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Georgia’s fine

The good news is, of course, that a fan base has pretty much moved on from a key injury - one that allows for plenty of adjustment time as opposed to in the middle of a huge game - won't re-mention it for a good while, nor use it as any kind of excuse should their team fall short of expectations.

Soon enough, we'll have forgotten it happened, so little will it be brought up. Hardly merits a mention in a rivalry week, right? Because as we all know, mentioning important injuries too often is just so gauche.

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Georgia will do better than folks expect without The Tight End.
For one, he went out fairly early in a not-close game, so there was plenty of time to adjust, such that adjustments were really needed in Nashville.

For two, Oscar Delp isn’t a cheese sandwich, he’s pretty good, and can make upper-level tight end plays.

For three, Georgia had the week off, more time to prepare for Life After The Tight End, for the quarterback to recognize the potential of other targets. The receiving group will get a chance to step up and show if it’s overrated or not, because we don’t really know how good it is.

Note, however, that all the sniping in August about how easy the schedule was supposed to be came folks who didn’t take into account the possibility/probability that teams would be better than last season, and get better as the season progressed.

So now, there are ranked teams left, and life gets tougher, no matter who or where the No. 1 tight end is.

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The reality – sorry – is that fundamentals win more games than anything else. Anything. And Georgia is pretty fundamentally sound. Doing one’s job is underrated compared to a 40 time or bench or when the shmoozers hand out stars and hugging hyperbole.

Atlanta’s fine

“Was just gonna make a comment about the knowledgeable professionals saying we going 12-5.”

So messaged the Falcon friend.

Why am I not really budging much from my “they can be a 12-5 team” preseason call?

First, they haven’t had all of the offensive weapons remotely healthy at the same time. First it was Cordarrelle Patterson for a few games, so that put more pressure on breaking in a rookie.

All the gameplan work kinda gets gunked up when everybody isn’t in the plan, or suddenly is available. Like with Bijan Robinson. You don’t think suddenly pulling him out of the plan isn’t going to make an offense look a little awkward?

And all that apparently really confuses and confounds Arthur Smith, who I keep defending and will because like the players, he has stretches of some good stuff as well as some learning to do.

For all the lucidity-challenged whining, Desmond Ridder is completing 65.4 percent of his passes, and is a solid running threat. And it’s a task for a basically rookie quarterback to get used to dealing with all those weapons, and a head coach/playcaller having some issues.

Ridder also doesn’t necessarily know who he’ll have, and where, and for how much. That makes it harder for a young ‘n at QB to get in a groove.

Too many people are squealing about Smith just to squeal without taking anything – anything other than Atlanta history – into account. Just pounce on anything less than 14 yards. Why do they think this organization is going to go from three games under .500 to sizzling in the snap of a finger?

Progress takes time. A lot of teams are in the same boat. Just be happy with some progress and embrace it.

That’ll be hard for those who wake up triggered for something, anything. They moan when an in-transition team doesn’t play great, they whine when the play well or do several good things.

Somehow, misery equals contentment?

Atlanta as of today might be a favorite – line wise – the rest of the way. To reach my 12-5, the Falcons needed to go 8-2. Going 11-6 would be mighty good, too, right? Hey, take 10-7 and a division title and smile, huh?

Playoff picture clear and fuzzy

Our playoff picture sure has changed, and now, it’s hard to predict anybody making a semifinal run. Not impossible, because there are some major games left – like Jones County-Warner Robins this week, a game in which the visitor could very easily outdraw the home team – that may inspire.

Houston County’s loss puts the Bears in third place, and means a trip to the second-place team in Region 4, which currently has three 7-1 teams up top, with Dunwoody and North Atlanta tied for second.

Perry has to dispatch of a fairly salty Spalding team for first in 2-4A, but the Panthers will be at home for at least one game no matter what. That second round game could be against No. 8 Cairo or No. 3 Bainbridge, the Region 1 co-leaders. If they get second place, Region 6 likely champ Holy Innocents would be next.

Still, Perry might be the area team to go deepest.

Northeast is pretty much locked into second in 2-AA, which means at home against Region 3, which has three ranked teams. The Raiders have gone from a possible semifinal team to a question mark and very possible a one and done.

So, likely first-round home games, as of Tuesday: Jones County, Warner Robins, Perry, May Persons, Upson-Lee, Northeast, Bleckley County, and Lamar County.

There are a few others who can improve their chances this week, but there’s no point in jinxing them by mentioning them.

