Kirby Smart addresses Georgia football’s offensive woes

Georgia faithful still wonder how the much longer the Dawgs’ D can bail out the struggling offense.

Georgia’s 2019 defense is a statistical anomaly. The Junkyard Dawgs will enter their final regular season game ranked fifth in total defense, second in rushing defense, seventh in passing efficiency defense, and have only allowed one rushing touchdown.

The Bulldog Nation thoroughly enjoys watching a defense that can guarantee a win requiring only 21 points. Georgia is one of two teams (Clemson being the other) that hasn’t given up more than 20 points thus far this season.

That said, Georgia faithful still wonder how the much longer the Dawgs’ D can bail out the struggling offense.

Head coach Kirby Smart acknowledged the fans’ echoed concerns after the Silver Britches’ lackluster offense.

“There were things [against Texas A&M] that we missed that were there. That’s the frustrating thing.”

He continued: “You get an opportunity on first and ten to make the plays that we had, and you’ve got to make those.”

Smart, obviously aware of the situation, added that “some of that had nothing to to with the calls…it had to do with execution.”

“[The defense] got tired toward the end of the game. We’re going to have to overcome that, because two weeks in a row now, we’ve kind of lost momentum late and struggled on a couple drives.”

Quarterback Jake Fromm has thrown under 50% for three consecutive games. Compared to his career percentage of 65.5%, the current trend is surprising.

“Offensively, we’ve got to improve. There’s no bones about it.” Smart The message this week is that the next step is the most important step.”

Saints win 34-31, push past Panthers on last-second Wil Lutz field goal

The New Orleans Saints let the Carolina Panthers play too close for comfort, but were able to trust kicker Wil Lutz to win in the end.

The New Orleans Saints won a nail-biter over the Carolina Panthers, with kicker Wil Lutz pushing a 33-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired. It followed a successful drive downfield that began when Panthers kicker Joey Slye missed his own would-be game-winner from 28 yards out.

It would be nice if the final score of 34-31 didn’t indicate how closely the Saints played this game, but that’s not the case. New Orleans backed themselves into a corner with 12 penalties, giving up 123 yards of field positioning. The Panthers took advantage of many of those opportunities, though inconsistent kicking from Slye (who went 1-for-3 on extra point tries, and 2-for-3 on field goal attempts) ended up costing them.

Good news for the Saints surrounds the increased involvement of tight end Jared Cook, who caught 6 of 8 targets for 99 yards and a touchdown score. Cook consistently made plays after the catch and down the seam, giving the Saints a viable option downfield opposite Michael Thomas (who turned in a typical 10-for-11, 110-yard showing).

It’s been a quiet few weeks for second-year defensive end Marcus Davenport, but something has to be said for his performance in clutch time. Davenport set up Carolina’s botched final field goal with a huge sack on third down and followed it up by leaping over the Panthers’ blockers, spooking Slye into an off-target chip shot. He made big plays in the game’s biggest moments.

So New Orleans improved to 9-2 on the year so far, while Carolina fell to 5-6. All eyes now are on the Sunday Night Football matchup between the projected top two playoff seeds: the 9-1 San Francisco 49ers and 8-2 Green Bay Packers. If the 49ers win, the Saints will have a shot at controlling their own destiny when San Francisco visits on Dec. 8. If the Packers win, New Orleans has to hope Green Bay drops a loss down the stretch, or the NFC’s top playoff seed could be out of reach.

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In cruelest irony, referees enforce DPI against Saints after challenge

The Saints were victims of a rule coach Sean Payton spent the offseason advocating, when referees sided with a pass interference challenge.

The NFL can be cruel. New Orleans Saints fans knew that already, but they were given an ugly reminder late in their Week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers, when Panthers coach Ron Rivera challenged a non-call for defensive pass interference against Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

And he got it. The officials huddled over the instant replay review station and gave Carolina the nod: the Panthers were given a fresh set of downs from the New Orleans 3-yard line. It didn’t matter because the Saints defense buckled down and forced the Panthers into an unsuccessful field goal try, but the fact that this was the one instance in which the officials overturned a call on the field — against a team that was so publicly victimized in similar circumstances in last year’s conference championship game — is such cruel irony. Saints coach Sean Payton spearheaded the effort to make pass-interference (called or not) reviewable, and his team ended up catching the brunt of it.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, NFL coaches went into Week 12 having overturned 3 of 74 (4%) such challenges. League officiating established a precedent that required overwhelming evidence to overturn the result as called on the field, and in this one situation, it ended up biting New Orleans.

