AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2007 > September > 10
Monday, September 10, 2007
Georgia’s loss was no surprise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Five things we learned from the second weekend of the college football season.
1. Georgia’s loss was no surprise: We were all guilty of reading too much into the opening win over Oklahoma State. The fact is, the problems we thought Georgia would have this season are still there. The offensive line is young and if Matt Stafford spends a lot of time throwing off his back foot, the Bulldogs are simply not going to be that effective. The defensive front seven still has a lot of work to do. Steve Spurrier’s game plan had them off balance all night and in the fourth quarter the Georgia defense was gassed and Spurrier was able to burn some clock by running it up the gut. Georgia has a nice team, but they have to play really smart if they are going to win. They didn’t play smart on Saturday.
2. LSU is No. 1: When this season started, I was skeptical about LSU as a national championship contender. With the loss of four first-round draft choices, including the No. 1 overall pick in QB JaMarcus Russell, I didn’t believe LSU could navigate an SEC schedule that includes Florida, Auburn, Arkansas, and Virginia Tech. After watching LSU beat Virginia Tech 48-7, I now believe the Tigers are the best team in the country. If an undefeated LSU plays an undefeated Southern Cal for the national championship in New Orleans, it could be a game for the ages.
3. Lloyd Carr is done: I hate it when people throw a coach under the bus in September. But facts are facts. A coach knows he’s at the end of trail when his players fail to respond to him. And after Michigan’s players got their manhood challenged by Appalachian State on Sept. 1, they responded by laying an equally big egg against Oregon. Carr has to take the responsibility for this because his name is on the door where it says “Head Coach.” But it’s not all his fault. If I’m a player at Michigan, I’m having a hard time looking in the mirror this morning. Playing for Michigan is supposed to mean something. If Bo Schembechler were still here, he would be lighting a fire under some Wolverine butts this morning.
4. Auburn’s offense is just not very good: You keep thinking that sooner or later Auburn will finally figure out some things on offense. But apparently we just have to conclude that the Auburn attack is just not very good. It was bad enough when Auburn couldn’t score any points, but at least they protected the ball. Now they are turning the ball over. QB Brandon Cox is playing like a rookie instead of a fifth-year senior and that’s probably because he’s gun shy after getting beat up for two years. Auburn was lucky to get to overtime against South Florida. You just can’t turn the ball over five times and expect to win. Offensive coordinator Al Borges got a lot of credit when Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown were running all over the place in 2004 and deservedly so. But Borges needs to come up with some answers or make some changes in a hurry. The Tigers go to Florida on Sept. 29.
5. Clemson has a chance: In the final five games of last season Clemson’s opponents put eight in the box on defense because they believed quarterback Will Proctor could not throw the ball well enough to hurt them. They were right. Redshirt junior Cullen Harper showed things might be different this season as he threw five touchdown passes against Louisiana-Monroe. Yes, the competition wasn’t very good but it does show that Harper has some promise. And if Clemson just has an okay passing game, they will be in the ACC Atlantic race until the very end.
