Are there Christmas Miracle Voltron action figures?...'cause that sounds like it'd be cool to have.
off topic, but a nice lil piece
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.c.../-1/
PREPSSPORTS
I'm already having nightmares about a traumatic 35-31 Oregon victory aided by special teams and secondary meltdowns, followed by a horrible SI "the Ducks get quacking" cover.
Brian, I'm begging you, don't make Michigan the annual "big 10 inexplicable mancrush" team this year.
Isn't about time for an "On notice"?
Yardage schmardage, especially in the Pac 10. Did you watch the Vegas Bowl? Oregon is not scary unless you're Jim Harbaugh.
hey this is a georgia blogger. I have a counter for this but it would be just a little to long for a comment. Your can check out on my blog (I know cheap avertising). http://fromthehedges.blogspot.com
Go Dawgs!
AAB, if Brian made Michigan his mancrush team this year, i think it would be perfectly explicable. Purdue, on the other hand...
David, not cheap advertising at all, imo. if you were selling something, though...
i seem to have trouble completing my sentences. if i had just taken freshman english more seriously so many years ago...
Dawgs David: I read your response and just don't think that the logic holds itself together.
What is your projection for UGA this year so that we can get a relative feeling for where you feel UGA deserves to be rated?
Off topic, but this has been bugging me lately...
Are we going to get a Gameday appearance this year? PSU and OSU should definitely be in consideration. I don't think ESPN makes the decision until game week, but I gotta think we get one.
Things that are missing in SMQ's marginal analysis:
special teams report and perhaps a median yards per play thingy, as well as possession analysis. While KorBlue's conclusion is probably not necessarily right, I would at least be willing to bet that a high number of possessions per game makes the aforementioned median yards per play more useful. The more plays run, the higher the chance of a big play, especially if the team relies upon it. Such a thing could lead to a somewhat disproportionate appreciation for their margin in certain situations. I think.
Really, those are going to be fairly special cases that define a particular set of teams (of which Oregon may be one). Mostly, though, I would just like to see those things in there because they have value outside of the marginal analysis department.
pz: I'm not saying they're national championship pedigree, but I'm saying they should be considered as an SEC East Title contender. Which should place them right where their ranked... 13th-ish. That's what I mean by not overrated.
so what, oregon somehow fixes their turnover margin and magically gets better than a 7-6 team that gave up 30 or more points SEVEN times last year?
yeah, no. the only vibe i've ever gotten from oregon was "team ranked in the mid-teens that everybody gushes about until their annual loss in a bowl game to a lesser opponent."
Well my vibe says hello:
1. Dual threat qb
2. Tall Lanky olympic fast wr's
3. Monster tailback
4. New O-coordinator from high scoring prolific offense
5. Won't be starting TRUE freshman at corner like last season
6. Ferocious D-line that demolished a veteran O-line in the spring game.
Yeah go ahead and overlook this team.
SOJ, is he a Troy Smith dual threat QB or a Kellen Lewis dual threat QB? Last year's stats line up more like Kellen's.
honestly, when it comes to oregon, i think michigan fans are projecting.
"ferocious" defensive line?!? they gave up ~200 yards rushing FIVE TIMES last year.
we all know they can score. but their defense still looks like crap. crap with a year to age is still basically crap.
said it before, i'll say it again - Oregeon is good and scares the living crap out of me.
I would say Troy Smith, in regard to staying in the pocket and reading the coverage. He doesn't take off like he used to as a soph but the threat is still there...He looked dam good against Oklahoma, but the rest of the season looked like the team just went on vacation...
SOJ, I for one do not overlook the Oregon game. If their offense is clicking Michigan will be forced to put up a whole lot of points which is something that traditionally they don't like to do. Shootouts just not the style at Michigan.
There are some factors here though that weigh pretty heavily in Michigan's favor. Oregon hasn't played a road game off the west coast since 2004 I think. And their history of going off the west coast is not good at all. Their QB spent the summer playing baseball, which probably set him back a bit - plus the fact that
he was not really a good passer last year. Threw a lot of picks.
But they have very real weapons that will be playing on Sundays eventually.
Stewart is a beast for sure and their receivers are all good to very good.
Cautious optimism is what I feel about that game. If the game was in Eugene I would be much, much more concerned. But as it is, the game could be very close and it would not be a huge upset if Oregon were to win.
