I know it’s still early in the basketball season – off the radar even for most Georgia fans – but last night’s loss to Western Kentucky was pretty disheartening. It’s not that the Hilltoppers are a bad team; they are the favorites in their conference. The disappointing part is that one of Georgia’s biggest issues last season seems to still be a problem.

Last year after a loss to Nevada, I wrote that Georgia’s biggest problem was the lack of a go-to guy. They certainly had some talent, but there was no one on the team they could trust with the ball when the game was on the line. Unfortunately, that same problem persists this year – at least for now. Billy Humphrey disappeared in the second half. Mike Mercer was likewise streaky. Terrance Woodbury, touted as a hidden gem, was nowhere. Veterans Stukes and Gaines were on the bench for much of the stretch run. Post play was better but still in no position to take over the game.

Western Kentucky did have such a player. Courtney Lee was the best guy on the court last night, and, as Fazekas for Nevada last year, provided a very good contrast and example of what it means to have a player who can be depended upon to make significant plays at the end of a game. A play in the final minute illustrated that perfectly. With the shot clock running down and Georgia still ahead by a point, Billy Humphrey tried to set up an isolation play and held the ball almost at halfcourt until the final seconds of the shot clock. Lee defended him perfectly, forced Humphrey to attempt a shot from at least 22 feet, and even blocked the shot enabling Western Kentucky to take their first lead. Forget the 20+ points – that’s a clutch playmaker.

Until Albert Jackson or even Takais Brown can show otherwise, this is still a guard-driven team, and they will continue to rise and fall with the inconsistencies of those guards. You can add depth, and you can turn the calendar and add another year of experience, but none of that matters if you don’t know who should have the ball with a minute left.

While Western Kentucky got big plays from their go-to guy, Georgia choked up, committed consecutive turnovers, took poor shots, and finished the game on the wrong side of a 15-2 run. How unfortunate on a night when the team paid tribute to the spirit of Kevin Brophy. This isn’t a year or two ago where we could hang our hat on the occasional nice play and pat the team on the head for a nice effort when we knew they were outmanned. This team led the entire game, held a double-digit lead with around five minutes left, and showed no urgency or response to the challenge that Western Kentucky gave them at the end.

Georgia expects, or at least hopes, to contend for an NCAA Tournament berth this year. With the challenges of the SEC schedule, there is so little room for error in the nonconference schedule. If the season comes down to the Bulldogs trying to make the case for the postseason with 17 or 18 wins, this one is going to really hurt.

If 2003 and 2004 were instances where some people said we needed one more game to decide things (the “plus-one”), is this year a case of needing one fewer game?

I mean if we’re not going to have a playoff, if the regular season means everything, and if the goal of the BCS is to match the two best teams, aren’t we pretty much done after this weekend? Is there something that the second tier of teams can show in the next three weeks that would convince pundits and pollsters that the two best teams aren’t playing in Columbus this weekend?

If the Dawg fans you’ve talked to about Saturday’s win are anything like my friends, their first reaction to the win was probably, "FINALLY!". Georgia finally put a complete game together, didn’t blow a lead, didn’t make crushing mistakes, etc, etc. Finally. The next reaction was probably a question: "Where has that been all season?"

I have to ask though if Georgia was capable of that kind of game all season. I’m not sure they were. Were the pains of this year necessary in order to get to this point? Certainly some of it was. You actually saw Stafford learn and develop in this game. I disagree with Ching that Stafford didn’t make any "god awful throws" – there was a pass right before the touchdown screen to Lumpkin that was thrown behind and could have been intercepted. But that’s a minor quibble – Stafford was generally golden in this game, and two plays on the same drive show the payoffs of that experience.

• After two forced fumbles while scrambling, Stafford slid safely once he had picked up another key first down late in the third quarter. He might have had more yards ahead of him, but he learned the lessons of the other two turnovers and didn’t get greedy.
• Soon after that play, Georgia faced second down on the Auburn 9. The Dawgs lined up in the power "wham" formation with only Massaquoi lined up wide. The play was going to be a pass to MoMass isolated on the Auburn cornerback, but Auburn dropped the safety into coverage where the pass was heading. Instead of forcing the ball as he has so many times this year, Stafford saw that Auburn had perfectly defended the play, and he threw the ball out of the end zone. He strolled into the end zone on the next play to put the game away.

