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So about 5 months ago someone asked me what this year's Georgia team would be all about. And I told them, to hell with this rebuilding, to hell with this 7-4 and 3rd in the East mess. This team is probably a 1 or 2 loss team and they're an even money bet to be playing in the Sugar Bowl. So congrats to me on being a genius and all.
To me, this team bore a lot of resemblance to the '92 team, not necessarily in personnel, but certainly in results. The '92 offense was probably a bit better, but this year's defense definitely wins between the two. In the end, both solid top 10 teams that lost two games by a collective 5 points. Trade your Heath Shuler and Charlie Garner and 5 turnovers for a Brandon Cox and a Kenny Irons and a 4th and 10 charlie foxtrot. Trade your Chris Leak for your Shane Matthews, toss in a couple missed field goals and it's all as painful and as so close as it was when you were 12.
But, I really liked this team, '02-'04 proved we could be solidly competitive with the same core. This year validated that perhaps this thing has some legs to it and that maybe it's alright to start thinking about UGA as a top 10, top 15 team every year and that they should be making noise about going to the Dome til deep in the season every time out. It does all tend to flow together, but if you look at, basically no one on this team, the seniors of which were freshman at the time, contributed to the '02 SEC and Sugar Bowl Titles. So this a whole new crop proving that they can get the job done too. Of course, if they win tomorrow, that general lack of contribution in '02 still won't stop them from laying claim to 44 wins, 2 SEC Titles, 2 Sugar Bowl Titles, 3 SEC Title game appearances, 4 New Year's Day Bowl wins and 4 straight top 10 finishes, basically your run of the mill best class since about 1983.
So, the game tomorrow. I'll leave the numbers to Kyle, as is our wont around here, and I'll just discuss the generalities. As he points out, the numbers are in many way stunningly equal, but there are a few hidden points at work here, and unfortunately, not all of them break our way.
It's obvious they're going to run right at us, that's what they do, saying that we're going to beat them by making them one dimensional as you'd normally talk about doing to a team is a hilarious joke when talking about WVU because they voluntarily make themselves about 80% one dimensional. Of course they do this with two slick ass, fast bastards named Steve Slaton and Pat White. We're talking, according to what we've seen from them this year, Darren McFadden and Kenny Irons fast, and we all remember how well that turned out. On the upside, they are freshman, of course, they've elected to not play at all like that this year, but the Sugar Bowl stage is a little bigger than what they're used to. And in even better news, big Gerald is hobbling around the sidelines Kirk Gibson style right now with a seized up back. Of course, if my back had to cart around 320 pounds, it'd probably be pissed off to. But, while we won't rule him out, we won't rule him in either, and considering the 3 games he missed earlier in the year correspond to the worst 3 games we've had against the run in a hellaciously long time, we'll just say it isn't comforting. Not that I fear for the Gant and Owens picking up the slack, but they are going to run and run and run at us and the depth would be nice if nothing else.
As far as they're passing game, we dont' really need to discuss that since I'm pretty sure they're still content to run on 3rd and 8 at least half the time and finally, after 3 years, I feel ok with Jennings and Minter patrolling. On the upside, Blue should be cut completely loose on the run game and I won't have to endure any cringe worthy moments, waiting for him to plow through someone in coverage after he gets beat deep.
In the end, we've only let somebody top 21 on us once this year, and although I do expect they'll probably have slightly more succes with the run against us than I'd like, I don't expect them to become the second. They may put up 7 or 10 on the first couple drives while we adjust, but I don't expect prolonged success for them.
Now on the offensive side of the ball. When looking at the numbers, they appear to have a pretty stout defense, until you notice that they only played two really solid teams, Virginia Tech and Louisville, and one above average team in South Florida. Now they did play VPI fairly solid back when that was actually thought to mean something and we all know about the OT thriller with Louisville, but we're not here to look at how they played those games in their totality, just what it says about their defense against worthwile offenses, which is that they gave up 34 and 44 in those games. So if you're asking me if we're more likely to replicate VPI and Louisville's offensive numbers or East Carolina and Cincinnati's numbers, I'm going to go with the former.
The loss of Sean right after what you'd probably consider his breakout game is obviously not good, especially since he's already being conditionally ruled out for all of next year, but what you going to do, Pope and MoMass still exist to throw it to, and gigantic upside, chance for my man Ken Harris to have a little break out of his own on the big stage.
A few more odds and ends on the game.
