Georgia Football – the Dawgs Move into Top 3 in AP Poll

Georgia Football moved unto the top 3 of the latest AP Poll this week. UGA moved up after Clemson was upset by Syracuse on Friday night.

UGA has moved up once again. After their 53-28 victory over the pass-happy Missouri Tigers and another undefeated team taking its first L (previously ranked #2 Clemson lost to Syracuse on Friday night), the Dawgs move into the top 3 of the AP poll. This Georgia Football team is sitting pretty right now going into the bye week at #3 in the latest poll.

That’s right, Dawg fans. We can officially say it after this amazing 7-0 start…..we are a top 3 team.  Only Alabama and Penn State remain ahead of us, sitting at 1 and 2 respectively. Things just continue to go right for us and go wrong for our neighbors and rivals. Clemson lost. Auburn lost. Tennessee lost. Florida lost. Tech lost. And the Dawgs just kept right on rolling. If that can’t make ya smile a little bit, you probably don’t bleed red and black.

Once again, this past game was far from perfect.

Our defense gave up 21 points in the first half. This included 3 TDs from Mizzou quarterback Drew Locke, with 2 of those being 63 yard big plays. He threw for 4 total. Letting big fast receivers get behind the secondary and make explosive plays could be an eventual cause for a UGA loss to a team that has a dangerous downfield passing game like Mizzou’s but has an elite defense as well.

That’s something that must be addressed. Jake Fromm threw an interception in the 1st quarter that left Mizzou a short field that they took advantage of and scored a TD. There were injury issues with number 1 wide receiver Terry Godwin going down with a rib injury.

Kirby said after the game that he doesn’t think the Godwin injury is that serious. Hopefully, he gets a good report from the doctors on his ribs and is good to go for the Georgia/Florida game. Sophomore Mecole Hardman said after the game that he knew he had to step up due to the injury, and he and fellow wide receiver Riley Ridley did just that, combining for 3 touchdowns. The offense settled after the first and had its way on the ground and through the air. They ended up with an astounding 696 offensive yards.

The running game settled in after the 1st quarter and was as productive as usual. Jake Fromm had his best game to date, going 18/26 for 326 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception with a 12.5 yard per pass average, erasing what little doubt anyone may have still had about who the starting quarterback of this team will be moving forward. The defense settled down as well and only gave up one score in the entire second half.

We’re exactly where we need to be.

It feels good to say this with some confidence for once. We are EXACTLY  where we need to be at this point in the season. Undefeated, sitting at the top of the SEC East, ranked #3 in the country, and right in the middle of the playoff hunt.

So now we look ahead to the showdown with the stinking Swamp lizards of Florida.  They have definitely been a huge thorn in our sides as of late. Any chance we have had at a good season the past 2 years has been destroyed in Jacksonville against the Gators in blowout fashion. And both times, it resulted in us watching them win the division go to Atlanta to get smoked by Alabama in the SEC championship game. That can’t happen this year.

Next: Top performers vs Missouri

Florida is sitting at 3-3 and look like a much inferior team. Even with all that, I expect them to play their best game of the year against Georgia. If the Dawgs continue to play like the no.3 team in the country, it won’t matter.  If they maintain focus and the intensity they have played with through the first 7 games this year, the Dawgs will take care of business and beat the lowly Gators. No.2 Penn State takes on Michigan this week. If Penn State loses, we could be moving into the number 2 spot next Sunday.