Stafford’s two fumbles hurt in that they cost the Dawgs two good scoring chances, but they weren’t fatal as many of Georgia’s turnovers this season have been. They were at least in the Auburn end of the field. More importantly, they weren’t interceptions. For the first time this season, Stafford didn’t throw an interception.

It also helped that Auburn’s offense (under Sooper Genius Al Borges) hasn’t been as productive this year. They managed a single touchdown against LSU. LSU has a good defense, but even Alabama’s hapless offense managed two scores. They didn’t score an offensive touchdown against Florida. They were just as impotent against Arkansas. They were pedestrian against South Carolina. Right now, Auburn fans are tearing themselves apart trying to play the blame game (trust us, guys, we’re very familiar with that). Should they have run more? They only called 16 passing plays. But you can’t run or pass when you don’t have the ball. Auburn had no drives – zero – longer than six plays. They could not convert third downs, and Georgia’s defense ended other drives. Even their scoring drives happened quickly. Because Georgia was able to hold onto the ball themselves and create some drives as long as 14 plays, 16 passing plays probably seemed like 40.

This kind of win is a big deal if the Dawgs can handle the success. The mistakes were reduced for one glorious afternoon – will the same smart decisions be there in the next game? Without the benefit of foresight, some are calling this win the official start of the Stafford Era. If he (and his team) can keep it up and also beat Tech, I’ll agree.

But above all else, beat Tech!!!

The Orange Sea parts for Stafford…again. (AP – Todd Bennett)

It’s ten years since the famous 1996 Georgia-Auburn game. So many storylines…the four overtimes, the comeback, the Hail Mary, Uga and Robert Baker….

Others have more to say about it than I do, but to me the story of the game was a fresh Robert Edwards. Edwards was benched to start the game but became a poster boy for fresh legs in the overtime. He had nearly 100 yards of rushing (98) – in overtime alone. With both defenses gassed by the long and emotional game, Edwards seemed a half a second faster and ran effortlessly. Had the game gone on, I think he might have had another two or three touchdowns in him.

Can we do it again ten years later? Along with 1996, we might need to invoke 2002. Injuries at the receiver position forced the Dawgs to start little-known receiver Michael Johnson, and he ended up becoming one of the biggest Auburn-killers in Georgia history (remember he also had a big part in the 2003 game). The situation is slightly similar this year – Georgia is without several wide receivers, and A.J. Bryant might not be able to go. Demiko Goodman was lost for the season last week. Will another Georgia receiver use this opportunity on the Plains to add his name to Bulldog lore?

We’re cynical and hardened here in SEC country. Where college football has become big business, every play and decision is scrutinized like a performance metric. Wins aren’t impressive enough, losses aren’t acceptable, and the CEO coach goes from hero to bum from week to week and season to season. It’s not an entirely irrational reaction – the investment put behind these programs is serious stuff, and the passion behind it all is second to very little. When a program with the capital and human resources, talent base, and expectations that Georgia has loses to a program with much less in all of those areas, it leads to questions about how well those resources are being used. Business metrics again, and every fan is a McKinsey consultant with an answer.

Every so often though we’re reminded that all of this overhead is about a game played by college students. Complex thought behind schemes, state-of-the-art training methods, millions of dollars in investment, and huge national audiences all come down to how well 85 college students execute. That unpredictability is a lot of what makes college sports so maddening and also so enjoyable and superior to anything else.

We saw the kind of innocence and pure joy that just comes from winning that those of us who treat each game as an exam forget about. The fans had fun, not giving up on their team after a 15-point deficit. They unashamedly sang "We Will Rock You" as if hearing it for the first time. The players swelled with pride and emotion.

