There will be plenty of time to say something about the defense. Things are very, very wrong right now, but the priority right now is to find a way to finish out the season successfully with the personnel and coaches we have.

I will say this: as poorly as the defense (and special teams) played on Saturday, I do credit the defense with coming up with the plays in the 4th quarter to hold Kentucky off the scoreboard before and after the Dawgs got back in front. That doesn’t excuse the performance the rest of the game, but when the alternative is a repeat of 2006, you take what you can get.

Last week I put much of the loss on the offense. Red zone ineptitude, killer turnovers, and missed opportunities contributed to a colossal meltdown. The job done by the offense this week against a decent defense deserves as much praise as they received criticism last week. Key points:

• 5-for-5 in the red zone. All touchdowns. Great to see.
• Stafford with zero interceptions for just the second time since the Arizona State game. At the scene of one of his toughest days two years ago, Stafford showed tremendous poise and playmaking ability to lead Georgia to the win.
• Massaquoi’s redemption. Someone who has played so hard all year didn’t deserve to be remembered for two fumbles. It’s only fitting then that MoMass earned redemption with a 77-yard reception to set up the winning score and cap off a career day.
• Line improv. Justin Anderson’s injury was the latest in a series of blows to the depleted offensive line. It wasn’t pretty, but the line with Josh Davis filling in held together well enough down the stretch.
• A.J. Bryant Green. Georgia’s freshman phenom didn’t have a reception until the 4th quarter, but he made sure they counted. His first, a 42-yard strike, set up Moreno’s third TD run and put Georgia ahead 35-31. Green’s second and final catch will be one for the ages. If, and it’s an if, Stafford comes back for a senior season, I have to think part of the reason will be to play another season with Green.
• Moreno’s ownership of the red zone. Folks, that was why we hated to see Knowshon come out of the game. There is no player with a better nose for getting to the end zone. Moreno now has 15 rushing touchdowns on the season. In less than two years of action, Moreno has 29 career touchdowns – good enough to tie him with Frank Sinkwich for 4th on Georgia’s career rushing touchdown list. With four more rushing touchdowns this season, Moreno would tie Garrison Hearst’s single-season record of 19. Dare I say that if Knowshon returns for his junior year, Herschel Walker’s Georgia and SEC record of 49 career rushing touchdowns would be in play.

Defense or no, that kind of offense will be good enough to take Georgia the rest of the way. Can we get an encore on the Plains?

It sounds incredible on the brink of another 1,000-yard season that Knowshon Moreno would be taking questions, and even some heat, about his endurance and drive, but that’s where we are this week.

After taking questions about it all week, there can be no doubt now that Knowshon is aware of the chatter about how often and under what circumstances he takes himself out of games.

It’s reasonable to consider then that the questions and criticism will be there in the back of his mind when the situation comes up again this week. Will that affect his decision and keep him on the field for another play or two? Will that be to Georgia’s benefit or detriment if he really does need a break? Is it a decision focused on the short-term that could impact his freshness later in a game?

My biggest problem isn’t with the latitude given to Knowshon; he’s earned it and knows his limits better than anyone. It’s with this statement by Moreno: “Why be in there when Caleb is in there and he can do the same job that I can do?” With all due respect to Caleb and Knowshon, King has yet to show that he can do anywhere near the job that Knowshon can whether the job is running or blocking. Is Knowshon at 80% a better option than King at 100%? I think so.

I grant that Knowshon is probably being gracious towards a teammate, and King definitely has plenty of talent. There are situations and even entire series where resting the starter makes plenty of sense. The challenge for Moreno is recognizing those situations where, even at less than 100%, he’s the right guy to have on the field. More often than not those situations are in the red zone where Moreno has as good of a nose for the endzone as any back we’ve had for a while.

One has to think that Knowshon plays with a bit of a chip on his shoulder this week.

For some reason I couldn’t read this or this without recalling this.

Eight Mark Richt teams have made the trip to Jacksonville. Six have failed to score more than 14 points.

