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.

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.

You’ve got to hand it to Mark Richt. When Georgia loses these days, it’s in pretty spectacular fashion. That means that losses aren’t the result of a series of plays, mistakes, and events against some pretty decent competition. No, now every Georgia loss is a trigger for soul-searching, demands for massive organizational change, and hand-wringing over the future of the program. I’m sure ol’ Dink is warming up the presses.

Georgia’s not the #1 team in the nation – or the SEC. They’re also not Auburn or Tennessee. The funniest thing I read in the aftermath was that a 10-2 record (if we are so fortunate) is "mediocrity". Or that we’re no better off now than in the Goff or Donnan days.

Please.

That doesn’t mean that everything’s OK. There’s something very much not OK with losing games this way. Coach Richt might think that "when the season is over, history might prove (Florida and Alabama) are the best teams in the country, too, at least two of the top five anyway." That’s true, but Georgia fans are right to point out that Richt’s Dawgs were supposed to be among those teams. Performances against Alabama and Florida show that the 2008 Bulldogs come up well short of where they expected to be, and that’s not something that can be dismissed just by saying that, shucks, we played some good teams.

Meanwhile, we’ve still got a quarter of a season left to play. While the Dawgs have imploded against elite competition, they’ve been able to get it done against everyone else. Finishing out strong is what will separate the present disappointment from disaster. We’ve seen Mark Richt teams regroup from worse spots. Does it say something that we’ve been at such a point in each of the past three seasons? Does it say something that the response each time has generally been positive?

The offense that struggled to convert against Florida will again be in the spotlight over the last three games. Kentucky, Auburn, and Georgia Tech all have decent defenses. You’ll laugh and point to Florida’s 63 points against the Wildcats, but we all saw how well UK played Alabama, and they are getting some injured players back. Auburn’s defense hasn’t been Quentin Groves scary, but it’s still been sound enough to keep them in most games despite big problems on offense. Tech’s defense has been able to help the team overcome a high number of turnovers and has them in position to challenge for the ACC title in Paul Johnson’s first season.

Eight Mark Richt teams have made the trip to Jacksonville. Six have failed to score more than 14 points.

• 2001: 10
• 2002: 13
• 2003: 13
• 2004: 31
• 2005: 10
• 2006: 14
• 2007: 42
• 2008: 10

We tend to focus on Florida’s coaches and playmakers on offense when this game comes up, but Sylvester Croom’s offense can put up enough points to outscore what the Dawgs usually put up in Jacksonville. It happened again on Saturday. Many fans will look at the 49 and complain about the defense again, but this one is on the offense from the coaches on down. Blame refs, kicking woes, whatever, but the best RB, QB, and WR pair to play on one Georgia team in decades couldn’t manage but three points until garbage time.

For the second time this season, the Dawgs have failed – in spectacular fashion – to capitalize on the #1-ranked team losing. With the national and conference goals unattainable now, Georgia’s going to get a gut check the next two weeks with two more road games. The players always seem to have an easier time than we do of shaking it off, so hopefully they’re already thinking about getting it back together for Kentucky.

It’s not that easy for me. There’s still plenty of football this season, but this loss needs to stick in Georgia’s craw. We mock the public drama and theatrics of Tebow and Meyer over last year’s game and the Ole Miss loss, but, hey – it worked. Yes, losing 49-10 is a BIG DEAL.

And the next time Knowshon tries to take himself out again at a key moment in the game, tell him to turn it right back around and man up.

When, exactly, did Georgia’s celebration in last year’s Florida game become known as THE STOMP? Bonus question: just whose logo was involved?

By now you’ve probably read that Georgia is seeking its first consecutive wins over Florida since 1988-1989. The Dawgs have won two other times over that span but have been unable to build on those victories in the following seasons. A win on Saturday wouldn’t only give Georgia two straight. It would also be three of the last five.

There’s another drought dating back to the 1980s that could fall this weekend.

With 75 yards against Florida, Knowshon Moreno will pass the 1,000-yard milestone for the second time. In the rich history of Georgia running backs, only one other tailback has recorded multiple 1,000+ yard seasons. I’ll leave the identity of that other tailback to your imagination.

Georgia Southern (4-4): I haven’t bothered to track GSU this year, but their win last weekend deserves mention. The Eagles were down 31-3 to Western Carolina in the fourth quarter and were able to come back to force overtime and win the game. A 28-point fourth quarter comeback will turn heads.

