Saturday in Athens comes with the usual pregame buzz, and this one opened with the week ten hype video narrated by legendary Houston County Bear Jake Fromm.
Fromm’s message fits the moment for Georgia: the next game is the biggest one on the schedule. If this team stays locked in and cleans up the mistakes, it looks like the best team in the nation. And if the Dawgs don’t take care of the Dawgs, there’s no guarantee the Tigers will handle it for them.
The injury report from Friday brought mostly encouraging news for the Red and Black, with one notable exception. Drew Bobo has gone from questionable to doubtful, which leaves Georgia likely choosing between Malachi Tolliver and Cortez Smith at center. Smith finished the Ole Miss game at the position and has been working with the second team there all season, so the sophomore seems like the likely starter.
Josh Horton is also listed as questionable after leaving the Ole Miss game late and spending time on the sideline. At first glance, it looked like a routine substitution, but he showed up on the week’s first injury report. Even so, Georgia’s depth on the defensive front should help soften the blow if he can’t go.
Travel issues around the SEC also made for an eventful Friday. The Missouri Tigers apparently got to Athens early the sensible way, while the Ole Miss Rebels were stuck in Oxford and missed their trip to Norman for the game against the Oklahoma Sooners until Saturday afternoon.
That forced the SEC to push the game to Sunday, and it also led Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny to have what the teens would refer to as a “ D1 crash out. ”
Some of that reaction is understandable, since fans had to adjust their plans and Oklahoma staffers had to redo the entire game day routine. But in the SEC, this kind of disruption shows up every year during hurricane season, and the usual response is to handle it like adults instead of losing our minds.
Maybe after a couple more seasons in the league, the Sooners will get there. Hope springs eternal.
In Other News...
Georgia Suddenly Has A Real Offensive Line Decision Before Missouri
Georgias offensive front is suddenly in flux heading into Missouri, with starting center Drew Bobo downgraded to doubtful. That leaves Georgia weighing a few different options in the middle of the line, including Cortez Smith or Malachi Toliver, or shifting Helton over to center and making other adjustments around him.
For a team that likes to keep its protection and run-game structure as steady as possible, the timing is less than ideal. Georgia also listed Joshua Horton as questionable and Amaris Williams as out, so the Bulldogs may have to sort through multiple personnel issues at once before they take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Community Mourning After Tragic Loss Of Bulldogs Commit
The Georgia football community is mourning the death of Marcellus Young Casario, a defensive lineman at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School who had already committed to play for the Bulldogs. His commitment in June marked him as one of the programs promising future additions, and the news of his death following a medical emergency has sent a wave of grief through the school and the broader fan base.
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School confirmed the incident and said emergency protocols were followed, while support has been made available to students and staff in the aftermath. For Georgia, it is a sobering reminder that recruiting news can give way to something far more painful, leaving the program and its supporters to absorb the loss of a player they expected to see in red and black. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Proved Something Big Against North Carolina
Georgia walked into the Dean E. Smith Center and came away with a 78-70 win over North Carolina, a result that did more than just add another mark in the standings. It also snapped North Carolinas four-game winning streak in the series, and Georgia did it with a balanced effort that had the kind of poise Mike White has been looking for from this group.
Kanon Catchings led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Blue Cain added 20 points to keep Georgia in control when the game tightened. White pointed to the teams execution and senior leadership afterward, and those were the traits that stood out most in a road win that should carry some weight as Georgia keeps building momentum. [Read more 🡒]