TEXAS - Bend Over, Here It Comes Again

This year, Texas gets hit with the BOHICA banana. In my opinion, Texas got a royal buggering by the BCS formula. But, perhaps that is the fault of Big 12 officials allowing the BCS formula to dictate the tie-breaker. If the analysis came down to picking Oklahoma or Texas, then I believe Texas irrefutably deserved to represent the Big 12 South in the Big 12 Championship Game. Why? Simple. In a game in which we all believe the regular season games are sacrosanct and mean more than regular season games in any other sport on the planet, not using Texas's 10 point victory over Oklahoma on a neutral field to elevate them above Oklahoma is utter horseshit. Yes, I know that Texas Tech throws a wrinkle into this, but they are far enough behind these two teams in all of the rankings that the inquiry boils down to OU and UT. UT beat OU by 10 points on a neutral field with both teams at full strength. WTF? To paraphrase what Colonel Jessep said in "A Few Good Men" - "You just weakened college football today."

Sorry Longhorns. You got totally screwed.

How Depressing

To me, losing to Tech yesterday was more depressing than maddening. If losing to them once in 8 years is this depressing, I can't imagine how Tech felt for the past several years. Nor do I wish to learn. Better get some defense Coach Richt or we might find out.

Too depressed to look for the energy to write what I think should be done about our serious problems on defense and special teams. Maybe later.

Dawg Mantra for Today...

Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT

Repeat this 8 times, 8 minutes before kickoff and at the 8 minute mark of each quarter.

GATA!

DAWGS WILL BEAT TECH: EIAR,B!!!

How will the weather affect the game? Since it will have been raining for hours before the game, the field will be soaked and we will probably see a few players slip on cutting. This type of field condition typically favors the offensive player that knows where he is going. This could allow the UGA receivers to gain an extra step of separation on their short routes. If gripping the ball is not a big problem, then we could see an advantage for our passing game against their pass defense.

As for the rushing games are concerned, I believe a player that runs like Moreno, with constant hard cuts, will be hindered more than a player like Dwyer who is more of a north-south power back. However, the Tech offense may be limited in its ability to execute the high speed option play in which a wing back (or whatever they are called) comes at full speed from the opposite side of the formation. On that particular play, the back may have trouble making the turn at the corner at the rate of speed in which the play is normally executed. Also, the QB may have more trouble making the sharp cut inside off of the read at the edge. THat is how Nesbitt normally gets into the second level by breaking inside and causing the overpursuing linebackers fly right by. That particular cut may be less effective.

I think that the kicking game will be all-around more difficult on a wet, soggy day. I would not count on Coach Richt having great confidence in sending Walsh out for a field goal try over 45yards - if that.

All considered, I believe that Moreno's numbers could be down in bad weather while Stafford may have a fantastic day is we concentrate on shorter, quick hitting routes. The Tech running game probably would not be as affected as ours overall - because of Dwyer's style - but I think Nesbitt will be affected as mentioned above.

I said a few days ago that I felt it was reasonable to foresee a score like UGA 24 - GT 17. I still feel about the same, but I am going to pick Georgia to cover the spread and win 28 - 17. I think Moreno will be held to about 100 yards but Stafford will go over 300. We will have 4 TDs. Moreno (2), Massaquoi (1), and Green (1). Rennie Curran will collect 13 tackles and Reshad jones will have 10. The unexpected hero of the game will be Richard Samuel with a long kickoff return to set up a TD in the first half.

Go Dawgs. GATA!

One More Time

The Georgia defense must pound the Tech quarterback like a cheap Mexican skirt steak. He needs to be picking Sanford turf out of his face mask on every play in which he can be legally planted in the sod. He needs to look like he was run through a jumbo sausage grinder by half-time. If we punish him like a Bad Newz Kennel underperformer, he won't finish the game. Do you hear me Wynn, Lomax, Battle, Houston, Dobbs, Curran, Dent, Ellerbe, Gamble, Jones, Byrd? Knock the turkey and dressing out of him early and then beat the pecan pie and ambrosia out of him late. THIS... is the key to the game.

