We are now almost halfway through the 2011 college football season and it’s time for another weekend of SEC action. Below are the week 7 SEC picks from Grace Olson, Josh Kirschner and myself.
Here are the standings through six weeks:
1. Mike 45-6, 6-0 last week
2. Grace 41-9, 6-0 last week
3. Josh 38-12, 5-1 last week
We are now six weeks through the 2011 season and the bowl picture is beginning to take shape, but there is still a long way to go. Below are my predictions for the bowl games involving SEC teams following week six of the college football season.
BBVA Compass Bowl – Birmingham, Ala. — Jan. 7, 1 p.m., ESPN
Vanderbilt vs. Big East #5
Liberty Bowl – Memphis, Tenn. — Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Tennessee vs. CUSA #1
Music City Bowl – Nashville, Tenn. – Dec. 30, 6:40 p.m., ESPN
Auburn vs. ACC #6
Gator Bowl – Jacksonville, Fla.– Jan. 2, 1 p.m., ESPN2
Mississippi State vs. Big Ten #4/#5
Chick-fil-a Bowl – Atlanta, Ga.– Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
South Carolina vs. ACC #2
Cotton Bowl — Arlington, Texas — Jan. 6, 8 p.m., FOX
Arkansas vs. Big 12 #2
Outback Bowl — Tampa, Fla. — Jan. 2, 1 p.m., ABC
Florida vs. Big 10 #3
Capital One Bowl – Orlando, Fla. — Jan. 2, 1 p.m., ESPN
Georgia vs. Big 10 #2
Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, La. — Jan 2, 8 p.m., ESPN
LSU vs. BCS
BCS Nat’l Championship – New Orleans, La — Jan 9, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Alabama vs. BCS #2
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — It’s Saturday in Knoxville and it’s time to tee it up on Rocky Top for the matchup between the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers.
Now, I know that it doesn’t have the same flavor as a Saturday in Athens when games are played between the hedges, but every other year Georgia has to make this trip up to Neyland Stadium.
Georgia hasn’t won in Knoxville since 2005 and the last two meetings have been ugly for the Bulldogs. In 2007, Tennessee won 35-14 and in 2009 the Volunteers won 45-19. However, Georgia beat Tennessee 41-14 last year in Athens.
This is a game where the home team has won the last four matchups, and one where the winner will be one of the favorites in the SEC East.
It is going to be loud, the color Orange is an eyesore, and Rocky Top will be played about 100 times.
For live updates and analysis of the game, follow me on Twitter @Mike_Reiter.
Tennessee won the toss and chose to defer.
Obvious stat of the first quarter other than the score. Georgia is 3-for-3 on fourth downs. 2 of the 3 fourth down conversions came on Georgia’s end of the field. While I don’t agree with either call, the offense converted and the drive continued.
Tennessee has fumbled the ball a couple of times, but has managed to get it back. Isaiah Crowell also fumbled the ball, but the ball squirted out of bounds.
Murray is 5-8 for 35 yards with a long of 11. The quarterback also rushed four times for six yards. Isaiah Crowell has rushed the ball for 13 yards on five carries, an average of 2.6 per carry.
Georgia out-gained Tennessee 76-48 and held the ball on offense for 8:57. The Volunteers one drive lasted 6 minutes and 3 seconds
SCORING PLAYS: 35 yard field goal by Blair Walsh, 15 plays, 62 yards, 6:13
Story of the first half: The offense has moved the ball well, but the opposing teams defense has stepped up when it matters most.
The statement can be applied to both teams and this is about as even of a game as you could have.
Junior ILB Mike Gilliard has been the leading tackler for the Bulldogs the past three games. He had a career-high nine against Miss. State last week. At the half tonight, he has a team-high seven tackles with one forced fumble, one pass breakup and one tackle for a loss.
Georgia’s defense continues to impress, and the unit lead by Todd Grantham has allowed just one touchdown in the last 14 quarters.
Coming in tonight, Georgia was 3-for-9 on fourth down conversions. In the first quarter, Georgia was 3-for-3 on fourth downs.
Cornerback Branden Smith recorded his first rushing attempts of the season tonight (2 for 19 yards). The junior leads all teams in rushing through one half of play.
Isaiah Crowell has 14 yards on 7 carries. Murray is 8-for-16 for 95 yards.
On the Tennessee side of the ball, Tyler Bray is 10-for-19 for 160 yards with a long of 27 yards. Da”rick Rodgers has two receptions for 25 yards, and has been hit hard on both of them (Branden Smith and Bacarri Rambo).
Without question, that was the most important and best quarter of football the Georgia Bulldogs have played all season.
Freshman Isaiah Crowell and Malcolm Mitchell were the story of the third quarter. Crowell scored his first touchdown since Coastal Carolina, and added another one after a 73-yard reception by Mitchell.
Tennessee received the opening kickoff of the second half, and after a bad snap, the Volunteers punted from their own five yard line. The Bulldogs capitalized and scored the first touchdown of the game to lead 13-6.
