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Week 1

Opponent:  Univ. Louisiana-Lafayette

Ragin’ Cajuns

Kickoff:  12:21 PM

TV: SEC Network

Maybe I’m just getting older but the offseasons seem to be going by quicker.  Much quicker.  It doesn’t seem like long ago at all I was watching a frustratingly talented UGA team finish off a middling Big XII team in a crappy bowl.  Thank goodness the season is finally here.  I was tired of passing the offseason reading more crap about Richt being on the hot seat (he’s not) or getting emails about the latest player arrest.  Now lets get to the football…

About ULL…­­­­­­

There’s not a whole lot to say here.  A warm-bodied team to come in and play might not sound overly appetizing but after last year’s debacle of a start set the tone for a decidedly up and down season, I’ll take a lower level DI (sorry, FBS) team any day.   Louisiana-Lafayette is a Sun Belt Conference school that finished at 6-6 last year  (actually they’ve won 6 games in 4 of the past 5 seasons) including a home win over Kansas State and a 31-3 loss to LSU that was 17-3 at the half and a lot closer than LSU fans are willing to admit.  Two year ago they took a then #24 Illinois (yeah I don’t remember them being ranked either but apparently they were) to the wire in a 20-17 loss.  While hanging your hat on a win over Kansas State and a loss to Illinois isn’t exactly top shelf, it shows that this team is a notch above some of the teams we’ve seen roll into Athens for early season snoozers (Georgia Southern, Boise State, etc.).  While I don’t expect a super close game Saturday, I wouldn’t be surprised at a game closer than many think.  Heck, if we play defense like we did last year we can keep anyone in the game.

ULL Offense

• ULL runs a multiple offense with an experienced QB that spreads it around a lot to run the ball.  Offensively they were our equal last year in terms of yards (against an admittedly weaker schedule) but averaged basically a TD less per game.  They lost their top RB and pass catcher (their TE) but it won’t really matter as it’s not likely we know what the heck our defense is going to look like anyway.
• At QB, ULL returns their starter in Jr. Chris Masson.  While he won’t exactly conjure up images of Jake Delhomme (a former ULL QB great), he had a solid year last year throwing for over 2,400 yards at a 60% clip and 10 TDs to 8 INTs.  He’s a pretty good athlete too, rushing for right at 200 yards on the season last year.  Backup QB Brad McGuire will play all over the place for them…H-back, wildcat, FB, RB, QB, you name it.  He gives them some options for sure.
• At RB, ULL lost their top rusher last year and comes into this game with some question marks at this spot.  They have 4 guys competing for the carries with 3 of them being newcomers (two true frosh and a JUCO guy).  The top candidate is probably the returning guy, Jr. Julian Shankle (that sounds made up).  None of the 4 options are particularly large, with all being under 200 pounds.  When they need beef they go to their FB, Matt Desormeaux, who they’ll move out to play some TE too.  They appear to really like moving folks around.
• WR is probably the deepest unit on the team and it’s paced by senior Marlin Miller, who is the leading returning receiver in terms of catches (37).  They don’t have a WR in their top 6 that’s over 6-1.  TE is a strength for them as their top 2 receivers in terms of yards last year were both TEs (one graduated).  Jr. TE Ladarius Green is solid.  At 6-6, 230 he’s big and was athletic enough to reel in a 91-yard TD last year.  His 59 yards per game easily led the team last year.
• The ULL OL starts 3 seniors and two sophomores after losing 3 senior starters from last year.  The strength of the line is at center and RT, where they each sport 31 career starts.  The line has some bulk, especially the right side, where 6-7, 350-pound Jaron Odom mans the RG spot.
• Bottom Line: This is a team that can score some points and does some different stuff on offense, but if we’re going to be better on defense (we have to be right?) then this is the type of team we need to severely limit.  Last year they played 3 BCS schools (KSU, LSU and Nebraska).  They averaged under a TD against each, managing only a FG against the latter two combined.  Granted, those were two of the better defenses out there, but 3 points?  In a 4-game stretch late in the season against the likes of FIU, Ark St, MTSU and ULM (not exactly murderer’s row), this team managed to score 21 or less each game.  Richt is known for pulling off the gas a bit and playing 3^rd stringers and walk-ons to finish these games, giving late meaningless TDs up but I wouldn’t be surprised with a new DC and scheme if we don’t see more focus from top to bottom through the whole game, trying to make a statement.
• Key Matchup to watch when they have the ball: We got killed by some TEs last year and Ladarius Green is a good one and the H-back they sport could be interesting too because of the flexibility he provides, but I’m watching our OLBs this week.  Gamble has been a force in all the scrimmages since moving outside and Houston could easily be an All-SEC and possible All-American if he’s able to fill the DeMarcus Ware role like we’re trying to get him to do.  Either way, those guys are going to be in the backfield a lot.

ULL Defense

• They play a standard 4-3 (so 2009) which at this point seems boring and predictable.  What a difference a year makes.  They racked up some pretty putrid defensive numbers last year, with their 70^th national rank in pass defense yards/game being their best mark.  All of the other major defensive metrics saw these guys ranking in the 90s.  Where they did do well was turnovers, where they were 29^th in the country in turnovers gained, oh the glory days when we were in the top half of the country in that category.  Last year we were 118^th in turnovers gained.  Ouch.
• The fact they finished last year 99^th against the run tells me these guys aren’t super strong up front.  Add in the fact that returning players had a total of 5 sacks last year and 2.5 of those were from DBs and you’ve got the recipe for success behind a strong OL trying to break in a young QB.  One of their projected starters at DT is 5-11, 287.  That guy versus Cordy Glenn should be interesting.
• MLB Grant Fleming is the star of the defense, making 89 stops last year and coming in as a two-time all-Sun Belt selection.  He’s flanked by a pair of upperclassmen who are a bit undersized in the 210 range.
• The ULL secondary isn’t bad actually, with Dwight “Bill” Bently (I wonder what the story is there?…”we gon’ call you Bill”) probably being the best of the bunch finishing 4^th on the team in tackles and tied for the lead in INTs (3).  The two starters at CB weigh in in the low 170s.  Backup CB Melvin White might get more PT with his 6-3 size trying to match up against Green, Durham and our WR height.
• Bottom Line: Honestly this is an ideal team to start off against in terms of defense.  They aren’t strong against the run, have some undersized perimeter guys while we’re likely looking to establish the run and ease Murray into his role as head of the offense.  It’s ideal.  There’s two ways this could go down…1) we pound the ball, get a lead and ease Murray in, or 2) we come out throwing as they’re stacking the box. Honestly, I’d like to see option 2.  We know we can run the ball behind this OL (at least I hope we do).  We don’t know what we’ve got with Murray.  If he’s going to make mistakes in a game, let him do it ones we can afford it in more.  I’d rather him struggle with blitz pick up against ULL than SC.
• Key matchup to watch when we have the ball: Watch Murray.  In his first start, heck, his first PT, we’ve got a lot riding on this kid.  No pressure.  He’s got a bevy of weapons around him that few QBs in the country can rival and he came in with all the accolades you could hope for so it’s just a matter of him doing his job.  He doesn’t have to be great, just good, for us to have a really good season.  He can scramble but I don’t think I can take it if he starts running around a bunch.  I’m sure you all remember the feeling when DJ Shockley went down against Arkansas in Athens knowing that likely meant he was out for the UF game.  He was.  So…painful…

