I Ain't Even Mad

My initial response when I got home last night was to just post kittens and rainbows and move on with my life.  Maybe that will be the response I eventually get to, but riding home last night, I realized that as gut wrenching as last night was, there is a very important take away for Georgia fans:  We belonged on that stage and it took the greatest coach in the history of the game to beat our young team and young coach.

This is a beginning.  Give Nick Saban and Alabama credit, they belonged on the field with Georgia.  Yes, I mean it exactly that way.  Alabama is a deeper team, with more experience.  Until tonight last night, they didn't show they could change their game plan to win a game. Until last night.

One thing I kept tossing over in my head is the perfect feeling I had after the missed FG at the end of regulation.  That is was our time; The Dream Season was real. 

Alas, it wasn't.  Georgia beat Alabama at their game. Alabama had to play a different game to win. They did.

We have many months to diagnose why Georgia loss in over time in the national championship game to the team in the midst of the greatest run in the history of college football, but for today, and maybe for the rest of my life, we'll always have the 2017 Georgia football team.

This season was a proof of concept for Kirby Smart. It is the beginning. I believe we'll look back in a few years and realize that the game we witnessed last night was prologue to something greater, not an epilogue to a great season.

TW

See also:

- Better Times (Blutarsky)
- Nightmare Doesn't End Georgia Dreams (Will Leitch, Sports on Earth)

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Well, Here We Are - The National Championship Game

We've played a tougher schedule. We played a worse match up in the Semi-final. We had to face Auburn again after getting housed by them immediately prior. We have had to adjust during games to win games.

Georgia possesses the best offense Alabama has faced. We have the third best defense they've faced, behind Clemson and Auburn.  They only gained 341 yards in the loss at Auburn and 261 yards in the win against Clemson.  With the Clemson game, they had a pick six and a 7 play, 27 yard drive that came off a turnover. 

None of their scoring came on drives that started in their own territory.

All of what they want to do on offense starts with Hurts using his legs to make stuff happen with his arm. Take away one of those, Ridley would be my choice, and they are a much less dangerous offensively. Still, Alabama is super efficient when they have the ball, so keeping them behind the chains in a way we didn't against Oklahoma is the key.

Because they won't give up multiple 50 yard runs.

Their defense is exploitable. Ask Auburn and Mississippi State. Still, they've only given up 24+ points twice this season. I believe we  can score some more, but not in the 40s.  To beat them, we cannot give up pick sixes and whatnot.  We can survive a turnover or two, but under no circumstances can we give them two gift TDs. 

They can't afford to do that either.

In the end, we match up with the Tide well. I don't dread today's outcome. In fact, I think they should be the concerned team. They didn't win the SEC. The two things they have going for them is they have the best player on either team in Fitzpatrick and the experience of being in this game plenty. Georgia has the next five top players, at least.  Georgia has met every challenge presented this season save the Auburn game, including being down by 17 to the most explosive offensive team in football this season.

Overall, I believe we will win because we've shown we can make adjustments and play multiple styles of offense. And it is our time.

TW

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First Thoughts on the National Championship Game - It Has to be Alabama

If I had a dollar for everytime someone someone made a comment about it being Alabama...

Seriously, Georgia was going to have to play good teams to win a National Championship.  Alabama has been the class of the sport for almost a decade. Of course, we'd have to play Bama.

And we should want Bama. Really, why wouldn't we.  Georgia hired Smart to emulate The Process. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we have a shot to play for a championship and as long as"Georgia" is painted in the end zone at Mercedes Benz Stadium it doesn't matter what is painted in the other, but honestly, if you search your soul, I'd bet you would admit I'm right a little, win or lose.

Will Leitch, my co-host of Waitin' Since Last Saturday has talked about this being the beginning of something at UGA. If it is, having to play Alabama and unseat them feels inevitable. I don't think Alabama is dead. I don't think they are even done with their run of greatness. Win or lose, this game is a benchmark for Georgia as a football program as much as it is for Alabama.

All of that is to say, and exactly what I said on the podcast we recorded Thursday, I'm not scared of Alabama anymore. We may lose this game, but there isn't a sense of foreboding about facing them and being out coached, out schemed, and out depthed. Again, getting out coached may happen, but Smart and his staff matching evenly with or out coaching Saban and his is on the table. That's a huge change.

TW

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WSLS Ep 126 - National Championship Game Preview - Alabama vs. Georgia

Well, here we are talking about playing Alabama in the National Championship Game. In Atlanta. The only thing left on the writers table to work in the script is a game winning TD drive by Jacob Eason.

