Final Feelings: Why UGA Will Crush Vandy
We are at Paloma Park on Friday before the game from 4 - 7 PM EST. Come have fun with us Friday
ATHENS - Kirby Smart and the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs take on Vanderbilt in Athens on Saturday for Homecoming. Who was your Homecoming crush?
Matt’s Final Feelings: Another week of Final Feelings, and another layup for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs as they host Vanderbilt.
After running all over Auburn last week, I expect Georgia’s offense to keep rolling against a poor Vanderbilt defense. The Commodores gave up 55 points to Alabama, 52 to Ole Miss, 45 to Wake Forest, 28 to Northern Illinois, and 31 to Elon. They can’t stop anyone right now, so the Bulldogs should have no problem getting off to an early start.
This is Georgia’s “get right” game. Anything they need to work or improve on, they should be able too against Vanderbilt. This is where Stetson Bennett needs to get right again after two less than impressive games against Auburn and Missouri. Georgia should be able to run it 40 times and still win convincingly, but Stetson Bennett should be able to get the passing game going early.
What’s most important is that Georgia gets healthy. They’ve got Vanderbilt this weekend, then a much-needed bye week before taking on the Gators. That gives guys like Jalen Carter, AD Mitchell, Kendall Milton, and others a little over two weeks to get healthy.
Even with some guys banged up, I don’t see Georgia having any problem with Vanderbilt between the hedges. Give me a 45-3 Georgia victory this weekend.
The Atlanta Braves are tied 1-1 with the Phillies with Game Three back in Philadelphia. After dominating the Mets and crushing their soul at the end of the regular season, taking out the Phillies in the playoffs would make this special season even sweeter. The Phillies will always look up the Braves. They’re one of the biggest all-time losers in American sports. It’s time for the Braves to put them back into place.
My favorite rock band, Alter Bridge, has a new album out on Friday. If you’re looking for some new alternative rock, give them a shot. Been a massive fan since high school and they continue to put out great music.
I saw Davante Adams shoved a photographer at the end of the Raiders/Chiefs game this week. What he did was wrong, but I know Dean wouldn’t have just fallen over like that. The photographer needed to compete a little harder, there.
Big week of TV over at the DeBary house. We’ve got a new season of Dragons, Hell’s Kitchen, and a new Survivor series going on now. Of course, I can’t forget about 90-day fiancé. Anyone else have to sit and watch that garbage? That’s the one trash tv show I’ll watch with my wife. It’s awful and hilarious at the same time.
Now to the rest of the games…
Alabama is beatable. We all know that. The Vols are playing great football, but my gut is telling me they lose a close ballgame at the end to the Tide. I think Alabama will roll in Knoxville with a 3-point victory.
The best thing that’s happened to Michigan football recently was getting their ass kicked by Georgia. They’re playing like a legitimate SEC team right now. Penn State is solid but I think Michigan takes care of business and covers the -7.
Ole Miss SHOULD beat Auburn by more than 15. This is a bad Auburn team…
I’m high on the Horned Frogs. The Cowboys are bound to lose a big game soon and I think this is the week. I’ll take TCU -4.
A ranked matchup between N.C State and Syracuse? Wow. Give me the Wolfpack +3.5. Also, remember the old school “Wolfpack” in NWO? Loved that crew.
If Clemson is legit, they’ll beat FSU by a lot more than 3.5 points. I’m still not sold on the Seminoles at all. The Tigers shouldn’t have a problem here. I’m taking Clemson -3.5.
I’ll take Mississippi State -4 over Kentucky. The Bulldogs are clicking and they appear to have a decent rushing attack going on. A balanced State team could be dangerous and their defense is playing better and better. How the hell did they lose to LSU again?
I’ll take USC +3.5 over Utah. I might be crazy here, but I still can’t get over Utah losing to Florida. I thought they were better than that.
There you go. Love this time of the year. Fall is in the air, and the Dawgs will dominate the ‘Dores on Saturday.
The Georgia Bulldogs WIN the 2021 NATIONAL TITLE!
Check out DAWGSTRUCTION NOW!
Ryan’s Final Feelings: I am gonna start off by saying that if you jaywalk in front of me when you don't have the right of way you are an idiot. People have gotten really laxed about that the last two weeks. I don’t know if I am reaching my target audience here, but it has to end.
What a great weekend of college football. I live for this. I am upset that Alabama-Tennessee is kicking at the same time as Georgia-Vandy, but I will get over it.
I thought last week was a really good win for the Dawgs. The defense played well, and the run game finally turned on. The presence of a truly dangerous run game was lacking in every game that preceded the Auburn matchup. I think Georgia will be a different team if they are able to run the ball dominantly and effectively.
How much did it have to do with Auburn being a terrible team? How much was it because of those “other two guys?” Daijun Edwards and Branson Robinson are bruisers with burst. Robinson ran for over eight yards per carry last week. He is no joke. I think Robinson and Edwards are better runners of the football than Kendall Milton and Kenny McIntosh.
McIntosh is the most versatile back for Georgia, and he still needs touches. I have never really been sold on Milton, and he just can’t stay healthy. I want to see more of Robinson and Edwards.
What I feel that I need to see against Vanderbilt is a little bit of explosion in the passing game. I want to see the precision and efficiency that we saw the Dawgs play with through the air against Oregon and South Carolina.
The details need to be kinked out for the Dawgs. The corners need to tighten up a little. Stetson Bennett needs to tighten up. The offensive line needs to tighten up.
