Green caught 5 passes for 81 yards and had the game-winning reception to lead Georgia over Auburn. Green’s emergence as a playmaker has been one of the biggest positives to come out of the 2008 season.

Also a tip of the hat to Vandy’s D.J. Moore who was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week. He could have easily received consideration for Offensive Player of the Week as he hauled down two touchdown receptions in the Commodores’ landmark win at Kentucky. On defense he now has six interceptions which ties him for the national and SEC lead.

Link: SEC Honors

Maybe it’s the play of the defense and special teams lately. Maybe it’s the nature of the rivalry. For whatever reason, Georgia fans seem really gun-shy about this weekend’s game. The Dawgs are nearly a ten-point favorite, but good luck finding someone willing to take Georgia and give the points.

No one really knows what to expect. It’s true that Georgia’s offense seems to be the biggest advantage that sticks out, and the Dawgs have put up some points on Auburn for, well, for the last three seasons. If there’s something we can put our finger on, it’s concern over the defense. Georgia should be able to keep the sputtering Tiger offense in check. The only two times Auburn has scored over 20 in SEC play this season they’ve needed a score from the defense or special teams to get there.

Corvey Irvin in particular has been saying all the right things this week about the play of the defense, but it’s Missouri time now. Show me. Nothing Auburn will do is going to be a surprise. Mario Fannin will likely get the start, but we’ll see plenty of Lester and Tate too. Kodi Burns is primarily a running threat, but when he throws it’ll probably be in the direction of Smith or Trott. Auburn’s not a hard scout – it’s all up to execution.

LSU’s Charles Scott had success running against Georgia, and Fannin is the same type of back – 5’11", 220+. Irvin and the others can rant and hold meetings, but their success will come down to their ability to do the basics. Get penetration, contain Burns, play assignments, play with intensity and aggression, and watch how much better the defense looks.

I admit I don’t have a good read on the game either, so I’ll just look at what worked in 2006 and 2007.

The story of 2006 was possession. I had forgotten how lopsided it was. You had Battle’s three interceptions of course, but the memorable thing about Brandon Cox’s line that day was that he threw as many interceptions as completions and incompletions (4 of each). Clock rules or no, Auburn ran an astonishing 37 plays on offense. 12 passes, 25 runs. Georgia ran nearly twice as many plays – 46 runs and 20 passes. Georgia held the ball for over 38 minutes.

The day was also a bit of redemption for Matthew Stafford. He not only took a beating at Kentucky the week earlier, but fans were beginning to question just what we had after another game full of turnovers and a second half meltdown. Stafford hit deep passes to A.J. Bryant (yes, actually A.J. Bryant in case Dave Neal is reading) and Kenneth Harris to set the tone, and Stafford’s lone miscue of the day was a fumble after a decent run. Even with the fumble, Stafford showed off his ability to run the ball and finished the day with 83 yards and a rushing touchdown that put the game away early in the fourth quarter.

The 2007 game followed several of the same themes. Kelin Johnson took over for Tra Battle and picked off Brandon Cox’s first pass, and Georgia was off and running. Stafford again found success on the deep pass with a long touchdown strike to Massaquoi. The Bulldog defense again picked off four of Cox’s passes.

Unlike the 2006 game, Auburn responded and even took the lead in the third quarter. Georgia answered with another long pass from Stafford to Bailey, and then Knowshon and Thomas Brown took over.

Those two Auburn wins showcased every tedious key to victory you’ve ever heard:

• Get out early
• Capitalize on turnovers
• Win the turnover battle
• Have a 100+ yard rusher
• Keep the other guy from running (Auburn didn’t have a player go over 60 yards in either game)
• Hit some deep passes to keep the defense honest

If Georgia can find a way to do all of that again, the result will be just as enjoyable.

A memo from an agency developing a campaign for ESPN’s college basketball coverage hit the news this week. The idea was to have a person representing the school working an ESPN phone bank getting people from their school to watch ESPN’s college basketball coverage. The result was stereotyperiffic. ESPN killed the campaign after learning of the memo.