Have a question for us? Hit us up on Twitter twitter.com/wslspodcast

Or, Leave us a podcast review and ask a question. We will read it and answer it on a future podcast.

Scott: twitter.com/jawavifilms
Will: twitter.com/williamfleitch
Tony: twitter.com/tylerdawgden

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Wow - I guess Finebaum won't be wearing Crimson this fall edition

Presented without comment, other than to say for Finebaum, it was an incredibly fair question. Apparently, it was less cordial during the commercial break.

Full video: Saban goes off on Paul Finebaumhttps://t.co/3fhyqU9fiYhttps://t.co/lazKcCfsPO

— FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) July 13, 2016

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For those that think Kirby is just Saban 2.0

Contrast Chad Clay's situation with Cam Robinson's situation. I get there is an element of two arrests vs. one (that we know of), but in the grand scheme of things, Clay's two offenses were less 'harmful' to society than Robinson's one two. That is unless you own the property Clay broke or the headphones he allegedly took.

Part of Clay's dismissal is a UGA cultural/policy decision, which I am glad to see is staying in place with the coaching change. I also have no doubt that Kirby made it clear to Clay and Rochester that any further legal issue probably ends with a dismissal. Where the future rubber meets the road is how penalties are meted out for guys that aren't dismissed from the team. It may seem hypocritical, and maybe it is, but if someone is still on the team, I don't see the need to put yourself at a competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis your peers/competitors to prove something.

That goes doubly so for giving media the quietest three months of the football season to talk about it.
T

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Bag Man is Real

Someone get Steven Godfrey on this. Funny, if Mark Richt were still in Athens, there'd be media looking to find some way to connect his failures to this.

T

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Pawwwllllllll!

Nick Saban named to World's Greatest Leaders list.

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BAMA WANTS OUR STAFF!

Proof the Kirby hire is working!

(or something)

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Real Talk: Georgia played Alabama closer than LSU did

Look, we have a narrative to keep up, but let's be honest about things: Alabama is a very good football team, especially when it looks like everyone is willing to write them off.

And they are absolutely loaded for bear against teams that want to run against them. Case in point are LSU and UGA.

Date	Opponent	Surface	Result	Att	Yards	Avg.	TD

10/03/15

@ Georgia

Grass

W 38-10

38

193

5.08

1

11/07/15

9 LSU

Grass

W 30-16

26

54

2.08

1

Even taking Fournette (18 yards) and Chubb's (83 yards) longest runs, UGA still gains over a yard and a half more per carry. The passing stats favor LSU slightly, but mostly because of the interception numbers. Honestly, those turnovers and the blocked punt are the only difference in the two performances, if you ask me.

There is no doubt LSU is a better team than Georgia. I'm not close to arguing that. I am saying that no one is claiming LSU crapped the bed against Alabama. They got beat. Just like UGA did.

Which brings me to my last point: our offense has been a disaster at times, but we are a middle of the road SEC team more because of our inability to protect the football, especially on special teams. If we go the rest of this season without giving up a special teams TD of some sort, it'll be a miracle.

TW

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Snark of the day

I shook my head when I read it two weeks ago. Nice of them to give Saban his 'man enough.'

Dear national sports writters: Thanks for all the 'Bama Dynasty is dead' articles last week. 'Preciate it.

— Tyler Dawgden (@TylerDawgden) October 5, 2015

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Leitch on UGA

I ruminated a similar post. Let me be clear, I was not one of those that left. I stayed until Saban crossed to shake Mark Richt's hand, because if I'm going to be there when we get to the top, I'll be damned if I'm going to wear the shame of not supporting my team when they weren't at the top. After all, I still showed up at the end of the Ray Goff era. I still showed up at the end of the Jim Donnan era. I drove 10 hours four + times a fall during the 2006-10 nonsense to be in Athens (not to mention Stillwater, Fayetteville, Lexington, Nashville, and Jacksonville).

But Leitch is right:

There was a week, through all the slop and the mud, when Georgia fans put aside their fears and their frustrations and their history of never quite being there, that they believed this was going to be different. It took 90 minutes for them to be disabused of that notion, again, and again, and again, and again. There may be a time, one has to think, when Georgia will at last reach the heights that its fans believe it can, and should. That day was not Saturday. Saturday was the opposite of that. Saturday was like the others, but worse. 

I could quibble about it being worse, but right now, I don't know. The one thing I disagree with anyone about (including Leitch on the podcast) is that this isn't the "Georgia blowing one game" thing. We didn't lose to a team destined for 7-5, like last year. Alabama is a better team. I just thought we were, too.

