SB Nation - Blair Walsh

Kai Wins Groza, Bruins Rack Up More All American Honors

Nestor — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:11:59 -0000

brtishbruin and KSBruin were already on it last night. We have more major post-season awards news to share about few Bruins from the football team. Kai won the Lou Groza award last night beating out a two great kickers from amazing SEC programsn (Alabama’s Leigh Tiffin and Geogia's Blair Walsh). In addition to Kai accepting his award on ESPN, two more Bruins - Brian Price and Rahim Moore were named in the Second Team All America by the prestigious Walter Camp Foundation:

So, let's start with Kai Forbath. Here is the official release which identfied Kai as perhaps the best kicker ever to come out of UCLA:

In the long line of UCLA All-America place kickers, Forbath might just be the best ever. On the year, he has made 26 of 29 field goals and 22 of 23 PATs for 100 points. He ranks second nationally in field goals per game (2.17). He is perfect (23 of 23) from inside 50 yards and three of six from 50+ yards. His .897 percentage this year is No. 2 in the NCAA among players with 22 or more attempts.

Dating back to last year, Forbath has converted 39 of his last 42 field goals and had a string of 16 straight successes snapped at Arizona when he missed from 52 yards. He has connected on his last 35 straight field goal attempts inside 50 yards (his last such miss came on a 47-yard attempt in game six last season at Oregon).

Forbath's .864 percentage is the highest in school history among players with at least 20 career field goals (John Lee holds the current record at .850). He ranks second (tied) in school history with 70 field goals and No. 5 in career scoring with 283 points in just 37 games.

His school-record nine field goals of 50 yards or longer rank No. 1 among active FBS kickers. His 70 field goals rank second (tied) among all active players (the next junior is 20 field goals behind him) and his career percentage of .864 is No. 2 among players with at least 40 attempts.

Kai of course deserves this award. It also shouldn't be a surprise to anyone here when Kai puts his name in during the NFL draft's "testing out the water" process to see where he might fall. Although, there is a decent chance of him returning (unlike Brian Price).

I think I appreciated Kai more this season when I was watching other college footbal teams, seeing teams flail away with poor kicking and getting hancuffed during crunch time. That said, I wish Kai would come back for one more season, so that he would get to play for an offense, in which he would play an invaluable role by connecting on long game winning or game tying FGs, instead of drive settling ones he was booming in over and over again during last few years at UCLA. More on last night awards after the jump.

As mentioned in the beginning, in addition to Kai, two other Bruins - Price and Moore - were named in the Walter Camp's All America team:

Price, a true junior, has recorded 34.5 tackles for a loss in his last 21 games, including 4.0 against Arizona State and Tennessee, 3.0 at Washington State and 2.0 against Oregon and at USC. He has 22.5 tackles for loss in 12 games this season and ranks first in the Pac-10 (by 7.5 TFL) and is tied for third in the NCAA. He ranks second all-time in UCLA history with 43.5 tackles for loss, and is also second on the single season list with 22.5, trailing only Robert Thomas' 26.0 TFL in 2001.

Moore, a true sophomore, leads the nation with nine interceptions, averaging 0.75 per game. He also ranks fourth (tied) nationally, in passes defensed (1.33 per game). He tied the UCLA single-game record with three interceptions against San Diego State and also made two each versus Tennessee and Arizona. Moore has made 45 tackles on the year, including three for loss.

That was from the official site which also provided the data point re. only Alabama (six) and Florida (four) having more selections than UCLA's three (Texas also had three). That led the LAT to take the cheap shot about those three teams finishing with a combined record of 38-1 (in comparison to UCLA's 6-6).

Of course, anyone with a basic understanding of the personnel of UCLA football program (based on recruiting and talent flow from last 6 years) wouldn't make the basic argument about UCLA having the same talent as those three programs. But hey given what we have seen over the years, often basic coverage of UCLA football is too much to ask for from the Trojan lapdogs in charge of LAT's sports section. Whatever. The basic lesson is look everywhere else before looking to LAT for information on UCLA sports.

Congrats to all of our guys. Let's hope we get to see these guys at least one more time this season. GO NAVY.

GO BRUINS.

A Head-Scratching Snub.

Acid Reign — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:00:21 -0000

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Auburn wide receiver Darvin Adams (89) frequently abused defensive backs! (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

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War Eagle, everybody. The post-season All-SEC teams are out now, and there aren't too many surprises. It looks like some reporters and sports information directors simply copied their preseason list over again. I guess they DID pay enough attention that Jevan Snead didn't get any votes.

I'd say the biggest surprise of the All-SEC voting was the complete absence of Auburn wide receiver Darvin Adams in the voting. The media voters select 5 wide receivers. Statistically, Darvin Adams was 5^th in receptions, 4^th in receiving yards per game, 3^rd in receiving yards, 2^nd in yards per catch, and tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns. In fact, there's not a single statistical category that Adams WASN'T in the top five. Somehow, Joe Adams of Arkansas made it in ahead of Adams, despite catching TWENTY fewer balls! Adams also finished behind Florida's Riley Cooper, despite having more catches, more yards per catch, and more touchdowns. A similar argument could be made against LSU's Brandon LaFell: fewer yards, and fewer yards per catch. Even compared to the starting All-SEC unit, Darvin Adams had a better yards per catch stat and more touchdowns than Shay Hodge of Ole Miss. When comparing Adams to Georgia's A. J. Green, Adams had more yards, more catches, a better yards per catch average, and more touchdowns. HOW does Adams not get AT LEAST honorable mention notice?

On the season, Darvin Adams finished with 48 catches for 855 yards and 10 touchdowns. War Eagle, Darvin Adams!

In another predictable but irritating snub, kicker Wes Byrum was left out of the all-star balloting. Byrum hit on 14 of 15 field goal attempts, and made all 49 of his extra point attempts. Byrum connected on 93.3 percent of his field goals. The selected All-SEC starter Leigh Tiffin was only good on 87.9 percent of his field goals, and missed THREE extra points. Second-team selection Blair Walsh only hit 90.5 percent of his field goals. What makes Byrum's snub easier to take is that he essentially lost because Auburn was scoring touchdowns in the red zone, rather than settling for 3. The Tigers converted 76% of their red-zone appearances into touchdowns, and got points 94% of the time overall.

There isn't an official offensive lineman stat page on the SEC website. But I'd take Auburn's Lee Ziemba over most of the 2^nd team offensive linemen, and a couple of the starters. Ziemba finished in the "honorable mention" category, surely a result of false starts. The sad fact is that Ziemba earned his reputation for jumping off in previous years. This year, he's actually been penalized less than you think! On false starts, Lee had 1 against La Tech, 1 against WVa, 1 against Furman, 1 against Georgia, and one against Alabama. That's a total of 5 false starts in a 12 game season, which is not many for a starting left tackle. Ziemba had no holding calls against him, all year. And the only other penalty was on his ineligible catch in the Georgia game. How many sacks did Ziemba give up? I don't remember but one, and it was when Ziemba was trying to get over on a corner blitz that was probably not even his responsibility. All in all, Lee Ziemba was the best lineman on a pretty tough Auburn unit.

Let's hear it for the left-out Tigers that led our team! War Eagle!

Other Musings from Championship Week, after the jump.

Once again, we see the need in the Football Bowl Subdivision for a post-season playoff. The argument against undefeated TCU and Boise State for playing in weak, non-BCS leagues is somewhat legit. Big East Champ Cincinnati plays in a BCS conference, went undefeated, and got left out. Rather than play for a national title, Cincy will be taking on a frustrated Gator group. Coach Brian Kelly appears to be headed for Notre Dame, and the Bearcats will be facing a fired up Gator group without their leader. It's a bitter end to a great Cincy season.

