Gotta admit…didn’t see that coming. Before any non-SEC football fans say, “It was just Mississippi State…” take a look at their results. They should’ve beaten Florida, should’ve beaten Texas and could’ve beaten Tennessee. This is a team that scores points and has been in every game they’ve played outside of Texas A&M. If I were an unbiased man (which I’m not), I would’ve bet MSU to cover the spread and would’ve bet someone else’s farm that we’d be in another 4^th quarter war. Damn I’m happy when I can be wrong and it feels so good. The most complete game we’ve played all year (the only?), and I really hope I’m not jinxing it…but was this a game where we turned a corner? On to the grades…   

Quarterback: A

• Stockton was great and love to see him getting the national recognition he 100% deserves. Nearly 300 yards of total offense, 3 passing TD’s and made his runs count. If I want to find needless things to bitch about, he threw a pretty scary ball on our first drive that could’ve been picked, and could’ve thrown a little more accurate ball to Branch to extend our first drive…but can’t find too much fault in his overall performance. You can see how much more confident he is now compared to the beginning of the season. He’s making good decisions, finding second and third options, didn’t take any sacks, turning potentially bad plays into break even or better plays, etc. Puglisi got some time and wasn’t asked to do too much, but good to see him get more live game reps. Love where we’re at with the QB position at this point in the season.    

Running Back: A

• Straight Outta Compton…Nate Frazier finally delivered the game I envisioned he was capable of! I was his biggest supporter coming into the season, got a little down on him after the Bama fumble, was a little critical of him last week for not busting any big runs all year…and then he goes 12 for 181 and a TD! His vision was great, he was breaking tackles, made decisive cuts and got upfield…and showed some impressive top end speed we had not yet seen. I really hope this gives him a shot of confidence and we get this version of #3 the remainder of the year. Chauncey looked very solid on his carries and also found the endzone. McCray didn’t do very much in garbage time, but Bo Walker made the most of his carries when the game was already decided. Dwight Lightning had some attempts, which I was glad to see, but went backwards on a couple to kill his YPC average. On the day, over 250 yards for the RB’s and a couple of TD’s…and finally some major explosives. Loved it!    

Offensive Line – A+

• I’m sensing an overall offensive theme here. I’ve been tough on the OL for a number of games this year, but I’m man enough to admit when they’ve proven me wrong for a game. This unit was outstanding on Saturday and paved the way for over 300 yards rushing. There have been some games where I felt they weren’t creating enough space for the Running Backs, but Saturday was a completely different story…they were creating more holes than the plotline of Timecop. Take a look at some of Frazier’s explosive runs…the OL absolutely did their job and Frazier took full advantage. They gave Gunner plenty of time to make his reads and fire accordingly…no sacks taken on the day, and 264 yards passing. In total, 7.6 YPP for the Dawgs. Had Kirby decided to pour it on and not pull the 1^st teamers, we’re looking at a 600+ yard day. Third straight game with the same starting lineup…is continuity the key?      

Receivers (WR’s + TE’s) – A-

• I’m really not trying to be boring with these grades, but I can’t find a lot to criticize on offense. The highlight for me was the Noah Thomas catch and run…took what could have been a 20-yard gain and turned it into a 64-yard touchdown. His vision and knowing when to change direction were elite on that effort…had no idea he had that kind of acceleration/speed. Branch did Branch things…God help our opponents when he gets the ball in space with a little bit of blocking. Catch of the day goes to Elyiss Williams…critical moment in the game and made me yell “Holy Sh*t” while watching on my phone at a youth Cross Country meet. You will find zero complaints from me any time we are trying to get Elyiss the ball…oh by the way, he is capable of knocking people on their ass with his blocking. Delp was great on his catches, awesome to see him get into the endzone, blocked his ass of like always…hope he gets a good opportunity to play on Sundays. Humphreys had a big grab on a very well designed play…but credit to him for getting about 10 additional yards after contact. Thoughts go out to Luckie…that hit was scary as hell and hearing that he wanted to go back into the game makes him a certified badass…I felt concussed just watching it. Kudos to MSU defender who made sure to shake Luckie’s hand as he exited the field…sportsmanship is never a bad thing. The only fault I can find on the day was Dillon Bell’s fumble on the goal line…those kind of things can get you beat in close games. I know it was a close call and some saw it as a non-fumble (I personally thought it was too close to say either way and you have to stick with the call on the field).       

