Well all you can say is what a difference one week can make in college football. The jubilation of the entire Bulldog Nation after the opening victory in the Georgia Dome is certainly now a distant memory after our boys in red and black struggled mightily to topple Nicholls State 26-24 in Sanford Stadium this past Saturday.
Whew-wee … thank goodness Kirby Smart’s first game in Athens didn’t go down as the greatest upset in college football history. It nearly happened and is a great reminder that “humility is only a week away in college football.” This statement was made by Kirby in his presser after the North Carolina game and is something everyone who loves Georgia should heed.
Nonetheless, our team is 2-0, which represents a record that many teams in college football would love to possess right now.
As sluggish as the team’s performance was versus The Colonels, our coaching staff certainly has coachable moments galore this week in practice.
However, I’m not all that glum right now.
A wake up call before heading to Missouri this Saturday night is just what the doctor ordered in my opinion. Our team is young and has depth concerns in most places, so there’s going to be some bumps along the way. How they respond in a hostile environment in Columbia, Mo. is what I’m most anxious to see.
Without question, our offensive line must stiffen immediately if the Dawgs are to leave Missouri with a victory. Like Georgia, the Tigers are a work in progress under a first year coach. However, Mizzou always has a stout defensive front, which is why this game is a real concern. If our offense isn’t able to establish the running game, things will be icy Saturday evening, for sure.
And on the quarterback front, despite true freshman, Jacob Eason’s decent play in the Nicholls State game, our coaching staff went with the experience of Greyson Lambert to finish the game. Call me crazy, but I remain in the camp that playing two quarterbacks is fine. In my opinion, we must believe in our coaching staff on this one. For now, they think playing both Eason and Lambert gives the team the best chance at victory. And as of now, they are 2-0 with that logic. Don’t mess up a good thing, right?
Sorry for my humor that I’m sure many of you do not find all that funny, but there’s no way I’m hitting the panic button when our team has only played two games. I won’t tell you to “chillax,” even though that’s what I think. Let’s back our team 100% and know that our coaches will have them ready for Mizzou.
Not sure if you know much about the Tiger’s offense, but they employ a system where running a ton of plays is the ultimate goal. How Mel Tucker’s crew holds up physically will certainly be something to watch. We heard nothing but great things about this summer’s workouts, and now we get to see how the entire team will respond.
Ok, right about now, Cheri is reading my editor’s note and asking when I’m going to get off football. Sorry honey, but last week’s game was a doozy.
For the Bulldog Nation that is heading to Columbia, definitely don’t miss our Guide2Mizzou at the back of this issue. A publishing friend of ours, Fred Parry, owns the Inside Columbia magazine and was nice enough to give our readers a great resource for what to do when arriving to his town. Your mission is simple … represent the Bulldog Nation with great passion and come home Sunday sporting a 3-0 record. Buckle-up your chin straps … it’s time to take care of business on the road. Go Dawgs!!!