It's a Cold World, Charlie Brown: Thoughts before Florida

I felt it getting closer every day this week. It’s comparable to that sinking feeling you get after you realize the cool summer breezes are slowly turning into sharp fall chills, which is usually followed by a scratchy throat and the flu. In my youth, I entertained the idea that my acknowledgement and anxiety towards the thought of the impending flu contributed to the actual sickness. Never mind the fact that I was an unruly-ass kid who didn’t care much for stuffy coats and jackets when there were schoolyard games to play, I was convinced that I had that much control over my body.

By the same token, it seems that our beloved Dawgs have taken the annual Florida game with the same level of apprehension for the past couple of decades. Every year, we dread its arrival, and for a while it seemed the leaders of our program (players, coaches, and athletic directors) felt content with crossing our fingers and hoping for a change instead of preparing. That is, until a year ago. Sure, we lost, but with the players’ efforts in mind, the loss was a matter of mistimed, improper execution and downright bad luck as opposed to uninspired play or utter intimidation.

You saw the effort these guys put forth in plenty of plays: Take, for example, Christian Robinson diving over the line of scrimmage to take down Chris Rainey, A.J. Green stonewalling Gator DBs with multiple stiff-arms, Rambo trying to scoop a UF fumble and take it the distance (he wasn’t able to recover, but that’s beside the point), and Aaron Murray’s final two drives, the last of which included two of the most clutch completions of the year. The heart these guys showed in those 60 minutes exceeded what most Dawg fans have seen in a couple of years, yet for an entire year, they’ve had nothing to show for it.

This UGA squad is still pretty young, but it’d be a mistake to measure this team’s maturity by game experience. It may just be my naiveté speaking, but as of now I feel these Dawgs have grown enough to shatter the mental block this game has presented for so long. Just like I eventually learned to manage these frigid New England autumns and winters in the past four years, I believe this team can show the world how they’ve adapted and (hopefully) counteracted the Jacksonville jinx on Saturday.

Matching the Gators’ layers upon layers of program insulation should, God-willing, finally level the playing field for a rivalry that hasn’t been anything but one-sided since the 80s. By program insulation, I mean an accountable and effective strength and conditioning staff, opportunistic scheduling, along with energetic and competent assistant coaches. Now that these oversights have been corrected the teams have a chance to line up and play a game in the absence of lingering, yet oh-so relevant questions like “What if UGA had the bye-week advantage instead of Florida? What if the game wasn’t in Jacksonville?”

If the Dawgs play to their potential on Saturday, this game could be in hand by the 3^rd quarter. If they play with the passion and focus that the recent direction of the rivalry calls for, it could be a downright massacre. However, this is a rivalry game, and history has shown us that recent trends are better off being thrown out of the equation. With that said, I’m expecting a 60-minute battle against a Florida defense with an extremely talented front seven and a chip on their shoulders. I have the utmost confidence in our defense, from the line to the secondary; therefore, if somehow Aaron Murray can keep a clean jersey for the majority of the game, Saturday will be an amazing day, and likely a sign of good things to come in Bulldog Nation.

We waited....we saw, now what?

A matchup against Mississippi State has rarely served as a suitable barometer of the prospects of any UGA team, but the Dawgs got a win they needed against another team with their backs against the wall on Saturday, holding out for a 24-10 victory over the Bizarro Dawgs behind an amazing defensive effort. As usual, there were causes for concern to go along with the glimpses of greatness between the Hedges. The defense has extended its impressive play, they haven't allowed an offensive touchdown in three straight games. After two losses to start the season, the Dawgs have obviously made strides since their embarrassing 2010 campaign, but will it be enough to win the crucial SEC East games? Headed into the mid-way point of the season, many questions have been answered, but what new concerns could haunt the Dawgs down the stretch?

You believed the hype?