TW

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Everything you need to know about Alabama's offense

Eyeball the drive chart:

Team Qtr Spot Time   Obtained    Spot Time   How Lost    Pl-Yds TOP 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
UA    1st A31  13:17  Punt       A42  12:27  Fumble      3-11   0:50
UA    1st A14  11:53  Punt       A23  09:36  Punt        3-9    2:17
UA    1st A20  08:33  Punt       G11  04:05 *FIELD GOAL  7-69   4:28
UA    2nd A24  12:19  Kickoff    G00  08:26 *TOUCHDOWN   8-76   3:53
UA    2nd A42  07:34  Punt       A48  06:21  Punt        3-6    1:13
UA    2nd G01  04:48  Punt       G01  04:48 *TOUCHDOWN   0-0    0:00
UA    2nd G45  03:55  Punt       G00  03:48 *TOUCHDOWN   1-45   0:07
UA    2nd A20  02:23  Punt       A25  00:35  Punt        3-5    1:48
UA    3rd A24  14:56  Kickoff    A27  13:21  Punt        3-3    1:35
UA    3rd G00  13:07  Int        G00  13:07 *TOUCHDOWN   0-0    0:00
UA    3rd G38  11:24  Punt       G00  10:05 *TOUCHDOWN   4-38   1:19
UA    3rd A43  08:18  Punt       A47  07:08  Punt        3-4    1:10
UA    3rd A05  05:47  Int        A35  04:11  Fumble      4-30   1:36
UA    3rd A25  02:45  Fumble     A30  00:19  Punt        3-5    2:26
UA    3rd A29  00:00  Kickoff    A32  13:23  Punt        3-3    1:37
UA    4th A30  11:44  Punt       G35  08:07  Downs       6-35   3:37
UA    4th A34  07:06  Punt       G37  02:10  Downs       8-29   4:56
UA    4th G39  00:58  Int        G34  00:00  End of half 2-5    0:58

That's two drives of longer than half the field. Alabama won this game on defense and special teams. Yes, they'd have won with out the blocked punt and the pick 6, but without them, the tenor of the game is very different. If we don't come out having to throw the ball in the second half, what does that change about the game?

I know, I know, if and buts and all that. I just can't get past all the short fields we gave them and how poorly our QB play was, so I have to grab on to something.

T

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3 Questions: Alabama

1. Who wins the battle for the lines of scrimmage? Offensively, can UGA do enough to get the ground game going and keep Lambert alive? Defensively, can we create havoc and make Coker look like he did against Mississippi? Can we contain Henry and Drake?
2. Can Lambert step up and shine? The knock on him has been the punchline of 'former UVA QB.' This is the kind of game that will let him shake that off once and for all.
3. How will special teams play into the game? I like our chances if it comes down to something special teams with one big caveat: the rain. It makes catching punts/kicks hard and costs the return guy the ability to cut.

Honestly, this is one of those games that you could list 50 things and probably be right. Both teams are so evenly matched talent wise. There are no moral victories, but this is a measuring stick game for UGA. Play to the level I believe UGA is now at and we'll win or be really, really close to winning, absent something fluky. 

Go Dawgs.

T

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Reasons for Concern: Alabama

1. Schottenheimer and Lambert have become too reliant on the quick slant to Mitchell. Smart and Saban are two of the best at disguising coverage. I fear we'll go to that well one too many times and the Tide D will have someone waiting there that Lambert never sees to jump that route. That is a recipe for quick pick 6.
2. Alabama's defensive backfield is much improved. A lot of that is due to their newly found pass rush, which is great a bringing pressure from the base looks and from weird angles. If Lambert gets happy feet, can he maintain poise and take a hit? 
3. What if the rushing game is not working at all. They have a very good front seven, especially against the run. I'm not sure we have the passing offense to get us a win.
4. Alabama's leading reciever is OJ Howard, their TE that is built like Blazevich, but runs like Chris Conley. He is a beast in space. He is even better when he splits seams in coverage. In all four of our games, the most successful pass plays that teams have run against UGA has been the middle seam route, where the LBs give up on (or flat out fail to) coverage of that middle guy. 
5. Lane Kiffin had the best possible game plan as the OC at Tennessee against us in 2009. See #2 and add in play action pass.
6. UGA hasn't faced a 1-2 punch like Henry and Drake yet.

Alabama presents a unique challenge: They are a mirror image of UGA, both offensively and defensively. The problem is they have more experienced players, especially on defense. It remains to be seen if Georgia has closed the coaching gap.
TW

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Not to put too fine a point on this....

