Field Goal U

I figured up a couple of weeks ago that I’ve been to somewhere around 300 games.  I have seen every one of Mark Richt’s 50 losses in person.  I also witnessed every one of Jim Donnan’s 40 losses.  Heck, that’s 90 losses right there.  I went to a bunch of Dooley and Goff games, too, which offered their fair share of losses.  I’d guess I’m roughly around 190-110 as an observer, though I might not have seen 20 Dooley/Goff losses in person.  I’m at best 200-100.  All that to say, there ain’t nothing like walking out a winner vs. a loser.  We scored 28 and played a great game vs. Bama in 2012.  Give me a 9-6 victory every day.

But the game felt eerily familiar.  It felt so much like Richt circa 2001-2003.  People forget how conservative we were, how much we relied on Billy Bennett.  To this day, Billy Bennett remains the SEC’s all-time leader in career FGs made, with 87.  And Billy’s first 2 years we were only playing 11 games.  Remember the 2001 Tech game?  Billy had SIX FGs, Verron finally scored a TD in the 3^rd and Wansley had a pick-6 late to seal the deal.  We scored 31 points and scored 1 offensive TD.  13-7 over the Cocks in ’02 with the only TD a Pollack miracle.  On Oct. 25, 2003, a then 3-5 UAB team came to Athens.  It was 10-10 at haltime.  They took a 13-10 lead in the 3^rd and we didn’t tie it up till about 3 min. left in the 3^rd.  Billy kicked a FG early in the 4^th for us to win 16-13.

So, maybe we’re back there.  Maybe we play Defense and do that.  I don’t know.  I just used to know winning was enough back then.  I’m not sure what happened in the last 10 years when winning didn’t seem to be enough.  I’m cool winning 9-6 from here on out.  What I do know is that those teams in 2001-2003 also showed up in some bigger games and proved to be explosive at times.  Greyson reminds me most of Greenie in his skill set.  If he can get his moxie and coolness, we’ll be alright.

For your recruiting pleasure:

>Kyle Davis commits on Friday

>Tune-In to ESPNU Friday at 10 p.m. to watch Eason play.  No, he can’t play for us in Jax no matter how many strings you pull.

The game…

·       I am incredibly proud of Sony.  He didn’t feel well and ran his rear end off.  Keith ran as hard as I’ve ever seen him run.  Douglas still hits the hole too slow for my taste, but we’re gonna need him to produce some.  If there was ever a doubt how good Nick Chubb is…there ain’t no more.

·       Malcom Mitchell is awesome.  Godwin is gonna be a star.  Boy do we need JSW.  We really need 16 back.

·       Rumor is Jeb Blazevich still plays for us.  Could just be a rumor, though.

·       I think Briscoe is gonna be good.  Pruitt could care less about players’ feelings.  He’ll play a new kid in a heart beat.  That young secondary is getting better.  Those 90 plays in Knoxville killed us, y’all.

·       We play Roquan and Natrez A LOT at key points in the game.  Will be fascinating to see how it plays out, because Kimbrough and Ganus are playing lights out.

·       I am beginning to looooooooove Davin Bellamy.  That joker is huge.

·       I thought our O-line got pushed around, but sometimes you can’t block 7 with 5.  It’s going to continue to be a problem until…

Lambert.  He’s our guy, like it or not.  He’s what we got, and he’s a stop gap to get to Eason.  I can’t figure it out.  He’s not terrible.  JT3 was terrible.  Jeremy Johnson is terrible.  The kid from South Carolina is terrible.  In fact, he throws a beautiful ball at times.  But no one is scared, and that’s more apparent with Chubb out.  To me, it really seems like  crisis of confidence.  Vernon Hargreaves III will not help that confidence.  Our hope is that the QB guru of gurus can coach him up in the next 12 days.  Do you remember Matt Stafford and how bad he was the first half of 2006.  It was awful.  Colorado and Ole Miss games?  Awful.  Losing in Lexington.  I don’t know what happened that day in Lee County, Alabama, but something clicked and he was never the same again.  Lambert is not Stafford, but he’s got plenty of talent for something to click emotionally and mentally to be a really, really good SEC QB.  Let’s hope it happens on the river.

As for Richt, this is a big stretch for him, but he ain’t going anywhere short of 6-6.  In a way, this might his greatest hour.  No one really rallies the troops like CMR, and no one really keeps the noise out quite like him.  It would be JUST like him to win this thing out and win the East.  I do know that I believe in him.  I believe in where we’re headed.  What he did with Marshall reaffirmed WHY I love him so much, and I believe in THAT process.  I’ll bet his jaw is set on the banks of the St. John’s River.