Defensive Line – B+

• Some group had to break the streak. It’s not like they played bad or anything, just wouldn’t describe it as a dominating performance. There were a handful of 10+ yard runs we gave up, which is not typical of our run defense. We had our standard first defensive series woes giving up several 3^rd downs and an eventual touchdown. Other than that, good to see a member of the DL get a sack (2^nd of the season?) and Gabe Harris will be directly responsible for whatever new color pee Blake Shapen will be seeing this week…that has to be every DL’s dream…free run at the QB’s blind side. Very nice contributions from the regular DL rotation against an offense that has been very competent this year.

Linebackers – A         

• Raylen Wilson gets an honor that doesn’t occur very often…a LB who had a more impressive day than CJ Allen…6 tackles (4 solo) and 1.5 sacks. Wilson looked like a missile getting into the backfield on a couple of occasions and was close to delivering a big sack on the first play of the game. CJ didn’t have the huge stat day we’ve seen the past few games, but still made an impact and chipped in with another 6 tackles (think he’s still leading the SEC in total tackles). The Cole/Williams combo were productive with identical 5 tackle stat sheets, Williams getting a TFL mixed in there. How about Zayden Walker getting some reps in the first half…and looking pretty damn good when he was out there. It’s crazy that we have FIVE 5* ILB’s on our roster…that’s just insane. Let me give a call to Quintavious Johnson as well…very impressive tackle early in the game where he took on a block then took the ball carrier down with a solo tackle…phenomenal play. He also delivered the big hit that caused the MSU fumble to help us recapture some momentum after our fumble on the previous drive. Big day for the LB group.       

Defensive Backs – B+

• I thought this unit played one of their best games of the year. They gave up 173 yards passing, but a good amount of that was when we had called the dogs off and the game was no longer in doubt. We had our typical first defensive drive issues, but when the game was still close, nobody was getting abused. KJ Bolden did have a defensive holding, but smart play because he was absolutely beat on a good double move. Tackling from this group was sharp and I didn’t hear Ellis Robinson’s name a whole lot…and I mean that in a good way. With Demello not playing, Harris got back into the rotation…but didn’t think he did anything to earn playing time over Robinson or Demello when he returns (was the victim of MSU’s longest play from scrimmage)…just one man’s opinion. Again, this was not an opponent who can’t score…they’ve been a very good offensive team in most of their games. Stock looking up for this group.         

Special Teams – B+

• Woodring was his reliable self and knocked down both of his 40+ yard attempts without breaking a sweat. That guy is more reliable than my dog running away from a hard surface to vomit on a rug. Only points I’ll take away from Woodring was the kickoff out of bounds…no bueno. Thorpedo was used sparingly, but downed both of his attempts inside the 20. Sacovie had a nice punt return while Branch didn’t do a lot with his two punt/kick return attempts. No returns allowed for MSU…very solid day.                

Offensive Coaching – A+

• For the second time in three games, gotta give it to Bobo for absolutely dealing on Saturday. He mixed up his pitches beautifully and hit all the right buttons. I think he knew MSU’s defense wasn’t going to scare us too much, but credit to him for dialing up a great game plan to take advantage. He didn’t fall in love with the WR screen…only used the one time that I recall, and it went for a TD. The fake WR screen to Branch and hitting Humphreys up the sideline was a thing of beauty…and should make teams a little wary of selling out on the WR screen in the future. Running off the punt team to go for it on 4^th down (before and after the timeout) worked to perfection without ever having to take a snap…icing on the cake type of stuff. When you’re on the road in the SEC and putting up 41 points and 564 yards with your starters pulled early in the 4th quarter, you’ve done your job.

Defensive Coaching – B+

• Maybe I could be a bigger person and bump them up, but the first drive issues are still problematic for me and there were more than a few 3^rd and long situations when we should have been off the field. We also got some help with MSU shooting themselves in the foot with penalties. Beyond that, great to see us get after the QB more and produce a lot of TFL’s on the day. It seems like the last two games, we’ve made a conscious decision to make teams earn yards on offense, less bend but don’t break philosophy. I’m all for it and I think we’ve been a better team for it. Good challenge this week with a talented Texas team coming to town with an extra week to prepare.

Not Having Anything To Bitch About This Week – A+

• Who doesn’t love to piss and moan a little bit following a week of college football? This week, I find myself unusually calm and serene with everything. Georgia played their most complete game of the year, we’ve got a night game against Texas approaching, we’re in a great position to earn a CFP berth, team seems to be getting better…life feels pretty good this week. Surely, something has to be wrong in the Dawgnation, right? Help me out Refugees!     

Great opportunity coming up this week against Texas, who has backed their way back into the Top 10. Under the lights at Sanford Stadium will be a great atmosphere on Saturday night! Can’t wait to get there!

Go Dawgs!