There aren’t many things better as a sports fan than when your team beats your biggest rival handily. After inexplicably losing to arguably our second biggest rival 2 weeks ago, the Dawgs righted the ship in a major way on defense yesterday and smothered the Gators. While Gunner and the offense struggled more than I would have expected, given how poor Florida is on defense, rivalry games always bring out weird outcomes, and Gunner passing for only 101 yards was definitely weird. We do grades later in the week, but I’m guessing the overall team grade will be a C+. Thankfully, Florida matched their logo with an F. On to the bullets!

• I found it odd that the offensive staff was so concerned about Florida’s defense that they came out cautious with numerous WR screens. I think it may have led to playing tight early.
• Nate Frazier looked as close to 100% healthy as he has since Week 1. Needed that, even if Chauncey is teasing us with an earlier than expected return.
• Pretty sure London Humphreys had his first 2 drops of his career yesterday. I did like Gunner going back to him immediately after the first one, though.
• I was very impressed with Aaron Philo’s John Mateer impression. Getting benched for Trammel Jones doesn’t really do a lot to prove Kirby should have recruited you.
• I think Donnie Glover is going to watch this game in the corner by himself. Way too many missed blocks. Got to be better next week against that Ole Miss front.
• The rest of the OL was mostly very good, giving up only one sack and “expressing themselves” with some fun-loving pancakes and dominating kickout blocks. Greene played inspired and Helton continues to improve.
• On the other hand, what is going on with Woodring? Every kick feels like an adventure. I only kicked on the side growing up, and my buddy was our HS kicker, but it looks to me like he’s got too much wasted motion in his lower half, and that is leading to an erratic plant foot causing scuffs and mis-hits.
• Kirby defended Sacovie on his 3rd or 4th muffed punt of the season (!), but the kid keeps hesitating and it’s going to get them beat at some point. Teams see it and are intentionally sending him low bouncers every time.
• The defense played lights out. The DBs clearly took tackling work seriously during the off week (looking at you Barnes) and played almost a complete game with a ton of aggression and discipline.
• The Tarantula struck again! I think he has as many TDs as Peanut on the season. Crazy.
• The primary goal for the game was to stop Jaden Baugh. Mission accomplished. 17 carries for 38 yards and no TDs.
• Florida didn’t cross the 50-yard line until a minute left in the first half.
• Dinkins >> Riddle. Just one man’s opinion.
• Gunner had another off day, and this time there was no injury to blame. He’s got to move his feet in the pocket to open up throwing lanes, because defensive linemen have figured out they can’t get past the OL, so they’re stopping and jumping to block his passes down. I counted 3 of them yesterday.
• Gunner started off nervy but seemed to settle in with the run game and play action. I kept yelling for more runs to the right side of the OL, which was dominating that side of the Gator DL on the ground.
• Owning the middle eight is always satisfying.
• With all the recent leaking of pregame and halftime speeches lately, I found myself imagining Kirby’s halftime speech including imagery about not taking your foot off their neck. The defense did not, other than that one drive in the 4th.
• That’s said, the offense came out flat yet again, similar to the Auburn game. Gunner seemed to be trying to energize them from the doldrums, but he wasn’t all that successful.
• Offensive self-scouting wasn’t amazing. In addition to the blocked passes, Bobo keeps trying to use Helton and Glover on extended pulling plays and they still can’t get to their spots. They’re so much better when they don’t have to run to their blocks.
• A surprising wtf play by Talyn Taylor on the fumble, as he was really careless with the ball. Also, screens from the 10-yard line rarely work anyway, so I didn’t understand that one. Maybe we were saving our good offensive plays for Ole Miss. 😉
• On that garbage time TD drive for Florida, Faulkner finally schemed up a way to not have at least 3 UGA defensive players around Baugh or the QB. He’s really good on goal line plays. Thankfully the Dawgs didn’t give him many opportunities.

It’s always great to wax the Gators, who were outclassed, outcoached and overmatched. Sumrall wasn’t ready for prime time. Georgia told them to go lay down by their dish. Elite defense will take this team pretty far, maybe to the SEC Championship and the semifinals of the playoffs. But we know they’re aiming (and we’re hoping) for higher than that, and to get there they’re going to need a lot more from the offense and special teams than they’ve gotten the last couple of weeks. Time to break out the special crayon box. Next week is the biggest game of the year for the Dawgs. The top 8 in the SEC will all be playing each other. It’s basically an elimination weekend. Georgia needs to play Terminator mode and kick some Toddy ass. Go Dawgs!

Unconscionable, inconceivable, unforgiveable, stunning. A complete disaster of a football game occurred yesterday at Sanford Stadium, as Auburn shocked Georgia, our fans, and the college football world by playing backyard football and beating the best team in the country on their own field. Ironically, the Dawgs looked absolutely amazing early; not like a team that had been beaten to hell in Tuscaloosa last week, but a team ready to blaze their way through the rest of the schedule. Up two touchdowns though, Kirby put in the second string defense and everyone in stadium not wearing white uniforms decided that was all that was needed for the day, thank you very much. Players stopped tackling, focus was lost (not to be regained until the 4th quarter, and only to be lost again), poor decisions were made by our star QB, and a beat down team lost in a stereotypical letdown spot. Without question. one of the worst losses in Kirby Smart’s career. On to the f-ing bullets.

