Pre-Season #1!

OK, yesterday I was getting pretty rough on the Dawgs. I said some things I didn't really mean. The fact is, we dominated Tennessee, holding them on ONE rushing yard, gaining 29 first downs, and holding the ball for 42 minutes. The final score however was only 26-14. How is it possible that you gain more first downs than points?

The fact of the matter is, we haven't been as dominant on the field as the statistics may seem. We kicked FOUR field goals yesterday! How can we not get into the end zone, especially when playing at home? The announcers repeatedly pointed out that Tennessee has a very good defense, 2nd in the SEC or something, and Knowshon was the first running back to gain 100+ yards on that defense this season. But this situation is reminiscent of the game against Arizona State, in which we dominated them similarily (held ASU to 4 yards on the ground), but could only muster 27 points. We ran the ball SEVEN times from less than 5 yards out in that ASU game, and settled for a field goal and a turnover on downs. Miserable!

Pair that red zone performance with Stafford's two interceptions - both inside the opponent's 20 - and you have a team that is not as dominant as once thought. To be fair, I think all of this stems from our lack of an offensive line. Too many injuries have reduced our O-line to freshmen and sophomores, and our coaches lack of confidence is evidenced by the fact that 80% of Knowshon's touches came on swings to the outside. The only time we ran up the middle was with our fullback!

But overall, it is important to remember that we are getting the job done, even if it is not as pretty as expected. It is frustrating to see Knowshon unable to get into the secondary, where he makes all those ankle-shattering plays. It is frustrating to see our team falter in the end zone, when strong line play is key to scoring points. But as long as we're getting the W, I guess I can't complain. Go Dawgs!