Season 1 Volume 10 | Kentucky vs UGA Preview

I. Preview

Thought about cancelling the blog this week due to lack of hustle. But I’m going to continue to toe the fine line between Disney Dawg and Realistic Ralph. The offense looks anemic. No progress has been made from week 1. Some would argue that we have gone backwards from our best offensive performance in the Georgia Dome. I wouldn’t argue with them, though I would mention UNC has a terrible run defense. If you’re a Chaney guy, you have to hope that he can replicate a lot of the success the Atlanta Falcons have seen this year. Obviously, it’s impossible to relate an SEC team to an NFL squad but I’ll do my best. Chaney is similar to Kyle Shanahan in that he was unquestionably handed the reins to an offense with a talented QB, excellent RB play and a subpar offensive line (This is the part where I skip the receivers so I don’t have to try to compare Jayson Stanley with Julio Jones). Shanahan saw problems implementing his scheme in year one and never seemed to build a rhythm between QB and OL. With offseason additions and improvements, Shanahan has made significant strides and now boasts one of the NFL’s most threatening offenses. Chaney probably has more significant work to do as far as OL additions via recruiting, but his potential at QB puts him in a position to have success in year two.

The Georgia defense is young and making strides. If you want to be negative guy and refuse to recognize the emerging playmakers on that side of the ball, you do you but don’t bring me into it. There are some young ballers over there that need to learn to play with more consistency. It’s pretty clear that Mel Tucker isn’t Jeremy Pruitt and that Kirby can’t be held completely responsible for every defensive miscue as he has a few other duties to balance.

Let’s quickly look at the future base of this team on both offense and defense:

Defense:

· Natrez Patrick- as he goes, so goes the Georgia defense. I’ve been told that when Natrez isn’t feeling practice, the whole defense suffers both mentally and physically. When Natrez puts his head down, the intensity we play with is immeasurable. Roquan is more even keeled every day and more potential as the athletic backer while Natrez will lead us in tackles every year he is on campus. Pruitt told me Patrick was a can’t miss prospect while he was being recruited and he wasn’t wrong

· David Marshall- this guy is going to be a star. He’s built from stone and very versatile. Can create needed pressure and also fill run lanes. He is going to be asked to do a lot in Athens over the next few years and dawg fans should be thankful he is here rather than on the plains

· Mecole Hardman- how do I keep hearing that Mecole will be an all-SEC type corner without him touching the field on defense? I have no idea but I won’t go against people I trust

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Offense:

· Brian Herrien- if you’ve read any of these you are sick of hearing me gush over Herrien. This dude needs more carries now. Sony and Nick are obviously great but Herrien brings another gear to the Georgia run game. Excited to see what he can do as a feature back with backup support

· Issac Nauta- not hard to see it. Can catch, can block, will lead. All around baller if they can get him the ball. Woerner isn’t bad either

· Riley Ridley- this guy can be a dynamic receiver with speed if he commits himself to the game. Has the size and speed SEC receivers need to beat guys like Tabor

· Netori Johnson- he isn’t on campus yet but he’s another can’t miss. There are just some kids that have all the tools to be day one contributors and with the OL on campus in Athens right now, he will have his shot early

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Look, there are a few more very important games on the schedule but the true meaning of the season is lost and it has quickly turned into a developmental year. Sorry to turn a bit dark on you if you still had high hopes of playing in the Taxslayer bowl but another struggling performance in Jacksonville makes a man face facts. Win 2/4 and you have some serious soul searching to do. Win ¾ and you enter the offseason at a slight disadvantage. Win 4/4 and there is serious recruiting momentum behind this program.

Quick side note. Jacksonville is awful. That place is a dumpster fire. There is a reason I use the Taxslayer bowl as the butt of my bowl jokes. The week I spent preparing for Nebraska in Jacksonville was the low point of working with the Dawgs. When your best development is “the landing” you have a huge problem. Pardon me if any Jacksonville natives are reading but I have no idea why Georgia continues to agree to extensions on playing here. Tradition is great. Playing in a city that doesn’t totally suck is even better. I may have made my last trip to Jacksonville and it doesn’t have anything to do with the product on the field (sour ass grapes).

II. Florida Recap

I am not trying to relive last Saturday so I am not going to go into a ton of detail here. The Dawgs forced me to consume an irresponsible amount of Tito’s and Wycliff. Bastards. Huge aspect of the game was Florida’s ability to beat influence blocking. I mentioned it would be a huge part of the game, Georgia is not big enough on the OL to man up the talented defenders on Florida’s line. The Dawgs attempted to use Florida’s aggressiveness on the DL against them by letting them get up field or position outside. However, Florida’s strength and quickness on defense allowed them to recognize and recover on several plays. Hurt the run game early on, made Georgia pass happy and there you have it. Defense played well but you cant put them out there the entire game. The more plays the offense is allowed the more opportunities for mental breakdowns of young players. It all stems back to the Georgia run game. This isn’t the Big 12. If you don’t have a consistent run game, you don’t win.

III. Kentucky Preview

If you came here looking for a solid prediction and breakdown of everything I am expecting, I am sorry to disappoint you. I will be honest in saying I have no idea how this game will play out. I could see Georgia correcting some OL issues against a smaller DL, establishing a run game and providing a consistent pass attack. I could also see Kentucky giving Georgia a bunch of problems with the wildcat and making a few big special teams plays to win by 7 points. Watch out for Boom Williams, you know he wants his revenge on Georgia. We say it every week but special teams will again be huge in providing not only points but ideal field position. Georgia has got to be on of the worst teams in the country as far as starting opposing team field position. The average starting position for Florida last week was their 41. Give me that one stat before the game and I’ll give you one letter. L.

IV. SEC Predictions

V. Bucky’s Easy Money of the Week

Hope you parlayed these picks because Bucky had another hot 4-0 week. 21-15 overall against the spread this year. It feels good. It feels right. Double down Dawgs, I like this week’s picks

Bucky’s Easy Money of the Week Portfolio Value: $600

S&P 500 Across the Season: $-144

VI. Previous Volumes

Season 1 Volume 1 | UNC

Season 1 Volume 2 | Nicholls State

Season 1 Volume 3 | Missouri

Season 1 Volume 4 | Ole Miss

Season 1 Volume 5 | Tennessee

Season 1 Volume 6 | South Carolina

Season 1 Volume 7 | Vanderbilt

Season 1 Volume 8 | Open Week

Season 1 Volume 9 | Florida