Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs own Auburn Tigers
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When Kirby Smart sits down with his CPA to do his 2016 taxes he and Mark Richt will share a lot in common, as Kirby will list Auburn as a dependent on his tax return.
The UGA ownership of Auburn continues as the Dawgs won for the 9th time in last 11 meetings with the Tigers with the 13-7 win at Sanford Stadium. Things were so rough for the Tigers that they could not even muster a first down in the second half. This is an offense that averages 300 rushing yards per game, but the UGA defense held them to under 200 yards of total offense for the entire game.
UGA has AU’s number in football right now. I was watching the game and I was amazed at how atrocious the Auburn play calling was in the second half of the contest.
Even the SEC officiating crew tried to give the game to Auburn with horrible calls to ensure an Iron Bowl in two weeks for the SEC West title and Auburn just did not want to take it.
How many times in the second half on 3rd and 2 did Auburn throw the football? When was the last time UGA won a football game without scoring an offensive touchdown?
Georgia salvaged its season with a win over Auburn. How many times have we repeated that statement over the past 16 years?
The oldest rivalry game in the South is one sided at the moment and Gus Malzahn is now 1-3 with three straight defeats at the hands of UGA. Auburn plays UGA like UGA plays Florida in Jacksonville and that is not aggressive and playing not to lose which is usually a recipe for long losing streaks in rivalry games.
It was UGA’s first win over a top ten team since 2014 which by the way was Auburn. By now you are getting the ownership theme right?
This was Kirby Smart’s signature win in what has been a rough year 1 at the helm in Athens. Now Smart must continue to recruit offensive lineman and play-makers in space.
Riley Ridley is turning into a game changer in Athens. UGA is a few pieces away from having a super offense to compliment the talents of Jacob Eason who is starting to look very sharp at QB.
The defense is starting to develop into a good unit. Rod Blankenship looks like Adam Vinatieri, and the Clark Kent glasses are the talk of the Classic City.
If this UGA team can finish 9-4 with a Bowl win and Kirby pulls in this monster class he is assembling then year two could be a treat to watch next fall. Kudos to the crowd for the electric atmosphere as well with a who’s who list of recruits in attendance.
Back to Auburn, how do the Tigers seem to lay an egg in this game annually now? So much of their success depends on recruiting athletes from Georgia as Alabama and Nick Saban own the entire State of Alabama. Is Gus on the hot seat again?
The only thing separating Auburn from 11 straight losses to UGA is being the highest bidder for Cam Newton and a tipped fluke pass in 2013.
Where is Pat Dye when you need him? Coach Dye would not be having this. As for Kirby, he gets a little extra back from the government next year having Auburn as an additional dependent.
The Smart family will be chanting “War Damn Eagle” next year on their family vacation.
Great feeling it is to own Auburn, and to hear the excuses associated with it.
Future of SEC QB
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
While the Southeastern Conference has been the dominant football conference for years, now there is one question that is difficult to answer, “Where are all of the quarterbacks?”
Media and college football fans have been pontificating in recent seasons, why doesn’t the SEC have more viable field generals if it is the greatest conference in the country?
Well, Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, Jacob Eason at Georgia, Gamecock signal caller Jake Bentley, and Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson are all looking to change that perception as each of them now starts for their respective schools.
These true freshmen have come in and earned starting spots at four schools around the conference. Be it by outright winning the job from the beginning of the season or by taking over mid to late in the season, these young kids have come onto campus, honed their craft and have seized their opportunities to lead their teams both now and into the future.
Even though the conference has long had a history of both power offense with a defensive-minded foundation, the run of quarterbacks dates back well into the annals of time as Bart Starr, Joe Namath, and Fran Tarkenton are some of the historic NFL names that got their start in the SEC.
The tradition continued until the last four years or so. In particular, with the graduation of Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger after the 2013 season, the SEC had hit somewhat of a lull in top flight NFL caliber quarterbacks.