GATA!

Beating Tech - A Simple Plan

There is one simple thing that the Dawg defense can do that will assure a victory. Knock the living shit out of the quarterback on every option play. Every single time, he needs to get hammered. Period. That will neutralize the triple option.

GATA!

C'mon Dawgs, Let Your Balls Drop

I have heard too much pussified whining about how Tech is going to run all over Georgia because "look what they did to Miami." Guess what, we aren't Miami. Senator Blutarsky had some valid points on this issue today that you should read (as if you haven't already.) If Tech had gashed everyone like the did Miami, then I would be more worried. But, before you concede the game to Tech because our defense has tackled poorly lately, let's consider a little more of Tech's body of work.

The five games prior to the domination of Miami looked like this:

Tech 10 - Gardner Webb 7 (3.4 yards per play.)
Tech 21 - Clemson 17 (4.7 yards per play.)
Tech 17 - Virginia 24 (4.6 yards per play.)
Tech 31 - FSU 28 (6.7 yards per play.)
Tech 7 - UNC 28 (5.5 yards per play.)

That is an average of 17 points per game against mediocre competition. On the season, they average 6.1 yards per play. Our defense, on the year, has allowed 5.0 yards per play. While these stats can be meaningless if we give them great field position all day or if we turn the ball over, I think another conclusion to draw from these figures is that we should not expect them to score much more than 17 points.

Do you have any idea what our offense averages? 6.7 yards per play. Their defense only allows an average of 4.5 yards per play, but they have surrendered an average of 24 points per game during the past 5 games. We have scored an average of 29 points per game over the past 5 games - including our 10 point outing against Florida. My point is that if those mediocre ACC teams could score 24 points per game, then we should too. And, if those mediocre ACC teams could hold them to an average of 17 points per game, then we should too.

This is not my final prediction on the game, but on paper, we should beat them by more than 24-17 despite our defensive woes on occasion. If the turnover battle is even or in our favor, then we win this game by at least a touchdown but probably by two touchdowns. So stop worrying and start planning to GATA!

MUMME POLL after 11/22 Weekend

My Mumme Poll Ballot following the weekend of 11/22 - Musical Chairs.

Top 5 - No particular order:

Alabama - Iron Bowl Bound
Florida - Tebow and Harvin may be rusty after sitting out most of the Citadel game
Texas - I would place them ahead of OU for now (pending the outcome of OU-OSU)
Oklahoma - That was a statement heard loud and clear
USC - Praying for Oregon State to win so they won't have to destroy another Big Ten Champ in the Rose Bowl

Next 7 - no particular order:

Penn State - A significant season for the ageless Jo Pa
Texas Tech - Crashing back to earth
Utah - They are good, but I have no idea how good
Ohio State - Didn't mind kicking Michigan while they were down
OK State - Is an upset brewing in Bedlam?Georgia - Just beat Tech!
Boise State - Hoping Fresno State will put Detwiler and Mendonca in pads to knock off Boise this weekend

Missouri sits and waits and waits and waits.

Eight Things That Need to Happen for The Dawgs to Make It Eight In A Row, Bitches

#1. Moreno needs to have at least 23 carries. The Dawgs have never lost when he has gotten this many carries. Moreover, if Moreno runs it 23 times or more, he will certainly have over 125 yards and the Dawgs have never lost when he gains at least 105 yards.

#2. Stafford needs to take care of the ball and have zero turnovers. The Dawgs have only lost once when Stafford had no turnovers - Vandy 2006.

#3. We must get Touchdowns instead of Field Goals when we are in the red zone.

#4. Average more than 5 yards on first down. The key to being effective on offense in this game will be to stay out of 3rd and long situations.