• 2001: 10
• 2002: 13
• 2003: 13
• 2004: 31
• 2005: 10
• 2006: 14
• 2007: 42
• 2008: 10

We tend to focus on Florida’s coaches and playmakers on offense when this game comes up, but Sylvester Croom’s offense can put up enough points to outscore what the Dawgs usually put up in Jacksonville. It happened again on Saturday. Many fans will look at the 49 and complain about the defense again, but this one is on the offense from the coaches on down. Blame refs, kicking woes, whatever, but the best RB, QB, and WR pair to play on one Georgia team in decades couldn’t manage but three points until garbage time.

For the second time this season, the Dawgs have failed – in spectacular fashion – to capitalize on the #1-ranked team losing. With the national and conference goals unattainable now, Georgia’s going to get a gut check the next two weeks with two more road games. The players always seem to have an easier time than we do of shaking it off, so hopefully they’re already thinking about getting it back together for Kentucky.

It’s not that easy for me. There’s still plenty of football this season, but this loss needs to stick in Georgia’s craw. We mock the public drama and theatrics of Tebow and Meyer over last year’s game and the Ole Miss loss, but, hey – it worked. Yes, losing 49-10 is a BIG DEAL.

And the next time Knowshon tries to take himself out again at a key moment in the game, tell him to turn it right back around and man up.

Georgia Southern (3-3) —

Central Michigan (4-2): CMU got by Temple and remain undefeated against opponents outside of BCS conferences. Now they get a Toledo team that won at Michigan last week. The Chippewas are winning, but their offense isn’t really lighting people up anymore. THIS WEEK: @ Toledo

South Carolina (5-2): Don’t look now, but the Gamecocks are 5-2. Losses to Georgia and Vandy had them reeling a bit in September, but a pair of nice SEC road wins have contributed to a four-game winning streak. The quarterback shuffle continues; now it’s Stephen Garcia’s turn to start under center. A primetime home game against LSU is their opportunity to get back into the SEC picture. THIS WEEK: LSU

Arizona State (2-4): The good news is that the toughest part of the schedule is past, but the bad news is the damage it did to the program. The Sun Devils haven’t won since the second week of the season. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that two of the four losses were out of conference, so they can still make some noise in the Pac-10. They have a bye week to rest up, regroup, and try to salvage the season. Will two weeks be enough time to heal Rudy Carpenter’s ankle? THIS WEEK: BYE

Alabama (6-0): The bye week has come and gone for Alabama, and they got a chance to enjoy the unique experience of being jumped over for the #1 ranking. No worries, though. As the second half of the season begins, Alabama has to keep from being publicly giddy about how the remaining schedule has opened up for them. Traditional rivals Tennessee and Auburn are reeling. The only challenger for SEC West superiority, LSU, showed more than a little vulnerability last week. College football has a harsh way of making questions like this seem silly, but is LSU the only team left with a shot of derailing Bama in the regular season? THIS WEEK: Ole Miss

Tennessee (2-4): You know, Nick Stephens isn’t that bad, but the bread-and-butter of Tennessee football has been and should be the run. It’s amazing to me that quality backs like Foster and Hardesty can’t get much behind a veteran offensive line. Stars on defense like Ayers and Berry aren’t enough to cover for a weaker-than-usual supporting cast. Watching Georgia drive for ten minutes behind a piecemeal offensive line to seal last week’s game went against everything you thought you knew about Tennessee football. There’s no looking ahead to Alabama – the Vols are still looking for an SEC win, and MSU will do everything they can to make it close and ugly as usual. THIS WEEK: Mississippi State

Vanderbilt (5-1): The perfect start to the season is over, and now Vandy has to be looking at the schedule wondering where win #6 will come from. There’s a "new" quarterback who has posted points against the Dawgs, but Vandy’s lack of production on offense go deeper than the QB. It also isn’t a good sign that the SEC’s #10 rushing defense has to go up against Knowshon Moreno. Two years ago turnovers turned a comfortable Georgia halftime lead into a shocking upset. Can Vandy count on that happening again? THIS WEEK: @ Georgia

LSU (4-1): We can empathize with LSU. Two weeks ago, Georgia was the team who had to convince everyone that they weren’t as bad as their last game showed. Now it’s LSU’s turn, and not many teams will have the speed to shred LSU the way Florida did. They’ll have a tough job of getting back off the mat on the road against a South Carolina team regaining a bit of confidence. If LSU can’t move the ball against a tough Gamecock defense, this could be a close low-scoring game. THIS WEEK: @ South Carolina

