Central Georgia Sports ReportComment

Monday Morning QB: Dear Arthur Smith; upsets/surprises; Loughmouthings (Northside, Warner Robins; toughest CGA regions, GHSA/NIL, UGA-Auburn, verbal 'brilliance'); the best teams in Central Georgia?

Central Georgia Sports ReportComment
Monday Morning QB: Dear Arthur Smith; upsets/surprises; Loughmouthings (Northside, Warner Robins; toughest CGA regions, GHSA/NIL, UGA-Auburn, verbal 'brilliance'); the best teams in Central Georgia?

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          First, 22 rushes? No. No, no no. Inexplicable and indefensible.

          `You were getting 5.8 yards a carry, & only ran 22 times? Barely 5 a quarter for an offense used to five a drive? What the ...? You averaged 30 rushes in first three games.

          I’m a big defender, but dude, you need to run this week.

          Second, with an inconsistent offensive line and inconsistent young – folks, until you’ve played full-time at least half a season, you’re still a rookiw – quarterback, move the pocket around, roll out a young QB unafraied to run.

          Tell him to run more, but a moving pocket takes some pressure off parts fo theline, and makes the fat boys up front on defense move around some.

          Just make ‘em work a litte bit more.

          Third, no, folks keep forgetting that a huge part of the offense has now missed for games, Cordarrelle Patterson. But the offense is digressing without him when it should have adjusted by now and gotten better.

          That’s on you and the players.

          Fourth, no more three and outs without a run call, like the second possession Sunday. Until further notice, no, don’t call four passes in a row, and definitely not in the first half. Get some good going on the ground, throw deep – preferably overthrow deep to stretch or get a flag – but until Ridder can complete, over however many possessions, five in a row, don’t call four straight passes.

          Fifth, the questions about Kyle Pitts targets will stop when, um, ya know. Granted, it’s clear Ridder is still having decision and reading issues, so the blame is shared.

Thanks to FPD, ACE, John Milledge, and Northside for full game-night box scores, and on Saturday to Lamar County for a box and Mary Persons for some game info, and Jones County for a box on Monday.

Teams should send game information on game night by 2 a.m., or by 10:30 a.m. Notes by email or text, or a picture of a stat sheet suffice. Please have MaxPreps or Hudl boxes -check stats and score on Hudl - sent to centralgasports@gmail.com as soon as updated.  

          Sixth, verbal dancing at the time aside, you signed 30-year-old ex-NFL starting QB Taylor Heinicke for a reason. It’s OK. Liked the signing, and read more into it than just as a straight backup.

          Tell Ridder that you’re giving him a break every now and then, and that he should understand. The learning process never ends, and good learning comes from observing.

          On another topic, please beg fans to forever eliminate “Rise up” and “Dirty Birds” and all that silly crap from their vocabulary, and ask Big Art to lay down the law to social media people to do the same upon threat of immediate dismissal.

          It’s tired, it’s old, it fit a certain team and era that has nothing to do with this team and era.

 

Last week’s upsets

          It wasn’t the biggest swing, but it was the biggest win, 11-point underdog Mary Persons beating Prince Avenue Christian by 14, a 24-point swing.

          Maxwell had Peach County as a 15-point underdog, and the Trojans won by 15, a 30-point swing. Pretty impressive.

          Macon County was favored by six over Manchester, but lost by 11.          

Last week’s surprises

          Baldwin won by 24 points less than expected, Howard a missed PAT in the final seconds from tying. It was an “upset watch” game in The Sports Report.

          Other games sort of qualified as surprises based on the computer, but not on reality and circumstances.

Like Houston County as an 11-point favorite over Lee County. Two powers slugging it out, anything could happen. As it was, Lee County won by 11, with defense at the end.

Warner Robins beating Ola (giving 10) wasn’t a surprise, because we don’t know which Demon team shows up.

Loughdmouthings

          How about Northside and Warner Robins?

          Northside wins because Michael Clayton hustled – amazing, all of you players worried about social media and absurd “rankings”, what hustle does – and punched out the ball a few yards from what would’ve been the game-sealing touchdown.

          Warner Robins won because coaches went against conservative tendencies, and the players executed some unusual stuff.