#5. Penalties. For the love of everything that is holy, do not commit countless senseless personal fouls. Also, no procedure penalties in the red zone would help.

#6. Hammer their QB on every play. Put his ass on the ground on every pitch. If he keeps it, drill him. If holds the ball until the last second, nail him as he is pitching the ball and follow through with the tackle until he is buried into the ground. Nesbitt needs to be gun shy by the second quarter. He is already playing banged up, so keep on banging on him.

#7. Clog the middle to minimize the fullback. We have 5 tackles and they need to be rotated every two plays to keep them fresh. All they have to do is occupy the middle and take away the fullback. But they have to do it on every snap. They cannot take a play off.

#8. Our defensive ends need to avoid cut blocks. They have been terrible all year about getting cut down on the edge. If they cannot properly neutralize the Tech blockers, then Tech will be 5-10 yards upfield before first contact. Our ends must beat the block and force the pitch. The earlier they can force the pitch, the easier it will be for our corners, LBs and safeties to make a stop.

UGLY WIN YIELDS THIRD STRAIGHT OVER AUBURN: Things could be much worse

You know the last time we beat Auburn in three consecutive seasons was when #34 toted the ball for us. I have been watching Georgia since I can remember and I am 42 years old now. In my lifetime, here is what we have done with Auburn:
66-69: 3-1 (were 4-6 for the decade)
70-79: 4-6
80-89: 4-6
90-99: 4-5-1
00-08: 5-4

The overall record in my lifetime is 20-22. As you can see, this is the first decade since I was born in which we are finally assured of not having a losing record against Auburn. So you will please forgive me if I am not too upset with an ugly win against Auburn.

Auburn is now 5-6 on the season. Their offense is terrible. But their defense has kept them in every game except the West Virginia contest. Excluding the 17 point loss to WVU, Auburn has lost the other 5 games by an average of less than 5 points per game. While I think we are better than the other teams that have beaten Auburn, I was not at all surprised that we couldn't put them away. They were fighting for their (post-season) life and we continued to be plagued by the things that have hurt us in recent weeks. Poor special teams play, poor tackling, stupid penalties and red zone problems. Our defense played better, but were not spectacular - allowing 303 total yards. Despite all of this, I am still happy just to get out of there with a win.

The personal foul penalties are just a big, hairy, WTF? Although, I must say that it did not look like Reshad Jones did anything that caused the Auburn player (Burns I think) to go down a couple of steps out of bounds. I could be wrong, but it looked like Reshad let him go and then Burns tripped over his own feet at the exact same time making it look like Reshad threw him down. Someone correct me if I missed that. Watching the replay a few times on Raycom, I never saw an actual foul, just what appeared to be a foul and one in which we were never going to get the benefit of the doubt.

Prince Miller should be done with returning punts. This should have been decided before the fumble against Auburn.

No more fade passes please. We can't hit them and we don't need to throw that type of pass given Stafford's arm strength and Massaquoi and Green's ability to make cuts and catch balls in traffic. I have beaten this dead horse since the Tennessee game. Still not reaching Bobo's ears yet.

Moreno got close to the magic number of 23. He had 22 rushes for 131 yards. That 23rd carry could have been a beauty.

Stafford was effective and most importantly, had no turnovers. We did not do well on first down on too many possessions which led to poor down and distance situations. The result was a 3-11 effort on third downs. That will get us beat in most games. I felt like our offense should have shown a solid commitment to running the ball, but I did notice some effective defensive adjustments by Auburn in the first half that slowed our rushing attack. So, perhaps I need to give more credit to Auburn on this one and acknowledge the youth and lack of depth on our offensive line.

All-in-all I am happy with the win. Frustrating at times, but satisfying when the game was finally secured. At this point in this season with this team... it is what it is and we are slowly marching to an 11-2 season. Things could be much worse.

Now, on to Eight In A Row, Beotch!

