You want to talk about QB controversies in Athens? Didn't think so. But, we're going to anyways.... just not the one you're thinking of. Let's throw it back to the 2006 season, which was as strange of a season as I can remember. Joe Tereshinski III, Matthew Stafford, and Joe Cox were all given the opportunity to win the starting quarterback job. The unfortunate part about this particular QB controversy was that midway through the season, neither of the 3 had experienced much success. You can see the full recap of UGA's passing statistics in 2006 below. NOT GOOD, PAWWWL! Regretfully, Twitter was still in its early stages at this point in history, not yet a cornerstone of American society. We were certainly deprived of some golden content. I digress.
In October of 2006, the 5-1 Georgia Bulldogs were set to host Vanderbilt for homecoming weekend. The Dawgs had won 11 straight games against the Commodores, and were looking to get back on track after a 51-33 home loss to the Tennessee Volunteers the week before.
A 16-year old Dtru was in attendance that day, accompanied by my friend Keon (aka Keon Sanders) and my neighbor Mr. Sheldon, a UGA alum who introduced me to Georgia football. My parents had no allegiance to a college football team (a consequence of growing up in communist Romania), but they could tell I liked it, so they let me attend.
I don't remember much about the game itself, but I'll never forget the guy in our section who kept standing up and screaming the names of past UGA defensive greats. "JERMAINE PHILLIPS!! CHAMP BAILEY!! TIM JENNINGS!! THEY ALL MADE PLAYS, DO SOMETHING". I didn't understand why he was doing this, but, in hindsight, I guess he was ahead of the game in the "IT JUST MEANS MORE" department. And I'll be damned, but he might have successfully summoned the spirit of the Junkyard Dawg, because Tony Taylor returned an interception for a touchdown in the 4th quarter to put UGA up 22-21 with 9 minutes remaining.
The joy was short-lived, as the football gods insisted on making sure that fan did not go home too satisfied. Vanderbilt kicked a last second FG to win 24-22, a major upset that effectively ended our 2006 SEC East title hopes. Joe Tereshinski started the game at QB, in what would be his last meaningful action as a Georgia Bulldog. Coach Mark Richt had seen enough of this QB controversy, and from that day forward, Matthew Stafford never sat on the bench again in Athens.
High level hitters
After week 3, Bill Connelly's SP+ has Vanderbilt ranked 118th overall (120th offensive and 106th defensive).
Based on the 247 Team Talent Composite, Vandy has the 59th most talented roster in the country.
Vanderbilt is led by first year head coach Clark Lea, a Vandy alum. Lea spent the past 3 seasons as the defensive coordinator for Notre Dame.
The Commodores lost their opening game by 20 points against FCS opponent ETSU.
Last week against Stanford, Vanderbilt trailed 17-14 with less than 2 minutes to play in the 1st half. Vandy inexcusably allowed 10 points in the final 1:22 of the half, killing off any momentum they had built.
After the 40-13 victory over SCAR, UGA remains #2 in the SP+ rankings. I noticed the Dawgs are currently ranked 79th in the Special Teams SP+ rankings. Just something to keep an eye on. On a positive note, the defense is now ranked #1 in the SP+ rankings, which will come as no surprise to Bulldog Nation.
Players to watch
It's well known that with the exception of senior Derion Kendrick, UGA has a relatively inexperienced (but extremely talented) group of cornerbacks. Vanderbilt has had difficulty pushing the ball downfield in the passing game, with QB Ken Seals currently averaging 4.9 YPA. That being said, Vanderbilt has a capable group of WRs. I'm probably reaching here, but this could be a good test for our corners. I don't believe Seals will be given much time to throw, as his OL is going to get bullied on Saturday. But, just something to watch for.
Senior WR Cam Johnson has amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in his 4 seasons in Nashville, including touchdowns in his past 2 games.
Senior WR Chris Pierce Jr. is the deep ball threat for Vanderbilt, averaging over 15 yards per reception over the past 3 seasons.
Junior RB Re'Mahn Davis is a transfer from Temple who has over 200 yards (4.8 YPC) rushing on the season. Davis left last week's game against Stanford with an injury and returned briefly in the 2nd half, before sitting out the remainder of the game.
Sophomore RB Rocko Griffin received most of the carries after Davis' injury, and rushed for 107 yards (5.6 YPC).
Tangent of the week
Jay Cutler is among the notable alumni of the prestigious Vanderbilt University. Cutler was somewhat of an enigma in his playing days (and I guess in his post playing days too), but you can consider this a pro Jay Cutler column. When I found out that Cutler has Type 1 Diabetes, I became a fan. Cutler was diagnosed in 2008, prior to his 3rd season in the NFL, and went on to play 9 more after that. I know that T1D is a daily grind, so I salute you Jay #re2pect.
Good stuff man, always enjoy reading it!
Great read! Keep up the good work !!