Well, unlike Lyndon Johnson, we can at least breathe a sigh of relief after our face-off with Kent State. From a dawg perspective, it's important to remember that things could be worse. Much, much worse (I'm looking at you, Miami and Texas). That's not to say we should be content with our performance, but if a three turnover game with multiple dropped passes (two of which would've been touchdowns) and other missed opportunities still results in a 17 point win and retaining the #1 spot, well, blessings should be counted.
Admittedly, watching that game made me feel a lot like people in the Johnson administration must have felt after that particular protest went so awry. Much like that situation, though, overwhelming force ultimately won the day. Not exactly a satisfying victory, to be sure, but a victory nonetheless. Also, I hope Kirby is spending practice this week playing “Four Dead in Ohio” on full blast as a reminder that winning against an unarmed opponent isn't the same as winning like Charlie Sheen.
On second thought, that win is probably a lot like that....maybe I should say “winning like Norman Schawrzkopf” for a more poetic and appropriate comparison. It just feels slightly wrong to use a military name of Eastern European origins in a positive way right now. Still, though, Stormin Norman knew how to beat inferior opposition.
That said, it's not as if Kent State is the metaphorical equivalent of the Iraqi army. They're a good squad with some tough players. They had a defensive lineman who was strong, and some receivers who block well. The running back is a tough, hard runner, and I hope his injury isn't severe, because he is probably an all-conference player in the MAC. I mean, he's definitely all-conference in the PAC-12 or ACC, but probably the MAC, too. Hell, he might make third team or honorable mention in the SEC if Saturday was any indication of his quality as a player.
Great play by Kent State wasn't the whole story, though. We made a lot of bad mistakes, most of which look fixable. Ladd, during the season, downtown is for Saturday night, not Friday night. Way to bounce back in the second half, though. You're a damn good dawg. The front seven needs toughen up moving into the meat of conference play, and the red zone offense has to improve as well. The offensive line needs to be more consistent, especially in run blocking. For now, I'll take solace in remembering that Kent State has a storied history of facing a vastly more powerful opponent head on and losing with eye-popping bravery. And in knowing this time it won't take down the Kirby administration the way it took down Johnson.
I'd say that's enough of making mocking jokes about heartbreaking tragedy, but I now turn my attention to the rest of the conference, and Auburn and Mizzou played each other this weekend. As did Florida and Tennessee, so that means there's no avoiding it least a couple of more times. In no particular order, these are my thoughts about this past weekend in the SEC
Alabama-imagine what you could do without any penalties! Then remember that Texas lost this weekend so the rest of us can watch your confusion.
Ole Miss-Too many cupcakes can give you a stomach ache. Go to your room and think about how LSU is now planning to make Rebel Bear Gumbo.
MSU- Congratulations on plundering a defenseless island. Now remember that even Auburn has a few metaphorical coastal defenses.
Auburn- I'd congratulate you on a conference win, but all I really saw was that you're not as good at losing a football game as Mizzou. I did just read that the first reported case of monkey pox was in Auburn, though, so you won that contest? I guess?
Mizzou- Congratulation on being better at losing than Auburn. That's actually a pretty remarkable feat.
LSU – I hope you enjoyed this weekends beignets. The rest of your division won't be as easy as MSU. Except for Auburn.
Arkansas- Right now, I'm so disgusted with you that I'm going to say that Sam Pittman cannot fail. He can only be failed. That's probably not true, but you damn sure made it look like a statement of fact this weekend.
Texas A&M – Miami lost to Middle Tennessee state this weekend. That trumps anything else you do if you don't beat Alabama.
Vanderbilt- You're performance was reminiscent of Farimir's Cavalry Charge.
South Carolina – You gave the rest of us hope that you could indeed be third in the East. Keep it up.
Kentucky – If you pretend UGA was just holding back for our showdown in Lexington, we will pretend that's what you were doing as well.
Tennessee – Your game was the conference equivalent of last weeks USF-UF game. You managed to win without looking good and still made Florida look bad. I appreciate that. You're habit of playing keep away with the the jaws of defeat will hopefully bite you in the ass against South Carolina.
Florida – You managed to lose against Tennessee and still make them look bad. That's really the most I could ever ask. Once again, I'm proud of you.
Mizzou is up next for us. Hopefully it doesn't come down to questions of success in the red zone. But if it does become a battle of field goals, I like our chances. I'll be pissed, but I like our chances. Also, I thank you all for letting me get the mileage I did out of the Kent State tragedy. We don’t play them often, and I’m a history nerd, so UGA playing them is like my two best friends getting married to each other. Other than that, may your soup be warm, your beer be cold, and your bar tab affordable. And GO DAWGS!