GAME DAY: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS VS GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Buc,

I wanted to wait a few hours before I gave my immediate knee-jerk reaction to the game. One thing I can say about this press conference is that this probably was one of the first pressers I've heard Kirby outline very specific problems and go into detail, far more detail than he usually does. There is a sense of purpose and urgency in his comments. He knows these things must be addressed.

I was very surprised in this game how yet again, like the Mizzou game, there was mounting and constant pressure on Fromm. UT did a very effective job shutting down the passing game. The o-line simply is too porous. I can't figure them out right now. At times, the o-line seems like it is coming along nicely, then at other times, it seems like they've left the barn door open. I know this is anecdotal and I'm not trying to break specifics down right now, I'm speaking generally.

I'm telling you though, the thing that scares me the most right now and what makes me believe there's an upset brewing is these continual dumbass unsportsmanlike penalties. This simply cannot continue to go on. I love the fact that we have a coach and staff that instill that fire, intense, brutal play - but these are mental errors on their part and they need to stop. Walker's unsportsmanlike penalty prevented us from getting off the field and gave Tennessee the juice to go down and score a TD. That type of stuff against an LSU or a Bama can cost us the game. Period. You simply cannot have that stuff going on. We've had those in every single game this year. This has to stop. This is discipline, which Kirby preaches.

Tennessee showed up to play, and I'm 100% on board with you on Pruitt. Give him some time and Tennessee is going to be a dreaded date on the calendar. The naysayers out there in the media on Pruitt aren't football people. They don't know the game and they don't spot the deeper aspects of what coaches are doing.. What I saw out of them yesterday was a team that is being built physically from the ground up. The naysayers might laugh and say Pruitt is going to be a disaster and its business as usual in Knoxville. They're going to be singing a different tune in 2 years. Trust me.

This month is going to be brutal, and UGA has had plenty of time now to iron out the wrinkles. We've got to tighten up if we want to survive this month unscathed. The margin of error is razor thin.

Good read SouthernDawg . . . .

Really good point on “penalties”. From where I sit, believe most of that can be attributed to the “mental” aspect of the game. Some penalties come from street backgrounds, others from a short “learning period” in the SEC. Young men, especially Freshmen, getting a lot of playing time based on talent, have yet to learn from Spring and Fall practice that game day in the SEC one has to understand that “older seasoned players” understand how to get into their heads. FACT. Offsides one thing, what #1 did on defense a short time back that led to confrontation with a teammate has not sunk in entirely. All of us watched Kirby get into #15’s face after his penalty. #15 was actually standing tall for a teammate but that is why the referees and judges are wearing the zebra stripes.

We are five games in and fully expect to see the “growth spurt” take effect every week from here on out. Much like watching ones children grow from diapers to adult. Tough games ahead, other teams are also in the “growth spurt” period. SEC East is growing up, I love good football. One team in particular is grooming itself to play us in the near future . . . . Kentucky. Who would have thought? I have an answer to that . . . . ogredawg said as soon as Stoops left FSU and landed in the Blue Grass State that football would change. He is and was a wise man.

Having said this more than once . . . . this is a good site to read. There are some seriously good football minds here that understand and appreciate not only good players, appreciate and understand many of the coaches and their efforts. Hear some grumbling on occasion elsewhere about Kirby being a clone of Nick. If what I have witnessed in Smart and Company's first three years are an indication of our future, buying that "clone stock" to keep, not to roll.

Hoping to see Jake Camarda tighten up his game. He will be heavily relied on the rest of this season. Knowing that field position against some teams left on our schedule will be a deciding factor.

Lifted from the UGA site . . . .

2018: Won the starting punter's job in preseason camp...has a 46.3-yard average through 11 punts this season...his average would rank 6th nationally, but he falls shy of the NCAA minimum of 3.6 punts/game...punted three times for a 55.0 average in opener vs. Austin Peay...has punts of 63 yards and 62 yards already, but his best effort thus far may have been a 29-yarder vs. South Carolina that was fair caught at the SC 8-yard line.

Really like the poise that both our holder and kicker showed on the scrambled extra point play against the Vols this weekend. Some would have tried to run with the ball, impressed me . . . . that does not take a lot.

See the work of Kevin Butler with our kickers.. progress..

Punter is young and green.... Kevin is grooming him each week

Remember.... Goggles had growing pains his first season..

Go Dawgs

We've heard some grumbling about our line not dominating as it should, and I will admit those comments are accurate and fair.

We need however to step back and look at the big picture here. The offensive line does not function as a collection of individual efforts that add up to a whole. Time and time again it has been proven that the line is an area where the sum of the whole functioning as a unit often outweighs the individual efforts.

We are getting good play from our linemen, and the only issue is that because of having to move these great individual pieces around, the whole has suffered from a lack of
continuity. First it was Thomas being replaced by a very capable Mays, but a Mays that didn't have many reps with the first unit. Then about the time we get Thomas back we lose Cleveland. Again... replaced by a very capable player, but a true freshmen playing a new position with only a few days of
practice.

So take heart if you have any concerns. The O-line will keep getting better if we can just stay healthy and keep guys at their same spots.

Individually though, let's give a big shout out to Thomas who earned top grades at tackle this week from PFF edge.

"OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Andrew Thomas, Georgia
Week 5 Grade: 87.7

Thomas paved the way for the Georgia rushing attack against Tennessee as he was no slouch in pass protection either. He allowed just one QB pressure on 29 pass-blocking snaps while Bulldogs runners averaged over 7.0 yards per carry on 12 runs to the left side of the offense line following Thomas."