November 13, 2010

Frankly, the Dawgs performed better than I thought they would tonight.  This was one of the few games in the Richt era where I thought we had almost no shot of winning.  While we weren't that close to a win on the scoreboard, the team performed quite well in spurts.  The first quarter was some of the best football we've played all year.  Eventually, however, we just couldn't keep up with Auburn's offense.  As soon as we kicked a field goal in the third, I knew the game was essentially over because they had broken serve.  That offense was the best unit we've seen all year.  Our defense continues to struggle and I think this is just who we are, fundamentally inconsistent, not particularly physical, and perpetually susceptible to a big play.  With that said, Grantham has two weeks to get ready and I expect a good performance against a hobbled Tech offense. 

The Dawgs got a takeaway early and ended up winning the official turnover battle, but I would count the onside kick as essentially equivalent to a turnover.  It was a gutsy call by Chizik, but it worked and stole a precious possession that could have helped UGA put the pressure on Auburn to keep up with us, instead of us keeping up with them.  Richt said he had prepared the team for such a tactic, but they weren't watching for it when it actually happened, I guess.  Based on Boykin's second half returns, I guess they were only concerned with the onside kick after Auburn got one and forgot to block. 

Three other good things before I get to the bad.  Aaron Murray and Alec Ogletree are as good a set of freshmen as we've had in a while.  Murray is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites.  The kid was getting beat senseless, but kept fighting at every turn.  Tonight might have been his best game of the year all things considered.  If we had a legit running game to really sell the play action fakes, he'd be an absolute mortal lock for SEC and national freshman of the year.  Ogletree needs to start every game for us until he turns pro.  He's big, physical, as sure a tackler as we have in the defensive backfield, and he needs experience.  I know he got toasted on Auburn's last touchdown, but the way they were running all night you can't blame him for the cheat step up.  And lastly, A.J. Green is the best receiver we have ever had or will ever have.  How exactly will our offense function next year without him?  Nevermind, I know.  I was in Starkville. 

Now, on to the ugliness.  I've never been a fervent Auburn-hater like Kyle King.  I've always sort of considered us friendly rivals with outbursts of mild fire-hosing or drink-throwing, but nothing of the Tech or UF caliber hate.  Our games always seem to be physical, hard-fought games that are fun to watch and inspiring of a certain earned respect.  With that preface, Auburn was a dirty football team tonight.  Perhaps it is unfair to characterize an entire team for the actions of a single player, so I guess I'll say Nick Fairley is a dirty football player.  I realize I'm biased, but it's not just me who thinks Fairley was unsportsmanlike.  Every father should show his son Fairley's actions tonight and tell them "if you play like this, I'll kick your ass."  Nick Fairley's a good football player and he'll be a millionaire very soon, but he'll never be able to buy a good reputation.  He's dirty and he plays the game the wrong way.  I'll never cheer for a player to get injured, but I'm as close as I can get to breaking that rule for Fairley. 

PWD is right about Lakatos - he has done absolutely nothing with the secondary.  Belin fixed a unit that Jancek had thoroughly screwed up, but our secondary might actually be worse than it was under Martinez.  Some how Rambo has managed to morph into Bryan Evans 2.0.  I would really like to see Lakatos at another school in 2011. 

Yeah, I already broke that rule... I hope the Tide beat him up the entire game. 

The hit he had on Murray from behind an eternity (in football time) after the ball was gone was worthy of an ejection.  Dunno if I should be upset that Murray didn't play it up a little or be proud he got up and kept on tossing it.  I'm going with the second option for now. 

Westy, you got it wrong on Fairley.  Fairley did exactly what I'd expect from a defensive player who knew he could get away with that sort of stuff when his team had anunstoppable offense (I mean Newton) such as Auburn's.  Sure, his knocks to Murray were late, but when you, as a defensive player, know your counterparts can't stop your offense, F a 15-yarder here and there.  Frankly and with due respect, you sound like Spurrier after the regular season FSU-Florida game in 1996 when the Noles had Wuerffel planted nearly every pass play and no flag was thrown. Here's the deal: Georgia's O-Line has been pathetic most of the season.  Did you really think it was gonna be better this time around? 

This sums up my thoughts on this game so very, very well, right down to my thoughts on Auburn in general, and I certainly felt Fairley was the issue, not Auburn in general... although something needs to be said that their coaches certainly didn't seem concerned about it at all. 

I was unable to see the game last night but I caught the plays that were uploaded onto Youtube.  I would have to say it made me sick to my stomach.  I have only turned a couple football games off in my lifetime and they were the 90's Miami teams that celebrated every tackle with a celebratory "Look at me!!!!!"  walk around the field.  I would have turned that one off last night (even though there was only a couple minutes left) because that was a sick display of unprofessional (I know they dont get paid yet...uhhh some of them any ways) football especially what was happening from their coaching staff. I remember CMR grabbing a player off the field his first year after such a display and he said "Act like you've been here"Auburn....aint been here.  Pathetic

I broke that rule last night.  He was out to purposefully and maliciously injure Dawgs.  Since the only way to get him off the field (as his coach won't say a peep to him and Trooper Taylor is too busy helping him gesticulate on the sidelines) is for him to get hurt. 

