Spread the Love Folks
The Georgia Bulldogs’ 31-24 win over Auburn was a very pleasant surprise. Particularly after spotting the Tigers 14 points on the first two possessions. It was looking bad for the good guys, but then A.J. Green got hurt. Wait, did I say that right? Like it was a positive thing? I would never wish that on anyone. I hope A.J. heals up quickly, we need him, but to persevere and win without him was huge to me.
Early in the season A.J. was our team, making catch after miraculous catch. To progress to a point where we can beat a pretty good Auburn team without him is immeasurable. The growth of our O-line and running backs is gratifying to see. The young receivers like Israel Troupe having their chance and making the most of it. Tavares King could be an awesome compliment to A.J. Green in the future.
I have to also say that the defense came to play. The Auburn no-huddle offense and what I bet were scripted plays really put us on our heels. The third possession seemed to stop the hemorrhaging and whether it was swagger or something else, it was fun to watch. Even though there could have been more, the two interceptions were a delightful change of pace as well.
Blair Walsh continued to impress with his sixth career field goal over 50 yards, with four this season. This kick moved him into a four-way tie for second place in career field goals over 50 yards. Alan Leavitt, The Blogger himself and Brandon Coutu also had six. If he continues to have the opportunities and stays healthy, obviously he is on pace to break a very special record held by Kevin Butler(11). The younger Butler(Drew) had a disappointing night, only punting for a 47.4 average on 5 punts. His season average plummets to 49.0. I guess being on the Ray Guy watch list went to his head. Just kidding folks.
I tell you, Dawg fans have been super critical of the coaching staff, sometimes for good reason. My belief is when they pull things together you should acknowledge that as well. The sign of good coaching is when a player and/or team gets better over time. This team has gotten better the last four games, the Florida game notwithstanding. They may win out, which I would not have predicted 48 hours ago.
Randall Cobb of Kentucky gave us fits last year and Tech is a well oiled machine, but shtuff happens, as we have seen all too often this year. Maybe we can make some shtuff happen and make someone choke on their Thanksgiving leftovers. You know who I’m talking about!
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From what I understand, the defense coming out and finishing strong had more to do with Jeff Owens than Soft Willie.
Let all of the 30 point games he’s given up (the most in Georgia’s history, ever, in ONLY five years) and the ammount of 40 point games he’s given up (again, a Georgia record in ONLY five years) not be forgotten because we won this game.
I’m happy that we won. But that won’t last long if Richt again refuses to do the right thing at the end of the year and fire Martinez by pointing to this game, using his selective memory to forgert everything else.
Glad for the win, but if it means Willie somehow keeps his job… how can it be a happy memory anymore?
11/15/2009 at 10:52 PM
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog post…
11/15/2009 at 11:06 PM
A good win – solid play on both sides of the ball and a gutsy comeback amidst early adversity. Almost no penalty yards and no turnovers. Good things happen when you play fundamentally sound football. Another thing I like is that this team seems to be GETTING BETTER the last two games. Say what you will, this coaching staff has has endured and persevered against the some times absurd criticism of the fans and a brutal schedule. It’s a young team filled with talent and if we win out it will be one of CMR’s better coaching jobs. This year will be good but the future looks very bright indeed. I still don’t know about Matinez but obviously CMR knows something the rest of us don’t – as long as he is the HC we need to trust his judgement -I don’t think CMR would jepordize the kids he recruits college careers and the program over a friendship.
11/15/2009 at 8:09 PM
It was such a fun night in Athens. I hated the boos in the first quarter and was happy when the crowd got into the game. Seeing two horrible injuries was the worst part of yesterday, I hope they both recover quickly. Seeing the freshmen play so well exciting. They are the future and it looks bright. I can’t wait for next Saturday in Athens. My daughter is a Tech grad and I hope that she has a horrible Saturday after Thanksgiving. Go DAWGS.
11/15/2009 at 7:34 PM
The tackling was a mirror’s reflection of itself in the final 50 from the first 10. Made all the difference in the world. Guys were in place to make a play and took the ball carrier to the ground.
Always proud to be a Dawg. Extra proud today!
11/15/2009 at 4:57 PM
After horrible starts by both, Willie and Bobo really got things going and dominated the last 40 minutes of the game.
Special teams poor coverage kept Auburn in it…. always a coachable moment
11/15/2009 at 4:48 PM