Grading the Game: Arizona State

The reaction to Georgia's win over Arizona State has certainly been a mixed bag, ranging from elation to outrage to utter confusion. What are we to make of this team?

In truth, I'm not sure. I think we can clearly say there is a lot of potential there. I think we can also say that the mistakes are going to catch up to them sooner than later -- and maybe this week. But I'd argue there's a lot of reason for optimism.

I said before this game that if Georgia struggled with Arizona State, it would be catastrophic in terms of what fans could expect the rest of the way. It seemed to me like it should be a cake walk for the Dawgs, and another close game would be a pretty damning endorsement.

But after watching it play out in nail-biting, heart attack-inducing style, I'm actually feeling exactly the opposite about Georgia.

For one, the weather played a factor. A portion of the game plan had to be tempered because of the conditions, and all the rain essentially demanded a close game.

Secondly, Georgia continues to show a ton of grit in the face of adversity. Listen, as someone writing on deadline, I'd like to see an easy one as much as any of you, but the fact that the Bulldogs have continued to come back in tough games says a lot about their character.

Third, the defense did everything it was supposed to. No, I wasn't encouraged by the early success ASU had in the running game, but overall the D played spectacularly. They allowed just 204 total yards of offense and they were a brick wall in the fourth quarter. The way the D responded following Joe Cox's final interception was a revelation. Where has this been for the past two years?

Foruth, A.J. Green is a special player. I don't mean that in a "Matthew Stafford was a special player" sort of way, when you look at a guy's talents and think he's capable of anything. Green is special in the way Herschel Walker was special -- the type of player who simply changes the complexion of a game simply by being on the field. When that third-down pass went up on Georgia's final drive, everyone in the stadium -- including the Sun Devils -- knew who was coming down with it. There's an invaluable quality that Green brings. It's the knowledge that, no matter what else is going on, Georgia has a chance to win because it will always, in every game, have the best player on the field. It's an intangible bit of confidence (or concern if you're the opposition) that cannot be accounted for but changes how the game is played. He's one of a kind.

In fact, I think this anonymous commenter said it best: "If you were to create a receiver on NCAA and gave him 99s on everything, I still think AJ Green would be better."

And finally, in the credit where credit is due department, I'm going to say ASU isn't simply a mediocre Pac-10 team. No, Danny Sullivan isn't a game-breaking QB, and if the Sun Devils had Ryan Mallett on their side, they probably would have won that game. But Arizona State's defense was a lot better than I expected, led by a ridiculously talented corps of linebackers. That was a far tougher test than I assumed it would be, which alleviates a lot of the concern I might otherwise have about Georgia's performance.

And while folks will no doubt find plenty of flaws in the 20-17 win, I think it's worth posting this note from bnwdawg14, who provided us with this little reminder:

Scores from the '02 SEC squad
UGA 31 - Clem 28
UGA 13 - USC 7
UGA 27 - BAMA 25
UGA 18 - TENN 13
UGA 24 - AU 21

Scores from the '80 NC squad
UGA 16 - TENN 15
UGA 20 - Clem 16
UGA 28 - Ole Miss 21
UGA 13 - USC 10
UGA 26 - UF 21

It's a good point. The great teams don't always win easily, but they win. So with that, let's hand out some grades...

QUARTERBACKS: Well, you've got to hand it to Joe Cox, he's not one for the middle ground. One week, he's tying a school record for touchdowns, the next, he has you checking whether your health insurance covers a quintuple bypass surgery.

I'm not here to make any excuses for Cox. In fact, I'm pretty much in agreement with I'm-Thinking-19, who says Joe is who he is -- a decent QB who needs help along the way. Outside of A.J. Green, I'm not sure how much help he got against Arizona State, whether from the line, from the running game or from the play calling.

And if you've ever seen Cox in person, you know his measurements in Georgia's media guide probably are a bit generous. He's far from the biggest QB, and when you combine his smaller hands with a lack of great arm strength, it's obvious why the wet conditions could make throwing the ball difficult.

But let's get down to the bottom line here: Cox has started four games this season, and he has turned the ball over six times (and it would have been seven if not for Carlton Thomas' heads-up dash to cover up a fumble against South Carolina). Not all have been Cox's fault, but after all the talk about his MENSA-level knowledge of the playbook and instinctual decision making this offseason, that number is simply too high. Way too high.

Both of Cox's picks against Arizona State came on the exact same play call. In fact, it was the only two times that play was called the entire game. What it came down to, Mike Bobo said, was an idea to do whatever it took to get the ball into Green's hands, and Joe forced two throws that weren't there.

You can look at that in one of two ways. On one hand, a fifth-year senior should know when it's time to force a throw and when it's not -- and it definitely wasn't time when he threw those two picks. On the other hand, Cox is playing with confidence -- maybe a little too much, but that's better than the alternative.

Following the loss to Oklahoma State, Cox said what held Georgia back was a fear of making a mistake. They allowed worries about bad plays to prevent them from rolling the dice on a good play.

Following the Arizona State game, I asked Joe if they'd be scrapping the play that went 2-for-2 to the other team from the call sheet for this week's game. No, he said. It was a good play, and looking on film, his tight end was wide open both times. It was his execution that lacked, but he said he'd make the throw again and again -- just hopefully with a bit better decision making preceding it next time.

Confidence has its drawbacks, but I think this Joe Cox is far superior to the one who trudged off the field down and dejected following the loss in Week 1.

Another note on Cox, which I think cannot be overstated enough: He has seen significant action if six games in his career. In four of them, he's led Georgia to come-from-behind wins. When players and coaches talked about his leadership during the offseason, I don't think that was remotely oversold. The kid really does know what it takes to help a team win. In fact, I think this quote from tight end Aron White sums things up perfectly:

"Joe bounces back really well after a turnover. Just the presence he has on the field and when he comes to the sidelines, keeping everybody's mind right. That really helps our team. Last year, we might have gone in the ditch a little bit after turnovers. This year, we’ve had some turnover issues early on, but we take it in stride and come out the next series with something to prove."

I noted in my post yesterday that Georgia would probably be 0-4 right now without A.J. Green. That's true, but I think it's fair to say the same might be true of Cox. He has changed the personality of this offense, and while his skill set doesn't match that of Matthew Stafford, I think what he does bring to the table has been far more important to this team than anything it lost in terms of arm strength.

A few other quick notes on the quarterbacking:

-- Cox had two screen passes that should have been caught that may have made his numbers look a good bit better.

-- I would have loved to have seen some key short-yardage situations become play-action passes rather than runs. Why you take the ball out of the hands of your veteran leader and put it into the hands of a guy with three career carries is tough to explain.

-- That pass to Green in the end zone should have been a TD and probably would have changed the perspective on this game quite a bit if it had been called properly.

-- If Georgia is going to use Logan Gray, give the kid a fighting chance. His role, along with Branden Smith's, was intriguing early, but has quickly become excessively predictable. Remember Tim Tebow's freshman year? Gray is no Tebow, obviously, but it was the handful of throws that Tebow was able to make that kept defenses honest enough to open up running lanes. Bobo would be well serves to throw a few different looks in the mix to keep opposing coaches guessing.

Final Grade: C+

RUNNING BACKS: I'm not saying I know the answer here because I don't. But what I do know is that Georgia is not utilizing its running game to its potential. Just 92 yards on the ground against Arizona State is testament to that.

First off, if you have a tailback with Richard Samuel's size and strength, and an experienced fullback like Shaun Chapas, why is Fred Munzenmaier getting four short-yardage carries in a game?

Second, if Samuel is averaging less than two yards per carry during the past two games (not counting his lone 80-yard TD when he went down the middle untouched), why is Caleb King still getting just 11 carries in a game in which weather conditions made throwing the ball particularly difficult?

The only answer I can come up with for either question is ball security, and I suppose it's a reasonable concern.

But here's the catch: Georgia has three primary tailbacks, and all of them have fumbled at least once this year. So what do you do? Do you bench them and let Munzenmaier be your primary ball carrier or do you get back on the horse and give them another shot?

Again, I don't know the correct answers, but I do know that the Bulldogs need more consistent productivity from their running game if the offense is going to function at full speed, and right now they're not getting that.

