AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October > 05
Thursday, October 5, 2006
Never count the underdog out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just wondering:
Does Georgia have ANY chance against Tennessee? Of course, silly boy. When you play great defense and you’re playing at home you always have a chance. And it’s a little scary that everybody outside of the Butts-Mehre Building in Athens has jumped on the Vols. Yeah, there are a bunch of issues on offense for Georgia but offense is only one-third of the game. It would probably help if Georgia avoided getting a couple of punts blocked as the Bulldogs did last Saturday at Ole Miss.
Does Wake Forest (5-0) really have a shot against Clemson? You betcha. Coaches around the South will tell you that Wake Forest is a very difficult team to prepare for because of its unique blocking scheme on offense. That scheme relies on precise angles and the ability to get low on defenders. That’s why the Deacons ran for 240 yards when they just embarrassed Ole Miss two weeks ago. But I get the sense that this is the toughest team Tommy Bowden has had a Clemson. The fact that they bounced back from the devastating loss at Boston College on Sept. 9 showed me something.
Who has the best chance of getting taken to the woodshed this Saturday? I’m afraid that would be the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are woefully bad on defense (104 out of 119 in Division I-A), perhaps enough so to even make Miami’s anemic offense look good. Besides, Larry Coker needs a convincing win to take some of the heat off. The 14-13 win over Houston last week certainly didn’t do the trick. The Tar Heels gave up 500 yards of total offense to Furman and are giving up an average of 402 per game. I’m not sure, but I think Miami is better than Furman.
With all the great games this weekend, which may be the most intense? You’re not going to believe it, but it may be South Carolina at Kentucky. Why? Because both teams are 3-2 and both teams are fairly equal when it comes to athletes. The winner will be 4-2 and will take a major step towards getting to a bowl. The loser will be 3-3 with a daunting schedule ahead. Kentucky’s Rich Brooks has a better team this season than in the past. He needs a win like this.
Is Georgia Tech going to have a letdown against Maryland? I don’t think so and there are a couple of reasons why. At long last No. 1 (Reggie Ball) is clearly comfortable with who he is-a good (not great) quarterback who can make very good plays if he doesn’t try to do too much. Some guys never reach that comfort level.
The second reason is that Georgia Tech has a week off coming up and so there is no reason for the Yellow Jackets to pace themselves or hold anything back. The last thing you want, with a trip to Clemson coming up on Oct. 21, is to have any self-doubt. They need to take are of business against the Terps to keep those doubts from creeping in.
