Get up, Dawgs. You’ve got gnats to swat.
It is of course the week of Clean Old-Fashioned Hate, a storied rivalry blemished only by one of its participants stinking out loud at football on a more or less continuous basis for the last 25 years.
The Athenians open as a 12.5 point favorite over the Trade School, which seems like a realistic recognition of the fact that Brent Key’s team has been giving up yards and points recently at a rate that would raise questions even if they weren’t facing the likes of Gunner Stockton, Zachariah Branch, and Nate Frazier. In short the Jackets are going to bow up and give the ‘Dawgs all they’ve got. But the evidence is that what they’ve got is more ACC middling than SEC elite.
Georgia will likely be without backup redshirt freshman Nyiet Daniels, arrested Sunday morning on just about every charge the ACCPD could throw at him. The details here are wild and include allegations both that Daniels fled from police at over 100 miles an hour, and that his mother attempted to aid his escape by running blocker in some sort of latter day Smokey and the Bandit arrangement. I hope to goodness these details aren’t true. If they are, Daniel’s needs to go find somewhere else to play college football, not least of all because when you’re a third stringer fighting for playing time during a national title run this sort of distraction is the kind of thing you can’t afford to be a part of.
Away from the gridiron and the police station Mike White’s Hoop Hounds lost their first game of the season Sunday, falling 97-94 in overtime to the Clemson Tigers. It’s a tough loss but one that shouldn’t put too deep a dent in the Red and Black’s tournament resume. The Country Gentlemen sit at #31 in Ken Pom right now, and if they hold their own in the ACC this one won’t really hurt the strength of schedule. Plus it was a nice warmup for SEC play, unlike shelling Bellarmine and Maryland Eastern Shore back into the Stone Age.
Unlike a Georgia Tech undergraduate’s blind date who just stepped away to the restroom (and out the window then into the back of a waiting Uber), we’ll actually be back shortly. Until then…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!