Florida (5-1): Wow. It’s almost as if the Ole Miss game never happened. The Gators put it all together against LSU, and the results were impressive. Now they get the bye week to feel good about themselves, but the challenge will be sustaining that level of play through the bye and on into next week’s Kentucky game. As impressive as the offense was, let’s not overlook that Florida is #2 in the SEC in scoring defense at the midway point. I don’t know if that’ll hold up, but it’s hard not to give them their due. THIS WEEK: BYE

Kentucky (4-2): Last week everyone was patting Kentucky on the head for a nice effort in a loss at Alabama. That’s not the case this week. The Cats had every chance to put South Carolina away in the first half and couldn’t. It turned into a sloppy, unnecessary loss, and it – for now – flipped the fortunes of those two programs. Now the Cats have to deal with an Arkansas program feeling pretty good about themselves, and Kentucky will also have to play the rest of the season without playmaker Dicky Lyons Jr. THIS WEEK: South Carolina

Auburn (4-3): Tommy Tuberville got asked this question this week (h/t EDSBS): "What’s it been like for you guys being kind of passed by Alabama as the top team in the state?" Again, just because of questions like that, nothing would be funnier than to see Auburn find a way to extend the streak this year, especially if Bama comes in 11-0. THIS WEEK: BYE

Georgia Tech (5-1): Although they’re not beating the likes of Hawaii, I guess it’s a credit to Tech that they keep winning, and a lot of their remaining games seem, well, winnable. Carolina’s star is out for the year. FSU and Miami are average, and if Tech can prove to be above average, I guess that’s saying something relative to expectations for this year. Now Tech gets Clemson in the first post-Bowden game, and who knows what to expect? THIS WEEK: @ what’s left of Clemson

Back in August, Matthew Stafford laid out some ambitious personal goals for the 2008 season. Now that half the season is in the books, we’ll take a peek at how he’s coming along.

Goal: 35 TD
So far: 8 TD
Projected*: 16 TD
Comment: Not gonna happen. Even the Richt-era record of 24 set by Shockley in 2005 seems out of reach at this point. This isn’t a problem indicator; the SEC leaders only have 10 TD each, and the running game has been doing a great job of getting in the endzone. If Stafford can get to 20 TD on the season, I’ll be thrilled.

Goal: 3,700 – 4,000 yards passing
So far: 1503 yards
Projected*: 3000 yards
Comment: It’s probably not going to happen without a huge increase in production. Stafford did just post his first career 300-yard game. Even if Stafford averages 300 YPG the rest of the way, he’ll be at 3,300 yards heading into the postseason. That would put him in a position to beat Greene’s Richt-era record of 3,307 yards. If Stafford can average 250 YPG in the remaining six games, the SEC Championship, and the bowl, he’ll be in a position to challenge Eric Zeier’s all-time Georgia mark of just over 3,500 yards.

Goal: 64% completion rate
So far: 61.7%
Projected*: 61.7%
Comment: This goal is still very much within reach. Stafford has already improved his percentage over last season, and he just completed 69% of his passes against Tennessee. By completing just another couple of passes per game, he can get to 64%.

* – Projections are based on doubling the production so far. Yes, Georgia will likely face much better defenses the rest of the way. Production could also vary based on injuries and improvement. If my projections don’t suit you, fill in your own.

You’ve been reading a lot of this kind of sentiment this week. Chip Towers mentioned it earlier in the week. David Hale started a good conversation by noting that the players themselves seemed “reserved” during this game week.

OK, I sense it too. People are dragging. I admit that instead of wanting to get right back after it following the Alabama game, I was grateful for the bye week. The Arizona trip took a lot out of me personally, and it was even an adjustment for the players and coaches. Maybe we’re all still just shaking it off.

Anyway, it’s pretty clear that both the fans and team need something good to happen to snap them out of it. A win is what we’re after, but what’s really needed is that same energy and enthusiasm the fans and team had in Tempe. If you had to look to one guy to deliver that energizing bolt, I can’t think of anyone better than Knowshon Moreno. A highlight-reel run early in the game from the player who challenges physics with his perpetual energy would be the wake-up call we’ve been needing since late September.