Fortunately, it didn’t matter. The Saints followed up that field goal miss with their own drive down the field, capping it off with a Wil Lutz game-winner from 33 yards out. Hopefully this bizarre use of the replay review rules doesn’t hurt them again.

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College GameDay crew picks winner of Georgia vs TAMU

The College GameDay crew picked the winner of Georgia vs TAMU.

The College GameDay crew is set up in Columbus, Ohio today for the Ohio State vs Penn State game.

As it always does, the crew picked the winners of the day’s biggest games, and with Georgia vs Texas A&M on the slate for the SEC today, the guys put in their picks for showdown in Athens.

Joined by College Football hall of Famer Eddie George, a Buckeyes legend, the team made their selections with Desmond Howard and George picking the Dawgs to win big. Kirk Herbstreit had the Dawgs winning in a close one, with the weather coming into play.

Here are the picks:

Desmond Howard: Georgia wins big

Eddie George: Georgia wins big

Lee Corso: Georgia

Kirk Herbstreit: Georgia in a close game

Georgia football game day schedule vs TAMU: Senior Day edition

Georgia football’s gameday schedule vs Texas A&M.

Today will be the day a number of Georgia seniors and juniors will play their final game in Athens.

The Bulldogs host Texas A&M at 3:30 on Saturday in what will be Georgia’s last SEC game of the season before taking on Georgia Tech in Atlanta next Saturday.

Going to the game?

Here’s the pre-game schedule:

1:15: Dawg Walk

1:30: Gates open

2:49: Redcoat recognition

3:14: Senior recognition

3:27: National Anthem

3:31: Battle Hymn

3:35: Krypton

3:30: Kickoff

Georgia football tickets vs TAMU: Stats and info on price trend

Stats and info on the price trend for Georgia football tickets vs Texas A&M.

Georgia vs Texas A&M this Saturday will mark the first time the two two programs have met since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012.

And with this being No. 4 Georgia’s final home game of the season, ticket prices are not coming cheap. However, they are cheaper now than if you were to buy them just a few days ago.

This weekend’s game is averaging $317 per ticket on the secondary market and the get-in price is currently $88, down $50 earlier this week, according to TicketIQ. The average price has gone down 21% over the course of the week.

Also, with Georgia having secured a spot in the SEC Championship Game, tickets for the conference title game have skyrocketed.

Tickets for the 2019 SEC Championship are the most expensive of any conference championship, by a lot. Currently, the average asking price for a ticket to the game on the secondary market is $1,285, up from $820 last year, and the highest it’s been this decade. The next priciest game was the 2017 Georgia-Auburn game, which settled at a $945 average asking price. The cheapest ticket in the 71,00-seat stadium is trending at $343. The next most expensive 2019 conference championship is the Big 10 Championship,  starting at $92.

The Bulldogs have a real shot at making another visit to the College Football Playoff, and with Georgia’s success comes an increase in ticket prices. Playoff tickets are up over the last two weeks, as you can see below.

Fiesta Bowl: 

Average price: $445

Two week % avg price change: 25%

Get in price: $160

Two week % avg get-in change: 11%

Peach Bowl:

Average price: $817

Two week % avg price change: 47%

Get in price: $248

Two week % avg get-in change: 23%

National Championship:

Average price: $1,920

Two week % avg price change: 9%

Get in price: $971

Two week % avg get-in change: 27%

Pro Football Focus: Marcus Williams is the most underrated Saints player

The analysts at Pro Football Focus graded third-year New Orleans Saints free safety Marcus Williams as the team’s most-underrated player.

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Who is the most underrated New Orleans Saints player? Some might answer linebacker Demario Davis, or right tackle Ryan Ramczyk — neither of them have ever been voted into the Pro Bowl. Cornerback Eli Apple has done a lot to shed the “draft bust” label he was hit with earlier in his New York Giants career. Rookie punt and kickoffs returner Deonte Harris is among the best in the NFL at what he does. There are even arguments to make for fullback Zach Line and tight end Josh Hill as deep cuts who get appreciated by only the most ardent fans.

According to the analysts at Pro Football Focus, the title of most-underrated belongs to free safety Marcus Williams. PFF listed the candidates for every team in the NFL, and Williams was their pick for the Saints:

The highest-graded safety in the NFL isn’t a household name, but he really should be. Marcus Williams currently sits at the top with a 91.4 grade and has been playing better than any big-name safety you can think of. Williams has been on lockdown in coverage, with just 73 yards allowed in 445 coverage snaps, and he has more combined interceptions and pass breakups (8) than receptions allowed (7).

