Tag Archives: #godawgs

Mapping the Competition: How Georgia Opponents Fared in Week 2

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Vanderbilt, what the hell?

Yep, Jared Curtis is playing, and, yes, Vanderbilt was trailing Delaware at halftime. This ain’t the 2025 version of the Commodores, and that Homecoming game coming up might be a “Yar, She Blows” endeavor for Curtis and Company.

In case you decided to go for a hike yesterday and missed the slate of great games, here’s a short version of some Ho Hums and some insight into others.

The Ho Hums – They Won, As Expected

Ole Miss 41, Charlotte 9

South Carolina 45, Towson 9 – Of note, Sellers threw for under 100 yards and an INT, and Carolina had two punt returns for a touchdown.

Florida 52, Campbell 3 – Over 500 yards offense with two punt returns TDs.

Auburn 43, Southern Miss 8 – Byrum Brown had 300 total yards offense and two scores

The More Interesting

Alabama 45, Kentucky 17

This was a tale of two halves and Will Stein demonstrating that he’s a young coach and making some bonehead decisions. This was a competitive game, until it suddenly wasn’t. Alabama’s defense looked pretty stout.

Utah 43, Arkansas 10

Arkansas had a white out yesterday too. They’d prefer to white out the result. Generally looked incompetent on both sides of the ball and Kirby should appropriately get pissed at our team of Arkansas makes next Saturday even remotely close.

Missouri 38, Kansas 21

Nothing like using 150 year old propaganda to get Missouri pissed off. It was a tight first half with special teams miscues by Missouri, but Austin Simmons looks to be the kind of QB that can be a problem when we play them. And we know how he looked a couple of years ago as a younger version of himself. This one has me worried.

Michigan 17, Oklahoma 10

This was ugly. It’s hard to gauge Oklahoma’s defense, as Michigan is fairly putrid on offense…but not as bad as Oklahoma. Mateer looked lost and Oklahoma couldn’t generate an offensive rhythm to save their lives. We might have a tough time moving the sticks against Oklahoma, but until to see how they score more than Western Kentucky did against our ones. However, we know how we struggle with mobile QBs.

Tennessee 45, NATS 24

Tech got the Temu version of Mendoza, Tennessee averaged nearly 7 yards per carry, and Mark Richt Field was embarrassingly orange last night. I’m no fan of Tennessee, but if it had to happen to anyone, might as well be Tech. They are missing Buster Faulkner, big time.

“The Team Can’t Leave in the Third Quarter”

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The fact that folks may have been leaving a game early against Clemson is kind of laughable, but Lane is making a point here:

With the white out being unique, it stands to reason that folks might leave early in a blowout and make their ways home to see some of the other big games on the day, or the students will migrate out to resume day drinking the day away.

Can’t say I blame them…although where are you on the idea? Are you a stay until the clock hits zero kind of fan? Does it make you made to see people leave a game early?

Is the white uniform thing of interest to you all, or are you like Warren Brinson, who sees a little humor in uniform gimmicks and money grabs?

Have a cup of coffee (or a mimosa) and discuss.

The King of Cedartown

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Well deserved.

DGD.

This Hype Video Don’t Cost Nothin’

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Well at least you don’t have to pay for it.

In other news, Josh responded to Dawg Nation’s yelps of agony:

“We’ll continuously evaluate how we operate whether that’s something that will live behind the paywall, whether it’s something that is an exclusive window on one day and something that’s open to everyone days later,” Brooks said on Friday Sept. 11 after a meeting of the UGA athletic board at the Georgia Center.

The post on X, formerly Twitter, received a community note: “In order to watch the full highlights on gloryglorygeorgia.com, users have to not only sign up but pay for a subscription, with the minimum cost being $20/month.”

Brooks said he’s sensitive to the response and will “always try to keep an open ear to the reactions of our fans. I don’t let Twitter drive everything I do because it can become an echo chamber, but at the same time I’ve talked to several fans since then. I’ve got a good group of individuals that I reach out to or reach out to me to gauge the temperature on issues like that.”

He called this “a great week for us,” with a 10 percent increase in Glory Glory membership.

“I think we’re pushing 2,000 right now,” he said of total memberships.

Georgia offered a year’s free subscription to the platform for students who applied for UGA football tickets.

I’m not sure if that’s a typo, but having 2000 total memberships isn’t something to brag about. I’m assuming it’s to say 2000 additional memberships? At any rate, it’s bringing us this today.