The ULL Game Overall

Like I said earlier, I don’t expect this to be a close game, our coaching is too good with talent to match for us to have a complete meltdown but we do have a lot of questions that need answered that will probably result in a closer game than most are willing to accept.  Aaron Murray will be seeing his first collegiate action.  No one on defense will have ever played that scheme in a live game.  There will be mistakes.  If there aren’t, I’d be more scared as we’re going to have mistakes in the year.  I’d rather not burn our perfect game on ULL (that’d be you Florida).  I’d rather get those mistakes out in “coachable” situations where the penalties aren’t so severe.  I’d take an ugly win followed by a trouncing of SC than a huge win followed by a pretty loss.  Granted, I don’t know many folks who’d be happy with the latter at all.

Anyway, folks clamored endlessly for an end to the Willie era of UGA defense.  Even the staunchest UGA fan will admit the results of the 2009 UGA defense weren’t good enough.  While I’m incredibly excited about the Grantham era and its tremendous potential, I have to admit I’m a little anxious to see how it plays out.  The optimist in me sees pressure coming from all over the place and our athletes (that we’ve always had) running about wreaking havoc and making QBs head spins trying to figure out where we’re bringing pressure from.  The pessimist in me wonders what happens when they guess right and run straight into the teeth of our dropping DL and gash us for 20 or so yards.  The pessimist in me also wonders how well the 3-4 will stack up against teams that can run and pass equally well that decide they are committing to the run, somewhat neutralizing our pass rush.  Overly simplistic I know, but crazy blitz packages that confuse QBs don’t mean much if the QB is handing the ball off.  Regardless, I don’t envy opposing coordinators early in the season who are exposed to whatever blitz packages we’re bringing for the first time.  It’s going to be chaos, quite possibly on both sides of the ball as it’s going to be difficult for guys steeped in our old defense to respond immediately without a hitch, but oh, if they do.  Expect to see a lot of check down runs from ULL trying to guess right.

All in all it’s just going to be nice to have college football back and in some ways a more innocent one.  Two years ago coming in #1 wasn’t as much fun as you’d hoped it would be.  It felt like UGA was under assault from everyone.  Coming in with lower expectations, a la 2002 and far exceeding them is always fun but at some point if we’re going to be the program we all want to be, we’re going to have to be able to take those expectations on and surpass them.  We’re not far.

Positional Notes

• Player movement.  I don’t remember a year ever where we moved so many players around.  I’m sure the influx of new coaches had something to do with it but the surprising thing isn’t that so many guys moved it’s that so many guys moved that look to have a legit impact.
  • ‘Bean’ Anderson – Physically gifted like few big guys are, he just never clicked on the OL so he moved his big frame to the much-discussed nose guard spot to see if he can cause trouble along the line of scrimmage for us.  A beast of a man with incredible strength and quickness, he’s perfectly suited for the position and he developed enough early (after being out all spring) for the coaches to feel good about cross-training DeAngelo Tyson at DE.
  • Richard Samuel – The former 5-star HS recruit had the size and speed that made you drool about his potential at RB but his inability to break tackles made him look out of place so he slides over to LB where Grantham will try and harness his considerably physical gifts.  Still young as a 19-year old junior I wouldn’t be surprised if he redshirts.
  • Logan Gray – The former QB moved out to WR and has consistently made plays.  I figured we’d just see him get token snaps there as we protected him to be our backup QB but the play of Mason and his knack for making plays means he’s a legit threat to see PT.
  • Darryl Gamble – OK, not that big of a deal moving from ILB to OLB but it’s the impact he’s had.  He’s been unblockable since he moved outside. Grantham loves the outside pressure guys (he actually loves the pressure guys from anywhere) and Gamble has been an absolute boon opposite Houston where he allows us to avoid having two converted DEs (Washington and Houston) on the field trying to cover folks at the same time.
  • Justin Houston – He played LB his redshirt year in Athens but spent the last two seasons as a force at DE.  Now moving into the OLB that DeMarcus Ware made so lethal in Dallas, Houston looks to go from being an All-SEC consideration at DE to an All-American contender possibly if he has the kind of season he’s capable of.  He’ll certainly have every opportunity for the big sack totals.
• My picks for season awards – this should be interesting to look back on…
  • Breakout Offensive Player – Orson Charles.  He was good last year as a true freshman but he’s going to blow up in a big way this year.  Huge.
  • Breakout Defensive Player – Christian Robinson.  New LB coach Belin has absolutely raved over this kid’s play at ILB since he came in which tells me all I need to know.  I was really tempted to go with Brandon Wood here for some reason.  He’s perfectly suited to the 3-4 DE spot.
  • Most likely to hurt someone – Jakar Hamilton.  I’m hearing this guy is lethal, like Greg Blue when he knew where he was going.
  • Most likely to look like he’s going to get hurt – Carlton Thomas.  I know everyone seems to have a small scatback nowadays but Thomas looks particularly small.
  • Offensive MVP – AJ Green. Few WRs can demand the attention he will this year, meaning he’ll impact plays he’s not even close to.  Best offensive weapon in Athens since Herschel.  Yeah, I said it.
  • Defensive MVP – Justin Houston.  The hiring of Todd Grantham and Houston’s subsequent move to OLB might make Mr. Houston a lot of money down the road.
  • Most likely to look like a freshman – T.J. Stripling.  At 6-6, 215 the lanky OLB is going to look downright scrawny until he fills out.  Especially with all that hair.
  • Top True Freshman – Alec Ogletree.  We’re in pretty good shape at safety but he might be too good to keep off the field.
  • Top RS Freshman – Aaron Murray.  He’s certainly going to have every opportunity to put up big numbers.
  • Comeback Player of the Year – Kris Durham, I’d love to say Sturdivant but Durham will play a bigger role as WR isn’t as deep as OL.  When’s the last time you could say that?
  • Deepest Position – TE.  Charles and White could start for anyone.  Figgins is as good a blocker at TE as we’ve had since Ben Watson.  Lynch is a future star.  Heck, even our walk-on could play and I wouldn’t be mortified.
  • Thinnest Position – QB.  Aaron Murray, an untested redshirt sophomore is the clear cut starter.  Behind him is a true frosh.  Behind him?  Quite possibly a walk-on true freshman.

