Charlie Moon
Playoff Predictions
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This season has been the most incredible and exciting season of my lifetime and I pride myself on NOT being Mr. “Recency Bias.”
Here’s how I see the inaugural College Football Playoff running its course.
Opening Round 12/20-12/21 (Home Sites)
Notre Dame (-8.5) v. Indiana: As much as people have hated on the Irish in the past, getting special exclusions and entrance into the BCS, the pundits have been right.
They’ve had a long history of getting smashed in these games. But this time will be different. Honestly, I think Notre Dame is one of the top 4 squads.
And let’s be real. If they weren’t so stuck on themselves, they’d be ACC Champs and none of this discussion of Indiana, SMU, Bama and South Carolina would be relevant.
The Pick: Notre Dame by 14.
Penn St (-8.5) v. SMU: Another blowout. As evidenced by the Vegas spreads, the real experts know the deal.
Sure, they get it wrong sometimes, but here we’re just talking about outright winners.
Penn St showed me a lot in their loss to Oregon. They only played two top 25 teams, a fading Illinois and a home loss to Ohio St.
But I was wrong, thinking they had no business in the playoff.
The Pick: Penn St by 17.
Ohio St (-7) v. Tennessee: This should be the only close one of the four 1st round games.
Simple…. Nico Iamaleava has shown much improvement in the last 3 games. Without that, this would be a blowout.
But as long as he keeps trending up, the Buckeyes will have trouble stopping Dylan Sampson on the ground. In the end, Ohio St’s home field wins out.
The Pick: Ohio St. by 3.
Texas (-11.5) v. Clemson: Look, some friends of mine from my home state won’t be happy, but this isn’t guys sitting around a campfire.
I have to give my honest opinion. And there’s a reason why the Tigers are double-digit dog. They deserve all the respect in the world for what they’ve done in the past. But I believe the Horns might hook ‘em hard.
The Pick: Texas by 14.
2nd Round Bowl Games (12/31 – 1/1): Peach Bowl Arizona St v. Texas
As much as I love the Sun Devil turn-around from a 2023 3-win season, this will come down to Texas #1 rush defense versus Cam Scattebo.
The Pick: Texas by 3
Rose Bowl Oregon v. Ohio St: In this rematch, Oregon won’t allow Ohio St to beat them on the ground like the Buckeyes did for over 200 yards in October.
The Pick: Oregon by 7.
Fiesta Bowl: Boise St v. Penn St: This won’t be quite the Vegas spread mismatch of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl when Boise shocked Oklahoma and the college football world with the hook-n-ladder, a Statue of Liberty and Ian Johnson getting engaged.
But….Penn St will be about a 4-point favorite.
The Pick: Penn St. by 3.
Sugar Bowl UGA v. Notre Dame: I think we saw why Kirby has been hesitant to give Gunner Stockton a shot, as much as Beck has struggled this year. Although he played with guts and tenacity of a Dawg, he’s limited.
That 2nd half in the SEC Title game, there were only 3 pass plays more than 10 yards, and one was nearly a game-costing Pick-6. That said, Etienne is healthy and Stockton still brings mobility back there.
The Pick: UGA by 6.
Semi-finals: Oregon beats Texas. UGA beats Penn St.
Championship game UGA v. Oregon:
Look, I know everyone will call me a homer, but it is what it is.
There is no team in America that has shown as much resiliency as the Dawgs. They are NOT the most dominant Dawgs squad ever, but the portal has changed the college game.
It’s so hard to make a real prediction with UGA’s QB situation, but I just can’t get past this team’s resiliency.
For a while, I just thought the Dawgs were getting exposed every week. But by season’s end, they proved that resiliency and being true Dawgs on the field gets it done.
The Pick: UGA by 3.
Larry Munson gets to smoke another Heavenly cigar.
Prove It
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
You’re going to Golden Corral (or your favorite buffet spot). You got it all planned out.
“Imma get some BBQ…. some mac-n-cheese… some of that steak with rice-n-gravy. Then, some of those collard greens….and those yeast rolls!”
