A Hard Dawg Night - Dawgs Blackout in Athens

I was stunned.

It was halftime in Athens and it was 31-0, Bama on top.

Did Georgia not get the memo? National TV? ESPN Game Day? Black-Out in Athens?

Did I not tell all my friends here on B/R that Georgia could not let Alabama jump out to an early lead? How could this happen?

Section 337 was quiet at halftime. I think we were all stunned. Not only had Alabama jumped on the Dawgs early, they jumped on the Dawgs often.

What is this? A funeral?

So how did my planned perfect September evening get turned into a nightmare?

Three simple reasons.

1) John Parker Wilson did his job.

I would imagine that many Dawgs fans felt the same way that I did. Matthew Stafford is the better QB. He will lead Georgia to victory.

Well Bama fans be thankful.... JPW did not believe any of that. Wilson did not put up big yards, or dazzle the crowd with his arm strength, he simply made the short range pass automatic for the Tide.

All night long, JPW was on target.

He simply managed the game. He did not make mistakes.

2) Saban and his coaching staff had the Tide well prepared.

Now that statement sounds like something you would expect every week from any college team.

My brother made the statement to me, that he felt like "Georgia wasn't prepared as well as we should have been."

What? We wore our black jerseys!! Of course we were prepared!!

Truth is, maybe Georgia focused too much on the build up for the game, and not enough on the first half game plan.

Saban and the Tide, came in focused and ready. They like to jump out early, and on Saturday they did just that.

Richt and his coaching staff will learn a lot from this game.

3) Bama controlled the line play.

Coach Richt said, "Bama dominated the line of scrimmage."

Bama did not run wild on Georgia. The Dawgs held Coffee and company in check for most of the evening.

The Bama Offensive line did an excellent job protecting JPW. They gave him time to make plays all night. Third down protection was almost perfect.

On defense, Bama kept Knowshon in check. Something not many teams have done. 

Cody and his line mates did the job, and forced Georgia to throw. The score forced Georgia to pretty much abandon the run in the second half.

When all was said and done, it was a great win for Bama.

Georgia on the other hand must now regroup and focus on what lies ahead.

How can they accomplish that? Here's what I hope they focus on.

1) Remember, the season is not lost. 

Georgia can still win the Eastern Division and play for the SEC Championship. They just have to take care of business from here on out.

The Dawgs came back in the second half Saturday and gave it all they had. That's a good sign.

2) Bring the pain to Tennessee.

Last season the Vols embarrassed Georgia in Knoxville. Payback would be a nice way to forget the Bama loss.

3) Find a way to stop the short passing game.

Georgia has got to find a way to stop the short passing game. The run defense has been stellar, but the Dawgs can't seem to stop anybody running underneath routes.

4) Cut out the penalties

Dawgs fans need no explanation here. Too many penalties... it's got to stop! We need to play smart.

So Dawg fans, know this... I really believe Georgia will bounce back from this devastating loss. Adjustments will be made. Lessons will be learned.

If we learned anything from this weeks games, it is simply this.... Nobody is unbeatable.

Even Pete Carroll and the Trojans, the "best team ever", can lose to an un-ranked team.

Even Urban and the Gators can lose in the swamp, to an un-ranked Ole Miss squad.

After all, this is college football, and this is why we love it so much.