• I’m still wondering this today, but did that early hit on Stockton rattle him for two quarters? I know he’s concussion-proof, but he sprinkled some uncharacteristically stupid decisions in between his normal great plays in the second and third quarters.
• Puglisi played the best football of his career in his handful of snaps in relief of Gunner. One of the few highlights of the day.
• The first two TD drives looked like a breeze, and everyone was wondering whether the Dawgs would score 50. The OL was blocking well, Peanut was flying around, Auburn looked lost on both sides of the ball, and the Georgia defense looked sharp. So much for that Alabama game hangover, eh?
• I still can’t get over how deep the WR room is, with Roldan as the 5th guy and killing it, other than his drop.
• Dandridge is going to be unstoppable when he gets more lifting time. The only thing he’s missing is grown man strength.
• The Georgia front seven was first to let its foot off the gas, over-rushing Brown almost every passing play the rest of the game. The guy can’t throw the ball accurately. All that was needed was to rush even with him and compress the pocket. If over-rushing was the intent, it was bad scheme. If not, the players screwed up big time, and it cost them badly.
• Out of the 10 times they didn’t over-rush, they got 5 sacks and gave up only minimal gains.
• Ja’Marley Riddle had no business being on the field. So many missed tackles and miscommunications leading to coverage busts and big plays. His best tackle was actually on Ellis Robinson, allowing the ridiculous TD that reminded me of The Prayer at Jordan-Hare play.
• KJ, you were sorely missed.
• I heard from a friend at the game that the crowd was not very loud other than parts of the 4th quarter. Is that accurate, for those of you in attendance?
• Special teams continues its inconsistent performance. Gunner being late on the hold, Drew Miller had a horrible day punting, Sacovie with another muffed punt. This has got to get fixed ASAP.
• Didn’t like the wasted timeout by Kirby instead of taking the delay penalty, but that wasn’t even the worst part of the middle eight, which Georgia lost handily.
• Nimrod, which is what we call all Auburn people, made 2 circus catches yesterday that were both clutch.
• I think Bobo did good job yesterday. I thought the schemes were good, the intent to distribute the ball was smart, and if not for some poor decisions by Gunner, the offense could have scored 3 more TDs.
• I take back my comment earlier this week about the Auburn front seven. Their DL played really well and their 2 LBs played with their hair on fire. So much for the suspension of their best player being an advantage for Georgia.
• Josh Horton is really coming on, but that roughing penalty was awful.
• Referees need to figure out how to call the tackles on sliding QBs. If a player leaves his feet when the QB starts his slide, there isn’t anything he can do about what happens next and it shouldn’t be a penalty.
• On the missed FG, it looked like Woodring’s plant foot slipped again. Maybe get him a longer left cleat?
• Also, Kirby should’ve take a TO there since the play was clearly going to be rushed. Six point swing in the end, as Auburn was able to get their FG.
• Gunner’s bad decisions: throwing deep on a handful of well-covered go routes, and not to the back shoulder; the two terrible picks; the brutal fumble off Bobo’s ass; forgetting to hold the snap on the FG. His worst game of the year, and he still had a 140 passer rating!
• Adding up the Gunner miscues and the 2 roughing penalties resulted in a 31 point differential. Crazy.
• I know he had a sack, but there’s no way Raylen Wilson wasn’t playing hurt. He was going 3/4 speed most of the day. It was Chris Cole or nobody most of the game.
• Helton and Glover had rough days. Maybe playing the entire Bama game took its toll on the young offensive linemen. They missed several key blocks and couldn’t get to the LBs much.
• The rejuvenation drive was gorgeous though. 13 plays, 94 yards, incredible throws and a gutsy 20-yard run by Gunner. Did anyone else want to go for two there? Auburn was badly on their heels.
• And then, with momentum fully swung back to the good guys, the defense gives the ball back to the offense and Gunner gives it right back. The emotional and physical toll had fallen on the defense, who couldn’t stop Brown yet again, and the idiotic roughing penalty sealed the upset.

This felt a lot like the 2019 South Carolina game, coincidentally the last time UGA lost to an unranked team at home. It was different in how the game was lost, but similar in the feeling that the Dawgs just couldn’t right the ship and take over a game that should have been easily won. Stupid errors at critical moments will get you beat against any team in the SEC. Georgia obviously isn’t immune to that reality.

Many long and meaningful streaks were broken in that game, and they’re too depressing to list here. That said, there are several examples of teams that lost early or to mediocre teams and went on to win the national championship. All is not lost, partially thanks to the rest of the top 10 losing yesterday as well, and there is a huge game coming in two weeks in Atlanta. Get healthy, get refocused, and GATA. Go Dawgs.

