Tag: UGA Football

What we learned from Georgia football’s win at Auburn

Defense again stole the show for Georgia on Saturday as the Dawgs picked up their SEC East-clinching win in a trip to Auburn.

Defense again stole the show for Georgia on Saturday as the Dawgs picked up their SEC East-clinching win in a trip to Auburn. The offense sputtered, but came through when needed. What did we learn?

Georgia’s defense is historically great, but has its flaws.

Oh no, Georgia gave up its first rushing touchdown of the season. It took ten games for any team to accomplish that against the Bulldogs.

What really hurt Georgia over the course of the game? Slant routes. Auburn simply abused Bulldog cornerbacks with quick 10 yard gains early on in drives, and while Georgia’s defense eventually stepped it up and forced several midfield punts and fourth down attempts, the Tigers’ offense out-gained and out-possessed Georgia’s offense on the day largely due to their quick chunk plays.

LSU still needs one more win to clinch the SEC West, but regardless of whether Georgia will meet Heisman hopeful Joe Burrow or an Alabama squad who recently lost its star quarterback, the Dawgs’ secondary will have to tighten things up in Atlanta when facing either one of two Western Division powerhouses that are ranked within the top ten nationally in total offense.

Switching to a soft zone defense late in the game when your defense has dominated all day may not be a good idea.

Georgia had all the momentum going into the fourth quarter. With a 21-0 lead, Georgia’s defense switched from their smothering man defense to a soft zone, presumably so as to not give up any home run plays.

However, Auburn then scored two touchdowns within the span of three minutes and found themselves driving to level the score in the game’s waning minutes.

All’s well that ends well, but switching to zone and nearly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory likely shaved some time off Georgia fans’ lifespans.

In a defensive battle, Jake Camarda can be the difference.

The Bulldogs’ punter has had a good season, not a great one. Yesterday on The Plains, however, Jake Camarda looked NFL-caliber. A certain special teams specialist even called him the game’s most valuable player.

He averaged just north of 50 yards per punt against the Tigers, including a booming 67 yarder that pinned Auburn at its own two yard line. In a matchup which your offense requires you to punt 11 times (including NINE three-and-outs), consistency is key in allowing your defense to control the pace of the game.

Georgia’s offense revolves around the offensive line.

Okay, maybe we knew this much earlier on. That being said, they looked stout against an Auburn front seven who came into the game averaging two and a half sacks per contest. Georgia allowed just one sack, which became only the sixth sack they’ve allowed all season.

Jake Fromm didn’t look as crisp as he’s looked in the past, but his pass protection provided by the Great Wall of Georgia allowed him all day to throw. Perfect blocking and a perfect throw gave Georgia a first quarter lead it would never relinquish.

Fromm would later toss two additional beautiful touch passes to Brian Herrien and Eli Wolf. D’Andre Swift recorded yet another 100 yard rushing performance. The offensive line continues to stand tall, literally and figuratively.

D’Andre Swift is not a human, he’s a tornado.

We’ve seen Swift with some mean tackle-avoiding spin moves before, but his latest is absurd. How quickly he managed to turn that full 360 degrees blows my mind, and with a hand in his face and a tackler closing in, he casually trotted for a first down.

Overall, what did we learn? Them Dawgs is hell.

Amway Coaches Poll released – Where’s Georgia football?

Where’s Georgia football in the Amway Coaches Poll?

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Following Saturday’s action, the Amway Coaches Poll, powered by USA TODAY Sports, has been revealed for Week 13.

Georgia may have had college football’s most impressive win of the weekend, beating No. 12 Auburn on the road. If you’ve watched Auburn this season, you’d know they were the best No. 12 in a long time.

Last week, Georgia was at No. 5 in the Coaches Poll, one spot behind Alabama.

However, after Georgia’s win and Alabama’s loss of Tua Tagovailoa, the coaches moved Georgia up to No. 4, where it also sits in the College Football Playoff rankings.

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The highest ranked team to lose was No. 7 Minnesota, which fell to Iowa and dropped to 11.

No. 10 Baylor was handed its first loss of the season via an epic comeback from Jalen Hurts and Oklahoma. The Bears fell to No. 13.

No. 11 Penn State survived a scare from Indiana but held on to win by a touchdown.

Here is the new Amway Coaches Poll top-ten:

1. LSU

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Georgia

5. Alabama

6. Oregon

7. Oklahoma

8. Utah

9. Penn State

10. Florida

Auburn fell to No. 16 and Notre Dame, an early season win for Georgia, destroyed Navy and moved to No. 15.

Three overlooked Georgia at Auburn plays; what they mean moving forward

Georgia Bulldogs football won 21-14 over the Auburn Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium last night. D.J. Daniel made an awesome first half play.