MUMME POLL after 11/15 Weekend

My Mumme Poll Ballot following the weekend of 11/8 - No changes.

Top 5 - No particular order:

Alabama - Methodical
Florida - Steamrolling
Texas Tech - Everything on the line this week
Texas
USC - May get the UGA 2007 treatment if Oregon State doesn't lose again

Next 7 - no particular order:

Penn State
Oklahoma
Utah
Ohio State
OK StateBoise State
Georgia

None of these 12 teams lost and I am not inclined to promote Missouri into my Top 12 right now so there is no change from last week. The big game coming up with Texas Tech and Oklahoma will probable send a few ripples throughout.

GEORGIA - AUBURN 2008

I am having a hard time getting a read on what I expect to happen on the Plains Saturday. One reason is that I refuse to believe that Auburn is as bad as their performance this season would indicate. Thus, I have a minor dreadful concern that they have a break-out game that they have not yet played this season. On the other hand, offensively, they don't appear to be able to pour piss out of a boot. At the same time, our defense also appears to have forgotten how to operate the boot for piss removal. So, what happens when an offense that can't score meets a defense that can't stop anyone? Fortunately, it may not matter.

The UGA offense should be able to run the ball on Auburn. Sure, our offensive line continues to lose players like a modern-day Western Front. But, the Auburn defense has been equally stung by the injury bug. I think Knowshon will get to the second level often enough to have a special day. As always, I want to see him get 23 carries and if he does, it should be good for about 150 yards. Of course, if Moreno has this kind of day, there should be plenty of opportunity for Matthew Stafford and the play-action passing game. I hope we will see a solid commitment to getting Moreno established and will be content to pound the ball. If this works, we will score over 30 points.

I think 30 points will be more than enough to win this game. It damn sure better be. I have a sneaking suspicion that our defense is going to show a level of determination not seen since Tempe. I believe the talent is there to shut down this discombobulated Auburn offense and it will begin on the first possession. Our front 4 need to focus on whipping the man across from them. We need the big uglies to occupy the Auburn line so our linebackers can roam free to make tackles. Speaking of making tackles, we can't try to hug these guys to the ground. We need to punish them from the very beginning.

To keep this game from becoming a shoot-out, we need to win the turnover battle for a change and our special teams need to be at least mediocre. The good news is that there is no way our special teams can do worse than last week.

I know that there is a feeling that Tuberville is fighting for his job and that the Auburn players want payback for having been embarassed the past two years. Those two factors bother me. But, this team has not scored on anybody this year. I have to believe that we won't be the one team that allows them to have an orgy of offense. I do wish we had the added comfort of knowing that Brandon Cox was still their QB, but we will have to do what we can with Kodi Burns instead. He has been generous with the ball this year with 7 interceptions in 126 attempts. That is a pick in every 18 throws. In fact, he has thrown 5 picks in his last two SEC games. Maybe we will grab a few of his passes.

I may amend this on Friday, but for now, I am feeling like the Dawgs will score 31 and will hold Auburn to 24 or less. So, I guess... UGA 31 - AU 24. Another ugly win? Maybe.

NAVY - NOTRE DAME: TWO IN A ROW?

Last year, Navy beat Notre Dame for the first time in my life. That was a pretty good Navy team and a horrible Notre Dame team. This year, due to injuries and graduation, Navy is not as strong as last year but is still having a nice season at 6-3. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is improved but not anything special at 5-4. The game is in Baltimore this year so hopefully ND won't get every call from the officials like they do in South Bend. If Navy protects the ball and doesn't fall behind early, this will be a good game. I am not expecting a Navy win, but it will certainly be sweet if they get it done. GO MIDDIES!

Midweek Musings: A Smorgasbord

Red Zone Touchdowns... Did you notice how that statistic improved to perfect last week? Did you also notice that Knowshon Moreno was on the field every time? That is no coincidence. He can get in the end zone on plays that our other backs would not. Even if he doesn't get the ball, he commands much attention which opens up our other playmakers. In these last few games, we must have KM on the field when we are in the red zone. It just works.

