The Auburn game is…
Daily Archives: September 18, 2023
Moar walking wounded
Well, this sure does suck.
No idea on when he’ll return, either.
Filed under Georgia Football, The Body Is A Temple
Observations from the 35, rattled edition
It’s good to be back in the saddle again, I can tell you.
No question that the Dawgs played a crappy first half on Saturday in just about every way imaginable — lack of focus, missed assignments, sloppy tackling, tentative play on both sides of the ball. Overall, you can call it sleepwalking if you like. I’d call it a team that didn’t arrive taking their opponent seriously. South Carolina certainly didn’t have that problem and spent the first thirty minutes of the game showing the Dawgs up.
It was disappointing to watch. Frustrating, too. But, much like last season’s Missouri game, I never felt like Georgia was in jeopardy of losing. These Dawgs have been a third quarter team so far this season and once again they showed up with a vengeance after the second half kickoff. They dominated the Gamecocks in the second half. Spencer Rattler was 16-18 throwing the ball in the first half. He finished the game 22-42, with two interceptions. He only completed three of his last 19 pass attempts.
I mentioned yesterday how weird the game felt to me in certain ways. Walking out of the stadium afterwards, I told myself that it was likely there would be a disconnect between the final stats and what we saw on the field for 60 minutes. And that turned out to be the case. Georgia outgained South Carolina by 150 yards, dominated time of possession, finished +2 in turnover margin… and only won by ten points. Sure, you can chalk some of that up to the two missed field goals, but still…
It was much the same with individual stats. I felt like Beck had an okay game, overall, with improvement in the second half. Much the same as we saw from him in the two previous games, in other words. But check out these numbers:
Pretty good, eh? Yeah, that’s what I thought. There is a certain amount of disconnect there that I can only explain in the context of a talented team that isn’t getting the best out of its players on a consistent basis.
Should we be concerned with the recurring pattern of slow starts? Oh, hell yeah! It’s easy to say Kirby’s on the mother, but honestly, that should have been the case before Saturday, not after. It won’t matter against UAB, but after that, the SEC slate kicks in in earnest and some of those games aren’t being played in the friendly confines of Sanford Stadium. It would be nice if the team decided to start making its presence known from the opening kickoff.
As for what I saw, bullet points follow:
- Let’s start with the player of the game, in my humble opinion. That would be Daijun Edwards, who managed to compile Georgia’s first 100-yard rushing game of the season. Perhaps more significantly, his twenty carries were the most by a Georgia back since Zamir White against Kentucky in 2020. (Yes, I had to look that up.) He played great, but kudos to the coaches who decided to ride the hot hand instead of swapping out backs every few plays or so. Edwards appeared to get stronger as the game went on and the SC defense rarely had an answer for him.
- It’s to Kendal Milton’s credit that he’s gutting it out, but he’s clearly not at 100% and not as effective as he can be. His 15-yard run was a nice one though. Cash Jones showed a nice burst on his TD run.
- South Carolina’s defense was aggressive early on, with lots of run blitzes, and even when they weren’t blitzing, having the safeties crash the line of scrimmage as soon as the ball was handed off. The offensive line struggled with the numbers, which is consistent with what we’ve seen from them before. What was new was that the line also struggled some in pass protection, especially with delayed blitzes. Against a mediocre Gamecock defensive front, that should never have happened. And then Mims went down. Nevertheless, the group righted itself in the second half, both in pass pro and in their run blocking. The only thing I can bitch about in the second half was Truss getting whistled for a costly holding penalty that basically blew up a scoring drive. All in all, that was something they can build upon.
- I didn’t realize Bowers was struggling with a hamstring problem going into the game. He sure didn’t play like it. That one pop pass that he turned into a five-yard gain entirely of his own making was gutsy. So was his blocking all game long. He managed seven catches against a defense that keyed on stopping him all game long.
- Speaking of blocking, another area of concern that is starting to come along is the downfield perimeter blocking. When you see Arian Smith (who had one catch for short yardage, by the way) throwing his body around to block a DB, it’s a sign the receivers are starting to buy into all the work they need to do for the offense to succeed.
- Another sign of buy in is the increasing amount of contributions Thomas and Lovett, the offseason’s key transfers, are making. Thomas is developing nicely into a deep threat; his 36-yard reception was the team’s longest of the day. Lovett’s seven receptions tied Bowers for the team lead.
- Rosemy-Jacksaint just continues along his merry, consistent way — great blocking to go along with half a dozen catches, one for more than 30 yards.
