Tag Archives: #godawgs

Predictive Analunatics

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The hot button topic of late has been the SEC’s daunting conference scheduling, and it has people between the hot takes of “it’s too grueling for teams to survive” to “the SEC is weak but will still have multiple playoff teams, anyway”.

As a reminder of whatever side of the debate you’re on, it’s a self-inflicted wound. While Sankey will stand tall on the idea that “we did something the B1G was unwilling to do themselves”, it still makes for a ridiculous decision that one can only wonder if it really was for guaranteeing playoff spots or if it was for money.

Well, of course it was for money. No one wants to watch Georgia versus Tennessee State in a crowded TV market, but more people will tune in for Georgia-Vandy and Georgia-Oklahoma, for sure.

What is hurting worse than anything else is that a move made to make the league’s scheduling look tougher is actually having the inverse effect – people are landing on the idea that the SEC is actually a weak conference, and keeping more games in house prevents debacles like Alabama-Florida State last year from exposing a media bias (bwah-ha-ha on that one) and the SEC for what it really is.

In truth, it’s hard to see where the turn on SEC football will abate. Winning it all would help, but short of Texas and Georgia, who are the SEC teams who could make a legitimate run? And, yes, you could say the same of two other conferences (BigXII, seriously, you don’t stand a chance), but when it comes down to Notre Dame, Georgia, Texas, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana (depending on who is playing for them this year), the talk is all talk and we really have no relevant reason to have the CFP given it’s the same teams in the mix each year.

Win it all, and all the talk is just that. Keep bowing out in the early rounds, and Sankey’s decision seems more questionable by the day.

The Fourth Quarter is for the Dawgs

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Good God, the stats and data that I saw yesterday regarding 4th quarter performance and the Dawgs. The data comes from Cody Nagel but I’ll copy and paste here so you can gawk at it like I did.

Short analysis of this, if Georgia has a lead of 7 or more going into the 4th quarter, might as well pack it up and head home.

No team in the country is harder to come back against than Georgia. While 17 other Power Four programs finished with a perfect record when leading by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter over the past five seasons, the Bulldogs did it with the largest sample size, going 53-0.

Georgia’s company at the top is exactly who you’d expect: Notre Dame (44-0), Alabama (42-0), Oregon (49-1), Ohio State (48-1) and Michigan (46-1).

Good way to read this is that we rarely trail in games over the past five years heading into the 4th, in this case only 9 time, of which we won four of those games. Three of the five losses came against Alabama. Of course.

In this case, this is an analysis of games that are close (within six points) entering the 4th, and as you can see Georgia has had 10 of those, and won 8 times. The two losses? Last year against Alabama (regular season 24-21 at Sanford) and Ole Miss (39-34 in the Sugar Bowl). Ugh.

Still, that’s some nice numbers to see regarding 4th quarter performance for Kirby and Company. Will it last into 2026? I certainly hope it’s a lot of those 7+ or more leads heading into the 4th than within six points.

About That 2021 Defen$e

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Man, talk about a group that’s getting paid. Jalen Carter just inked the biggest deal for a d-lineman in league history.

If I have this right, Walker just signed for another 4 years and over $100 million with the Jaguars, and Davis, Wyatt, Dean, and Walker all just signed three year extensions for nice sums of money.

Maybe there’s something to Kirby’s formula for guys being role players during their early years just to blossom into NFL millionaires.

Just a reminder to Bear Alexander that he had two sacks as a role player in 2022, and has tallied only 2.5 since in three years with two other teams…

C’est la vie….

Maximum Impact: Georgia Players Needing a Big Season for 2026

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Saw this pop up on the feed last night and it got me thinking:

Which Georgia players need to have great years for Georgia to have a great year in 2026? Some of my thoughts:

OL: Earnest Greene

Greene has received a good bit of criticism over the years, and deservedly so. Last season was his first where he seemed to step up and look like a competent offensive lineman, but for the team to have a great season, he needs to look like a first or second day draft pick for Gunner et al to have a great season. I think he’s there, and Phil Rauscher may have the secret development sauce that Kirby likes to get Greene there.

