{"id":2483,"date":"2016-10-17T08:00:44","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T12:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordoncollegefootball.com\/?p=2483"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:08:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T19:08:54","slug":"georgia-bulldogs-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2016\/10\/17\/georgia-bulldogs-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Bulldogs Fall to Vanderbilt Commodores"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Georgia Bulldogs<\/strong> fell to the\u00a0Vanderbilt Commodores<\/strong>\u00a0on Saturday in a 17-16 loss. Last week Georgia quarterback\u00a0Jacob Eason<\/strong> was the poster child for the an SEC truth: you can play terribly and, because the Southeastern Conference<\/strong> has talent all over the field, you may still win. This week, he was the poster child for the flip side of that coin: you can have fantastic game but, and for the same reasons, you may still lose, as UGA<\/strong> did yesterday. Especially if you’re facing a defense that can shut down your running game.<\/p>\n

When UGA rather abruptly let longtime Coach Mark Richt<\/strong> go last year to snatch\u00a0up new coach Kirby Smart <\/strong>from Alabama,<\/strong> much was made of what many saw as a new era for the Red and\u00a0Black. But college football is a fickle beast. Following the loss to Vandy,<\/strong> #fireKirbySmart was trending on Twitter.<\/p>\n

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Should we start the #FireKirbySmart<\/a> hashtag now … or nah? https:\/\/t.co\/Vj9AnfddpY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Danny Aller (@DannyAller) October 15, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But Smart<\/strong> — even while acknowledging the loss to Vandy was “unacceptable”, and taking heat from Twitter for play-calling that stopped Isaiah McKenzie<\/strong> from gaining the one yard needed to set up the field goal to win the game — is still in good shape. Why? Because keeping expectations low is precisely what the UGA fan base needs while the team builds.<\/p>\n

The truth is\u00a0Eason looked 110% better. He’s learning when to throw the ball away, when to run for his own first down (even if he’s a little quick out of the pocket), and how to take a hit. He even made some of those passes he couldn’t seem to hit last week (even if he still needs to learn to finesse the throw a little). So, he is<\/em> being coached. Soon he won’t need to rely so much on the play-calling off the field. He’ll be able to make some of those calls on his own.<\/p>\n

The pain of losing to a team that only puts up\u00a0173 yards on offense, as Vanderbilt<\/strong> did, when your team posts 421 total offensive yards, must have been acute for the Bulldogs<\/strong>. The fans certainly noticed. While some tried to see that as a salve, former star UGA quarterback\u00a0Buck Belue<\/strong> cautioned against that on Twitter:<\/p>\n

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Lot talk about total yards. Announcers, please stop. Not about yards, all about points! @SECNetwork<\/a> #UGA<\/a> @SECbooger<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 buck belue (@buckbelue8) October 15, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And it’s wise to not let some of the positive stats distract from a loss, because Georgia has a lot of problems, not the least of which includes a rookie quarterback, two rookie tight-ends (although TE Isaac Nauta<\/strong> is looking pretty good) and, as usual, an offensive line that refuses to give Eason enough time in the pocket. The number of penalties and the continuing saga of less-than-stellar special teams contributes to why Georgia lost to a team they usually dominate. It didn’t help that Georgia’s usually aggressive defense took a long time in finally stopping the Vanderbilt run game. Which they ultimately did, but only after the half.<\/p>\n

Georgia fans are consoling themselves by remembering that the great Saban<\/strong> only won seven\u00a0games his first year at Alabama, and that current Detroit Lions\u00a0<\/strong>quarterback\u00a0Matthew Stafford<\/strong> had a similar loss record at UGA his freshman year:<\/p>\n

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Reminder that we lost to Tennessee & Vandy during Stafford’s freshman year<\/p>\n

\u2014 UGA Spike Squad (@UGASPIKESQUAD) October 15, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s as good a reason as any to stay positive. That and the kicking game, like the quarterback, improved dramatically in a week. So there seems to be some coaching going on. And there will be some recruiting, too. Georgia’s future still looks very bright despite the bumps along the road.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n