I’m shocked – SHOCKED – that a New York agency mostly overlooked the SEC for an ESPN college basketball marketing campaign, but it’s probably for the best. The banjo music would have been distracting. But don’t deny you laughed a little knowing chuckle and got an instant visual upon reading this…

[ TENNESSEE ]

FEMALE. Tennessee is orange crazy. The ice tray in her orange fridge, that freezes the water she dyes orange, is that orange. The party girl cowboy hat she wears is a white and orange zebra print. The tattoo on her lower back is Pantone 3 for that Tennessee orange. The only thing that’s not orange is her dog, which is the mascot Smokey. Did we mention she’s crazy? A slutty girl who would hang out at the cowgirl hall of fame.

Paul did a good job with a look at the special teams earlier in the week. He correctly observes that…

At this point, it’s not where the kick lands that’s driving me nuts. It’s the actual coverage. Georgia’s kickoff coverage unit looks nothing like you see in Florida, LSU or Bama.

Forget Florida, LSU, or Bama. Let’s look at Kentucky. I noticed this during the game and had to go back to the tape to make sure. These are two kickoffs from Saturday’s game; one a Georgia return and one a Kentucky return. See if you notice the difference.

Both kicks were reasonably deep; Kentucky’s landed about five yards closer to the goal line. On Kentucky’s return, the returner is already approaching the 20 yard line as Georgia’s coverage is getting to the 30. If the returner doesn’t run into his blocker, he gets to the 30 before he is even touched.

Then look at Georgia’s return. Samuel is barely at the 7 yard line when the Kentucky coverage is approaching the 20. First contact is around the 18, and Samuel to his credit works for about 5 more yards.

If you think this might just be a one-time deal, let’s look at the opening kickoff of the second half. Once again, Georgia’s first coverage guys don’t even make it to the 25. The returner has at least 5 more yards before he’s challenged, and he actually ends up around the 34.

Your defending SEC Tournament champions open the 2008-2009 season this Friday night. Sounds good to say, doesn’t it?

But like the tornado which triggered the unforgettable championship weekend back in March, the whirlwind finish of last season is a distant memory. It’s back to work for Dennis Felton’s squad, and they’ll try to make progress against an incrementally tougher schedule and looking to replace their starting backcourt and two leading scorers from a year ago.

Departures

It was a treat getting to watch Sundiata Gaines for four years, and he’ll be missed. He did many things well, but of course the most important was his ability to create offense when the halfcourt set broke down. That was usually a blessing, but it was also sometimes a curse as the offense stagnated and waited for Gaines to take on four defenders by himself. Center Dave Bliss was the other senior, and, to borrow a phrase from Dennis Felton, it was gratifying to see a healthy Bliss emerge as a quality player and leader towards the end of the season. The bad news is that his eligibility ended just as he came into form.

Two players are no longer with the program for other reasons. Guard Billy Humphrey was dismissed in June, and forward Jeremy Jacob left the program over dissatisfaction with his role.

The departures leave the Bulldogs without their leading scorers from a year ago (Gaines and Humphrey). They also leave the Dawgs very thin and young in the backcourt without much proven scoring ability.

Arrivals

As the Dennis Felton era continues, you hope each subsequent recruiting class is better than the last, and that seems to be the case this year. Georgia has added quality freshmen up front, on the wing, and in the backcourt.

The highlight of the incoming class is dynamic forward Howard Thompkins. He’ll be counted on to contribute immediately at a spot that’s already a strength of the Georgia team. Thompkins brings a developed offensive game to Athens with the ability to shoot the jumper or get position and score in the post.

Drazen Zlovaric will be an interesting addition on the wing. The Serbian native will bring a little European style to the team and can play away from the basket. His size and athleticism will be a unique matchup for opponents.

Dustin Ware is the heir apparent at the point guard position. Travis Leslie, at 6’4", is a little small to play the 3, but his athleticism is his calling card. Leslie probably won’t be the answer when it comes to outside shooting, but he is a leaper that can attack the rim and throw down some impressive dunks.

Guard Ebuka Anyaorah was expected to be a sharpshooter from outside, but he’s already been scratched for the season with an injury.