Setting aside Samuel's 80-yarder last week, he has just 52 yards rushing on his last 26 carries -- in other words, two yards per touch.

King, on the other hand, is averaging well over five yards per carry and has looked much better at shedding tacklers and picking up yards when space was at a premium.

Of course, King also fumbled in a crucial situation against Arizona State, and he dropped two open screen passes that could have easily gone for big gains.

Of course, King also has six carries of 10 yards or longer on 22 carries in the past two games. Samuel has one on 27 carries.

It seems pretty obvious at this point that either a.) King is the more dynamic back and deserves more touches, or b.) Samuel is the type of back who needs to get in a routine and needs more touches. Or maybe I'm way off on both.

But here's what Cox had to say: "We definitely didn't run the ball this past game like we wanted to. With the backs we have and especially with our line, we could be a really good running team. We've had flashes of really good plays, it's just a matter of consistency."

Consistency has to start with having a consistent approach, and I'm not sure that's been there for Samuel or King so far. Again, I haven't the foggiest idea what that consistent approach should be, but giving the ball to the fullback in key situations clearly isn't it.

I also mentioned last week that I though Chapas would likely see more action against ASU than he had all season. That turned out to be true, but not by much. Instead it was Munzenmaier who got the majority of the touches at fullback. Munzenmaier had some success -- scoring once and picking up a first down near the goal line on his second carry. But the decision to give him a crucial fourth-and-one carry was inexplicable. Even if you want to make the argument that the risk of a fumble by King or Samuel was too great to give them the ball, then that inherent risk should have been factored into the decision to go for it on fourth down in the first place. In a tie game, Blair Walsh should have been on the field to kick the go-ahead field goal there. Of course, that's more of a coaching issue than a running backs issue.

Final Grade: C

RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: Let's start with the non-A.J. contributors.

Rantavious Wooten took another big step forward, catching two passes -- both for first downs -- and looking really good doing it. His first catch, which he made a nifty move to stay in bounds for -- was particularly impressive, and you can see why coaches praised his skills coming into the season.

Wooten didn't come as highly acclaimed as fellow freshman Marlon Brown, but he did arrive in Athens with two big assets: Polished route-running skills and a ton of speed. He demonstrated both against Arizona State, and the successful results probably mean we'll see a lot more of him in the coming weeks.

Mike Moore didn't do much to follow up on his impressive performance against Arkansas, but he didn't have a lot of opportunities either. Still, as the lone senior in the group, he needs to be more consistent in providing Georgia with a reliable second option opposite Green.

Tavarres King and Aron White combined for three catches and 34 yards, while Orson Charles had just one grab for zero yards.

And yet, Charles might have had the second-biggest impact of any offensive player in the game for Georgia.

Clearly the work Charles had done during the past few weeks made an impact on how Arizona State game planned defensively. While he was limited to just one grab, it was because he garnered a lot more attention than usual, and that impact was felt in two crucial situations.

The first came on a deep pass thrown his way in the first quarter on which ASU's Terell Carr was essentially forced to shove Charles out of the way and take a pass interference flag. That allowed Georgia to convert a third-and-28 and set up the Bulldogs' second touchdown.

But the biggest play of the game for Charles was one on which the ball didn't even come his way. On Georgia's final drive, the Bulldogs faced a third-and-6 from their own 42. The play was a go route, and Cox had two options -- Charles or Green. This was easily the most critical defensive play of the game for Arizona State, and the player they chose to double wasn't the superstar sophomore. It was Charles.

The result was man coverage for Green, and Cox connected with his receiver for a 36-yard gain to set up the winning field goal.

"It's tough for defenses to double (Green) because they know they'll have matchup problems with other guys, and that was probably something that came from how well we threw the ball last week," Cox said.

Of course, Charles work as a decoy was important, but the star of the show was no doubt Mr. Green.

He recorded his second straight 100-yard receiving day and, if the officiating had been a bit better, would have had two touchdowns in the game.

Regardless, here are the stats A.J. is on pace for this season: 80 catches, 1,380 receiving yards and 13 TDs. All would be school records.

I'm not going to relive all the drama that Green provided Saturday. It's all been said and written. But I thought I'd share this quote from White, who recollected the best catch he's ever seen Green make.

"It was probably in preseason practice his freshman year. He ran a post and broke it hard. I think it was Stafford threw it behind him. He jumped, but when he jumped he kind of like stopped all forward momentum and twisted his body backward and caught the ball, completely parallel to the ground behind him with both hands. But then, somehow, he twisted in the air, got his feet back under him, landed and took off running. Everyone was like, wow."

Luckily, I was able to track down some footage of Green making several similar moves...



One other thing: I mentioned in my Sunday post that there were still shots of A.J. getting his foot in bounds on the second TD reception that was ruled incomplete. That elicited a few emails like this one: "I also thought it was a terrible call on A.J.'s catch in the end zone, but that was based only on the TV pictures I saw. Do you have links to the still photos you mentioned that show his right foot down in bounds?"

To answer your question: No, I don't have links. I saw them after the game from photographers. I have no idea where they are though. If anyone comes across a shot, let me know. Of course, A.J. also swears he was in bounds, and at this point, how could you not take his word for it?

UPDATE: Daniel Shirey from the Red & Black sent me THIS, which if you look and see that the tip of Green's foot is hidden behind the grass, provides some good evidence that he made the catch. Either way, it was a heck of an effort.

Final Grade: A (and it's a shame they don't make grades higher than A to give to A.J. He should really get his own symbol -- sort of like Prince.)

OFFENSIVE LINE: I asked Mark Richt why he thought the offensive line wasn't playing up to the standards many of us had for the unit in the preseason, and here's what he said:

"The loss of Trinton (Sturdivant) and Tanner Strickland certainly didn't help us, and we're just now beginning to get Josh Davis back, which will be another piece of the pie. There's been some games they've played beautifully, but this game in particular wasn't one of the best ones of the year. We've just got to get after it and play smart."

After the fourth word of that sentence, I'm fairly certain the rest of the explanation isn't relevant. I'm sure Strickland and Davis are good guys, but their losses haven't set the O line back, and "getting after it" should sort of go without saying, right?

But despite the overall irrelevancy of Richt's statement, there actually is some truth in there.

For one, Sturdivant's loss does hurt more than we probably noticed at first. It has been two years since Georgia has been able to trot out the same starting lineup on the O line for four consecutive games. While consistency was supposed to be the key for this year's unit, Georgia has already employed four different starting lineups in four games. The starting five Georgia spent all preseason working with already looks nothing like the one the Bulldogs are using now.

Mike Bobo warned during the preseason that the O line wasn't going to be quite as impressive as everyone assumed. It seemed at the time like typical coachspeak, tempering expectations despite a lack of evidence for doing so. But it turns out he was right, and the growing pains have played out on the field so far this season.

Saturday's game showed why there were high expectations for the O line but also underscored just how far the group is from achieving those expectations.

First, there are the penalties. A week earlier, Georgia had six false starts and three holding calls against Arkansas. The unit improved dramatically on that this week (just two of each) but back-to-back false starts will likely overshadow any of the overall gains.

But why so many flags from a veteran unit?

"It's something we can easily fixed," right tackle Clint Boling said. "It's just about being more focused. It has nothing to do with not being able to hear or anything, it's just going out and not focusing."

OK, easily fixed. That's good. But raise your hand if you ever expected to hear lack of focus as a rationale for failure from a Stacy Searels-coached unit.

Then there's the blocking.

Against Oklahoma State, the pass blocking was abysmal. It has improved each week since then, and the line -- namely new left tackle Cordy Glenn -- did a nice job against Dexter Davis, who is a legit NFL prospect. Joe Cox wasn't sacked in the game, although Richt said his first INT came as a result of excessive pressure that forced him to get rid of the ball too soon.

The run blocking, however, seems to have gotten worse. In that first game against OSU, Richt said it was simply about finishing blocks -- keeping the defender at bay for an extra half-second. But the line seems to have backslid from there. Yes, there was the 80-yard run by Samuel last week that was all about the big gap opened up by the line. But that's been the exception. Georgia's backs have not had much room to run the past two weeks, and while Caleb King has done a nice job of creating some yards, the short-yardage problems against Arizona State were particularly obvious.