You haven’t eaten in 24 hours. Yeast rolls been dancing in your head all day at work. You pay at the register. You got that sly grin and a bounce in your step.
You walk to the buffet and start looking down and around. Suddenly, “I don’t know what to get first.”
You start piling up stuff. By the time you get to the bottom, half of it is cold. You get more. You finish. You walk out.
“Mannnn…..I don’t know. Nothing was great. It was all just kind of okay.”
I can’t help but think the first year of this new 12-team playoff is the same, just a pile of really good teams. When you stack it all up, nobody can tell the difference.
#1 Oregon is undefeated, but they’ve only played two ranked teams, Ohio St and a fading Illinois team.
#3 Penn State is just 1-1 after only playing two ranked teams.
#9 SMU has only played two ranked teams.
Look at blind resumes. Take off the helmet. Don’t watch the games. Just look at the schedule difficulties and how teams have fared.
What have they proven?
If you do that, the top 3 resumes in college football, in no certain order, are Texas, UGA and the University of South Carolina.
Skeerrrr…..(insert brake sound here). Yeah, that’s right. If you only look at the resumes and what the teams have proven, you simply cannot make an argument otherwise. You just can’t. You can try, but those arguments would not be meaningful.
Against ranked teams…. Texas (4-1), UGA (3-2, including three top 10 wins) and South Carolina (4-3, including an LSU loss with a horrendous game-changing call).
Don’t come at me with “They beat them by…. They lost to…..” Whatever.
And between all three, Texas, Georgia and South Carolina have ZERO losses against unranked teams.
I’m sorry. I get it. Teams can’t be totally blamed for their schedules. But I think there needs to be a rule. If you haven’t played at least 3 ranked teams, then you shouldn’t be allowed in the top 8. You get no home playoff game or a 1st round bye.
Right now, if you forced Penn St, Oregon and Indiana to take a back seat and move to 9 through 12…or worse, then you’d have a much more quality comparison of teams.
I would absolutely guarantee you South Carolina would be in, over an Indiana. Why?
Because their current ranking would be based off the idea of being undefeated or only having one loss.
Right now, if South Carolina played Penn State and Indiana on neutral fields, I guarantee you the Gamecocks would be at least a 4-point favorite. They might even be a 1 or 2-point favorite over Penn State, but no more than a field goal underdog.
I know, the elephant in the room. How would South Carolina be in over two teams it lost to? That argument is pointless based off the current system. Why?
Well, if Clemson beats SMU Saturday, they’ll be in over South Carolina, who it JUST lost to, at home.
To me, the bottom line is this. There will always be arguments about these last 3-4 teams getting in, but this is still so much better than the old system.
So, what’s the only way we can know who should be in? Teams like Oregon, Penn St and Indiana should no longer get passes, simply because they only have one loss or less, but have only played 1-3 ranked teams.
What have they proven? Easy….nothing.
From The Jump
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’m not crazy, but…..Pat McAfee (yes, the same one permeating ESPN now) and long-time sports radio legend Colin Cowherd, had a major role in the country in introducing college football in the South, as the dominating national force.
Let me reset it for you. An undefeated, #2-ranked West Virginia was hosting long-time NFL coach Dave Wannstedt’s 4-7 Pittsburgh Panthers. The Mountaineers were 28.5-point favorites. WVU’s Pat McAfee missed not one, but two field goals.
To be fair, it was under 30 degrees and very windy. Pitt ran the ball out of the back of their own end zone as time expired and won 13-9.
My brother, Chad and our friends were going crazy. We called our parents, who were at some loud party in Athens. Why? Because the Dawgs, ranked #3, were going be in the BCS Championship game!
Then….they weren’t. Why? Long story short, the Dawgs were jumped by Florida, pitted against the Buckeyes on January 8, 2007.
Some can argue it began way before that. But that was the defining moment when a 7-point favored mighty Ohio St was supposed to show the country the Big Ten ruled the country.
But then SEC power and speed was on display and the country got to see just what pundit Colin Cowherd had been saying for a decade on his then ESPN radio show.
