Vanderbilt/Georgia: First Quarter Thoughts

These thoughts/observations/questions are in no particular order of importance, but rather just stuff I wrote as it occurred to me:

1. Why have Jamie Graham play both ways now? Are you telling me we couldn't have used him last week against Army at wide receiver? How about against Ole Miss when we had close to 10 drops? I don't understand why, only after 6 games and 4 losses, are we trying to put our best team on the field on offense. With Casey Haywood's interception and keeping his feet inbounds, maybe it's time we have both our starting receivers play both ways.

2. I thought the play-calling on the offensive end was better to start the game. There was a good mix of passing and running plays. It didn't result in much, but it was better.

3. PLEASE STOP RUNNING THAT REVERSE. No one is surprised...in fact, defenses are expecting it. Yet another 4 yard loss.

4. To be as experienced as they are, the offensive line is pretty bad. I know we lost James Williams and that has had an impact. But one of the reasons Larry gets so many balls batted down is because he's got defensive ends in his kitchen all game.

4a. Larry Smith has to get more accurate. I know his line doesn't always give him time, but he doesn't put the ball where he needs to. He's also got to stop staring down his receivers. That interception was handed to the UGA safety on a silver plater.

4b. Alex Washington has to step to the ball on that throw. If he does, the ball is probably not picked-off, and he might even get the flag,

4c. Larry Smith does make some very good throws (like when he threaded the needle to Brandon Barden for what would have been a first down) that get doped.

5. The defense is fantastic. Except for AJ Green's 65-yard scamper, they are very good. As Stanimal texted me: "I feel so damn sorry for our defense...[the defense is] wasted on such a pathetic offense." He had more to say, but this is a family blog.

6. I think the "chess match" the announcers referred to when CBJ called not 1 but 2 time outs at the end of the quarter to force UGA to punt the ball into the wind. A few problems: first, the Georgia kid still had a booming punt; second, Vanderbilt only got to run 1 play on offense and then had to go into the wind.

That's all I've got (for now). As I hit send, UGA just scored a TD. 14-3 Dawgs.