Returning Players

The strength of Georgia’s returning players lies up front. Forwards Jeremy Price (8.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG), Albert Jackson (7.4 PPG and 6.4 RPG over the last 20 games), and Terrance Woodbury (11.0 PPG, 33% 3PT, 4.1 RPG) will be the core of this season’s team and can match up with most frontcourts in the SEC. Chris Barnes (2.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG) also returns from an injury-plagued freshman year to provide depth down low.

The returning players in the backcourt were supporting cast members last year. Corey Butler (3.0 PPG) made a name for himself with high-energy defense and some timely shots. Zac Swansey (3.9 PPG) was one of the heros of the SEC Tournament, and he’ll take on a much greater role this year at point guard. Troy Brewer (2.7 PPG, 30% 3PT) is another option on the perimeter, but he saw very limited action as a freshman.

Schedule

The schedule has never really been a point of pride under Felton, but it’s more ambitious this year. The Dawgs are participating in the Preseason NIT, and the quality of competition will depend on how far Georgia advances. Purdue, Oklahoma, Boston College, and Davidson are all potential opponents. There will be the usual early season cupcakes, but there will also be games with Illinois, Virginia Tech, Missouri, and Georgia Tech. We should know plenty about this team before SEC play begins.

Speaking of SEC play, the Dawgs will measure up early on against its SEC East peers. The first three conference games include Tennessee and Kentucky with a road game at Vanderbilt squeezed between them. One late road trip could prove problematic: two of Georgia’s last three conference games are at Arkansas and Kentucky. If the season comes down to needing some wins late in the year, it’s usually tough to get them in Fayetteville and Lexington.

The SEC

It projects to be on the whole another weak group of SEC teams, and what strength the SEC has is heavily tilted towards the East. Tennessee and Florida are the only SEC teams in the preseason top 25. Kentucky and Vanderbilt also get mention. LSU and Alabama are unranked but receiving votes, and that’s about as good as it gets for the West.

What’s noticable this year is a real lack of star power. There are some great players in the league, but there is no Chris Lofton or Shan Foster. The top five players in the SEC might be Nick Calathes, Devan Downey, A.J. Ogilvy, Patrick Patterson, and Tyler Smith – again, all really solid players but none comes with the superstar package.

Injuries

As we mentioned above, freshman Ebuka Anyaorah is out for the year. Several other players are dealing with minor, though nagging, injuries entering the season. Thompkins has battled a stress fracture, a knee sprain, and now a sprained ankle, and it has impacted his conditioning. He is not expected to play in the season opener. Jeremy Price and Chris Barnes each had offseason surgery, and Barnes still isn’t 100%. Albert Jackson went down with a scary injury in last week’s exhibition, but it proved to be only a sprained ankle, and Jackson should be fine. Woodbury has had ankle issues of his own.

Outlook

Can Georgia get quality point guard play, and can anyone hit the three with any consistency? Those backcourt questions are keeping dampers on expectations and hopes for the team until answers can be found. Fans expecting a significant leap forward building on the end of last season might be disappointed. Losing the top two scorers leaves a big vacuum, and it’s questionable whether or not the Dawgs can find the firepower to compensate. The preseason consensus again has Georgia fighting to remain out of the basement in the SEC’s tougher division.

A lot will be expected of Woodbury in particular. He came on strong in the postseason last year, and he’s one of the few players on this team who can generate offense inside and outside. If the perimeter game struggles, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Dawgs ask Woodbury to take on the role of the shooting guard at times. Whether that would mean a bigger look with three post players or sliding someone like Zlovaric or Leslie in at the 3 is a situational decision up to the coaches, but options like that have to be considered if, as expected, offense is slow to come from the smaller guards. Still another option is to play Ware and Swansey at the same time and let Zac try his hand at the shooting guard position.

Unless the backcourt surprises, success will require big nights from the frontcourt as well as transition opportunities created by defense and rebounding. The frontcourt can expect to face some compact zones until someone proves they can bust the zone from a deeper three-point arc.

I’ll be thrilled…with an 8-8 or better finish in the SEC and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

I’ll be disappointed…with anything like last season’s 4-12 SEC regular season. It’s way past time to move forward.

