Hey folks - as a member of the DawgNation community, please remember to abide by simple rules of civil engagement with other members:
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
Comments
Exactly, we beat ourselves, I wish he would get sent to the Big 10, or ACC, but then Finebaum, wouldn't have him to make fun of any longer.
They say, you can't fix ****!
Go Dawgs! 2025
Watching the Rams/Eagles game is amazing. Hearing them call out Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Keelee Ringo is the next best thing to seeing a UGA game. (Sadly, they are making a ton of plays against another former Dawg in Stafford). You just know that the Eagles are going to grab still more UGA players in this draft. Hopefully they're the team that will give Arian Smith a shot.
@Eastmandawg Thanks for your feedback. I know Georgia didn't play its "A" game, but the ND offensive and defensive coordinator shared their thoughts on what THEY thought was key to their win, so we reported it.
Now that Stetson is gone, it’s the staff at UGA…in your indirect/passive-aggressive way, hey?
Don’t worry about what others think, just be yourself, it’s easier that way.
@Eastmandawg I'm not sure what you mean about the staff —- I have said and written many times I thought this was one of Kirby's best coaching jobs, if not the best, facing the No. 1 schedule and winning and SEC title under the circumstances. But if you are asking me if I thought Notre Dame did the better job coaching and adjusting in the Sugar Bowl, I would have to say "Yes." There were many circumstances, not the least of which involved Coach Smart's family, but it is what it is, and luck was with the Irish that day. Play the game 10 times, the Dawgs win 7 of them in my opinion.
And Jalen Carter saves the Eagles. Amazing.
@MikeGriffith
Play the game 10 times, the Dawgs win 7 of them in my opinion.
Yeah, no. This pretends two things.
"One of Kirby's best coaching jobs, if not the best" gave up 30 first half points to the same Alabama team that Michigan held to 13, Oklahoma held to 3 and a 7-6 Vanderbilt team that lost to Georgia State beat 40-35. This great coaching job managed fewer points against Ole Miss in Oxford than Georgia Southern did. Of course, a lot of this wasn't due to Xs and Os. UGA only scored 13 points against 4-8 Kentucky, for example, because of not having Daijun Edwards running the ball or Darnell Washington catching it. Georgia Tech took UGA to all those overtimes because UGA didn't have a Devonte Wyatt to blow up Tech's OL or a Nakobe Dean to hit Haynes King so hard that he re-evaluates his life choices. With Amarius Mims at OT, Carson Beck doesn't get hurt on a blindside hit on a Hail Mary. (Yes, having the SEC leader in passing yards in 2023 and TDs in 2024 against Notre Dame probably makes a difference.) But it is precisely because UGA didn't have guys like this that you can't say that UGA beats Notre Dame 7 times out of 10.
The notion that Georgia Tech provided a “blueprint” for defeating Georgia seems like a significant oversimplification of what transpired in both the regular-season finale and the Sugar Bowl. While Tech had moments of success against Georgia, it’s important to contextualize that game and recognize the unique circumstances surrounding it.
First, Tech’s offensive performance in the 44-42 loss to Georgia does not necessarily equate to a replicable blueprint. Georgia’s defense, which had been dominant all season, was uncharacteristically porous in that game. It’s worth noting that this was the last game of the regular season—a time when fatigue, injuries, and the emotional toll of the most difficult season can affect even the most disciplined teams. Furthermore, Tech still lost the game despite their offensive output, which indicates that even their best efforts weren’t enough to secure a victory.
Buster Faulkner’s knowledge of Kirby’s system is certainly an asset for Tech, but it’s an overstatement to suggest that his insights fundamentally undermine Georgia’s defensive schemes. Faulkner’s tenure at Georgia was as an offensive quality control coach, not a coordinator or play-caller, which limits the extent of his influence on game strategy. His role at Tech may have helped him exploit some tendencies, but the Dawgs have proven resilient to similar challenges in the past, facing several teams led by former staffers.
As for Notre Dame’s victory, credit is due to their coaching staff and players for executing a sound game plan. However, to say their approach was directly inspired by Tech ignores the fact that Notre Dame’s offensive style is significantly different. Tech’s Haynes King and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard share some similarities as dual-threat quarterbacks, but their offenses operate in distinct systems. Leonard’s rushing success (80 yards on 14 carries) was notable but not game-breaking, especially when considering Notre Dame’s offense as a whole produced only 244 total yards—the lowest by a winning team in College Football Playoff history.
Also, the Sugar Bowl featured several pivotal moments unrelated to any so-called blueprint. Georgia’s special teams breakdown—a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown—was a critical turning point. This sequence, coupled with a 17-point swing over 54 seconds, dramatically altered the game’s momentum. These moments of misexecution are not reflective of a structural flaw in Georgia’s system but rather isolated lapses in a high-pressure environment.
Moreover, while Notre Dame’s offense capitalized on opportunities, their defense deserves significant credit for limiting Georgia’s normally potent attack. The Bulldogs’ offense struggled to establish rhythm against a disciplined Irish defensive front, and their inability to generate explosive plays proved costly. This defensive performance was more a testament to Notre Dame’s preparation and execution than any insight gleaned from Tech’s game film.
Finally, while Tech’s success against Georgia may have provided some helpful observations for Notre Dame, it is reductive to claim it was the blueprint for their victory. The Sugar Bowl outcome was a result of Notre Dame’s execution, Georgia’s uncharacteristic errors, and the inherent variability of high-stakes football games. The Bulldogs remain a formidable program capable of adapting and learning from this experience.
@benzone Great points, but Beck didn’t get hit from his “blind side”. Just pointing that out.
Wow—-comments going north, south, east, and west. We lost to ND because of mistakes, fumbles, and poor special teams play. There was nothing magical or different about the game because they watched tape of the GT game. I thought we were overall a better team than ND, but as is the usual case, mistakes and turnovers cost us in the end.
@lucydog
I thought that UGA was the better team before the game but wasn't so sure afterwards. Notre Dame had no "obvious flaws" besides a lack of speed at WR and being a bit undersized at DL (though not as much as the announcers claimed because a 4-2-5 defense doesn't rely as much on size, plus their 295 lb. star Rylie Mills got hurt against Indiana). By comparison, UGA had several real flaws: struggling OTs, WRs who couldn't get open and drop passes, RBs who rarely rush for longer than 8 yards even with good blocking because of a lack of nimbleness or burst and issues at LB that get exploited by running QBs and passes to the TE. UGA will have more players drafted, sure, though nearly all will be on defense. But at the positions where Notre Dame didn't have a future NFL draft pick - and they absolutely did have some especially in their secondary which in their scheme starts 5 players AND they have a nickel who plays a lot - Notre Dame seemed to have a good, solid college player, and an usually a 4th or 5th year guy at that. So a team with few great athletes (that a great coaching staff knew how to use) but no holes was better than a team with a lot of great athletes but a ton of holes. That is why I disagreed with @MikeGriffith and his "UGA wins 7 games out of 10" thing. Those glaring holes at UGA weren't going to go away no matter how many times they played, and Notre Dame wasn't going to develop holes either.