Random Thoughts

• I love seeing David Pollack on ESPN as one the “Experts” on their ESPNU show.  His brash nature fits in perfectly to that format and frankly I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on a bigger stage for them because of that.  Very ESPN.  Matt Stinchcomb is more of a polished guy but I think he might be too polished.  He’d fit in great with Mayock on the NFL network. How many college football people does ESPN have on staff now by the way?  It’s getting unreal.  I think I could name about 25 pretty quickly, and literally every one of them would be better than Mark May and Lou Holtz.  Of the 25, half are Ohio State and Michigan guys.  Want a fun conversation topic for your tailgate?  Who’s the worst ESPN college football “personality?”  I’d be tempted to say Mark May but that Trevor Matich guy has said some spectacularly dumb stuff.  Don’t get me started on Rod Gilmore.
• So USC finally got some punishment…after Pete Carroll left?  In 3 years when he tries to come back to NCAA after failing in the NFL (again), they should institute sanctions against him at whatever school he tries to go to (I’m guessing Notre Dame will be open again by then).  The NCAA needs to start penalizing these coaches…like, oddly enough, Lane Kiffin.
• My pick for surprise SEC team this year?  Georgia.  Seriously.  Tennessee will be surprisingly bad, which is saying something because no one is expecting much.
• The two teams with the easiest roads to the BCS title game are Boise State and Ohio State.  Could you imagine a less intriguing national title game?  I can only imagine Kirk Herbstreit for the weeks leading up to that game.
• I’m sure most of you know this but Murray flirted with wearing a glove on his throwing hand over the offseason.  He elected to stop doing it.  A big thank you to Aaron Murray.  I know Tom Brady does it when it’s freezing up in New England and Kurt Warner did it in Arizona…for some reason.  No idea there.  Not to sound all codgery and whatnot but I just didn’t like it.  I’m just now getting used to the new helmets.  Don’t make my QB wear gloves.
• How did South Carolina become the de facto opening game for the country every year?  With it being on a Thursday night how is it not an ACC school?  How is it this game is a complete bore every year too?  Every year I’m so excited to watch college football again then South Carolina treats me to a game so bad I forget why I was excited in the first place.  It’s like I finally understand why foreigners say American football is boring.
• Speaking of futball, if I so much as see a vuvuzela in Sanford stadium this year I’m going to use it as a club.
• Back to Boise.  Why is it they get so much credit for beating Oklahoma yet you rarely hear about the absolute beatdown they got in Athens in 2005?  I know Cowherd was trumpeting it but why not more?  Are they a good team?  Sure.  They’re like a good Kentucky team.  They can get up for a few games a year but when put through a full schedule they just couldn’t sustain it. That’s why it’s imperative that Virginia Tech Zabranskies them on Monday night.  If Boise St. wins that game and they’ve got a great shot at running the table.  Ugh.
• So I stumbled on the Nike Pro Combat uniforms for this season.  You’ll recall them from last year as some of the really random looking stuff that resulted in TCU having charcoal gray helmets and pants.  They also produced Florida’s white helmets (Tebow Tears White that is) that they promptly wore in the biggest SEC game in decades, #1 vs. #2 for the right to play for the national title (nice tradition there guys…basically you and TCU decided those things were meaningful enough to wear to a big game).  Anyway, this year’s group is a mix of last year’s and some new unexpected teams.  Back are Ohio State (with red helmets this year), Miami (expectedly heinous), Florida (no lie, the helmets and numbers are gator print) and VT.  The shocker to me was that Bama was one of the schools.  What can they do to Bama’s uniforms that won’t get them killed you ask?  How about pale houndstooth numbers and helmet stripe?  Seriously.  It’s like the only change you could make that wouldn’t result in a redneck fatwah being placed on Phil Knight’s head.  The WVU uniforms include a charcoal smudged helmet and numbers that’s an homage to the mining community and it actually looks really sharp.  To me anyway.   A part of me wants to laugh at something as ugly as a lizard print helmet, then I remember a red facemask on a black helmet and I wonder what Nike would come up with for UGA.  Anyway, check them for yourself here.

As always,

Have a safe weekend,

Jody

Viewfrom336.com

Alright, wow, didn’t realize it had been that long since I posted anything on here.  Lots of options to go here, so I’ll start with the top stories (in my opinion) of this offseason…

9) Seriously, who’s going to return kicks/punts?  I know Logan will apparently be our safe guy still, which is just weird, why wouldn’t teams just max protect whenever they see him out there?  Outside of that, who else is there?  As good as he is, I don’t really want Boykin returning kickoffs because CB is very, very thin.  WR isn’t much better with only 7 on scholarship (not counting Gray) and one of those (Bennett) is likely to redshirt.  With the departure of Dontavius Jackson and the position switch of Richard Samuel, RB isn’t exactly the stable it was a year ago either.  I imagine Boykin will man the kickoff return duties and I’ll cringe all year.  AJ is simply too valuable to risk returning punts.  I always thought Carlton Thomas made sense as a punt returner in the mold of UF’s Brandon James.  Frankly, if we’re going to have him there, I’d be all for giving Gray the full time duties.  Just something to watch.

8) What’s going on at CB? Going back to the spring, seeing Cuff beat out Smith was a surprise opposite Boykin, but it was a good surprise.  Smith has all the talent you look for, but at a position that was probably the thinnest on the team (outside of QB), having an upperclassmen like Cuff step up and take a starting spot was huge.  Granted, Smith might ultimately beat Cuff out but the praise Cuff was receiving seemed legit and he seemed to be getting a new lease on life in his senior year under a new DB coach.  Add in the splash that freshman Derek Owens seems to have made and you’re starting to get some semblance of depth there.  I will now try to purge the sight of Cuff trying to cover BayBay Thomas in last year’s GT game from my mind.  Not exactly confidence instilling.