Tailbacks... Last year, Thomas Brown and Knowshon made a great 1-2 punch and both had the ability to get in the end zone. This year, when Knowshon comes out, we have a precipitous drop in the talent/productivity at the tailback position. That includes running and blocking.

Richard Samuel is a true freshman who is barely 18 years old. He may become a great tailback in the next couple of years. He also could be a great linebacker, which is the position I thought he would play at Georgia. He is fast, tough and strong but he doesn't seem to be a fluid runner. He can still be effective in a Musa Smith style of running, but he will need a solid offensive line to gobble up yardage. Fortunately, barring continuous season-ending injuries to offensive linemen, he will have a tremendous line to run behind in the coming seasons.

Caleb King has size, speed and elusiveness. So why does he not inspire confidence when he goes in the game? Does he remind anyone else of Patrick Pass? And how did Patrick Pass have such a long NFL career?

Auburn... I will have more input about the game tomorrow, but for now I keep vacillating between being worried that they will play out of their heads... to being confident that they totally suck. I want to believe that our defense is going to nut up and play with a new level of determination. I expect our offense to be able to move the ball and score, but we can't commit costly turnovers. If our special teams make the trip, we should win, even if it is another ugly win. I just can't yet make up my mind what it is that I foresee.

Best Case Scenarios... It is not that I expect either of these scenarios to manifest, but if we win out, here are two scenarios to put us in a BCS game. (1) Florida loses to Spurrier's Cocks (or FSU) and Alabama in the SECCG. Sure they were a better team than UGA, but I suppose losing two of their last three games would move them below us in the BCS standings. This isn't going to happen, but they will be facing the best defense they have seen all season on Saturday. Perhaps it will be close. Perhaps. (2) Alabama loses to either Miss. State or Auburn and to Florida in the SECCG. This is less likely to happen because Bama losing to State or Auburn seems unlikely, though they have played with fire several times this season already.

Kentucky Coach... I am not sure which coach to attribute this to, but the timeout call right before the end of the 3rd quarter was brilliant and directly led to an easy touchdown drive. With UGA facing 4th down around our 10 yard line there was only about 15 seconds remaining in the quarter. Kentucky called a timeout to force Mimbs to punt out of his end zone into a stiff 20-30 mph wind. The result was a wobbly shanked punt that landed around the UGA 35 and bounced backwards to the UGA 29. It was a net 19 yard punt. Kentucky scored shortly thereafter. It was a brilliant call and most coaching staffs would have missed the opportunity - I assure you.

MUMME POLL after 11/8 Weekend

My Mumme Poll Ballot following the weekend of 11/8 - this one was easy.

Top 5 - No particular order:
Alabama - Flirting with disaster and surviving.
Florida - will be interesting to see how their offense does against a really good defense Saturday.
Texas Tech - Fun to watch
Texas
USC

Next 7 - no particular order:
Penn State
Oklahoma
Utah
Ohio State
OK State
Boise State
Georgia

Thoughts on Kentucky Game

I was not surprised that this game was close (42-38.) However, I was surprised and disappointed in how many points our defense surrendered. I expected a flat, malaise-like performance overall. But, there was no shortage of energy on the field for both sides. We just did not make plays on defense and tackled poorly again. We were fortunate to escape with a win - thanks to some incredible improvisation by Stafford and Green and thanks to our defense finally making a few stops late in the game.