The Georgia Bulldogs got a massive 21-14 road win over the Auburn Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium last night. The Bulldogs played excellent, but let Auburn creep back into the game, much like LSU did when they defeated Auburn 23-20 in Baton Rouge.

Auburn’s defense has had similar stifling effects on Oregon, LSU, Florida, and Georgia. Auburn may have the best defensive line in the country.

In order for Georgia to win, it took numerous clutch plays down the stretch. Lots of these plays standout, but I’ve picked three that have significance moving forward.

At first glance, the D.J. Daniel pass break up isn’t too special, but you must factor in several things. Daniel is lines up against Auburn’s fastest player in Anthony Schwartz, who gains separation with his speed. Daniel keeps sound technique and a never-out-of-position mindset. He doesn’t panic and get interference. Instead, he makes an excellent well-timed play on the football:

That’s not all. What’s impressive is Daniel’s pre-snap focus. Daniel is not fooled by the look to the sideline and quick-snap that Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama used to trick LSU’s touted freshman Derek Stingley for a touchdown last week:

It’s a copy-cat sport, so don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last Georgia sees of this play. UGA defensive backs must be prepared for this, so they don’t give up a cheap touchdown moving forward.

Another play I’d like to highlight was perhaps Auburn’s last true chance to remain in the game:

Gus Malzahn called an excellent play, but Auburn quarterback Bo Nix couldn’t connect with his open receiver. This is a play that LSU’s Joe Burrow hits with ease. Georgia’s pass defense must tighten up moving forward. One way UGA can limit an elite passer like Joe Burrow is with pressure. The Dawgs must be more disruptive in a potential SEC Championship against LSU. The now healthier Tyson Campbell will continue to battle with D.J. Daniel for the second corner spot.

Punter Jake Camarda played his best game of the season yesterday. Camarda launched eleven punts(!!!) for 558 yards at Auburn. He consistently pinned Auburn’s offense against their goal-line in the first half with punts like this one:

If Camarda can continue to play at a high-level, then it will put UGA’s defense in much more favorable positions and give Georgia elite specials teams play, if the Dawgs can get down the field and cover kicks. Georgia has to limit special teams penalties moving forward to dominate the field-position battle. Georgia’s defense will need all the help it can get against LSU’s high-flying offense.

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Kirk Herbstreit ranks college football’s top-four teams

Where is Georgia football in Kirk Herbstreit’s top-four teams.

Kirk Herbstreit ranked college football’s top-four teams on Sunday morning, following an action-packed Saturday in the top-ten.

His rankings actually stayed the exact same, though, seeing as how none of the drama happened at the top, leaving Georgia football at No. 4 after the Dawgs beat Auburn.

I see nothing wrong with that. There was not really a scenario for Georgia to move up and it definitely did not deserve to move down either. No. 4 is a great spot for UGA.

As for Alabama staying at No. 5, I agree with that one, too. I’d leave the Tide where they are until they prove that the Tua Tagovailoa loss is going to hurt as much as we expect it to.

Here is Herbstreit’s top-four and next two in.

 

Watch: Kirby Smart, Georgia dance in locker room after clinching SEC East

Georgia football HC Kirby Smart and his players danced in the locker room after beating Auburn and clinching a spot in the SEC Championship.

It was a hard fought game on Saturday night on the Plains, as the Georgia Bulldogs came to town and took down rival Auburn.

It was physicality vs physicality on the field. Two schools who despise one another were going at it all night, wearing each other down with their pesky defenses.

In the end, it was Georgia who prevailed and secured a spot in the SEC Championship for the third time in a row.

Players like Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift, Andrew Thomas, Richard LeCounte, etc. can all say they have played at Georgia for three years and have a 100% success rate when it comes to winning the SEC East.

That’s a reason to celebrate. And Kirby Smart, who has now won the East in three of his four years at his alma mater, did not hold back.

I love this team.

 

 

Predicting College Football Playoff rankings – Does Georgia football move?

Does Georgia football move in our predictions of the new College Football Playoff rankings.

On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed on ESPN. Between now and then, the committee will have a lot to discuss regarding the 5-10 positions.

As for 1-4, it’s pretty set in stone.

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LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia all took care of business. The Dawgs definitely had the most impressive win of the weekend among those teams, a road win vs No. 12 Auburn, but it should remain at four as the three undefeateds ahead of it still have a 0 in the loss column.

There was some drama on Saturday.

1-7 all won their games, but in Tuscaloosa the Tide surely are not celebrating after hearing the news that Tua Tagovailoa dislocated his hip and will be out for the remainder of the season.

The highest ranked team to lose was No. 8 Minnesota, which fell to Iowa.

No. 9 Penn State survived a scare from Indiana but held on to win by a touchdown.

And No. 13 Baylor was handed its first loss of the season via an epic comeback from Jalen Hurts and Oklahoma.