Who, me?

If you want a stat to watch Saturday, Tennessee is last in the SEC in first downs generated. They’re next-to-last in third down percentage. The Vols are averaging fewer than 16 first downs per game. Alabama had five on their first drive against Georgia alone. I’m not as big of a detractor when it comes to the Georgia defensive coaches and scheme as others, but Georgia’s not likely to see a better chance of putting up some three-and-outs. If the Vols show the ability to drive and convert third downs early, Georgia’s in trouble.

I’m disappointed that Walter Hill had to be dismissed from the football team, but another Georgia coach is probably thinking he dodged a bullet. Hill was not only a football standout at East Hall; he was also recruited for basketball and had to choose between the two sports. Richt’s dismissal of Hill made the news of course, but imagine how many hand-wringing columns we’d be subjected to if Hill were the latest player dismissed by Dennis Felton.

The folks in Tuscaloosa are no doubt enjoying yesterday’s news from Auburn, but I can’t help but think back to Gameday at Alabama last September and all of the signs making light of Auburn’s slow start. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if after all this Auburn managed to extend the streak for one more year?

I’ll be disappointed in the Georgia student section if there’s not at least one pterodactyl reference on Saturday. Maybe the guys who paint themselves can spell out Veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek along the front row.

Knowshon Moreno was held to 30 yards in Knoxville last year, and he put up just 34 against Alabama two weeks ago. Quick starts by opponents in both of those games did the job of taking Georgia’s running game out of the picture. Nothing would make me happier Saturday than an opening drive by Georgia similar to what we saw in Jacksonville last year.

Nice – reporting the firing of Tony Franklin wasn’t enough; the Auburn media had to channel their inner TMZ and circle around while he cleaned out his office.

There are several challenges on defense this week. The loss of Ellerbe is high on the list. I’d also like to see a good game from Rashad Jones. Eric Berry is the star in the UT secondary, but Jones was just as big of a prospect. He’s shown us glimpes of great athleticism at times, but he’s nowhere near the consistent menace that Georgia needs patrolling the middle of the field. An inexperienced sophomore QB making his first road start should be like blood in the water to the Georgia secondary, but it’ll take better safety play to take advantage of the opportunity.

What happened to the Tennessee offensive line? This was supposed to be one of the more veteran lines in the SEC, and it should be one of the bigger advantages for UT on Saturday. The results so far though haven’t been all that good, and they’ve given up just one fewer sack than Georgia’s young patchwork line. They’ve been unable to get the running game going. Maybe I’m still stung from seeing Foster and Hardesty drag Georgia defenders around last year to the tune of 190 rushing yards, but I’m still concerned about this matchup whether or not Rod Battle is able to go for Georgia.

First, go read this post by David Hale. It’s one man’s opinion, but he’s at practice, speaks with the players and coaches, and his take seems reasonable even if it raises some unpleasant questions.

This is the part that stood out to me:

I think this speaks to a real issue for the Bulldogs. Mark Richt has often said that if a team is coach-driven, it is destined to fail. If it’s player-driven, you have a much better shot at winning. It sounds like Georgia has been pretty coach-driven so far this year.

It’s something that I’ve been wondering about since the Alabama game. At some point during the 31-point meltdown in the first half, you’d hope or expect someone on the sideline would start lighting a fire under his teammates. Those with better seats than mine have said it didn’t happen, and Hale’s cautious observation that "there just aren’t a lot of loud voices coming from the players" doesn’t do much to convince me otherwise.

Leadership is more than ranting and raving of course; he who screams loudest and throws the most chairs isn’t necessarily your best leader. Leadership-by-example is nice too, but it’s overrated. You can play your tail off and still be a Class A jerk whom no one wants to follow.

While I was thinking about this very thing last week, a single quote from last season came right to mind.

"Coach, you are the key. You have got to keep it going."

It’s a quote from an anonymous player during halftime of last season’s Florida game. Mark Richt "was whipped" – exhausted – after an emotional first half, but the players were feeding on his energy and needed him to sustain it as long as he could if they were going to finish the job.