Alabama's rushing defense hasn't really faced the greatest rushing threats in the world yet:

Wisconsin

Date	Opponent	Surface	Result	Att	Yards	Avg.	TD
09/05/15	+ 13 Alabama	Turf	L 17-35	21	40	1.90	0
09/12/15	Miami (Ohio)	Turf	W 58-0	45	188	4.18	3
09/19/15	Troy	Turf	W 28-3	35	199	5.69	3
09/26/15	Hawaii	Turf	W 28-0	54	326	6.04	3

Middle Tennessee State

Date	Opponent	Surface	Result	Att	Yards	Avg.	TD
09/05/15	Jackson St.	Turf	W 70-14	62	242	3.90	4
09/12/15	@ 13 Alabama	Grass	L 10-37	31	86	2.77	0
09/19/15	Charlotte	Turf	W 73-14	49	280	5.71	4
09/26/15	@ Illinois	Turf	L 25-27	37	38	1.03	0

Ole Miss

Date	Opponent	Surface	Result	Att	Yards	Avg.	TD
09/05/15	Tenn.-Martin	Turf	W 76-3	36	338	9.39	5
09/12/15	Fresno St.	Turf	W 73-21	35	215	6.14	4
09/19/15	@ 13 Alabama	Grass	W 43-37	32	92	2.88	2
09/26/15	Vanderbilt	Turf	W 27-16	42	151	3.60	2

UL-Monroe

Date	Opponent	Surface	Result	Att	Yards	Avg.	TD
09/05/15	@ 8 Georgia	Grass	L 14-51	26	45	1.73	0
09/12/15	Nicholls St.	Turf	W 47-0	38	202	5.32	3
09/26/15	@ 13 Alabama	Grass	L 0-34	31	9	0.29	0

stats courtesy of cfbstats.com
Besides Wisconsin, which has been an average rushing team outside of the Alabama game (and that against the #87, #110, and #119 ranked rushing defenses), there is nothing about Alabama's competition to get me excited. Once Mississippi got into the conference schedule, they struggled; for comparison sake, UGA rushed for 130 more yards on Vandy on one less attempt. Overall, Alabama has played tougher competition, but it their rushing defense remains an open question when you look at what the teams they have faced have done against other schools.

I'm not saying this means anything about Saturday other than anyone quoting Alabama's defensive rushing stats and in the same breath saying Georgia hasn't faced anyone isn't really being intellectually honest.

TW

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A good read on the 2008 Alabama game

Warning, it isn't an easy read, but I think it is necessary to get a handle on the difference in mindset and preparation between the two teams in 2008:

Gold ran into former Alabama coach Gene Stallings that week. He vividly remembers the retired coach's message.
"He said, 'If you've got them worried about what the hell they're going to wear," Stallings told Gold, "you've got this game in the bag."

I like what I'm seeing from Georgia's players and coaching staff. Now, just go out and do the thing.
TW

- Alabama tickets here and here

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UAB's head coach is screwed

Poor Bill Clark. He's been operating under a letter of intent this season, being assured his contract was getting signed, when all along the University of Alabama Board of Trustees had no intention of full filling the obligations of the contract. Not only are they killing UAB football, they are killing Bill Clark's career.

They'll never honor the other two years of his contract, claiming they never had a contract with him, all while patting themselves on the back for being such smart business people.

Just a stunning display of douchbaggery. But, hey "Roll Damn Tide" right?

TD

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Yeah, but my savings account.....

I normally stay away from recruiting, and the only reason I'm posting this is the recent news that the indoor practice facility is on its way being discussed. Rico Johnson likes shinny things:

“Every program in the country wants to win the ‘wow’ factor with recruits,” McGraw told the website. “Certainly as a recruit, Alabama’s facilities catch your eye immediately.”

Now, Alabama certainly has plenty of shinny things, plus they have hot and cold running educational, personal assistance, life coaching, and career coaching staff.  My point is that if a recruit is going to focus on facilities, even marginal differences will matter.

TD

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5Dimes sets Dawgs win total at 9.5

Makes sense considering the uncertainty at QB and in the defensive backfield. Considering their other win total picks, you have to think they are seeing UGA loosing 2 or 3 of Clemson (9.5), Auburn (9.5), Missouri (9.5), and South Carolina (9.5).

Other win totals of interest:
Florida - 7.5
Tennessee - 5.5
Alabama - 10.5 (tied with Ohio State at highest in nation)

Looking at the schedule, I can't argue with that, so they are seeing UGA, Missouri, or South Carolina representing the East in Atlanta.
TD

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