The frustrating part is that there are times when the line shows flashes of the dominance so many expected. It just hasn't been consistent. And perhaps that's a function of the lack of consistency in the lineup (with Justin Anderson probably the least consistent, and Vince Vance not far behind). Vance, by the way, played at left guard Saturday, rotating with Chris Davis.

Boling isn't giving up on the unit yet. While Bobo wanted to temper expectations in the preseason, Boling said there's no reason the fans or the players should think that way.

"We expect that out of ourselves, too, just with the potential that we have the talent that some of these guys have along with the experience," he said. "We all know we can be playing better right now, we've just got to go out and do it."

Final Grade: C

DEFENSIVE LINE: This was easily the best performance Georgia's defensive line has had all season, and it began with the SEC lineman of the week -- Justin Houston.

To give you an idea of how insanely important that is for Georgia: The last time a Bulldogs defensive end was named the SEC's D lineman of the week, it was Charles Johnson, and it came in the same game Joe Cox started against Ole Miss in 2006. That's a long time to go without a dominant performance by a D-end.

In his second game back from suspension, Houston was dominant off the edge. He had four tackles, two for a loss and a sack and helped limit Arizona State to just 88 yards rushing -- including a net loss of four yards on the ground in the fourth quarter. Houston was in the backfield all night, and his performance clearly opened up some lanes for interior lineman Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens, who both had their best games of the season.

In all, Georgia recorded nine tackles for a loss (six from D linemen), which was a particularly impressive feat considering the Dawgs had just 12 in their three previous games.

ASU tailback Dimitri Nance had a lot of early success on the ground, particularly running up the middle, but Georgia put the clamps down in the fourth quarter, essentially halting the Sun Devils' offensive attack, given that quarterback Danny Sullivan was unable to stretch the field with his arm.

Cornelius Washington was noticeably absent from the stat sheet following the game, but Brandon Wood did make a surprise appearance. A week ago, Wood appeared headed for a medical redshirt following offseason shoulder surgery, but coaches decided they needed his help at D end and he was on the field -- although not on the rosters distributed to media -- for the game. He finished with one tackle, playing about 20 snaps.

Arizona State clearly won't be the toughest opponent Georgia's D line faces this season, but it was a good step forward. Houston appears ready to make an impact, and if Atkins and Owens could get a bit more time on the field together, it's fair to assume they will, too. The other defensive end spot remains a mystery, however, and it's a position Georgia needs to find an answer at. If Wood can become a factor or if Washington can continue to step up with Demarcus Dobbs handling a share of the reps as well, this line has the potential to become a strength of the defense.

They're nowhere near that yet, but for the first time in a long time, it at least seems like a possibility.

Final Grade: A-

LINEBACKERS: I've been less than impressed with Georgia's linebackers the past two weeks, but against Arizona State, the unit played well.

Rennie Curran had just six tackles and, for perhaps the first time I can remember, actually missed a tackle badly on a run by Nance in the second quarter. Beyond that, Curran was his usual self, and Arizona State avoided the underneath passes in the middle of the field for much of the game. That was key since Sullivan didn't really have the arm to go deep routinely, leaving the short out routes to the sidelines as the only successful part of the Sun Devils' passing attack.

Darius Dewberry returned from a two-week absence and looked good, making three tackles. Darryl Gamble was solid, if unspectacular. But I think the player who really needs to be talked about is Marcus Dowtin.

As a freshman last season, Dowtin saw minimal action, but he has come on strong this season. He had four tackles in the game, including one for a loss, and had a sack of Sullivan that was overturned by a Georgia flag. He now has 21 tackles on the season -- good for third on the team, despite limited playing time -- and he has yet to be exposed at any point in the passing game.

As Willie Martinez talks about getting more playing time for the younger guys on D, Dowtin needs to be at the top of the list. I like Dewberry, but right now Georgia's best linebacker set is with Curran, Dowtin and Gamble on the field.

Final Grade: B+

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Martinez says redshirt freshman Baccari Rambo needed more playing time, and he was right.

Rambo saw easily the most action of his career against Arizona State, and he responded with a phenomenal four-tackle performance that included Georgia's second interception of the season. Rambo also had a crucial pass breakup on a second-down throw by Sullivan across the middle on Arizona State's final drive following Cox's second INT. That left the Sun Devils in a third-and-long, eventually forcing the field goal attempt that Green blocked. Houston definitely earned defensive MVP honors for this game, but Rambo deserves a close second (and that's not even counting a couple of nice plays on special teams as well).

Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith both shook off shaky performances against Arkansas by playing well. Boykin had five tackles, including one for a loss. Arizona State didn't challenge the Bulldogs downfield often, but when they did, Boykin handled coverage well. Smith saw a nice uptick in his playing time with Vance Cuff out, and he responded strongly. His confidence grows by the game, and it's not unreasonable to think that he might be Georgia's best cornerback by the end of the season.

Reshad Jones added to his big-hit highlight reel during the first half on a pass intended for Jovon Williams -- this time avoiding a flag -- but he was also burned by Kyle Williams on a 30-yard bomb, the longest play of the day for Arizona State.

And finally we have Prince Miller. In coverage, he played OK, but if Ryan Mallett had been throwing those passes again rather than Sullivan, I'm not sure how good Miller's stat line might look. And then there was the botched chance at an INT when Sullivan threw the ball up for grabs, and Miller froze like a deer in headlights as it fell to the ground in front of him. Miller isn't the most talented player in Georgia's secondary, but he is supposed to be the veteran leader, and he needs to make that play.

All in all, however, it was a solid performance by the DBs, who allowed ASU just 116 yards through the air -- or nearly 300 fewer than Arkansas tallied a week earlier.

Final Grade: B+

SPECIAL TEAMS: There were no fireworks in the return game this week, and Drew Butler saw his best-in-the-nation punting average drop a bit, but I think this can be chalked up as one of the finest special teams performances of the season for the Bulldogs -- and maybe one of the finest in a couple of years.

Blair Walsh was excellent on kickoffs, and Arizona State's best starting field position following a kick was its own 33. No return was longer than 18 yards, and Walsh recorded another touchback in the game.

Of course, it was his field goal as time expired that everyone will remember. Walsh booted two kicks in the game, bringing his season total to a perfect 8-for-8 mark. The sophomore is miles ahead of where he was last year in terms of compartmentalizing his roles and keeping an even keel throughout. He's been exceptional.

Then, of course, there's A.J. Green. When asked after the game if he's a regular contributor on special teams, his answer was perfect.

"Nah," he said. "Just when we need it."

I've heard a good number of fans complain about Georgia's lack of heart this season. Quite frankly, I don't get it. I wonder if they're watching the same games I am.

If you want to complain about the Bulldogs' lack of smarts, be my guest. The play calling, the defensive fundamentals, the bad decisions -- those things have cost Georgia this season. But heart? That's been there in spades.

Green's ups to block what would have been a go-ahead field goal showed how much the Bulldogs want to win this year. The same could be said of DeAngelo Tyson's block of a PAT against South Carolina. Those are plays that are nearly automatic for the opposition, and Georgia fought the battle anyway and won. Both plays were the difference between winning and losing.

There are probably a few dozen other examples of plays like that this season -- more than a few coming in Saturday's win -- but I think the work on special teams says it best. Again, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about Georgia this year, but heart clearly isn't one of them. The Bulldogs may not have gone through quite so much adversity a year ago thanks to all the talent they had, but I also have absolutely no doubt they couldn't have overcome so much of it either.

One minor complaint on special teams, however: Um, Mr. Chapas, when your return man is standing four inches behind you, go ahead and let him catch the ball.

Final Grade: A

COACHING: This game really demonstrated some of the best and some of the worst of Georgia's coaching issues. Let's take a look at a few examples:

-- Mike Bobo once again had a nice game plan coming in. Georgia went down the field and scored on its first two possessions. And then? Nothing. It was eerily reminiscent of Oklahoma State, but really, it looked so much like so many other games, too. Think back to last year's game against Arizona State. That should have been a blowout, but remained close through much of the second half. Or last year's game against Tennessee. Or Vanderbilt. Or Auburn. It's frustrating to see a team that clearly can move the ball, but manages to shoot itself in the foot far too often to establish any sort of consistency.

(EDIT: Georgia scored on two of its first three possessions -- the first drive was a three-and-out.)