He had been saying for a decade that the SEC was already better than everyone, by a mile – and it would start showing soon. Most folks just shewed him off like they do now. But the guy knows his stuff.
One particular show hinged on one aspect. To most football purists, it was the craziest thing they’d ever heard.
It made perfect sense to me, though. He was talking about how the 90s saw the birth of 7-on-7 off-season football tournaments, similar to what happened with AAU basketball, and what we now deem “travel ball.”
Football showcase camps were popping up nationwide, and where were most of those camps? Yep, you guessed it.
The South. After all, why would a kid want to go to a March showcase event in lovely, icy St. Paul, Minnesota? So…. more kids from all regions, were coming down South.
His next point had nothing to do with football, but it rang clear. He talked about more kids visiting colleges down South, during these camps, and what did they see?
I can almost remember his exact words, but for emphasis, let’s quote it anyway.
“Imagine a kid from Syracuse, New York coming down south and visiting a college campus in sunny Florida. What do you think he saw? Yep, the college co-eds. And what do you think he thought? Do I want to stay in cold Syracuse, or go where the campuses are filled with sun and gorgeous co-eds?”
I get it, there are many reasons why college football in the South has been great for so long, well before 2007. But Cowherd’s argument was nearly a decade ahead of its time. College football in the South had been better for a long time, but it hadn’t yet dominated on a national scale.
In that 2007 BCS Championship Game, it was clear. The Gators were bigger, stronger and the biggest factor???…..speed!
The speed difference wasn’t even close. Gator defensive lineman were chasing down speedy Ohio State QB Troy Smith and running backs in the backfield all night long. Ohio State receivers could never break away from Gator DBs.
Sure, this game wasn’t a 1-game tell-all. And Pat McAfee and Colin Cowherd surely didn’t invent football in the south.
But they both had a say in what might be the turning point of the southern college football show on display for the country.
Corrupt Committee?
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I have to say. I was searching a little for a column topic. But this one, it is about as easy as somebody trying to get me to eat a slice of pepperoni and sausage pizza. Yeah, if you’re reading this and you know me, then you know. I had bariatric sleeve surgery in late September.
“Moon, thought you couldn’t eat pizza anymore!” And I say…. “Shhhhhh, don’t tell the doc!”
In all seriousness, I can still eat pizza. But – only a couple bites here and there.
Back to the lecture at hand…..the ease of choosing the column topic. What I saw last on ESPN’s College Football Playoff Rankings Show, was about as intellectually rewarding as blowing dandelions on a hot summer night. Who knows, maybe some scientist can argue that blowing dandelions actually do open the brainwaves a little.
You know, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, no matter the industry. Usually, when our government makes decisions we don’t get, I often give them the nod.
My best example is: 3rd and 1, and the offense runs a simple off tackle and gets stuffed for a 2-yard loss. What happens? Armchair quarterbacks start yelling, “What was that?” “What kind of play call was that?”
But not this time!!
Look, when I watched Warde Manuel give word salad on Tuesday night’s show, I nearly had to go stand on my front porch to ensure our house had not been lifted into some 3rd dimension.
Warde Manuel is the current 8-year Michigan Athletic Director. He grew up in Michigan. He played football at Michigan under the great Bo Shembechler. Look, I’m sure he’s a great guy and a great family man….all of that. But there is absolutely no way a sitting athletic director can serve on the 12-person playoff committee that selects the 12-team playoff field.
When I did a little research, I was at Wild Wing Cafe in Statesboro. I nearly spit out the drink I was in the middle of. FIVE…. Count ‘em FIVE…. of the 12 members are either current NCAA athletic directors or are high-ranking officials in those athletic departments.
We’ve always known these playoff committees have members of current athletic departments, but to see that they constituted almost half of this year’s committee, was shocking.
I’m not going to dole out names, or give out their addresses like some of our national leaders do. But, I will criticize the committee and its member selection.
Normally, not much attention should be paid to the CFP rankings yet. But the problem is hearing their thoughts and how they rank teams.
When Warde Manuel explained why UGA was where they were and Texas was where they were, I was dumbfounded.
