Latest / Talking Dawgs / RIVALRY IS BACK: Georgia Football's toughest SEC foe isn't who you think...
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- Daniel: Clint, I think Georgia's the best team in the SEC. I know you think Georgia's the best team in the SEC. I would be willing to bet that a lot of our viewers think Georgia is the best team in the SEC. And there's gonna be the random person that's gonna say, Well, what about Texas? They beat Ohio State. There's gonna be people that are gonna say, What about Ole Miss Trinidad Chambless? They beat an they beat a top. Clint: Yep, yep. Old man, oof. So good. So good. Daniel: 10 LSU team that's quarterbacked by a superstar in Sam Levitt. The number one acquisition of the transfer portal. Boy, can Lane do it, Clint, or can Lane do it? Clint: Say he won't. Say he won't. Daniel: But I don't think either of those teams are the biggest threat to Georgia in the SEC. Now, of course, Georgia doesn't play Texas in the regular season. But I don't think Old Miss is the toughest game left on Georgia's schedule. And I don't think I certainly don't think Oklahoma is the toughest game left on Georgia's schedule. We're going to talk about that a little bit later in the week. Clint: Nope, I would completely agree. Here we are. Daniel: I think there's a new threat to this Georgia team. And if you've clicked on this video, then you've already seen the thumbnail, and so you probably already know that I think it's the Florida Gators, Clint. Florida went into Jordan Hare and absolutely stomped the Auburn Tigers. I mean an abysmal showing by Auburn. An embarrassing performance by Byron Brown and that offensive line, if you can even call it an offensive line. Clint: put a whooping on. real bad. Daniel: That Auburn has. Clint: Offensive lines typically have designations in which their job role and description is to stop other people from getting to the quarterback. ⁓ No one told them. No, they didn't do that at all. Most sacked SEC quarterback, landslide. It's real bad. Daniel: ⁓ well they didn't do that at all. No. No. Myron Brown was sacked two hundred times. ⁓ okay. So Florida goes into Auburn. Now Auburn's not a great team, but Florida goes in dominant performance. So far, early returns, new coach. Florida looks really good. Also, this new coach, he looks like he's checking all the I'm petty and I'm coming for people's jugulars boxes. You know what I'm trying to say? He it's a I Clint: Very good. ⁓ He really is. Daniel: And I d I Florida fan, don't take this as an insult, because I would like this if this were my coach. It it he's petty in like the best kind of way. Like he's Clint: in the way that fans love. Daniel: He holds a grudge, Clinton. So I'm nervous about this Florida team. Well, I'm gonna talk about some of the specific reasons why. But first, am I crazy in saying that I think the cocktail party in Mercedes Benz is the toughest game left on Georgia's schedule? Is that crazy? Clint: Yep. No, Daniel, let me tell you the other games on the schedule that preseason I was nervous about going into T-Town. I'll tell you this right now. My tone of going into T-Town, it's going to be tough. It's slid down my nervous index. Cocktail party was always going to be nerve wracking for me because here's the thing that's really wild about Florida. Daniel: Uh-huh. Yeah, that's another tough game. Clint: Unlike other teams and other schools that laid dormant and completely out of it, Florida's been stacking talent. It's remarkable who they've gotten to go there in recruiting cycles, transfer portals, with no hope of winning until this year. So the talent has been stacking for them. Now all of a sudden you get a coach who might be able to unify a group of people, bring them together, put them in the same direction with a Daniel: Yes. Not Clint: somewhat competent quarterback we're going to get to what makes Florida distinct like head and shoulders above it. I'm just going to say competent quarterback for now, not say great. He is he's he's doing the job that he's assigned to do, which is all you can ask. ⁓ Daniel, this this cocktail party terrifies me all of sudden. If the line was to come out after this week, which check in for some previews of games. Daniel: Mm-hmm. Clint: later on. Because somebody gonna have an emotional letdown going into the swamp with a very talented team waiting for them. Full stop. ⁓ Florida, if after this weekend, the spread to the cocktail party, very small, all things considered, just should be shrinking by the day. And here's why they're so good. I can add three things stand out to me. Daniel: Mm. Yeah. Skin's it's shrinking. Clint: One, you named it already. The head coach seems to have identified a common theme that the team is getting behind. When you got a united team, y'all, this is what separates great coaching. This is Kurt Signetti going into Indiana and saying, we're all heading this way. Here's how I'm running the ship. Let's go. And he brought a whole bunch of people very quickly to excellence. Okay, I'm not calling some role, Signetti. I'm just saying here's the effect that good look at what ⁓ ⁓ my gosh, what's the new coach? Holy Will Stein over at Kentucky. Look what he's doing with Kentucky. Okay. I know. Daniel: Thank you. All right. You gotta give me something if you want some help. I'm I wanna help you, but you gotta say some words. Just Clint: ⁓ Will Stein in Kentucky. This says point 1.2. Baw's a dude. I think he's the second best running back in the SEC but Baw's a dude. Single handedly taken over plays. And thirdly, ⁓ this defense is not