West Virginia doesn't exactly excel in bowl games, much like Video Ouija, they've lost so many in such a magnamimous way in the last few years, people probably still are wailing on them from the grave. In particular, their last trip to Sugar Bowl in '93 with an undefeated team, fresh off beating BC, who had just ruined Notre Dame's season, captained by the two headed beast of Jake "The Snake" Kelchner and Darren Studstill (and yes, I've been waiting quite a while to make a reference to those 2) ended in a 41-7 epic style beat down at the hands of Florida.
Georgia is sitting on 3 bowl wins in a row, including winning the Sugar Bowl just 3 years ago, which coincidentally means that all the leaders on this team were on the sidelines for that win.
Georgia's senior class is looking to win 44 games, which is some exalted ground to be stepping on, and everyone on that team has played numerous primetime, nation wide, big stage games.
West Virginia's two biggest impact players are freshman. The biggest stages they've played on are the Thanksgiving night game against Pitt and a regional game against Louisville.
And lastly, there's this:
West Virginia, come visit scenic Slaty Fork, where we've been leading the nation in toothlessness since 1871.
Prediction
UGA 27 - WVU 13
Streamers fall from the sky and The Drizzle begins 2006 in a good way, which is good considering I gave 2005 a rating of Alien v. Predator (while you contained a few entertaining moments, you were ultimately unsatisfying and struggled to meet the low expectations already set for you).
Other things we've learned this bowl season.
Chan "The Man" Gailey is a hilarious joke sent by God to make my life more worthwhile. I was talking about this with my Tech fan friend Travis, I think Gailey has no connection to this team at all. You always hear about Pete Carroll jumping in the pile at practice or how much Brady Quinn learns from Weiss or that Mack Brown bumps to Fiddy now because Vince Young says so or that when Richt takes his team to the pool, he'll jump off the high dive with them. Be it emotional leader or master teacher, these guys are involved with their team. You don't get that feeling from Gailey at all. And then, after he underlines the importance of this game by talking about it as a springboard for doing great things next season, his team goes out and gets circles run around them before completely quitting. Meanwhile, Calvin Johnson, who according to every story over the last 3 years is a the quietest, no nonsense guy around is suddenly spouting Keyshawn Johnson style, give the damn ball rants in slightly less words after the game. I mean, how shitty do things have to be to get a guy who lets his mom tell him where to go to school to start opening his mouth?
News flash to Tech, you undermine your right to bitch about being short changed and shipped cross country when you go out there and give a performance that validates everyone's complaints against you.
Sunbelt officials are hilarious, if by hilarious you mean eye gougingly inept in a way that makes you thank god you're not a North Texas fan and you're playing in an important enough bowl that they didn't get foisted on you.
The two biggest beat downs on the bowl season were handed to the OMG NU HOTTNESS of of the south ACC with their OMG defenses. Tech and Miami get an aggregate 78 points pasted in them in beatings I haven't seen since they stuck a banana down my pants and set the monkey loose (to paraphrase Eddie). And by the way, these beatings were administered by a year after the glory Utah team, utilizing their backup QB and 2nd WR running an elusive new route called "the post" and a member of the OMG TEH SUX SEC called LSU, who also, consequently, used their back up QB to hang 40 on Miami, all while running for like 300 yards against the most badass run defense of the year. And thus my theory that, in general, ACC defensive stats are inflated by playing against lame ass ACC offenses, is validated just a touch more.
So yeah, call it a down year for the SEC if you will, but I still see 5-1 or 4-2 being extremely possible against the toughest aggregate opponents that any conference will face.
And a last dig at Georgia Tech, as long as you keep winning 7 games every year and putting Chan The Man out there to coach, you will never be seen as a solid, top 25 program, because programs like that don't lose to Utah by 28, they don't lose to NC State on their home field or lose to Duke once every 5 years. You can keep your Auburn wins or Miami win. I'm sure you'll continue to get rougly one win a year that you probably shouldn't, but that just makes you unpredictable and slightly scary to top programs, but it sure as hell doesn't make you one of them.
Lastly, I have no idea if I'll write about UT-USC before it happens, so I'll say a little now. And it's funny, because I'm going to totally contradict myself. I love defense. Most would say Texas has the better defense, so logic would dictate that if you call the offenses close enough to be roughly a wash and give Texas the edge on defense, you have to go with Texas. But, that's not the way I see it going, for several reasons really. First, I think UT's defensive (and offensive) numbers have been bolstered somewhat by playing in the SUX known as the Big XII this year. (And yes, some of the same argument could be leveled agains the Pac 10, but that doesn't advance my argument, so I'm choosing to ignore it). Second, UT's offense is much more a product of one man that USC's is, and as teams have shown in the NFL this year vis a vis Mike Vick, you can always find a way to stop a team depending so much on one man.