We see that kind of environment a lot in "traditional power" land, perhaps enough to dull us. Georgia might be down this year, but the environment for the Tennessee game earlier this year was as good as it gets in college football. The West Virginia game last year was just another game, but to the Mountaineers, it was everything – and they played like it. The hustle and passion shown by Rutgers last night is what impresses people more than a complicated scheme or true superstars.

We see this kind of story a lot in sports when fans get treated to a rare taste of winning. Atlanta went nuts over the Braves in the early 90s. Now they yawn and barely notice when they don’t make the playoffs. Kentucky beat a 6-4 Georgia team, but they tore down the goalposts in jubilation as if they had beaten Ohio State. Georgia baseball fans made Kudzu Hill a household name in 2001. That kind of pure enjoyment in the new experience of winning is what we saw last night, and it looks great every time we see it because we remember when we’ve had times like that. It’s what it felt like to be at Auburn in 2002 or in Jacksonville in 1997. Over time, we become used to or harden to those experiences and lose just how much it meant to have that innocent and even naive moment of pure joy after a win. It will be interesting to see how Rutgers fans go through this process in the coming games and seasons.

But what few are talking about while enjoying the Rutgers movie-script season is the complete collapse and bed-wetting by Louisville. Their 25-14 halftime lead wasn’t insurmountable, but any team worth a spot in the national discussion can’t let that get away. Louisville’s most frequently-used play in the second half was "QB scramble for his life left". They had a double-digit lead and one half separating themselves from a good chance at a spot in the national title game.

How fleeting it all is. Lousiville has a staff full of Certified Offensive Sooper-Geniuses™, but their unit looked lost and impotent in the second half. Even Jeff Bowden was chuckling. This week, he Again, full credit to Rutgers and their coaches and players. They had to make the plays and, most importantly, not fold early when they got embarrassed a bit in front of the home crowd. Once they settled down and were able to channel the evening’s emotion, they were fine. Now Schiano is the "it" guy…enjoy.

How would this be – say home field holds and West Virginia beats Rutgers in the last week of the season. Who wins the Big East and goes to the BCS?

Last night’s events certainly gave new life to many teams and threw open endless national title scenarios. Florida especially has to perk up at the prospects of moving up to #3. But Mark May’s caution is very apt here – there’s a ton of football to play yet. Call it the Virginia Tech rule – how many times in recent years have we seen them start out undefeated and then swoon in November? Or name it after Tommy Tuberville whose Auburn team got drubbed the week after complaining about the BCS. Play the games. There’s likely to be controversy this year, and that’s a topic for another post, but the cast of characters will surely change and be thinned between now and then.

Georgia’s men’s basketball team begins the 2006-2007 regular season on Friday night against Southern. The Dawgs look to show additional progress from the 15-15 mark they ended with last season. Today we’ll look at what to expect from the men, and the women’s preview will be up tomorrow.

When we last left them…

Georgia flirted with midseason dreams of the postseason last year, and an early February win over Alabama made a postseason trip seem all but certain. The Dawgs faded during the final month of the season as team after team exploited Georgia’s lack of an interior presence. In the end, they came up a win or two short and spent March at home.

The bright spot last season was the play of Georgia’s young guards. Sundiata Gaines matured as a capable point guard. Freshmen Mike Mercer and Billy Humpries had impressive first years. Still, the inconsistency and youth at guard could not carry the team past its frontcourt deficiencies.

A .500 record last year was a disappointment after the early part of the season teased at something better. Still, that result represented a solid improvement over the hopeless previous season.

Key losses:

• PG Kevin Brophy
• F Younes Idrissi
• F Kendrick Johnson

The tragic death of Brophy puts a crunch on the backcourt with no true backup for Gaines at point guard. Johnson didn’t play much last year, so his departure (for academic reasons) is a wash. Idrissi developed over his two seasons at Georgia but still wasn’t anywhere near a physical presence inside. His experience will be missed, but the Dawgs should be able to absorb the lost production.

Key additions:

• F Takais Brown
• C Albert Jackson

Help is on the way for the frontcourt. Brown and Jackson are both bonafide post players who were courted by some very respectable programs. Brown’s debut will be delayed indefinitely because of an academic-related suspension.