Those numbers are very impressive for Williams, who has already matched his single-season high for interceptions (4) in six fewer games. Now that he’s hurdled whatever mental blocks followed the Minneapolis Miracle to improve his tackling technique and trust his instincts, he’s become one of the NFL’s best center field ball hawks.

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5 reasons why Georgia football will beat TAMU on Saturday

Here are five reasons why UGA football will beat the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday in Athens, Georgia.

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This Saturday, the No. 4 ranked Georgia Bulldogs (9-1) host the unranked Texas A&M Aggies (7-3) in Athens.

Georgia, with its win over Auburn last weekend, clinched its spot in its third consecutive SEC Championship. The Aggies, on the other hand, were given college football’s hardest schedule and have lost to Clemson, Auburn and Alabama. Additionally, they still have to play LSU at the end of the season.

Despite being ranked No. 23 in both the Amway Coaches Poll and the AP Top-25, Texas A&M stayed unranked in the College Football Playoff rankings.

But do not sleep on Jimbo Fisher’s group. His team is coming off of a bye week and most recently beat South Carolina 30-6, the same team that beat Georgia in October.

We got the Dawgs winning, and you can see why below, but the DawgNation will come out and be loud on Saturday at 3:30.

Here are five reasons why Georgia beats Texas A&M.

Georgia football opens as heavy favorite over the Aggies

Georgia football opens as a heavy favorite over the Texas A&M Aggies.

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This Saturday, Georgia hosts Texas A&M in Sanford Stadium for the Bulldogs’ final SEC matchup of the year.

It will be the first time the two schools have met since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012.

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, Georgia opened as a 13.5 point favorite over Texas A&M, continuing the Dawgs’ streak of being favored in every game they have played this season.

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 1:15 p.m.

Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.

No. 4 Georgia is sitting at 9-1 and coming off an impressive road win over Auburn, while Texas A&M, which found its way into the Amway Coaches Poll this week at No. 24, is 7-3. Last Saturday, the Aggies took down South Carolina, the team responsible for handing Georgia its only loss, by a score of 30-6.

The last time the two programs met was in the 2009 Independence Bowl, which Georgia won 44-20. Running back Caleb King was responsible for two rushing touchdowns while tight end Aaron White caught two of his own.

Georgia leads the all-time series 3-2. The most recent regular season meeting between the two programs came in 1980. Georgia won that game and went on to win its second national championship.

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Ryan Ramczyk praises Nick Easton in first start, stresses need for consistency

New Orleans Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk talked up the impact of backup left guard Nick Easton, and the importance of consistency.

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The New Orleans Saints bounced back in a big way against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rebounding from its worst performance in recent years a week earlier to move the Buccaneers defensive line at will. And much of that success came up front, off of the efforts of blockers like right tackle Ryan Ramczyk.

A surprise boost came from backup left guard Nick Easton, who filled in for injured starter Andrus Peat and ended up earning New Orleans’ highest grade on offense from Pro Football Focus. When asked whether he could sense Easton’s eagerness to get back on the field, Ramczyk confirmed it.

“Yes, definitely,” Ramczyk said during a conference call with New Orleans media. “When we’re out there he’s encouraging and you could tell he was excited and ready to go. He definitely had a good mentality about getting the start and I think he did a great job. Whenever you can have a guy like that who is vocal and trying to get the team going, it amps us up too. Definitely a positive.”

Still, Ramczyk had to double back to his unit’s poor performance against the Atlanta Falcons. Painful as that game was — the Saints ran for a season-low 52 yards, and allowed a season-high six sacks — it provided plenty of teaching moments for the Saints offensive line. And it also gave them some added motivation to carry into practice down the stretch.

“That Atlanta game was not what we’re about and something we weren’t proud of at all,” Ramczyk said. “There’s a lot of bad stuff that happened in that game and we looked at that film and corrected it. As an offensive line, like I said, we want to be able to run the ball. We want to be able to pass the ball.”

And the Saints accomplished both of those goals against Tampa Bay, despite the Buccaneers’ ranking as one of the NFL’s best run defenses (just 81 yards allowed per game). New Orleans racked up 109 rushing yards as a team and controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for 37 minutes. While the Saints passing attack didn’t put up eye-popping numbers, that efficiency was what they wanted to see.

Ramczyk continued: “Two of the most important things is keeping Drew [Brees] protected, keeping him clean, and then being able to open up the run game. Week to week, that’s something we take a lot of pride in and we try to hold ourselves to a really high standard in those two aspects. Like you said, it was uncharacteristic against Atlanta, but we’re going to get on this roll and keep going and playing our game, playing our football.”

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