Forget about the inexplicable mancrush...I'm praying Brian isn't going to do a liveblog! Liveblog=death.
I apologize in advance, because this is an extremely long comment!
RE Georgia: The #13 ranking given to Georgia this preseason are absolutely warranted. People outside of this state always tend to think that UGA isn't that good until they've won the SEC. That's happened twice under Richt, first in '02 and again in '05. In both of those years, the Dawgs came in under the radar (generally predicted to finish third or lower in the SEC East). The same situation is about to happen again this year. Phil Steele has it right. The top two reasons why Georgia struggled last year were: 1) inexperience at QB; 2) an injury to the starting place-kicker, Brandon Coutu (All-SEC). Stafford made countless mistakes as an 18-year-old true freshman, which was to be expected. But when Coutu went down in practice before the Tennessee game, the offense really took a hit. The countless number of crucial place-kicks missed over the next few weeks resulted in a 1-4 slide. However, the team pulled it together at the end of the year and finished 3-0 against ranked opponents (@ Auburn, vs Georgia Tech and vs Virginia Tech). The main reason for this improvement was a decrease in turnovers by Stafford. He had thrown 12 prior to those last three games. He threw just one during that winning streak. I, like many, expect him to be even better this year...
As to the offensive line, all I can tell you is that the unit will be far superior to the one that the Dawgs used last season. How? More depth and better coaching. The line is young, true, but there are twelve scholarship linemen in our rotation this years. The injury report you cited is an old one. Both Adams and Haverkamp have recovered from those minor sprains and they will start on Sept. 1 against Oklahoma State. There was also a coaching change made during the offseason. Richt went out and hired LSU offensive line coach Stacy Searels, who has got this ground in great game shape. Also consider that both the starting fullback - Brannan Southerland (All-SEC) - and the starting tailback - Thomas Brown - are considered outstanding blockers. Add this to the fact that Stafford's mobility and pocket-presence impressed many, and I expect the Dawgs to work around any line issues. I would throw out one more interesting fact: In 2003, UGA was replacing the entire offensive line. At least two freshmen were starting. That line gave up 47 (47!!) sacks that year. That Georgia team won 10 games and the SEC Eastern division... with as much youth, and considerably less depth/talent than UGA will have this year...
On defense, think reload. This is the product of many top recruiting classes since Richt has been here. The names probably won't mean much to you at this point, but consider that the team does return its leading tackler (SS Kelin Johnson) along with a whole host of fairly experienced talent in the secondary. The defensive line is deep and the interior is especially strong, with players l
cont...
... like Jeff Owens, Kade Weston, Geno Atkins and Jarius Wynn. The linebackers are questionable, but Richt has said over and over that this group will be much, much faster than last year's. Speed and talent abound on this defense. Watch out...
By now, you've probably figured out that I follow the Dawgs. That aside, I encourage you to hold judgment on this team until you see them in action. I don't want you to end up shocked when they win 10 games for the fifth time in seven years under Richt. Just be patient, wait until next Saturday and watch the Oklahoma State game in Athens. Unless I am greatly mistaken, you will see a convincing UGA win. After that, tune in for the South Carolina game on the following week, and watch the Dawgs take their first step toward the SEC East title. If I'm wrong, I'll come back and say so. But please wait before you write this team off. Too many people have done the same in the past. I know this team well. They are much stronger overall than the '06 version. That team won nine games... this one will win 10...
Thanks for reading!!
We didn't.
Brandon Cox has myastenia gravis. This is a fact (I saw a thing on it in one of those insufferable human interest pieces last year).
hey Brian,
Arkansas actually outgained Wisky 232 yards to -5
bup bup bup,
One thing that you have to remember about Oregon's defense last year was that they were absolutely decimated by injuries. I think we had five defensive linemen out most of the season. We were playing with third and fourth string guys out there. In addition, a starting linebacker and cornerback were both lost for the season by the third game. I have never seen anything like it before or since. Rest assured, that won't happen this year. I'm not saying the defense will be world beaters, but they should be decent.
The question about Oregon is all Dennis Dixon. If he loses the interception bug, Oregon will be good. If not, they might as well just hand the ball off every play.
So was Georgia overrated? Or was it Michigan? I know one of them dominated Okie State and the other lost to a Division II opponent in their own backyard... :)
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