The competition:

Even if a team is better and improved in absolute terms, that improvement has to be measured against the teams it will play. Unfortunately, the SEC continues to improve across the board. Florida returns as the defending national champion and preseason #1, and much of the same cast of characters is back. Alabama and LSU look strong after deep NCAA runs last March. Kentucky had a "down" year by their standards, but the young talent they have should be coming along now. Tennessee should also be strong, but a late-season fade has kept them from being a preseason favorite this year.

While Georgia should now have the depth and talent to compete with anyone in the league, their ability to beat the rest of the conference will determine the bulk of their success. Seven games against Vandy, SC, Auburn, and the Mississippi schools will hold the keys to Georgia’s SEC fortunes. When you figure that a minimum of seven and likely eight SEC wins will be necessary for an NCAA berth, Georgia must holds its own against this group and find a couple of wins in the nine games they will play against UK, UT, UF, Bama, LSU, and Arkansas.

The nonconference schedule isn’t terribly brutal. A game against Gonzaga in Duluth should be interesting, and a trio of ACC games against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Clemson will be very good December tests. The Dawgs should expect to win the remainder of their nonconference games.

What to expect:

The frontcourt additions alone make this team much better. Dave Bliss is healthy, and Rashad Singleton has bulked up. Consistent guard play still will determine the success of the team. Stukes and Humphries will have to be much more steady shooters, especially from outside. Humphries can’t be the guy who hits a few first half baskets and then disappears. Mike Mercer has to find a role. He’s not quite a point guard, but his shot was too streaky to play him for long stretches at other positions. Mercer has spent the offseason re-tooling his shot, so we’ll see what comes of that. If he can be anything close to consistent as a shooter, he is explosive enough to become a big-time playmaker. Gaines will be fine at point guard if he is not asked to carry the backcourt’s offensive production.

The wing position could be an x-factor for the team this year. As a junior, it’s time for Channing Toney to show that he can be a steady contributor to the team. Sophomore Terrence Woodbury missed most of last year with an injury, and he is an unknown that could really make a difference. Georgia really hasn’t had much of a wing/small forward since Jarvis Hayes left, relying on guards like Damien Wilkins or posts like Steve Newman to fill that role. Woodbury in particular is the kind of player you expect to see at this position.

December games against Gonzaga, Wake Forest, Clemson, and Georgia Tech should be good barometers for this team, and a split of those games would be a pretty favorable sign. It would be a red flag if the Dawgs lost other nonconference games.

The deficiencies of last season were understandable and easy to spot, but they’ve been addressed and won’t be excuses for much longer. The jump from winning 15 games to winning 18-20 seems small, but that would represent wins over some very good teams while eliminating the occasional dreadful losses to some bad teams we’ve seen over the past two years (Auburn anyone?). That kind of transition can come from maturity and experience, and there are now several players with two or three years of experience in the Dennis Felton program. Fans have understood the challenges facing the program and been patient as Felton built a foundation, but for the first time in a while some payoff from that investment will be expected.

Go Vandy.

Why? Kentucky is currently 3-3 in the SEC with games against Vanderbilt and Tennessee remaining. Georgia is at 3-4. The only chance Georgia has to finish above UK in the SEC standings is to beat Auburn and have the Wildcats lose their final two games.

Yes, it’s really sad to be crunching these kinds of numbers, but it’s all we have left now. It also has a great deal to do with which teams are more attractive in the bowl selection process.

Now I know there are a lot of fans out there posturing and saying that “Georgia doesn’t deserve a bowl” or that they should refuse one (as if fans have any say in that). That’s garbage. Even a minor bowl means two to three more weeks of practice. When a big part of the problem is the inexperience and youth at key positions, why on earth (other than vanity) would you not embrace that opportunity?

Ching spoke with some defensive players about the adversity the unit has seen over the past month. Some very interesting comments in there – very good job as always.

I thought Ramarcus Brown made an extremely mature and insightful comment. He said, "Everything’s not gonna go right, so we’re all men here. College is about growing up. You’ve got to be able to handle that." When I read that, I see someone worth keeping an eye on in the next year or two. That kind of perspective is what I’d expect from the program’s leaders.