Mark Richt’s conscious transformation last season was one of the highlights of Georgia’s 2007 campaign. It was refreshing, entertaining, and – most of all – necessary. It grew from a reaction to the lack of energy and enthusiasm he sensed during the ugly loss at Tennessee. The players loved it, the fans loved it, and Georgia ripped off seven straight wins to end the season.

But here we are now on the eve of another game with Tennessee, and the leadership question has reared its head again. While no one has grounds to complain about the results after Richt stepped into the leadership void last season, I have to ask whether the players are still stuck waiting for Richt to be the one who does something.

Rennie Curran spoke in depth about accountability and how players have been slow to claim the leadership roles that should belong to them. "Somebody will make a penalty or somebody won’t make a play, and it’s kind of like we just let it slide by, nobody will say anything," Curran said. The good news is that Curran claims that the team has improved in this area over the bye week. Still, is it something that we can expect to get fixed in two weeks? A team’s chemistry and leadership – especially among the players – is forged year-round, and it’s just as important in July as it is in October.

There will be some who take the comments of Curran and others and conclude that Georgia is adrift, not watching film at all, and completely unprepared to play. Let’s not go down that road – this is a very good team, they’ve already won some quality games, and they have a very solid staff who knew to push these buttons over the bye week. Curran and Lomax are among those who have recognized a problem, and at least they’re attacking it now while the season’s goals are still very much within reach.

It’s bad enough when your team gets it handed to them at home. It’s even worse when that loss possibly cost you a chance to be better in the future.

California prep quarterback Josh Nunes withdrew his commitment from Tennessee after witnessing the home crowd turn on the Vols during their lopsided loss to Florida a few weeks ago. Nunes has now committed to Stanford. He maintains that the crowd reaction wasn’t part of his decision, but Andy Staples’s column sheds a little more light there.

Meanwhile, Georgia fans are getting praise for how they handled the 31-0 halftime deficit.

But what shocked me more was the dialogue that was occurring between the Georgia announcers. They were talking about the standing ovations that the Georgia fans were giving the team as they went into and came out of the halftime locker room. According to one announcer, he had never been so proud of the Georgia fans in all his years of broadcasting Bulldogs games.

I admit that I was waiting to hear a chorus of boos as the halftime whistle sounded. To be sure, there was some booing. But the overall positive reaction of the crowd in Athens was noticed not only by pundits and fans of other schools but also by some very important prospects that were in town.

“Even when Georgia got down, they stayed with them,” said Florida athlete Denard Robinson.

“The fans were great the whole time,” said defensive end Neiron Ball. “They stayed around, they kept supporting their team, and I really liked that.”

Georgia’s own high-profile quarterback commitment, Aaron Murray, was on campus along with teammate and tight end prospect Orson Charles. Their experience was also positive.

Look, I’m not going to pretend that Georgia fans are that far away from Tennessee fans. Maybe we were too stunned to boo. We’ve certainly seen our share of ugly behavior at Sanford Stadium, and many of us can recall that the reaction at the 1999 Auburn game (after a very similar first half) probably cost us any chance with Jason Campbell.

For one night though, Georgia fans did their part to keep the damage to the program limited to the field on Saturday night. I was as amazed as anyone at how the fans stayed in the game. When Prince Miller scored, you’d have thought that Georgia had tied it up. It’s unfortunate that the defense couldn’t get a stop after that punt return; instead, Alabama ate up the first five minutes of the 4th quarter and kicked a field goal that put the game away.

Let’s not make a habit of it, though. I don’t know that the Dawgs want to see how far they can push the goodwill of the fans, and another 31-point half most likely wouldn’t get the same response.

A third of the way into the 2008 season, no fewer than five SEC teams considered to be at least marginal contenders for the conference title are facing big questions about their offenses.

Whatever offense Auburn runs, don’t call it the spread. "We don’t run Tony Franklin’s spread offense," coach Tommy Tuberville acknowledged. "You can’t put a square peg in a round hole." Auburn has a quarterback controversy, the spread took a back seat during the Tennessee game, and offensive coordinator Tony Franklin is feeling the heat.