Mohamed Massaquoi! I have to say that he is my favorite player on this team. I love how hard he plays. My heart was breaking for him after two consecutive fumbles. I don't remember him ever fumbling before. These fumbles resulted from him struggling for extra yardage and the Kentucky defenders doing a great job hammering the ball. Thankfully, Mo Mass had an opportunity to redeem himself and did with a 78 yard catch and run on our last possession to put us inside the 10 yard line. On the day, he had 8 catches for 191 yards and one TD. I said last week that he was a warrior. I now say that he has the heart of a lion. I am glad we get to watch him play 3 more times. After that, I will be sad that he is gone, but hope he has a stellar NFL career. He is a terrific young man and has been a tremendous asset to our program.

Knowshon Moreno - A very good game with three TD runs that no one else in Red and Black could have made. This is nitpicking, but he made a rare bad cut inside our 10 on third down. It looked like he could have easily made the first down by going outside but was tackled short when he tried to cut inside. Maybe the TV angle did not give the accurate picture, but it looked like he would have had it easily by going outside. The shocking thing is that since he has such great vision and nearly always makes amazing, intuitive cuts, the rare bad cut seems amplified. Still, he does things that no other Bulldog back can do right now. His next carry, after a Kentucky TD, was an 18 yard TD run. Redeemed!

Matthew Stafford - Went through a few streaks of being perfect and only missed a few throws when the wind was at his back and the ball seemed to sail. His 17 completions were good for a career best 376 yards. That is 22 yards per completion. His scrambling game-winning toss to AJ Green appeared to be headed into the first row of the bleachers. Green really went up the ladder. It was a brilliant throw that was calculated to have only one of two results: A TD to Green or an overthrow out of the back of the end zone giving us the opportunity to tie the game with a field goal. The fact that the pass was virtually unable to be intercepted made it spectacular and has been praised by Coach Richt.

Prince Miller - Twice now he has fielded an over-the-shoulder punt return inside the 10 yard line. There is no scenario, with any punt returner - Deion Sanders included - in which fielding a punt running into your own end zone is acceptable. That he has done it twice is an indication that he can't be coached on this point. Thus, he should not be returning punts unless the punter is standing near his own goal line. This doesn't make him a bad person, just the wrong person to handle punts inside our 20 yard line.

Defense - We have a combination of things contributing to our defensive problems. Coaching, talent, poor tackling, etc. I concur with Quinton's remarks and PWD's remarks. I can't add much to those two summaries, so check them out. I think the biggest problem starts with the play of the front 4. When they play well, good things happen. If they get pushed around, bad things happen. We have to get solid in the middle. That means we need our guys healthy and deep. Our depth has been hurt all year by injuries. As PWD notes, if everyone comes back and stays healthy next year, it should be a much different defense.

Special Teams - ugh!

That is all for now.

Go DAWGS!

HDD PREDICTION - UGA Over Kentucky

I have been on the road since Tuesday and have not had time to pay much attention to the news leading into this game against Kentucky. From what I can tell, the lingering hangover from the WLOCP is worse than any in recent memory. How will that affect the players?

I am tired from my trip and still hung over from the WLOCP myself, so I will be brief...

The Dawgs need to start fast and keep their foot on the accelerator in this game to begin their healing process. This is not a game that just any win will make people feel better. No sir. Everyone is in a mood for an ass-whipping and they don't want that ass to be wearing silver britches. I feel like the team will not be especially sharp in Lexington and this could be a frustrating game a la UT and VU. That is not what we need.

However, in the end, a win by any margin is critical to point this team toward a 10-2 regular season record and a Capital One bowl bid. I truly believe we will win this in a game that is too close for comfort and I hope I am wrong. There is not any one thing that I expect to be a problem but just a general sense of malaise and drudgery. Look for an uninspired plodding effort resulting in a final score of 23 - 13. Damn I hope I am wrong. I am totally in the mood for us to ring up 50+ points while playing a modicum of defense. We shall see.

GO DAWGS!

MUMME POLL after Weekend 11/1

Here is my Mumme Poll Ballot this week...

