Welcome to Tuesday, Bulldog fans! When things aren’t going right, maybe even against the grain or contrary to the normal course of events, it can be described as squirrelly. And that is the little tree rat that scampered across the field Saturday afternoon, onto the Georgia sideline, cursing our team and setting in motion a series of unfortunate offensive possessions that would be our collective undoing. I blame the squirrel.
Many have been critical of certain Bulldog position groups and their underwhelming results in Oxford. I don’t know if anyone has been this harsh and not just a fan wanting to vent. Deserved? Perhaps so. Surprising? Perhaps not.
Let’s move along shall we? On to next week, and our…. oh crap. Game Day and SEC Nation will be on campus, because why not revisit the Ole Miss bed crapping on every conceivable media outlet?
There was doubt as to Georgia’s ability to perform up to expectations coming into the Ole Miss game. Leaving Oxford, those doubts were confirmed and new ones cropped up. You know who doesn’t doubt Georgia this week? Vegas. I’ve seen betting lines favoring UGA anywhere from 8.5 to 9.5 points. I’m not sure they’ve watched the same games I have.
The “aggressive” odds might be due to Iamaleava’s injury. The Tennessee freshman started the season like gangbusters but has definitely slowed down as the SEC schedule ramped up. And he left Saturday night’s Mississippi State game early with an upper-body injury. I wonder if the Wednesday availability report might dampen some of these early lines.
Execution was the theme of Coach Smart’s press conference, at least that was what he wanted to convey. Thanks as always to Bulldawg Illustrated who upload the video each week. If you’re not a fan of a coach sticking up for his players, then this isn’t the presser for you. Coach Smart glossed over the poor performances from Saturday, and the 2024 season, in a way that probably only made him friends in the locker room. Some of his comments about injuries on the offensive line and implementing some protection changes could be construed as “this is why we sucked at blocking” but only if you read between the lines.
If you’re looking for a distraction, you could check out the Hoop Hounds, who host North Florida tonight at 7:00 pm. While Mike White has his charges looking both relaxed and disciplined, this is likely a bigger test than was imagined when inking the contract. The Ospreys are also undefeated in the early going, but have road wins at the bad Columbia and North Avenue sandwiching beating Charleston Southern.
Women’s Soccer is going further in the post-season, earning a 7 seed in the NCAA Championship tournament. They play Colorado this Friday in Los Angeles, and can be seen on ESPN+.
You know the narrative. The national media knows the narrative, albeit at a more simplistic level. But they’re the ones shouting it at every opportunity, hoping to tag along on the ESPN promotional parade. Hopefully we’ll have a little more clarity, and a little more reason for optimism under the national spotlight Saturday night in Athens. Because there’s nothing better than being a Georgia Bulldog. And as always…
GO ‘DAWGS!!!