Georgia Football Overview

The Dawg Blog is coming back with a vengeance. I apologize for my long absence but during my long abyss I've had plenty of time to gather many thoughts about the current football season while my eager anticipation for the upcoming basketball season slowly builds.

I'll begin with the football season. Georgia's current rank of 10 is about fair, although I think they are the seventh best team in the country. I don't think Texas Tech is any good and BYU is, well, BYU but they're undefeated and I can't dispute their ranks. People have jumped on Oklahoma State's bandwagon recently which I think is ok, but keep in mind, this is the same OK State team that was dismantled by the Dawgs last season, 31-10, and that was well before the Dawgs hit their stride. This leaves us behind Florida, USC, Oklahoma, Penn State, 'Bama and Texas. I'd put Florida ahead of USC and OU because Florida has a signature win (LSU), while UGA, USC and OU have beat the teams they were supposed to beat but don't have a big win. And don't tell me Ohio State was a big win. Just spare me.

There's little point in discussing the season for the Dawgs thus far: we've all seen the games. But I'll tell you this: Georgia is about to hit their stride. Nothing proves this more than their fourth quarter last week against Tennessee. Georgia, with an injured offensive line, took 11 minutes off the clock with a heavy dose of Knowshon Moreno and Caleb King. FINALLY!!! This is what I've been waiting for all season. It seems as though the loss to Alabama shook something loose in the coaches' heads. I mean, last season the gameplan was a heavy dose of Thomas Brown and Moreno then Stafford would pick defenses apart. This year, it seems the philosophy has shifted to get the ball to A.J. Green. While I love Green, Moreno is the foundation of our offense. In that drive against Tennessee, Georgia rediscovered the running game. Clint Boling shifted over to left tackle to replace Vince Vance, who tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season, and Georgia ran right behind him with several toss plays to the left. If Boling, the SEC Offensive Lineman of the week, is able to move defensive lines like he did in that drive, Georgia will be able to consistently count on the run game again.

The development of the run game will become increasingly important as we count the days until Jacksonville. Against a Florida team that completely dismantled LSU 51-14, Georgia will have to control the clock and keep the speed of Percy Harvin and Jeffery Demps on the sideline. I see this happening in the next couple of weeks.

Now, to the most immediate concern: Vanderbilt. Vandy has not faced an offense like Georgia's this season and just came crashing down to earth in their last game, a loss to Mississippi State. I see Georgia running wild against the Vandy in preparation for the test in Baton Rouge. The main thing I would like to see improved in this game is the pass rush. Georgia must get pressure on Vandy's quarterback, who hasn't officially been announced yet but both can make things happen with their quick feet. This has been the overwhelming weakness for Georgia and will have to be improved before major SEC clashes in the upcoming weeks. I think the running game has been solved and this is the last real chance for Georgia to try out some new ways to get sacks.

I host a sports radio show for WUOG in Athens (90.5), so I'll have to hold off on any predictions but I'll be back with some more thoughts on the game next week, if not sooner.
- www.northfulton.com

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