Some fans will probably focus in on and get bent out of shape about his statement that "we can’t play for the fans. We’ve got to have each other’s back." Brown isn’t denying the importance of fans or not being grateful for the support they do get. All he’s saying is that you can’t rely on that. Fan support is fickle. All you had to do was look around the parking lots and the stadium at the Mississippi State game to know that. I’m not getting into the endless "what defines a good fan" argument here; it’s just a fact that fan support ebbs and flows. We all know that. The players know that if they really need someone to lean on during tough times, they’re going to look to each other first. And I hope that’s how it will be. Brown and the other young players will have to be the core of the program’s resurgence. They are getting forged in fire right now, and they need to come through it together.

Ching also asked the players about "how much they pay attention to Internet message boards and how much criticism they hear and pay attention to." I hope that’s not for this year’s version of the tired "Internet BAD!" article that was played out around 1999. I expect not though since he seems to understand this medium well. We’ll see what comes of that.

Basketball season is starting up. The teams are now into the exhibition stage of the season, and the real games aren’t but a little more than a week away. I’ll have much more comprehensive looks at the teams next week, but here are the basic storylines for the programs right now:

• Can the women get and stay healthy? Entering last season, the Lady Dogs lost four players from August through the exhibition season. It decimated the frontcourt and derailed a very likely Final Four run. Even now, there are several players working back from last year’s injuries or other offseason surgery. And they’re not all 100% yet. That has affected their ability to condition and practice in the preseason, and it will affect how Coach Landers manages the early part of the season. They start the year ranked #9 in the coaches poll.
• Can the men stop the bleeding? The tragic loss of Kevin Brophy and the departure of Younes Idrissi took some valuable experience from the program. Now we learn that promising JUCO transfer and likely starter Takais Brown has been indefinitely suspended over academic issues. The frontcourt will still be stronger than it was, but Brown is a potential difference-maker. Here’s hoping that this suspension is a short-term thing and that Brown can contribute this season.

Oh, and since we’re talking hoops…welcome back to the game, Bobby Cremins.

There’s only one game of national significance in the SEC this weekend, but there aren’t many dogs either.

Mississippi State @ Alabama: Lincoln (12:30)

Alabama has struggled a bit recently. Aside from their decent showing at Tennessee, they have let Ole Miss, Duke, and FIU hang around far too long. The Alabama offense isn’t putting anyone away. The Bulldogs on the other hand have shown a bit of life on offense. Back-to-back 24+ point performances against Georgia and Kentucky have put MSU in two nail-biters. They’re still seeking the breakthrough win though. The Croom-Bama relationship always plays a part in this game. While I think Bama holds serve at home, they might be in trouble or at least in for another cardiac test if MSU can get over 21 points for the third straight week.

Florida @ Vanderbilt: Lincoln (12:30)

Last year’s narrow escape in the Swamp is the storyline for this game. The Florida squad will no doubt remember the embarrassment of nearly losing to Vandy (trust us, actually losing is no fun either). With the BCS standings giving Florida new life in the national title picture, this is a big "leave no doubt" opportunity for the Gators. Florida’s defense should keep the Vanderbilt offense more or less under control, but the real question is the Gator offense. Scoring under 23 points per game in SEC play (and that includes defensive scores), I’m among those starting to wonder if Florida has a big number in them. Style points will count if the SEC has any hopes for its fleet of one-loss teams.

Arkansas @ South Carolina: ESPN (7:45)

The Hogs take their perfect SEC mark nearly 1,000 miles east. They’ve treaded water with some easy wins since their decisive win over Auburn. South Carolina got a dose of reality last weekend in their loss to Tennessee. The Gamecocks have started to find some answers on offense. Arkansas should expect to run well with the league’s top rushing attack against a run defense rated in the bottom third of the SEC. The Columbia crowd is always a factor, but Arkansas has already been road-tested at Auburn. This is the kind of game that Arkansas has to win if they have a chance of winning the West – Tennessee and LSU are right around the corner.