He said, “Yes they beat Texas. But their body of work – we just felt like 10 was the right spot.”
Ummmm…..wrong. UGA has more top 25 wins than the 2nd-6th ranked teams combined. Sure, the Dawgs got hammered by Ole Miss, but their strength of schedule is #1. The message being sent is for teams to play no one.
Look, we could argue all day long about who should be where, but there is one thing that should not be up for debate. There is no way that current school officials should be a part of selecting the teams. I’m sure they try as hard as they can to be unbiased, but human nature is what it is.
There’s no coincidence Manuel is a Big Ten guy and 4 of the top 5 teams are Big Ten. I’m not saying it “just because,” but again. The Dawgs have more top 25 wins than Ohio St, Indiana and Penn St combined.
I’ll just wrap it up this way. Let’s go back to the computers – honestly!
15 Yellow Hankies
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Every time she sees Mark Richt on TV, my mom says, “Ain’t he so cute.” My dad would have no choice but to just laugh it off.
One of the greatest shots of Richt’s famous dimpled smile, was in 2007 against Florida. Knowshon Moreno had just opened the scoring in the 1st quarter. Then, came one of the most iconic rivalry moments.
CBS’s Verne Lundquist: “Moreno. Did he break the plane? Yes…Touchdown! The entire team is coming out! We may have 15 yellow hankies!”
Then, a perfect example of why I always say TV production crews for college football run circles around NFL.
Perfection. Video went to a high overhead shot, a perfect storm of red, white and silver, storming the end zone.
Some demean color analyst Gary Danielson. I say they’re crazy. Perfect example? Danielson follows during this overhead shot; “This was all absolutely planned. Mark Richt has decided he is tired of the Florida Gators having the psychological advantage over UGA.”
As Danielson was saying that, video went to UGA senior defensive end Marcus Howard. He was banging his chest with both fists. His 27 2-foot-long dreads were bouncing. Dude looked like a crazed madman! The Dawgs had psychologically released.
Then, the video got Tim Tebow and two teammates on the Gator sideline. Everybody remembers how animated Tebow was.
Not this time. You’d think Tebow would be gathering his guys in their own sideline huddled mass and doing that thing where he looked in their eyes and pointed to the heavens.
But this time, he just stood there, with his eyes and mouth wide open. Kind of like Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning looked like against Georgia.
Tebow was stunned. The Gators were stunned. This was the moment the rivalry turned.
That’s right. The majority of the Dawgs team had stormed the end zone and was dancing like it was 1999. At first, I was like “What in the world are we doing!”
Then my brother Chad started getting jacked up! “This is a message! We’re not taking it anymore! Let’s go. Go Dawgs!”
The cameras panned to the normally reverent and serene Mark Richt on the sideline. He was clapping and had this sly grin on his face.
There wasn’t a single UGA coach scurrying out to pull players back. Normally, you’d see that in a situation like this, right? Not this time!
Danielson was right. It was planned. UGA initially denied it, but everyone knew. And I don’t care what Richt said after the game, we all knew.
In the following off-season, Richt pretty much admitted, players pitched it during the annual pre-Florida game off week. Richt initially said no way. But he eventually ruled in favor of the players, with a few restrictions.
It had to be with the Dawgs in an early lead or tying situation. No celebrations, down 21 in the 4th quarter. No direct taunting of Florida players in the end zone, or toward their sidelines.
To their credit, players did follow these guidelines. But the funniest shot was of 320-pound OL Trinton Sturdivant breaking out in what can only be described as his own “Big Boy” version of River Dance.
The Dawgs went on to win 42-30, but it really wasn’t that close.
Under Spurrier and Meyer, the Gators dominated the series, 15-2. So often, though, it wasn’t because of dominating rosters. The Gators simply were in the Dawgs’ head.
Annually, tight games would turn on a dime with one UGA mistake. Then the wheels would come off.
But the Dawgs have gone 10-6 against the Gators since then. This was the day the series turned.
