Monday, September 8, 2008

The Bulldawg Blog: Week 2 Review/Week 3 Preview



Last Week’s Game: #2 Georgia vs. Central Michigan, Win, 56-17

General Comments: I was impressed with Georgia’s performance against CM. The Dawgs took care of business against a weaker opponent and did it in mostly dominant fashion. I thought there were a few key points in the game.

The first was late in the second quarter. When CM stopped the Dawgs on offense for the first time it seemed to break the lock on that high-powered Chippewas offense that we had heard so much about and which had to that point been completely shutdown. Suddenly they marched down the field and it appeared they would go in for a TD that would make it 21-7 going into the half. On second down and 5 from the Dawgs’ 20, DE Demarcus Dobbs caught a deflected pass for an INT to stop the scoring drive, and then took it all the way back, 78 yards for a Georgia TD to make it 27-0 (28-0 after the kick). It was great to see a defensive play like that. It was the type of super-athletic play that a National Title contending team will make from time to time, particularly against a lesser foe. It was also a great play in terms of shutting the door against a weaker opponent and stomping on their neck when you have the chance.

It should have been the final score of the half and it should have essentially ended the competitive portion of the ball game. But as usual, the officials had to inject themselves into the game and make a call which had the potential to DRAMATICALLY CHANGE IT. We saw this again in a much more egregious case later in the day in the Washington-BYU game. The Dawgs were flagged for “unsportsmanlike conduct”; in other words, “showing emotion.” The penalty meant that the Dawgs had to kickoff from 15 yards back and basically assured that the Chippewas would have great field position, which they did, as they returned the kick to the Georgia 40. The Bulldawg players were not to blame in this situation; the NCAA and the officials were the culprits. Anyway, it took CM just 5 plays to get in the end zone and on the board. The Dawgs got in position for a long field goal on the ensuing drive but missed and the Chippewas had momentum going into the half, with the score 28-7. Now, were any Georgia fans scared that the Dawgs were going to lose the game? No. But as Brent Musberger eloquently explained during the Florida-Miami game, part of college football is a beauty contest. If you want to be number 1, you have to impress the voters, so the fact that it was going to be 28-7 instead of 28-0-COMPLETELY DUE TO THE OFFICALS-was kind of annoying. Not to mention the confidence boost that it gave CM, who was going to get the ball first in the second half.

And the Chippewas promptly took the ball down the field and scored to open the second half and make it 28-14. Georgia responded quickly with a long TD run by Moreno to make it a 3 TD game again, but it was starting to look like it would be a second half shootout. The weak defense of CM that we had heard about was showing itself but so was the strong offense. CM quickly drove down the field and had a first down at the Georgia 11. It looked as if the Chippewas were going to go in for their 3rd TD in as many drives which would make the score 35-21. This was another of the key points in this contest. The Dawgs stopped the Chippewas right there at the 11 and held them to a field goal, making the score 35-17. This may not seem like a big deal but if you were watching the game you know this was a big stop. The Dawgs once again scored right away on their next drive with a long a TD pass from Stafford to Massa. That made the score 42-17, put the game away, and broke the spirit of the Chippewas.

With CM’s back broken, the Dawgs were able to pretty up the score (yes, pretty can be a verb, go ahead and look it up), outscoring the Chippewas 14-0 in the 4th quarter to make the final score a more than acceptable 56-17.

The Good: Clearly it was wonderful to see that Knowshon’s hamstring is fine and he continues to impress. In my opinion, Moreno’s breakaway ability is greater than any Georgia back since Garrison Hearst. It was also nice to see the receiving corps continue to shine, and hook up with Stafford for some long bombs. And as said before, the Dobbs’ INT TD was awesome. Also, holding Central Michigan to just 17 points was pretty darn good, considering that they averaged 34.8 points a game last year and put up 48 on Purdue in the Motor City Bowl. They had scored at least 31 points in 7 straight games going back to last season. Georgia was excellent offensively on 3rd down, converting on 9 of 12.

The Bad: This is nitpicking, but I did see Stafford “throw through” his targets a few times, meaning that he seemed to be simply throwing harder than necessary, something he didn’t do at all in week 1. But again, this is purely being picky, as Staff has thrown 4 TD’s and no picks in 2 games so far. I have to say that I’m a little concerned about our pass defense. The Dawgs struggled to get pressure on the QB most of the time last Saturday. The Dawgs also had 9 more penalties for 70 yards after committing 11 penalties for 70 yards in week 1.

Next Week: at South Carolina

Preview: Clearly the Dawgs will face much more of a test this weekend than they did in either of the first two weeks. The level of competition was elevated last week after facing a Division I-AA team in week 1, and I believe the level of competition will be elevated again this week and then again in week 4. It appears that this week’s test may not be as tough as once thought, as South Carolina looked downright bad in a loss to Vandy last Thursday. While teams in our conference have a habit of sleep walking into games against Vandy, it was on Thursday night in the second week of the season, on national TV, and the Gamecocks were looking to avenge a loss from last season that really sent SC into a downward spiral. You have to think that they were up mentally for this game, and yet they got beat 24-17. Still, you have to be wary of South Carolina. Remember that they ended up being just a 6-6 team last year, and yet they handed Georgia one of its two losses. And as I’ve mentioned before, I truly believe that this is the biggest game on the schedule for South Carolina fans every season, so while they may be devastated by the loss to Vandy, they will be looking to heal their wounds with an upset of the Dawgs. As far as the Gamecock offense, you have to think that the Dawgs will be able to handle SC, particularly if 1st Team All-SEC WR Kenny McKinley is unable to play or hampered by the injury that kept him out of the last 3 quarters of their game with Vandy. But defensively, I still think that South Carolina is pretty stout. This could be a tough game, but if the Dawgs are going to have the kind of season that we all want them to have, they need to go ahead and beat South Carolina handedly.


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