-- If you look at any of Bobo's play calls in a vacuum, they all seem reasonable. Yes, the toss sweep has long been a successful play for Georgia, but why run it at the 1-yard line? Yes, Munzenmaier has had a lot of success in short yardage situations, but why run it -- for a FOURTH TIME -- in a crucial fourth-and-1 situation?

-- Give Willie Martinez some credit: He played this one exactly how most fans wanted him to. He swapped players in and out, gave a lot of PT to the young guys and he made ASU work for every yard. The flaws in the defense Saturday weren't coaching (and really, there weren't a lot of flaws to begin with). It also goes to show that Willie wasn't just rambling on about nothing when he says that pressure up front is essential. It made all the difference Saturday.

-- And while ASU wasn't the toughest test Willie's boys will face this year, 204 yards of total offense is still a darned impressive number. And once again, the D was at its best when it mattered most. The stop following the final turnover was an illustration of exactly the type of defense fans have been clamoring for. Give credit where it's due.

-- I don't get the fourth-and-1 call at all. First off, I think you have to take the points there, and that's coming from someone who almost always thinks it's a good idea to go for it on fourth-and-short. But you're midway through the fourth quarter in a tie game and your kicker has been spot on all season. Plus, your O line has looked terrible in run blocking up to that point in the game. And on top of all that, what does a first down really get you? I could see going for it from inside the 10. But even if Georgia converts, it hardly guaranteed a touchdown.

What's worse, however, was the play call itself. A play action fake and a toss to Green would probably have gone for six. ASU cheated its linebackers up and it was obvious they were ready for the fullback run. What's even worse than that is that Bobo KNEW they were ready for it. After the ridiculousness of the shoved official and the long delay to get the play off, ASU had plenty of time to read the personnel, recognize the play, talk it over and then regroup in the right formation. All of this time went by, and at no point did Bobo decide to change the play. It was telegraphed from the start.

-- The penalties have got to stop. Much like the turnovers, it will eventually become something that the offense cannot continue to overcome. Like Richt, I don't care about some of the more aggressive penalties, but the false starts, the illegal formations -- that stuff is inexcusable. And since Richt has been saying it's been a focus in practice for going on 12 full months now, you have to ask yourself whether there's a serious flaw in how the coaches are focusing on it.

-- Kudos to John Jancek for insisting that A.J. Green be playing on Georgia's field-goal block unit, and kudos to Richt for backing him up. Fans have clamored to have the best players on the field on special teams, and that's exactly what Georgia did. My guess is people would be ready to run Jancek out of town if Green had twisted an ankle on the play, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, it was a decision made by a coach a month ago that didn't get talked about at the time but turned out to be the difference in the game Saturday.

After four weeks, I'm not sure if Georgia is a really good but flawed team or a really flawed but good team. My instinct is to say it's the former. Some of those flaws have stemmed from some poor choices by the coaching staff, but a good bit of the success has come from the coaches, too. Like virtually every other aspect of Georgia's team, the coaching staff has tons of potential if they'd simply stop shooting themselves in the foot.

I don't always agree with how Georgia's coaches, including Richt, have handled things from Monday through Friday, but at this point, the past three Saturdays have all ended with wins, and the staff deserves a good chunk of the credit for that.

Final Grade: B

So, where did I go wrong? What did I miss? What worried or impressed you about Saturday's win? Are you more or less confident going into the LSU game than you were last week?

Fleeting Thoughts: Arizona State

A few thoughts following Georgia's last-second win over Arizona State…

-- A.J. Green is freaking amazing.

-- If you replaced Green with even an above-average receiver -- say Mohamed Massaquoi -- I think there's a good chance that Georgia is sitting at 0-4 right now.

-- Georgia has 12 turnovers now and has created just three. The fact that the Bulldogs are 3-1 is absolutely stunning.

-- The offense looked bad Saturday, but the conditions were hardly accommodating. I'm not writing the game off and saying Georgia should get a free pass, but it was also far from optimal playing conditions. And Cox is hardly the type of QB who can handle the wet weather.

-- The defense played a strong game, but not a great one. On the plus side, ASU mustered just 204 total yards, which is exceptionally impressive. Georgia essentially shut the door in the fourth quarter, too. But for three quarters Arizona State ran the ball well, and a good quarterback would have converted a number of the throws Danny Sullivan missed.

-- Cox has a lot of strengths, and he's been integral to the 3-1 start, but for someone supposedly as knowledgeable and intellectual as he is, his interceptions so far have been disheartening. At least three of the four were simply bad decisions.

-- Playing Baccari Rambo more = a very good idea. He played an exceptional game.

-- Justin Houston was exactly what we were promised during the offseason. He was a beast off the edge. He had four tackles, two for a loss, and a pass breakup, and he had pressure on Sullivan throughout the second half. Now, let's see if he can keep it up against an SEC opponent.

-- Geno Atkins looked a lot more like a future NFL defensive lineman this week than he has all season.

-- As good as Tavarres King, Aron White and Orson Charles looked last week, none really caught fire this week.

-- Having said that, I spoke to Mike Bobo, and he said the reason Green had man coverage on that big third-down conversion on the final drive was because Orson commanded a double team.

-- What happened to that dominant offensive line? OK, some questionable play calling on the toss sweep to Samuel from the 1 or fourth-and-inches handoff to Fred Munzenmaier. But come on, Georgia's line was supposed to be the foundation of the offense, and it simply hasn't looked anything close to that this season.

-- While the run blocking wasn't what it should have been, kudos to the line for keeping Dexter Davis at bay. Arizona State didn't blitz much, which was probably smart, but they also didn't get a single sack of Joe Cox. It wasn't the biggest challenge the line will see this year, but Davis is the real deal and the line managed to still give Cox time to throw.

-- Blair Walsh deserves a lot of credit. He's 8-for-8 on the season now, and he's handled his job on PATs and field goals like a steely veteran. Regardless of all the controversy on kickoffs -- which really does sound more absurd every time I type it -- he's compartmentalized well and he's delivered every time out.

-- A few folks will knock Mike Bobo for this, but all in all, I didn't think his playcalling was awful. There were a few questionable calls, but save one or two, there was a good rationale behind all of them.

-- In the two non-SEC games this season, the officiating has been downright brutal. What happened on the fourth-and-1 play is inexplicable, and the fact that officials reviewed Green's catch in the end zone and still ruled it incomplete is absurd. There are several still-camera shots of Green making that grab with his foot down.

(EDIT: From an anonymous poster -- "David, love the blog but one small correction...the refs were from the SEC not the Pac-10. By the way, the umpire who got in the way on the 4th down play should look familiar...he was the one who leveled Stephen Garcia near the goal line last year when South Carolina played LSU." My bad. I was thrown off by Richt's "in our league" comments after the game.)

-- Green, by the way, now has 309 receiving yards against Arizona State in the last two seasons. He has to be a bit disappointed they're coming off the schedule next year.

-- Mark Richt talked after the game about what led to Green playing on special teams to make that block of the field goal. Apparently John Jancek insisted Green play, but Tony Ball didn't like the idea. He was worried his top receiver could get hurt too easily and said it wasn't worth it. He was overruled. So, for all the fans who A.) Don't like Jancek, and B.) Complain about how few top players get special teams duty, keep that play in mind.

-- I didn't see a good replay of Caleb King's fumble, so I'm not sure if it was fundamentals, weather conditions or simply a good defensive play that caused it. But if you look beyond that, I don't think there's any question at this point that King is Georgia's best runner. Outside of two carries, Samuel produced nothing against ASU.

-- No, Arizona State hadn't played anyone yet this season, but their D was led the nation in total defense for a reason. It's a good unit, led by Dexter Davis and a very athletic group of linebackers.

-- It should also be noted that this was the fourth straight team that had been gearing up for Georgia for months. Okie State called it the biggest game ever in Stillwater. South Carolina always looks at Georgia as the cornerstone of its season. Arkansas and Arizona State each had scrubs and bye weeks leading up to the game. Georgia may not have looked great, but the Dawgs have taken the best hits from four straight teams and come out 3-1. That's pretty good.