• Isaiah Crowell's conditioning - I've seen this come up a few times in the past few weeks and I can't seem to wrap my head around it. Aside from a few carries, I can't remember any times where Crowell hadn't done the most with what the offensive line gave him. In fact, I believe his first negative rushes of the season came in the game Saturday. That says as much about the line as it does Crowell. If the line can stay healthy and keep opening holes, however, there will be no need for Crowell to get 30 carries. Richard Samuel and Carlton Thomas have been running the best of their careers in my opinion. I hate it that Samuel doesn't have a lower center of gravity, but I like that we're sending him on screens, I think that playcall has a lot of potential.

• Inconsistent playcalling - Ever since Urban Meyer burst onto the scene, destroying cupcakes by 50, fans have gone crazy about getting some style points towards the end of the game. Since we've been unable to get this done against SEC opponents, most of the blame has fallen at the hands of Richt and Bobo. However, we've seen our most beloved offensive playmakers just fail to execute in some cases. Dropped balls, fumbled snaps, and slow-developing blocks have led to plenty of points being left on the field, and at this point in time, we need every single one of them.

• Cornelius Washington's disappearance - At some point last year, CornWash fell out of favor among Dawg fans, like most hyped recruits with ridiculous measurables do when they don't put up god-like numbers. In the past couple of weeks, Washington exhibited his NFL potential against pretty decent offensive linemen, even knocking Mississippi State behemoth James Carmon out of the game temporarily after bull-rushing him on the way to a sack Saturday. Now if only he could stay eligible...

Something Wicked This Way Comes

As usual, some areas we thought would be team strengths have struggled. Some areas are less concerning, while some lead me to believe that this home stretch won't be as easy as the media has made it out to be.

• Murray's regression - While it's much too early to call it a slump, I'd be lying if I said i wasn't a bit disappointed in Murray's play so far. He's done great on paper, leading us to one of the top passing offenses in the SEC, but some questionable decisions have got me a little worried about the schedule coming up. The main factors contributing to Murray's "decline" being included in this post is the shaky pass protection as well as youthful receiving corps. He's being hit too much, and as a result, is getting a little anxious and out of rhythm, which is paramount with our inexperienced receiving corps.

• Special teams – I’m not calling for Blair Walsh to be benched just yet, but I wouldn’t be opposed to him getting some alone time on the practice field with an iPod, some Bose headphones and piped-in crowd noise. If our offense can’t punch the ball in the endzone against what should be a hungry Tennessee unit, with a bitter taste in their mouths from last year’s rout, the pressure’s all on him. I’m sure the Vols are going to try to ice him, I wouldn’t be surprised if they sent extra guys to block punts this week, I’m positive we’ll see a fake kick on Saturday. I hope the coaches realize just how important special teams are in road games like this. One or two screw-ups will take us out the game. From the first five games, looks like defense and special teams will have to be our trademark, which leads me to my next, and least intense, concern:

• Butterfingers – Maybe it’s just the fact that Murray’s rhythm has been a little disrupted thanks to defending pass rushes, but there have been bad drops throughout the receiving corps since the Boise State game. Maybe they’re just contagious. From veterans to freshmen, the Dawg receivers have to tighten this up if they want to take some pressure off the offensive line and force defenders to stop crowding the box. On the other hand, the secondary’s tremendous improvement has been slightly tarnished by the few pick-sixes that were dropped in the past few games.

As I said earlier, defense and special teams will have to be our trademark. I think our secondary is playing as well as any other in the country, and the stats back that up: 2nd in the SEC, 14^th nationally in passing defense. 5^th nationally in receiving yards allowed per game. Tied for 4^th in the country in interceptions. But just imagine the outcomes of the last few games if a few of those drops don’t happen. Defensive touchdowns can derail an opposing quarterback’s psyche. The front seven is bringing the pain to everyone not named Kellen Moore, all we need is one of the DBs to make the right break, week in and week out, and we’ll officially be a force to be reckoned with. I’m hoping for a pick-six or scoop-and-score this weekend. Either that, or a few good shots on a certain wideout and I would be sold on this team’s future, regardless of the offense’s output or that call from Bobo you saw coming a mile away.