7) We lose 2 starters at safety and get…better?  Safety play was inconsistent at best last year.  Say what you want about Martinez but the guy was a good DB coach.  As good as he was, the infusion of a new coach at the position seems to be having a marked effect.  We have a stout 2-deep and that’s not counting the true freshman that’s getting as many raves (Ogletree) as anyone on the team.  The move of Nick Williams back to safety seems to have really solidified the back 4.  Rambo seems poised for a big, big season.  Shawn Williams was named most improved defensive player from last season and JUCO Jakar Hamilton has apparently earned every bit of his Hitman nickname.  This might be the deepest position on the team.  A potential question mark seems to have been turned into a strength.

6) Ealey is quietly set up for a big season.  Yes, I know he ended the season on an up note, but everything I’ve heard this offseason is how much his focused offseason has benefited him.  He’s apparently in much better shape than he was a year ago and it makes sense, coming in from GA class A, where he wasn’t likely challenged much.  Having Caleb King there to motivate him has resulted in two backs that are better than they were a year ago.  While I expect both to play well, I really expect a big bump from Ealey after his first offseason in the program.  Insert 3-4 offense jokes now.  If you didn’t get that, remember that Ealey switched from #24 to #3 (his HS number) this offseason.

5) Aaron Murray, the team is yours.  Folks complained about Joe Cox at length last year but what they fail to remember is that he threw for a ton of TDs in addition to all of those INTs.  Yes, he had a tendency to turn the ball over in the worst possible time, but something tells me if Cox had been given a defense like David Greene had for much of his tenure, then the Joe Cox Story might have had a decidedly different ending.  Either way, the keys to the UGA offense have been handed over to one Aaron Murray.  Luckily for Murray, the keys seem to be to the high-end vehicle of your choice.  Want a sleek speedster?  We have guys like AJ Green and Tavares King.  Want a work truck to haul stuff around?  We’ve got a big, veteran, deep OL.  Want just a solid vehicle to get you where you need to go?  How about a pair of super talented RBs in Ealey and King.  I guess the TEs would be the nice, big SUV.  Seriously, I don’t recall a surrounding offensive cast this good in Athens.  I wouldn’t worry too much about Murray struggling a bit in scrimmages this fall.  He’s going up against a D that he’s not really preparing for like he would a traditional opponent with tape, etc.  It’s a D that has a stated goal of confusing and bringing pain to QBs.

4) The revelation of Gamble at OLB.  Lost in the shuffle of people getting shifted around to fit personnel needs was the shift of Gamble to OLB.  He toyed with playing some DE last year with mixed results.  Once Montez Robinson was removed from the team though, OLB became scary thin.  You had Houston at one end and the largely untested Cornelius Washington at the other.  Throw in some freshmen and walk-ons and that was your depth chart.  Enter Gamble.  He provides a little more of a traditional LB skillset to the new OLB position but the early returns have been very, very good.  Racking up multiple sacks in both scrimmages so far, he’s shown a knack for getting to the QB and provided some much needed quality depth at a position that was in desperate need.

3) Bean at NG.  Wow.  When I heard he was moving to NG I thought it made some sense.  He’s got the size, strength and quicks to be successful and we were really, really deep at interior OL but the move just seemed desperate.  Sure, we needed some more bulk inside after the departure of Owens, Atkins and Weston from our defensive interior, but moving an OL over?  Well color me surprised.  He seems to be the real deal and could very well be the starter inside come opening day.  Add in a developing Geathers and we’ve been able to cross train DeAngelo Tyson outside at DE, allowing us to bring in some beef in more obvious running situations.

2) The Logan Gray Experiment isn’t just lip service.  Initially I thought this was just one of those “sure we’ll let you try out some WR” deals and he’d quickly get shuffled back to QB once Fall rolled around.  Not so.  He’s spent the whole camp at WR, and the early returns are good.  While he’s not going to be an every down WR right now (it’s simply asking too much for him to know all the nuances to the position this early) it’s certainly reassuring to read about him making plays.  He adds another element to the position and the decoy potential at a minimum is worth something.  In both scrimmages so far he’s made an impact.  He’s one to root for.

1) This defense could be really fun to watch.  Get your popcorn ready.  One of those live-by-the-sword things.  We’re going to bring pressure.  A lot of it.  If you’ve watched the Cowboys in recent years at all you know that they bring pressure a lot.  Grantham has brought that to Athens.  The sheer randomness of the pressure packages we will likely bring is going to be fun to watch.  With that of course comes risk and we could potentially have issues stopping the run against balanced teams.  If we run as much press man coverage outside as it sounds like we might, we’re going to give up some big plays over the top, but we’re going to rack up sacks in big numbers and should force a LOT more turnovers.  Whatever happens, it’s going to be fun to watch, for one of the groups of fans watching.

That’s in for now.  Rusty I know but it’ll get better…

First off let me say I’m excited.  While I was intrigued by the idea of getting Smart because of his incredible resume as a recruiter and the feather in the cap of taking the DC from the defending national champion in a lateral move, but there are legit questions about Smart and whether he can enjoy the same success he’s had at Bama away from Saban.  Who knows.  Smart would’ve been a great PR hire.  Grantham, previously the Dallas Cowboys’ DL coach, probably isn’t quite as sexy but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better resume.  The guy has coached under some great names, Saban, Crennell, Beamer, etc.  He had an offer from Saban to be the DC at Miami during Saban’s brief stint in the NFL as head coach.  One listen to an interview and its easy to get excited about the guy.  Words like aggressive, discipline, relentless get thrown out and I’m all ears.

The hot topic that everyone has been talking about is the switch to Grantham’s 3-4 front.  Most people hear 3-4 and they think massive NG (Mt. Cody) and start to question personnel.  One thing that you have to know is that there are a few different 3-4 schemes out there.  There’s the LeBeau-type zone blitz scheme, there’s the one that Belichick runs at NE that’s kind of the standard 3-4 that most think of but then there’s the Phillips 3-4 that Grantham will likely be running.  That scheme is more of a 1-gap line scheme meaning the DLs shoot a gap rather than holding position and being responsible for two gaps.  The result is that you don’t have to have a massive NG to make it work.  They’re basically doing the same thing a DT does in most 4-3 defenses.  That’s why Dallas could afford to trot out a 300pound NG in Jay Ratliff, one who happened to make first team All-Pro this year.  Sure your DEs are bigger than a 4-3 DE, but we happen to have lots of those types on the roster.  In Dallas, both of their starting DEs, one of which (Olshansky) was a DT in college, are listed as heavier than their NG.

