Thursday Dawg Bites

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Famed University of Alabama alum Forrest Gump once said, “Is he smart…or is he like me?”

While the underlying implications of that line can remain underlying, anyone who interacts with Alabama fans can understand that the testament still rings true some 30-odd years after the cult classic’s release in 1994.

Though that remains the same, a whole lot has changed since then. Gas is significantly more expensive, houses are astronomically more expensive, iPhones are infinitely-times more expensive, and Tom Hanks has successfully landed a faulty spaceship and a faulty airplane.

But one thing that will never change is that Georgia vs Alabama football games are akin to a 1988 comedy classic — they’re Big. I assume that anyone three and a half paragraphs into a blog post on “DawgSports.com” is keenly aware that these teams will once again be playing this Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, barring hurricane interference.

Whenever and wherever they do play this game, it will mark the fourth meeting in 3 seasons, the third of which being a top-10 matchup. Though the tide didn’t turn in the Dawgs’ favor following the retirement of Nick Saban as much as Georgia fans would have liked, for just the second time since 2008, Georgia enters this matchup with a winning streak against their neighbors to the west.

If Georgia is going to double that winning streak this weekend, it’s going to have to start with a strong first quarter. In Kirby Smart’s two losses to Kalen DeBoer-led Alabama teams, Georgia has been outscored by a total of 28-0 in the opening quarter. In the lone win, coming in last season’s SEC Championship Game, the Bulldogs led 7-0 after one.

We all distinctly remember the “nightmare-turned joy ride-turned nightmare again” that happened the last time the Dawgs traveled to Bryant-Denny. The horrid start, the constant reminders of Ryan Williams’ age (did you know he was only 17?!), the furious comeback, and the heartbreaking ending provided a roller coaster of emotions that no one wants to ride again.

Since then, the aforementioned electric WR Ryan Williams (now named Ryan Coleman-Williams and presumably 19 years old) hasn’t quite been the same, but he may be Saving Private Ryan Coleman-Williams’ best for this big game. There will undoubtedly be key moments in this game where he is cast away to Ellis Island, manned by Ellis Robinson IV, and the winner of those matchups will go a long way in deciding the winner of this game.

But like almost all SEC games and half of history’s world wars, this game will truly be decided in the trenches. Both teams sport physical defensive fronts, sometimes-sketchy offensive lines, and QBs who can hurt you with their legs. Both teams will try to assert their dominance up front and control the line of scrimmage, which may be especially important in the potential hurricane-like conditions that we may see. With Chauncey Bowens declared out for this game, a now-healthy Nate Frazier and Captain (Dwight) Phillips will try to take over the vessel that is Bryant-Denny.

Offensive Coordinator Mike Bobo will need to have quick-hitting plays ready to keep Georgia ahead of the sticks and allow Gunner Stockton to get comfortable. In times when Georgia does get behind the sticks, it will be interesting to see who the go-to guy is. That designation has not yet been established for this offense, nor has it needed to be, but that will change this weekend. The Tight Ends have been getting their fair share of attention, both in the passing game and the running game, which may be a sign of things to come.

Kirby Smart loves to preach that no one game is more important than the others, but that coach speak doesn’t work here. We know he, his staff, and his players have been preparing for this game since the Tide players took chunks out of the famed hedges last fall.

Coach Smart has his way of preparing for big games, and us fans aren’t much different. If history tells us anything (which it usually does), we know this game is going to be stressful, and we need to be prepared. I personally shunned my Tide detergent for the week out of solidarity, have grown my fingernails out to have something to nervously chew on, and will physically have a glass half full while mentally having a glass half empty until the clocks hit 0.

Before last season’s SEC Championship Game, Coach Smart told his players that enough is enough. It’s clear that, like us, Kirby is crimson tired of losing to these guys. The sleepless nights, in Seattle or otherwise, and constantly going the extra Green Mile have all been for games like this.

If the Georgia Bulldogs want to show the nation that they are in a league of their own, it has to start with a big win in Tuscaloosa this weekend.

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