It Just Means More
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’m glad I was born and raised in a family with friends that believed it was better to be hooked on sports than it was drugs and alcohol.
If we Family Feud style poll 500 UGA fans on their favorite memories of the annual UGA – Florida game, the #1 answer would assuredly be Larry Munson’s call of Lindsay Scott’s TD catch-n-run from Buck Belue that saved the Dawgs’ 1980 National Title hopes.
Even many young Dawg fans would agree. They weren’t even alive. Maybe they know because it came up in the Dawgs’ recent titles, the first since 1980.
But I could almost guarantee they know because it was passed down from family and friends. On some late October Halloween weekend, they watched the annual “World’s Largest Cocktail Party” game. It came up on the broadcast, or maybe they saw it on College Gameday. But maybe, just maybe, they heard of Munson’s call by mom, dad, uncle, grandparent, etc etc.
Then they hopped on that Worldwide Internet Machine and found out for themselves!
All too often, bigtime sports fans wonder if they’re spending too much time in front of the TV on weekends, or weekdays for that matter. We wonder if we should spend more time cooking, cutting the grass or whatever else. And then sometimes we’re reminded the answer to that question is very relative.
The spices of life that reveal who we are, come from different aspects. Maybe it’s nature. Maybe it’s the arts. Maybe it’s cooking. But we all have that one thing that draws us in, no matter how bad the day is.
It hits that sweet spot in our soul. My parents raised me to know it was certainly okay to be obsessed with sports, as long as you stayed well-rounded. And I am.
I was heavily involved in the arts, even into my adult life, as a vocal and percussion performer. I love the movies, crime shows and other things.
But anyone that knows me, will tell you. “Moon’s crazy about sports!”
And the Georgia-Florida game has provided many memories around family and friends that remind us why we love it.
Sure, the game is big. But in the end, it’s memories of seeing family and friends – the times on Amelia Island, or the Landings. The first time you drive across the St. John’s River Bridge and overlook the sea of Red and Black versus Orange and Blue tailgate tents.
Like the Moons, many fans see specific family and friends, only in Jacksonville.
I know I’ve got some memories that will always stick.
Once, we went to the UGA-FL Game Hall of Fame Banquet. David Pollack was inducted. My mom has always loved him. She went right up to him, like a fawning teenager, and Pollack signed the back of the left shoulder of her shirt.
I remember my brother and I going onto the docks on Jacksonville Beach with a bucket of beer and just chilling in the late night breeze. Once, my dad nearly ripped off a drunk Gator fan’s head when they got rude with mom.
Bottom line is, no matter the outcome, the annual UGA – Florida game is one that splits a stadium right down the middle. It produces iconic photos like Tebow’s bloody face or the Dawgs storming the end zone while Mark Richt grins.
So, no matter how you take in the game – from the seats, from a watch party outside the stadium, Fernandina Beach, Jekyll Island or any town in Georgia, always remember this.
The value of being around family and friends and those memories will mean so much more than whether Larry Munson is celebrating in high, or Gator Nation is doing that ridiculous chomp.
In Or Out?
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Misinformation, lies, rumors, conspiracy; goodness knows we’ve heard those words all too often the last decade or so, especially the last few weeks.
People try to figure out if what they’re seeing or reading is really true or not. In the end, let’s be honest, most people end up gravitating to the words, opinions and stories that only tell them what they want to hear anyway. They stake their public stances that come from the person, leader or coach that they already claim.
It doesn’t matter if their coveted leader says, “Cats are now the ones really in control of interest rates” or ”I heard that people in California are now going to have to all raise their own cows, because all dairy and beef products have suddenly become nuclear-reactive to the interior steel of grocery store trucks.”
Ahhhhh, and you thought I was talking about politics? The truth of the matter is, the same can be said for sports journalists and prognosticators. Anyone who props up their team is a genius and those that dare negate them are just morons.
Well, some of you will think I’m an idiot after reading this today. Here’s my stake on what the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff will look like.
Coming into this season I thought, like many, this would be the most intriguing college football season ever.