I expect…between 6-8 SEC wins and an overall win total somewhere around 16-18. I’d like to at least split the four games with Illinois, Mizzou, and the two Techs. They should at least win the first game of the NIT, and it will be a good test to see if this Felton team can do better away from home than some of his others.

I realize that my expectations don’t call for an encore in the NCAA Tournament. The result is that we can likely expect the return of the same discussions about the future direction of the program which the tournament run helped to silence (temporarily) last year. It’s generally accepted that the SEC Tournament title saved Felton’s job, but did it buy him anything more than one more year?

Basketball season tips off this weekend (we should have our season preview tomorrow), and that’s all the excuse I need to post a picture of Kentucky’s new basketball uniforms. The Wildcats have pretty much become to basketball attire what Oregon is to football uniforms, so these new unis should come as no shock. They manage to pay tribute to everything from Secretariat to deceased equipment manager Bill Keightley. Even the freaking shorts have special significance:

In addition, on Kentucky’s white uniforms, a blue and white checkerboard swatch is centered on the waistband of their shorts and features eight individual “boxes.” Emblazoned in seven of the eight squares are the numbers ’48, ’49, ’51, ’58, ’78, ’96 and ’98, representing championship seasons for the Wildcats. The “empty” eighth quadrant serves as a reminder of the school’s legacy and motivation for the current Wildcats to ensure another year is soon inscribed within it.

Touching. One more square and you could put Paul Lynde in the middle. Here’s the new jersey:

Kentucky’s uniform experiments really took off in the 1990s. Here’s a reminder of some of the best, most of which are modeled by Tony Delk.

Georgia Southern (5-5): –

Central Michigan (7-2): Fans of the Chippewas can skip their cardiologist appointments. Four of CMU’s seven wins have come by three points or less. Still perfect in the MAC, they enter a key stretch in conference play. They will play on consecutive Wednesday nights against Northern Illinois and Ball State. The big question is the availability of QB Dan LeFevour. LeFevour has been banged up for the past month, and a starter still has not been named for the NIU game. Brian Brunner has been stellar in relief, and his line against Indiana was outstanding (35-53, 485 yds, 4 TD passing, 1 TD rushing). THIS WEEK: @ Northern Illinois

South Carolina (7-3): The good news? South Carolina has won 6 out of their last 7 and has deservedly returned to the rankings after a solid win over Arkansas. Beat Clemson and it’s at worst an 8-4 season with a decent bowl ahead. The bad news? Enjoy the trip to Gainesville. THIS WEEK: @ Florida

Arizona State (3-6): If you need to heal what ails you, play Washington. ASU was able to end a six-game slide by pulling away from the Huskies. It’s noteworthy that the pass-happy Sun Devils got it done with 182 rushing yards against Washington. They should also win this weekend’s game with Washington State before making a final push towards bowl eligibility. THIS WEEK: Washington State

Alabama (10-0): Alabama’s in the position we "enjoyed" at the start of the season. Sure, they’re #1, but everyone seems anxious for them to lose and make way for the real contenders. But unlike Georgia, Alabama keeps winning and won’t let go of their top ranking. Will they slip up before the showdown with Florida? Not likely, but that’s why they play the games. MSU did pull the upset last year. THIS WEEK: Mississippi State

Tennessee (3-7): Despite the resignation of Phil Fulmer, the Vols still had a shot at a bowl bid if they won remaining games against Wyoming, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. In any other year, those would be gimmes, but this is no typical Vol season. Wyoming, who might be looking to replace their own bird-flipping coach, came into Knoxville, collected their paycheck, and left with an ugly 13-7 win. Rocky Top has hit rock bottom. What’s left for the Vols? Two things: one – play spoiler in Vanderbilt’s quest for bowl eligibility. Two – extend the 23-game winning streak over Kentucky. A Vol loss in either game is going to make a bit of history. Oh – and no Tennessee team has ever lost eight games in a season. THIS WEEK: BYE

Vanderbilt (5-4): Is the Tennessee game Vandy’s best last chance for that elusive 6th win? The Commodores are reeling and weren’t in the Florida game for more than 5 minutes. THIS WEEK: @ Kentucky