Meh. I don’t think they would’ve done this over an additional 40k a month, so I’m guessing membership is higher than that.

Dawgs on (Hill)top(pers) – WKU preview

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No, Chip, not that Toppers.

At 12:45 this afternoon, the 2nd-ranked Dawgs host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers between the hedges on SEC Network for the much anticipated debut of the all-white uniforms. An interesting side note … the WKU women’s sports teams are called the Lady Toppers. I’m guessing there’s a Chip Towers joke in there somewhere. Right now, rather than being a hotter than the surface of the sun, rain could be in the forecast with temperatures in the mid-80s. That probably means an empty student section by halftime and a steady stream of fans headed for their cars well before the game ends. Let’s get to the preview.

When Georgia has the ball

The big question today is whether last week’s offensive explosion was a preview of the offense’s efficiency or the result of one of the worst FCS teams to make an appearance at Sanford Stadium. My guess is that it’s a little bit of both. The Georgia offensive line gave Gunner Stockton plenty of time to throw the ball and allowed him to stand in the pocket to be efficient. The line of scrimmage did exactly what we should expect when facing an overmatched opponent … pure domination. I’m not sure the WKU defense will provide significantly more resistance against the Georgia offensive line if you look at the statistics last week against Nevada when they yielded almost 8.4 yards per play including 5(!) rushing touchdowns on the day. Nate Frazier, Chauncey Bowens and the rest of the Georgia running backs should be able to run with abandon against the Hilltoppers’ front 7.

When WKU has the ball

Western Kentucky scored 14 points in last Saturday’s loss. I can’t imagine they are going to get into the double digits against this Georgia defense. They ran over 80 plays last week in Reno averaging less than 4.5 yards per play. That doesn’t seem like a formula that is going to slow down the game enough to keep a final score respectable. I am assuming we are going to see a lot of quick passing as Tyson Helton probably knows that running the ball against this defense is going to be tough sledding on Saturday. I am really interested in seeing whether some of the improved pass rush we saw last weekend continues to hold.

What will happen

I expect a lot of vanilla looks just like last weekend. We have superior talent. Kirby doesn’t want to embarrass Helton. He also is going to want to get a lot of younger players some game reps against an opponent that is significantly better than the Tennessee State team we saw last week. Can the Dawgs put up 50+ on Saturday? Absolutely if Kirby wants to do that. I believe we’ll see what we did last Saturday … a Georgia team focused on getting off to a fast start. Similar to the 2nd preseason game in the NFL, I expect we’ll see the 1st team well into the 2nd quarter before yielding to the young pups.

Dawgs win but likely don’t cover.

Final Score: Georgia 42, WKU 6

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

This is What You Get: The 12 Million Dollar Man

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If you think the average Michigan man is happy with the Minutemen Miracle from Saturday, you’re wrong. The criticism has been directed not at the head coach, but at Dave Portnoy’s investment in Bryce Underwood.

Another post, which won’t embed here, looked like this:

Screenshot

A quick perusal of the comments and I came across one where someone said “he gets paid to be a great quarterback”. And, lo, we have entered the conundrum of NIL in college sports.

Consider some of our collective disdain for Mike Bobo. It’s one thing to disagree with his play calling, it’s another thing altogether when you find out he gets a raise. While we once could bemoan a quarterback or athlete for a subpar effort, now we’re complaining about a lack of return on investment.

This is what the Senator warned us about, and now it’s here. Minor League Football and media rights rule the day. Don’t want to sit in noon weather for a cupcake game in Sanford? Blame not the UGAA, but look to the media rights. You’ll sit in the nuclear heat of the sun because it fits the viewing schedule, I don’t care if you’re a sun stroked mongoloid who dies from heat stroke, we have money to make here!

I don’t come here to point fingers at Underwood. If he’s my son, I’m telling him to take the money and then transfer somewhere reputable his junior year to develop if he wants to go pro. Like a USC or somewhere they develop quarterbacks.

What’s sad is between litigation and likeness, kids are now becoming semipros and people aren’t chalking it up to “maybe there’s next year” but are turning their attention to deepening the coffers to bring in the next bright shiny toy to their roster.

Gone are the days of amateurism and the walk in hero who earns a scholarship. Well, mostly.

Looks like it still happens, but maybe won’t at the P4 level anymore.