If Georgia works out the kinks- the small things - then every team in the country should fear playing the team in Silver Britches. If the Dawgs can run the way they did against Auburn and pass the way they did against Oregon, they will outscore everyone. The defense has not been bad, it is just not generational. Those guys are still good enough to help Georgia win the national championship if the offense is clicking.
It’s time for Georgia to put up 50 points. I think that last week will give them a lot of momentum. A big win AND an injury-free win would be a huge victory going into the bye week.
Give me Georgia 52-9. I don’t think Vanderbilt will find the end zone.
I am feeling a little bolder than usual when I look at the slate around the country. I’ll give explanations for some.
Ole Miss -14.5 over Auburn in Oxford. I think this line is a little disrespectful to the Rebels.
Michigan -6.5 over Penn State at home. I don’t think Michigan is quite as good as advertised, but home field advantage matters for them.
Texas -15.5 over Iowa State.
Tennessee +7 against Alabama. I have the Vols winning this game in Neyland Stadium. I know how loud that place gets. Alabama’s defense is going to be exhausted, and Tennessee can really score. Bryce Young is still not 100% starting at the time I am writing this on Thursday. Upset alert.
Oklahoma State +4 and a win over TCU.
Florida State +3.5 at home against Clemson. Clemson wins by one point.
Utah -3.5 at home against USC. It has been a good story so far, but Lincoln Riley and the Trojans will slip up at some point in year one. I think it comes in Salt Lake City.
We are at Paloma Park on Friday before the game from 4-7. The stream will be better this time around, but come kickoff the weekend with us.
The Georgia Bulldogs WIN the 2021 NATIONAL TITLE!
Check out DAWGSTRUCTION NOW!
Dean’s Final Feelings: We are officially halfway through the season, but I typically use the break before the Gators as the midway point in the year. But we do have a lot of data and evidence that this Georgia team, while different than a year ago, can accomplish the same goal.
Georgia’s performances this season - blowout wins over power five foes Oregon, South Carolina and Auburn - show just how dominate this team can be. Lopsided wins over Kent State and Samford were hard to judge, but neither game was uber competitive - cerintaly not without the turnovers in the game against the Flashes.
Then there’s the come-from-behind win at Missouri. That win cost Georgia the No. 1 spot in the AP poll. A week later they had it back after the beating of Auburn.
No, Georgia isn’t better than last-year Georgia. But they aren’t playing last-year Georgia, either. We do it a lot at Dawg Post, but it doesn’t mean its right: comparing the two teams (particularly during the season) is really a false choice - made more for talk shows than anything based in reality.
The question is really as follows:
Can these Dawgs do one of two things - go undefeated in the regular season, or win the SEC? Either one gets UGA into the playoff. Winning the SEC almost certainly gets Georgia the No. 1 overall seed, and the holidays in Atlanta with a date against someone at the Dome in the Peach Bowl.
Right now the Dawgs would likely be a slight or moderate favorite to beat Alabama in Atlanta for the SECCG - and that’s Bama with Bryce Young. Bama hasn’t been themselves of late. Then again, this might just be what Alabama is now.
Consider their last 12 games against Power Five teams:
W - Texas A&M, 24-20
W - at Arkansas, 49-26
W - Vanderbilt, 55-3
W - at Texas 20-19
L - vs. Georgia, 33-18
W - vs. Georgia, 41-24
W - at Auburn, 24-22, 4OT
W - Arkansas, 42-35
W - LSU, 20-14
W - Tennessee, 52-24
W - at State, 49-9
L - at Texas A&M, 41-38
10-2 is hardly bad, but that’s not what we’ve come to know from Nick Saban’s Alabama. Consider that of the the ten wins - half came down to the last possession of the game.
When is the last time Ohio State had to grind out a first down to win the game? What about Michigan? It isn’t wrong to point out that Alabama has had a different type of game over the last year or so than perhaps their reputation would dictate. It is reality.
At the same time, it would be quite ignorant to miss the fact that Alabama is 6-0, and simply wins. Again, their default is to win. They know how to do that better than anyone in this sport.
For Georgia and Bama both, the next six games will tell the tale. Both teams will play Tennessee and State. Both teams could lose to either team. Bama has Auburn, and the Dawgs have Tech. Georgia will travel to Jacksonville to fight the Gators while Bama has LSU. Ole Miss looks like a real challenge for Bama the way that Kentucky doesn’t anymore for Georiga.
It is hard to imagine that both won’t be in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game, but it isn’t out off the realm of possibility, either.
Georgia is more likely to get there, but the game with the Vols in Athens looms - and it comes a week after what is always an emotional game with the Gators. A week later Georgia travels to State. That’s a tough stretch of games.
Georgia will have to be ready to play in each of those games. State can score; the Vols can, too. So this will be a real challenge in a way that Vanderbilt won’t be. I think the question about the Vandy game is how well Georgia will play.
Georgia’s defense is simply fantastic right now. Consider that UGA has played six games, and allowed five touchdowns. Only Illinois has allowed fewer (3). It is hard to lose if the other team isn’t scoring touchdowns - plural. And the only team that scored multiple touchdowns on Georgia this season is Kent State.
That’s it.
Now, maybe the teams Georiga has played are bad at offense. Maybe. I can assure you Oregon, which is scoring 42 points a game, can score. Save the Georgia game, Oregon is scoring 49.8 points a game.
It is hard to average scoring 50 points a game, but Oregon has done that without playing those in Silver Britches. Can we extrapolate that to all other teams? Probably not, but it is big sign for sure.