With everything in mind, I will attempt to predict what the committee will do on Tuesday.

These are not my rankings, but a prediction of what the rankings will look like

1. LSU

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Georgia

5. Alabama

I think the committee is going to give Alabama the benefit of the doubt until the Tide prove they don’t belong. If Alabama loses to Auburn, it’ll obviously move down. So they’ll just wait and see. 

6. Oregon

7. Utah

8. Oklahoma (jumps Penn State)

9. Penn State

10. Florida

This would give Georgia one win over a team in the top-10, Florida. Additionally, I predict Auburn will fall to No. 17 and Notre Dame, after destroying Navy, will move to no. 13.

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Where’s Georgia football in Paul Finebaum’s new top-six?

Where did Paul Finebaum rank Georgia football after beating Auburn. What about Alabama?

Following Saturday’s action, the SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum revealed his top new top-six teams in college football.

Last week, Finebaum had Georgia at No. 5 after beating Missouri, while Alabama was sitting one spot ahead at No. 4.

On Sunday, however, taking into consideration Georgia’s road win over Auburn and the loss of Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama, Finebaum moved the Bulldogs to No. 4 and dropped Alabama to No. 6.

Minnesota also dropped out after losing to Iowa and was replaced by Oregon.

 

Brian Herrien following photographer injury: ‘I prayed for her well being’

Georgia football RB Brian Herrien discussed the injury to the UGA photographer during the Auburn game and how he prayed for her.

It was a scary moment on Saturday as UGA running back Brian Herrien collided with photographer Chamberlain Smith, an intern with the Georgia Athletic Department.

Georgia was deep in Auburn territory as Herrien caught a short pass and was pushed out of bounds, where he was unable to avoid a collision with Smith.

She was knocked unconscious and the game came to a halt as medical personnel attended to her on the sideline. A few minutes later, Smith regained consciousness and was taken off the field in a stretcher.

Herrien, who is known among the Dawg Nation as one of the hardest workers on the team and a guy who’s always willing to engage with fans, was visibly shaken up after the incident. He did not want to leave the area until he knew Smith was ok.

With a bruise by her eye, Smith was later transported to East Alabama Medical Center. A few hours later, she was released by the doctors.

“[Herrien] was pretty upset in the locker room,” CBS sideline reporter Jamie Erdahl reported at halftime.

Following the game, Kirby Smart discussed Herrien’s emotions as well.

“It was really a scary moment,” Smart said. “Brian felt very sick about it. It was a tough deal, but hopefully she’s going to be OK. I think she is.”

When Herrien found out that Smith had been released from the hospital, it’s a safe bet to say that he was relieved.

“My heart goes out to her and her family I prayed for her well being as we took a knee,” tweeted Herrien, who prayed for Smith alongside Jake Fromm at halftime, reported Erdahl.

Herrien went on to score on the first play after the game resumed. On 7 carries, the senior from Douglasville tallied 24 yards and found the end zone on a reception. Georgia won the game 21-14 and clinched its spot in the the SEC Championship Game for the third year in a row.

Watch: Kirby Smart just delivered greatest quote in Georgia football history

Georgia football HC Kirby Smart just delivered the greatest quote ever.

That’s my coach.

Following Georgia’s road win over Auburn on Saturday night, Kirby Smart delivered the greatest quote in the history of Georgia football.

“How ’bout them (expletive) Dawgs?”

That’s what Kirby said when the media asked him what he told his team after securing a spot in their third straight SEC Championship game, getting one step closer to the playoff and beating hated rival Auburn.

If you did not know, Kirby bleeds red and black. The former Georgia Bulldog safety is now coaching at his alma mater and doing so with a passion that we’ve never seen in Athens.

This tweet will go down as one of the greatest in the history of Georgia football Twitter. Warning – it includes profanity.

Rodrigo Blankenship shows love to Georgia football punter Jake Camarda

Georgia football kicker Rodrigo Blankenship showed some love to UGA punter Jake Camarda after his massive night vs Auburn.

Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship is probably the most well-known special teams player in college football.

But tonight vs Auburn, it was a different Georgia special teamer who stole the show in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

Georgia punter Jake Camarda’s number was called on over 10 times against Auburn. And each time, he answered the call.

Following a performance where Camarda punted the ball 11 times, racked up 558 total yards of punts, averaged 50.7 yards per, downed four inside the 20 and hit a long of 67 down to the two yard line, Blankenship showed his teammate some love on Twitter.

Camarda really was a huge factor in Georgia winning that ball game. He was absolutely bombing them all night long, completely flipping field position and putting Auburn in tough situations.

After the game, Kirby Smart commented on his punter’s performance.

“Jake Camarda was hitting bombs. I hope he never has to punt 11 times in a game again.”