What Did You Do On Vacation?<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe Bulldogs had their first of two bye weeks, following their loss to No. 1 Texas<\/a>. Head coach Jeff Lebby gave his players some time to reflect. \u201cWe got very specific with some things we needed to get cleaned up on both sides of the ball and special teams,\u201d Lebby said in Monday\u2019s press conference. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about in-between the white lines. I thought it was important for our guys to get away for a little bit, reset, refocus, regroup and get ready for this back half of the season.\u201d<\/p>\nThe week after Texas the team practiced Tuesday, and Wednesday, did weights, and met on Thursday. Then, there was an off day before the group returned to activities on Monday. \u201cBeing fresh and being fast next Saturday in Athens is going to be absolutely critical,\u201d Lebby continued. \u201cAs we got into the building this morning, our guys had great energy. They\u2019ve had great energy. There\u2019s really good intent, and we need to have a great week to be able to go play the way we need to go play.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs will need some of that energy, and perhaps some of Vandy\u2019s mojo to take on the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
Bright Spots Regardless of Record<\/strong><\/h3>\nThere were some positive takeaways from the Longhorn game. The Dawgs made Texas actually earn its win. The final score of 35-13 is not indicative of how the game went. State was only behind 14-6 until the final play of the third quarter. That speaks volumes for what appears to be a much-improved defense. Linebacker Stone Blanton<\/a> led that effort with 10 tackles (four solo), and one tackle for a loss. The entire defense racked up two sacks and seven tackles for loss. As a reference, there were no sacks or tackles of loss against Florida.<\/p>\nOn offense, the running game was on the uptick as Johnnie Daniels led the way with 75 yards. That was half of the team’s total of 150 yards rushing. The Bulldogs didn\u2019t even get close to that rushing mark in the previous three games combined. More is expected of him in Athens on Saturday.<\/p>\n
True freshman Michael Van Buren Jr., or MVB, generated fan buzz as the quarterback replacement for Shapen. Although he didn\u2019t burn up the field, he faced down 100-thousand loud Longhorn fans with all the confidence of a seasoned veteran. He came into the Florida game<\/a> in the fourth quarter with the same kind of panache, but Texas was his first SEC start in a clearly hostile crowd. He will be facing a similar bunch of Georgia fans Saturday.<\/p>\nGame Plan Advantage<\/strong><\/h3>\nLebby\u2019s offense has always been known for being up-tempo. In his philosophy, it provides more opportunities to score and keeps the opposing defenses on their heels. But against Texas, they slowed things down. This allowed Van Buren to run the offense in his first start without the pressure of the tempo. It also gave the Dawgs the ability to maintain ball control. They ate up half of the first quarter, keeping the Texas offense off the field.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of similarities between the Texas game and the upcoming one against Georgia. State may operate with the same game plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it’s what allows us to create an advantage…it’s what gives us the best chance to win the game.” Lebby said. “The ego part, you have to set it aside, know who we want to be, but what gives our football team the best chance to have success is what matters.”<\/p>\n
The Other Dawgs<\/strong><\/h3>\nGeorgia seems to be a second-half team. As one saw against Alabama, the Dawgs trailed the Tide 30-7 at the half, and came from behind in exciting fashion, only to lose 41-34. Likewise, against Auburn, one could argue a similar team to State\u2019s at 2-4 (0-3 in the SEC), Georgia got off to a sluggish start. Georgia led the Tigers only 7-3 for most of the first half, taking a 14-3 lead with a mere 17 seconds left in the first half.<\/p>\n
The week after Texas the team practiced Tuesday, and Wednesday, did weights, and met on Thursday. Then, there was an off day before the group returned to activities on Monday. \u201cBeing fresh and being fast next Saturday in Athens is going to be absolutely critical,\u201d Lebby continued. \u201cAs we got into the building this morning, our guys had great energy. They\u2019ve had great energy. There\u2019s really good intent, and we need to have a great week to be able to go play the way we need to go play.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs will need some of that energy, and perhaps some of Vandy\u2019s mojo to take on the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