Central Michigan (6-2): The Chippewas are flying high at 6-2, but their 5-0 conference record hasn’t been without its close calls. Three of their conference wins have been by three points or less, and it doesn’t get much closer than their one-point comeback win over Toledo last week. CMU’s only losses of the season have been against teams from BCS conferences, and they will dive back in to that pool this week for their second game of the season against a Big 10 team. THIS WEEK: @ Indiana

South Carolina (5-3): The loss to LSU took some of the steam out of a nice run, and the Gamecocks have had a bye week to regroup for the home stretch. There’s still quite a lot to play for, and it’s very reasonable that they could win three of their last four games to finish 8-4 and head to a decent bowl. First they’ll have to face a Tennessee team playing for its own postseason fate and the fate of its coach. The strong South Carolina defense should see no reason to fear the Vol offense. THIS WEEK: Tennessee

Arizona State (2-5): Georgia’s marquee nonconference opponent has gone down the drain. The defense, as we saw, is porous, but the high-powered offense also isn’t doing much. Things don’t project to get much better on a road trip to Corvallis. THIS WEEK: @ Oregon State

Alabama (8-0): Pundits wanted to see Alabama close the door on a team, and they did it in Knoxville. The Tide didn’t come out of the gate with all guns blazing and even gave Tennessee several chances to take early control of the game. But the Alabama defense, even without Cody, was too much for the punchless Vols. They get the next best thing to a bye this week before the big showdown in Baton Rouge next week. THIS WEEK: Arkansas State

Tennessee (3-5): The Tennessee defense did what it could to give the team a chance in the rivalry game with Alabama, but it was painful to watch that offense try to cash in on its opportunites. The usual lightweight November fare actually gives Tennessee an even shot at finishing 7-5, but they’ll have to win this weekend in Columbia. If they’re going to pull the upset, it’s going to take big plays by Eric Berry and the defense. THIS WEEK: @ South Carolina

Vanderbilt (5-3): Heading into their first bye week a month ago, Vandy was 4-0 and on top of the world heading into the Auburn game. Now they’ve dropped three in a row with a week to rest up for Florida. The opponent mistakes on which they feasted early in the season aren’t occurring as often, and games which had been won by the narrowest of margins are losses now. Is Bobby Johnson still doing a great job and likely to be in demand after the season? THIS WEEK: BYE

LSU (5-2): LSU has two losses as they did a year ago, but neither was an overtime nailbiter. With two sound defeats already and Alabama still out there, the Tigers are in danger of three regular season losses for the first time since 2002. Like Alabama, they get a lightweight nonconference game this week to prepare for the showdown next week. THIS WEEK: Tulane

Florida (6-1): We wondered if another 12:30 start would find the Gators still asleep against Kentucky, but it took about five minutes for them to prove otherwise. Florida has put up over 100 combined points in their last two games, and the defense and special teams aren’t too shabby either. No excuses this time – Georgia will get a Florida team playing out of its mind lately. THIS WEEK: Georgia

Kentucky (5-3): A tight win over Arkansas stopped the bleeding after a pair of close losses, but Kentucky never had a chance at Florida. The Wildcats were down before the Florida band returned to their seats and were simply overwhelmed for the first time this season. Injuries took their toll for sure, but even the healthy part of the team fell apart in Gainesville. There’s no time to dwell on that blowout though – they remain on the road for what’s become a must-win for the homestanding Bulldogs. A win locks up at worst a .500 season for the Wildcats and all but closes the door on MSU’s postseason hopes. THIS WEEK: @ Mississippi State

Auburn (4-4): With Georgia and Alabama still to go, this week’s game at Ole Miss would seem to be do-or-die for Auburn’s postseason chances. Needless to say, it hasn’t been a pleasant time for Auburn since the West Virginia loss. THIS WEEK: @ Ole Miss (Nov. 1)

Georgia Tech (6-2): Tech’s presence in the rankings didn’t last long, and a loss to Virginia might only be the beginning. Some strong teams remain on the schedule starting this week against FSU when the ACC’s top two rushing offenses meet the conference’s top two rushing defenses. Turnovers continue to be an issue; Tech has lost a staggering 14 fumbles this year. THIS WEEK: Florida State

If you need to drum up some kind of grudge for the game, both teams will have to reach. LSU can look back at the last two meetings between the teams – way back in 2004 and 2005. Georgia can drum up indignation over the 2007 BCS. There’s not much bad blood – certainly not as much as you’ll see in coming weeks when Georgia plays Florida and LSU plays Alabama. But that doesn’t mean that it’s casual and insignificant when Georgia and LSU play. Two of the last three meetings have been in the Georgia Dome with the SEC title up for grabs, and the odd game out was between the defending national champion and the #3 team in the nation.

