Did it have its moments of angst? Yes. Was it also an incredible win for the Dawgs in Tuscaloosa? Also Yes. Here are ten thoughts from Saturday night’s big win over the Crimson Tide.
1. Ok, let’s confront the elephant in the room, no Crimson pun intended. Was the late no-call something that played a role in the final minutes? Yes. But did Alabama benefit from multiple no-calls, including a holding penalty on a touchdown play? Also yes. You can count on more than one hand how many times teams have
had a chance to beat Alabama lessened due to calls going toward Alabama? (Two words: Tyler Simmons) So, there should be zero sympathy given here. If Bama fans want sympathy, it’s in the dictionary between sycamore and syphilis.
It’s football, breaks of the game happen, and you have to overcome them. Or as former Valdosta head coach MIke O’Brien would often say, “guys, we’ve got to play well enough to make our own breaks, and we’ve got to play well enough to make up for the breaks we won’t get.”
2. Molly Hatchet may as well have been playing on the Georgia sideline, because it won despite “Flirting With Disaster.” Be honest. You probably thought ‘oh no, here we go’ with Woodring’s missed fourth-quarter kick, and some pre-snap penalities were not great…as well as Lawson Luckie’s penalty that negated a touchdown. I mean…Georgia had two field goals that could not be cashed that began as very good touchdown opportunities. It’s fair to say that as great as the win was…Georgia ‘got away with it.’ That was added to with Gunner Stockton’s near interception that was thankfully trapped by the ground.
3. It continues to be said. One of many things Georgia people love about Kirby Smart? They feel as if he is one of them. He knows what losses to these SEC teams in high-drama moments mean to anyone – whether you are a fan who casually watches or someone who has a UGA diploma on your wall. Exhibit t A: His post-game reaction after the handshakes.
4. The question has lingered all year in these blowout wins. How would this team respond to having to play a full game, how would it react to swapping punch after punch and getting back up? Survey says? Quite well.
5. Speaking of clutch play – Stockton was every bit of that. Big games define quarterbacks in this league, and Stockton met that moment. Which is why in the fourth quarter it was puzzling what Georgia seemed to take the ball out of Stockton’s hands deep in Crimson Tide territory.
6. It’s funny. At one point earlier this season, Kirby Smart lamented to the media about hating that Dwight Phillips is unable to get into the offensive gameplan with as many touches due to how the split of the work shakes out. But with Chauncey Bowens also not able to go with Nate Frazier, everyone saw why that sentiment exists. Phillips…as well as Bo Walker being the ‘next Dawg up’ were every bit ready for the big stage.
7. Speaking of Frazier…you can tell he is not willingly holding himself out based on the pre-game video of him on the sidelines. Do you really think a competitor like him enjoys a big game rolling around and not being able to play?
8. If you watched the TV broadcast, it was not hard to tell Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler had a favorite…and it was not Georgia. But what if that is the point? In case you have not noticed, ESPN cares little about being fair and balanced. It’s all about exciting and antagonizing people under its current model and not being professional, as seen from the current format of College Gameday. It riles fans watching up that ‘ see. they’re against us, too!” and you know what? That helps with ratings. If your team is not liked by the Worldwide Leader, you are just a dog in a pony show.
9. Ok, this is not to say dispensing severe weather info is a bad thing. Not at all. All of that said…prayers and well wishes to the WSB inbox for how drawn out getting urgent weather passed along seemed to take. Does the info need to get passed on? Yes, but it could have been handled better.
10. The lesson from Saturday thanks to Texas? Anything can happen on any given Saturday, which is why Georgia fans cannot take Auburn lightly.
Go Dawgs!
