Monday Morning Dawg Bites Has To Stand By And Take It, All For Loving You

It’s Monday, and Georgia sports just had an all-time Georgia sports weekend. On Saturday we watched the Dawgs blow a 24-20 halftime lead to Bama, and the Braves blow a 3-1 series lead to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is our punishment for loving like we do, and I can’t help of think about this Allman Brother’s classic as the sun rises on a morning where it feels like there’s a little less magic in the air.

That second verse really just feels a bit too familiar don’t it?

“My friends tell me, that I’ve been such a fool.

But I had to stand by and take it baby, all for lovin’ you.

Drown myself in sorrow as I look at what you’ve done.

But nothing seemed to change, the bad times stayed the same”

Georgia sports is the mistress that just won’t return our love. While I don’t know when our loyalty will be rewarded, I continue to have faith that it will. Whenever that does happen, the sweet taste of victory will be even more delicious for those of us who have remained faithful, but damn if I don’t wish that taste would come and wash the bitterness off of my palate soon. This weekend was just downright depressing.

Now that we’ve wallowed in our misery, let’s move on shall we?

While the Dawgs might be down, they’re certainly not out. The results of Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa certainly weren’t good for Georgia, but there are some important things that can be taken from it.

• Georgia can run the ball on Alabama. The offensive line opened up large holes all night.
• In a game where Georgia would want to keep Alabama’s wide-receivers on the bench and limit the total number of possessions, why did Monken abandon the run? Wait, it’s hard to abandon something you never truly established, and Jason Butt of Rivals had a lot of questions about what exactly Monken was doing against the Tide.
• I’ve seen people all over the internet and social media say things to the effect of, “Georgia can’t win big games with Stetson Bennett at quarterback.” If Bennett can get Georgia to halftime with a lead, he can get them to the finish with one. That being said, the abysmal second half will lead to lots of questions about what’s going on with JT Daniels.
• Georgia’s offense felt a beat off all night on Saturday, despite having some nice moments and good drives. I don’t know if we will see Georgia get into a true rhythm this year, but if we do it will be scary for opponents.
• Despite the loss to the Tide, Georgia dropped to just fourth in both the AP and Coach’s Poll. The Dawgs have a chance to bolster their resume and get some confidence back in two weeks against Kentucky.

And so the success of this season now rests on the results of the Florida game. In a sense, nothing has really changed. In another sense, it’s hard to feel like Georgia has the goods to make a serious run at a national title. That can change if Georgia uses this game as an opportunity for growth.

I am hoping that Dan Lanning, Todd Monken and Kirby Smart have learned a little something about what the game plan should look like versus an explosive offense, and how to slow one with a potent passing attack down.

Those who know me personally or from my writing here are probably aware that I am always trying to find the silver lining. Life is hard. It’s even harder when you ruminate on the negative.

According to ESPN’s College Football Playoff Predictor, the Dawgs still have the fifth best chance of making it into the CFP. I wanted Georgia to win on Saturday as much as anyone, but if Georgia does make it to Atlanta to face the Tide, having lost round one will be an advantage for the Bulldogs. It’s just hard to beat a team twice in the same year, go ask the 2017 Auburn Tigers if you don’t believe me.

If that re-match between the Dawgs and Tide does happen, maybe the SEC will be kind enough to assign a crew that doesn’t include a referee who is also a real-estate agent in Tuscaloosa. I don’t want to be responsible for dumb fans calling the guy’s office or something, so I won’t post the official’s name here, but you can checkout Twitter if you want.

Lastly, we have a bright note to end on this morning. Despite having just received a two-year extension from Tennessee, Jeremy Pruitt’s Vols lost to Kentucky 34-7. With the fanbase angry and public perception turning against him, Pruitt has decided to hunker down with his staff and put on a unified front to show that the program isn’t a giant disorganized mess fire defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh just four games into the season. I’m sure this change is exactly what the Vols need going into a matchup with Alabama this week.

See, maybe being a Georgia fan really isn’t that bad.