-- Yes, Georgia is 3-1. Yes, they could easily be 0-4. But it really all depends on how you want to look at it. Notre Dame is in a similar situation -- 3-1 without ever really looking all that impressive. But the difference is, I really think that Notre Dame was outplayed in three games this year. As much as Georgia may have not looked great in their three wins, I think anyone watching the game has to admit the Dawgs were the better team each time. If Georgia stops trying to beat itself, there is an awful lot of potential there.

Live Blog: Georgia vs. Arizona State

UPDATE Pregame, 6:20 p.m.

-- It is absolutely pouring, and has been for a while. The sidelines are looking particularly sloppy but the field doesn't seem to have any large puddles. The student section is crowded, but the rest of the stadium is empty right now. Word is if the players are out on the field by 6:25 for warmups, we should be starting on time.

UPDATE Pregame, 6:30 p.m.

-- We're supposed to be a half-hour from kickoff right now, but it looks like we'll be delayed by a bit. If the rain delay lasts any significant amount of time, the live blog will switch over to our regularly scheduled programming, which I believe will be "Sanford and Son" reruns.

-- Discussion: does this weather help ASU or Georgia more? You have to think Arizona hasn't seen this much rain combined in the past five years, but at the same time, a low-scoring game has to help ASU's chances.

-- Question: What are the odds ESPN paid for Florida's extra flight to Lexington in order to facilitate the "Tim Tebow overcomes the flu and leads the Gators to a big win over Kentucky" story? Of course, I don't understand if he is really sick, why doesn't he just heal himself?

-- Just in case you're wondering, if there's lightning, the game must be delayed a minimum of a half-hour from the last sighting.

UPDATE Pregame, 6:35 p.m.

-- Players have just come out onto the field for warmups. I'm guessing we'll start a little late, but we'll be starting for sure at this point.

-- One other note, despite Richt saying he might be available in an emergency, Vance Cuff is not dressed. Akeem Dent is also inactive.

UPDATE Pregame, 6:45 p.m.

-- This marks the earliest point in any game Stacy Searels has soaked through his sweatshirt.

-- You can see the water spraying up from the field as the players run some short sprints, but they seem to be able to stop and start without much problem so far.

-- Darius Dewberry is listed as the starting Sam LB for the game, with Darryl Gamble at Mike.

-- I have seen a few balls zip through players hands already during warmups.

-- The long snaps have been handled well during warmups, and Blair has connected on every kick from about 45 yards out.

-- Didn't see what happened, but trainers are looking at Demarcus Dobbs' left wrist right now. Doesn't appear too serious, but they have been working on him for a while.

UPDATE, FIRST QUARTER 9:31 remaining:

-- This is probably the most empty I've seen Sanford as the teams take the field, but we're actually starting (almost) on time, so I'm thrilled. Once again, deadline issues for Dave, so we'll keep up with the live blog for as long as we can, then call it a night and have notes posted afterward.

-- My picks this week were awful yet again, but kudos to me for not buying Cal or Miami. I can tell an overrated team when I see one.

-- That Sun Devil mascot costume is probably going to be awfully moldy by the time they get back to Tempe.

-- Georgia set to receive, Boykin deep... and here we go...

-- I owe Marc Weiszer a dollar now... I really thought Caleb would get the start. Instead Samuel takes the opening handoff for 2 yards.

-- Brandon McGee absolutely leveled Joe Cox on a third-and-5, and his pass for Branden Smith was nowhere close. Three-and-out for the Dawgs.

-- ASU QB Danny Sullivan is built like a righthanded Jared Lorenzen. His first pass should have been a completion, but the reciever lost his footing and his handle on the ball.

-- Nance picks up 9 yards on ASU's first run of the game. That was a wide open lane up the middle.

-- And a flag on Jeff Owens for offsides gives ASU a first down. Over-under on flags for UGA today? I say 11.

-- Nance finds another big hole, picking up a first down near midfield. So far, ASU has been able to run but not throw. Bizzaro Georgia D.

-- Georgia going with a three-man rush with only Tyson in at DT on third-and-11 and Sullivan simply gets rid of the ball. Fun side note, this is the first time ASU has ever played in an SEC stadium.

-- Tackle on that punt was by Keelan Johnson. Been a few years since a Keelan Johnson has made a tackle at Sanford Stadium.

UPDATE: First quarter, 3:23 remaining:

-- Samuel in for the second straight drive, and he still hasn't gotten much. Brings up a third-and-10 for the Dawgs.

-- Big catch by Shaun Chapas for a first down. Pretty sure in my "Grading the Game" post this week, I predicted a big day for Chapas.

-- Cox's pass for Moore was nowhere close on third-and-8, but a flag flies in from the other side of the field for a defensive hold to give UGA a first down.

-- Samuel: 5 carries for 5 yards so far, with a long of 2.

-- Cox hits Green deep down the near sideline. Green does a nice stop-and-go at the 11 to juke the one defender in his way, then waltzes into the end zone for the Bulldogs' first score. What are the odds he ends up with 150 yards in the first half again this year? That one went for 56. Georgia 7, Arizona State 0 (6-79-2:46)

-- The UGA softball team was honored at the 20-yard-line. They were mostly decked out in some lovely dresses that were probably not looking quite so lovely by the time they walked off the field. I also enjoyed the number of women rocking the black high heels and yellow ponchos look. Aren't those Tech colors, ladies?

-- Sullivan hits Kyle Williams for a 30-yard gain past Reshad Jones. Hmm... where have we seen this before. Something tells me someone didn't execute. Bottom line.

-- Brandon Wood won't be redshirting this year. He's in the game right now. That's his first action this season. How unexpected was this? He's not even listed on Georgia's roster for the game.

-- Baccari Rambo falls down on third-and-10, but the pass is still out of reach for the ASU receiver in the end zone. Bobby Wenzig, the true freshman walk-on kicker, comes on and connects on a 43-yard field goal. Georgia 7, Arizona State 3 (8-40-3:13).

UPDATE, END OF FIRST QUARTER

-- Something tells me the Dawgs are better off with the kickoff in Boykin's hands than Chapas. Someone might want to remind Shaun of that.

-- Cox hits White for a 16-yard gain to midfield, then goes to Green who picks up about 14 after the catch for another 15-yard reception. Green is now 79 yards short of matching last year's first-half total.

-- Caleb King in the game now. Cox looks his way as he rolls out of the pocket to avoid pressure, but the pass goes out of bounds.

-- Nice block by OchoDos helps Tavarres King pick up seven on second down. I'm going on record as saying Mike Moore is the most underrated player on this team. And to have time to go out and make liberal documentaries on top of it? Well, I just don't know how he does it.

-- Arizona State's defense of Orson Charles? Just push him down. Pass interference flag sets UGA up with a first down at the 12.

-- Caleb King sheds three tackles around right end and down to the 2. He lowered his shoulder at the end of that run, and you could tell how much he wanted the end zone. First and goal at the 2.

-- Fred Munzenmaier -- three career carries, three career touchdowns. The dream lives! And if I'm not mistaken, his TD last year also came against ASU. Georgia 14, Arizona State 3 (6-66-2:25).

-- Georgia finally gets to Nance in the backfield. Geno Atkins brings him down for a two-yard loss at the 26, which will do it for the first quarter.

UPDATE, Second quarter 8:10 remaining:

-- The difference so far: Georgia 5-of-8 passing for 108 yards. ASU 2-of-7 for 33 yards.

-- Boykin leaps into about the sixth row to tip Sullivan's pass out of bounds on third-and-4. Man that kid is impressive. Georgia gets the ball back at the 20.

-- That Branden Smith end-around has gained a total of about 5 yards total this season with the exception of that 61-yarder. But I guess you gotta keep going to it. Anyway, a holding flag on that play pushes Georgia back to the 9.

-- A screen pass to Caleb on third-and-18 falls incomplete, and Drew Butler will come on to try to up his average.

-- Actually it's a 54-yarder, which is right at his average.

-- ASU is actually running the ball pretty well in this game. Nance has 52 yards on 10 carries.

-- Wow, Prince Miller. Got to make that pick. He looked a little like he didn't want to get his uniform dirty and let the ball bounce in front of him.

-- Some good news for UGA fans: Kentucky held Florida scoreless in the second quarter. Of course, the Gators still lead 31-7. Oh, and those scrappy Tennessee Volunteers who really showed they were closing in on championship caliber by losing last week, is now tied at home with Ohio. Hooray for moral victories!