Both teams enter this game with an opportunity for a little bit of redemption. The lopsided nature of Georgia’s loss to Alabama and LSU’s loss at Florida knocked both teams down several pegs, and both have been waiting for another chance on the national stage to put up a better result. Georgia bounced back with wins over Tennessee and Vanderbilt, and LSU put away a resurgent South Carolina team. With a lot on the line, here’s what I’ll be looking at in the game:

Keying on the run

There’s no question that the running game is the focal points of both teams’ offenses. One of the biggest consequences of Alabama’s quick start at Georgia was taking Knowshon Moreno out of the game, but Moreno is coming off a season-high effort last week. Mark Richt kind of bristled on Saturday when he was asked why Knowshon Moreno kept coming out of the Vanderbilt game. It’s true that it’s more or less Moreno’s call, and that’s fine. I think the question has more to do with this: after that touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half, the SEC Offense Player of the Week was more or less a non-factor until the drive that began with 8:29 remaining in the game. He had three carries for three yards and a nice 10-yard reception over a span of time that was a little longer than a quarter.

The running game is even more important to LSU. With a relatively inexperienced quarterback, the Tigers have leaned on Charles Scott this season with good results, and Keiland Williams has been more than an effective change of pace. LSU has started using both in the game at the same time with the bruising Scott playing a little fullback. Georgia will no doubt be paying attention to the run, and we’ll have to see if the dual-QB approach can make Georgia pay with opportunities in the passing game as Alabama did.

Turnovers

The Dawgs recorded a pair of interceptions last week, but the ones they missed have been the story this week. What’s also noteworthy has been Georgia’s giveaways. Though the season total is still relatively low, Georgia has had two giveaways in each of their last three games. That’s not a positive development after a relatively thrifty start to the season. Most concerning is Stafford’s five interceptions over those three games after zero in the first four games. This is as good of a chance as Stafford will get to shed the interception bug; LSU is 11th in the SEC (yes, behind even Georgia) with only four interceptions on the season.

Second half points

Georgia scored 30 points in the second half against Alabama. Whether or not the Tide let up, it was at the very least a commendable effort by Georgia to get back off the mat.

In the four other games against BCS conference teams, Georgia has managed in aggregate that same 30 points in the second half. The Dawgs scored no more than ten second half points in any of those games, and there has not been a single fourth quarter touchdown. Yes, those were all wins, but they were also (with one exception) one-possession games into the fourth quarter. It’s not like Georgia was sitting on leads of 20+ points. Mark Richt might not be worried about style points, but being able to close the door with the offense is another matter.

The third option

The emergence of A.J. Green should have opened things up for other Georgia receivers, but it hasn’t really happened. David Hale notes how the trend is actually towards the opposite: a higher concentration of passes going to Massaquoi and Green. Goodman is really the only other receiver to do much lately, and he only has a handful of catches. The disappearance of the tight end and injuries to Durham and King haven’t helped. LSU is right there with Georgia when it comes to struggles against the pass, but the Bulldog passing game – protection willing – should be in a better position to do something about it. Will Green and MoMass continue to make plays despite the attention they’ll get, or will that third option that Hale mentions emerge this week?

The matchup

Georgia’s young an injury-riddled offensive line versus LSU’s group of big, bad men. It seems every time we go to Baton Rouge lately, the Georgia offensive line is an issue. In 1998, Anthony McFarland was a menace against the interior Georgia line, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win for the Tigers. In 2003, David Greene was harassed all day, and numerous passes were tipped. The challenge for the Georgia line seems at least as great this year. If there’s positive news, it’s been the steady progress of the line over the past two games. The ability to lead solid fourth quarter drives against quality SEC defenses was very impressive, and the line held league-leading Vanderbilt without a sack last week. LSU is no Vanderbilt, but will this prove to be as big of a mismatch as people expect?

Georgia Southern (3-4) —

Central Michigan (5-2): CMU found themselves in a bit of a shootout with Western Michigan before a late field goal gave them a 10-point win. The Chippewas are a solid 4-0 in their conference, but they begin a three-game road trip this week. THIS WEEK: @ Toledo

South Carolina (5-3): With or without the help of the referees, the Gamecocks have to feel as if they missed out on a great chance to make some noise last week. They had LSU down, but the Tigers dominated down the stretch. With three SEC losses and Florida still left to play, the missed opportunity against LSU means that prospects for a New Years’ bowl game are fading fast. THIS WEEK: BYE

Arizona State (2-4): ASU has had two weeks to think about things after a disappointing start, and the rest has helped Rudy Carpenter’s ankle. The bad news is that they’ll try to get back on track against a decent Oregon team also coming off a bye. THIS WEEK: Oregon

Alabama (7-0): Ole Miss was the second team to push Alabama in the second half, but the Tide have been so good at establishing large halftime leads that it hasn’t cost them yet. The injury to Cody is a serious issue; Ole Miss was able to move the ball once Cody went out. Alabama’s balanced attack should be able to move the ball on the Vols at least as well as Georgia did. THIS WEEK: @ Tennessee