We all know “The Narrative.” Kirby can’t beat Alabama, the Tide owns UGA at home, Georgia always manages to play too conservatively against Bama, injuries to the Tide’s best players are the only reason Georgia wins. Layered on top of that last night were the following: Saban documentary release, followed by him saying the Tide will “dominate” Georgia, huge praise for their TEs, now “the best in college football,” their portal guys have made them so much tougher now, “Georgia ain’t played nobody this year, Paaaaawwwl!” Ho-Kay.

Here’s the new narrative. Down their top 2 RBs and 2 X-receivers, overcoming a massive penalty differential, the Dawgs mauled the Tide yet again, this time at their place. Georgia owns Bama now. Feels pretty, pretty good. I don’t care about that bang-bang missed PI call on KJ. If we want to tally up all the missed calls and Bama Privilege seen last night, I can start the list: Uncalled pick play OPI on crossing pattern to Coleman-Williams for the first down, yet Georgia called for it on their first drive when Reddell got hurt. Missed offsides call against Pierre. Birmingham calling in to change first downs, and where punts went out of bounds. Innumerable uncalled holding on the interior line. Not starting the game clock after 2 first downs spotted during the critical Bama TD drive at the end the first half. The phantom holding on Reddell during the first drive of the second half that negated a 45 yard Peanut run. Not calling roughing on the safety blitz against Gunner. Need I go on? Deboer, go lay down by your dish. 😤 On to the bullets.

• The beginning of first drive sure did feel like last year in Athens with multiple converted 3rd and 4th downs, until the narrative changed with JJA’s great pass rush and forced fumble. Then the game was on.
• Really tough game for Q. Gave poor effort on the early 4th down run from Russell, missed several key edge setting assignments, was poor in coverage on the TD, had multiple missed chances at sacks. But he did play with aggression and picked up a nice sack later on.
• Thought Nate would play, and it’s still not clear whether he sat out because of his ribs or something else. Made me wonder: Did Kirby hold them out to prove you can win a big game without your two best skill position players? Asking for a friend.
• With the top 2 backs out, all I wanted from Peanut was ball security and a few big runs. He gave us so much more. What a performance. 17 rushes for 120 yards, and maybe his biggest play was the 5 yard slip out from the goal line after initially being stuffed on the last scoring drive.
• Gunner had a steely look of determination all game long. He wanted this one badly.
• When the OL dominated the Bama front seven on that first drive, I knew the Dawgs would have a good chance of winning the game. Only penalties held them back.
• It was clear Kirby wanted to keep Bama’s receivers in front of them and make them complete passes, then tackle them immediately. That worked most of the time, but they got some YAC too.
• One of the keys to the game was pressure on Russell, and they did that really well in first half, which started to chip away at his confidence. But he would regain it on his next drive and played pretty well throughout. The kid is going to be a problem late this year and next year.
• Earnest Greene looked like he gained 30 lbs of bad weight since the last game. Might be why he struggled to get out on some screen blocking. But he played great inside the box.
• Not sure what was going on with Bobo’s snaps but they were extra powerful last night and one sailed over Gunner.
• Back-to-back spectacular passes from Gunner to the resurrected Reddell and then to Humphreys for the TD had to make NFL scouts consider Gunner a little more highly.
• I’ll give Bama a credit for a couple of things. First, they responded really well to Georgia scoring drives. Second, those TEs are really physical blockers. Other than Russell, that’s kinda all that separates them from other good teams.
• Still not sure what happened with the misread from Gunner that led to his second INT on the season, both on tipped passes.
• Khalil Barnes had his back though with the great TFL and PD on the next drive.
• Wonder if the wet ball caused Gunner to elongate his throwing motion again at times. The shorter motion throws definitely delivered better accuracy last night. He was so pinpoint throwing into coverage when he got his feet and motion down. Gorgeous throws to Dandridge and Taylor later on.
• Another shitty end of second half series of events. Started with a missed opportunity on the last Georgia drive with that tipped bootleg pass intended for Dandridge, then the crappy punt into the end zone and allowing Bama to drive down the field for a TD. Gotta get better there.
• Dawgs had a bad snap, a bad pick, a busted coverage, 2 bad missed tackles, a penalty to call a TD back, and a last second TD on a bad edge setting. Still only down 4 at half.
• But a great response with the first drive of the second half, so the middle 8 was a push.
• KJ’s night was a mixed bag, but mostly excellent with some vicious hits delivered in the box but a couple miscommunications in the back and a costly failed edge setting on the TD run.
• Loved the keeper decision by Gunner after seeing Pierre bite on the fake and after multiple short gains by Walker. He really took over the game on that first drive of the second half.
• Crowd noise had an effect, resulting in the most offensive penalties of the year. And yet, they overcame with overpowering blocking on the right side of the OL. Two super-long drives led by the OL blocking were the keys to the game, IMO.
• Although the perimeter blocking was inconsistent all game, Elyiss Williams was elite. Luckie was on fire too.
• Walk-on safety Blake Stewart for MVP on that muffed punt recovery. Holy hell, I threw up in my mouth on that one.
• Deboer was so obsessed and in his feelings with the uncalled PI on Bolden, he seemed to distract from the actual game.
• Watching the team get tight at the end was nerve-wracking, as we were concerned Kirby was gonna stay super conservative. And then Bobo made a ballsy call and Gunner threw a perfect pass to Elyiss on 3rd down with their backs to the goal line. Wowza.
• The game was for all intents and purposes over at that point, but then Dijon Lee – who was already in hot mustard 😉 many times in coverage after being targeted all night – lost his cool and put the final nail in Bama’s coffin. Best supporting actor nom to Craig Dandridge.