-- Prince Miller nearly bobbles away another turnover on a punt, but corrals the ball just before being buried at the 22.

UPDATE, End of Second Quarter

-- Richard Samuel back in the game and picks up 8 yards on a first-down carry. A false start moves the Dawgs back 5, however. That's flag No. 3 of the half for Georgia.

-- Whoops... make that No. 5. Another false start moves Georgia back another 5, setting up a second-and-12. I think some rain got into the speaker system though. The ref announcements come out sounding like Charlie Brown's teachers.

-- Rantavious Wooten with a beautiful grab falling out of bounds. That was A.J. Green-like. It picks up 27 yards and a first down. That was impressive.

-- Wooten gets a handoff and goes to midfield. The chant from the crowd? Woooooooot! I love it.

-- Wait, wait... I was supposed to do this... "Wooten the ball carrier! Wooten around end! Wooten!"

-- This game has really fallen into a bit of a lull. Georgia has a nice lead on the scoreboard, but outside of a couple nice plays by A.J. Green, it really hasn't felt like they've played better than Arizona State. Meanwhile, Dimitri Nance continues to run pretty successfully against the Dawgs' front seven.

-- Another nice hit by Reshad Jones dislodges a pass from Jovon Williams. In a delightful change of pace, no flag comes in following the hit.

-- Georgia nearly had Sullivan behind the line of scrimmage, but he hits Nance who jukes Rennie out of his shoes and moves the chains all the way up to the ASU 47. You won't see Rennie look that bad very often.

-- This time they get to Sullivan. Marcus Dowtin has the sack, but there's a flag. And the call is a defensive hold agains the Dawgs. Boy, this game has all the makings of an ugly ending. ASU keeps hanging around, running the ball well, and Georgia just doesn't seem to want to make that big play to crush their spirits.

-- Baccari Rambo picks off a pass from Sullivan for his first career interception. Cornelius Washington had a ton of pressure on Sullivan to force the errant pass. There's a perfect example of why those two guys need to be playing a lot more often.

-- If Georgia can pick up points on this drive, that's a great sign. If they don't, you have to think this first half was a lot less than it could have been.

-- And on that note, King is wrapped up in the backfield on third-and-1 and Butler will come on to punt.

-- Ty Frix's snap wasn't on point, and the punt wasn't great from Butler. The result is a first-and-10 for ASU at their own 45. So that INT amounted to about a minute-and-a-half off the play clock and backed ASU up by 10 yards.

-- Justin Houston records his first sack of the season, absolutely blazing his way through the line and dropping Sullivan. Center Thomas Altieri had to be helped off the field afterward for Arizona State.

-- Jeff Owens stands Nance up in the backfield and that'll do it for the half. Georgia 14, Arizona State 3. I gotta go do some writing, and we'll be back for the third quarter.

UPDATE: Halftime

-- The band played from the stands so as to not mess up the field any more than it already is, but it appears it has actually stopped raining. We'll see if that makes any difference for the offenses here as we get set to kick off the second half.

-- Some interesting halftime numbers: ASU actually has 10 first downs to Georgia's 8, and the total yards aren't vastly different -- 168-128 in favor of the Dawgs. Penalties for Georgia so far: six for 45 yards. ASU has four for 41. ASU is just 1-of-5 on third down. They've outgained Georgia on the ground 59-36, but the Bulldogs are dominating through the air, 132 yards to 69. ASU has held the ball for an extra 4:30 so far, and gets the ball to start the half.

UPDATE, Third quarter, 6:39 remaining:

-- Sullivan hits Kyle Williams as Georgia brought the blitz on third-and-5 for a gain of 9. Two plays later, Nance runs up the middle for a 22-yard gain. Nance is up to 93 yards rushing in this game, and Georgia has been dismal up the middle. The pressure comes from the edge -- and Justin Houston is playing well -- but there's no push up the middle and Nance has been running between the tackles all night.

-- Georgia rushed three on third-and-8, and just as I criticize the DTs, Atkins gets the pressure to disrupt Sullivan's pass, which falls incomplete. ASU forced to punt.

-- Uga VII is hiding behind french fries... I think it's going to be No. 3... Woo! Woo! Woo! Man, I'm good at this game.

-- Caleb King with another nice run, this one picking up 13 yards.

-- Syracuse is losing to Maine. Seriously. America East football baby!

-- King gets another run and coughs up the football. Arizona State recovers. Well, I guess that at least means fewer complaints about Richard Samuel, right? Arizona State takes over at the UGA 37. Georgia turnover ratio now: 10 giveaways, 3 takeaways.

-- Nance picks up 8 on first down to put him over 100 yards for the day.

-- Dowtin continues his strong game, wrapping up Nance in the backfield on second down.

-- So all three of Georgia's tailbacks -- Samuel, King and Thomas -- have a fumble so far this season. You'd love to establish the run more, particularly in a game like this, but man it has to be a hold-your-breath moment every time one of those guys touches the ball.

-- Bryan Evans saves a touchdown as Sullivan hits Nance, who darts down the sideline to set up a first-and-goal at the 9. Nance has 140 total yards already. I'm really not sure if Georgia's D is playing any better this week or if Arizona State just isn't nearly as good as Arkansas, but either way, I definitely expected better results for the Dawgs.

-- ASU has a third-and-goal from the six. Sullivan telegraphs a pass to Nance out in the flat with absolutely no one around him. He dives ahead into the end zone for the score. Georgia 14, Arizona State 10. (8-37-3:57)

-- Well, at least Richt and Willie can say this TD also came following a turnover in Georgia territory. Just gotta execute better.

UPDATE: End of third quarter.

-- As a tip o' the cap to "Flash Forward," I think if everyone in the stadium were to suddenly black out and get a glimpse of their future, it would look an awful lot like last year's Auburn game in which Georgia sweats out a last-second drive by a clearly inferior offensive team in a game they should have put away a long time ago. And by the way, I thought "Flash Forward" was OK, but I was hardly blown away by it. A little too "Lost"-like, particularly the opening scene.

-- Aside from Samuel's 8-yard run, he's picked up just 7 yards on 6 carries tonight.

-- Well, this has officially gotten ugly. Cox tosses up a duck, which is picked off by Jarrell Holman, who jukes all 11 guys the Bulldogs have on the field and walks into the end zone on a 47-yard return. That's Cox's second pick-six of the season, and the boos are starting to come from the fans. Arizona State 17, Georgia 14.

-- Georgia's turnover ratio now: 11 giveaways, 3 takeaways. When Mark Richt said that's not sustainable, this is exactly what he meant.

-- Hey, Arizona State kicks off out of bounds. I'm guessing their special teams coach likes the challenge.

-- Opponents have now scored 50 points off Georgia's 11 turnovers, including 10 tonight. That doesn't include the safety. That alone accounts for 42 percent of the scoring Georgia has allowed.

-- A.J. Green finds a hole in the zone and picks up 19 yards. Once again, Green is the go-to guy in a situation in which Georgia needs a big play.

-- Caleb King gets back to work with a 16-yard run. His fumble aside, he needs to be Georgia's primary ball carrier. In the past two games, Samuel has carries of 80 and 8 and has averaged just 1.5 yards per carry on 23 runs. Meanwhile, King is averaging six yards a carry.

-- Logan Gray in on second down for Georgia. He goes nowhere, but ASU is flagged for offsides.

-- And the dream is dead -- Munzenmaier picks up a first down but gets just inside the 1. He gets it again one play later, and again he doesn't get in. So much for perfection, Fred.

-- Toss sweep to Samuel loses five yards. That play was broken from the beginning. I think my grandmother saw that coming. We'll start the fourth quarter with a third-and-goal from the 5.

FOURTH QUARTER

-- Wow, just read Tebow was taken to the hospital after a hit to the head in the second half of Florida's game against Kentucky.

-- Wasted opportunity that close to the end zone. Blair Walsh again hits a field goal, keeping him perfect for the season to tie the score at 17.

-- The defense turned up the juice, absolutely demolishing the ASU offense deep in its own territory. After a slow start, Geno Atkins has put together a nice game, and he's been in Sullivan's face often in the second half.