QB: Gunner Stockton

I’m all in on Gunner, don’t get me wrong. But it would be nice to see Gunner move from Superman to Supercool. At times, Gunner seemed a little giddy in the pocket and would go through his progressions too quickly and tuck and run. If he had Newton’s or Tebow’s frame, then that’s great, but he’s Gunner and he can run into situations where he’s knocked around like a ragdoll and could put himself into concussion protocol…and leave us with who? Pug? Beaver? Getting the ball downfield and using the other-worldly tight end room he has at his disposal would be a step in the right direction.

WR: Talyn Taylor

We’ve seen flashes of potential but we know the shelf life for receivers in Georgia is short. It would be nice to see him turn into a downfield threat who can stretch the field and keep defenses guessing to make room for Frazier and Bowens to make hay in the run game. He has a small body of work, but most remember him for dropping a sure TD against Alabama before he went out with an injury.

DL: Jordan Hall

I know much of the attention will be on other guys on the defensive line, but the legend of Jordan Hall needs to become an actuality this year. As best as I’ve heard, he’s healthy and can play. Will he remain that way? Hard to say…but the defensive line needs to have a breakout year in order for anyone else one would mention in the secondary as a big player.

Also…what in the world happen to sacks?

OLB: Gabe Harris or Quintavius Johnson

Gabe Harris started to come on strong last season, and he has the size and build to be that guy you think twice about if you’re considering running through your progressions or if you’re about to cut into a gap in the defense. Likewise, Johnson had a good year, too…but one bizzaro aspect of Kirby’s defense has been the lack of outside linebacker play and talent in recent years. Edge pressure and setting the edge seems to have dropped off, but so has much of the pressure in the box over the past few seasons, as well.

Strengthening the play in the trenches on both sides of the ball seems to have been a priority last year and hopefully into 2026…the pieces seem to be there, provided the pieces remain healthy and gel as a unit.

Honorable Mention: Mike Bobo

All I’ll say here is I hope Bobo has a season for the ages, Georgia wins the National Championship, and we have less to bitch about around here. I hope the offense scores so much and so often that defense seems to be an optional flourish to the gameday experience.

Shot:

Chaser:

So…Refugees…who are you hoping will have a breakout year in 2026?

Your Friday Quarterback Evaluation of Gunner Stockton 2026

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Here’s an interesting take on Gunner’s up and down sides.

Gunner Stockton 2026-27 Outlook

Stockton was one of the most prolific dual-threat quarterbacks in Georgia history in high school. And in his first full season as a starter as a redshirt junior he went 12-2 with a 69.7% completion percentage, 1.3% interception rate, and 34 total touchdowns.

2025:

Against Ole Miss in the regular season, he had 5 total touchdowns, and he had 5 total touchdowns on 24 of 29 passing against Texas. But he also went 11 of 21 for 70 passing yards against Georgia Tech and he didn’t play well as a passer in the CFP against Ole Miss.

Coaching:

This season he’ll get former Clemson OC Brandon Streeter for his QB coach. Streeter these days is mostly seen as a recruiter, but he has a very good track record of working with QBs and developing their mechanics.

Stockton’s OC will be Mike Bobo who runs a lot of quick game, heavy personnel, and play action which will play to Stockton’s dual threat strengths.

Receivers:

The receiving room will have various options which will help Stockton.

Talyn Taylor is inexperienced (aside from his drop against Alabama), but he is clearly the WR in this group with superstar ability. He’s quick, fast, has elite body control, and can lineup virtually anywhere.

CJ Wiley and Isiah Canion are both 6 ft 4 in targets who can block, be used on back shoulder routes and comeback routes, and open up the field with their vertical ability. Wiley specifically can be a real red-zone threat, while Canion has the chops to step in and be the WR1 any given game if necessary. I actually consider Canion the most polished WR of this group.

Sacovie White-Helton can come in and replace a lot of what will be lost from Cash Jones IE bubble screens, jet sweeps, and slants in the slot.