LSU (6-3): Georgia fans can relate. The defending SEC champion turns things over to a freshman quarterback who starts hemorrhaging killer interceptions. Sound familiar? It’s a down year relatively speaking, but the Tiger defense has kept it from being worse. LSU will be back, and things could be much worse in a rebuilding year. THIS WEEK: Troy

Florida (8-1): Florida’s starts against Kentucky and Vanderbilt made me think how good of a job Georgia did in the first half of the WLOCP. The Gators are doing whatever they want to in the first half these days, and if you give them an opening in something so minute as punt protection, they will exploit it in painful repetition. With the defense playing well, the Gators could most weeks survive an off game from the offense, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem that’s going to present itself. Two years ago it took a few blocked kicks to survive South Carolina’s trip to the Swamp. THIS WEEK: South Carolina

Kentucky (6-4): The Wildcats have to be wondering one thing: did they find something in Randall Cobb, or was that just the Georgia defense? The passing game wasn’t especially explosive, but who needs it when the most basic of running plays will move you up and down the field? Kentucky had a pair of eight win seasons with Andre Woodson. They’re two winnable regular season games away from eight wins and a decent bowl bid without Woodson and with a quarterback situation that would make Auburn and Tennessee hesitant to trade places. Not bad. THIS WEEK: Vanderbilt

Auburn (5-5): Auburn played to its strength and saw Kodi Burns and a trio of tailbacks lead the way to 290 yards on the ground in a 37-20 win over Tennessee-Martin. The story is incomplete without noting that this was a 27-20 game in the 4th quarter and that Auburn rested a few defensive starters. Auburn, though down, still has plenty of motivation in its final two games. Not only are these the traditional rivalry games; Auburn must also win at least one of them to avoid a losing season and avoid missing out on the postseason. THIS WEEK: Georgia

Georgia Tech (7-3): Tech’s ACC title hopes took a big hit with Saturday’s loss at UNC. Though the season has been positive to this point, the Jackets are just 1-3 in their division of the ACC and hold none of the tiebreakers they’d need even if they can beat Miami. Without an FSU fumble, we’d be talking about a team that lost three straight. Tech won’t play another Saturday game until their visit to Athens; a Thursday night home game with Miami wraps up their conference slate next week. THIS WEEK: BYE

The Georgia defense has been the focal point of conversation this week, and with good reason. Some go right to coaching. Some note a few key injuries. Others question leadership. Then there’s the lack of big plays from the defensive ends and defensive backs. I think pwd does a good job of laying out the situation here. Lots of different takes on things, but the common tie is that no one is happy with the play of the defense.

That dissatisfaction includes, as you’d hope, the players themselves. Corvey Irvin, Dannell Ellerbe, and Rennie Curran challenged the defense on Monday in a player-only meeting. What came out of the meeting was in part encouraging but also a little disturbing.

First, credit the players for taking ownership of the problem and showing some leadership. It’s not too late to end the season on a strong defensive note. In 2006, the defense was left for dead after allowing a last-minute Kentucky scoring drive. The defense bounced back, started creating turnovers and big plays, and was a big part of Georgia’s memorable wins against Auburn, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech.

The disturbing part is that here we are again hoping, for the third straight year, for a November turnaround from the defense. Players come and go, but this is a song we’ve heard before. You’d hope and expect, given the national expectations of the program entering the year, not to hear something like this from Rennie Curran ten games into the season:

“We’ve got to do everything in practice the same way we would in a game. We’ve got to quit joking in practice when we miss an assignment. It’s not funny any more and we’ve got to stop thinking that it is. We just can’t go out there in the game and turn on a switch and be an amazing defense.”

Now I trust no one has the impression that Georgia practices are Keystone Cops routines with a laugh track. Coach Garner more than anyone on the staff gets after his defensive linemen. What we’re talking about is a more subtle erosion of focus relative to the level of competition. These are practice habits forged in the offseason, and I doubt what Curran is talking about is something that has just now come up.

Mark Richt on Sunday was a little defensive and even became somewhat pedantic about the performance of his defense. He deflected questions about scheme by remarking (correctly) that "people don’t get it" and most fans don’t have a clue what the defensive call is on a given play. That’s very true; most people criticisng the Georgia defense think that "cover everybody" would be a better coverage call than "cover one". It might help to know that a fire zone has nothing to do with parking, but even dumb fans could see that something wasn’t quite right with the defense at Kentucky. Darryl Gamble indicated it had something to do with preparation.

