Thursday Morning Dawg ‘Bites

So, I had a nice conversation yesterday afternoon with Macondawg about several things football and non-football related, including the Vegas point spread for this weekend’s big tilt.

Early this week, the line opened up at Georgia -18. It has since gone up as high as (according to some books) -19.5, and has settled as of this writing back down to -18.5. Now, those folks in Sin City generally know what they’re doing. The bouncing nature of this particular spread - up, then back down might be based on some news that JT Daniels has some sort of lat muscle strain.

“His oblique is fine; he’s been having a little bit of a lat issue. It bothered him some last week, and it bothered him some this week. But he’s done a good job, he’s sharp, watches all his tape, gets his reps and he does a good job, so we’re hoping he can stay that way.” - Head Coach Kirby Smart

I’m sure there is absolutely nothing to worry about here, but what the hell? Let’s worry anyway because as Dawg fans, that’s what we do. If you ain’t Munsoning, you ain’t tryin’.

What’s interesting is how the line initially bumped up late Tuesday. Could KJ Jefferson be a bit more dinged than the Arkansas brain trust is revealing? If you recall, he received a late hit as he was running out of bounds against Texas A&M (should have been flagged) and appeared to be in some pain with some sort of lower leg issue. We shall see soon enough. Here’s hoping the kid is at full-strength.

Our sister SBNation site, Arkansas Fight, has Five Reasons Arkansas Can Beat Georgia on Saturday. The first 3 are certainly valid. The last two caused me to spew some root beer through my nose, and it burned. Now from where I’m sitting, here is my take: Georgia just rested about every one of their starters for more than a half on Saturday. Arkansas just got finished playing a very physical and emotional game. The 12-noon kickoff is still an 11 A.M. “body clock” adjustment for anyone living in the central time zone. I promise you no one will be sleepwalking in Athens. The players will be ready. This will be the most lit noon kickoff crowd that ever drank 4 Bloody Mary’s before 8:30 AM in Georgia history.

Georgia received some big Class of 2023 recruiting news when 4-star defensive back Kayin Lee committed to Kirby and his Dawgs. He’s a bit undersized, but very physical with room to grow. He also hits like a hammer:

Dayum.

Welcome back, Scott Cochran. Our S&C coach took personal leave, beginning back in mid-July, to deal with some things. We here at Dawgsports hope he’s fine and living his best life.

To absolutely no one’s surprise, Jalen Carter is not suffering from a “sophomore slump.” The kid is a force on the defensive line. We’ve got him for another season after this one, then he’ll be in The League.

No gators were actually harmed in the making of this video. But the man who captured this particular reptile is a true American hero. There is some strong symbolism here, no?

If you haven’t already, check out this comprehensive list of recruits that will be attending the game on Saturday. Normally a 12 -noon kickoff doesn’t attract as many high-profile blue chip prospects, but this ain’t no ordinary nooner. And here’s the thing: After the game, these kids will be able to hang around a bit longer than usual after such an early start. They’ll get a good feel for the campus, facilities and remember: Downtown Athens on a Saturday night is undefeated.

Hey, look! A poll!

Have a good morning, everyone. Save some room for the shredded pork sammiches on Saturday morning. Call it a porcine brunch.

AS ALWAYS, GO DAWGS!