re: Who wins the Georgia vs LSU game in Athens on September 28 ?

Well, actually we saw glimpses last year. Gurley will be older and stronger. Marshall was hampered by hamstring problems MOST of the year, and he should be healthy. Mitchell and Bennett will be healthy all year (Hopefully), and Murray has something to prove not to mention improve his draft status. All offensive linemen are back along with a returning one that has been in limbo. It just all adds up to an explosive year. I think Alabama and Nebraska was a small glimpse of what we can expect all year from our offense. AND....I secretly think our defense will actually be better than last years.

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20% of the uga roster is comprised of O-linemen?? Really?

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Negative. My bad, I got my numbers mixed up with something else I was looking up, it is 14 of 17. Still, that is the entire 2 deep and then some, which is more bodies returning on OL than anyone else can boast, IIRC, and that was really the point. We bring back everyone on the OL.

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How bout you name the three lost starters on the O-line because I can name four returning starters there for LSU.

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Lonergan, Hebert, Hurst. Faulk too, but you lost him in the middle of last year. You return plenty with starting experience and it is the deepest position on the team, but you did lose 3 starters.

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Mett injured? What happened or do you expect him to be before the LSU/uga game?

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Not sure, I've heard a lot of rumors he suffered some sort of back injury, but if it is true, LSU is covering it up well. Personally I am not sure I believe it, but I also have very little confidence in Mett at this point and don't think it will really affect the game much, unless he is injured and plays anyway.

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Tiges return top four WRs that return more production from '12 than what uga does at the WR position.

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Ehh, misleading. UGA's top two WRs went down in the middle of the season and when that sort of thing happens, the stats tend to get spread around a bit more. We do have twice as many quality targets, FWIW and the better TEs. I don't worry too much about having guys people have heard of though, we've the best WR coach in the league. He makes a hobby of turning guys I facepalmed at us taking commits from into All-SEC caliber WRs.

Clearly, starry WRs or not, our passing game was FAR more prolific as Murray threw for almost 1300 more yards, 24 more TDs, more yards per play, was more efficient, higher QB rating, more completions, higher completion pct, and almost 80 more yards per game. So, better in every single measurable category. It doesn't matter how good the WRs are if the QB cannot effectively get the ball to them.

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LSU returns nine starters on offense. Well maybe only eight depending on what happens with Hill. With or without him LSU will have top half of SEC group of RBs.

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Perhaps so, but he is still your starter and I don't think he got there by accident. He is better than the other ones. I am not selling LSU short, just pointing out that it isn't a good thing. I do think LSU will be in the top half next year, but not sure how much that is saying right now.

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It's this simple. If Cam has drastically improved Mett and the LSU offense by the uga game then tigers win.

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You forgot a descriptor and that is a big, big "if". This is Cam Cameron here, did you watch the Ravens last year? They don't even make the SuperBowl, much less win it, if they don't fire him before the playoffs. When is the last time he left a job and wasn't considered a flop/bust? Forgive me if I am not shaking in my boots because you hired the next Gary Crowton.

You're also, like Gard, assuming that there is no chance UGA improves on D when that is actually the most likely thing to happen with our D.

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LSU's "D" will, how can I put this. Tigers defense will simply be better than the daws on that side the ball. LSU will have to go against the better offense though.

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Your D will be better than ours? I cannot disagree with that at this time.

Your D will be better than our O? Fat chance. The single best unit on the field should be the UGA offense and that should hold true for every game we play next year. It will take a big stumble/step back for Bobo and the O for that to not hold true. Cam or no Cam, these offenses are not in the same universe. There is more to fix than he is going to be able to do in just one off-season and 4 games. After he does just get the problems fixed, he still has a long way to go to get to where we are offensively, anyway.

LSU has a great D, but if this O is really clicking like it should be, I don't think y'all have a prayer of stopping us. Just hope to slow us down enough like Bama did. I don't think your D will be better than last year's Bama D, but hopefully they'll all be at 100% . They stopped us when it mattered most, but I wouldn't want to be in that situation with a lesser D on the field.

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LSU will also have the advantage on special teams. This alone has won the tigers a couple of close games the last few years.

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Our special teams truly live up to the name. I do not expect it to be the difference in this one though. If it somehow is, I'd have to give the nod to LSU too.

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And when has LSU ever been known for their offense?


For ever.

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Seriously? You think they have been none for the offense the last 6-7 years?