As to the Texas Longhorns, has there ever been a more disrespected number two team in the national title game? Oh, yes! I remember about 17 years ago the national press was moaning over a team that had a whole schedule full of single-digit wins, that would NEVER be able to challenge the top-ranked Hurricanes. I think we all remember how that 1993 Sugar Bowl turned out, with the Tide stomping Miami into goo. I'd suggest that the Tide not take Texas lightly. The book on the Longhorns is to contain McCoy and cover Shipley. However, the overlooked part of the 'horn team is their run defense. Alabama will have a tough time replicating their SEC Championship Game effort on offense, I think.

Fellow track'em writer War Eagle Atlanta posted an excellent question earlier this week: Will Auburn fans cheer for the Tide, or the Longhorns? If Alabama loses, I'll snicker and try to get glimpses of Nick Saban's face on the sideline. But there is no hairy way I really want the SEC to lose the BCS title game. We'll never hear the end of it, from the national media, if the SEC loses that game. Yes, I want Alabama to win. No, I absolutely will NOT be screaming "Roll Tide" at my TV that night. Hopefully, I'll be sitting quietly in my chair with a Klondike and a stinger, enjoying a good football game.

It's a difficult time to be a Florida Gator. One of the prices for success is that your assistant coaches become hot commodities. Florida's loss of Tim Tebow pales compared to the amount of talent and experience that has left the Florida coaching staff in the past two seasons. How Urban Meyer rebuilds his staff will be key. It could be a tough transition period ahead.

What a difference a year makes! This time last season, we were jeering the Auburn coaching search. This year, we're cheering a promising foundation, and lauding Jay Jacobs' pitch to the Outback Bowl. Well done, sir, well done!

Mark Richt Drops Willie Martinez, Jon Fabris, and John Jancek From Georgia Bulldogs Staff: A Good Man Does the Right Thing

T Kyle King — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:19:59 -0000

The sight is dismal;
And our affairs from England come too late.
The ears are senseless that should give us hearing
To tell him his commandment is fulfilled,
That Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.
Where should we have our thanks?

Hamlet, Act V, Scene II

I apologize if that was a bit melodramatic, but I already used II Samuel 3:38 to mark the death of Uga VII and there was something appropriate in returning to Hamlet to mark the bloodletting that ended the bloodletting: I don’t want to belabor the point, having spent much of the last year building the case against Willie Martinez, but it bears repeating that, starting with last year’s disaster against the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Georgia Bulldogs have allowed 34 or more points ten times in 21 games and have held just three of their last eleven Division I-A opponents under 24 points. This happened because it had to happen, and Mark Richt is to be credited for making it happen, however difficult it must have been for him.

When Vince Dooley was considering hiring Mark Richt, he had one misgiving, which he put to Bobby Bowden in the form of a question: "Is Mark Richt tough enough?" Coach Bowden replied, "You just don’t know." Now we all know; on the day after Bobby Bowden only partially willingly stepped down---on the day that the portion of the Georgia fan base whose strong suit is not contract law long believed would be the day Mark Richt cleared out his office in Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall---Coach Richt told three of his assistants to clear out their offices, instead. If the public statements issued from Athens are accurate, this was the head coach’s decision, not the athletic director’s and not the boosters’, which is as it should be.

The reaction in Bulldog Nation, at least in this corner of it, has been measured and appropriate. No one wishes, or should wish, these good men ill. Sometimes, good men fail to do a good job, but that does not mean anyone should take personal satisfaction in seeing any man lose his job, particularly not in a weak economy three and a half weeks before Christmas. Our thanks and our best wishes go with Jon Fabris, his wife Marcy, and their sons Jack and Mike; with John Jancek, his wife Kelly, and their sons Zachary, Brock, Jack, and Brady; and with Willie Martinez, his wife Kim, their daughters Christina and Ashley, and their son William. Vaya con Dios.

Now it becomes a question of which of the candidates will be chosen to turn 2010 into 1975. While I have my preferences, I trust my head coach, who knows much more about such things than I will ever know. I know this about Willie Martinez’s successor, though: he needs to have three characteristics. These are they:

He needs to be the fire to Mark Richt’s ice. While we have seen Coach Richt become impassioned on the sideline (viz., his obvious anger at the premature Powerade bath last Saturday night), someone needs to have the job of amping up the energy level. Mark Richt’s calm confidence won us a lot of games---hobnailed boot, anyone?---just as Vince Dooley’s did a generation earlier, but only when Brian VanGorder and Erk Russell were around to shout profanities and crack skulls. Quite frankly, if a candidate to be the Bulldogs’ new defensive coordinator doesn’t use the word "ass" in his interview, I don’t want him.

He needs to have a clear plan for attacking the offenses now extant on Georgia’s schedule. Specifically, he needs to know how he is going to stop the offenses run by Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators, Gus Malzahn’s Auburn Tigers, and Paul Johnson’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. If he doesn’t have a defined idea for scheming against those offenses, I don’t want him.

He needs to send his players onto the field with two objectives in mind and an approach premised upon the dogged pursuit of those objectives with intelligent aggression informed by preparation and tempered by discipline. Those two objectives are: (a) put people wearing the wrong color jersey on the ground with force and alacrity; and (b) get the damned ball.

How important is the latter objective? Plenty. As David Hale has demonstrated, the problem with Georgia’s turnover margin hasn’t just been the offense’s propensity to cough up the pigskin (which, while bad, isn’t all-time awful), it’s been the defense’s historically low level of takeaways. Back when Coach Dooley used to insist upon calling them "takeovers" instead of "turnovers," forcing fumbles and getting picks was a cornerstone of the Bulldogs’ defensive philosophy.

In 1980, Georgia won the national championship without ranking in the top ten in the country in rushing offense, passing offense, total offense, scoring offense, rushing defense, passing defense, or total defense. How did the ‘Dawgs do it? By leading the nation in turnover margin, tallying 44 total takeaways in an eleven-game season, and fielding the country’s interception leader in safety Jeff Hipp. (Having the nation’s leading punt returner in Scott Woerner and the best freshman running back in the history of the game didn’t hurt, either, but we’re getting the running game straightened out and hiring a new special teams coordinator, who probably will reach this conclusion: "Blair Walsh is the best placekicker in the country? Well, dang, let’s just turn him loose and let him boot it out the back of the end zone every time!")

In 1982, Georgia again went 11-0 through the schedule and went to the Sugar Bowl to play for the national championship. The Bulldogs never gave up more than 22 points in the regular season and ranked fourth in the land in scoring defense, due in large part to the fact that the Georgia D was led by rover Terry Hoage (who finished first in the country in interceptions, with twelve) and safety Jeff Sanchez (who finished second in the country in interceptions, with nine).

The math is pretty simple, really. The last two times Georgia went to the national championship game, the Bulldog defense was superb at taking the ball away from the opposition. Twelve games into the 2009 season, the Classic City Canines rank 119th out of 120 Division I-A teams in turnover margin and have taken the ball away just ten times on eight interceptions---fewer than the Bulldogs’ second-best defensive back snagged in 1982---and two---count ‘em: two---fumble recoveries. Georgia is 7-5 and bound for the Independence Bowl. While there are many aspects of the Red and Black program in need of correction, there is no area in which a genuine fix would pay bigger dividends than in the area of takeaways.

The almost two years since the Sugar Bowl shellacking of Hawaii have been a tough time in Bulldog Nation; as my brother-in-law said to me on Thanksgiving, "Uga VII is dead, and I don’t feel so good myself." This is a sad day, but a necessary one. We should keep Coach Fabris, Coach Jancek, Coach Martinez, and their families in our prayers, and we should be proud of Coach Richt for doing what he had to do despite the difficulty of doing it.

