FINALLY! We're done with the SEC season, Co-Champs of the Eastern Division, and can sit and wait for Kentucky to knock Tennessee off and send the real team of the SEC East to the Championship game.

Or do we really want that to happen? I mean right now all we have to do is beat Tech and we're pretty much guaranteed a BCS Bowl berth. Do we really want to play LSU in the SECC game?

I do. I think this team is probably playing at the highest level of any team in the nation and I'd pit us against ANYONE right now.

Anyway, back to Saturday. I have to kick off Hate Week 2007 Part II shortly, so I'll keep this brief.



The Stats Say:

That we couldn't pass the ball at all. Stafford got rattled early somehow and we were not clicking on any cylinders for most of the first half. After four quarters were played, we only racked up 99 yards of passing and I believe three interceptions. Not a good day for the sophomore signal caller, but Bobo stuck with the running game, found what worked, and used it effectively.



The Good:

1. Knowshon Moreno -- PWD did a great job on this, but I thought I'd throw my $.02 in as well. I wasn't fortunate enough to listen to the post game show, but if you watch the replay of the game, you'll see many instances where Knowshon took himself out of the game (which was basically any time he tapped his helmet). I'm giving him props for this because it takes a mature young competitor to realize when he needs a breather and how to keep his legs fresh when the team needs him to go 100%. His performance was solid as usual, but the maturity of this kid to understand how the game flows just knocks me right out of the water. He's by far a special type of Dawg.

2. Rennie Curran -- Another fabulous freshman that is every bit of the ball hawk the scouts made him out to be. Man, if he sticks around for another three years (I'm giving him two at best if he keeps playing like this), he's going to anchor a very talented Defense and LB corps. Just think about next year when you have him, Ellerbe, Dent, Hebron, Dewberry, and Washington. Watching him make SOLO plays and tackle like his brain is on fire is a breath of fresh air on a Defense that earlier this year couldn't have tackled an old lady.

3. The team's determination -- By far the best thing that came out of Athens on Saturday was knowing that against a high-powered Offense and a Defense that had us figured out, we still can claw our way back into being competitive. Kentucky got 60 minutes of Dawg football and they just couldn't match up with our talent. Rich Brooks has done an impressive job with that team this year (and last for that matter), but we gave them all we could. Glad it worked out for us. Kudos to the team for not quitting when it looked like we couldn't do anything right and winning one more for the Seniors.



The Bad:

1. The last Sanford game for the Seniors -- All groups of Seniors are special, but this one in particular means a lot to me. Unlike anyone from 2002 -- 2005, this group tasted ups and downs, QB controversies, booing from the "fans," an SEC Championship, and almost an entirely new coach in Mark Richt. Throughout all this, they stuck with it, kept pushing, and still have the opportunity to leave with one more SECC ring.

2. Matt Stafford -- The kid had a bad day of passing. Nothing more to say. Sh*t happens.

3. Turnovers -- We're still doing well in this category overall, but we cannot have this same kind of turnover-laden performance against Tech. If that happens, we WILL lose. Period.



Overall:

It was a good day to send the Seniors out on. The weather was nice, the fans showed up in force again, and we came away with a "W" against a highly competitive team. I'm proud of our guys, and even though I'm sad to see the season wind down, I'm happy that the SEC gauntlet is over with.

It was a tough year all around in this league and I'm very happy we came away with a 6-2 overall record with wins over Florida, Alabama and Auburn. If you would've told me we were going to do that at the beginning of this year, I would have told you that you were crazy as hell. Glad to see that Richt is still Richt and this team should still be considered one that "reloads" instead of "rebuilds."

Now, let's get to some Nerd Hatin'.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, Game Recaps, UGA Football