As for positional moves, I don’t think you’re looking at wholesale changes that worry some folks.  Tyson will probably be in line for the starting spot at NG.  He’s not huge, but he’s got experience in the trenches and in the 1-gap scheme we’ll run he’s going to be fine there.  A guy like Kwame Geathers could have a huge year.  At 320 and quick, with a year of conditioning under his belt, this guy could blow up inside.  A freshman like Whitaker (should he commit) would probably end up here.  Other DTs on the roster already like Abry Jones and Derrick Lott could end up inside or outside easily given their athleticism and situational needs.  The responsibilities won’t be hugely different.

DE is way more intriguing.  A guy like Brandon Wood, who has struggled to find a home between DE and DT over his career could thrive as a 3-4 DE where his bulk can help.  Dobbs has the size to play the spot right away too.  Kiante Tripp’s considerable size works well at DE here too.  Some of the current DEs (Houston and Washington) likely move to OLB but Montez Robinson likely stays at DE here with his size.  Longo too if he can ever stay healthy.

The basic premise of a 3-4 is that you’re got one fewer guy committed at the line so you’re able to, theoretically, bring pressure from different spots while not committing any extra people.  It’s like blitzing someone every play but not losing anyone in coverage.  Sure you’re only bringing 4 people on most plays but the OL only knows for sure about 3 of them.

3-4 OLBs therefore need to be equally adept at rushing the passer and dropping in coverage.  You hear the term tweener a lot for guys who play DE in college but end up standing up and playing LB in the NFL due to size or scheme issues.  Slight, fast DEs like Cornelius Washington or  super athletic freaks like Justin Houston are ideal to play OLB in a 3-4.  Incoming recruits like TJ Stripling don’t have to come in and put on 40 pounds before they can utilize their athleticism in getting after the passer because they aren’t lined up directly over an OL.  The trade off is they have to do things like be able to drop in coverage on pass plays and react in space on running  plays.

Ideally the interior LBs (Mike and Moe in our scheme) would be a pair of Rolando McClains.  Big, fast, smart LBs with instincts can play in any scheme though.  Honestly, the only LB on our team currently that I’m curious to see where he fits is Nick Williams.  The safety-sized LB was suited as an OLB in a 4-3 but it will be fun to watch where he fits in this scheme as most of your OLBs need some bulk.  Although he’s listed at the same size as Williams, I think Mike Gilliard is going to have a big year, but that’s more because I think he’s got a great future.

Of the two incoming recruits we have at LB, Deon Rogers looks like a great fit with a frame to put on good weight.  Telvin Smith, should he swap from FSU, would be a good fit too.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see those two swap commitment locations between FSU and UGA but that’s not really relevant here.

Week 12

Opponent:  Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Kickoff:  8:00 PM

TV: ABC

Well, in a performance that wasn’t enirely unexpected, we were sloppy with the ball and managed to snag defeat from the jaws of victory.  Whatever.  The season died for many in Knoxville and it was only a matter of salvaging wins for status.  After beating Auburn you thought the corner was turned but apparently at halftime we turned back around.  Oh well, up next?  Just our bitter arch-rival with 2 weeks to prepare, bringing in a high-powered running game that requires discipline and sound tackling to handle.  Just perfect.

About the Kentucky game…­­­­­­

The Good: Pretty much everything about the first 30 minutes.  Without our most dominant player on offense we rolled up yards and points at ease.  Our thin WR corps played amazingly well and Orson Charles was a devastating weapon at TE.  Defensively we smothered an overmatched UK offense and went into halftime up big.

The Bad: The fact we had to play the last 30 minutes.  We turned the ball over 4 times in the second half and generally shot ourselves in the foot.  Much like the 3^rd quarter against GT last year we came out worse than flat.  Offensively we put our defense in horrible positions with bad turnovers and defensively we didn’t respond to any opportunities to bow our back.

The Key: Turnovers.  Plain and simple.  That kickoff fumble by Smith was a backbreaker.  It’s like Richt said, if we hold onto the ball and drive to score, we’re up 3 scores and it’s not likely that UK can bounce back.  We don’t and they do.  Ugh.

GT Offense

• Everybody and their brother knows what’s going on here.   They’re going to run the triple option at you, mix in enough wrinkles to keep you honest, then throw it up top occasionally.  They lead the country in offensive plays over 50 yards.  Don’t think of them as a 2-yards and a cloud of dust offense.  They’ll make you sell out to stop the dive, and when you do, they bust a big one on the perimeter.
• At QB, Josh Nesbitt is an ideal weapon for this offense.  Not because of his strong arm and stronger legs, more so because he’s tough as a $2 steak.  The kid can get pounded and never really show it.  He’s got a good arm but he throws against man coverage that most QBs drool for because of the offense they run.  He’s a solid pitch man and has improved in his 2^nd year running this offense.
• RBs are the core of this offense.  It starts both literally and figuratively with FB Jonathan Dwyer.  OK technically it starts with Nesbitt, but the FB dive is the first option you have to stop.  Dwyer probably leads the country in 2 yard gains but he’s also got that burst that scares the crap out of you.  Even with all those short yardage carries he’s averaging nearly 7 ypc on the year and has over 1,200 yards.  Fast and solid, he’s a perfect FB in this scheme.  Wingbacks Anthony Allen and Roddy Jones provide great results on the outside as pitch-men.  Allen, a transfer from Lousiville is actually averaging over 10 ypc.  Jones has been banged up some and was probably more dynamic last year but is a deceptive threat.   It’s not exactly reassuring when the 4^th running option went for over 200 yards against you last year.
• The GT WR position is basically one name, but if you’re going to have one guy, you might as well make him a good one.  Demaryius “Bay Bay” Thomas, the bane of spellchecks everywhere, is like Calvin Johnson lite, a big, fast WR who excels going up for the ball and taking it away.  The interesting thing there is that Paul Johnson’s offense is obviously not one that you think of great WR numbers and Chan Gailey was the NFL passing guru yet the results are similar.  Thomas benefits greatly from single coverage as secondaries have their noses in the backfield trying to find the ball…to the tune of catching a pass of 50 yards or more in 7 of 11 games this year and 35 yards are more in 9 of 11.  For the year he’s grabbed 39 passes at a 24.4 yards per reception clip.  No other player on the team has more than 6 catches on the year.
• Don’t bother looking at the GT line because their measurables mean very little.  Johnson’s offense basically asks these guys to get low and occupy somebody.  It’s like watching a Chinese fire drill at the snap, before the snap some would say.  They’re quick and well coached.  Straight up traditional blocking would get these guys blown out of most games but they know what they’re doing and do a good job of opening holes…considering GT is 2^nd nationally in rushing yards I’d say they’re doing better than good.
• Bottom Line: Let’s see, GT is 2^nd nationally in scoring offense and UGA is 75^th in scoring defense.  Awesome.  We’ve got a strong enough interior DL to stop the dive play (hopefully) and our DEs have been playing so much better lately that I’d think guys like Houston and Dobbs set up well with a guy like Wood being better suited to this game as well.  We’ll likely see Boykin get to match his considerable athletic skills against Thomas in solo coverage all day.  That leaves our LBs and Safeties to try and run the final two options and the wide stuff.  Not good.  We’ve done a pretty good job stopping the run this year but this is a different animal and we’ll have to get our best game of the year from those units to slow down an offense that has rolled a ton of folks.  Miami and Clemson had great success from athletically superior DLs disrupting the plays early but someone still has to make the tackle and that’s where we’ve struggled.
• Key Matchup to watch when they have the ball: Let’s face it, odds are that Rennie Curran and Reshad Jones are heading to the NFL after this season.  If that’s the case, this game could be their legacy.  If we were to somehow figure out a way to slow this beat of an offense, they along with senior Brian Evans (who was having a great game at safety vs. GT before getting hurt last year) will need to go out on high notes.  Watch those guys.  If they are out of position, as they have been often this year, it won’t take long to figure out as the scoreboard will be quickly rolling over.