- That brings me to Carson Beck, another major source of first half frustration. Carson played the first half like there was never a checkdown he didn’t love. Meanwhile, there were guys getting open on intermediate and deep routes consistently. I don’t know if Beck didn’t see them, or if he just lacked the confidence to try to get them the ball. Clearly, he’s focused on not turning the ball over and that’s to his credit, but his decision making cost the Dawgs some points in the first half. It was a relief to see him rip that beautiful throw to Thomas to get the first scoring drive of the second half jump started. He looked much more comfortable with play action in the second half, as well, which had the additional benefit of getting the SC defense to dial back their aggressiveness. I know it’s still early in his career as a starter, he’s working with a lot of new faces and doesn’t have the benefit of McConkey being in the lineup, but he needs to trust his skill set more than he appears to, at least at the start of games.
- Underrated non-event: Georgia didn’t turn the ball over once. On a rainy day, that was impressive.
- I mentioned Rattler’s stellar first half completion numbers. That doesn’t happen if he’s dealing with pressure. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. Georgia’s defensive front gave him way too much time, and that, combined with surprisingly soft coverage, made him look like an All-American. They were able to dial up more pressure, and that on a consistent basis, in the second half, and that brought Rattler crashing back down to earth.
- I won’t spend much time talking about run defense, because the ‘Cocks basically abandoned the run from the get go, figuring the best way to attack was through the passing game. And for a half, that worked. Rattler was their leading rusher, all of his rushes coming on scrambles after he was able to break the pocket.
- Is there something wrong with Dumas-Johnson, or did he just mentally check out of the game occasionally? He had one of the most lame tackling (using the word loosely) attempts I’ve seen from a Georgia defender since Grantham was the DC. That said, he did manage one of Georgia’s sacks and had a couple of tackles for loss.
- At least his ILB cohort, Mondon, turned in a good, consistent performance.
- Did the secondary miss Bullard? It sure looked that way to me, especially on SC’s first score, which combined a good call against an all out blitz that left the DBs confused. Dan Jackson’s whiff was the topper.
- Tykee Smith played his ass off, though. He’s really flashed this season.
- Lassiter was excellent. His effort in the first half was noticeable, as the exception to the general level of play.
- Special teams? I’ve already pointed out (like just about everyone else who saw the game) Woodring’s shortcomings; he either gets the yips fixed in a hurry, or he’ll be watching Zirkel attempting field goals. Speaking of Zirkel, he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory. His opening kick out of bounds set the early tone for South Carolina’s offense. On the good side, Thorson turned in another solid effort. He’s so consistent I almost take him for granted at times. Mews didn’t have a big return, but he impressed me with his decision making by not playing hero ball on returns and forcing something that wasn’t there. He also contributed a big tackle on Legette’s one kickoff return that left SC in a big hole in the second half.
- What sucked most about the missed field goals was that they came at the end of two long drives that consumed a lot of clock. That’s bad, anyway, but with the new clock rules, it’s really bad.
- I hope somebody asks why Georgia played such soft coverage in the first half. (I assume it was out of concern for Bullard’s replacements.) They certainly tightened things up after halftime, but it was a curious approach, especially combined with a rather vanilla approach to pressuring Rattler.
- I’m sure I’m in the minority on this, but I thought generally Bobo called a good game. In fact, I’d call his second half playcalling excellent. (Go ahead, shoot me.) Aside from sticking with Edwards in lieu of the standard rotation at running back, this was the first game all season where I saw receivers getting open on virtually every play. The next step is to coach Beck into finding them.
- Kirby did a fine job pulling everyone’s heads out of their asses in time for the second half resurgence. Now if he can just figure out how to get the team to show up for the opening kickoff…
They’re 3-0. They’re in first place in the SEC East. No, it hasn’t always been pretty. Things could be a lot worse, though, even this early. Just ask a Tennessee fan.
I still have faith that Smart will get things figured out in time to make a difference when it’s needed. But it sure would be nice to see that coming sooner rather than later.
Filed under Georgia Football
Stirring the shit pot
Ole Miss travels to Tuscaloosa this week. Junior’s decided to get an early start on the festivities with a little subjective, pulled straight out of his ass, speculation.
Well, now. We’ll see how that goes.
Saban meets with the media today. I wonder if that’s going to be a topic of conversation (which is my way of saying it’s going to be a topic of conversation). Eh, at this point, what’s another distraction in Tuscaloosa, anyway?