The firings are done; now we await the hirings, and particularly the announcement of the anointment of a new defensive coordinator, whom we will set to his assigned task with the admonition: "Take it away, Coach!" These are dark days in Bulldog Nation, but the break of dawn is coming.

Go ‘Dawgs.

Georgia Bulldogs 30, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 24: Our Willie Outdistances Their Johnson

T Kyle King — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:18:26 -0000

At first, I did not believe.

I saw such upsets as the South Carolina Gamecocks’ win over the Clemson Tigers and the Mississippi St. Bulldogs’ win over the Mississippi Rebels, and I saw such near-upsets as the Alabama Crimson Tide’s close call against the Auburn Tigers and the Texas Longhorns’ close call against the Texas A&M Aggies, and I said, In each of those, the underdog had the advantage of playing at home.

I saw the Georgia Bulldogs go 74 yards in ten snaps---all of them running plays---for the opening touchdown at historic Grant Field, and I said, We looked good on the opening drive against the Oklahoma St. Cowboys, too.

I saw the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets held to three first-half points (and even those only after a Red and Black turnover at the visitors’ 40 yard line), and I said, The Engineers are a second-half team and Paul Johnson will make the halftime adjustments that allow him to out-scheme Willie Martinez.

I saw Demaryius Thomas break a couple of 2008-style arm tackles and take a third-down pass from Josh Nesbitt 76 yards for a touchdown on the opening series of the second half, and I said, I told you so.

Then I saw Caleb King go 75 yards for the score that put Georgia back out in front by two touchdowns on the very next play from scrimmage, and I said, This may happen.

As I indicated last night, I generally am pretty jaded where the Ramblin’ Wreck is concerned. I understand that the Yellow Jackets are our in-state rivals, but I was born in 1968, more than a decade after Theron Sapp broke the drought and a couple of years after Bobby Dodd retired. I have never seen a conference game between Georgia and Georgia Tech, but, in my first 40 years of life on this planet, I saw the Bulldogs beat the Golden Tornado 29 times. From 1991 to 2007, Georgia went 14-3 against Georgia Tech and 14-3 against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Then came 2008.

Since that time, I have had a Georgia Tech fan make a derogatory comment to me about Georgia while I was holding a piece of bread and she was holding the cup of juice into which I was waiting to dip the bread while receiving communion at church; I have had Georgia Tech fans in that same congregation who had not previously spoken to me in the entire time I have been a member there come up to me for the sole purpose of telling me how Coach Johnson had ended one winning streak and started another; I have had a Georgia Tech fan see my year-and-a-half-old daughter wearing a Georgia cheerleading outfit and say to her, "Are you ready to watch Georgia get their butts beat on November 28?"

These are the comments I’ve gotten from the Georgia Tech fans I like.

Accordingly, I feel safe in saying that no Georgia victory over Georgia Tech in my personal experience and my conscious memory has been quite so satisfying as last night’s was. This is so, in part, because of the level of sheer unmitigated obnoxiousness exhibited by Georgia Tech fans in the last year---a level unmatched by any fans of the Florida Gators, Tennessee Volunteers, or South Carolina Gamecocks I have ever encountered; a level unmatched by any Southern football fans I have ever encountered who were not fans of the Auburn Tigers (which is why I hate Auburn)---but also, in part, because Paul Johnson is an exceptional football coach who has molded the Yellow Jackets into a solid football team that will be an ACC contender for the foreseeable future. Georgia Tech is no pushover, nor will the Golden Tornado be during Coach Johnson’s tenure, which I expect to last for the remainder of his career. For the first time in my lifetime, we have ourselves a rivalry again.

That set of circumstances makes special a win that was not a fluke. Georgia led Georgia Tech in first downs (21-17), total offense (415-340), and rushing yards (339-205). It was a virtual dead heat in terms of penalties (each team drew five flags, with the Bulldogs being assessed 39 yards and the Yellow Jackets losing 35 yards) and time of possession (Georgia held the ball for 30 minutes and three seconds). At long last, the Classic City Canines came out ahead in turnover margin.

Joe Cox attempted only fourteen passes, but he completed eight of them to Red and Black receivers and none of them to Gold and White defenders. Caleb King and Washaun Ealey each averaged 9.2 yards per carry, with King gaining 166 yards on eighteen rushes and Ealey amassing 183 yards on 20 touches.

Georgia Tech had two weeks to prepare after running a late-season gauntlet of poor teams, while Georgia was playing without its best offensive player, A.J. Green, and (arguably) its second-best defensive player, Bacarri Rambo. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs stepped up, with four Georgia receivers posting double-digit receiving yardage.

For most of the game, it looked like the Red and Black won the coin toss and Mark Richt opted to have Paul Johnson call the visitors’ offensive plays while Mike Bobo handled those responsibilities for the home team. (Four straight incompletions to end the game? Really?) The Athenians ran the ball 44 times in 58 snaps and averaged 7.7 yards per rush to take the pressure off of Cox. To some extent, this was merely a happy fringe benefit of facing a questionable Georgia Tech defense, but it was nice to see the Bulldogs run the ball, with the result that the Classic City Canines won a game in which they never trailed.

Since tankertoad asked, I must say I agree with him on the third down call on the Bulldogs’ last meaningful drive. On the first six snaps of the series, Georgia ran the ball five times, all for positive yardage. The running game was working, picking up yards and running off clock. I’d have run the ball on third and four; had the play only picked up two yards---and every other running play on that drive had picked up at least two yards---Georgia would have faced the choice between a 49-yard field goal and going for it on fourth and two near the Georgia Tech 30 yard line.

I’m not going to criticize Coach Bobo too much for the pass play, though, because the first seven drives he directed produced three touchdowns and three field goals, and because sending Blair Walsh on to attempt a 55-yard field goal isn’t sheer lunacy, given his past accomplishments. Also, while we’re on the subject of the Georgia specialists, for all I can tell, Drew Butler may have spent his Saturday evening in Atlanta at the Cheetah with Kevin Butler. All right, he probably didn’t, but isn’t it nice to know our all-world punter was an arrow we were able to leave in the quiver?

Finally, to top it all off, the Bulldogs got the win without saving Willie Martinez’s job in the process. Georgia surrendered 21 points after intermission and was outscored in the second half, which demonstrates that, even though Coach Martinez came up with an effective game plan, his inability to make in-game adjustments remains a problem.

In short, I’m not happy with 7-5, and neither are you, but 7-5 is what I predicted back in the spring and it’s at least somewhat satisfying that, even in a down year, the ‘Dawgs can finish tied for second place in the SEC East and beat two of their three traditional rivals. Moreover, last night’s victory puts the Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry into a new context.

Before, Yellow Jacket fans could claim---erroneously, yet with a straight face---that the hiring of Paul Johnson at the Flats marked a break point in the series, analogous to the hiring of Vince Dooley in the Classic City in 1964. Now, Bulldog fans can counter that, but for an ill-timed Richard Samuel fumble last year, we’d be sitting here today talking about Georgia going for a tenth straight series victory over the Ramblin’ Wreck in 2010. All of a sudden, "sea change in the rivalry" has dissolved and been replaced with "a lot of guys have won one in a row."

The best part of last night’s game, though, was Coach Richt’s anger after the Powerade bath and his terse insistence upon no smiles until the clock showed a trio of zeroes. In that moment, Mark Richt may well have found the happy medium he has been seeking.

What this program needs is not Evil Richt and not Hip Richt, but, rather, Righteously Indignant Richt. The adverb attests to the innate human decency and steadfast moral uprightness that cause us to admire Mark Richt and take pride in calling him our head coach, but the adjective indicates the hard-edged demand for discipline, execution, and performance that has earned men like Paul Johnson, Urban Meyer, and Nick Saban national championship rings.