Last week’s upsets

*Sigh* Northeast was a 35-point favorite, as per Maxwell’s computer. Yeah, that was a bit much, quite a bit much. In the home of more lucidity, Northeast was a 28-point favorite, albeit before getting the Nick Woodford injury update.

Nowhere in all that does a computer or a human consider blowing a 25-0 lead, and there the Raiders were, set to make a compute and a human look pretty smart.

Instead of an epic win – and Bibb County public schools don’t have epic wins much – we saw an epic loss.

Whether Woodford played or not. The reality is the Raiders got the big lead without him. And he doesn’t play defense.

It’s anybody’s guess what the impact of the loss – the game, not the back – will have down the stretch.

Veterans was a two-score favorite, and struggled again offense without QB Jake Maxwell and WR Preston Bird, losing 14-6 to Tift County.

Putnam County was a 16-point underdog, but Thomson brought out the buzzsaw in a 50-point win. GMC lost by 35 more points than estimated.

Last week’s surprises

For a half, we got what we expected – competitively – from Houston County and Thomas County Central, the latter a 13-point favorite by Maxwell and predicted to be an upset victim here.

In reality, 13 points ain’t much. A foot and a half can equal 13 points.

But few would’ve expected a 27-0 game, and that Houston County would get skunked at home, especially after the shootout with highly ranked Lee County just a few weeks ago.

The biggest surprise is how we got to that shutout, Bears QB Antwann Hill completing a career low of 10 passes – which he did twice last year in blowouts - for a career low 63 yards. Only in three other games – all blowouts – has he tried fewer than 20 passes.

No, nobody saw a 10-19-1/0/63 line coming. Sure, TCC has an elite defense, but, well, certainly it didn’t drop nine into coverage. An odd line, to be sure.

But it’ll return to normal Friday night with perhaps 300 yards and about 73 percent completions.

Loughdmouthings

Well, we’re down to three regions in which a Central Georgia team can win the outright title: 2-5A, 2-4A, 2-3A 2-A/I, and 4-A/I.

Upson-Lee and Mary Persons play Friday for the 2-3A title – hey Knights fans, y’all gonna show up this week for the latest huge game? – and we’re all but guaranteed the 2-5A champ, Jones County or Warner Robins (hey Demon fans, y’all gonna show up this week for the latest huge game?).

Odds are with Perry in 2-4A and are greater with Lamar County in 4-A/I.

Bleckley County hosts Swainsboro this week in a big ol’ showdown in 2-A/I.

Depending on math and tiebreakers, some teams could get a top seed or a fourth seed. It’s funky. …

Celebrations: Mount de Sales will honor the 1973 GHSA Class A championship team this Friday. No other info is available. Just a post.

On Nov. 3, Stratford will recognized the 1983 and 1993 GISA state championship teams. No other info is available. Just a post.

Cool nonetheless. ..

Your early time-saving, not-paid-by-the-word, no performance art kickoff weather: IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON. High of around 80, low of around 58, and less than 10 percent chance of rain. Gloriousness.

Polls

Well, that was a fairly unexpected week, leading to some changes.

Yes, we have a tie in Division I. Houston County’s was, well, fuzzy against Thomas County Central, but it didn’t help overcome rare execution issues.

Right now, yeah, I’d pay bucks to see Houston County and Perry play again. It’d be as tight as the last two meetings.

I kinda figured this week might lead to a swap atop Division II, but not the way it worked out.

The reality with Division II is that right now, it’s tight. From, eh, 2 through 10. I’ll take John Milledge over the rest of the field, not by as much as last year, but the consistency is impressive. Consistency is an issue for most everybody.

Or the questions about a team because of a weak schedule/region. Like, I think one-win Dodge County could beat about half of the ranked Division II teams.

Next week, we have Tattnall at John Milledge. Might be more shuffling to come.

Division I (6A-5A-4A-3A, 13 teams)

1. Houston County, 6-2; 1. Perry, 7-1
3. Mary Persons, 7-1
4. Jones County, 6-2
5. Warner Robins, 5-3
In the hunt: Upson-Lee

Division II (AA-A, FGIAA, 34 teams)

1. John Milledge, 8-0
2. Bleckley County, 7-2
3. Northeast, 6-2
4. Dublin, 6-2
5. Lamar County, 6-2
6. Macon County, 6-2
7. ACE, 7-1
8. Jasper County, 5-3
9. Hawkinsville, 6-2
10. Putnam County, 5-3
In the hunt: FPD, Tattnall