GT Defense

• The GT defense has had its moments this year.  Not nearly as solid as the offense, it has some next level talents but they’ve gotten exposed a few times, notably by big passing performances.  They gave up 31 to both Miss State and Vandy, two of the worst offenses in the SEC so there’s hope that if we can hang onto the ball (frankly a very long shot at this point) we could put some points on the board.  We’ll see.
• The star of the GT defense is junior DE Derrick Morgan, a projected top-10 pick in next fall’s NFL draft.  A pass-rushing threat on a big frame, His 17 TFLs and 12.5 sacks on the season easily make him GT’s leader in both categories and one of the more feared DEs in the ACC.  The remainders of the DEs have yet to develop into anything opposite him.  Inside, Logan Walls and Ben Anderson have started every game but haven’t really distinguished themselves.
• Jr. Brad Jefferson leads the team in tackles from his MLB spot and is flanked by 2^nd leading tackler Sedric Griffin on one side in every game.  The other spot, or Wolf LB, has seen a rotation of guys trying to develop as a playmaker.  Youngsters Steven Sylvester and Julian Burnett have largely gotten that call but neither has been dominant though both show promise.
• Jr. Morgan Burnett is as good a safety as you’ll find not named Eric Berry.  Yes I’m including Taylor Mays in that (that guy is just too big).  He’s a ball hawk, with another 4 INTs on the year so far and his 4 pass breakups lead the team.  Given Cox’ penchant for being careless with the ball in some games, Burnett could have a big day if we’re not careful.  Mario Butler and Jerrard Tarrant are a couple of physical CBs with good size.
• Bottom Line: Frankly I don’t know how you approach stopping the UGA offense.  Do you play to stop a running game that’s largely stopped itself all year and basically wait for the passing game to turn on itself?  It’s what I’d do but you’re playing with fire.  The UGA passing attack features the exact mode of attack that GT has struggled with at times, capable WRs, dangerous TEs and a QB who can complete the long ball.  Sure we turn the ball over more than most but does Tech really want to gamble that that will hold for another week?  Are they willing to risk a shot at the BCS for that?  I wouldn’t.  I imagine they’ll drop more in coverage and make us beat them on the ground.  King and Ealey have become quite the tandem here recently.  Maybe we can avoid those costly turnovers and come up with a performance to send Cox out on…a good one.
• Key matchup to watch when we have the ball: We’ve done a great job of keeping Cox upright this year but Morgan will likely be the best pass rusher we’ve faced outside of Dunlap at Florida.  Morgan is prone to big games and making plays in bunches.  Boling and in particular Davis will have their hands full.  As good as he is rushing the passer, he’s equally adept against the run.  If we can slow him down, the rest of their DL isn’t in his class, but not many are.

The GT Game Overall

Here’s the deal with UGA.  We’re not a great football team.  That’s pretty clear.  The thing is though, we’re not nearly as bad as some of the results and by no means are we at a point where this game should be considered a foregone conclusion.  Look, if we don’t turn the ball over against UK we win by 3 TDs and come into this game on a complete high.  If we continue to turn the ball over at the rate we’ve done so far, we could lose to anyone.  Turnovers are a problem but far and away the more difficult aspect of our current turnover predicament is the fact that we can’t seem to force a turnover.  We’ve managed to jump on one fumble all year.  Just one.  That’s failure on an epic level.  We’ve managed a mere 7 INTs on the season.  Given the fact GT will likely throw it barely a dozen times, it’s unlikely we’ll force an INT.  One weakness of an option offense is typically a propensity to put it on the ground.  If we can manage to somehow win the turnover battle our chances go way, way up.  I feel confident saying if we finish -4 again we might as well not go.

This series has been about streaks.  You have to go all the way back to Tech’s 16-7 win in 1977 to find a win by either team that wasn’t part of at least a 2-year run.  Let’s change that.  A win this weekend would shatter Tech like few losses could.  For the first time in a long time many GT fans genuinely think they are going to win and not just the bluster of an excited fan.  Frankly, they should.  They’re the team with a punishing offense that’s rolled off 8 straight wins and we’re the team who just lost to Kentucky.  GT rarely comes into this game favored.  They are this year.  It’s unfamiliar territory.  For once the psychological edge in this game goes to us.  Let’s take advantage.  If you allow Paul Johnson another win, it’s more than a blip, it’s a major problem and it won’t be going anywhere soon.

I’ve thought all year that we would show up on both sides of the ball and dominate someone.  It hasn’t happened yet and it some point it has to (right?).  I’m by no means saying we win, not at all, I’m just saying that were we to pull this one out, I wouldn’t be as shocked as I imagine some around the country will be.