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If UGA doens't stop the run, LSU's QB play will be irrelevant.

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And if LSU doesn't stop the run...then what?

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So because UGA has a new coach on defense, they will be improved.

...but because LSU has a new coach on offense, they will struggle.

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It's not that simple. First, you are replacing a coordinator and changing the entire offense. We replaced a position coach. That has a greater impact especially when UGA didn't need defensive overhaul, they just needed help where the DL was concerned. LSU needed new leadership on the offensive side of the ball and new scheme, it is a much bigger deal.

You replaced a nobody, stopgap OC (who just moved to OL coach) with a guy that has flopped at his last few stops, didn't hire his own staff, and doesn't have all the right personnel for his offense. He has been impressive in the past though and perhaps will be again.

We replaced a decent 4 man DL coach and great recruiter that was burnt out, didn't rotate because his guys weren't ready to play, and no longer put effort into his job (read: sorry coach not in his scheme and not even trying to recruit which is the only reason to have him) with a guy who likes the 3-4, actually gets along with Grantham, has a fire lit under his arse because of his experience at MSU, believes in rotating and actually preparing his guys to play...and has been a knockout recruiter so far, as well.

Very different situations. I expect UGA to be much better on defense more because of added depth than a coaching change though. We entered last year with 69 scholarship players, we have 82 this year, IIRC.

I expect LSU to be improved on offense, but not drastically...at least not in Game 4 and your first REAL test of the season (unless the Gus Bus gets going quickly).

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First half UGA will load up for the run,LSU will have to execute in the passing game

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That would be a twist.

In the 2011 SECCG, Miles' strategy was to wear down their defense by running the ball. UGA stuffed the run in the 1st, held it in check in the 2nd, started giving up yards in the 3rd and gave up first downs in the 4th.

Miles wants to win the game with his OL beating people up [ETA: by run blocking as opposed to pass blocking]. If the game is close in the 1st half, I look for Miles to just run right at UGA - even if LSU isn't getting first downs (which always pisses fans off). Play for field position with the punt, and play opportunistic defense. I think this will be one of LSU's fastest defenses and that'll let them take more chances.

Any threat of a passing game will be set up in the first few games. Give them tape of shite they think they'll have to defend against - and then run the ball down their throat.

T Bob left after the '11 season. Faulk only played in the season opener. Neither would be a lost starter from the '12 season.

LSU returns four starters to the O-line. Collins, Williford, Turner and Alexander. Two were Fr and one was a Tr So. Do you think there will be much improvement from those three?

As for the WRs corps. You said dawgs return all but two of their WRs. Well LSU returns ALL theirs (not including TEs or RB receptions). Remember you said WRs only. LSU's WRs actually return more catches for more yards than what uga does. RIGHT?
Doesn't matter if this one was hurt or that one only played X amount of games. Numbers are numbers.

Haven't read or heard anything about Mett being injured.

Next time you talk to Drew Brees, Darrin Sproles, Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Phillip Rivers or Tomlinson ask them what they think of Cam Cameron as an OC. Cam did enjoy a long an successful career in the NFL so he must have been doing something right. For the first time since Jimbo the tigers will have a legit QB coach.

Crowton did win a BCSNC his first year as OC at LSU. Stud did win the west and the SEC his first year as OC at LSU. Got them to the BCSNCG, too that first year.

What I said was LSU will have the better "D" when we play but, it will also have to face the BETTER "O" that day.

I believe it was you that posted tigers top end score against the dawgs would be 21. Considering LSU returns 8-9 starters on offense plus another six with starting experience and the dawgs return only three starters on defense I could easily see LSU getting into the 30's. After all buffalo scored 23, Fla Atl put up 20, vols lit up dawgs for 44, cocks tacked on 35, even the wildcats scored 24 (which was their BEST in conference production). BUT, as you say the best LSU can do is 21.

I see much more improvement by the LSU "O" than the uga "D". Cam will be working with a much more experienced group.

Yeah, because you LSU fans have a doomsday feeling about the game, right? You have the greatest QB, greatest running game, your offense will be GREATLY improved, your defense will be BETTER than last years.....

I think?


Can't tell if that was sarcasim or not with how this thread is going. Honestly, with all the big heads on that LSU D last year, who knows how many games all the players gave all their effort on or took off on.

I will stick with my opinion on it comes down to how/if Cam improved the passing game. If Mett has games this year like he did against Bama, I think LSU pulls out the win.