          Very cool finishes.

          Unfortunately for Northside, the momentum will be short-lived, with Houston County on Friday. Warner Robins backups should be prepared for dirty uniforms, becaue they’ll get action against Union Grove. 


          The shutouts last week were thrown by Lamar County, ACE, Northeast, Wilkinson County, and Stratford.

          Everybody or most everybody played – aka margins of 35 points or more – for Perry, ACE, Northeast, and Wilkinson County.

          On the third hand, eight games were decided by a possession (eight points) or less, with one overtime game, and thankfully no ties.

          Of 33 Central Georgia games, 15 were decided by 16 points or less. 


          Hmm. A mediocre team that beat three mediocre teams is now 3-2. A nice improvement, but worthy – very much worthy – of moving along.

          Coaches all over the country are making progress. Ditto players. So, you know, the hyperventilating can cease.

          Won’t, but can. 


          The three toughest Central Georgia regions, according to the latest Maxwell Ratings, and their ranking statewide, out of 77 GHSA and GIAA regions: Region 1-6A (2), 2-4A (19), and 2-5A (23). The GIAA region – or district, the gang can’t decide to use regions or districts – with the four bigger Macon teams and John Millege – is the highest GIAA region at No. 51.

          Warning against paranoia and triggered and reading between lines and exaggeration are exhausting and mostly useless, but folks need to calm down about the GHSA passing an NIL by-law. About 31 other state associations – that’s more than half of the country, ya know – have already done so.

          Kudos to the GHSA for waiting to see how things went, and getting ideas to nip things in the bud. The high school NIL is completely different, in so many ways, than the college cluster, which is a cluster because everybody was in a hurry to be wrong rather than wait and get it right. 


          Texted/told folks beforehand that Georgia and Auburn would both get positives out of the game, that Auburn would put forth a better show than people that.

          Didn’t expect the show we got.

          Now, can Auburn build off it?

Easy and safe. Click â˜đŸŒâ˜đŸŒ

          Georgia had a wakeup call in some areas, and the Bulldogs just aren’t as good as they have been. Doesn’t mean they can’t go undefeated and three-peat, but it also means folks shouldn’t be surprised if they don’t. 


          Brilliant recent Friday night screaming streamin’ or teeveecomtwit observations: “They’re in position to win here on the road.” With an 11-point lead, getting the ball, less than 30 seconds left.

          “We saw a star tonight. I have never seen a player like ___. He’s the real deal.” About a superb running back with the same skills as 100 other superb running backs in the state.

          “Just a little too good for us.” Late, in a seven-touchdown game.

          “You can’t take that one.” A safety in the final minute of a one-possession game.

          “You coached baseball, softball, a few others.” Nope, former coach only coached baseball.

          “That’s gonna be returnable for ____.” A second before the returnee is taken down. Returnable? Yes. But for nothing.

          It’s a quite a list of inexplicable “did you really say that?” verbalizations every single Friday night. Makes the head and ears hurt.

          Astounding. ..

          Your Sports Report’s time-saving not-paid-by-the-word skipping-weather-three-time-zones-away early kickoff weather this Friday: daytime high of around 84, nighttime low of around 65, chances of rain around 10 perent.

          So around a little warm 75ish around kickoff, and still comfy for the ride home.

 

Polls

          The gap is still tight between Houston County and Perry, and not so tight after that, but is snug between Mary Persons, Jones County, and Warner Robins.

          Division II remains consistent up top, and a weekly shuffle after that.

          Sure would be easier if amid all this technology teams could keep a regular stat box (first downs, rushing, passing, fumbles, and penalties) like they did in the days of phone calls and telecopiers and writing with a pen.

 Division 1 (6A-5A-4A-3A, 13 teams)
1. Houston County
2. Perry
3. Mary Persons
4. Jones County
5. Warner Robins
In the hunt: Baldwin, Northside, Upson-Lee

Division II (AA-A-GISA, 34 teams)
1. Northeast
2. John Milledge
3. Dublin
4. Bleckley County
5. Lamar County
6. FPD
7. Macon County
8. ACE
9. Putnam County
10. Dodge County
In the hunt: Jasper County, Hawkinsville, Stratford, Taylor County, Tattnall.