Unexpected Victory

The Dawgs beat Auburn 45-7 yesterday. Whoda thought? Before the game, my attitude was, "I think we can win this one." I was not expecting the near shutout between the hedges. And it was a lot of fun to watch.

As Stephen says, "It's a lot more fun to watch the Dawgs beat Auburn by a lot of points than it is to watch them beat New Mexico State by a lot of points." I agree. Richt's Bulldogs plucked that War Eagle.

Not only did I enjoy watching the Saturday afternoon beat down, but I learned some important football concepts at the same time. And for that, I must thank my friend Cyndi Billac. Not only does she know her football, but she knows how to explain it to football idiots like me in a way that I can understand it.

Faithful readers already know I've been a little perplexed by the kicking game. Lately, my questions have revolved around the reasons receivers let the ball drop instead of catching it. I thought they were being sissies by avoiding a tackle. But Cyndi set me straight.

"When the kicker kicks the ball," she explained, "it goes way up in the air, and then it comes all the way down. All that time, the receiver has to stand there at watch it come to him. But all the while," she continued, "players from the opposing team are running toward him ready to tackle him when he catches the ball. They've built up a lot of momentum, and he's standing still. A tackle would be a train wreck."

A little light bulb started to illuminate above my head.

"Instead," she explained, "he waves to the referee, which means he doesn't intend to run with the ball. Haven't you ever seen him wave to the referee?"

No, I hadn't noticed that before.

"That's called a fair catch," Cyndi explained. "And that means the line of scrimmage will be where the receiver catches the ball."

So that little bit of knowledge gave me something to look for yesterday afternoon. And sure enough, I saw Brandon Smith and Brandon Boykin wave at the referee for fair catches during the game. So I have learned something new, and I will no longer criticize football players for being afraid of tackles.

Other observations from yesterday's game:                             Photo from ajc.com

1. While I will always have a little place in my heart for Richard Samuel, I am also developing a little affinity for  Carlton Thomas. Number 30 may be little, but he's fast, and he can weave through a pack of defensive linemen like nobody's business. While Isaiah Crowell finally showed some stuff in the second half, Carlton Thomas made fans proud every time he was on the field. He runs around like a little mosquito out there. Look at how much shorter he is than his teammates. I hope we get to see more of him. Chris White of the Athens Banner Herald reports that Thomas wanted to say he was sorry for last week's suspension. "I really feel like I let all of our fans down who have supported us since day one," he told White.  "And the only way I felt like I could get them back on my side was to come out here and have a good game."
   
   Okay, Carlton. You're forgiven.
   
2. I was glad to see Richt alternated kickers for the field goals yesterday. Blair Walsh did all right, but I think it was a good move to let Bogotay (another Brandon) step in too. The only problem with that was by the second half I started forgetting whose turn it was to kick. I guess that'll happen when the team scores that many touchdowns. Nice problem to have.
3. I suppose everybody's favorite moment was Bacarri Rambo's pass interception and touchdown. "Hopefully we made a statement with this game," Rambo told Associated Press's Paul Newberry. Yes, I think they did.

And now, if Georgia beats Kentucky next week, the Dawgs will go to the SEC Championship. I think Mark Richt can put his resume back in the drawer for now.