Bright Spots Regardless of Record<\/strong><\/h3>\nThere were some positive takeaways from the Longhorn game. The Dawgs made Texas actually earn its win. The final score of 35-13 is not indicative of how the game went. State was only behind 14-6 until the final play of the third quarter. That speaks volumes for what appears to be a much-improved defense. Linebacker Stone Blanton<\/a> led that effort with 10 tackles (four solo), and one tackle for a loss. The entire defense racked up two sacks and seven tackles for loss. As a reference, there were no sacks or tackles of loss against Florida.<\/p>\nOn offense, the running game was on the uptick as Johnnie Daniels led the way with 75 yards. That was half of the team’s total of 150 yards rushing. The Bulldogs didn\u2019t even get close to that rushing mark in the previous three games combined. More is expected of him in Athens on Saturday.<\/p>\n
True freshman Michael Van Buren Jr., or MVB, generated fan buzz as the quarterback replacement for Shapen. Although he didn\u2019t burn up the field, he faced down 100-thousand loud Longhorn fans with all the confidence of a seasoned veteran. He came into the Florida game<\/a> in the fourth quarter with the same kind of panache, but Texas was his first SEC start in a clearly hostile crowd. He will be facing a similar bunch of Georgia fans Saturday.<\/p>\nGame Plan Advantage<\/strong><\/h3>\nLebby\u2019s offense has always been known for being up-tempo. In his philosophy, it provides more opportunities to score and keeps the opposing defenses on their heels. But against Texas, they slowed things down. This allowed Van Buren to run the offense in his first start without the pressure of the tempo. It also gave the Dawgs the ability to maintain ball control. They ate up half of the first quarter, keeping the Texas offense off the field.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of similarities between the Texas game and the upcoming one against Georgia. State may operate with the same game plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it’s what allows us to create an advantage…it’s what gives us the best chance to win the game.” Lebby said. “The ego part, you have to set it aside, know who we want to be, but what gives our football team the best chance to have success is what matters.”<\/p>\n
The Other Dawgs<\/strong><\/h3>\nGeorgia seems to be a second-half team. As one saw against Alabama, the Dawgs trailed the Tide 30-7 at the half, and came from behind in exciting fashion, only to lose 41-34. Likewise, against Auburn, one could argue a similar team to State\u2019s at 2-4 (0-3 in the SEC), Georgia got off to a sluggish start. Georgia led the Tigers only 7-3 for most of the first half, taking a 14-3 lead with a mere 17 seconds left in the first half.<\/p>\n
On offense, the running game was on the uptick as Johnnie Daniels led the way with 75 yards. That was half of the team’s total of 150 yards rushing. The Bulldogs didn\u2019t even get close to that rushing mark in the previous three games combined. More is expected of him in Athens on Saturday.<\/p>\n
True freshman Michael Van Buren Jr., or MVB, generated fan buzz as the quarterback replacement for Shapen. Although he didn\u2019t burn up the field, he faced down 100-thousand loud Longhorn fans with all the confidence of a seasoned veteran. He came into the Florida game<\/a> in the fourth quarter with the same kind of panache, but Texas was his first SEC start in a clearly hostile crowd. He will be facing a similar bunch of Georgia fans Saturday.<\/p>\n Lebby\u2019s offense has always been known for being up-tempo. In his philosophy, it provides more opportunities to score and keeps the opposing defenses on their heels. But against Texas, they slowed things down. This allowed Van Buren to run the offense in his first start without the pressure of the tempo. It also gave the Dawgs the ability to maintain ball control. They ate up half of the first quarter, keeping the Texas offense off the field.<\/p>\n There are a lot of similarities between the Texas game and the upcoming one against Georgia. State may operate with the same game plan.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it’s what allows us to create an advantage…it’s what gives us the best chance to win the game.” Lebby said. “The ego part, you have to set it aside, know who we want to be, but what gives our football team the best chance to have success is what matters.”<\/p>\n Georgia seems to be a second-half team. As one saw against Alabama, the Dawgs trailed the Tide 30-7 at the half, and came from behind in exciting fashion, only to lose 41-34. Likewise, against Auburn, one could argue a similar team to State\u2019s at 2-4 (0-3 in the SEC), Georgia got off to a sluggish start. Georgia led the Tigers only 7-3 for most of the first half, taking a 14-3 lead with a mere 17 seconds left in the first half.<\/p>\nGame Plan Advantage<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Other Dawgs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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