If your Georgia Bulldogs are preparing to take on a team that began the season at #1 and still has a playoff berth on the line in a prime time matchup you could probably use a drink. I can help you with that.
Two things strike me as critical for Georgia to win this football game. One, the Bulldogs have to be able to run the ball against an elite Texas defense. The ‘Horns have the #2 ranked rushing defense in the nation, surrendering only a tad over 78 yards a game on the ground. This strikes me as one of those strength-on-strength matchups in which the team that breaks the other gains a decided advantage. I’m not sure how well a Burnt Orange defense that has to put seven men in the box to stop the run will fair in the play action passing game, and I expect we’re going to see some of those classic Bobo downfield shots off of play action. But those only really work if the defense overcommits to stopping the ground game.
Second, the Bulldogs absolutely must be able to get Arch Manning out of rhythm, and preferably cause him to turn the ball over at least once. Texas is -1 in turnover differential in their two losses (even against Florida and -1 against Ohio State). But they’re +9 in their seven wins and have had a positive turnover differential in all but one of those games. If we can make Manning make mistakes, we win this one.
How to accomplish that is the thorny question. Steve Sarkisian has done a great job in recent weeks managing Manning’s weaknesses. To my largely untrained eye it looks like he’s simplified some of the reads and isn’t asking Arch to hang out in the pocket too long. In the process Manning’s gone from being the big-eyed kid we saw last year being terrorized by Jalon Walker.
Tjat’s why I don’t think the way to get to him is by putting pressure in his face right at the snap. He’s grown enough to respond to that. Instead Glenn Schumann’s going to need to use disguised and delayed pressures to throw off his timing. Now’s the time for the Bulldog coaches to use some of those exotic blitz looks that fans have been screaming for in the early going. If the Bulldog coaches can make Manning see shadows he’ll go from the loose, fluid passer of recent vintage to the stiff second guesser we need him to be.
And what’s the stiff drink when you want to apply pressure and leave Arch Manning lurching around stiffer than a freshly dry cleaned tuxedo shirt?
A Starched Manning.
You’ll need:
- 1 ounce of Bacardi Anejo Cuatro aged rum
- 1 and 1/2 ounces of Prosecco or other sparkling wine
- 1/2 ounce of lime juice
- 1/2 ounce of honey syrup
- Orange twist
Mix the rum, honey syrup, and lime juice over ice in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain into a champagne flute. Top it with the Prosecco and garnish with the orange twist. Enjoy.And…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!