London Humphreys has the most experience and probably the most speed and explosiveness.

But Lawson Luckie is probably the main breakout to watch here despite being a tight end. He’s a little undersized at 6 ft 4 in 240 lbs, but he makes up for it with acrobatic athleticism and playmaking ability. He also has good hands and blocks well. Luckie doesn’t have the upside of Talyn Taylor, but his breakout is more plausible and Lucki’s position is a big need for the offense Georgia is expected to run.

O-Line:

Phil Rauscher is Georgia’s new offensive-line coach. The unit has depth and a strong interior. It’s probably a top-10 offensive line in the nation. Earnest Greene III is expected to be one of the best tackle prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft. Drew Bobo is back healthy and so far he’s been one of the best centers in the country.

As a prospect:

Positives

-compact, sturdy build
-enough speed for designed NFL quarterback runs
-effective short-area acceleration
-difficult for arm tackles to finish
-functional passer,very accurate with good velocity on shorter throws
-strong processor, can use deception
-experienced in NFL pro-style offense
-navigates the pocket well
-mature, waited for 3 years before starting
-low interception rate

Negatives

-below preferred NFL quarterback height at 6 ft 0 in
-needs anticipation to compensate for average raw arm strength
-style exposes him to unnecessary hits
-his mobility is good, but not rare
-can’t consistently hit throws requiring touch over a second-level defender

Conclusion:

Stockton does not currently possess one overwhelming trait that typically drives early quarterback selections such as elite arm strength, elite size, elite mobility/speed, elite pocket creation, elite downfield accuracy, or advanced NFL-level processing.

But he’s capable of developing several of those traits. Stockton is grossly underrated and he’ll have all the tools to have a strong season. He’s probably worthy of being a Heisman Dark Horse candidate. His current market price for the Heisman is 18-1.”

Somehow, I didn’t know about the Quarterback coach…I didn’t realize Brandon Streeter was coaching quarterbacks, as he is the guy who coached up Trevor Lawrence at Clemson. His QB pedigree was good, his OC acumen…not so much, only making it two seasons as OC in Clemson.

Thursday Thought Provoker: Who Was Better At Their Peak?

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Gunner Stockton took the mic and weighed in on a few DGDs and who was the better player at their Georgia peak.

I can’t disagree with a lot of his answers…and as much as I love Kirby both as a player and a coach, Champ Bailey was one of one. Shouldn’t have been a hesitation there, but I get it.

Also, Green and Pickens were good…but how would you compare them to Hines Ward?

While I agree that Gurley was freakishly good, to me, Chubb was just consistently a wrecking ball and I’ll take me a Nick Chubb, his grit, and his dedication to Georgia over Gurley.

What’s your thoughts?

To Bobo or Not to Bobo

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Based on the fact that I thought many of our commenters had abandoned the site until I posted Kirby’s defense of Mike Bobo yesterday, consider that a teaser headline. But it reminds me, sometimes, we may need an emotional support animal to calm us down and bring a smile to our faces, and make us forget the nuanced decisions of our beleaguered signal caller.

Let me introduce you to the latest, greatest internet sensation to bring a ray of sunshine to you…Jimothy.

Jimothy has a bit of a spinal deficiency which makes him squatter and gives him a shortened tail. And despite his typical raccoon habits of nocturnal dumpster diving and thievery, the saga of Jimothy is warming the hearts of the internet faster than Pamela Anderson on dial up back in the day.

If a squished raccoon can’t do it for you, though, here’s some other options.

Quokka

Look at it…LOOK AT IT! It’s cute as hell with a perpetual smile…with a word of caution, though, it’s from Australia which means it’s going to be impossible to smuggle here (note: you’ll probably find a whole herd in Florida soon) or as most Outback animals go, it’s probably filled with a diarrhea inducing nerve chemical that will render you into a vegetative state with one bite. You still want one though…

If you want a more domestic option, here’s another idea:

Rabbit

If you ever desired to have a life lesson in what “effing like rabbits” really means, coupled with having your house smell like a horse farm on a hot summer day, get a rabbit. Like gremlins, they reproduce with a little water and will do it in insane numbers. Buy two, and you’ll have 20 in a month. And that’s not the best part…the real horror begins when you discover that rabbits don’t really make for great parents. They’ll stomp out their undesired litters with such disregard that you’ll almost forget that they have teeth that are twelve feet long, they chew through electrical cord like you chew through a twizzler, and they will leave holes in everything with one bite, including car fenders. And if you try to pick one up and stop it from doing anything, it’ll make a sound so piercing and violent that only Hannibal Lecter would smile.

