Here’s why I’m NOT worried about Saturday afternoon when the ManBearPigs come to the best college town in America:
1. Ole Miss isn’t great at stopping the run, nor getting home to the QB. With Ernest Greene
getting healthy, Freeling coming off an award winning performance at Auburn, and some continuity, I feel that UGA can sustain drives and get scoring opportunities. Georgia showed it doesn’t need a run game to win in the Auburn game, but that is DNA, just ask Kirby Smart. And this might be a bounce back game for the rushing attack and giving Stockton time to make some reads.
2. The Rebels are not well disciplined. They have a habit of getting yellow laundry thrown in their direction. Matter of fact, they’re bottom 10% nationally in penalties – yardage, flags thrown, Kiffin curses, you name it. Georgia isn’t exactly marching with military precision either, but Oxfordians draw 3 more penalties a game than we do. Take away Daylen Everette’s penchant for DPI, and the different is that much greater. Just like Auburn helped our cause with frequent flags, Ole Miss should do the same. Now when the penalties are called, and how that effects the down and distance, is just as significant as the penalty itself. A team is pretty much what it is at this point in the season, and Georgia is good enough to force lots of those fouls from the LandSharks. Whether an SEC officiating crew calls them with regularity or consistenly applies the rules is anyone’s guess.
3. We have a CJ Allen. He likely will be called on to spy the Ole Miss QB, probably more than he did against Jackson Arnold last Saturday. If you can’t sack a running QB, and we seemingly can’t, you’d better be able to contain him, and he did a pretty good job of that.
The Junior is leading the Bulldog defense by example, and showing almost every game some of those freshman flashes that gave us such hope. He’s tops in tackles, has 3 pass breakups from the inside LB position, and has forced fumbles the last two games. I like how consistently he’s showing up, how versatile he is, which makes the Georgia defense less predictable and more effective.
Now forgive me, as I was weaned at the nipple of Larry Munson’s scratch so here’s what does worry me about playing the game that will be the basis of Lane Kiffin’s contract extension negotiation:
1.Trinidad Chambliss is not just a mobile quarterback, but a running quarterback. And Lane Kiffin likes to run the ball. Unfortunately this characteristic has many times been the bane of Kirby Smart defenses. And Glenn Schumann defenses. The feel good story is the 2nd leading rusher for Ole Miss, only behind bell cow Kewan Lacey. Chambliss is plenty shifty, escaping pressure, extending plays, scrambling, and executing called QB runs. Washington State held him in check on the ground pretty well, but not when it mattered and not on the scoreboard.
The Ferris State transfer is completing over 65% of his passes and has tossed 8 scores. A bright side could be that his production and success is trending a little lower. This might be because teams now have tape on his tendencies. Yet he’s running the same offense as Austin Simmons, and Jaxson Dart, and at some point Lane Kiffin will call the right play and Chambliss is the guy to execute that. And he’s doing it at a very high level.
2. A big reason for the success out of Ole Miss is that they are really good on 1st down, gaining about 7 yards on average. They run it about 2/3 of the time, but when they pass their average first down reception is over 11 yards. That is quite scary to consider, when comparing how the Georgia defense has performed in SEC play. Big production on first down usually means the opponent’s defense is often facing protect 3rd and short. That is not a sustainable practice. We need to get them into lower percentage plays.
3. And it isn’t just 1st down. Lane Kiffin probably rues that all of football is moving towards attempting risky 4th down plays, as he wanted to be the only one to do it (now that Les Miles is out of the game). Ole Miss has only failed a single 4th down conversion this season. And in close games, the freewheeling Kiffin will know he has that in his back pocket.
He also knows he has Dae’Quan Wright in his playbook. The Perry, GA native and now senior has been at Ole Miss for 2 years after transferring from VaTech, and seems to have mastered the playbook. At 6’4” and 255 lbs., it seems he does nothing but catch first downs. Seriously. He’s 4th in receptions on the team, but has the most touchdowns, the best average per reception, and 2nd most in receiving yards. He makes for a great target for Chambliss when they’re looking for big plays and key down conversions.
Call me crazy, just don’t call me late for dinner. Let us know in the comments what you’re feeling about the Ole Miss Rebels visiting the Georgia Bulldogs. And as always…
GO ‘DAWGS!!!
