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Thursday Dawg Bites
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- Thursday Dawg Bites
Olive Garden once said, "When you're here, you're family."
Georgia playing Auburn feels a bit like that.
Auburn is the cousin on your mom's side who's three or four years younger than you that you see a couple of times a year. You're bigger than him, faster than him, stronger than him, and more athletic than him, yet for some reason, he always challenges you to a game of 1-on-1 in the driveway.
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Even if, occasionally, you're a little tired at first and start out slow, you ultimately know how the game is going to end. You'll get the win, and he'll start talking about how next year, when he's a little more grown, the game will be closer. Heck, he might even win one someday. Eventually, that may come true, but it can't be believed until it's seen.
Well, this weekend, little cousin Auburn makes their way to Athens, Georgia, to play in a grand driveway that is severely slanted against them. Auburn has not won in Sanford Stadium since 2005 and hasn't scored more than 13 points there since 2009. That's seven (!) consecutive games between the Hedges without two total touchdowns and extra-point conversions for the Tigers.
With Auburn coming off a bye week and Georgia coming off a physical and emotional win over Alabama, this might be Auburn's best chance to sneak a few past an otherwise stingy Georgia defense and reach that elusive number of 14 points.
While that may be enough for them to celebrate, it likely won't be enough to win. This Georgia offense, even through the constant moans from fans, has reached the intersection of explosive and consistent. There is a litany of players ready to step up when someone goes down with an injury, and another litany for that litany.
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With two important veterans, team leaders, and leading rushers, Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens, out for the biggest test of the year, Captain Dwight Phillips Jr. stepped up and carried the ball in ways fans didn't know he was capable.
Lots of people could have predicted this team would be 6-0 halfway through the regular season, but no one would have thought that Dwight Phillips Jr. would be the team's leading rusher and freshman Craig Dandridge would be the team's leading receiver. Mike Bobo and Co. are figuring out ways to spread the ball around and keep defenses off balance. While the offense may not have "the guy" who can take over a game, there are several "the guy"s that can take over on an important play when needed.
In last week's win over Alabama, three different Tight Ends had important catches, three different Wide Receivers made a big play on the outside, and two different Running Backs carried the ball for more than 65 yards each. Georgia is betting that even if you can take away one option, you probably can't take away all of them.
Combine that with a "sneaky athletic", "cerebral", real "lunch pail" type of QB and a massive offensive line, and you have yourself all the makings of what could end up being the most productive Georgia offense since the turn of the century.
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With six down and six to go, there's still a lot to learn about this team. Maybe little cousin Aubie, with a new coach and a new team, has grown enough to be competitive away from their own home, where they have the weird, crooked hoop that gives them the advantage.
Georgia got the big monkey off their back last week, and now there's a smaller, less notorious monkey that's taken his place. It's about time for that monkey to get slung back to the ground.