Bottom line, USC just has that, been there so many times, know how to win this game swagger that Texas hasn't earned yet. While I don't necessarily see a epic beatdown like they administered to OU last year, I do think they'll handle business one last time.
To me, this team bore a lot of resemblance to the '92 team, not necessarily in personnel, but certainly in results. The '92 offense was probably a bit better, but this year's defense definitely wins between the two. In the end, both solid top 10 teams that lost two games by a collective 5 points. Trade your Heath Shuler and Charlie Garner and 5 turnovers for a Brandon Cox and a Kenny Irons and a 4th and 10 charlie foxtrot. Trade your Chris Leak for your Shane Matthews, toss in a couple missed field goals and it's all as painful and as so close as it was when you were 12.
But, I really liked this team, '02-'04 proved we could be solidly competitive with the same core. This year validated that perhaps this thing has some legs to it and that maybe it's alright to start thinking about UGA as a top 10, top 15 team every year and that they should be making noise about going to the Dome til deep in the season every time out. It does all tend to flow together, but if you look at, basically no one on this team, the seniors of which were freshman at the time, contributed to the '02 SEC and Sugar Bowl Titles. So this a whole new crop proving that they can get the job done too. Of course, if they win tomorrow, that general lack of contribution in '02 still won't stop them from laying claim to 44 wins, 2 SEC Titles, 2 Sugar Bowl Titles, 3 SEC Title game appearances, 4 New Year's Day Bowl wins and 4 straight top 10 finishes, basically your run of the mill best class since about 1983.
So, the game tomorrow. I'll leave the numbers to Kyle, as is our wont around here, and I'll just discuss the generalities. As he points out, the numbers are in many way stunningly equal, but there are a few hidden points at work here, and unfortunately, not all of them break our way.
It's obvious they're going to run right at us, that's what they do, saying that we're going to beat them by making them one dimensional as you'd normally talk about doing to a team is a hilarious joke when talking about WVU because they voluntarily make themselves about 80% one dimensional. Of course they do this with two slick ass, fast bastards named Steve Slaton and Pat White. We're talking, according to what we've seen from them this year, Darren McFadden and Kenny Irons fast, and we all remember how well that turned out. On the upside, they are freshman, of course, they've elected to not play at all like that this year, but the Sugar Bowl stage is a little bigger than what they're used to. And in even better news, big Gerald is hobbling around the sidelines Kirk Gibson style right now with a seized up back. Of course, if my back had to cart around 320 pounds, it'd probably be pissed off to. But, while we won't rule him out, we won't rule him in either, and considering the 3 games he missed earlier in the year correspond to the worst 3 games we've had against the run in a hellaciously long time, we'll just say it isn't comforting. Not that I fear for the Gant and Owens picking up the slack, but they are going to run and run and run at us and the depth would be nice if nothing else.
As far as they're passing game, we dont' really need to discuss that since I'm pretty sure they're still content to run on 3rd and 8 at least half the time and finally, after 3 years, I feel ok with Jennings and Minter patrolling. On the upside, Blue should be cut completely loose on the run game and I won't have to endure any cringe worthy moments, waiting for him to plow through someone in coverage after he gets beat deep.
In the end, we've only let somebody top 21 on us once this year, and although I do expect they'll probably have slightly more succes with the run against us than I'd like, I don't expect them to become the second. They may put up 7 or 10 on the first couple drives while we adjust, but I don't expect prolonged success for them.
Now on the offensive side of the ball. When looking at the numbers, they appear to have a pretty stout defense, until you notice that they only played two really solid teams, Virginia Tech and Louisville, and one above average team in South Florida. Now they did play VPI fairly solid back when that was actually thought to mean something and we all know about the OT thriller with Louisville, but we're not here to look at how they played those games in their totality, just what it says about their defense against worthwile offenses, which is that they gave up 34 and 44 in those games. So if you're asking me if we're more likely to replicate VPI and Louisville's offensive numbers or East Carolina and Cincinnati's numbers, I'm going to go with the former.
The loss of Sean right after what you'd probably consider his breakout game is obviously not good, especially since he's already being conditionally ruled out for all of next year, but what you going to do, Pope and MoMass still exist to throw it to, and gigantic upside, chance for my man Ken Harris to have a little break out of his own on the big stage.
A few more odds and ends on the game.
West Virginia doesn't exactly excel in bowl games, much like Video Ouija, they've lost so many in such a magnamimous way in the last few years, people probably still are wailing on them from the grave. In particular, their last trip to Sugar Bowl in '93 with an undefeated team, fresh off beating BC, who had just ruined Notre Dame's season, captained by the two headed beast of Jake "The Snake" Kelchner and Darren Studstill (and yes, I've been waiting quite a while to make a reference to those 2) ended in a 41-7 epic style beat down at the hands of Florida.