Tend the rabbits, my ass. Squish them with extreme prejudice, Lenny.

No, maybe something fuzzier and cuter is more your speed…how about…

Panda

Have you ever wanted an animal that weighs as much as your deadbeat in-law and behaves with similar drunken behavior? As they live in your spare room? Then the Panda is for you. Once an endangered species, probably by their own battles with gravity, the panda is the least threatening of the bear family. Honestly I’m not even sure that bears count them as part of the family. Menacing? No. Agile alpha predators? No, they eat bamboo and let the sugars ferment until they’re drunker than a poet on payday. If it’s an alpha predator you desire, here’s another option…

Bison

It’s not a Buffalo, you uneducated buffoon. Buffalo are found in Asia or somewhere overseas…we have real deal bison. And if you play your cards right, they’ll play with you and toss you in the air like a ragdoll. That ten foot trip through the heavens will take your mind off Mike Bobo for a while as you strategically try to position your head away from the rapidly approaching ground and try to get to your feet to get away from the sweet animal. And if the short flight in the air isn’t exciting enough, the Lifeflight to Grady will make you forget anything and everything about bubble screens and draw plays…maybe forever.

So what’s your go-to therapy animal?

Sum Or All…Going All In on Bravado at SEC Media Days

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Lord, it was blowhard day in Tampa, Florida.

First, from Pete Golding and how he kept Chambliss in Oxford:

Sure, Pete. It had nothing to do with lawyers, either, did it?

Meanwhile, new Handbags Coach John Sumrall was about to go all WWF on the media when a phone went off during his tirade.

No, he won’t back down from proper electronics usage. Maybe focus on avoiding this, instead:

Don’t lose to the ACC. Make that an imperative and maybe the rest of the conference can take you seriously.

Wishing him the worst of luck in the year ahead.

Georgia’s Biggest Opponent Addressed: Injuries

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Lots of little sound bytes from yesterday but nothing remarkably groundbreaking. First and foremost, let’s talk about injuries.

Smart had positive news on the injury front.

Topping the list is center Drew Bobo (foot), who is expected to be ready for the start of the season. You can read more about Bobo here.

Others include:

Outside linebacker Zayden Walker: “Zayden’s back doing everything. He’s been great. He had the shoulder,” Smart said. “We have a lot of shoulders every spring. But he’s doing everything with us right now.”

Wide receiver Sacovie White-Helton: “Oh, yeah. Sacovie had a separated shoulder the day before the spring game and couldn’t go,” Smart said. “But he’s done everything since.”

Defensive end Gabe Harris: “Gabe’s been doing good. He’s similar to Drew. It (foot) was a very significant injury,” Smart said. “Those two were the two biggest missing pieces for us towards the end of the year and made it really tough. But he’s out there doing everything now. He did not do anything in the spring. We need him to have a big year. But, yeah, he’s on a load-management deal, so he’s not like out there every day doing everything. But he’s healthy.”

Defensive lineman Jordan Hall: “Jordan Hall’s great. Jordan’s doing everything with us, working,” Smart said. “You know, he’s had two bilateral knee rods put in there, but he’s doing great.”

We are officially on what seems like the annual “how healthy is Jordan Hall” watch. Still hoping he lives up to his potential this season…we need all the horses on the defensive line to get back to form.

Also notable was Kirby getting chippy when questioned about Georgia’s receiver room:

There were some typical questions about this and that, but not much to write home about. One interesting stand out was Raylen Wilson’s reaction to being told Texas is baaaaccckkk…

Go Dawgs.