Tennessee (3-4): The Vols got a much-needed SEC win against Mississippi State, and a pair of defensive touchdowns helped them open up a close game. More big plays from the secondary will be Tennessee’s best chance to pull the upset in what might well be Fulmer’s Last Stand. Cody might be out, but can the Tennessee offense and the running game in particular take advantage of Cody’s absence? THIS WEEK: Alabama

Vanderbilt (5-2): Can you feel the slightest bit of pressure starting to surround Vandy? On one hand, they’re a solid and legitimate 5-2 with five games left in which to become bowl-eligible. On the other hand, they’ve lost two in a row and still have some very respectable teams to play. A lot seem to hang on this week’s game against an improved Duke. Win, and the pressure is off. They can poach another win or two down the stretch and end up with a decent bowl. Lose to Duke and things become interesting. Remaining games with Kentucky and Tennessee would become pushes at best, and they’d likely be underdogs to Florida and Wake Forest. THIS WEEK: Duke

LSU (5-1): LSU bounced back and, like Georgia, had to come from behind at South Carolina. Once the Tiger defense figured things out, they looked pretty impressive. The Tigers should be pretty healthy on their stout defensive front for the first time in weeks, and that’s not good news for opponents. THIS WEEK: Georgia

Florida (5-1): The Gators have had two weeks to relish their best performance of the season in a dominant win over LSU. The challenge this week is getting back up after two weeks of rest for a 12:30 kickoff. Florida didn’t fare so well in their last early home game. Will they come out focused, or will they hit the snooze button for the early start as they dream about the big game next week? THIS WEEK: Kentucky

Kentucky (5-2): A comeback win over Arkansas stopped the bleeding after consecutive losses and kept alive hopes for a third-straight winning season. Injuries have taken their toll, though, and there’s not much in the tank as the team heads to Gainesville. Watch to see if Kentucky’s secondary full of playmakers can make things interesting for Tebow and his receivers. THIS WEEK: @ Florida

Auburn (4-4): If you caught either of Auburn’s games against Vanderbilt and West Virginia, you didn’t need to see the other. Up 13-0 in one and 17-3 in the other, the Tiger offense and ground game that looked unstoppable early on simply shut down and couldn’t muster an answer when the opponent came back. Auburn has led at halftime in every game this season, but they’ve been completely powerless to answer second half comebacks. When Tuberville – clad in his finest Longhorn orange – has to pull out the “deny them heat” tactic, you know there’s not much left that can be done. THIS WEEK: @ Ole Miss (Nov. 1)

Georgia Tech (6-1): Yes, that’s Georgia Tech as the ACC’s sole representative in the rankings. Close, ugly, very little passing, doesn’t matter. They’re winning. If the Florida schools can’t derail Tech, could this be a one-loss team coming to Athens in a month? THIS WEEK: Virginia

Georgia Sports Blog notes this week’s commitment from WR Rantavious Wooten. With the departure of Walter Hill (not to mention the graduation of Massaquoi and Goodman), getting a couple of quality receivers in this class is one of the few remaining priorities, and Wooten fits the bill. His offer sheet is a who’s who of college football, and getting a prospect of that quality out of Miami is always good news.

(As an aside, I note that George Godsey is on O’Leary’s staff at UCF. Just in case you were wondering.)

Star QB commitment Aaron Murray will have surgery on his broken ankle this Friday. The good news, if there is such a thing, is that broken bones typically heal more cleanly than torn ligaments. Though the true extent of the injury won’t be known until the surgery, "doctors don’t think there’s any ligament damage," said Murray. The fact that he likely won’t have to rehabilitate torn ligaments means that the recovery time could be no more than eight weeks.

Murray is determined to return to action this season. He is using crutches and hopes to be walking on his own in 4-6 weeks. He wants to be playing football again in 6-8 weeks.

Brothers, Denver Bronco teammates, and former Bulldog players Boss and Champ Bailey are also in the injury news. Both were injured in Monday night’s game against New England. Boss’s knee injury knocks him out for the rest of the season, and Champ will be out for at least a month with an groin injury.

AccessNorthGa.com has a profile on dominant Buford lineman Dallas Lee who has been getting it done for the top-ranked Buford program on both sides of the ball.

Lee now has a team-high 54 stops, along with four sacks and two fumble recoveries. He’s also been a key blocker for an offense that has outgained opponents by over 1,000 yards this season — 2,275-834.

Lee will play on the offensive line at Georgia, but it doesn’t matter to him. "I just want to line up and beat the guy in front of me. My mentality really doesn’t change that much," he said. Nice to have that attitude coming to Athens.

Finally, expect Georgia running backs coach Tony Ball to be a candidate for the vacancy at Tennessee-Chattanooga. Ball, a Chattanooga native, played and coached for UT-C and is a member of the program’s all-century team. If you have to lose assistants, you want it to be because they’re on the way up and not because of more unpleasant circumstances.