-- Wow... that was a booming punt by Arizona State's Trevor Hankins at an absolutely crucial time. It goes 64 yards, but Prince Miller fields the kick and returns it to the Georgia 48. Crucial drive here for Cox & Co. At least they only have to go 2 yards to avoid a turnover in their own territory.

-- A.J. and TK are really leading the on-field dancing this year. Knowshon would be proud. Meanwhile the entire secondary is doing their own moves on the bench. Justin Houston's dancing could use some work. He looks like me after nine Jack-and-Cokes when I'm only on the dance floor to make my girlfriend happy.

-- Cox had Green open but the pass was defended by Holman. A late flag flies in, however, and ASU gets called for pass interference. That's a big one. Georgia sets up with a first down at the ASU 37.

-- Another holding call on Georgia on what would have been a decent gain by Caleb King. The flags are absolutely ridiculous at this point. That's eight in the game, and sets up a second-and-22.

-- Cox zooms a pass through the hands of Vontaze Burfict and into the chest of A.J. Green who gains 19. Third-and-2. Green goes over 100 yards for the second straight game -- the first time he's done that in his career.

-- King runs and comes up just a few inches short of the first down, but the Dawgs are going for it. Gutsy call if they follow through with it, as ASU calls a time out.

-- Burfict comes up and throws the referee into the offensive line. A flag was thrown, but apparently the refs didn't think it warranted an actually penalty. Or maybe there's nothing in the rule book about throwing a ref. Either way, UGA is going for it on fourth-and-inches.

-- Munzenmaier got the carry and was stopped short. I just don't know what to say. What happened to Georgia's dominant offensive line? ASU takes over with the game still tied at 17. I gotta run and write my gamer. I'll have notes postgame.

Behind Enemy Lines: Arizona State

Georgia is just two days away from taking on the Arizona State Sun Devils in Sanford Stadium, and since Dawgs fans don't get to see too much of the Pac-10 foe, I figured we'd better get some firsthand info from someone who knows the team inside and out. So, I traded some emails with Arizona Republic beat writer Jeff Metcalfe, who was kind enough to share his insight on this week's game...

David Hale: In two games since the Rudy Carpenter era, Arizona State's offense has looked pretty impressive. The opposition, however, was hardly top-notch. So... what do we really know about Danny Sullivan and how good is the Sun Devils' offense really?

Jeff Metcalfe: Sullivan, a first-year starter as a senior, is proving to be a capable game manager, which is what is being asked of him. He has no interceptions in two games and is throwing the ball away when necessary to help a still young/developing offensive line. He is not mobile but playing mostly out of the shotgun in ASU's new spread offense is limiting his negative plays. In the big picture, much still needs to be learned about the offense, but there seems little doubt that it's improved from a year ago.

DH: Georgia was burned badly by the deep ball against Arkansas a week ago. Has Dennis Erickson been drooling over the film, and what are the odds the Sun Devils try to air it out early and often this week?

JM: ASU's offense is designed to get the ball into the hands of playmakers underneath and on slants more than to stretch the field. I don't expect that to change against Georgia. It makes the most sense for ASU to play ball control/field possession, rely on its defense and not get into a shootout, which it almost certainly would lose.

DH: The offensive line has been an ongoing problem for ASU for a couple of years, and now two of the starters are battling injuries. What is the status of Zach Schlink and Garth Gerhart for this game, and how do you think the line might fare against Georgia's big defensive tackles?

JM: Gerhart (turf toe) is expected to play against Georgia but probably will continue as the backup center to Thomas Altieri. Schlink remains out due to his latest knee surgery. The left side of ASU's line -- tackle Shawn Lauvao and guard Jon Hargis -- is the strength although out of the spread the tailbacks seems to be finding a variety of holes. It will be a major challenge to step up to the likes of Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens and could require ASU to play some double tight end, which it really doesn't want to do.

DH: Most people know Dexter Davis at this point, but who are a few of the other playmakers to watch on Arizona State's defense? The Sun Devils kept the game relatively low scoring a year ago. Do you think they can do the same this season against Georgia's apparently explosive offense?

JM: ASU probably has its best defense since the Pat Tillman era (1996-97). DT Lawrence Guy was a Freshman All-America; the linebacker corps is talented and deep with seniors Mike Nixon, Gerald Munns and Travis Goethel backed by Brandon Magee, Shelly Lyons and Vontaze Burfict, the latter trio from Corona (Calif.) Centennial High School. Burfict is the highest rated recruit ever to sign with ASU (No. 9 overall, Rivals). Nixon led the Pac-10 in interceptions last year and is No. 2 nationally this season. With improved speed, ASU is able to blitz more and play more nickel coverage. The secondary is the most vulnerable area, clearly a concern against Joe Cox, and ASU must keep pressure up front to help the back.

DH: Arkansas' DBs talked a little smack about A.J. Green before last week's game, and he responded with a 137-yard, two-touchdown performance. Any bulletin board material coming out of Tempe? Who gets the task of trying to stop Green this week, and how's he planning to do it?

JM: I don't know of anything flames coming from ASU, and most players know they have no room to talk even if so inclined. Last year was humbling, and they were very focused on not tripping up last week against Louisiana-Monroe like they did last year against UNLV before Georgia. No one here is fooling themselves into believing they proved much of anything in the first two games other than taking care of immediate business. ASU will try to play zone coverage in the secondary and stay out of man as much as possible. Omar Bolden is the most experienced corner and had an interception on the 1-yard line last week to stop a likely score. The safeties are new although the starters are seniors and untested at this level.

DH: Arizona State's All-America kicker missed last week's game. What are the odds he's back in time for the game against Georgia, and what do we know about the walk-on who might take his place?

JM: After a MRI, Thomas Weber is out for five or six games with a groin injury. That's a monster loss since he scored a school record 20 points including five field goals in the season opener. True freshman Bobby Wenzig made a short field goal and five extra points against Monroe but was short on kickoffs. He has 47-yard range. Nixon, who kicked in high school, could be called on for kickoffs against Georgia. Losing Weber for half a season is a major blow to a team that relies on its defensive/kicking game.

Big thanks to Jeff for his help. You can read his work at the Arizona Republic HERE or check out his blog HERE for all the latest news.

Tuesday Tidbits: Week 4

A few nuggets from today's early afternoon media session…

-- First off, two administrative things: Mark Richt apologized for hitting the Dawg Walk too early in the team's first home game. This week the Dawg Walk will be at 5 p.m. and Richt promises the team will not be there before then this time. Secondly, Richt followed up on the trash along North Campus. "When we have these home games, it's one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, and we want to keep it that way," Richt said. "I'm encouraging all the fans to put the trash where it belongs because we don't want it to look like the city dump after a ballgame."

-- A few notes of interest from the game notes: First, Arizona State is 0-4 all time against the SEC. Second, Marcus Dowtin is listed as the No. 1 middle linebacker this week. I spoke with Rennie Curran, who said the team missed Akeem Dent against Arkansas, but said he was hopeful Dent would be ready to play in time for this week's game against Arizona State.

-- Richt raved about A.J. Green, and Joe Cox said the Arkansas game was the starting point for the offense in having other guys start to take the pressure off A.J. Remember, Green had his best game last year against Arizona State.

-- Richt said both Caleb King and Richard Samuel would play this week, but he said he didn't know who would start. He said the coaches were extremely disappointed that Samuel fumbled twice and that Samuel is in danger of losing playing time because of it.

-- Richt also said that Vance Cuff would not practice today, but said he was optimistic that the cornerback could return in time for Saturday's game.

-- Willie Martinez and the other coaches haven't been paying much attention to the extensive criticism this week, Richt said. "I think people don't understand how busy we are," Richt said. "We're working our tails off -- somewhere around 80 hours a week. We're going, looking at the next opponent, looking at the next game and trying to correct mistakes. We're moving forward constantly, and we don't get too caught up in those kinds of things."

-- As expected, Richt mostly dodged questions about the defensive problems, mentioning a.) turnovers hurt, b.) penalties hurt, c.) both of the poor defensive games ended with wins, while the poor offensive game ended with a loss.

-- Joe Cox on A.J. Green: "He could end up being one of the best players to ever play here."

