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Vance Leavy
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As I set out to write this issue’s offering, it’s exactly 24 hours after another shellacking of our Dawgs courtesy of the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide. And let me tell you, I’m still both hurting and smarting.
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I’m hurting because like most folks in the Bulldog Nation I really thought this past Saturday’s game was when our coach and his team were going to take the proverbial next step. However, as the Rolling Stone’s song says, “You can’t always, get what you want.”
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And I’m smarting because I’m still trying to digest how the game got out of control so quickly. My 24 hours of stewing has made me realize that our relatively, young team still has a ton of growing to do. And their coaches have the tough task of pulling them out of the drubbing they endured by Saturday’s road game in Knoxville.
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Obviously, there’s plenty of finger pointing that could be done, but I’m not sure that’s going to do much good. From a fan perspective, the most prudent course of action is to stand by your team. That’s why our cover reads … don’t jump ship. I sincerely hope the Bulldog Nation can shake these cobwebs by Saturday and be in Knoxville to support our men in red and black. The path of making it to Atlanta to play for the SEC Championship is still there. Now that will basically require our team to not lose another SEC game. So looking at the schedule that means victories over Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, Kentucky and Auburn.
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Of course, at this point, it’s silly to be looking at the big picture. Our team and fanbase need to focus on a Volunteer team that is desperately looking for a big win. It won’t be easy as UT is much improved and have been nipping at our heels in each of the last three meetings. The best way to erase the terrible taste of the Bama beatdown is to see victory formation on the field in historic Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
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As I said, it’s certainly not going to be easy, which is why our coaches must earn their handsome salaries this week on the UGA practice fields in Athens. To me, the first focus must be extra time spent on special teams.
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At last Tuesday’s press conference before the Bama game, I asked Coach Richt if the team would spend any extra time on special teams leading up to the game. Unfortunately, Coach Richt answered that there would not be any extra time dedicated. He cited that during the season the team is under the 20-hour rule, which makes that a difficult proposition. However, he assured everyone in room that the team spends a lot of time on special teams already.
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Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly hoping whoever is in charge of mapping out this week’s 20 hour finds a way to carve out some extra special teams practice. From the dagger, blocked punt for a TD to a poor day of punting, the third facet of our football team was brutal to watch. I know I’m not alone on this as Bulldog legend Kevin Butler (on page 15) passed on naming a special team player of the game.
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My apologies for my digression. I’m really trying my best to remain positive, so the best thing for me to do is to wrap this sucker up. Like I said above, the Bulldog Nation must now back its team, which includes their head coach. Yes, his record in big games must improve. And yes, his team somehow must eliminate always having one game each year where they are blown out. But for now, his only task is to take his team to Knoxville and get a win.
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Finally, kudos to Nick Chubb for breaking Herschel’s consecutive 100-yard record. Obviously, it was tough to celebrate given the outcome of the game, but an impressive accomplishment, nonetheless. Thumbs up #27!
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Let’s not jump ship Bulldog Nation . See you in Neyland!
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Make sure to check out Bulldawg Illustrated’s latest print edition: Don’t Jump Ship, digital issue available for free online click HERE.
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