We got expanded conferences. Now, we have The Red River Rivalry showcasing the SEC? We got old school Rose Bowl matchups all season like the Penn St – USC game.
Look, I get it. NIL and the transfer portal have forever changed the game. And like I thought, it looks like the portal is doing more damage than anything.
Here’s a reminder of what the field of 12 will consist of.
The obvious is this, a combination of five conference champs and seven at-larges get in.
Here’s where the misnomer comes in. Most folks think the highest ranked non-Power 4 conference champ is in. That’s not quite true, although it may work out that way.
Actually, the champs of the 5 highest ranked conferences are in. The next 7 highest-ranked teams get at-large bids.
Let’s go.
The easiest thing is, the Power 4 conferences will assuredly be the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12, in no particular order.
Let’s start there, the current top 5 conferences.
SEC Champ will be UGA. Okay, okay. Some like to call me a homer, but sorry. When I’m at the tailgate, I speak my heart for sure. But when I’m on the job, it’s about business.
Texas will lose to UGA next week and on the road at either Texas A&M or Arkansas.
UGA runs the rest of their slate, while Bama loses at LSU.
That leaves the sneaky Bayou Bengals running my slate clean. UGA beats LSU in the conference championship.
Big Ten Champ will be Ohio St. Yes, they lost to Oregon but will take down the Ducks in a Big Ten conference title rematch game.
The ACC will be Miami once they beat Clemson in the ACC title game. In this season’s College Football Preview, I predicted the Canes to be a dark-horse playoff team, so I’m sticking with them.
The Big 12 will perch the Iowa State Cyclones under the sneakiest, best Head Coach in college football, Matt Campbell.
Next up is a tough one. I think Boise St is definitely the best team outside these top 4 conferences but remember the guideline – “top 5 conferences.”
There is no “top ranked team outside the Power 4” like most think. That said, part of the conference rankings are quantified by the human playoff committee.
I think Conference USA easily tops the Mountain West with Army, Navy and Tulane besting the Mountain West’s top 3 of Boise, San Jose and UNLV.
In the end, I think the committee will hoist Boise, as they rank the Mountain West over the AAC.
Last, we got the next highest-ranked teams. Simple, here’s who I see as the at-larges: Texas, Alabama, Oregon, Indiana, Tennessee, Penn St, LSU.
Happy hunting everyone.
Trouble In Athens?
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
My friends in South Carolina are going to be mighty shocked when I say this.
The Dawgs have problems.
Growing up in South Carolina a Dawg fan and being in sports journalism for 2.5 decades, I hear it when I say something about the Dawgs they don’t agree with.
Last year, I said the Dawgs were one of the best four and should have been in the playoff – regardless of the SEC Title loss to Bama. Dawg fan or not, it was what it was. The committee’s goal was to get the best four. The Dawgs belonged – period. Point blank. So many became “Over-reaction guy.”
“How could the Dawgs be in? They just lost to someone outside the top 4.
Or the…. “We don’t want to see Bama and the Dawgs rematch.”
The bottom line was, the Dawgs AND Bama were 2 of the best 4 – if not the best 2. And don’t call me crazy because Bama lost to Michigan. Going into the playoffs, how many of you had Bama beating Michigan?
Once the playoffs were done, experts came out of the woodwork. It was what it was.
But after last Saturday’s field goal fest in Lexington, I’m wondering if the Dawgs will have to be a benefactor of the new 12-team playoff format. I know some of my good ole friends will balk at this, too, but let’s be real.
In the 2- and 4-team format of the last 30 years, there should have been many more SEC squads in, even if it meant as many as 3 of the 4 were SEC squads.
I try not to be hyperbole and/or “overreaction guy.” Y’all know. It’s like “over-reaction guy’s” brother or ”backwards hat guy.” You know that one guy that yells at every play, but probably couldn’t even tell you one offensive line starter. Or they always boo at every flag – even before the ref makes the call.
Well, “over-reaction” guy has it easy this week, saying things like: “Man, the Dawgs stink” or “I told y’all about Carson Beck!”