After the Bulldogs went up 20-6, the Volunteers returned the kickoff to midfield, but the defense stepped up and forced a three and out.
Georgia outgained Tennessee 177-11 in the third quarter. That’s just dominant football. Nothing else needs to be said about that stat, unless you want to add the 14 points Georgia scored in the third frame.
Murray is 13-for-22 for 206 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Crowell has now rushed for 52 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns. Mitchell has three catches for 126 yards including a long of 71.
Now we are heading to the fourth quarter in Neyland Stadium.
It’s time for another weekend of SEC football. Here are the week 6 picks from Grace Olson, Josh Kirschner and myself.
Through the five four weeks, here are the standings.
1. Mike 39-6, 5-2 last week
2. Grace 36-9, 4-3 last week
3. Josh 34-11, 4-3 last week
Georgia tight end Aron White spoke to the media before the Bulldogs’ game against Tennessee. In this interview, White talks about his dislike of the color orange, along with Tennessee.
ATHENS, Ga — The depth chart for the Georgia Bulldogs in their game against Tennessee has been released. The Bulldogs have yet to name a starting OLB to replace Cornelius Washington who is serving a two-game suspension following a DUI and speeding arrest.
SEC football continues here during the fifth week of the college football season and Grace Olson, Josh Kirschner and myself are here to pick all seven SEC games this week.
Through the first four weeks, here are the standings.
1. Mike 34-4
2. Grace 32-6
3. Josh 30-8
ATHENS—–Georgia head coach Mark Richt met with the media Tuesday during the Bulldogs’ weekly press luncheon. Below is the complete transcript of Richt’s time with the media previewing the Mississippi State game, courtesy of Georgia Sports Communications.
Head Coach Mark Richt
Opening Statement…
“I want to talk to our crowd and our fans and want to educate our fans just a little bit. We need a lot of crowd noise. I know the fans know that part, but when teams no-huddle some times you are cheering and you might not be cheering at the right time. You might get exhausted, so I want to talk a little bit about what we hope will happen in the game. Chris Relf, their quarterback, gets into his cadence and then he looks for the ball and it doesn’t come and then he looks to the sideline. When he looks to the sideline, that’s when we need the fans to go berserk, because that’s when they are going to try to communicate to the line what they’re going to do. So we don’t want them to be able to communicate well. We want them to have trouble hearing each other. We want offensive linemen to jump offsides. So UGA fan base, that’s the time to go crazy. When the quarterback looks to the sideline after he starts his cadence, he’ll look to the sideline and that’s when you go crazy and make all kind of noise. Of course if they are down on the goal line, do that every play every moment.
“Mississippi State, they are an extremely talented and physical football team. Of course they beat us a year ago. They did a great job against us. They really haven’t lost a lot of people. They have eight starters back on both sides of the ball.
“Offensively, they do spread the field, but they spread to the field to run it maybe as much as they spread it to throw it. They are very balanced. Chris Relf actually has more rushing attempts than anyone on their team. Ballard actually has the most yards, but Relf is definitely a dual threat quarterback, a guy who can run well and a guy who can throw well. He’s an outstanding player, big guy, really a good player. We caught him last year just when he was getting going and now he’s really become a dangerous player.
“(Vick) Ballard, their running back, is a very physical runner. We think he has a lot of ability to run downhill and run through people and break tackles. He does have good speed, but we think his greatest attribute is his balance and his power. Perkins has had 30 rushing attempts, and he has some speed to get on the edge. (more…)
Another great action of SEC football is in the books, and here are my bowl projections for games involving SEC teams following week 4 of the college football season.
BBVA Compass Bowl – Birmingham, Ala. — Jan. 7, 1 p.m., ESPN
Vanderbilt vs. Big East #5
Liberty Bowl – Memphis, Tenn. — Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Auburn vs. CUSA #1
Music City Bowl – Nashville, Tenn. – Dec. 30, 6:40 p.m., ESPN
Tennessee vs. ACC #6
Gator Bowl – Jacksonville, Fla.– Jan. 2, 1 p.m., ESPN2
Vanderbilt vs. Big Ten #4/#5
Chick-fil-a Bowl – Atlanta, Ga.– Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Florida vs. ACC #2
Cotton Bowl — Arlington, Texas — Jan. 6, 8 p.m., FOX
Arkansas vs. Big 12 #2
Outback Bowl — Tampa, Fla. — Jan. 2, 1 p.m., ABC
South Carolina vs. Big 10 #3
Capital One Bowl – Orlando, Fla. — Jan. 2, 1 p.m., ESPN
Georgia vs. Big 10 #2
Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, La. — Jan 2, 8 p.m., ESPN
Alabama vs. BCS
BCS Nat’l Championship – New Orleans, La — Jan 9, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
LSU vs. BCS #2
ATHENS, Ga — A battle between Bulldogs will take place this Saturday when Georgia plays host to Mississippi State.
Georgia head coach Mark Richt has a message for Georgia fans. Below is the video.