Meanwhile, Tennessee will use this weekend’s game against Northern Illinois to experiment with the quarterback position. Starter Jonathan Crompton hasn’t been playing as well as he practices, and backup Nick Stephens "likely will see playing time" against NIU. Crompton has taken criticism for poor decisions and turnovers, and coordinator Dave Clawson doesn’t exactly give a ringing endorsement. "It’s not like we’re in a rhythm now so it’s not like you’re disrupting something that’s going really well."

Steve Spurrier and staff are "coaching just as hard as we did, you know, 10 years ago, eight years ago," but the struggles of the Gamecock offense relative to a stellar defensive performance to date are raising frustration levels. South Carolina has used three quarterbacks this year, and the starter for Saturday’s trip to Oxford probably won’t be named until Thursday. Spurrier laid into his offense after they failed to light up the scoreboard against a bad UAB team. "I told our guys I don’t see how some of you guys look in the mirror sometimes after the performance you played.," he said. "The effort level and the way they played is sad."

Things aren’t rosy at Georgia either. Injuries are taking their toll especially at tight end where former starting left tackle Kiante Tripp is getting work. Injuries to starter Tripp Chandler and reserve Bruce Figgins have forced the Dawgs to play redshirt freshman Aron White and move Tripp from the offensive line, his second position move in a year. The situation is serious enough that it might even require the Georgia coaches to evaluate the role of the tight end in the offense. In addition to the crisis at tight end, Knowshon Moreno is banged up, receiver Tony Wilson – Georgia’s best blocker on the perimeter – is out for the year, and Kris Durham will miss a few games. At least Brannan Southerland is back.

Even Florida isn’t immune from questions about their offense. Injuries on the offensive line, turnovers, and a critical fourth down failure have resulted in no shortage of suggestions on how to get the Florida offense back to its gaudy greatness. A running game that doesn’t center around Tim Tebow still hasn’t emerged. Let’s bow our heads…

LSU might argue, but is the conference’s best offense currently in Tuscaloosa? It sure looked like it.

Tony Barnhart beat the "every week is a playoff" drum yesterday and echoed some very familiar themes. But his rundown of the remaining schedule results in the damnedest "playoff" I’ve ever seen.

On one hand is Georgia:

vs. No. 19 Vanderbilt, Oct. 18; at No. 3 LSU, Oct. 25; vs. No. 12 Florida Nov. 1 in Jacksonville; at No. 13 Auburn, Nov. 15.; vs. No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 LSU or No. 13 Auburn in SEC championship game.

On the other hand is BYU:

at No. 15 Utah, Nov. 22.

How do I get me some of that seeding for this playoff?

Barnhart (and others) do the regular season a disservice by trying to conceptualize the season as a playoff. The regular season is many things, but a playoff isn’t one of them. Georgia and Florida and Southern Cal might be eliminated after one loss, or they might not be, and it all could depend on the fortunes of Oklahoma and Penn State – two teams who won’t even play each other. Someone want to draw up that bracket?

With so many of the top teams playing each other, it sounds a lot closer to a relegation league.

There are no shortage of Munson highlights from over the years, but now that the sun has set on his career in the broadcast booth, was this 2006 call his last signature moment?

I’m among those heading out to Tempe today, so it’ll pretty much be radio silence over the weekend. A few things I’ll be thinking about on the plane…

Next in line. The shuffling of the offensive line about which we speculated earlier in the week is underway. It looks like a starting unit of (L-R) Vance-C Davis-Jones-Boling-Anderson will take the field. There are concerns with three of the new starters – Vance’s speed and agility, Jones’ experience, and Anderson’s grasp of the assignments – that have been present since the staff began evaluating the line in the sprint.

I stress again that some of the line positions were close battles to begin with. Jones had been pushing Davis at center since the spring. Cordy Glenn’s rise to the starting lineup was one of the surprises of August’s preseason camp. Ability has never been the question with Justin Anderson; it’s only been a question of understanding the scheme. I don’t necessarily see this shakeup as a desperation move. The line did perform poorly last week, and that might have tipped some of these positional battles that were close to begin with. Tripp and Glenn aren’t going anywhere, and we should see each in the game on Saturday.