The broadcast was so infuriating last night. Chris and Kirk could not control their outpouring of love for Saban and all things Alabama. It was highly overproduced and disgusting. 5.8 ypc, over 450 yards of offense, outgained Bama by over 100 yards, Gunner with 183 passer rating, down 4 of their best skill players, but the brilliant Chris Fowler said Georgia was lucky to win. Go back to Wimbledon, asshole.

The curse is gone, and Bama is just another good team now. That feels right. The Barn is up next. The Dawgs are an extremely banged up team. Bolden, Peanut, Frazier, Bowens, Canion, Blackshear, Reddell, and probably others could be out or significantly hampered next week. It’s at home though, so let’s make sure we give the rested War Tigers their due. The team is really gonna need some fan support next week to avoid the letdown. Go Dawgs!

Sorry for the delay, but I’m in JFK waiting on a flight to London after being on the west coast all week for all sorts of family stuff. It’s been a week, so I had to watch it over from my phone here this morning before posting. I had a good feeling about the game before Jared Curtis decided to hide from the Georgia defense, but ol’ Jared may have risked a self-Wally Pipping yesterday. The Georgia staff clearly saw Vandy’s DBs were suspect and went after them right away. Once that softened them up, it was gravy time for the offense. The defense was a tale of two halves. On to the bullets.

• Vandy’s came out more inspired after the early kick and really moved DL off the ball on run plays. I thought Elijah Griffin had a rough day overall actually, as Vandy’s guards surprisingly handled him. That said, the Dawg LBs started creating pressure on passing downs to stop the drive in its tracks.
• Gunner looked fantastic from the jump yet again, even with all the crap Vandy threw at him. Bobo was dealing in the first half, with lots of pre-snap motions, formations and the right amount of substitutions. Lots of touches being spread around the offense.
• Vandy mixed up their blocking schemes on runs, but the passing game was incompetent unless Georgia botched the coverage or lost contain on the edges on scrambles.
• Remember when all the Clemson “insiders” said Khalil Barnes wouldn’t be a fit at Georgia because he’s a soft tackler? Yeah, that aged well. Although he and Bolden had a coverage bust in that final drive of the first half, they hit the absolute crap out of several Vandy RBs and guys catching screens.
• I thought the first half was the worst for the secondary in coverage all year. Two DPIs, and another WR1 on a bad team having a big day. Not the end of the world, but something to monitor as there are some really good WRs coming up.
• On the long Vandy TD, it looked like KJ got caught watching the QB’s eyes on the slot WR, and was slow to rotate into cover 2 after the corner blitz, but he also didn’t really give great effort to tackle Sherrill. Sloppy, but he had a ton of great plays too.
• Loved the design of a late leaking Bowens on the seam route to Elyiss, holding the ILB to allow the throw over him. Pretty.
• And then a perfect bomb by Gunner to Roldan after a fake screen(!) – great response from the offense after the gut punch TD.
• I’m sure Zykie Helton is gonna be a good one, but how many slow pulls across the LOS does Bobo need to see before scrapping that play? And to use it by the goal line? That was pretty cringey.
• I can’t get over how accurate Gunner has become. The throw over the middle to Blackshear and the floater to Peanut were spectacular. I think his only first half incompletions were drops, although the pass to Reddell was a little behind him. Smart choices on scrambles again too.
• The SEC Network didn’t have a rules official on the broadcast, so that Peanut TD reversal was never explained well. I’ll say it again, I don’t like all our eggs in that Disney basket.
• HOWEVER, I’m not sure if any men attended the game, because the camera crew and production team only showed attractive coeds between plays. Totally redeemed yourselves! 😂
• Hilarious assist by Kirby with the OPI call, lol.
• What was up with Clark Lea pulling his QB – having the best half of his career – during a 2-min drill for one play?
• That said, good on Lea to give Will’s kid a drive in Sanford. Dream come true for him, I’m sure.
• Hate it for Blackshear and it will be tough being down two X receivers at Bama.
• However, it looks like Nate Frazier will be back. Running games and defense travels, folks.
• Love Frazier, but watching Bowens lower his pads in the hole gets me going, and Peanut is finally starting to break tackles too. RB depth is mandatory these days, and Georgia has it.
• I wish all future opponents the best of luck when Georgia goes with 13 personnel at the goal line. 😤
• Kirby knelt instead of covering. Booooo!!!!! (I keed.)