It didn't start and end with Fairley, though.  Cam's stiff arm punch in the first was a joke.  Multiple times through out the game I saw Auburn players piling on late .  Comeuppance is comeuppancing, I hope. 

I'm all for playing hard and hitting hard but the one thing you never do is go after the QB's knee.  At that point the game becomes a fist fight.  And it becomes a fist fight because the referees didn't control the game early on.  Richt should have put Murray's brother in on the last play and let him pick out an Auburn player to deck.  Instead he took a knee and that in a nutshell is what this season has been like. 

Amen about Fairly, but my real disappointment, and my conclusion of a loss of a lot of class in the program, had to do with trouper and cgc's response.  they escalated the issues, trooper even cheering on fairly.  I am now saying roll tide and roll ncaa, and i've never said either of those ('cept maybe in usc's/reggie bush's case). 

I agree wholeheartedly with everything you are saying.  Aaron Murray is a very special kid.  It's almost like he's a hybrid of 3 of our most recent good QBs.  He has the command in the huddle and poise of a David Greene, nearly as good of an arm as Stafford, and he is every bit as elusive as Shockley.  It irritates me to know now that we probably could have won 8 games last year with him starting as a true freshman.  Just imagine how good he would be this year as a true sophomore.  His numbers are comparable to those Mallet and Luck.  Nick Fairley played very dirty last night.  I only wish Ben Jones could have pulled his helmet off and punched him square in the nose while he had him down.  That whole display he gave after the 2 teams nearly brawled on the field was disgusting and just shows that he knows what he's doing and dares anyone to stand up to him.  I also always considered our rivalry with Auburn to be "friendly" but maybe that was erased when Tuberville left. 

I'm really disappointed with our defense's progression.  Look at how many points we've given up to good teams this year (and Colorado).  I know Cam Newton is the best player in the country but if the 2nd half was 1000 minutes long they still would've scored on every single possession. 

About this not hating Auburn stuff:One of my brothers played at UGA in the early '70s and to this day he hates Auburn even more than Clemson and a lot more than Tech.  He told me that Auburn could always be counted on to play dirty - spiting, eye-gouging, biting and cheap hits were the norm.  After watching yesterday's game it doesn't appear that anything has changed

I was impressed with Auburn's offense and especially their play calling.  I don’t see Gus Malzahn staying around long with coaching carousel that is NCAA football. 

I saw the chop block by the Dawgs.  It wasn’t very hard and it was at his shins.  Next time we probably need to get coached up on how to chop block by Auburn.  Anybody remember Auburn’s player Chaz Ramsey going after Glenn Dorsey?  He was trying to end his career and Fairley was trying to do the same thing to Murray.  Different head coaches over there now but the same acceptance and support for that type of despicable dirty play.  Coach Chizik was right.  It is a reflection of the coaches. 

The link's on DawgSports, but Fairley was one of the players who got into Auburn after some mysterious grade changes.  Yes, he's a thug who's been enabled his whole life up to the present because Alabamians worship football and could give a rat's ass about anything else. 

I'm always amazed by Dawg fans who write off Auburn as a friendly rival.  They are a community college wrapped around a football program that has been backed by bag men for years.  That's what happens when you measure yourself solely against Alabama, rather than say, Notre Dame, Michigan, Stanford, etc. 

Like any reasonable person, I expected Newton to play and that we would have no answer for him.  I expected to lose, just I as I expect the game will be vacated in the offseason. 

Fairley was the surprise, but, in light of what I've typed in the preceding, I shouldn't have been.  He's a product of that idiotic cult that has no idea why the rest of the country will welcome the news of the NCAA dropping a safe on their program. 

JJBA- I understand your frustrations, but Georgia's defense this season has actually been significantly improved compared to the last two years in nearly every statistical category.  I know the win/loss record doesn't show it, but there are visible reasons for hope for next year.  It will be interesting to see what the defense will look like in year 2 of CTG's system, especially if we can recruit a Mount Cody. 

Like many of you, Auburn was my second favorite SEC team behind Georgia.  That definitely changed on Saturday.  Losing sucks, especially when you're in enemy territory, and I've been there a few times this season.  However, I was at the game and I have honestly never come away with a nastier taste in my mouth than I did on Saturday.  From Nick Fairly, to the fans booing injured players, to the two Auburn players getting ejecting, to Chizik egging on the fighting, to the Cam Newton lovefest, the whole atmosphere was so sleazy.  I really felt like I needed a shower after being there.  That is NOT what college football should be about. 

I'm not a fan of either team but I watched the game and I've never seen a player as dirty as Fairly was.  The referee was looking right at him when he put the helmet to UGA QB.  The referee should not be able to call another game for not ejecting Fairly right there.  Players only play like their coaches allow them to so it's assumed that Chizek applauds this type of dirty football.  I found myself hoping that a UGA player would plow Fairly into the ground just one time. 

Is there photographic proof of any dirty play by Georgia?  I've asked just about every time it's been brought up, but no one seems to be able to provide such.  If it was so blatant, then I want to see it so I can disapprove.