Well, good news football fans, or bad news if you are an SEC antagonist, the level of quarterback play in the SEC is about to hit a very high level; likely an all-time high.
When you talk SEC football, one may as well start with Alabama. And this topic is no different as Coach Nick Saban has entrusted his current team’s offense to the hands of a dynamic dual-threat quarterback in Jalen Hurts.
Hurts has stepped in for last season’s starter of the National Championship team, Jake Coker, and has seemingly brought an added dimension of the quarterback read option to the mix.
Hurts, along with a dynamic defense, has put Alabama right back at the forefront of the college football championship again this season.
Georgia Bulldog, Jacob Eason, has the eye of the NFL already. The huge 6’6” 240 pounder out of Lake Stephens, Washington, has the size and amazing arm strength that the NFL desires.
Statistically, Eason has been fairly steady. However, it is when the game is on the line that the young signal caller has elevated his game and seems to truly get dialed in with his receivers.
At South Carolina, Coach Will Muschamp gave young Jake Bentley the reigns after the Gamecocks struggled mightily for the first half of the season. Bentley has come in and pushed the Gamecocks to possible bowl eligibility by showing good poise and a willingness to hang tough and make plays. Bentley shows just enough mobility to keep defenses honest.
The latest true freshman to get the starting nod is Shea Patterson at Ole Miss. The Rebels have had a hugely disappointing season after entering with major championship aspirations.
Recently, leader and longtime starting quarterback Chad Kelly went down with a knee injury. Rebels coach Hugh Freeze went against the norm and pulled the redshirt off of Patterson, three quarters of the way through the season and despite a 4-5 record.
Patterson came in and actually led the Rebels to a major comeback over the Aggies of Texas A&M. Patterson would throw for over 350 yards in his debut, and would shine in the fourth quarter going 7/10 for 119 yards and two touchdowns, including a dramatic scramble and pass on one of those scores.
So everyone can relax and just sit back and enjoy (even more) these next three to four years of SEC football as the quarterback position is in very capable hands.
The Game October 22
Gators Offense Has No Bite
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Jim McElwain is in his second year as head coach of the Florida Gators. Currently he guided the team to a 5-1 record and their first place in the SEC East. Last year they finished 10-4 and 7-1 in conference play. A 10-win season is very respectable in year one.
On the surface everything seems great. I’m going to delve just a bit deeper to really get a proper perspective on his coaching performance.
What Is UGA Playing For?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If you ask me what I remember about the 1995 college basketball season two things come to mind.
The first thing was the one and only losing season the Blue Devils have endured since Kryzewski’s third year as their head coach. The other event I vividly remember that season is the half-court shot Jeff Capel hit to send their game against the #2 ranked Tarheels into double overtime.
Even though Duke lost the game 102-100 in that second overtime, the mere fact they were able to play that type of game against their rivals was enough to take one of their worst seasons in the past 30 years and almost turn it into a positive. Had they actually won the game, that year would be remembered more for their victory over Carolina than it would be for all their struggles.
I mention this only because that situation is more or less what Georgia is walking into when they play Florida on October 29th. I’m not saying the Dawgs are having exactly the same type of season as the ‘95 Duke squad that finished with a record of 13-18, but I feel pretty confident in saying a 4-3 record, following a loss to Vanderbilt at home, isn’t exactly what the fan base was expecting.
What’s Missing In Athens
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Headed into the bye week sitting at 4-3 on the season I have been wondering what is missing from this year’s edition of the Georgia Bulldogs.
Blown out by a three loss Ole Miss team, Can’t knock down a Hail Mary against a Tennessee team that just lost by 39 points at home to Alabama, and the mind blowing Homecoming loss to Vandy. Let’s examine what is missing in 2016.
Best Of Georgia-Florida Rivalry
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is time, yet again, for the annual Georgia-Florida border war. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has been the location of many of the historical skirmishes in all of college football.