Last night, in the image of Mark Richt victorious over a top ten team on the road, dripping wet, and hopping mad, we may have beheld the Coach of New Year’s Future, and the earliest inklings of the glory yet to come under the best head coach we have ever had. Mark Richt, like all Christians, isn’t perfect, but he’s working on it.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Dogs Bite Tigers in Athens.

Acid Reign — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:48:18 -0000

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Another one slips away from the Tigers.

War Eagle, everybody. It's time for an abbreviated Acid Reign report on Auburn's 31-24 loss to Georgia. For one quarter, Auburn dominated the Bulldogs. For the remainder of the game, it was an uphill battle. One thing is evident. No matter how overmatched, this team never quits! Prior to the start of this season, I worried about the strength of Georgia's lines. That worry proved to be on the money. When Georgia settled down, they dominated up front on both sides of the ball. Auburn continued to find a way to stay in the game till the end, but the game was tough to watch, for this Tiger.

Auburn continues to run the ball well, but a lack of an explosive downfield passing game hurt. Darvin Adams is a good one, and with continued development, both he and Terrell Zachary might be great. Still, it took a horrible defensive bust to get a touchdown pass to Zachary. The running game continues to confuse, but never really picked up consistent yardage. On Auburn's three scores, the first was a sandlot play that happened when Georgia rushed themselves out of contain. Todd found Burns on that one. Then there was the awful bust. Auburn's third score was on a kickoff return. We've known all along that Chris Todd does not have a gun for an arm. The most disappointing aspect in this one was the offensive line getting whipped. Not even LSU was able to massacre us with a four man rush like Georgia did. All I can figure is that 11 straight weeks have taken a toll.

Past a few first quarter stops, the defensive line looked tired. There were a couple of hold the ball sacks of Joe Cox, but Auburn had to blitz to get pressure, and linemen were left chasing Georgia backs downfield, especially in the second half. Walter McFadden continues to play well, but receivers on other Dbacks get open at will. When the other team loads up jumbo, and runs over you for 169 yards per game, there's not much you can say. We were not man enough up front to handle the veteran Bulldog line. Georgia's 4.4 yard per carry average is exactly what Auburn has been giving up on the year.

In the midst of this disappointing loss, Auburn posted the best special teams effort of the season. Yes, Demond Washington fumbled a punt. We do that every game, I suppose. Nothing new. Auburn did get it back. At least Washington went forward when he got the chance! All four of Auburn's punts were downed inside the Georgia 20, including another Chris Todd pooch job that was killed on the 3. Clinton Durst was consistent, hitting for 44 yards per punt. Kickoffs were again weak, but Georgia was contained pretty well on the return. Auburn's kick returns were the best of the season, including a desperately needed 99 yard touchdown by Demond Washington. The biggest negative was on the 20 yard Mario Fannin return. Georgia had totally blown their coverage, lost their lanes, and there was nothing but green grass on the left side of the field, with a couple of loose Auburn blockers. Fannin seemed headed that way, but for some bizarre reason, he cut back into traffic to the right, and ran right into the first man and fell down. When the offense couldn't block, we NEEDED another touchdown, there!

Unit Grades, after the jump.

Defensive Line: C+. At times, this unit was blown off the ball, but they slid and still made tackles. It was probably the best game of the year for a tackling standpoint, highlighted by Mike Blanc's nine solo tackles. We were trigger happy too much, taking repeated offsides flags. Coleman, Carter, and Zach Clayton were all flagged.

Linebackers: D. When a team runs right at you 38 times, and your outside linebackers only tally 10 total tackles, you're going to give up yards and points. Auburn's problems here are not new. Georgia tight ends and fullbacks got to the second level , and drove us back repeatedly.

Secondary: D. Outside of Walter McFadden, we were pretty anemic. That's to be expected with three very young players in the starting four, and even less experience among the backups. Neiko Thorpe still has a ways to go, and the two safeties had difficulty following the ball. Georgia didn't throw much, but when they did, they were quite effective, averaging over ten yards per pass.

Punting: A+. It's hard to find fault, here. Auburn gave up one three yard return, and nailed all four punts inside the Georgia 20. Clinton Durst had a marvelous 54 yarder die at the three yard line.

Punt Returns: C. With yet another fumble, the outlook remains grim, here. Demond Washington had a decent fair catch, and an excellent 19 yard return. Then there were two punts Washington let go, and one was downed at the Auburn 12.

Kick Returns: A. We're starting to make blocks on these, and it's paying dividends. Georgia looked undisciplined, and Demond Washington made them look bad. His shortest return was 23 yards, and his 99 yarder for a TD came at a critical time. Points off on Mario Fannin going the wrong way on his one return. And on that last Georgia kickoff, where was Washington? He had 202 kick return yards, at that point. His last one went 99 yards, and you sit him down on the bench with the game on the line? Who was responsible for that?

Kickoffs: C. When you have to squib kickoffs, that's bad. A 56 yard kickoff average is poor. I suppose it was good strategy, though. Georgia managed only 17 yards per return, and Auburn tackled pretty well. A 39.8 yard net kickoff average is one of the better scores of the season for Auburn, unfortunately.

Placekicking A+. Wes Byrum hit all of his kicks again, as did Georgia's Blair Walsh.

Offensive Line: D. Lee Ziemba got caught jumping at a critical time at the end, but he played better than the rest of the line. We got torn apart on the other side, on the pass rush. We got several holding calls, and were totally unable to move the Georgia line past the first quarter. Bulldog tackles slid with impunity down the line, and filled lanes. Auburn backs had nowhere to go but to the corner. While I'm picking on the line, it's time to criticize the scheme a little bit, too. On short yardage, we need to STOP pulling linemen! I don't know why we do this, and then run Ben Tate right into an unblocked tackle! WHY? On third and short against the 10^th rushing defense in the SEC, you drive block! DRIVE BLOCK! Get the first down! OK?

Receivers: B. Auburn men did get open, and mostly made catches. Points off on a crucial holding flag on Tommy Trott. You can always count on a Trott hold, and a Ziemba false start, every game. Again, Trott's probably a victim of offensive design. He's split out, and is a lot more visible than the average tight end. No grabbing, or they'll surely see it! Auburn's biggest problem in the receiving corps is that no one but Adams is consistently getting separation. While we blame Todd for locking in on Adams, he's got to go to the open man. I'd be looking Adams' way, too!

Running Backs: C. Blitz pickup was absolutely horrible. We routinely used a blocking back, and they were not up to the task of handling a loose Bulldog defensive end. Lead blocking wasn't much better, and our power running game went nowhere. Ben Tate got most of his yards on his own. Onterrio McCalebb brought a spark, but he's clearly still not 100 percent. We've got to do better, against Bama. Saban will be sending blitzers all afternoon.

Quarterback: B. Todd didn't have much time in this game. Sometimes, he just had to chunk one up and see what might happen. Got a couple of picks, but we had to take those shots. Todd was off target on his deep balls, with a tendency to overthrow. On the last Auburn play, Darvin Adams made a heck of a move to split two defenders. We might have had overtime, with a better throw.

I missed most of the live game broadcast, but got to watch the last drive. Other fans in the room with me were SCREAMING when Georgia safety Bacarri Rambo went down on that post to Fannin throw at the goal line. They thought he was faking, to buy a tired Georgia defense time. After watching the replay, I'm of the opinion that Rambo took a serious shot. I know I'd not relish a collision with Mario Fannin! Still, if I were coaching defense against the Malzhan offense, I'd have some "fall-down guys" lined up to send in. It's something to think about. Georgia ran right around Ziemba and McCain on the next play, for an easy sack.

In the end, the Bulldogs were too strong for the Auburn lines. Auburn fought valiantly on the road, but took a fourth consecutive loss to the Bulldogs. You definitely can't say that the Tigers quit, though. Here's to a well-deserved week off, for the Tigers. And we hope they come back with a spring in their step Thanksgiving week, and give the Tide all they can handle!

