Well, the wreckage has been cleared and we can finally start looking for the little black box to tell us just what exactly happened in Athens last night.
Georgia's game against Alabama unfolded in a way that looked very similar to if the Goodyear Blimp circling the stadium went down in a fiery crash on the 50-yard line. In fact, the looks on the faces of the Georgia fans in my section implied that we were watching some sort of horrific scene of carnage instead of a football game.
The Tide silenced the most frenzied crowd I have ever heard at Sanford Stadium by scoring the first five times they had the ball. When the first-half bloodbath was over, Georgia was down 31-0 to Sabanation and wondering if they should have perhaps worn pink jerseys.
The Dawgs continue to be the team most likely to send their fans into a fury-induced spree of violence by committing some of the most frustrating penalties imaginable. With Alabama driving, the Dawgs recovered a fumble deep in their own territory to subdue the threat. Or one would think. Akeem Dent decided he needed to decapitate John Parker Wilson after he had thrown the ball, so instead of the Bulldogs getting the ball, Alabama got 15 yards. Needless to say, they scored. Georgia was penalized 10 times for 81 yards. Alabama was penalized twice for nine yards. Who was the home team again?
I'm as big of a Mark Richt fan as there is. But Georgia's penalty problem is nothing short of ridiculous. Getting physically dominated will happen when you face better players at certain positions. But penalties can and must be avoided. If Georgia recovers that early fumble, who knows what happens?
Georgia had just 50 yards rushing, although that can be largely attributed to the fact that they were getting crushed for most of the game and were trying to get back into it by passing. As expected, Georgia's O-Line looked like third graders going up against men. Matthew Stafford suffered a possible concussion, Knowshon Moreno has an elbow injury and Kris Durham was on crutches after hurting his ankle. It did, in fact, resemble a funeral for Georgia.
I will say this. Georgia came out in the second half and played extremely hard. As a fan, I had given up and contemplated leaving when the Redcoats took the field at halftime. I'm glad I stayed. I saw the Georgia fans, sometimes criticized for their lack of passion compared to other SEC fans, come out just as loud in the second half as they were before the beating began. I saw players like Rennie Curran getting banged up on one play and then waving off a substitution to remain in the game. I saw Prince Miller torch the Alabama punt coverage team and go 92 yards to the house to bring the Dawgs within two touchdowns (eat that Javier Arenas). The Dawgs scored twice in close succession at the end of the game, but it wasn't enough to completely erase the stench off of this one.
Add the fact that Georgia has a bye week coming up, and the Dawgs and their fans will have plenty of time to stew over this one. However, all is not lost. If the Dawgs were going to lose, it's a good thing it came to a team from the west. Georgia can still win out in the east and go to Atlanta in December, but I'm not so sure. As Jeff Schultz of the AJC said in his column, great teams don't get embarrassed at home like that.
Again, it will be interesting to see how Georgia responds. If they can't stop these ridiculous penalties and turn their o-line from a seive into something that actually blocks, it could be a long season.
The Tide blasted Georgia 41-30, and it wasn't that close.
Georgia's game against Alabama unfolded in a way that looked very similar to if the Goodyear Blimp circling the stadium went down in a fiery crash on the 50-yard line. In fact, the looks on the faces of the Georgia fans in my section implied that we were watching some sort of horrific scene of carnage instead of a football game.
Combine the actual game with the fact that we had been tailgating since 7 a.m. and the mood on North Campus after the game was extremely hostile. Jack Daniels had turned Georgia fans into angry animals, and Bama fans into obnoxious idiots. Such is the way of life in SEC football.
The tailgate leading up to the game was a blast. We had a projector set up with satellite and got to watch Gameday and most of Ole Miss' upset at Florida. However, the satellite got knocked out of line and we missed the last three minutes. That was probably an omen. Georgia fans became so giddy over the fact that Florida had lost, we had already given Georgia a win in our heads.
The tailgate leading up to the game was a blast. We had a projector set up with satellite and got to watch Gameday and most of Ole Miss' upset at Florida. However, the satellite got knocked out of line and we missed the last three minutes. That was probably an omen. Georgia fans became so giddy over the fact that Florida had lost, we had already given Georgia a win in our heads.
So basically, it was a great day until the Dawgs had to ruin in by playing a football game. Or not playing. At least not for the first half.
The Tide silenced the most frenzied crowd I have ever heard at Sanford Stadium by scoring the first five times they had the ball. When the first-half bloodbath was over, Georgia was down 31-0 to Sabanation and wondering if they should have perhaps worn pink jerseys.
The Dawgs continue to be the team most likely to send their fans into a fury-induced spree of violence by committing some of the most frustrating penalties imaginable. With Alabama driving, the Dawgs recovered a fumble deep in their own territory to subdue the threat. Or one would think. Akeem Dent decided he needed to decapitate John Parker Wilson after he had thrown the ball, so instead of the Bulldogs getting the ball, Alabama got 15 yards. Needless to say, they scored. Georgia was penalized 10 times for 81 yards. Alabama was penalized twice for nine yards. Who was the home team again?
I'm as big of a Mark Richt fan as there is. But Georgia's penalty problem is nothing short of ridiculous. Getting physically dominated will happen when you face better players at certain positions. But penalties can and must be avoided. If Georgia recovers that early fumble, who knows what happens?Georgia had just 50 yards rushing, although that can be largely attributed to the fact that they were getting crushed for most of the game and were trying to get back into it by passing. As expected, Georgia's O-Line looked like third graders going up against men. Matthew Stafford suffered a possible concussion, Knowshon Moreno has an elbow injury and Kris Durham was on crutches after hurting his ankle. It did, in fact, resemble a funeral for Georgia.
I will say this. Georgia came out in the second half and played extremely hard. As a fan, I had given up and contemplated leaving when the Redcoats took the field at halftime. I'm glad I stayed. I saw the Georgia fans, sometimes criticized for their lack of passion compared to other SEC fans, come out just as loud in the second half as they were before the beating began. I saw players like Rennie Curran getting banged up on one play and then waving off a substitution to remain in the game. I saw Prince Miller torch the Alabama punt coverage team and go 92 yards to the house to bring the Dawgs within two touchdowns (eat that Javier Arenas). The Dawgs scored twice in close succession at the end of the game, but it wasn't enough to completely erase the stench off of this one.
Add the fact that Georgia has a bye week coming up, and the Dawgs and their fans will have plenty of time to stew over this one. However, all is not lost. If the Dawgs were going to lose, it's a good thing it came to a team from the west. Georgia can still win out in the east and go to Atlanta in December, but I'm not so sure. As Jeff Schultz of the AJC said in his column, great teams don't get embarrassed at home like that.
Again, it will be interesting to see how Georgia responds. If they can't stop these ridiculous penalties and turn their o-line from a seive into something that actually blocks, it could be a long season.
1 comment:
Your Title says it all! It reflects the way we all felt here in Acworth.
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