UGA can hang with anybody

The University of Georgia was not going to lose to Vanderbilt Saturday. The ‘Dores were lucky that Jarvis Jones didn’t just rip Jordan Rodgers a new one when he was going nuts once back on the field. Todd Grantham kept his starters in to ensure Vanderbilt didn’t get a touchdown after last year’s fireworks. Georgia wasn’t in any danger of losing like last year, when Drew Butler needed to make a crucial save to prevent a game-winning touchdown return. Georgia dominated from the start of the game as more history was made as UGA finished with 48 points, the fourth straight game UGA has posted at least 41 points.

The biggest thing we learned from the action at Sanford Stadium Saturday night was that Georgia can be “on” just like the other top teams in the country. Was Vanderbilt an opponent like Clemson, Michigan or Oregon? No, but the way Georgia played last night, any of those teams would be hard-pressed to have beaten the Dawgs. The defense bent at times but never once broke while the offense looked unstoppable in the first half. Aaron Murray has found a nice rhythm with his receivers while the running game looks as loaded as it was back in 2007. 

These backs run harder and with such a variety that, while LSU gets the pub for going five-deep, Georgia’s top three could be viewed as a more dangerous unit. Todd Gurley’s stiff arm was certainly pregame-videoboard-worthy while Keith Marshall’s speed was finally on display during his long run Saturday night. Gurley is getting the acclaim right now, as he should, but don’t count Keith Marshall out just yet. His best days are ahead of him. And Ken “Boo” Malcome also runs hard enough to punish defenses tired of seeing Gurley and Marshall run around and through them. 

As for the defense, what more can be said? Oh, yeah, it is about to get better with the return of Alec Ogletree and Bacarri Rambo. The rest of the SEC just shivered. How explosive will Jones be now with Rambo and Ogletree out there, taking attention away. The way LSU played Saturday, Georgia has to believe it can take down the Tigers. Alabama may be the defending BCS champions, but the Tide may not even have a shot at Georgia as Bama has to go to Baton Rouge.

Now the Bulldog Nation must hope that this week’s Tennessee game doesn’t become a classic trap game. Georgia had extra motivation for the Vanderbilt game and the South Carolina game will be weighing on the minds of a bunch of 19- to 23-year-olds. The onus will be on the Georgia coaching staff to keep the Dawgs focused on a Tennessee team that was ranked a few weeks back and could possibly pull another classic Tennessee upset (see: 2004, 2007, 2009). Georgia must be ready for a desperate Vols squad that has enough firepower to take out an unfocused team. 

Aaron Murray: Under appreciated superstar

Henry David Thoreau, Vincent Van Gogh, John Keats and Galileo Galilei: all people who were vastly under appreciated while they were writing, painting or otherwise doing what they do. It wasn’t until much later that people truly started to appreciate what they brought to the table and how they missed the chance to witness greatness. 

Perhaps Aaron Murray can relate to these great poets, artists and scientists. Despite putting up quality numbers as a freshman and leading the Dawgs to the SEC East title last year as a sophomore, all Murray heard over the offseason was rumblings about how Bulldog Nation couldn’t wait for Christian LeMay and high school senior Brice Ramsey to take over because Murray can’t win the big one. Fans ripped Murray for his turnovers and nitpicked his numbers coming against weak competition. 

All Murray has done this season is go on the road and beat Missouri, a team with a quarterback more hyped but not nearly as talented as Murray. He has Georgia (3-0) sitting at No. 5 in the country after passing for 842 yards on 51-of-80 passing and eight scores. He registered a career-high 342 passing yards against FAU last Saturday while amassing four touchdowns. During the FAU game, he moved into a tie for second on Georgia’s all-time list touchdown list and is within five of David Greene. Murray still has nearly two years of eligibility left, by the way. 

Perhaps if Murray leads Georgia through this upcoming rough patch, past Florida and to yet another SEC title game, maybe then the Georgia faithful will stop counting down the days until LeMay or Ramsey moves under center. Brandon Cox, Blake Mitchell and Casey Clausen this guy isn’t. He is quite talented but under appreciated. Georgia fans shouldn’t be trying to push this guy out the door. If anything, show some patience and let this guy do his thing. By the time he leaves Georgia for the 2014 NFL Draft, he will likely have every UGA passing record one would want and he may just have a little golden stiff arm statue and some hardware on his finger.

What we learned from beating Mizzou

I wanted to wait a few days before I wrote what in fact we learned from the Missouri game, if anything. It is too easy to get caught up in the emotion directly after a win or loss and sometimes hyperbole seems about right when you are basking in the glory or muttering in the darkness. 

What did Georgia learn from going to Missouri and picking up a big SEC East win in just the second week of the season? The answer is, sadly, not much.

Georgia knew it had a solid defense anchored by Jarvis Jones. Was it fun for the Bulldog Nation to watch Jones take over a game and shut down Missouri’s attack almost all by himself? Sure. But didn’t we know that he was incredibly talented already? He was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 2011 and he won the CFPA Elite Linebacker Trophy. He was a first team All-American by several publications, and he led the SEC in sacks last year. He is really good. We knew that.

Georgia has a plethora of receivers that can make plays, but we knew that after last season. Tavarres King, Michael Bennett, Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten have all made plays this year and Brown really seemed to come to play against the Tigers. 

Georgia’s rushing attack will have ups and downs, but we knew that already as well, considering Todd Gurley is a true freshman and one of this top backups, Keith Marshall, is also a true freshman. They will have some great moments (the Buffalo game for Gurley), but they will have some rough ones too (the first play for Gurley when he fumbled). 

As fun as it was for Bulldog Nation to pound its chest and say “Old Man Football,” Missouri was an unranked foe playing its first SEC game. Their nerves showed on the first drive, and once the Georgia avalanche started in the fourth quarter, the Tigers didn’t know what to do.

Georgia still has plenty of work and it starts with getting John Theus healthy. He will likely go on to be a stud for Georgia as he started the Missouri game, and, despite giving up two sacks and being called for three penalties, the coaches stuck with him out there. That either says the coaches are really high on him or there is zero depth/trust behind him. For a true freshman to get as many reps with an apparent injury like that says the coaches really believe he is the guy. 

If we learned anything from the Missouri game, it is that Theus is a warrior for not asking out and continuing to play. The coaches should love a tackle  that stands 6-foot-6, 309 pounds. Take that away from a game that really didn’t offer much of a chance to teach Georgia anything. Missouri was an opponent that shouldn’t have scared Georgia, and the Bulldogs rightfully returned home with a victory.