Positional Notes

• Richard Samuel managed to get a concussion at RB in a “thud” practice and won’t play this week.  He hasn’t had a carry in weeks so that doesn’t have a huge impact on us but it bears mentioning.
• I’d be in favor of a complete makeover of our entire kickoff coverage unit.
• Rambo apparently won’t be able to go.  That pretty well thins out our safety ranks.  Let’s pray for no injuries.
• Wooten “tha ball carrier” has some crazy concentration skills.  Great plays on both of his TDs.
• We gotta keep getting Orson Charles the ball.  That guy is just a big playmaker.

Random Thoughts

• So I saw the story about Jimmy Clausen getting punched in the face by a fan.  How much money could Notre Dame raise just by auctioning that off?
• I imagine Green is out for the year.  It’s just the way it goes for us.  Other teams’ best player’s get hurt, are questionable “at best” and play no problem.  We have guys miss multiple weeks with finger injuries.
• I don’t want to hear anymore about how much money the athletic association is making.  They have 6 home games a year and we manage to not have a technical snafu about once a year.  The clock Saturday was a new spin on an old trick.  Just disappointing that we gross $50 million per year yet can’t get something every high school stadium in American manages to get right.
• If you’re going to do student tickets as ID required, you’re going to have gaps like we had in the corners of the student section Saturday on the weekends when the students are home for break.  Sad but true.
• Tim Tebow’s last home game.  If people think UGA fans are hung up on Herschel, I can’t imagine the deification that’s about to occur when Moxon, I mean Tebow, heads on to the NFL.

As always,

Have a safe weekend,

Jody

Viewfrom336.com

Week 11

Opponent:  Kentucky Wildcats

Kickoff:  7:45 PM

TV: ESPN2

Quite possibly our most complete game of the year.  By no means perfect, in a year where we’ve looked so inconsistent so often, it looked like a dream come true.  The rest of the SEC East has fallen apart worse than we have and a win Saturday claims us outright 2^nd place in the East.  Up next is a Kentucky team that is solid, so we can’t afford to look ahead to a certain matchup with a top-10 state school to close out the season.

About the Auburn game…­­­­­­

The Good: Pretty much everything that happened in the last three quarters.  The defense played like we had hoped they might all year, holding a pretty efficient offense to 3 points over the final 45+ minutes of game time.  Despite the loss of AJ Green, the offense was able to put together some drives and we found explosiveness from a few different spots, something we had also waited all season for.  The team forced turnovers and gave away none, a novel approach to the game.

The Bad: The first quarter defense was about as bad as we’ve seen all year, which is saying something.  The first quarter offense was about the same.  The worst thing was easily the injury to AJ Green given how key he is to our offense.  The injury to Rambo was scary and his loss hurts since he was certainly appearing to be ready to make an impact.

The Key: So many keys to this game, it’s really hard to pick just one.  The most obvious one though was the fact we forced Auburn, a team that doesn’t turn the ball over much, into a few turnovers and we, a team that has been more than willing to hand out a few, held onto the ball the entire game.  It’s amazing how much better your team looks when that happens.

UK Offense

• While UK is by no means an explosive offense (8^th in the SEC in scoring, 9^th in total offense), they weren’t last year either and they managed to hang 38 on us.  They also run that damnable Wildcat offense to great effect with a guy who had a career day against us last year.  In SEC play they haven’t scored more than the 26 they put up against SC.  They are a good running team but a pretty bad passing team, especially given injuries.
• At QB, starter Mike Hartline is out after injuries sidelined him.  True freshman Morgan Newton has taken over the starting spot but hasn’t been overly, not necessarily effective, let’s say impactful.  A highly regarded HS recruit from Indiana, he’s faced as easy a run of games since Hartline’s injury as you could hope to expect.  His only TD passes came against Eastern Kentucky.  UK obviously has been trying to win in spite of him rather than because of him, as he only attempted 38 passes in the 3 SEC games he’s started (Auburn, MSU, Vandy).  He’s mobile, but isn’t a breakaway threat.  They typically run a good bit of wildcat with super-soph WR Randall Cobb taking snaps but a shoulder injury at Vandy has him listed by Coach Brooks as “questionable at best.”
• Twin speedsters Derrick Locke and Alphonso Smith make up the UK ground game.  Locke is having a solid year, averaging right at 5 ypc.  He’d have more total yards but the UK offense spreads the ground game around a good bit.  Again, Newton will get some carries at QB and I’d imagine they’ll still use the wildcat package some since Cobb’s 57 carries and 7 rushing TDs (leads the team) are simply too much a part of the offense to scrap the whole thing if he’s out.
• It should come as no surprise that Randall Cobb leads the UK team in catches, yards and TDs.  They have 4 players with 10 or more receptions and with Cobb out that drops to 3.  RB Derrick Locke is one of those 3.  JUCO transfer Chris Matthews is a big target at 6-5, 210 and he’s the big threat with Cobb out, grabbing 28 passes for 299 yards and 2 TDs.  They have a ton of guys in that 5-9 catches range and I expect to see someone in that group have their best game of the season if Cobb can’t go.
• The UK OL sports 4 seniors and a sophomore, so they have some serious seasoning along the front.  They’ve done a great job of protecting the QB this year and are 4^th in the SEC in sacks allowed.  That’s likely skewed to the fact that they run the ball a good bit more, especially with the loss of Hartline, but with a true freshman back there you’d expect to see a lot more than the 6 sacks he’s taken in 5 games.
• Bottom Line: The UK offense isn’t exactly explosive to begin with.  If Cobb can’t go they lose by far the most explosive weapon they had.  Look for heavy, heavy doses of Locke and Smith as they try to pound the ball behind their big, experienced line.  That sets up well for us as we’re far better equipped to defend the run than the pass at this point. 
• Key Matchup to watch when they have the ball: Our DL should be good enough to hang with their OL and neutralize them up front, especially if they can’t establish a passing threat.  I think the matchup to watch is going to be Locke against Curran.  Statistically speaking Curran is having a fine year but his name doesn’t seem to get called nearly as much as it was in the past couple of years.  It’s always fun to watch that guy run around and if rumors are true that he’s likely headed to the NFL after this season I’d like to see him go out with a few big performances.  He should get plenty of chances Saturday.