Georgia Bulldogs 31, Auburn Tigers 24

T Kyle King — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:30:06 -0000

Games between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers are not always close---see 2004 and 2007---but, historically, this has been a series hallmarked by tight ballgames, as befits a rivalry as ancient and storied as this one. Of the 113 clashes between these two teams, 49 have been decided by seven or fewer points. On average, more than two out of every five meetings between the Bulldogs and the Plainsmen have been nailbiters. So it was in Sanford Stadium last night.

Georgia recorded eighteen first downs and Auburn recorded eighteen first downs. Georgia converted five third downs and Auburn converted five third downs, which is baffling to me, since it seemed like the Tigers converted at least a dozen third-and-longs. Georgia ran the ball 38 times and Auburn ran the ball 38 times. Georgia tallied 342 yards of total offense, a mere 33 feet shy of the mark attained by Auburn. Had the Tigers held the pigskin for 47 fewer seconds, the time of possession would have been exactly even, which is remarkable, given the decided advantage the Plainsmen held in the early going. Despite the similar endings of the respective contests, this game, unlike the South Carolina game, was every bit as close as the score indicated.

It didn’t look that way from the get-go, though. Half an hour before kickoff, I entered Sanford Stadium accompanied by an overwhelming sense of dread, assured of the doom that awaited the ‘Dawgs, and nothing I saw in the opening period disabused me of my dour preconceptions. Auburn opened the game with a nine-play, 74-yard drive that ended in a touchdown. Georgia responded by going three and out on an opening drive that lost four yards and included a Bulldog false start penalty. The Plainsmen proceeded to go 82 yards in eleven snaps to take a 14-0 lead and the Red and Black answered by picking up two yards in three plays before punting. In short, it was exactly the contest I anticipated it would be. After fifteen minutes of clock time had elapsed, the hedges were in jeopardy and the Tiger faithful were getting ready to party like it was 1999.

Joe Cox looked like Joe Cox at his worst . . . which is to say, he looked like Brandon Cox. Potentially big plays came up just short and the Bulldogs’ increasingly predictable menu of sweeps and screens routinely failed to gain. Willie Martinez’s defense played the way we have come to expect it to play. Seemingly one play out of every three went well for the Georgia D until the inevitable completion to the open receiver behind the linebackers and in front of the safeties. My 56-7 prediction wasn’t looking quite so outlandish as the second period got underway.

When we looked up at the scoreboard as the first half unfolded, we saw few statistics from which to take heart, but there were a couple for those among the Bulldog faithful who were willing to squint and search for them. Georgia had incurred fewer penalties and had shown at least a modicum of discipline, as when the defender very deliberately turned loose of the Auburn ballcarrier he had ridden out of bounds before drawing a flag for administering a late hit. The ‘Dawgs hadn’t moved the ball, but they hadn’t turned it over, either. It was, as my uncle has been known to remark, bad, but it wasn’t so bad.

Then Cox connected with Israel Troupe on a 50-yard touchdown pass to put Georgia on the board and allow the Classic City Canines to go to the locker room at halftime down by a single score. A 51-yard Blair Walsh field goal cut the deficit to four points and Washaun Ealey capped off a four-and-a-half-minute drive spanning 82 yards in eight plays with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs the lead. Son of a gun, we were in this thing! It had taken a decidedly lucky bounce on a would-be interception that turned into an Orson Charles reception, but the Bulldogs were out in front in a game that had appeared as though it might get out of hand.

Auburn wasn’t done, of course; the Tigers’ turnaround has been too genuine, and the spirit of the rivalry is too strong, for us ever to expect the Plainsmen to curl up into the fetal position at the first sign of adversity. A doinked field goal by Wes Byrum---whom Orson Swindle had told me at Tent City earlier in the evening that he would run down with his automobile if given the opportunity---sent the contest to the final quarter tied at 17.

Tavarres King redeemed his earlier drop of what ought to have been a touchdown pass by snagging a 47-yard reception on the first snap of the fourth stanza. One play later, Caleb King was in the end zone and the hometown heroes had retaken the lead. The Georgia edge lasted only as long as it took Demond Washington to take a pretty decent kickoff at the one yard line and weave 99 yards downfield for the tying touchdown.

The Bulldogs got the ball back and punted. The Plainsmen took possession and Reshad Jones intercepted a Chris Todd pass. A personal foul penalty against---wait for it---a team other than Georgia set up the Red and Black inside the Auburn 40 yard line. Three Ealey carries gave the ‘Dawgs a first down inside the 25 and Caleb King covered the remaining ground for a touchdown.

Once again, the Tigers refused to run and hide. Auburn held the ball for the next fourteen plays, running almost six minutes off the clock while marching 40 yards downfield. The Plainsmen picked up five first downs in the course of the drive, the last of which came on a fourth-down conversion that carried the visitors to the Georgia 22 yard line.

On first down, Ben Tate was halted for a one-yard loss. On second down, an electrified Sanford Stadium was given a severe scare when Bacarri Rambo went down after delivering the touchdown-saving hit that separated the intended receiver from the football. There were two more downs to be played, but, truthfully, the game was over when Rambo, strapped immobile to a backboard and lifted onto the cart upon which he would be whisked away to receive medical attention, raised his right arm and gave the crowd the thumbs up that signaled to us that he would be all right. There would be no 2005-like fourth-down heroics by the Tigers this night.

Inevitably, the Alabamians moved backwards. Cornelius Washington dropped Todd for a seven-yard loss on third down. Back-to-back Auburn time outs could not stop the roaring crowd from inducing perhaps the most flagrant false start in the history of college football. Todd’s final desperate toss on fourth and 23 fell incomplete, and all that was left was what my father calls "the prettiest play in football": your quarterback taking a knee to bleed the final seconds from the game clock.

I have yelled that loudly for that long, cheered that lustily and that elatedly, and applauded that strongly and that sincerely, in Sanford Stadium more than once before, but it’s been a while---actually, it’s been exactly two years, since the last time our guys beat these guys in this venue, in a game that yielded a victory only slightly more stirring than this one---and, despite what my head shrewdly tells me, there was no convincing my heart in that moment that there has ever been anything wrong with being a Georgia Bulldog that beating the Auburn Tigers couldn’t fix.

Oh, I know this doesn’t cure all our ills; a loss at historic Grant Field in two weeks appears all but certain, and a victory over the Kentucky Wildcats is far from a sure thing with Rambo and fellow injury victim A.J. Green sidelined for the duration. Nevertheless, for all the faults that fairly might be found with the Bulldogs’ performance between the hedges last night, I defy anyone to deny the truth of this statement: Georgia’s win over Auburn last night marked the best all-around performance by a Red and Black team since the win over Hawaii in the 2008 Sugar Bowl.

The foregoing statement probably is more of an indictment of the 22 games that preceded last night’s triumph than a praise of this latest Bulldog victory, but, at this point, I’ll take it, warts (which admittedly and undeniably were there) and all. Maybe it was a "dead cat bounce" and maybe it was the start of a 2006-like stretch run, but, either way, it was a fourth straight win over our oldest and biggest rival for the first time in my lifetime, and that, in my book, is cause for celebration, no matter what the occasion.

After the game, I went into the Tate Center to use the facilities---in the course of a tense game against a major rival, I become so focused that I essentially experience a cessation of all bodily functions, so I tend to come down from the rarefied air of game day by exiting the stadium and realizing, "I have to go to the bathroom and get something to eat, stat!"---and I found myself in line behind an Auburn fan. Since we both were standing there, I thought the civilized thing to do would be to extend my hand and say, "Good game," so I did.

