I've come in off the ledge (for a bathroom break)

Okay, I have come back from the edge of despair. I, like many Dawg fans saw what happened last week in Stillwater and was left scratching my head (or other, less desirable areas) wondering where our offense went. When you go back and look at the game, I think it's not so much where our offense went as much as where our focus went. Anyway, enough about last week. I need to get to this week's prediction so I can "go potty" and open the window in preparation for stepping back out on the ledge, should our focus get lost against South Carolina this weekend.

This could turn out to be one of the ugliest games of the year. If both teams' offenses play like they did last week and both defenses play like they did last week, this game might come down to special teams. For anyone who has been paying attention to UGA's special teams the last couple of years (led by Skeletor Fabris) this does not bode well for UGA. On a positive note, it doesn't look like there was anything "special" about the kicker for SC, either, but when it's apparent we have no idea what we are doing on a simple kickoff, we open ourselves up for a plethora of unpleasant possibilities.

Their QB, Garcia showed more poise and "command" of their offense than last year, but still has a knack for giving up on a play too early. They didn't really show a running game to speak of, and since Garcia is often not willing to allow a play to develop before pulling it down and running, their passing game does not scare me, either. Heck, we were able to hold one of the most prolific offenses in the nation with more experience than last year to nearly 200 yards less than their average from last year. South Carolina's offense does not scare me.

On the other hand, South Carolina's defense is much better than Oklahoma State's, and the Pokes were able to hold us to 10 points....man, that's hard to write or even think about. 10 points....WTF?!?! (Whew...deep breaths....in through the nose, out through the mouth.....okay).
Eric Norwood has been a thorn in our side for a couple of years now and is a beast. Their backup defensive ends were the stars of their game last week. I don't remember even seeing our defensive ends in our last game, regardless of who was lined up there. They are young in the DB spot, but appear to be athletic with good coverage skills. You couldn't get one AJ Green out of 3 of the NC State receivers, but the coverage, for the most part was there.

If Bobo can call a complete game like he can call a 1st drive, we should be fine. If Joe C. can spread the field a little more, we should be fine. If Richard Samuel gets 10-15 more carries than he did last week, we should be fine. If our receivers can hold onto more of Joe's passes, we should be fine. If we can keep the pressure off of Joe, where he doesn't get sacked and if he holds onto the ball when/if he does get sacked, we'll be fine. If we can kick the DADGUM ball into or out of the endzone just once this season, I'll probably be hospitalized....but I digress...

Bottom line -

UGA, top-to-bottom has better players, is deeper in the right positions, is at home and should be VERY hungry after last week. As much as UGA lacked last week, South Carolina lacked more. SC didn't win their game as much as NC State let them have it. Two very good defenses, two very suspect offenses. We have the playmakers that they don't, they have a win, and we don't.

Edge goes to UGA in a tight, ugly battle royal to the finish -

UGA - 17
USC - 10