Top 5 - No particular order:

Alabama
Penn State
Florida
Texas Tech - Now THAT is how you play inspired football!
Texas

Next 7 - no particular order:

USC
Oklahoma
Utah
TCU
OK StateBoise State
Georgia (because, despite the complete meltdown in Jax, I would keep them ahead of tOSU and Missouri)

FOOTIE PICKER - Weekend of 11/9

I forgot to post my picks last week, but I went 7-7 to bring my season totals to 61-72.

My picks in BOLD.

Thursday
Tcu 2 UTAH YEP

Saturday

Ohio State 11 NORTHWESTERN NOPE
UNC 4 Georgia Tech YEP
WAKE FOREST 3.5 Virginia YEP
TEXAS TECH 3.5 Oklahoma State
Florida 23.5 VANDERBILT
SOUTH CAROLINA 10.5 Arkansas NOPE
Georgia 11 KENTUCKY YEP
Oklahoma 25 TEXAS A&M NOPE
FLORIDA ST 6.5 Clemson
Penn State 7 IOWA
BOSTON COLLEGE 3 Notre Dame
Alabama 3 LSU
SOUTHERN CAL 17.5 California

PHIL FULMER ERA ENDS AT UT

I just watched a video of Phil Fulmer's press conference...



That is a video of a man who is hurting and heartbroken and I truly feel bad for him. I don't feel bad that he will have a golden parachute worth a few million (of course Obama will make it fair and redistribute some of that money to coaches who haven't achieved much.) It is obvious that Fulmer has just dived onto a grenade to try and save something he loves. I respect that a lot.

I never really liked him as their coach. Probably because he beat us more than we beat him. But, in looking back, I can't really remember him ever being anything other than a determined recruiter and coach who loved his job and his school. I don't recall many if any instances of him being a huge prick. Sure, he may have misled some Georgia HS prospects to get them up to Knoxville, but that is part of the game.

Here's to hoping UT can find someone to come in and lead them straight into solid mediocrity for the next decade or more!

ON A BRIGHTER NOTE

NAVY WINS!

"WOULD YOU LIKE US TO WRAP THAT FOR YOU? IT'S COMPLIMENTARY."

Dear Gators,

We sincerely apologize for "The Celebration." Please accept all of these gifts as reparation. We know you may not even need them because you seemingly have everything anyway. But we are in a giving spirit and will be offended if you refuse.

My alternative headline was this...

WARNING, THIS TEAM WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN EXACTLY 2.5 QUARTERS.

I don't feel like writing much about this game, so this will be short. The Gators are an excellent team. We had no chance in this game if we made even one or too costly errors. Making errors by the fistful... well that results in the worst loss in the Richt era. Call it payback for the celebration if you like. But, take an explosive offense like the Gators, give them freebies like you are handing out Halloween candy, and prepare for an embarassing outcome. Congratulations to Florida for making us pay and pay and pay. That is what championship teams do. And, to make their day even better, Texas went down to Texas Tech in a thriller.

A few specific comments:

Mohamed Massaquoi is a WARRIOR. He plays fearlessly and is the most reliable receiver we have ever had in a Bulldog uniform. Let me know if you think that is inaccurate.

Stafford's hurt leg. I don't know if that caused the underthrows, but he had his man open for big gains on the first two pics if he didn't underthrow it.

The onside kick. I am not opposed to the call if we were in the lead. I didn't like it at that point with the score what it was.

Demps and Rainey... I thought we contained them pretty well. But, in the end, Tebow and Harvin are gonna hurt you.

How to keep Brandon James in check? Before the game I said we should just score when we have the ball to avoid risks of blocked punts or long returns. I didn't consider the alternative... turn it over on every second half possession. That also keeps Brandon James from taking one to the house.

Extensive pre-game analysis... I won't be bothering in the future.

Penn Wagers and crew... AWFUL. Though they didn't per se cost us this game, they certainly do not seem to have the capacity to call a decent football game.

Florida vs. Alabama... who will win it? I think Florida.

That is all. GO DAWGS!