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and sarcastically snorted, "Yeah, ‘good game.’" He refused to shake my hand. I didn’t say another word to him; he took care of his business at his urinal and I took care of my business at mine, but it was a satisfying exchange that confirmed the basic correctness of my prejudices against his kind and reminded me why this rivalry matters, why this victory matters, and why I hate Auburn.

Go ‘Dawgs! Auburna delenda est!

Confrontation Between the Hedges!

Acid Reign — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:45:11 -0000

Ben Tate is DETERMINED to have a better trip to Athens, this time!

War Eagle, everybody! It's Georgia week as Auburn travels to Athens, for a 7:00 PM EST kickoff against the Bulldogs. The game will be televised on ESPN-2. As has been well-documented, Auburn has a winning record in Athens, and has a great chance this week to win. There has been a theme in those Auburn wins in Athens, that has been common: an improving Tiger unit taking it to a slumping Bulldog team. That appears to be the case again this year, although a statistical analysis shows plenty of cause for alarm for the Tigers.

Since Pat Sullivan won the Heisman in 1971 in Athens, Auburn has gone 12-6 between the hedges. The first win came in 1977, a 33-14 win over the only Vince Dooley team to finish with a losing record. Auburn linebacker "Fast" Freddie Smith smothered the Bulldog attack. Dooley's 1979 squad lost their first three games, and against Auburn, lost quarterback Buck Belue early. The Tigers cruised, 33-13. In 1983, it was the clash of two top ten ranked teams, and Auburn handed Georgia their only loss of the year, 13-7. In 1985, the injury bug derailed a promising Bulldog season down the stretch, and Auburn won 24-10. The 1987 Bulldog squad was a good one, but they could not get a consistent pass rush on Jeff Burger, (nor could their line deal with Tracy Rocker!) and fell 27-11. In 1989, Auburn started off anemic on offense, and shaky on defense. It was coming together late in the season, though, and Auburn squashed a slumping Ray Goff team 20-3. In 1993, Georgia had an electric offense with QB Eric Zeier, but could not stop folks. It was no different against Auburn, as the Tigers stormed to a 42-28 win. In 1995, the Bulldogs faced a disappointed Auburn team that had redoubled their efforts to finish strong and get to a New Year's Day bowl. Georgia was hurting in Goff's last season, and was down to wide receiver Hines Ward playing quarterback with a broken hand, and taking mostly shotgun snaps. Auburn survived in Athens, 37-31. In 1997, a rested Auburn squad exploded on Jim Donnan's team for a 45-34 win. In 1999, Auburn caught Donnan's team reeling after a loss to Florida. Auburn charged to a 31-0 halftime lead, and cruised to a 38-21 victory. In 2001, Gator burnout had struck again, as first year coach Mark Richt tried to run it with only seconds remaining and no timeouts. Auburn held, and the clock ran out on Georgia, 24-17. The 2005 Auburn – Georgia game was a wild affair, with Auburn converting a late 4^th down pass for huge yardage, and kicking the game wining field goal with only seconds remaining. It was the last Auburn win over Georgia, 31-30.

Georgia scouting report, after the jump!

Georgia limps into this year's contest with a 5-4 record. While that mark would tend to indicate that the Bulldogs are a middle-of-the pack team, statistics point out some real problems with this Bulldog squad. Auburn has turned in a Jekyll and Hyde type season. When the Tigers are good, they are very very good. But when they are bad... Georgia and Auburn both rank near the bottom of the league in scoring defense, as both squads are giving up over 26 points per game. Georgia ranks 7^th in total defense, while Auburn is 11^th. Bulldog opponents have feasted on Georgia turnovers and mistakes. When Auburn has the ball, the situation on paper looks grim for the Bulldogs. Auburn is 2^nd in the league in scoring offense, while Georgia is 7^th. In total offense, Auburn is tops, while Georgia is 10^th. Looking at pass efficiency on offense and defense, more problems are revealed for the Bulldogs. Auburn's 3^rd ranked pass efficiency offense matches up well with Georgia's 11^th ranked defense. When Georgia has the ball, it's the 7^th rated attack against the 7^th ranked defense. Georgia is next to last in rushing in the league, while Auburn is 2^nd. The Bulldogs cannot afford for this game to turn into a track meet!

In my preseason preview, I had concerns about many of the matchups in the Auburn/Georgia game. To date, several Georgia units have under-achieved, while Auburn has had over-achieving units, and the outlook now looks different. Georgia's defensive line has improved from last season on pass rushing, but has had less success in stopping the run. They face an Auburn line that has become one of the best in the SEC. The Auburn rushing attack has been better than anyone could have guessed, but Georgia's linebackers are the strength of the team. Auburn's passing attack has been less consistent, and was downright awful during a three game losing streak, but appears to have bounced back. The Tigers will attack a Georgia secondary that has only picked off 5 passes on the season, and has only 12 pass breakups. Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez will be under the gun, this week. If there's a silver lining for Georgia, it's that teams that play read and react have done better against the Malzhan attack, than teams that are blitz-happy.

Special teams have been a mixed bag for both teams, although Georgia doesn't have a glaring weakness like Auburn does at punt returner. Kickers Wes Byrum and Blair Walsh have had nearly identical seasons. Neither has missed an extra point, and both are 13-14 on field goals. Georgia is about 4 yards better on kickoff distance, but has shockingly given up slightly more yards per return than Auburn. In net kickoffs, Auburn is averaging 39.7, and Georgia is averaging 41.2. Punting is a huge advantage for Georgia. While Auburn's Clinton Durst has a pedestrian 40.3 yard average, Georgia's Drew Butler is booming the ball for 49.2. Auburn has done a better job of keeping it away from punt return men, though. In net punting, it's Auburn 35.4 yards, Georgia 41.2. On punt returns, Auburn's left the ball on the ground at least a half dozen times, and has run backward even more. Auburn is dead last in punt returns, at 3.8 yards per return. Georgia counters with Prince Miller, who averages 12.7 yards per return.

Early on, my worst fear about this game would be that the Georgia offensive line might dominate a suspect Auburn front. For much of the season, that fear looked accurate. The addition of defensive end Antoine Carter to the mix in the LSU game has really shored the Auburn line up, in recent weeks. The Tigers are giving up 4.4 yards per rush for tenth place in the league, but can Georgia take advantage? The Bulldogs are 11^th in the league in rushing offense. The culprit in Georgia's struggles is offensive line injuries. The Bulldogs have lost a couple of starters, and are playing with a lot of nicks and bruises. It's been a mix and match line for the Bulldogs, all season. It will still be a formidable challenge for the Tiger D, but I like our chances far better now, than I did in August!

Auburn's linebacker concerns in the preseason have been realized on the field, but incredibly, all three starters seem to be healthy, and playing their best football of the season, going into this game. Georgia runners have largely disappointed, this season. True freshman Washaun Ealey has emerged as the starter at tailback, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

Georgia's A. J. Green has emerged as the best receiver in the league, but he's seeing a LOT of blanket coverage. Expect Auburn to hound Green with two defenders, and force Georgia to throw elsewhere. Georgia leads the SEC in throwing interceptions, with 14. Auburn's secondary is a concern. While corners Walter McFadden and Neiko Thorpe are solid, Auburn starts true freshman free safety Darren Bates, and sophomore Demond Washington at strong safety. It will be only second game Washington has ever played at safety. The starting Auburn secondary has 6 interceptions, and 19 pass breakups on the season.

While Georgia has had injury and turnover problems, nothing has hurt the Bulldogs worse than penalties. Georgia is the most penalized team in the league, taking 77 yards per game. Auburn isn't much better, getting flagged for 58 yards per game, good for 9^th in the SEC. I think the SEC officials are making fewer and fewer calls, in recent weeks. With all of the furor generated about bad calls this season, those guys might not throw a flag all day.