great for Florida. But they are timely. Daniel: Yeah. I yeah, I think there are aspects of this defense that are great, and that's what makes them timely. Right? That's how I would phrase it. Yeah, so Jaden Ball, Jaden Ball is my point one. Like that is obviously that's where you have to start for Floyd. He's the best player on their team. you know, I he's the best running back in the SEC. I I personally would take Nate Frazier over him, but I understand. Jaden Ball is Clint: They're timely. Yes. Yes, I completely agree with that. Yeah, I completely agree. So you're not crazy. Daniel: Excessively talented. He's he's he's quite good. I don't love Aaron Philo. I've never really loved Aaron Philo. I don't I'm not necessarily a believer in Aaron Philo. I do like this Florida pass rush. I do like this Florida front seven. I do like the Florida front seven. I do think they could be vulnerable a bit more on the back end if you're able to ⁓ Clint: That's the timely. Yep. Daniel: take advantage of them there and I think Georgia is able to take advantage of them there. We'll talk I mean we've talked at length about the Georgia offense. We will continue to. But I I mean Clint, I not I'm not ready to say we were wrong. We have no trouble, by the way, admitting when we're wrong. We record into microphones a lot. We're wrong some like a good amount of the time. Every everybody's wrong a lot of times. We have no pro it gets recorded when we're wrong. We get it. Clint: A lot of the times. Yeah. Daniel: Like that's fine. At one point we said DeAndre Baker was not a lockdown corner at Georgia. We are sometimes strong about things. Clint: At one point I said that we were holding back 75 % of the playbook. We had a second playbook that we weren't utilizing. Daniel: Tinfoil hat. Tinfoil hat Clint. If you weren't around for tinfoil hat Clint days, by the way, just those were some say we the podcast's never been the same ⁓ since then. ⁓ by the way, if you're a fan of the banter, if you're a fan of the show, if you're still here now eight minutes in to this episode, before I give you my third reason why I'm high on Florida this year and potentially upset Clint. I would love it if you would do two things. If you'd subscribe to this channel, that would be awesome. And then B, if you want to subscribe to a free newsletter that Clint and I send out each and every week. It's got our picks in it. He already mentioned, gave a little gave a little tease to the people about a certain game in Gainesville this weekend. ⁓ that's probably gonna make the cut for my card. We're gonna give out we give out our locks on that. ⁓ we we give our thoughts on this Georgia football team. Clint: Yes, Daniel: We break down at certain things that we're seeing, what we're not seeing. It's a community. We love to interact with you. It's a great way for us to. So there's a there's a link in the description for that newsletter. We'd love to have you subscribe. My third reason that I'm high on Florida this year, Clint, and you may, again, you may be repulsed by this, but I think I'm ready to say I was at least partially wrong and I I think Buster Faulkner's really good. Buster Faulkner's really good. Clint: ⁓ I know what you're gonna say. Daniel: ⁓ he's really good for Florida. And he is the reason that that offense works. I don't think Aaron Fyle is the reason that offense works. I don't even think Jaden Ball is the reason that that offense works. Buster Faulkner's ability to generate plays in the run game, which go back and look at what he did at Georgia Tech, right? It was not an explosive downfield passing game. Of course, he had Haynes King, who was The best Georgia Tech quarterback since Joe Hamilton in 1990. So he had some weapons, but Buster Faulkner's ability to generate creative plays in the run game allows his teams to be very successful. Now he just so happens have one of the best running backs in the SEC. He happens to have a very talented offensive line. He happens to have a quarterback who's mobile and can throw the football. Buster Faulkner Faulkner is creative and He doesn't make mistakes. He doesn't beat himself. And you can tell that he studied under Mike Bobo. When you watch a Buster Faulkner offense, you can tell, you can see elements of Mike Bobo in there. But that is it's plain and simple. There's a reason why he's very good. I think he's the reason. I think it was the best hire of the offseason for Summerall. You know, you and I mocked it a little bit because Obviously famously Georgia Tech's offense didn't do anything against Georgia ⁓ last year. And so, you know, you could say Buster Faulkner's stumbled in big games. You could say he's never really well, he's got more talent on this roster than he's ever had to work with before, and I think he's going to put it to good use. Clint: Daniel, you're not wrong on that. think what's interesting to me is I want to see Buster Faulkner have more of the depth against some top defenses. He's faced some other, he clearly faced Georgia before ⁓ and he put up an average amount of points against those teams that Georgia was playing against. He's gone up and done some okay things against Ole Miss, Louisville, those types of things. ⁓ Last week's game, going into Jordan Hare Stadium and actually putting up a boatload of points, good on him. He did what he was supposed to do. I don't think Auburn is good, but in that spot, on the road, SEC, at Jordan Hare, those are all good things to do. And he kinda did it however he wanted to. And to your point, Don't think Buster Faulkner and don't assume that what we mean