While other people have embraced the portal – Mike Norvell – and others have rejected it – Dabo Swinney – one thing is becoming more and more clear…Kirby has the right approach to navigating the portal era.

It might not happen this year, or next, but he’s building some roster consistency where others are not. In the interim, the highest bidders and the new shows in town, like tOSU and Indiana, will hoist trophies and beat their chests, but the 2021 and 2022 seasons were not aberrations. A long road of roster consistency and management will yield results, and as far as I’ve heard, no one is questioning how much Gunner or Nate Frazier are making this year.

And that says something, given the modern circumstances.

Go Dawgs.

Thursday Thought Provoker: Top of the Mornin’ Tailgating

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Sorry for the late posting…I passed my first kidney stone and it was, well, a bit of a painful ordeal. I can blog through a lot of things, but that…no, sir.

Anyway, it’s an early kickoff this week, which means that those of you who are fortunate to go will need to have an early morning tailgate, or at least departure time, to arrive for the pre-game festivities. I can recall, back in the good ole days, that a early kickoff meant a box of fried chicken and maybe a 10:30 am arrival. Given the modern setups nowadays, I imagine it’s far more elaborate and may include making your breakfast at the site.

Or, maybe it’s like it is at Boston College:

I wonder how the open bars I see on campus would fly given these rules at BC? Hmmm.

Anyway, for those of you who arrive early…what do you do? Do you do a breakfast and lunch? Or is it a more muted affair? Discuss.

We’re #2

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Georgia moves up in the AP ballot to number two. Not much of a shakeup anywhere, but Haley Sawyer strikes again.

Who is Haley Sawyer? Why, she’s the AP voter who last year moved Florida up two spots in the AP poll…after Florida lost to USF.

I’m just surprised she hasn’t been named to the CFP Committee, if I’m being honest. She’s in the news again because she left Michigan at 17 after their loss/win from Saturday.

Anyway, here’s the breakdown of the latest voting:

Worth noting Mike Griffith’s voting at the bottom. LSU #1? Hmmm.

First look at Western Kentucky

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Fake juice or fun? You decide.

The Dawgs take a step up in competition after Saturday’s systematic demolition of Tennessee State with a 12:45 date on the SEC Network against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. The most interesting storyline entering the game appears to be the all-white uniform that recruits have used for dress up and social media photos will be used on the field at Sanford. Let’s get to the first look.

Series record / last meeting

Georgia leads 1-0. In 2006, the Dawgs rout WKU 48-12 in a game led by a strong defensive effort combined with an anemic passing game as Joe T started and eventually Matthew Stafford threw his first collegiate TD pass. Mikey Henderson opened the scoring with a 67 yard punt return TD. The Georgia defense created field position throughout the game allowing the offense to put up points without breaking 300 yards of total offense.

Gambling degenerate facts

According to DraftKings, Georgia is a -40.5 point favorite (after opening at -35.5) with a point total of 54.5. Once again, the money line is off the book. I’m not sure what to think about the lines after last week. Are the betting markets seeeing that Kirby is trying to make a point, or is WKU just awful after taking a 35-point pounding from (check notes) Nevada?

Interesting statistic: 7.69 (Rushing yards per attempt allowed)

The Hilltoppers allowed 323 yards and 5 TDs on the ground on Saturday to the Wolfpack. Needless to say, they are taking an enormous step up in competition on Saturday between the hedges. Nevada’s tailback averaged over 13 yards per attempt while gaining 152 yards, and their QB averaged over 8 per attempt. While I doubt we go over the 323, I would expect us to be in the 7+ range per attempt.

Early outlook

WKU has been one of those mid-majors who can be a thorn in the side. On initial look, this edition of the Hilltoppers doesn’t look like that. This situation is the unintended consequence of the transfer portal and NIL. A program like this finds a few players who were under the radar, and then they are gone when they show the big boys any potential. The Dawgs are going to win and likely win with margin. The question is whether they cover the enormous number.

Given they only scored 14 against Nevada, I can’t imagine they will do more than that without a lot of help, so I’m assuming there will again only be one digit on the other side of the scoreboard. On offense, is half a hundred too much to ask in consecutive weeks? Probably.

Solid win heading into SEC play and we get to see a lot of the younger players get more reps.

What’s your thought right now for Saturday?

Will you be wearing white on Saturday whether in Sanford or at home?

Let us know in the comments below.