Great win on Homecoming, and next week is going to be an absolute war. Very even matchup, with the Dawgs being the better team on defense and special teams, but home crowd at night is always an equalizer. Hope some folks out there are road warriors and brave the T-town hostilities. If you do, don’t miss the best pork ribs in Alabama at Archibald’s while enjoying the win. Go Dawgs!

Yet again in 2026, the Dawgs started the game with fury, strong execution and confidence. There was a point in the first half, while Oklahoma was peeing down its leg, that I realized that this team has really embraced the mission to break the other team’s will. And, for 3 of the 4 quarters in the game, they did that really well. Their OL did not enjoy dealing with the Georgia front 7, their DL was frustrated most of the day, and Mateer lost a significant part of his soul yesterday. I don’t think he, or that team, will ever recover from that game. You’re welcome, Horns. On to the bullets:

• Like I alluded to above, the defense was incredibly fast and punishing early on. I know Kirby was disappointed in them not finishing on Mateer, but there are few QBs that elusive in CFB this year, and I thought they finished pretty dang well. 3 sacks and lots of pressures.
• You could definitely see the difference in talent reveal itself in the way Sacovie and Peanut went down on first contact more than in the first 3 games. Good lesson for them and hopefully they work on that going forward because we need their speed for explosive plays.
• I’ll say it again, but I love the way our backs run with their pad level. Chauncey does not look fun to tackle, and I saw even some OU guys make business decisions on him. Great early blitz pickup by him as well.
• Gunner still looked like he was in complete control, even against that defense. Sure he made a couple of bad decisions, especially on the INT, but that’s an elite defense with confusing looks and he still performed well. I wish he could layer his throws a little better, but that’s more of an NFL problem for him anyway.
• Beautiful set up with a double move by Talyn and a laser beam from Gunner before taking a big hit. Was that the same play from the Bama home game last year?
• I don’t care what they’re listed at, but OU’s OL is the smallest I’ve ever seen for that program in this century.
• I think I’ll probably always think about this as “The Chris Cole game.” Dude was errrrywhere.
• Couple of weird things I noticed about an otherwise amazing performance by the defense: much more space given to the OU receivers than I expected (other than Sategna, who deserves it), and the middle of the field was open for their TEs to roam freely. Anyone have an insight on that strategy? Was Schuman baiting Mateer or just being conservative?
• I’ll get to the third quarter mind melt shortly, but OU actually had an impressive drive in the second quarter, using pace and better blocking to move down the field….until IT happened.
• I don’t know what I would do if I saw Elijah Griffin and Chris Cole coming at me full speed, but it might look like Mateer’s blooper reel fumble. Coach 30 layup there.
• Mateer is so bad under pressure, as long as you maintain rush lanes, and UGA did for the most part.
• Let’s pause for a moment and give some flowers to the crowd yesterday. Well done! We could feel it through the screen. I love how we’ve turned Sanford into a place where offenses go to die. I counted 3 delay of game penalties and 2 timeouts caused by the crowd. Just, damn.
• Raylen Wilson is quietly putting together a day 1 or 2 NFL draft pick kind of season.
• OK, let’s get this out of the way. The team clearly looked at the scoreboard (and Mateer’s eyes) too much and took their foot off the gas coming out of halftime. Bobo must’ve pulled out his Sphincter Salmon and Booger Green crayons and made a mess out of the third quarter. Kirby finally got pissed off and tore a couple heads off (including Gunner’s), and things got back to normal before the game ended. But, whatever that was, let’s not go back to it ever again.
• Venables apparently also was shook by the moment. When they finally scored a TD, the math didn’t make sense going for 2. Dawgs made them pay for it.
• Even though the TEs were free over the middle most of the day, Dinkins got a little bit of revenge with the sweet strip and fumble recovery. Love the secondary depth this year.
• There was a lot of squawking from the OU defense yesterday. Which made Zykie Helton’s shit-talking of David Stone during Peanut’s long TD run even funnier. Scoreboard, bitchez!
• Not a great statistical day for the offense (other than Peanut), but that’s to be expected against the OU defense.
• ESPN announcer Louis Riddick gave a rousing Georgia Football program commercial (and not behind a paywall) late in the game. Thank you for your service, sir.

Survive and advance has always been the key to successful college football seasons. This Georgia team is doing a whole lot more than that. They’re sending messages to future opponents by demoralizing everyone they play, regardless of the competition. There are still things to get better at on both sides of the ball, but it’s mostly consistency rather than deficiencies. Next week, Jared Curtis comes to Athens. Pretty sure the front seven are gonna anchor his ass down into the turf a few times. Georgia by a million. Go Dawgs!