“We really didn’t prep for (quarterback Randall Cobb) to run the ball as much as he did,” linebacker Darryl Gamble said. “We really didn’t think that was a main focus and wasn’t really prepared for it.”

The execution and talent angles hold a lot less water after a statement like that. It’s true that the Kentucky option was a new look, but no one should have been surprised by the Kentucky offense running the ball and Cobb doing a lot of that running. In his first start of the year at Mississippi State, he ran the ball 12 times. When he replaced the starter at Florida, he rushed 9 times for a team-high 52 yards. He averaged 4.3 yards per pass attempt in each of those games. What exactly did the Georgia coaches expect to see?

Just in case anyone is unsure: Auburn and Georgia Tech like to run the ball. A lot. Even from the quarterback position. It would be nice if that was a main focus of practice over the next few weeks so that the defense might be prepared for it.

Congratulations to center Ben Jones. By my tally, he is the first and only true freshman to be so recognized this season (because who would be so crazy as to start a true freshman, let alone two, on an SEC offensive line?). There have been only four underclassmen to earn this SEC honor in 2008, and Georgia has had two of them (Boling was the other).

This line is going to be absolute hell in a year or two. As it is, this makeshift line is leading the way for the offense that is #1 in the SEC in passing and total yards and #2 in scoring. They’ve had their shaky moments, but so far it’s been another incredible job.

Call me selfish, and I know it’s not looking likely, but I really want to see Stafford and Moreno operating behind a healthy line with a little bit of age on it. Will we get to see that – any part of that – in 2009?

Of course Green’s catch was the highlight, but I think this third quarter completion was the most important play of the game:

3rd-8, UGa22 6:35 M. Stafford passed to M. Massaquoi down the middle for 12 yard gain

Here’s the situation. Georgia had just given up the lead and trailed 24-21 after Kentucky converted their blocked punt. The Wildcats had just scored 10 straight points out of the locker room. Remember that this Georgia team saw the game get away from them in the third quarter last week, and it was starting to happen again. Georgia had a net -3 yards so far in the third quarter. Knowshon Moreno had just been stuffed on first and second down, setting up Georgia with 3rd-and-8 from their own 22 and the momentum completely on the other side of the ball.

Massaquoi started as one of three receivers split out right. The line protected well and Massaquoi was able to get separation from cornerback Shomari Moore and in front of safety Ashton Cobb across the middle. Stafford planted and drilled a pass across the middle right to the open Massaquoi.

The completion turned out to be the first of four consecutive completions by Stafford on the drive. The longest was a 22-yard strike to Michael Moore down to the Wildcat 25. Two plays later, Knowshon Moreno took it in from 20 yards out for his second score of the day. Georgia was back ahead 28-24.

Kentucky would score again (twice more, actually) and take the lead back, but the significance of this play and drive was in Georgia’s ability to answer and avoid getting run out of the game in a repeat of the Florida game. Instead of contributing further to the meltdown, the Georgia offense passed a big test and responded. With more sloppy defense and special teams play yet to come, the offense would need this kind of fortitude several more times down the stretch.

There will be plenty of time to say something about the defense. Things are very, very wrong right now, but the priority right now is to find a way to finish out the season successfully with the personnel and coaches we have.

I will say this: as poorly as the defense (and special teams) played on Saturday, I do credit the defense with coming up with the plays in the 4th quarter to hold Kentucky off the scoreboard before and after the Dawgs got back in front. That doesn’t excuse the performance the rest of the game, but when the alternative is a repeat of 2006, you take what you can get.