Georgia @ Kentucky (no TV)

The passing games of both teams will be in the spotlight here. Kentucky has the SEC’s third-most productive passing offense, and Georgia’s defense has taken its licks through the air. Wildcat quarterback Andre Woodson is big and mobile and a much improved player from the shell-shocked kid we saw a year ago. Georgia turned up the heat last week against Florida with decent results. They’ll need a strong performance from the defensive line against a banged-up UK offensive front. On the other side, Georgia’s Matthew Stafford continues to develop under center, and he’ll go up against the conference’s most generous pass defense. The one gotcha for Stafford is turnovers. Kentucky is right near the top of the league in turnover margin, recovering an SEC-best 11 fumbles. They have only turned the ball over ten times. Georgia has turned it over ten times in just the past two games. Georgia’s 16 takeaways are middle of the pack, but their 22 giveaways result in the SEC’s worst turnover margin. Worse, many of Georgia’s turnovers have set opponents up deep inside of Bulldog territory.

LSU @ Tennessee: CBS (3:30)

This is the big SEC game of the week. Tennessee is coming off of two very emotional games. They won in a comeback over arch rival Alabama, and then they put the Fulmer vs. Spurrier game behind them last week. They’ll have to gear up for a third straight week against an LSU team that’s been flying under the radar a bit and no doubt stewing about this game since their loss at Florida. There’s also the emotional baggage from last year’s game. LSU roared out to a big lead in their first post-Katrina home game, but Tennessee fought back for their only win of consequence in 2005. LSU’s defense surely remembers how Erik Ainge folded spectacularly against their pressure in that game. The difference between home and away has been night and day for LSU. In their five home games this year, LSU hasn’t scored fewer than 45 points. In their two road games, they haven’t scored more than 10 points. That those two road games were at Auburn and Florida has a lot to do with the disparity, but Tennessee is also a tough place to play. LSU has a big job to prove that they are more than paper tigers away from home.

As turnovers go, Georgia’s five against Florida weren’t as bad as they might have been. The Gators were only able to turn those five turnovers into seven points. Of course as close as the game turned out to be, those seven points were everything. Instead, the turnovers had a lot more to do with momentum. Even as Georgia showed signs of life in the second quarter, turnovers on three out of four possessions in the second and third quarters meant that too much time had elapsed before the Dawgs picked up some steam and began the comeback. The turnovers came in spurts and put way too much pressure on individual drives to get Georgia back in the game.

Turnover #1: Stafford interception. Georgia had their first taste of success on offense late in the second quarter. A Lumpkin run had put the ball at midfield, and Georgia decided to take a shot downfield. As the CBS announcer noted, Florida showed press coverage to bait Stafford into throwing the pass he made. The fade to Massaquoi was underthrown, and Georgia’s best opportunity of the game to that point was over. This turnover pretty much killed any hope Georgia had of scoring in the first half.

Turnover #2: Lumpkin fumble. This is the biggie, and we all knew it was coming. At this point, Georgia could take a knee on their opening drive of the second half, and we’d expect that to result in a turnover. I’d say it’s also even money that someone would get hurt taking the knee. The opening sequence of the second half was about as familiar and predictable than the 23rd Halloween movie. Start with the glacial kick return of Danny Ware (plot twist with no penalty this time). Ware returned the kick to around the 18 or so. Apply Ching’s Law of Second Half Kickoffs. The result was spectacular in its swiftness. The entire left side of the offensive line collapsed, and Florida’s defensive line – all with the glowing Impact Player circles going spastic – consumed both Lumpkin and the ball.

Ching wrote last week that "if they’re still in the game at halftime against Florida, I’ll be very interested to see what Georgia does on its first drive of the second half — and if it makes as big a difference in that game as it has in some of the recent ones." Oh, it made a difference. Just a little one.