Then, there’s the elephant in the room. “I told y’all Mike Bobo ain’t no offensive coordinator.” Ahhhh boy, Dawg Nation has argued that since Bobo’s first OC stint between the hedges, 2007-2014.
Deep dive time. Chew on these factoids. In the Dawgs’ 8 quarters against Power 5 teams (Clemson, Kentucky), they’ve tallied just 5 TDs.
In fact, four of the 5 came only in the 2nd half against Clemson alone. It took an entire 3 quarters and 3:00 for UGA to get in the endzone against the Cats.
Maybe the Cats had more brawn than our experts believed, or maybe there’s something amiss in Athens.
Yes, UGA lost guys like McConkey and Bowers from last year, but the cupboard in Athens is supposed to be filled to the brim.
Trevor Etienne ran it for 79 yards on 19 carries. Of those 19 carries, 12, count them, 12 were against 7 men in the box playing the run.
A 6-man line can’t account for 7. Well, sometimes they can. But you can’t expect them to do it all night wrong.
What’s the point here? Either one of two things are happening here.
#1 The OC is not getting the offense into the best fits, which is the job of a coordinator.
#2 The QB is not recognizing and audibling at the line.
Look, no OC is going to have the perfect call and no QB is going to always notice. But to have it happen 12 out of your top RB’s carries, is unacceptable.
Yes, there are times when an OC mandates the call stick and doesn’t give the QB an option to change the call at the line. And of course, there’s this, this is the first year of the helmet earphones allowed for one player. They have the option to communicate with Beck at the line.
And who knows, maybe I’m overreacting. This was not the biggest issue Saturday night, but it was the most glaring to me.
Sure, there could be issues that the UGA coaching staff are not going to discuss with the press. Maybe the receiver core wasn’t ready for the bigtime. Maybe there’s an undisclosed nagging injury to Beck.
Whatever it is I’ll only say this.
If the Dawgs don’t figure this out by September 28, Bama is going Roll our Tide right out the Dawg Pen and they won’t even have to pull an “Al from Dadeville.” Because the whole country will see it.
The Hard Truth
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I still remember the day my father saying, “Son, always tell the truth.” I was a young boy. I barely remember it, but what I do have is a vision of us riding in the car, and him saying that.
Who knows? I probably told some white lies about eating the last piece of left-over pizza, when it was earmarked for mom.
What does that have to do with the Dawgs?
Former Dawg Brock Vandagriff now quarterbacks at Kentucky. Vandagriff was out of Athens, GA’s Prince Avenue Christian in 2020 as one of the nation’s top QB recruits, he was expected to run the QB room within a couple years.
Because of some dude named “The Mailman,” and the emergence of Carson Beck, that never happened.
He’s telling a truth this season. But what truth?
It tells a hard truth of how Kirby Smart and the Dawgs take a lot of pride in its’ roster and how Kirby is simply not afraid of watching players walk out the door to the NCAA transfer portal.
Back to Vandagriff. Kirby Smart tells hard truths and he had to tell one to his former QB Vandagriff. In December of last year, Smart had his annual meetings with players to tell them where they stood for the upcoming offseason. It’s something many coaches do a version of, but often can’t tell the hard truths.
In this meeting, Kirby told Vandagriff that Carson Beck was the clear #1. In the new age of the transfer portal, this has been difficult for many coaches.
Why? Well, what do ya do? You get honest with a kid that adds depth to your team and they bolt. You lie and you become the coach with the reputation of telling players what they want to hear.
So, what did Vandagriff do? Just 5 minutes after meeting with Smart, he walked back into Smart’s office and told him he was entering the transfer portal.
This was tough for Vandagriff, and Smart as well. No one knows exactly what Smart said to Vandagriff, but judging by what Vandagriff’s dad said in a September 8 Courier Journal (Lexington, KY) column, it was a respectfully mutual conversation between Brock and Kirby.
“Kirby called me and said, ‘I don’t know if I’ve ever coached a finer kid in my life than your son.'”
Greg Vandagriff knows the deal, having been a High School Head Coach in Georgia for 28 years. He’s 97-12 at Prince Avenue with back-to-back state titles.