by that is this air raid offense that is just slinging around the yard. He's not a creative innovator like some of the fads of offense. He's doing it creatively, yes. He's doing it. This is gonna sound, they're two vastly different coaches, but Todd Munkin ⁓ and Mike Bobo share the same philosophy. So does Buster Faulkner, so does. Daniel: ⁓ gosh, no. No. No Clint: ⁓ John Harbaugh when he was with the Niners John Harbaugh just had no quarterback plate with not good passing but took deep shots every now and then he had one of the most exotically creative rushing attacks ever conceived for an offense. Okay. It's what made Michigan so good as well. ⁓ I think you're right. I gotta give him some flowers knowing who he has and knowing what he's able to do. Daniel: Mm. Clint: They are able to open up, get defenses. I mean, you see pulling guards in some, some faux kind of, kind of fake run looks that he's giving on this. Some full blocks on the other side where it's not even going just to kind of get the eyes of disciplined linebackers going one way and then trust athletes on a different way. He's throwing two screens into one offset run game as well. Like he's doing very, very, very good things. And it's going to take a concentrated effort on defense. Daniel: Mm hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Clint: not just a line up let's smash them. That's not, yeah there's some good dudes over there talent wise. He's putting them in position to be utilized well and that, what I just said, putting your guys in position to be utilized well, that's the Mike Bobo Todd Monkin tree, okay? Like. Daniel: Mm-hmm. That yeah, that that's why I say he's a Bobo disciple. He's not an air raid guy. He probably a guy listen, Florida fans, at some point you're gonna hate Buster Faulkner. You're gonna hate him. Do you know why? Because he's gonna do some Mike Bobo things. And that's just what fan bases do. They hate people that win, score points, gain yards. I don't know, because they'd rather have Josh Hypel. doesn't win or score points. Yeah. Clint: Doesn't win games. That's the problem. That's... See. Like, too- Daniel: But Buster Faulkner, I think, is really good. This Florida defense, 27th nationally in yards per play, allowed. You know, they're they're a solid unit. They're not an elite unit like Georgia at this point, I wouldn't say, but they are a solid unit. The Florida offensive line is a solid unit. They're built in the trenches. As you said, they have accumulated talent. Florida fell off a cliff. Clint: Passable. Yeah. Daniel: In terms of wins and losses, because Sunbelt Billy was an atrocious football coach. Like a poor abhorrent. But all the while they continued to stack talent and continued to build a roster. Clint: ⁓ yeah. That's why Florida is such an incredible position because in the face of so much bad, people still go there. Like they still choose to go to Florida because of the orange and the blue. Like that's it. Daniel: Not It's not a rebuilding job. It's not it should never be a rebuild. It's a it's a it's a monstrosity what Florida football has become. It should be an embarrassment to their fans. But I think Florida I think this this is the beginning of Florida being back. And I don't mean it like in a Texas is back kind of way. Like I mean like actually this is the beginning of Florida making an ascent. Now I'm not saying they're gonna c play in the SEC championship game this year. Clint: No. Never. No. Daniel: They still got a tough schedule and they're gonna lose some games. But for years to come, this Florida team is going to be a contender in the in the SEC. Are you telling me that you you're telling me that you like their chances to get to the SEC championship game this year? Clint: Not the chances to get the SEC championship, I like their chances to make a college football playoff. Daniel: As the as like a third or fourth team from the SEC? Ten and f ten and two Florida. Clint: as a third or fourth team from the SEC. Let me just tell you the next, so Ole Miss week, this week, I already have a thought on that one. Missouri I think is gonna fall off the cliff. C Troy. South Carolina, Beamer is to be fired very soon. ⁓ Texas, he's a joke. He's just a joke. ⁓ You gotta go to Texas. Okay great, and then you get a bi-week, then you play us, I get it. Oklahoma, Daniel: ⁓ Shame Beamer is a joke. Clint: Don't feel as good about them. Now, Kentucky, okay, that might be a hard one. You gotta go to Kroger Field, but I think you match up pretty well. Vanderbilt and Florida State. Daniel, I think it's navigable. I think they get two losses out of those. Daniel: Joke, joke. Yeah. Yeah, and ten and two Florida's got a real shot at the college football playoff. I don't. You're right. You're right. ⁓ it's a tough test for Georgia. And listen, I want Florida to lose every game, every year, for every reason. But the cocktail party is fun when Georgia and Florida are good, and Florida has not been keeping up their end of the bargain. Right? They've been a joke of a football program. So Clint: shot. Real shot. It is. Every game. ⁓ Daniel: I think this year it marks a little bit of a new something in this rivalry. And ⁓ we'll see. We'll see where it goes from here. He's Clint. I'm Daniel. Thanks so much for being here. Again, if you haven't subscribed to the channel, thank you so much for doing so. Subscribe to the newsletter, and we'll be back later on this week breaking down the Georgia Oklahoma game, giving you some thoughts about some other games around the country. And ⁓ we'll see you guys then. Clint: See you.