Where’s the hype? Maybe it’s a lack of perspective after the blitz for the SoCal-Ohio St. game, but is it just me or have things been pretty quiet this week? Oh, you’ve had a few nods to Georgia’s first trip out west in decades, and the Arizona press has done their part to spotlight the crazy SEC fans coming to town. You just don’t get the sense that there’s much buzz on the national scene for this game, and that’s not good news for a Georgia program hoping to grow its brand and national reputation through games like this.

In fact, if I go to ESPN’s college football page, I’m reminded that the national focus this weekend is back in the South and the SEC. Gameday will be at LSU-Auburn. Florida @ Tennessee is also getting plenty of play because, well, I guess we missed talking about Florida during their bye week. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being South Carolina-Wofford and 10 being Beanie Wells’ ankle, this game is only a 6 or 7 on the hype meter right now.

Something to prove? Though Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno put up some good numbers and highlights in Georgia’s first couple of games, their first performance last weekend in front of a national audience was pretty lackluster. The Georgia offense produced just one touchdown, Moreno was held well under 100 yards, Stafford was bailed out of his first INT of the season, and, worse, the Georgia coaches more or less surrendered to the fact that the line was getting beat and didn’t even let Moreno try to put the game away on their final two drives of the game.

It’s not that Stafford or Moreno have played poorly. Stafford is as good as he’s been at Georgia, and Moreno has 7 touchdowns already. But as Chase Daniels begins to pull away from the pack in the Heisman race, Georgia’s stars on offense could really use a big game in a high-profile setting. Of course they can only perform as well as the line and the hands of the receivers allow.

Getting pressure. The pass rush has been a hot topic this week, and it doesn’t help that the Dawgs are now down two starters. The loss of Jeff Owens got tons of attention in the first week, but defensive end Rod Battle missed the South Carolina game and is also out for Arizona State with a neck injury. The depth on the line is thin enough, and now half of the starting unit is unavailable. We made a lot out of Arizona State’s sack total last year, but they’ve been much better so far this year giving up just five sacks through three games. Whether that’s a factor of the competition, better-than-expected play from the patchwork line, or the result of scheming around the weakness, the job of getting to and disrupting Carpenter doesn’t seem as easy as it might have in July.

For everyone headed out to the game, be safe, and we’ll see you here on Saturday.

We want to increase Georgia’s national exposure. What Georgia fan could disagree with that goal for the program? We want Bulldog football to be popular, ubiquitous, and successful like Coca-Cola, Google, Toyota, or any other respected and well-known brand. It’s a business, Georgia football is a brand, and Damon Evans, like any good manager, wants to grow that brand.

My only question – and it’s one that I’ve asked since we first learned about this road trip to Arizona – is this: is Georgia’s national exposure really a problem that needs attention?

• Recruiting: Georgia has had a recruiting class among the national top 10 (according to Rivals.com) for several years running. They have the advantage of being the flagship public school in a talent-rich state. Additionally, they have landed elite national prospects from as far away as Texas and New Jersey without playing in or near those states.
• Popularity: Georgia is among the 10 top-selling institutions represented by CLC. Georgia merchandise is in demand. Season ticket interest is through the roof.
• Reach: Thanks to the SEC’s popularity, over half of Georgia’s games this year will be on major national networks. Others will be on regional networks but available in homes and sports bars elsewhere through ESPN’s GamePlan. This isn’t 1940 or even 1985 when watching a team in person might be your only opportunity to get a look at them. It’s possible that interested persons in Gov. Sarah Palin’s town of Wasilla, Alaska, were able to pick up last Saturday’s game against South Carolina on rabbit ears via KTVA-TV in Anchorage.
• Finance: Georgia’s financial success is well-documented and a credit to the management of Damon Evans and his predecessor. No issues here.
• Reputation: If Georgia gets knocked for being a "regional program", it doesn’t show up in the polls. Silly issues like Knowshon’s hurdle aside, it’s hard to argue that Georgia gets slighted.

What am I missing here? I’m not impressed with the cliches – "in order to be the best you’ve got to beat the best." It’s not about ducking quality competition, but there are very real consequences to the team when you drop a trip to Tempe in the middle of the SEC schedule.

If Evans and Richt really see a perception and image problem with the Georgia brand, how about a national title or two first?