spending extra time in the week to study your team’s tendencies and concepts. It’s DCs changing the way they call their defenses and coverages, specifically to attack what you like to do, and to avoid the tendencies you would have prepared for. It’s running line games they haven’t shown on tape, or doing triple-reverese-flea-flickers because they know your team will attack window dressing in the backfield, and they hope your young DBs will bite.

      And in the end, the better talent DID win out. The defense shut Mizzou down most of the night, not falling for the kitchen-sink trick play bullshit, and recovering when they had lapses. Once the offensive coaches adapted their scripts to what Mizzou had decided to do, they took over the game. It’s not a coincidence that UGA dominated the 4th quarter. The staff took the info they had gathered thus far in the game, and put their kids in better positions. Suddenly the holes were huge. Suddenly the receivers were open.

      Do y’all think Mizzou suddenly decided they didn’t want to win the game… or could it be that when the better talent was given some coaching and a plan to counter-act what Mizzou had presented, the difference became more starkly obvious?

      I’d say it’s the latter.

      Go Dawgs.

      Liked by 3 people

  9. charlottedawg
    October 2, 2022 at 10:48 AM

    We didn’t get their best shot, we just kept shooting ourselves in the dick but fortunately ran out of ammo

    Liked by 3 people

  10. PTC DAWG
    October 2, 2022 at 10:53 AM

    Had the whole way, never in doubt.

    Like

  11. bcdawg97
    October 2, 2022 at 11:21 AM

    Reading too many press clippings. I’m sure we have team leadership but it doesn’t seem to be getting the message home the same way as last year. But IMO, the OL just got their asses whipped whether it was scheme or an amped up Mizz DL. Might be time to just settle on a more “permanent” starting 5. On the D side, said it before last week – we miss Davis and Wyatt and right now Carter. Injured or coasting, we just don’t have a consistent disruptor on the interior DL that we need Carter to be. I’ve seen Brinson, Logue, Bear and others flash for a play or two but QBs are just too comfy back there. We still have the same talent and coaching from the Oregon game. Start winning the line on both sides and the rest of the team will look better.

    Like

  12. FlyingPeakDawg
    October 2, 2022 at 11:42 AM

    We’re missing Metchie and Williams.

    I thought Kirby put the whole season on the line with the 4th & 2 play from the 4. And we used a jet sweep we really hadn’t run (especially with Bowers) all night. Bold move was needed. Kicking yet another FG down 10 meant we still needed a score and I think we win either way. No score there…? Less certain we’re still alive today.

    Tells me Kirby knows what he’s got and they need to keep chopping wood.

    Liked by 3 people

  13. ASEF
    October 2, 2022 at 12:10 PM

    Offensive line looked qualitatively different last night (in a bad way), even after the scheme adjustment. A QB taking head shots tends to have long-term ripple effects. The body remembers. It affects peripheral vision and pocket calculus. Etc. Not good, Bob.

    Fixable, but woof.

    Like

    • Skeptic Dawg
      October 2, 2022 at 2:38 PM

      As the game progressed it was clear that Bennett was locking on to a single receive and not once going throw his progressions. I believe this was directly related to the poor O-line play. Stetson got away with it last night without throwing a pick against a lesser Mizzou squad. You are spot on ASEF, the body does have a memory. My fear is that Stetson speeds up the game as result of muscle memory and the outcome will not be as pretty. As for the O-line, we have seen deficiencies since the Samford game. We are now 5 games in the season and 3 of the 5 games has been poorly played. The key issues are red zone failures, lack of a run game, and defensive miscues. It is safe to assume that this team is not great. Can they improve? I sure hope so, but my guess is that the Dawgs have a loss or two coming this season.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. 69Dawg
    October 2, 2022 at 2:27 PM

    In a close game adjustments at the half are ok, if UT is lighting us up and their defense is having their way with our Oline, you better be adjusting every time the Oline comes off the field. Not sure CSS is capable of that. Last night he wasn’t for sure.
    I bring this up not to get flamed. Why do you think Kirby, Monken, Bobo and the rest thought CSS was the man? From what I heard NC was not sad to see him go.

    Like

    • eethomaswfnc
      October 2, 2022 at 2:42 PM

      What offensive line coach other than Sam Pittman and Wayne McDuffie has the Georgia people ever been happy with? It’s the hardest position coach job on the staff. You have to find 5 guys that can play together. If 4 of the 5 of them do their job, you get raked over the coals if the one guy makes the play. If one of the guys gets a penalty, you get raked over the coals because they should be coached not to hold or put a hand to the face.

      Like

      • 69Dawg
        October 2, 2022 at 4:29 PM

        I hear you but the Oline has now had two back to back games where and quote Kirby “we got our asses kicked”. I’ve said it before in a couple of posts, the Oline does not know how to apparently handle Defenses that cause havoc. They seem to be better suited to just straight ahead blocking without all the dance steps Pull and Pin etc. If they are doing good in practice against our first string Defense then why can’t they block teams with lesser personnel? I’m just boggled by the last two weeks. If it keeps up SB4 is going to get killed.

        Like

      • ASEF
        October 2, 2022 at 4:31 PM

        But it’s not a 1 or even 5 game sample driving the criticism, is it?

        Concern with his prior resume was already high at the point of hire. He came here with fans already in a, “Gotta show me,” headspace.

        UNC fans were happy to see him go. Maybe foolishly, but their OL could have long stretches of being dominated by very average defensive lines.

        Concerning to say the least

        Like

        • eethomaswfnc
          October 2, 2022 at 5:29 PM

          I get that … I’m in the show me camp. I also am saying that the offensive line coach is typically the most maligned on the staff for many reasons. It’s truly the most difficult job on a coaching staff.

          Like

      • Ben Dukes (@BenDukes)
        October 2, 2022 at 6:51 PM

        It is also a position coach that the everyday fan is woefully ill-equipped to properly critique.

        “Hey man, what protection were we in?”
        “Crappy.”
        “Good talk.”

        Liked by 1 person

        • eethomaswfnc
          October 2, 2022 at 9:19 PM

          Ben, I’ve always thought it’s also the most difficult recruiting job given most college prospects in the offensive line can just overwhelm their opponents in high school with either their sheer size/power or athleticism. You don’t see a lot of high school offensive linemen who have demonstrated consistently good technique. Would you agree with that as someone more qualified than 99% of us who comment her?

          Like

  15. Roswell Dawg
    October 2, 2022 at 10:20 PM

    You’re right about Pod. My bad

    Like