Last week I put much of the loss on the offense. Red zone ineptitude, killer turnovers, and missed opportunities contributed to a colossal meltdown. The job done by the offense this week against a decent defense deserves as much praise as they received criticism last week. Key points:

• 5-for-5 in the red zone. All touchdowns. Great to see.
• Stafford with zero interceptions for just the second time since the Arizona State game. At the scene of one of his toughest days two years ago, Stafford showed tremendous poise and playmaking ability to lead Georgia to the win.
• Massaquoi’s redemption. Someone who has played so hard all year didn’t deserve to be remembered for two fumbles. It’s only fitting then that MoMass earned redemption with a 77-yard reception to set up the winning score and cap off a career day.
• Line improv. Justin Anderson’s injury was the latest in a series of blows to the depleted offensive line. It wasn’t pretty, but the line with Josh Davis filling in held together well enough down the stretch.
• A.J. Bryant Green. Georgia’s freshman phenom didn’t have a reception until the 4th quarter, but he made sure they counted. His first, a 42-yard strike, set up Moreno’s third TD run and put Georgia ahead 35-31. Green’s second and final catch will be one for the ages. If, and it’s an if, Stafford comes back for a senior season, I have to think part of the reason will be to play another season with Green.
• Moreno’s ownership of the red zone. Folks, that was why we hated to see Knowshon come out of the game. There is no player with a better nose for getting to the end zone. Moreno now has 15 rushing touchdowns on the season. In less than two years of action, Moreno has 29 career touchdowns – good enough to tie him with Frank Sinkwich for 4th on Georgia’s career rushing touchdown list. With four more rushing touchdowns this season, Moreno would tie Garrison Hearst’s single-season record of 19. Dare I say that if Knowshon returns for his junior year, Herschel Walker’s Georgia and SEC record of 49 career rushing touchdowns would be in play.

Defense or no, that kind of offense will be good enough to take Georgia the rest of the way. Can we get an encore on the Plains?

It sounds incredible on the brink of another 1,000-yard season that Knowshon Moreno would be taking questions, and even some heat, about his endurance and drive, but that’s where we are this week.

After taking questions about it all week, there can be no doubt now that Knowshon is aware of the chatter about how often and under what circumstances he takes himself out of games.

It’s reasonable to consider then that the questions and criticism will be there in the back of his mind when the situation comes up again this week. Will that affect his decision and keep him on the field for another play or two? Will that be to Georgia’s benefit or detriment if he really does need a break? Is it a decision focused on the short-term that could impact his freshness later in a game?

My biggest problem isn’t with the latitude given to Knowshon; he’s earned it and knows his limits better than anyone. It’s with this statement by Moreno: “Why be in there when Caleb is in there and he can do the same job that I can do?” With all due respect to Caleb and Knowshon, King has yet to show that he can do anywhere near the job that Knowshon can whether the job is running or blocking. Is Knowshon at 80% a better option than King at 100%? I think so.

I grant that Knowshon is probably being gracious towards a teammate, and King definitely has plenty of talent. There are situations and even entire series where resting the starter makes plenty of sense. The challenge for Moreno is recognizing those situations where, even at less than 100%, he’s the right guy to have on the field. More often than not those situations are in the red zone where Moreno has as good of a nose for the endzone as any back we’ve had for a while.

One has to think that Knowshon plays with a bit of a chip on his shoulder this week.

There’s still a month to go in the season, but damn if there hasn’t been a flurry of playoff talk this week from some pretty high-profile people in the game and in the nation.

First Barack Obama weighed in with his support of a college playoff. I really need to rethink my position on this issue now. His stance failed to convince voters in SEC and Big 12 states though.

Then Pete Carroll says that the BCS "stinks" and wonders how his team could drop after a big win. (We wondered that after the first week of the season, too, Pete.) Urban Meyer also had some supportive things to say about a playoff earlier this week on Cowherd’s show.

Even Bob Stoops has "come full circle" and is now a playoff advocate. Like Carroll and Meyer, Stoops is part of the one-loss repechage trying to position itself for a spot in the national title game, so it’s pretty easy to see why a playoff would look attractive to them at this point.

The ideal outcome for playoff proponents is for Southern Cal and Penn State, the likely champs of the two conferences most resistant to a playoff, to be excluded from the BCS championship game and play a lovely and irrelevant Rose Bowl game – just as they would have it.

For some reason I couldn’t read this or this without recalling this.