Georgia is sitting on 3 bowl wins in a row, including winning the Sugar Bowl just 3 years ago, which coincidentally means that all the leaders on this team were on the sidelines for that win.
Georgia's senior class is looking to win 44 games, which is some exalted ground to be stepping on, and everyone on that team has played numerous primetime, nation wide, big stage games.
West Virginia's two biggest impact players are freshman. The biggest stages they've played on are the Thanksgiving night game against Pitt and a regional game against Louisville.
And lastly, there's this:
West Virginia, come visit scenic Slaty Fork, where we've been leading the nation in toothlessness since 1871.
Prediction
UGA 27 - WVU 13
Streamers fall from the sky and The Drizzle begins 2006 in a good way, which is good considering I gave 2005 a rating of Alien v. Predator (while you contained a few entertaining moments, you were ultimately unsatisfying and struggled to meet the low expectations already set for you).
Other things we've learned this bowl season.
Chan "The Man" Gailey is a hilarious joke sent by God to make my life more worthwhile. I was talking about this with my Tech fan friend Travis, I think Gailey has no connection to this team at all. You always hear about Pete Carroll jumping in the pile at practice or how much Brady Quinn learns from Weiss or that Mack Brown bumps to Fiddy now because Vince Young says so or that when Richt takes his team to the pool, he'll jump off the high dive with them. Be it emotional leader or master teacher, these guys are involved with their team. You don't get that feeling from Gailey at all. And then, after he underlines the importance of this game by talking about it as a springboard for doing great things next season, his team goes out and gets circles run around them before completely quitting. Meanwhile, Calvin Johnson, who according to every story over the last 3 years is a the quietest, no nonsense guy around is suddenly spouting Keyshawn Johnson style, give the damn ball rants in slightly less words after the game. I mean, how shitty do things have to be to get a guy who lets his mom tell him where to go to school to start opening his mouth?
News flash to Tech, you undermine your right to bitch about being short changed and shipped cross country when you go out there and give a performance that validates everyone's complaints against you.
Sunbelt officials are hilarious, if by hilarious you mean eye gougingly inept in a way that makes you thank god you're not a North Texas fan and you're playing in an important enough bowl that they didn't get foisted on you.
The two biggest beat downs on the bowl season were handed to the OMG NU HOTTNESS of of the south ACC with their OMG defenses. Tech and Miami get an aggregate 78 points pasted in them in beatings I haven't seen since they stuck a banana down my pants and set the monkey loose (to paraphrase Eddie). And by the way, these beatings were administered by a year after the glory Utah team, utilizing their backup QB and 2nd WR running an elusive new route called "the post" and a member of the OMG TEH SUX SEC called LSU, who also, consequently, used their back up QB to hang 40 on Miami, all while running for like 300 yards against the most badass run defense of the year. And thus my theory that, in general, ACC defensive stats are inflated by playing against lame ass ACC offenses, is validated just a touch more.
So yeah, call it a down year for the SEC if you will, but I still see 5-1 or 4-2 being extremely possible against the toughest aggregate opponents that any conference will face.
And a last dig at Georgia Tech, as long as you keep winning 7 games every year and putting Chan The Man out there to coach, you will never be seen as a solid, top 25 program, because programs like that don't lose to Utah by 28, they don't lose to NC State on their home field or lose to Duke once every 5 years. You can keep your Auburn wins or Miami win. I'm sure you'll continue to get rougly one win a year that you probably shouldn't, but that just makes you unpredictable and slightly scary to top programs, but it sure as hell doesn't make you one of them.
Lastly, I have no idea if I'll write about UT-USC before it happens, so I'll say a little now. And it's funny, because I'm going to totally contradict myself. I love defense. Most would say Texas has the better defense, so logic would dictate that if you call the offenses close enough to be roughly a wash and give Texas the edge on defense, you have to go with Texas. But, that's not the way I see it going, for several reasons really. First, I think UT's defensive (and offensive) numbers have been bolstered somewhat by playing in the SUX known as the Big XII this year. (And yes, some of the same argument could be leveled agains the Pac 10, but that doesn't advance my argument, so I'm choosing to ignore it). Second, UT's offense is much more a product of one man that USC's is, and as teams have shown in the NFL this year vis a vis Mike Vick, you can always find a way to stop a team depending so much on one man.
Bottom line, USC just has that, been there so many times, know how to win this game swagger that Texas hasn't earned yet. While I don't necessarily see a epic beatdown like they administered to OU last year, I do think they'll handle business one last time.
posted by The Drizzle at 10:10 PM
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