There is no doubt that Everbank Field, or best known as the former Gator Bowl, has been witness to some of the greatest college football players to ever grace the collegiate gridiron. Herschel Walker, Tim Tebow, David Pollack, and Steve Spurrier just to name a few in the last half decade, have seen the highest of highs or met the agony of defeat in this bitter rivalry.
There are numerous games that could be mentioned, but these are the top four games in this series.
Georgia’s Brian Herrien
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
What was considered to be a source of strength coming into the Georgia Bulldog’s 2016 football season was the position of running back.
With running backs such as Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Brandon Douglas, plus the addition of true freshmen Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien it was thought that they would be a strong stable of running backs, and while that is still true it is the level of play and contributions of that freshman running back Brian Herrien that has been the biggest surprise of the season.
Florida Chomping For Dawgs
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The University of Florida has been synonymous with greatness since Steve Spurrier took over as head coach in 1990. The program never won an officially recognized conference title prior to him returning to Gainesville.
They’ve won 8 conference titles since 1991 and had the best record in the SEC in 1990 but were ineligible for the league title due to NCAA probation. Their also tied with Alabama with the most SEC Championship game appearances with ten.
They haven’t won a conference championship since 2008 though. Back when Urban Meyer was the head coach and Tim Tebow was quarterback. Second year head coach Jim McElwain is working to end that drought.
So far the Gators are off to a good start, 5-1 and ranked in the top 15 in the Coaches Poll and in the AP Poll. The one loss was at Tennessee and they gave up a 21-point lead to lose 38-28.
The LSU game originally scheduled for October 8th was postponed because of the weather from Hurricane Matthew. The game was at home but now it’s been moved to Baton Rouge on November 19th.
Florida was impressive in their last game with a 40-14 blow out of Mizzou. They scored two defensive touchdowns.
“Anytime you get a defensive score or a non-offensive score, it’s a momentum shift for the whole team,” cornerback Jalen Tabor said. “I felt like I did that for my team today.”
Florida has one of the best defenses in the nation, currently ranked 3rd in total defense. They only allow 253 yards per game and 12 points per game. They have 19 sacks, which ties them for 20th nationally.
Tabor is the best player on defense, widely considered a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He returned an interception 39-yards for a touchdown. The opposite corner Quincy Wilson also took a pick to the house.
“When you’ve got two great corners like that, they’ve got to pick one side of the field,” Gators coach Jim McElwain said. “It’s like pick your poison. Where you going to go with it?”
Quarterback Luke Del Rio made his return from a sprained left knee, playing for the first time in a month. The offense looked sloppy and he didn’t play well. He threw 3 interceptions and they were flagged for 8 false starts.
“Knee felt great,” Del Rio said. “Brett Favre said it: Playing injured or hurt is not an excuse for playing poorly. The knee didn’t affect me at all. It was just bad decisions, bad throws.”
Del Rio played well before he was injured. He’s passed for 998 yards, 7 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and a 57.6%completion rate.
The Gators have some talented skill players. Running back Jordan Scarlett leads the team with 375 yards and 5 TD’s. Lamical Perine has 300 rushing yards and Mark Thompson has 262 yards. Receiver Antonio Callaway has 23 receptions, 399 yards, 2 scores and averages 17.3 yards per catch.
The Gators are far from being a prolific offense but they can become more efficient. They have bye week before the October 29th showdown with Georgia. They will get the chance to rest players and get them healthy. It will also give them more time to game plan against true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason.
Both teams should be prepared and well rested for this rivalry game. I give the advantage to UF.
The Rivalry
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
You learn at a pretty young age one of the things that makes sports so great are all the different rivalry games that take place year in and year out.
It almost starts as this kind of rite of passage that every young sports enthusiast must take. In elementary school you start pulling for a particular team, normally based upon who your parents root for, and learn fairly quickly there are certain teams that under no known circumstance, are you ever to pull for. Surely you remember going to school in the shirt with your favorite team’s logo plastered all over it, joking around the with kids pulling for the other team.
Some rivalry games are more localized than others, while some are on a much larger, nationwide scale. The Georgia/Florida games falls somewhere in between.
