As the great philosopher Porky Pig said, “that, that, that’s all folks!”
A season of high drama and thrills that came with mostly highs and a few lows ended late Thursday night in a Sugar Bowl loss to Ole Miss. Here are ten thoughts, or something of that variation from a night in the Big Easy that’s sure to leave a bad hangover.
1. Not advancing to the semifinal round is a disappointment. This was a very young team that found success in the midst of growth and exceeded expectations. Both of these things
can be true. At the end of the day, the goal of any team in this postseason format is to be crowned champion. Falling short is a disappointment, especially when talking heads coronated Georgia as a team to beat for a national title a few weeks ago. It’s an overused quote, but Brad Pitt in “Moneyball” summed up the mentality when you’re in this postseason format: Sure, it makes you feel better to think about how this year’s group progressed further than it should, and there will be plenty of time in the next half-year to dwell more on that. But it still stings to go from a national title hopeful to not getting to the semifinal round…again.
2. Are we in the mode of this format where at some point you have to accept the fact that getting there is a great thing and anything else is just gravy? Georgia beat Ole Miss earlier this year. Alabama lost to Oklahoma earlier this season. And you want to tell me those games mattered nothing? Players who lined up on both sides in those games would argue that point. This format breeds the unexpected. Does it really reward the best team or the one that manages to play its best in a small window of the ESPN media circus? As this new era of a college football postseason develops, that is the standard that coaches and fans will have to ask – is being part of the show enough?
3. I was not old enough to know what was going on then, but this now makes back-to-back Sugar Bowl losses for the first time since the early 1980s for Georgia. I know some readers may love New Orleans. Others detest it. To each their own. But between the last two years and the loss here to Texas, I’d be ok avoiding the Crescent City for a few spells.
4. So here’s the thing about Mike Bobo’s offense. When it’s rocking, it’s rocking and rolling. But when it’s off, it’s way off. The situational awareness on Thursday….has seen better days. Between waiting three series to even have a run play to someone not named Gunner Stockton, to not mostly running tempo until the final eight minutes, and the coaching malpractice of the goal line series in the final 70 seconds, Mike Bobo has had better nights. This is not a calling for someone’s job post. But nights like this make it easy for those in search of that red meat.
5. Losing this game should have been something that was seen coming. Maybe time causes a memory loss, but this was an Ole Miss team that Georgia was in a slugfest with for three quarters in Athens, and you had for the most part, the same rosters. Any thoughts that the Rebels would roll over, especially given their past few weeks, were foolish.
6. The slogan is true. In the SEC, It Just Means More. But how much should an SEC title mean? If Georgia would have lost to Alabama in Atlanta, it likely has no first-round bye. And given that having to play in the opening round seems to help, would this team still be playing? Don’t be mistook. Beating Alabama was a great thing, but at some point do you weigh how important a conference title is if losing helps you win bigger things?
7. In this era of college football, you can’t play with a concussion due to all the protocols and athletic training oversight (which is a great thing). But after the horribly missed targeting call, it’s hard not to think that Stockton was impacted. It’d be hardly a shock to learn that the Georgia signal-caller was tentative afterward, specifically when you consider part of Stockton’s bag of tricks is his ability to extend the pocket.
8. If this game had a turning point, it was ironically AFTER Daylen Everette’s scoop and score. Georgia’s inability to get more points on the board not just to end the half but also coming out of the break sent bad signs that this team was going to try and outlast Ole Miss. That’s a good theory except when considering the Rebels’ offensive playmakers. Made worse was that as gutsy as the fake punt was, Georgia only mustered three points from it. The Bulldogs played like they were trying to dance with fire in the second half, and in the end got torched.
9. Not to use injuries as an excuse, but it’s not a coincidence that the interior offensive line was pistol-whipped, in turn making the run game a non-factor, all while Drew Bobo was sidelined.
10. The targeting rule needs to be fixed. Now. This is not an ask to ensure players get brain damage, but to DQ guys for a bang-bang play is not it, especially if it’s the first for a player in long season. Perhaps a system like soccer’s yellow card-red card progression would be worth considering?
As always, Go Dawgs!