For Auburn to emerge victorious in Athens, they must force Georgia into mistakes in the backfield, take care of the football, and attack the Georgia secondary. If Auburn is successful in all three areas, they will win. As always, we'll have an open thread up here at TrackEmTigers.com, and will welcome everyone's opinions! War Eagle, and beat those Bulldogs!

Saturday Lessons: October 31

Year2 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:46:51 -0000

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

The final score looked nice, but it didn't fully reflect the game that was played.

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Voters will be voters.

Florida and Texas had big weekends while Alabama had the week off. Thus, Florida and Texas wind up ahead of Alabama in the rankings. Cocknfire took the voters to task here, but honestly I can't get worked up about it. Florida, Texas, and Alabama are all 1A, 1B, and 1C in the polls. There's a gaping chasm between Bama and whoever is No. 4 in your poll of choice, so what does it matter? The task is clear: win out, and you won't have anything to complain about.

If Alabama was behind Texas and Iowa, that would be news because poll inertia could keep them out of the title game. No such danger exists now.

If you want a laugh though, take a look at the Harris Poll. Boise State at 4 with a first place vote? Iowa has two first place votes but is all the way down at 7? It's a poll made up of semi-random participants who may or may not actually watch any games at all. This is what you get with that winning combination.

Florida found some of its old second half magic.

One of the hallmarks of last year's national champion was its ability to pull away in the second half of games and make the final score look better than what it probably should have been. This year's Florida squad finally figured out how to do that against a very giving Georgia team. This game would have been closer for much longer if not for all the Bulldog turnovers and penalties, but UF hasn't exactly been able to capitalize on those against anyone else. So that's a positive sign.

What's not a positive sign is the fact that Georgia was able to move the ball with relative ease for a lot of the game. Some bad throws from Joe Cox simply bailed out the Florida defense a couple of times. That doesn't bode well for the projected match up with Alabama in Atlanta. What Washaun Ealey took for seven yards, Mark Ingram will take for 20. What A.J. Green could get on simple 15 yard patterns, Julio Jones surely could as well. The final score felt good for the Gators, but there is still a lot of work to do.

Georgia just can't put it all together.

My wife remarked to me during the first half of the game that Georgia had a presence and energy to them that was a slight bit intimidating. I agreed that the Bulldogs certainly had an energy, but that it was a very disorganized energy. There were pockets of great play here and there: Ealey and Green were great, Cox made some good throws along with his bad, Blair Walsh was killing it on kickoffs, and the defense made some nice plays on non-crucial downs. The elements for a great game were there.

Unfortunately for UGA, they just couldn't piece them all together in the right way to maximize the talent at hand. I don't know enough about the internals of the program to list out the causes for sure, but usually that's a sign of bad coaching. Whatever the staff there had been doing for success earlier this decade has gone stale. It's a Sunday-through-Friday problem that's plaguing Georgia, and dressing up like Southern Miss for a day wasn't going to solve it.

LSU is looking like LSU again. Finally.

After taking care of Auburn in authoritative fashion last week, LSU flat out blasted Tulane on Saturday. It was 42-0 with a sizable Tiger edge in yardage. There was no drama, little effort was wasted, and it was functionally a scrimmage. It's hard to dial up anything better the week before playing Alabama, who had the weekend off.

Tennessee is rounding into shape.

The box score will tell you that Tennessee won this one deceptively, given that the Gamecocks outgained the Vols despite losing 31-13. Don't believe it though. Tennessee went up 21-0 before South Carolina could find its way to the scoreboard, and UT had a big yardage advantage during that span. Monte Kiffin's defense was stifling when it mattered, and Tennessee cruised to victory. The early season Vol squad that lost to UCLA and never was really in it against Florida is gone. This new one has put together a great three weeks, and it won't be long until UT gets the mantle of "team no one wants to play during bowl season."

The orange and black look was cool on Halloween too, though the white helmets looked out of place.

South Carolina is fading again.

After a great effort to no avail against the Crimson Tide, South Carolina has tossed up two clunkers in a row. No one is impressed by a 14-10 win over Vandy, and the Gamecocks couldn't get their act together until well after it was too late against Tennessee. Stephen Garcia had his third 300 yard game of the season, but it was too little, too late for a team that went fumble-fumble-punt-punt-fumble-punt-punt to begin the game.

South Carolina stands at 6-3, with Arkansas, Florida, and Clemson to go. A 2-1 mark would put them in position to get a ninth win in a bowl and call it one of their best seasons ever. Unfortunately, I can't honestly say I think 0-3 is out of the question. They must stop the bleeding against Arkansas, or else this goes down as just another late season collapse in Columbia.

Ole Miss was a mirage.

I cautioned last week about believing that Ole Miss was back simply because of the easy win over Arkansas. That turned out to be prophetic as the Rebels couldn't handle prosperity against Auburn. They allowed the Tigers to roll up 31 consecutive points after jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game. Jevan Snead was under 50% for the third time this year, and Dexter McCluster couldn't bail him out.

With the loss, Ole Miss is now out of the SEC West race. We can now say it officially: the Rebels were the weakest of the West's preseason Big Three. They are 2-3 in the league with Tennessee and LSU still to go. Simply going .500 in conference is no longer a guarantee.

Auburn bounced back.

Auburn was looking like it was on its way to a free fall to close the season, but getting this win to officially become bowl eligible after missing the post season last year helps tremendously. Chris Todd didn't have a great day accuracy-wise, but he did go over the 200 yard mark for the first time since AU's last win, and Ben Tate went well above the century mark with 144 yards.

The Tigers are now firmly in third place in the division, and they get a tune up against Furman before facing a reeling Georgia team. They are in position to improve from five to eight wins in the regular season even with an Iron Bowl loss, a nice improvement, and possibly grab a ninth in a bowl. That would be a sure sign of progress in Gene Chizik's first year, and I think any Auburn fan should take that.

Mississippi State's future is bright.

The Bulldogs's personnel isn't all that different than it was last year, but the group that couldn't move the ball on anyone a year ago exploded for 348 rushing yards on Kentucky. Mississippi State put up three third quarter touchdowns on the Cats and made them last through a scoreless fourth to score their ~~first~~ second conference road win under Dan Mullen.

With a win over Arkansas and an upset in the Egg Bowl, the Bulldogs would be going bowling. The fact that we can have this discussion at all bodes well for the future in Starkville.

Nothing much has changed in Kentucky.

The Wildcats are now 1-4 in the SEC, but they can scrape their way into bowl season with wins over EKU and Vanderbilt. In that scenario, their win over Auburn would be the only one of any significance. I suppose a win over Georgia could be plausible if those Bulldogs go on a 2008-style late season slide, but if they can't beat MSU at home, I don't give them much hope to win in Sanford Stadium.

Going to a middling bowl every year is an upgrade over being a doormat, but UK has to win these kinds of games in order to say they're moving forward. Maybe next year.

Vandy at least scored some points.

There was nothing surprising about Georgia Tech hammering the Commodores, except maybe that Vandy allowed nearly 600 yards despite having a fairly good defense. What was suprising was Vanderbilt finding a way to put 31 points on the board, far and away their highest total against a Big Six conference opponent all year. That moral victory can't erase the cold, hard fact though: Vandy is now guaranteed yet another losing season and no repeat bowl trip.

Arkansas should apply to move to the MAC for the rest of the year.

Playing Eastern Michigan seemed to work out quite well for them.

Tennessee Volunteers / Georgia Bulldogs Game Stats and Trivia

Hooper — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Player of the Game. All part of the plan. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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Here are a few points of interest coming out of the Tennessee Volunteers / Georgia Bulldogs tilt.