UK Defense

• UK is feeling the brunt of losing 7 starters from last year, all of which signed with an NFL team.  This ain’t the UK of old, that’s for sure.  They’ve struggled some in the wake of that talent void but they still have some solid players and are doing a better than expected job this season.  They aren’t great against the run (11^th in the SEC) and really struggle to get to the QB (last in the SEC) but they can play some pass defense and have a couple of real playmakers and they’ve managed to pull out some solid performances to date.
• The UK DL returned only 1 starter from last year, senior DT Corey Peters, who is having a fine season.  Jr. Ricky Lumpkin has started every game opposite him and has been steady.  The ends were a question mark coming in and to a large extent still are.  JUCO transfer DeQuin Evans came in and has put together a solid season and leads the team in TFLs and sacks.  There’s a rotating bunch to nail down the other DE spot and they’ve really struggled to get consistency.  Coming into the season they did not have a DE that had recorded a collegiate tackle.  Ouch.
• The star of the UK LB corps is MLB Micah Johnson who is a load at 6-2, 260.  He’s a prototypical big athlete that can cover ground and strike folks.  He’s leading the team in tackles in his final season.  Sr. SLB Sam Maxwell is a beast as well and his 4 INTs leads the team.  All 3 LBs are currently the top 3 on the team in tackles.
• The star of the UK defense and its secondary is Sr. CB Trevard Lindley, a GA native.  At 6-1, 180, he’s got good size and has great speed and athleticism.  He’s missed 4 games this year with a high ankle sprain but he’s back healthy now and has played the last couple of games.  UK sports a strong, deep safety group led by senior Calvin Harrison.
• Bottom Line: UK’s strength on D is against the pass, with Lindley being a CB that you’d place on a guy like AJ Green and feel at least decent about your chances.  With Green out, Lindley’s impact could be neutralized somewhat since he can’t be used as a counter for our best weapon.  We’ve got a bunch of guys like Moore, King, Troupe, etc. that can be threats but aren’t the type of guys we’ll look at on every play like Green.  Either way I see us continuing to establish this running game that’s emerged with Washaun and Caleb playing off each other.  Establish that and mix in some play action passing and you’ve got the recipe for a solid offense, even without your best player. With that said, we need King or Troupe or someone to step in and be that deep threat that Green was from the day he stepped on campus.
• Key matchup to watch when we have the ball: Watch our RBs.  I’m thinking we’re going to be running the ball a good bit and it should be readily obvious if we’re successful.  If Ealey and King have some openings out there and we can ride those two guys through a suspect UK line then we could continue to have some success putting points on the board.

The UK Game Overall

This game is huge.  Sure it means nothing in terms of the SEC title.  Sure UK isn’t one of our traditional rivals.  That doesn’t mean the game isn’t big.  In a year where we looked set on our worst performance in the Richt era, if we win this game we seal 2^nd place in the SEC east outright.  Sure the season wasn’t a roaring success but I’ve been a UGA fan too long to not take some pleasure in the fact that we were able to finish 2^nd in the division in a down year.

In the end this game could show us how well this team can refocus after a big win.  We’re not a good enough football team to just throw our helmets (whatever color) out there and expect to beat a team as solid as UK.  We can’t overlook anyone at this point.  With a tangible result on the line (2^nd in the east), we shouldn’t have any issues getting up for this one despite it being sandwiched between Auburn and Tech.  Come out, hunker down, beat Kentucky, then focus on beating a GT team and trying to disrupt their miracle season.

Positional Notes

• Our DE play has really improved.  Not sure how much you’re paying attention, but Cornelius Washington and Justin Houston are absolute nightmares in passing situations and Dobbs and Wood have been solid against the run.  It took a while but they are here.
• It seems like Tavares King just has a knack for getting open deep.  I’d love to see us take several shots to him Saturday.
• Kevin Perez and Ricardo Crawford came to Athens without some of the accolades of their fellow classmates like Stafford and Moreno and they’ll never have seen any heavy playing time as they have both announced they are graduating with a year of eligibility left, but they put their blood and sweat into the scout team and helped this team get prepared for 4 years so they deserve our gratitude.
• The OL seems to be gelling somewhat although frankly Auburn’s DL isn’t very good and UK’s is probably worse.
• With Rambo out this week is this the week that Quintin Banks steps up finally?  Without him we’re looking at a very thin safety situation.
• Christian Robinson is really coming on at LB.

Random Thoughts

• Davie and Jones have skyrocketed to my least-liked announcing tandem…and they’re back this week.  They just have zero chemistry.  Jones hasn’t learned the art of working things into the broadcast smoothly, they just come off forced, like the whole thing about coaches’ salaries.  Davie, for a former big time coach, comes across stiff and doesn’t bring a whole lot of insight that you’d expect.  Neither appears to be very quick on their feet as they showed when they were convinced that Ealey should have been marked out at the 2 on his overturned TD despite the fact every 8-year old knows that you place the ball where it was when the player stepped out.  Just hard to believe this is the best ESPN could come up with.  Can we get Ron Franklin back please?  I loved that guy.
• And another thing, Davie’s injury assessment ability is bordering on absurd.  As if his insistence that AJ had hurt his wrist wasn’t bad enough, he was locked into the fact that Rambo had hurt his shoulder despite the fact he clearly had gotten knocked out.  Which brings me to the question, why is it that no announcers ever catch onto the fact that when a guy is knocked out when he gets clobbered or clobbers someone and goes down with his arms locked out directly in front of him?  It’s so obvious and you can see it from the stands yet I’ve got Bob Davie telling me on the 10^th replay of Rambo’s head snapping to the side that it’s clear he hurt his shoulder.
• Has there ever been a worse set of cutaways to downtown Athens during one of these night ESPN games?  I guess they were trying to play up the whole eclectic town thing, but it made it look like downtown Athens was all homeless people and musicians.  Wait a minute.  It’s not right?
• Granted there had not been a whole lot to cheer about at that point but when the fire baton girl get the loudest cheer of the game you know your team isn’t playing its best.  It is pretty fun to see the student sections respond loudly to her.
• The Meyer to Notre Dame rumor just won’t die.  I wonder if he left if they’d go after Stoops again.  I suppose Kelly at Cincinnati is the guy that makes the most sense, but you know ND wants to make a splash and hiring Kelly is more like a ripple.
• Can we just not give out a Heisman this year?  Seriously.  There’s no one that seems deserving although I get the feeling that if Houston Nutt had given Dexter McCluster as many touches early in the year as he’s getting right now not only would he be in the running but they wouldn’t have struggled so much early on.

As always,

Have a safe weekend,

Jody

Viewfrom336.com