Filed under Alabama, Don't Mess With Lane Kiffin
Some year they’re having in Tuscaloosa
This is quite an accusation to lob.
That said, that was an epically bad performance Alabama’s quarterbacks put on Saturday. They finished with an abysmal passer rating of 82.56. (For comparison sake, Milroe managed a passer rating of 140.81 against Texas.) Buckner’s rating was an even worse 56.11. Against South Florida.
I have a hard time believing Alabama’s coaches couldn’t see that coming in practice. Nobody plays competently against the Tide’s defense during the week and then turns in a performance like that against a shitty mid-major team. Honestly, it reminds me of Georgia’s decision to start Faton Bauta against Florida.
So, could that be deflating if you’re a teammate of Milroe? I suppose it could. Strange to contemplate, though.
In any event, these are not normal times for a Saban-coached outfit.
Filed under Alabama
2023 SEC Power Poll, Week Three
Conference play got underway this past weekend, albeit on a limited basis. Even so, there were still plenty of cupcakes on the menu.
- Georgia. Uneasy lies the crown.
- LSU. Very impressive road win against a conference foe.
- Ole Miss. We’re about to find out a lot about Junior’s team, as they travel to Tuscaloosa this week.
- Alabama. If Georgia’s been sleepwalking through their early schedule, how would you describe the Tide’s journey so far?
- Kentucky. Just when I was starting to question the ‘Cats, they go out and play their most complete game of the season.
- Tennessee. BWAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAAH!
- Florida. Biggest win of Billy Napier’s career, no doubt.
- Missouri. Okay, 61-yard field goals as the clock expires may be a little fluky, but that’s a good win against a ranked opponent.
- Texas A&M. Temporarily righted the ship against a cupcake.
- Auburn. Easy part of the schedule is over, as they travel to College Station this week.
- Arkansas. Lost a game they had no business losing. Not a good look for Pitt Boss.
- South Carolina. Showed signs of life for a half and then had all their flaws exposed.
- Mississippi State. Laid a major egg against LSU.
- Vanderbilt. The ‘Dores have been turnover-prone in their past two games and it’s cost them.
Filed under SEC Football
2023 SEC Net YPP, Week 3
The spread between top and bottom actually increased a little bit this week, mainly due to Mississippi State’s craptastic showing against LSU. Here’s how things look after Saturday’s games:
- Ole Miss +3.79 (8.19 o; 4.40 d) [NC: +0.12]
- Kentucky +3.20 (7.58 o; 4.38 d) [NC: +1.11]
- Georgia +2.42 (6.68 o; 4.26 d) [NC: -1.01]
- Auburn +2.16 (6.33 o; 4.17 d) [NC: +0.79]
- Tennessee +1.95 (6.27 o; 4.32 d) [NC: -0.54]
- Missouri +1.61 (6.07 o; 4.46 d) [NC: -0.31]
- LSU +1.49 (7.26 o; 5.77 d) [NC: +0.55]
- Alabama +1.37 (5.77 o; 4.40 d) [NC: -0.03]
- Arkansas +1.29 (5.58 o; 4.29 d) {NC: -0.22]
- Florida +1.19 (6.09 o; 4.46 d) [NC: -0.99]
- Texas A&M +0.91 (6.43 o; 5.52 d) [NC: +0.83]
- Vanderbilt +0.56 (6.16 o; 5.60 d) [NC: -0.12]
- South Carolina +0.36 (6.00 o; 5.64 d) [NC: -0.36]
- Mississippi State +0.15 (5.94 o; 5.79 d) [NC: -1.49]
Turnover margin:
- +5: Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State
- +3: Ole Miss
- +1: Alabama, LSU
- -0-: Auburn, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina
- -1: Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M
- -2: Vanderbilt
Random bits:
- It’s a little strange that two of the largest drops of the week came in conference play — from the winning teams.
- Even if it came against a MAC team, Kentucky’s jump looks like a sign of a team getting its shit together.
- ‘Bama looks decidedly mediocre, no?
Filed under SEC Football, Stats Geek!
2023 Fabris Pool results, Week 3
This week brought us our first tiebreaker of the young season.
Lawdawg13, congrats!
And here’s how the seasonal race looks at the moment:
Filed under GTP Stuff
Monday ticket exchange
UAB comes to town this week. Let the wheeling and dealing commence!
As always, please be specific with your needs and leave some form of contact information.
Filed under GTP Stuff
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