Georgia entered the game against the Hogs as the highest scoring team in the country, and they left Fayettenam in the same position. The offense continues to look efficient, and there are building blocks of explosiveness that could be scalable against top competition. The defense has few apparent holes and, other than at edge, has plenty of depth in the 2-deep. Special teams tightened back up and looked good. No other team in the country looks as good in all 3 phases. But the big tests are coming. On to the bullets.

• It was obvious from the first drive that Arkansas had no illusions about running the ball effectively against Georgia. So the question became whether they could throw. The answer? When they targeted Chris Marshall.
• Marshall has similar athletic traits as George Pickens and apparently similar off field issues. He was a 5-star and looked it.
• Arkansas also had a speedster in Watkins that beat our DBs to the edges a couple times. Something for Schuman to work on.
• That said, Khalil Barnes looks like he’s more comfortable with the scheme, playing faster. Looks like a great portal addition after last year’s inconsistency at star and safety.
• Mostly good choices by Gunner when completions weren’t there. I didn’t like him taking a sack at first and goal from the 2 yard line, but it worked out in the end thanks to the repeated PI bailouts from Arky.
• Also, the Hogs seemed to play a lot of man coverage which left no one in the flat to touch Gunner on his scrambles for at least 10 yards.
• Stockton was also incredibly efficient and again in full control. He would have had at least one more TD if not for the aforementioned PIs.
• Getting 3 sacks was nice, but we left a couple on the field with undisciplined rushes and not finishing. Was hoping we had that fixed from last year, but both of their QBs are pretty good scramblers.
• Nice to see Q getting healthier, although he’s lost a lot of weight being out. He had a beautiful read and react stop on the double pass trick play attempt.
• Really weird conversation on the broadcast about the QB shuffling not being communicated to them during the week. FWIW I thought KJ Jackson looked better than AJ Hill (from Warner Robbins), but I’m sure Silverfield knows what he’s doing…
• Regardless, the Dawgs starting defense had little trouble with either QB.
• The only recurring issue from the last 2 weeks is the inconsistency from the OL. They seem to have no issue man-blocking run plays, but they struggled at times with edge pass rushing, twists, and on stretch runs that required pulling. They will get beat by OU’s front 7 if their technique and communications don’t improve this week.
• Great pursuit by Cole and Wilson on the sack and fumble, and it’s fun to see Big Baby Hall running so well and getting that fumble recovery.
• Continue to love how low and compact Frazier and Bowens are running. So tough for anyone to tackle them solo.
• Even though Zykie Helton had some whiffs, his ability to disengage his block and shove Chauncey into the end zone was a little freakish.
  Great gameplan by the coaching staff identifying what would work best, and the execution was mostly very good. No clock management issues, which is always nice.
• Injuries to Canion and Frazier worry me, even if Kirby said at the presser they could have gone back in. Need them healthy for OU.
• A little odd that Talyn Taylor wasn’t targeted other than that PI on the 2Q pass in the end zone, and there were probably too many plays when the coverage was good on the WRs. Dandridge seems to be the only one consistently getting open.
• Luckie was a beast though in the pass game and blocking on the perimeter. The other TEs dominated blocking on the line and downfield as well.
• If you get a chance watching the defense, just watch what KJ Bolden does. His ability to disguise coverages and come down into the box to hit guys is elite.

The slow build of competition has been helpful as Georgia has been able to figure out who can help them when times get tough. Arkansas played a lot better at home than they did on the road late at night at Utah last week. Georgia still blew them out. This team has a lot of potential and yet, still can clean some things up. Good place to be for us fans. Even though OU has looked bad on offense, I still think we’re in for a war on Saturday. Might be a 17-9 type of game. I’d love to be surprised by an offensive explosion against their defense, but I think OUs DBs can handle our WRs, and it might be up to the TEs and run game to bring it home. I had planned to be there for this one in person but couldn’t make it work. For those that can, have a blast and be loud. Go Dawgs!

I texted my Georgia group chat this yesterday: “Guys, I don’t want to overreact, but this team looks really f-ing good.” Most years under Kirby, Georgia has handled lesser opponents with varying degrees of competence. Sometimes they seem to be trying out different guys at different spots, sometimes they lack focus, sometimes certain positions reveal themselves to be weak links or omens for the future. Yes, they always win and almost always comfortably. But several of those games have left us wanting more.

Not so this year. The first and second string teams have absolutely eviscerated the first two teams on the schedule with such an easy brutality that, considering the star power and historical coaching acumen present on the team, you have to believe is potentially scalable to conference play. And I don’t know what’s got into Kirby, but he’s been confident, snarky and prickly at press conferences this year, which is different from last year when he was more forgiving about the team’s play. Are the two connected? Does that mean anything? I could be wrong, but I think it means this team is on a mission. On to the bullets.

