UGa Preview

The Kentucky Wildcats, they are who we thought they were. As I said at the end of last year and in the preseason this year, this team was going to be slightly better on offense, slightly worse on defense, and was overall going to look a lot like the 2008 team. I think that all of that has largely come true. Especially the part about the 2008 and 2009 teams being similar.

At this point in the season, neither team underachieved, but both had chances to win games that they just couldn't come down with. The biggest bummer for year's team was a 42-38 home loss to Georgia where we did everything but win the game. It took a Montana to Clark'esque touchdown on fourth down by Georgia, followed by a defensive lineman intercepting a Cobb pass with one hand. The loss dropped us to 6-4 and set the stage for the disappointing poopfest that was the Vandy game the following week.

This year, thankfully, the Cats got to Vandy before Georgia and got their sixth win. (Of course the poopfest came two weeks earlier against Mississippi State). Now we can focus on the final two games of the year with little pressure. Lose, and you had the season most people were expecting. Win, and given all the injuries to key players, you've had a pretty good year and will head to a bowl people can be happy about.

Hope springs eternal as it relates to the Georgia game. A.J. Green, the Bulldogs all everything wideout, will miss the contest. And, as John Clay and I have both pointed out this week, the Cats seem to play better football on the road. Clearly, Georgia's defense had trouble with Randall Cobb last year, and we nearly beat them without Derrick Locke and really no passing game to speak of.

Of course, as the week has rolled on, we got sobering news that Cobb was questionable due to a shoulder injury. Today, Brooks announced that Cobb was a game time decision. Cobb's injury will make it hard for Georgia to prepare a game plan. It will also make it hard for Kentucky, though my guess is Brooks knows more than he is saying.

The Cobb injury should make it difficult to write a game preview. But it really doesn't. If Randall doesn't play, the preview is simple. The Cats have literally no chance to win between the hedges without him. We will have to run Locke 20 times, Newton will have to complete passes to receivers besides Larod King, and the defense would have to hold Washaun Ealey and Co. literally in check for probably 40 minutes on the field. It is just too much to ask of a team that is already giving up a sizable talent advantage. Yes, this isn't your father's Georgia team, but they still own wins over South Carolina, Arizona, Arkansas and Auburn and have played exactly one bad game (45-19 road loss to UT) all year.

With Cobb healthy, it becomes manageable. Take away Green, and only one Georgia receiver has caught more than 16 balls. Ealey has come on of late (when he wasn't getting his eye poked out), but Georgia has no superstar back. The Bulldogs have been up and down on defense as well. With Cobb in there, the keys become:

1. The Defense must play like it did at Auburn or in the second half against Vandy. If we start playing ole' or giving up 10 yards at a time, this team has no chance.
2. Newton must make some plays with both his arm and his feet to take some of the pressure off of Cobb and Locke. This includes spreading around the ball on offense to Cobb and Matthews, not just relying on King as a security blanket.
3. A TE must step up and make a play or two in a big situation.
4. Special teams. We've kept our finger in the dyke the last few weeks. If this old issue rears its ugly head, we are cooked.
5. Special players. All this aside, we can win this game if Cobb and/or Locke will us to it. This is why I think Cobb's participation is crucial. A take it to the house pick from forgotten pre-season All-American Trevard Lindley would be nice as well.

We are who we thought we were, but that doesn't mean that for three hours we cannot be a little more. Its on. See you Saturday.