As I approach my 77th birthday, I find my game-day photography role becoming more physically challenging, especially during road games. This year, I made the tough decision to skip the trip to JAX and joined most other Dawgs in front of a screen for the Cocktail Party.
The sidelines are the worst seats in the house, and Saturday’s experience reaffirmed that. But having a great view didn’t improve the Dawgs’ sputtering performance. However, it’s important to remember that Georgia won the game. That’s the bottom line – stats don’t matter. Scoreboard! Let’s celebrate this victory and look forward to the next game with pride and excitement.
All of the communications I received from friends after the game started with one word, “Beck.” Playing quarterback has many advantages; it is the most critical single position on the field, and a team’s success tends to be associated with its quarterback. Of course, he also tends to be seen as responsible for offensive failures, and Carson Beck accepts that responsibility. In his postgame interview, he declared, “I think it really comes down to me at the end of the day.”
Georgia’s inconsistent play may be part of a broader college football issue. Roster movement produces teams with far less total experience – a redshirt senior has become a rare sight. The better a recruiting class, the fewer players will be around as upperclassmen. Most will either live their dream and play immediately (then be NFL-bound) or look for greener pastures if their playing time does not match expectations.
As a result of the roster upheaval via unlimited transfers, limits on hitting and practice time, offenses are inconsistent, and tackling is a lost art – and don’t even get me started on targeting. All this has significantly changed the dynamics of college football.
Next up is Oxford. Old Miss showed their strength against Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks in their warm-up for the Dawgs. As with every game, it’s another opportunity for our team to show their resilience (Kirby’s favorite term) and determination.