Saturday Football Fever

November 14, 2009, Athens, GA.

This week, the South’s “oldest rivalry” is re-ignited when the Auburn Tigers (7-3, 3-3 SEC)  and Georgia Bulldogs (5-4, 3-3 SEC) meet for the 113th time at 7pm in Athens at Sanford Stadium. Former Bulldog head coach Vince Dooley played his collegiate ball at Auburn, and that’s why this is referred to as the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.” Auburn is 1 of 2 teams that Georgia has played more than 100 times in their history.

Out of all of the meetings of these two teams, the Tigers hold merely a two game advantage. The rivalry is fierce and the outcome of their games is always close. The Tigers, however, have won 10 of their last 13 games at Sanford Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Both teams are coming off homecoming wins. Auburn’s 63-31 win over Furman catapulted it into the Top 25 in the coaches’ poll. Georgia shut out Tennessee Tech 38-0.

Last time the two teams met in 2008, Georgia beat Auburn 17-13. But that was with Matthew Stafford and before Joe Cox was their quarterback. I am hoping Joe Cox can step up his game for the matchup!

Auburn player, Ben Tate has rushed for 1,142 yards this season. Auburn is currently the second highest scoring team in the SEC. Auburn’s defense is last in the league in scoring, and they are allowing more than 26 points per game.

The Tiger’s offense ranks 13th nationally in red zone offense, scoring on 31 of 33 opportunities.

This could be a high scoring game with many penalities and turnovers. From what I have read, and based on the record at Sanford Stadium, the Georgia Bulldogs are not favored to win. I am hoping they can dig deep to fight, fight, fight! and we can all see a great game tonight!

In other college football this week:

The key game this week isn’t in any of the major conferences, but in the Mountain West, where No. 4 TCU hosts No. 16 Utah at 7:30PM ET on Saturday. TCU is a 17-point favorite at home.

Another key matchup this week is in the Big Ten when No. 10 Ohio State hosts No. 15 Iowa. The Buckeyes are 14.5-point favorites at home against the Hawkeyes. This game will likely decide the winner of the Big Ten title and the automatic BCS bowl bid.

Steve Spurrier faces his old team  as well when South Carolina hosts Florida. The Gators are 15-point road favorites. Last year, Florida posted a 56-6 win over the Gamecocks in the Swamp. South Carolina has lost three of its last four games, but has yet to lose at home this season.

Saturday Football Fever commences with many great games to watch, as the college football season starts to wind its way down! I will be watching to see how all of these matchups turn-out!

Filed under: Game Thoughts

Tags: Athens, auburn tigers, Ben Tate, College Football, Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, ESPN2, Florida., GA, georgia bulldogs, Iowa, Joe Cox, mark richt, matthew stafford, Ohio State, Sanford Stadium, Saturday Football, sec, South Carolina, Steve Spurrier, TCU, Utah, Vince Dooley

By now, you’ve probably read that UGA is going to pull the “blackout” for the Alabama game this weekend.  You’ve probably also read all the other hoopla surrounding the blackout.  Here’s my take on the blackout and the game itself.

First of all, when the black jersey’s were used in the Auburn game, it was a great way to get the team and the fans hyped up.  And to some extent, it psyched out the Tigers.  Then the black was used in the bowl game and it wasn’t quite as exciting.  Now its being used for the Bama game and it seems to have lost a little bit more of its luster.  I’ve even talked to many UGA fans who agree.

There’s a resaon that Notre Dame only wears the green jersey’s (and not just because they lose when they wear them) – it’s because they are meant to jack fans and players up for the game every few years that is hugely important to the program.  For UGA, that was the Auburn game was last year – it helped keep the momentum going after the Florida win and carried the team for the rest of the season.  But three times in the span of nine games?  That takes something away from the experience.

What it really comes down to is who is the better, more prepared team.  And both teams are good and will come in well prepared.  Honestly, I think the media is reading too much into the give and take between Saban and Richt.  They are just two coaches having a little fun, trying to keep things light going into a big game.  In the end, laundry will have no bearing on this game.

Breakdown

UGA - The offense is solid.  Moreno takes a load of pressure off Stafford with his ability to run the ball and AJ Green has emerged as a reliable threat at receiver, which UGA hasn’t had in several years.  That being said, I’m still not sold on Stafford as the “best NFL QB prospect in the country”.  From what I’ve seen of him this year, he still makes bad decisions and struggles against good defenses.  You also have a young offensive line that is still trying to figure out how to play with each other after a rash of injuries have caused some shuffling of positions.  The defense has been solid, but they haven’t faced a very good or balanced offense yet.  The Dawgs are also the most penalized team in the SEC, averaging almost 11 per game, which is double the next closest team.

Bama – The offensive line is mean, nasty and is dominating.  Andre Smith, Antoine Caldwell and Co. open up huge holes for the running game and they make John Parker Wilson look like Tom Brady with all the time they give him.  Mark Ingram is the bruiser and Glen Coffee is the speedster and they combine to make one of the best RB tandems in the conference.  Julio Jones and Nick Walker are excellent targets for JPW.  The defense has been stingy this year, allowing only 9.2 points per game.  They are lead by the disruptive Terrance “Mount” Cody, a 365 pound beast in the middle.  The linebackers, while young, have been solid and the secondary has been good.  Javier Arenas is the X factor on special teams, having already returned one punt for a TD and averaging 18.7 yards per return.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I’m a Bama alumni and psychotic Tide fan.)

Prediction

I think this game will be closer than either side wants to believe.  It will be physical and relatively low scoring.  In the end, I think penalties will kill the Dawgs and special teams will be the difference.  Leigh Tiffin will kick the winning field goal in the final minute and Bama will win 27-24 in a thriller.

Filed under: Game Thoughts

Tags: aj green, alabama crimson tide, andre smith, antoine caldwell, auburn tigers, florida gators, georgia bulldogs, glen coffee, javier arenas, john parker wilson, julio jones, knowshon moreno, leigh tiffin, mark ingram, mark richt, matthew stafford, nick saban, nick walker, terrance cody