Let’s be real. There are many coaches that tell players what they want to hear, to keep them from the portal. Smart has never even been rumored to do that.
Even when Dylan Raiola, the 2024 #1 rated QB prospect, decided to transfer to Nebraska, Kirby did absolutely nothing to entice him to stay. He wished Raiola well.
The Song For Tennessee?
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One graveyard for another.
What, no “Rocky Top” quip to intro the Vols?
From the 1950s – 1990s, Neyland Stadium housed University of Tennessee’s School of Anthropology, the FBI’s leading forensic researcher of bones. They were removed in the 1990s, but the research facility remains.
And…it sat on top of over 1,000 dead bodies! “Who knew?”
In 2002-2004, the Vols won 9 games or more. Then came graveyard #2. From 2004-2020, the Vols haven’t had three consecutive 9-win seasons…until now.
Vols’ HC Josh Heupel (2022-present), has won at least 9 or more, in all 3 seasons.
Even with QBs like Peyton Manning and Tee Martin, Tennessee has prided itself on clock-controlling, run-oriented offenses. That identity has remained, although the game has changed over the last 30 years.
“Rocky Top” was written in 1967 by Gatlinburg’s Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. They told the story of Tennesseans wanting their old lives back, where moonshine stills and rum-runners ruled the day.
“….Good ole Rocky Top” was gonna have to change its tune.
Heupel gassed up the Vols offense. In 2021 and 2022, the Vols’ scoring offense finished #7 and #1 respectively, while finishing top 3 in offensive plays/game all 3 years.
I could say something like… “This year’s team has many new faces…” but that’s just the way it is in the transfer portal era.
QB Nico Lamaleava, excels with his arm and his legs. In his only 2023 start, he threw for 3 TDs and ran for 2 in the Vols’ 35-0 Citrus Bowl rout over historically defensively stout Iowa. Not saying he’s Jalin Daniels status, but picture the style.
The WR core boasts a formidable 3-man core. Last year’s top WR Squirrel White brings back his 2023 803 yards and 67 catches. Add 2023 USC transfer Bru McCoy, injured after only 5 games last year and new Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell. Sophomore Ethan Davis and Notre Dame transfer Holden Staes add depth.
Leading 2023 RB Jalen Wright is in the NFL but returning #2 man Dylan Simpson returns his team-leading 7 TDs.
The offensive line could be one of the SEC’s top 2 or 3. Replacing outgoing Kentucky transfer Gerald Mincey is incoming LSU transfer Lance Heard, who many NFL scouts label “special upside.” The interior could be one of the nation’s best in Cooper Mays and Javontez Spraggins.
For all the offensive talk, it’s the defense that could lead these Vols to a playoff spot. It’s difficult to grade them based off scoring and yardage, because of how fast the offense runs.
Having said that, they finished 2023 #8 in sacks and #4 in TFL. DE James Pearce, Jr returns after a top 15 NFL Draft grade. The tackles are led by Omari Thomas, Bryson Eason and Omarr Norman-Lott.
2022 BYU transfer LB Keenan Pili sat out most of 2023, after a whopping 190 tackles in 2022.
2023 leading tackler Elijah Herring transferred to Memphis. Arion Carter and Kalib Perry will replace 2nd leading tackler and current NFLer Aaron Beasley.
The secondary returns none, but transfer portal to the rescue. Oregon State’s Jermod McCoy and MTSU’s Jakobe Thomas are respective 2023 all-conference players.
The Bottom Line…I really think Tennessee will be one of those fringe teams that will be lobbying their expanded playoff qualifications.
As far as SEC schedules go, they catch several breaks. Two games will probably be losses, @ UGA and Oklahoma.
Believe it or not, Sept. 7 in Charlotte, against NC State is their biggest game. If they win, there’s a path. If not, that path is pummeled. Most believe there will be 3 SEC teams, but I believe there will be a push for four.
“Good ole Rocky Top,” or not….we’ll soon find out whether Vol Nation is singing it full of that happy rum, or buried under Neyland after way too much sipping.