-- Cox on how much he fed off the criticism from fans and media: "Anybody who's a competitor, if you have people saying you're not good, you want to play good. That's something I say to myself before every game is that these people don't think I'm any good. It's been driving our offense, too, since Week 1. Everybody says we have a terrible offense, we don't have Knowshon and Matthew, it's the end of the world, we're not going to be able to score any points for the rest of the season. Obviously, we want to prove people wrong."

-- One last thing: I noted in my blog about the defense yesterday that I thought there was a distinct correlation between the success against the run and the lack of pressure and propensity toward giving up big plays. I asked Demarcus Dobbs and Rennie Curran about that today, and they agreed. Dobbs said Georgia's defensive line has been bad at getting off their blocks on passing plays because they were expecting run, and said the defense has been killed by play action. Rennie said it comes down to needing more film study and being better at reading pass formations, while Dobbs said the linemen have to improve on reading the blocks of the offensive line.

Early Look at Arizona State

On Thursday, we'll have a full "Behind Enemy Lines" segment with Arizona State beat writer Jeff Metcalfe, but that doesn't mean you have to wait until then to get the lowdown on the Sun Devils.

First off, a few tidbits Jeff emailed me yesterday:

-- ASU has sold its entire 6,500 ticket allotment. Since we've had nothing but rain, I'm guessing you'd be safe to assume anyone with a tan this weekend is an Arizona State fan.

-- The Sun Devils are flying to Atlanta right after practice on Thursday and working out at the Falcons' practice facilities on Friday.

-- Injury news: Backup WR Brandon Smith is out for the season, along with freshman corner Osahon Irabor. Guard Zach Schlink will miss Saturday's game, but center Garth Gerhart (turf toe) and linebacker Oliver Aaron (elbow) both could play. Defensive end James Brooks is serving the final game of a three-game suspension this week as well.

-- One other potentially key bit of injury news for ASU: All-America kicker Thomas Weber did not play last week and could miss this game, too. Bobby Wenzig, a true freshman walk-on, would be the backup if Weber cannot go.

-- Only seven Arizona State players have ever played in a non-conference road game. Jeff says by his count, there are only 17 on the roster for this week who have played a road game, period.

Of course, you probably have lots more questions about the Sun Devils, and Jeff has answers. He's hosting a live chat at AZCentral.com at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (which is 2:30 our time) and you can get the lowdown from him then. Be sure to check it out.

Two-A-Days: Arizona State

Over the past few weeks, I've traded emails with beat writers for each SEC team, along with Georgia's three other BCS-conference opponents to get some insider insight into what fans can expect from UGA's competition in 2009.

Each day, we'll preview two teams, culminating with a big-picture look at the SEC and a deeper look at the biggest issues facing your Georgia Bulldogs. To submit a question for the Georgia entry in Two-A-Days, send me an email with the subject line "Two-A-Days" and I'll do my best to find you an answer.

The fourth entry in the series is the Arizona State Sun Devils.

ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
Head coach: Dennis Erickson (third season)
2008 Record: 5-7 (4-5 Pac-10)
Total Offense: 309.42 ypg (7th in the Pac-10, 100th overall)
Total Defense: 335.17 ypg (5th in the Pac-10, 44th overall)
On the docket: Arizona State opens the season Sept. 5 against Idaho State and travels to Athens to play Georgia on Sept. 26.

Arizona State opened the 2008 season as a a top-15 team and an intriguing non-conference opponent for Georgia. As it turned out, the Sun Devils proved not to be much competition for the Bulldogs and ended up in the bottom half of the Pac-10 standings. Now, Dennis Erickson will be starting from scratch offensively and leading his troops to Athens in 2009. So can the Sun Devils rebound from a bad showing last season? I talked with Arizona Republic beat writer Jeff Metcalfe to find out.

David Hale: Rudy Carpenter was a stalwart on offense for Arizona State for the better part of the past four seasons, but he's gone now and ASU is looking for his replacement. Who impressed this spring, and who is most likely to actually land the job this fall? Does the loss of Jack Elway actually affect that mix much?

Jeff Metcalfe: Senior Danny Sullivan, a three-year backup to Carpenter, was No. 1 going into spring practice and remains atop the depth chart. Sophomore Samson Szakacsy is very fast and mobile and seemingly perfect for running ASU’s new read option offense, but his arm strength still is less than what it should be because of elbow surgery in November 2007. 6-8 true freshman Brock Osweiler is graduated early from high school to get a jump on his college career and could be the future, but it’s unlikely that he can get to No. 1 this year. He is not out of place, though, even being fresh out of Kalispell, Mont. Barring injuries, losing Elway is not a factor since he was unlikely to end up first or second on the depth chart.

DH: Arizona State's offensive line has ranged between bad and dismal the past few seasons. The unit will have an even bigger challenge this year without Carpenter's experience under center. How has the O line looked during the spring, and what are the chances that the Sun Devils can piece together a solid unit in 2009?

JM: The offensive line remains a work in progress. Dennis Erickson’s staff has signed 13 O-linemen in its first three recruiting classes (2007-09). Only one has washed out, but none has developed enough to make a major impact with injuries to three slowing the progress. Three in the 2009 class aren’t even on campus yet. Bottom line, they like the left side of the line – tackle Shawn Lauvao and guard Jon Hargis – and think that sophomore Garth Gerhart will be a decent starting center. The right side still must prove itself. The new zone blocking, at least in the spring, seems to be a positive.

DH: As if those first two weren't concern enough on offense, there aren't exactly a lot of other established playmakers on offense either. Has anyone stepped up in the spring and looked like they could provide a spark? There were rumblings, too, that there might be some elements of the spread installed this season. Have there been any significant changes in the offensive approach since the Sun Devils will almost be starting from scratch with personnel?

JM: The offense is having trouble making big plays in the spring, but that’s also a credit to a defense beginning to look as dominant as the one Erickson had at Oregon State in 2000 (11-1, Fiesta Bowl champion). There are playmaker candidates at tailback – Dimitri Nance, Shaun DeWitty, Ryan Bass, James Morrison, incoming freshman Cameron Marshall – and wide receiver – Chris McGaha, Kyle Williams, Kerry Taylor, Gerell Robinson -- but they have a lot to prove especially with a new quarterback and the O-line issues. Tight end has not been a strength since Zach Miller left early for the NFL after the 2006 season and remains a question mark. The extent of the spread that ASU uses could depend on who wins out at quarterback since Sullivan has nowhere near the mobility of Szakacsy.

DH: As much trouble as ASU has had protecting its quarterback, Dexter Davis has had nearly as much success getting to the other team's QB. He can't do it alone though. Has anyone looked like a solid compliment to Davis this spring, and could that pass rush help Arizona State stay in some games early while Dennis Erickson gets his QB situation figured out?

JM: There are rumblings that ASU’s defensive line and front seven in general are approaching the level of the 1986 and ’96 Pac-10 championship teams that played in the Rose Bowl. That’s probably wishful thinking, but there is a lot more than Davis (25.5 sacks in the last two seasons) including Freshman All-America DT Lawrence Guy, D-ends James Brooks, Dean DeLeone (a junior college transfer) and Jamarr Jarrett and D-tackles Saia Falahola, Otis Jones and incoming freshman Corey Adams. ASU also is fast enough and has enough linebacker depth to blitz more from that level with the likes of Shelly Lyons and Brandon Magee. Incoming middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict, the highest rated recruit ever to sign with ASU, could make an immediate impact although there already is depth at that position. Cornerback is deeper and better than in recent memory. It’s quite conceivable that ASU opponents could average less than 20 points per game, which would take pressure off the offense especially early in the season.

DH: After seeing the team this spring, what jumped out at you in a positive way, and what would you say are the biggest questions ASU still needs to answer before the season begins?

JM: The development of the offensive line and ability of Sullivan, if he locks down the starting quarterback job, to manage games and make plays when necessary are the biggest questions. The defense is a huge positive and perhaps what will keep Erickson from suffering the first back-to-back losing seasons of his college head coaching career.

* Jeff Metcalfe is a reporter for the Arizona Republic and has been covering Arizona State sports since 1985. You can find his ASU coverage online HERE or check out his Sun Devils blog HERE. He's also got a great spring wrap up HERE and chatted with readers about ASU football HERE.

Next up: The Mobile Press-Register's Gentry Estes discusses Alabama.