Turnover #3: Stafford fumble. The only thing that prevented Georgia from having turnovers end three consecutive drives was a single run by Lumpkin that ran out the clock in the first half. Their second drive of the second half began with the penalty they had forgotten to commit on the previous kickoff. Stafford completed two nice mid-range passes to move Georgia out of their own endzone and close to midfield, but two incompletions brought about a third-and-ten. Florida broke down the protection, and Jarvis Moss knocked the ball from Stafford’s hand. A missed field goal kept Florida from converting this turnover to points, so this was possibly the least-costliest turnover out of Georgia’s five. Georgia responded a few drives later by causing their first takeaway of the game. Tony Taylor made a great interception, and the Dawgs were soon on the board.

Turnover #4: Kelin Johnson fumble. This turnover probably hurts more than any of them because of the massive swing of momentum. Georgia had just scored their first touchdown midway through the third quarter. They then held Florida three-and-out, and the Gators were punting from their own 24. The punt wasn’t impressive, and Georgia would have had the ball no worse than on their own 40 with a full head of steam. Johnson probably never saw the ball that bounced off his calf. He was fully engaged in a block The turnover didn’t hurt Georgia on the scoreboard – Florida missed another field goal – but the very next Georgia drive ended with….

Turnover #5: Stafford interception. Georgia was given a stay of execution after Florida failed to cash in two earlier turnovers. The second missed Gator field goal of the day gave Georgia new life. Stafford was developing some rhythm in the second half, and the Dawgs were driving early in the fourth quarter trying to get back within one score. They had several consecutive plays with positive yardage, and they converted (whew!) a close fourth-down to keep the drive going. A 20-yard pass to Massaquoi moved the ball to the Florida 30, but Florida pressure caused another miscue. Stafford was flushed back and to his right as the pressure closed in, and he floated a pass down the sideline that was picked off around the Gator five yard line. As it turned out, this INT acted more like a punt that pinned Florida deep. A few plays later, Tim Tebow fumbled inside his own ten, and Georgia was able to punch in that second touchdown.

Another loss to Florida overshadows several positive developments. It’s hard to write about them without sounding like a Gamecock fan and talking about moral victories.

I said before the game that “this could be a game well into the second half.” It was, but not for the reasons I expected. I had hoped Florida would continue their habits of slow starts while Georgia started like the team that had led at halftime of the past three games of this season. Nope. Instead, the game started out much like last year with Florida grabbing an early double-digit lead while Georgia spent the rest of the game crawling and clawing back.

The Dawgs didn’t fold, and the spirit in the second half was something that’s been missing for a long time. The defense was hitting as well as they have all year.

Five turnovers is just dreadful, and you’re not going to beat the conference leader and a top 5 team that way. One thing to take away from the game was the difference in playmakers, especially on offense. Georgia just has no one on offense to take control of a game…hopefully that’s just a factor of inexperience.

Florida is averaging 23 PPG in five SEC games to date. They haven’t broken 30 once. Most, if not all, of their SEC games have been within reach of either team in the fourth quarter.

I’m not saying that Florida’s offense sucks. They have two very good quarterbacks, a fleet of playmakers at receiver, and a difficult scheme to defend. I just wouldn’t describe them as explosive. Their style is power and force, very much like a passing version of the 2004 Auburn team. Auburn scored 24 against Georgia that year, but it was as complete and overwhelming a defeat as any 40-point beatdown.

Would I be surprised if Florida puts up 30+ on Georgia? No, because Georgia continues to be generous with the ball, and Florida has an opportunistic defense. If the offense and special teams can limit the mistakes that have cost them over the past month, Florida won’t score by the bucketful. That kind of efficient mistake-free play hasn’t been in Georgia’s character this season.

To come through, though, Georgia will have to reverse not one but two patterns. The Bulldogs started the season 5-0 and had given up a total of 14 points in the second halves of those games. They outscored opponents 72-14 in the second half and, other than the South Carolina game, scored at least 14 points in each second half. Since, the bottom has fallen out on both sides of the ball. In the last three games, Georgia has been outscored 71-24 in the second half. They haven’t scored more than nine points in a single second half and have given up no fewer than 17 points each time.