Jonathan Crompton

20-27 passing for 310 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 INT. Using the NCAA formula, that gives him a passer rating of 212 - his highest ever. (His second-best mark was against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers for a 189 rating.)
8 different receivers caught Crompton passes. None of them were named Montario Hardesty.
Early in the second quarter, when driving in the red zone, hearty cheers of "Let's Go Crompton!" could be heard coming from the stands.

Georgia Offense

Zero plays run within the red zone. The deepest Georgia ever drove the ball was down to the Tennessee 35 for their field goal.
The 53-yard field goal was the only score for the Georgia offense. Considering that no passes were thrown deep within the red zone, it's fair to say that the field goal was the only scoring attempt by the Georgia offense.
Georgia has not rushed for 100 yards since their Arkansas game - a 3-game paucity of rushing.
Georgia's passing game managed a net 20/40 completions/attempts for 3.8 yards per attempt and 2 INTs.
Georgia went 3-13 on third down, and 0-2 on fourth down.

Tennessee Rushing

Montario Hardesty ended the day with 97 yards on 20 carries - just three shy of 100.
Seven Vols carried the ball for a net 162 yards. The 37 carries gave the Vols a 4.4 yards-per-carry average.

Penalties

The Vols were penalized 7 times for 47 yards. Four penalties came in the first quarter, two in the second, and one in the fourth.
The Bulldogs were penalized 9 times for 79 yards. One penalty came in the first quarter, four in the second, one in the third, and three in the fourth.

Special Teams

The Bulldogs scored 16 of their 19 points on special teams or defense: a kickoff return for a touchdown, an interception return for a touchdown, and a punt block for a safety.
Chad Cunningham punted 5 times. Excluding the blocked punt, he averaged 44.8 yards per punt with three landing inside the 20 and one touchback.
For Georgia, Drew Butler punted 6 times for a 49.8 yard average. His long was 61 yards; none were touchbacks and only one landed inside the 20.
Daniel Lincoln made his only field goal attempt (30 yards) and all six of his extra point tries.
Georgia's Blair Walsh made his only field goal attempt (52 yards) and both of his extra point tries.

Odds and Ends

Number of Plays: Tennessee 64 (37 run, 27 pass); Georgia 62 (22 run, 40 pass)
Time of Possession: Tennessee 34:05, Georgia 25:55
Total Yards: Tennessee 472 (previous season average: 376.8 yards); Georgia 241 (previous season average: 340.6 yards)
Number of Times That Rocky Top was played: 247
Length of drive from Knoxville to Athens: feels like 17 hours

Patience Justified: Tennessee Volunteers Steamroll Georgia Bulldogs 45-19

Hooper — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:17:30 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

2 months ago: Tennessee's Gerald Jones (4) catches a pass as he's defended by Georgia's Bryan Evans (3) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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Patience is the most difficult virtue for any fan base to acquire. For a fanbase of a storied program coming off of a disastrous 2008 campaign, asking for patience might as well be asking for the Moon to be land-granted to the university. The defense, as was the case last year, appeared to be carrying the team on their shoulders through the first half of the schedule, and yet the Tennessee Volunteers were still facing a 2-3 record with an out-of-conference loss to the UCLA Bruins. And the biggest on-field scapegoat of the 2008 season, Jonathan Crompton, was still the starting quarterback. Lane Kiffin insisted that Crompton was 'the man' for the team and that there was no quarterback controversy to be had, but the fans were wanting more. Even in the Auburn loss, the resurgent fourth quarter comeback bid by the Vols was tempered as "merely against the Auburn prevent defense". Outside of Western Kentucky, Lane Kiffin's offense still had little to show besides some spectacular rushing efforts by Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown.

But once in a while, patience is rewarded. After an early touchdown drive by the Volunteers, the Georgia Bulldogs responded with a kickoff return by Brandon Boykin to tie the game. And Volunteer fans had nothing to do but wait and see if the early success of the offense would finally, finally sustain throughout a meaningful game.

But if any unit came through in spades today, it was the offense. With 468 total yards of offense (310 passing, 158 rushing), Tennessee consistently found success moving the chains, driving into Georgia territory, and turning drives into touchdowns. The scoring started with that initial touchdown reception by Gerald Jones, and the Volunteers answered the kickoff return with another touchdown reception from Denarius Moore for 33 yards. After a Georgia field goal by Blair Walsh, Tennessee scored their third passing touchdown in a row when Crompton found a wide-open Marsalis Teague in the back of the endzone.

Special teams kept the game close, as a kickoff return touchdown, punt block safety, and interception return touchdown kept Georgia within one score at 24-19 midway through the third quarter, but the Tennessee offense just kept coming at them. That pick-six was also answered by an immediate touchdown score by a 39-yard touchdown run by Montario Hardesty that, if it wasn't assured already, will likely move him into the first round of the NFL draft.

For every Georgia success, Tennessee had an answer. And eventually, the Georgian responses to Tennessee's success ran out. While Tennessee scored touchdowns, Georgia survived on fortune. Monte Kiffin's defense shut down the Georgia offense, allowing only 241 total yards on the day, 89 yards rushing, and only one 53-yard field goal to be credited against the Big Orange defense.

PATIENCE IN JONATHAN CROMPTON

Being Jonathan Crompton isn't easy. After being the principal on-field scapegoat of the 2008 trainwreck of a season, every miscue has been magnified to become the height of frustration for the fans. When the Volunteers ran their first play of the day - a play-action rollout for am 18-yard complete pass to Quintin Hancock, fans waited with held breath to see if an interception was in the works. Even midway through the third quarter, when the Bulldogs collected a deflected pass for a pick-six, UT fans were wondering if Crompton would find a way to lose this one. All that, despite having had a very nice day.

And finally, the complete game came through. With quarterback and receivers on the same page, the Crompton Extravaganza just kept going. The interception was answered with an 80-yard touchdown drive, then a three-and-out for the Bulldogs was answered by the Vols with a 51-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Jones - the deep ball that Vols fans had been waiting to see all season long.

With a 310-yard, 20/27 completion, 4 touchdown and one interception day, Crompton finally rewarded Lane Kiffin's trust with the signature SEC win that was needed to justify the new coaching staff and give Vols fans confidence going into the bye week.

PATIENCE IN THE RECEIVERS

After a season of wrong routes and bobbled catches, frustration with the receivers came to a head during the first half against Auburn, with 6 dropped passes. After some one-on-one extended practice time between quarterbacks and receivers, the wideouts showed up to play to their potential on the day. 8 players caught passes today, and 3 of the top 4 performances in the passing game came from wide receivers (the other being tight end Luke Stocker). Gerald Jones provided key highlights with the first touchdown and the 51-yard touchdown, but Quintin Hancock provided the great effort play in the passing game with a long stretch-out to get a touchdown in the first. Freshmen Nu'Keese Richardson and Marsalis Teague each added another catch to their early career resumes and had nice days overall, further affirming the ability for freshmen to contribute early in Lane's offense.

PATIENCE IN LANE KIFFIN

With all of the offensive frustrations that Vols fans have endured - stretching all the way back to 2005 - having a coach tell you that the offense is on its way is not a very satisfying thing to hear. That "on its way" offense still accounted for a UCLA loss, a loss to the Florida Gators, and a loss to the Auburn Tigers. Flashes of the concept would come through on occasion, but the only consistency was inconsistency. With Monte's defense a known quantity, people wanted to see that the young head coach would provided on his side of the ball, and the win over Georgia gave exactly that: reason to believe in the future.

With his first SEC win, Lane Kiffin has shown Tennessee fans that the team is on the right track. The bumps in the road are not entirely behind the team, to be sure, but progress - actual progress - on offense has finally been realized.

And for a bunch of frustrated coaches, players, and fans, that has to feel like absolute gold.