We have the luxury of looking at Phil Fulmer’s departure from the perspective of our own self-interest. We get to enjoy and take advantage of this season’s Vol meltdown, temper our own misfortunes by recognizing that it could be much, much worse, and hope that they botch the search and ensure a few more years of chaos to our north. Odds are though that the Vols will probably get a decent coach. It’s a tough job, sure, but quality and ambitious coaches are attracted to that kind of challenge.

Knowing full well that the next Vol coach will probably be someone I’ve left off this list, here’s one Dawg fan’s breakdown of who I do and don’t want to see coaching the Vols. This list has nothing at all to do with how likely a certain guy is to take the job.

We don’t want:

• Butch Davis. National championship cred? Check. Ahead of schedule on his present turnaround job? Check. A recruiting track record in the South? Check. Attainable? Most likely; Tennessee is a step up from UNC (as much as it pains my Tar Heel upbringing to say so), and Davis hasn’t exactly been hesitant to jump at a better offer. Negatives? Sure. Tennessee is used to hiring a coach every few decades, and the same job-hopping that makes Davis seem attainable might also make Vol fans wonder if he’d hang around. He’s no choir boy when it comes to recruiting, but that would likely be a plus in Big Orange country. He’s also nearing 60 years of age and has had health issues – the lack of stress at UNC (relative to what it’d be at Tennessee) could be a factor.
  
  I don’t see why he wouldn’t be choice #1 for the job, and from what I’ve read he seems to be. He has a head-to-head bowl win over a Spurrier-coached Florida team. He’d join Saban and Spurrier as failed NFL experiments, but he’d at least be able to point to a NFL playoff appearance. Consider this scenario, Dawg fans: Davis might have his pick of Tennessee or Auburn. Where would you rather see him?

We’d rather not:

• Mike Leach. Someone’s going to get him, and no coach’s stock is higher right now. Even in a pass-happy offense, he places a premium on the offensive line which will be appreciated by the UT old guard. His demeanor and brand of offense might require some adjustment after decades of a much more conservative style, but it’s not hard to adjust to winning.
• Chris Petersen. Boise’s only become stronger since Dan Hawkins left, and the Broncos already have one former coach toiling in the SEC. If you can build (and, more importantly, sustain) a quality program in Boise, why not Knoxville?
• The Utah guys. Kyle Whittingham and Bronco Mendenhall are both quality coaches, but both seem pretty rooted to their home state. It would be an unexpected coup to convince either to leave for the South.
• Gary Patterson. Dennis Franchione’s successor at TCU has won at over a 70% clip since taking over in 2001. He’s also recorded recent wins over Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

Ain’t skeered:

• The NFL guys. You’ll see Gruden and Cowher mentioned for one reason or another. Both are tough, no-nonsense men’s men whose style would probably mesh well with what they expect at UT. We don’t know if either has a taste for the college game or recruiting. It’s one thing to be a dedicated football man, but it’s another when 3/4 of the job is fundraising and kissing the tail of some 17-year-old prima donna who just told you the same thing he told Mack Brown.
• Tim Brewster. A great turnaround from last season, but it’s not time yet.
• David Cutcliffe. We know that Georgia hasn’t beaten Tennessee when the Vols have had Cutcliffe coaching the offense, but Cutcliffe as head coach is another story. The Dawgs were able to handle even his better Ole Miss teams.
• Randy Edsall. He’s done a fine job building UConn into a place where people no longer say, "oh, you have a football team too?" But building a somewhat competitive Big East program isn’t the same as turning around an SEC power.

Please, oh please:

• Will Muschamp. Muschamp is the up-and-coming coordinator riding a rocket through the coaching ranks and seems to be the choice of those wanting young blood. Fine. His BOOM, MFer!!! style is attractive to any football fan, but Georgia hasn’t had many problems against Muschamp defenses lately. He’d be heavily reliant on his assembled staff as he lacks the head coaching experience and recruiting roots to be effective out of the gate. One also has to wonder how much a last-minute Texas Tech drive tarnishes the Muschamp reputation.
• The UT guys. John Chavis probably has too much baggage to be considered, but even the popular Trooper Taylor would be an awkward choice. Most Vol fans seem to realize that this is the time for a clean break, and I don’t expect any of the former staff to be candidates.
• Lane Kiffin. I’ll let HP explain why we’d love to see Kiffin in Knoxville.