• I consider myself a uniform traditionalist, but damn those all-white unis were sweet. Maybe the kids are on to something. I hope Kirby does it annually.
• Our visitors from the genteel southern town of Bowling Green were kind enough to bring us a house-warming gift on the opening kickoff, leading to a lovely TD pass to Barbour for the quick lead. Thank you, kindly.
• Yet again, the starting defense looked extremely well organized, with great push from the DL into the QB’s passing lanes, getting off blocks to make tackles, speed on the edges, and good coverage by the DBs. Utter dominance.
• WKU has an athletic QB and a pretty good RB1 and WR1, but they did nothing all game.
• Gunner was in total control of the offense yet again. He knew where to go with the ball without hesitation, even if he’s not perfectly accurate every time. The two times I saw when he got pressured, he easily maneuvered out of the pocket and got positive yardage.
• 5 TDs in a half, going deep on 3-4 plays, 14.6 YPA. Shades of Stetson vs UAB?
• Loved the shot of Bobo’s dip cup in the booth taking up half the screen. Also white! 😉
• Running game was competent and efficient (after taking out that long run from Puglisi). Nate had some great hesi moves that reminded me of Swift. Bobo and Glover hoisting Nate into the end zone was really fun too.
• The interior of the OL missed a couple of stunts and delayed blitzes, but otherwise the unit looked sharp.
• Ellis handled their best WR with back-to-back PBUs in the first quarter, and the top DBs never really looked challenged. Interesting to see Braylon Conley rewarded with some early PT ahead of Gentry Williams, but he certainly showed why. And Demello had a gorgeous pick over his head running full speed. Too bad he couldn’t finish off that run back.
• Chauncey made the 100M hurdle team, on his second attempt. That kid looks rocked up yet again.
• The pass rush was fast and aggressive again, with Gabe Harris picking up his first sack of the year and Chris Cole and Justin Williams erasing bad angles with their 4.4 speed.
• I thought the high-low passing concept that got Sacovie free for the long TD was really well conceived by The Crayon Master^TM , and I can’t wait to see what else he’s been up to this offseason as the more competitive games start. Exciting times!
• Speaking of the WRs, Talyn Taylor is now 2 for 2 in being unguardable in games this year. Arrow up.
• Downfield and perimeter blocking was ridiculously good, and the TEs continued putting on a clinic.
• As for the young guys, I thought Dean and Ogbokbo turned in some nice performances yet again. They’ve got to work on sustaining that play over time, but having talented kids that can back up Gabe and Jordan will be huge, especially with McLeod gone.
• I had a conflict for the 4th quarter and missed it, and apparently it was good that I did because the rest of the third stringers and the wet conditions apparently conspired to prevent what could have been the biggest blowout in Kirby’s tenure. Ah, well.

I don’t think we as fans could ask for much more than we’ve received from the Dawgs to start the year. The starters have look incredible against weak competition. The immediate depth is coming along well. The defense looks fast, physical, and disciplined; the pass rush is improved. The offense looks efficient and explosive; the WRs look promising. The slow build of the schedule continues next week against the worst team in the conference, but on the road. Plenty of decent talent on the roster, but a new coaching staff and coming off a beatdown from a Big 12 team. I’m sure we’ll get their best shot. Go Dawgs!

In what was a pretty blissful and uncomplicated start to the 2026 season, Georgia manhandled a terrible opponent yesterday with ruthless efficiency and explosiveness. And they covered the spread, as they should have, but rarely do in these spots. Other than that, no real surprises occurred and nothing was really learned either, other than maybe the coaches were sandbagging on Talyn Taylor’s fall camp. As we all know, TSU had no shot of staying close to the Dawgs. The only stakes were how deep into the bench Kirby was able to go. On to the bullets!

• The best part of the game was realizing there might be some good receivers on this team. Talyn Taylor and Craig Dandridge are different. Canion had a slow start but should improve with more time in the system.
• The tight ends are a parade of athletic marvels. Jaden Reddell, Elyiss Williams, and Kaiden Prothro are aliens. Blocking was incredible from these guys as well, including a great block by Elyiss on Talyn’s TD.
• When was the last time you saw 4 QBs play for one team in a game? A first for me.
• The defense smothered a terrible TSU offense with unadulterated speed and toughness. I’m sure Schuman wanted the shutout, but 3 points ain’t bad.
• Harris and Cole dominated the edges of the defense and the young guys looked promising as well (Dean, Brooks, Ikinnagbon). Dean looks like a shorter Gabe Harris before he built his body up.
• Nice to see Nate Frazier cash in on some relatively easy TDs. The OL barely strained and made holes the size of minivans.
• Was very relieved Bowens was ok after that hit to the knee, and then he took 3 more to the same knee. Tough kid.
• Offense and defense was super vanilla, and we screened them to death, but I wasn’t expecting anything else.
  Gunner still looks good on the run and seems better with progressions, and his only mistake was missing Talyn on the deep ball and forced it into Canion who was covered.
• Sacovie White-Helton looks quicker and flashed well on special teams.
• Speaking of special teams, gah, that FG unit is gonna have a rough week with coach Benedict. What a mess.
• Other than that, the only thing one could criticize was JJA’s stupid penalties.
  The crowd seemed energetic and into the game well into the second half. I was impressed, given the heat. Good job on the fans that made the environment more than it probably should have been.
• 2 huge hits from the starting safeties told TSU the Dawgs weren’t playing around. Sending a message to future opponents as well.
• Nothing made me happier than Jeremy Bell laying the wood on the TSU DB on that 4th quarter end around, only to be rewarded with a beautiful throw from Montgomery for a TD. Especially after the tragedy his family just went through.

