Here are some of my reactions to last night's game against Georgia. I had some telephone guy therapy with a friend after the game, but I guess I need to do this as well in order to help purge it out of my system and get me ready for Alabama.
* First, something I think we can all agree on. Erin Andrews looks just as hot, if not hotter, with glasses!
* Continuing with aesthetics here, I thought the new turf and the hog on it looked very sharp. Did you also notice that we replaced the white letters with red ones, outlined in white? The video scroll looked good too. But I still would like to see a return of a red stripe on our pants. We look like either ballerinas or that we have our longjohns on!
* The obvious, the defense appears to be light years behind the offense.
* Loved the aggressive play calling after the Georgia turnovers. WOW! If that were Houston Nutt, it is a handoff between the tackles.
* The mighty MO seemed to turn for Georgia when Franklin got booted out. I also wonder what Petrino said to get a penalty himself?
* Loved the switcheroo on one of our early kickoff returns. Sweet. But on our own kickoffs, if we let them start running everytime at about the 15 yard line and let other teams setup shop between the 30 and 40, geez, our defense is going to keep looking worse than what it might really be.
* Did not agree with going for that last field goal when we were down 49 to 38. We were betting a lot on being able to get a two point conversion just to tie. Even if we had failed to get the touchdown on 4th down, Georgia would have had to start there, which is better than what our special teams would have forced Georgia to start at. At that point in the game, we need two touchdowns. A fieldgoal was pulling out a pocket knife at a gun fight.
* What is it about teams from the East having such a winning record in Fayetteville? I believe only Tennessee and South Carolina have lost there since the renovations were done. Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Vanderbilt, they've had it too easy in Fayetteville.
* Of course, we are all pleased to see that we now can pass the ball. But we can't lose our ability to run as well. I would have liked to have seen some long drives that ate up clock on the ground to go with the passing. I believe we ran under 100 yards. I know we complained about Nutt always wanting to run. But the thing that good teams do is both throughout a game.
* Kinda ironic that it was Georgia that kicked it twice out of bounds, the thing we feared Arkansas would do, but then Georgia still won. Ahhhh, you cruel football gods!
* It will be interesting to see how Georgia's offense does the rest of the season. Who knows, they might be able to do this to more than just us. South Carolina does not have a bad defense, and they got abused too. With Florida looking mortal on Saturday against Tennessee, we might have played the Eastern Division Champs. Cox is going to be a serious threat all season as long as he doesn't have the flu.
* Something positive to take out of this. That offensive display against Missouri State was not a fluke against lesser competition. We have improved in the passing game by leaps and bounds. I think we've improved enough that Alabama is going to have to take Mallett and company very seriously come next Saturday.
* Not that I am predicting we'll be there (maybe next year), but our chances of reaching Atlanta aren't hurt as bad when we lose to an Eastern division team. A loss next week to Alabama, and most of the nails are in that coffin I am afraid.
* Looking to Georgia in terms of next year, take solace in knowing that we will go into Athens with many of these same offensive weapons, and Georgia will be breaking in a new freshman quarterback.
* 1-1 , but so much football left in the season. Staying with my 7-5 prediction, but if something of a defense were to emerge and the offense keeps scoring over forty points a game, we might just increase that left sided number by at least a game or two.
* In all things, Go Hogs!