Many Georgia fans have long since thrown in the towel (Rep. Murtha would be proud), but is this really an impossible task? Georgia’s job #1 is not to give Florida any help. No turnovers, and no short-field situations. That alone would be a big turnaround. Then Georgia must attack Florida with the short passing game. Reggie Nelson is back there to slurp up errant deep passes, but teams have been able to move the ball with short ball-control passes.

While some are predicting a blowout and a game that will be over by halftime, I think it’s just as likely, if not moreso, that this could be a game well into the second half. We forget that Georgia led Tennessee going into the fourth quarter. If Georgia can get the first half advantage again and if Florida’s relatively deliberate offensive buildup continues, the stage will be set. That point in the game will be key – Georgia has flopped in the second half while Florida typically has put teams away with late scores or interceptions. Georgia might have the opportunity to reverse those fortunes in this game, but it will be a true test of leadership, talent, and especially coaching.

Ware has kind of faded into the background this year as Lumpkin emerged and we’re spreading the receivers more for Stafford. But Danny has had two of his best games against Florida. He had 14 carries for 71 yards (5.1 per) last year and was running very well in the second half. I still wonder why we took him out of the game when he was rolling. 2004 was even better – 18 carries for 103 yards (5.7 per).

I know that has little to do with the dynamics of this season and this game, but sometimes guys just play better against a given opponent. Reggie Brown owned South Carolina. Michael Johnson made a career out of two games against Auburn. #28 will get the ball at some point on Saturday; it’ll be interesting to see what he does with it in his third game against Florida.

• I’m glad to see the coaches stick with Stafford. It would have been tempting to pull him after some bad second half turnovers, and it might have even been tempting to try something else for the Florida game. He made his mistakes, but he also had the most prolific passing day by a Georgia quarterback this year. He was also quite accurate (60% +) considering he threw three interceptions. The surprising thing about his throwing were that many of the deeper passes were underthrown. Now we know (or have heard at least) that he has quite a gun. I suspect much of it has to do with timing, so we’ll see if that improves.
  
  
• Snark: I wonder how many INTs Stafford would be throwing these days had he started since the South Carolina game.
  
  
• Too much is being made of the booing of MoMass. Yes, many crossed a fine but distinct line between the frustration we all felt and taking it out on #1. I don’t think anyone was pleased with the drop. Some chose to sit on their hands, some groaned, some kicked a bench, some swore, and many booed. That the booing (and applause when he was taken out) was unfortunately the most outward and noticable reaction, but not too many of us had good thoughts in our heads at the time. Most didn’t even notice that that particular pass had been tipped.
  
  
• The really comical part of the reaction is that there are apparently levels of Damn Good Dawgness that makes it more acceptable to kick certain players in the gut. Massaquoi’s a good guy, so we’ll make a public spectacle of our shame. Meanwhile…Dan Inman, take your seat next to Patrick Pass. Can someone please fill in this scale so I know who deserves piling on? How DARE you attack college kids…unless they’re Odell Thurman or lower on the DGD scale.
  
  
• Speaking of which, has "damn good Dawg" taken on the equivalent of "bless his heart"? You can say anything about a player, tack DGD onto it, and all is well. "Monteego Powers is a damn good Dawg, but he should never suit up for Georgia again."
  
  
• Facebook groups for wardrobe coordination, intramural field preservation, and empty apologies. Whitewashing the Cocktail Party. Is this really what college life is like now?
  
  
• The important thing with MoMass is that we need him back. Something has happened to the guy who stood out at the start of the 2005 season with some incredible catches. Massaquoi’s 100+ yard game against Auburn last year was as close as a Georgia receiver came to taking over a game in some time. He is a special talent and can be a difference-maker on this team. We’ve seen it done against quality competition. The Bulldog offense, the developing quarterback, the running game, everything is better when he is on. Whether it’s coaching, something mechanical, something mental, whatever – the coaches have to save him before a promising career is lost.
  
  
• Bryan Evans certainly got thrown into the fire on Saturday. He had one really nice play that nearly resulted in an INT, but he also got lost a few times on deep passes. We know that the depth in the secondary is so young that anyone other than the starter is going to be pretty inexperienced. Whether or not Ramarcus Brown can play on Saturday is a big question.