All in all, every goal was met. No injuries, no heatstroke, win comfortably, lots of game reps for backups, most everyone played well. Good teams win, great teams cover. The preseason continues next week against Western Kentucky, a much better team than TSU, but another overmatched opponent. Let’s hope for a similar outcome before the trip to Fayettenam. Go Dawgs!

We’ve come to the final installment of the 4 Questions of the 2026 Season. Thanks for all the comments and participation thus far. I think we’re all finally getting excited about the game tomorrow, regardless of how hot it will be in Sanford Stadium at 3pm ET (extremely) or what happens in Baton Rouge and Birmingham today (gah). For this topic, I went big picture.

Can Kirby Smart’s strategy of retention and development still produce a national champion?

So much has changed over the last several years in college football, with exorbitant amounts of money being paid to schools, coaches, and now players. There are no rules, winning is the only rule. Kirby has always been great at in-game strategy micro adjustments and outside the lines macro adjustments. He may move less quickly than some want on some things, but often he sees around corners fans can’t. But the rules of acquiring talent have changed so much and so fast that it’s fair to ask whether the Kirby process is still the best way to win championships.

Georgia has had chances to sign elite QBs, RBs, WRs, DEs, and DBs during times when they needed them and decided to bow out of the bidding wars. To date, it hasn’t hurt their chances of winning the SEC, and maybe with a healthy Beck and a non-Superman performance by Chambliss they make the national championship game the last two years. But the entire sport has leveled at the top where UGA once reigned supreme. Georgia has fallen back a little into a muddled top-10 picture that used to be a top-3 or -4. If they had spent on 1-2 more elite portal guys, would that have been enough? Hard to say.

Kirby has clearly recognized a gap and implemented one big change this year. The seasons are longer now, as teams can play up to 17 games. Does beating the living shit out of each other through fall camp and 3 days a week during the season still make sense, or does resting your stars and seniors have value? It seems like Kirby has decided on the latter, at least during camp, which I think is prudent. Keep the guys fresher for longer, limit injuries, etc. Bloody Tuesdays can still happen to keep the team tougher than the competition.

I’ve said it several times now, but this is almost a national championship roster with a national championship schedule. It’s all laid out as well as it could be, in these times. Stay healthy and get some high level play from a wideout or two and this team can win it all. Losing Amaris Williams sucked, but maybe he can play come January. That was an example of paying for a transfer. I just hope passing on the elite WRs and Safety options they had last winter don’t come back to bite them. If it does, it will be a huge missed opportunity and I think Kirby/Georgia will need to adjust further.

Thats all for now. I’ll have a postgame analysis of the beatdown from Section HD on Sunday morning. Go Dawgs!

We are now at the 3rd of our 4 Key Questions for Georgia’s Season. And this one could be the most important of all.

Question 3: Can Gunner Level Up?

There is no one who can criticize Gunner Stockton’s heart, his toughness, or his love for Georgia. He was a heavily recruited QB out of Rabun County, a true duel threat, and he’s developed his passing skills quite a bit since arriving in Athens. He waited his turn as Stetson and Carson held the reins at QB1 and then turned a magic trick beating Texas in the SEC Championship game in 2024. We all had the highest of hopes.

Last year, he started slowly, partially because his OL was inexperienced and injured early, then had to work through inconsistencies before developing late in the year. He was harassed and started seeing ghosts, leaving the pocket when he didn’t need to and missing open receivers downfield. He also had some amazing performances, like at Tennessee, and Ole Maid and Texas at home. He improved his elongated delivery and heavy elbow. But the inconsistencies were draining for fans because we always expect development to be linear. It rarely is.

This year, he’s got no competition for the starting job again, his OL is miles better than last year, his RBs should be improved, his TEs are (as a group) the best in the sport, and his defense should be giving him the ball back more frequently and in better spots. His WRs should be pretty good at a minimum, but likely a downgrade from last year. He has packed on some lbs and worked hard all offseason. So, will we get a more consistently good product out of him, or will the WRs impede that production? Will he trust the pocket more, keep his eyes downfield when he scrambles, and improve his accuracy? Will he slide a few more times instead of taking so many hits? Or will none of that be as relevant as we think because Kirby intends to RTDB 50 times per game? (Not that there’s anything necessarily wrong with that. Whatever works, amirite?)