The View From Athens

Yes, it was ugly. Yes, Georgia should never be trailing a 0-3 team by two scores with ten minutes left. But, frankly, this seems to be a yearly event. It seems the Dawgs struggle to get by someone in the third or fourth game. One year it was UAB. Another it was Marshall. Georgia will be ready for UT in two weeks (I'm not yet ready to say they win that game, but they'll be ready to play). That being said, we have some major problems on the offensive side of the ball. The line struggles to open holes, the receivers have problems catching the ball sometimes, and the running backs don't break too many tackles. The quarterbacks have done well despite their youth. The Dawgs need to pull it together in Oxford to get the Buffalos out of their system.

Speaking of the Buffalos, I always enjoy seeing teams I've never seen before. Colorado was tough and they had a great game plan. The Buff fans were fun and during the game it looked like they were bordering on euphoria (Dawg fans, not so much). Ralphie lived up to her considerable hype.

Overall, the game was well worth the 19 hours I spent in the car going to it and coming back from it. Two personal notes. First, while wondering through the football museum at the UGA athletic offices, my wife and I ran into Matt Stafford. I wished him luck for the game and he said thanks. After Stafford was pulled in the third quarter, my wife said I am forever forbidden from speaking to a player before a game. Also, the shoes I bought last year for gamedays are officially retired. I wore them to the Auburn game (last second, gut wrenching loss), the Sugar Bowl (I forget who won that one), and most recently the Colorado game. They are now my former game day shoes.