Although the last few years have been almost perfect as a Dawgs fan, it wasn't too long ago that many of our game related memories did not have happy endings. Flash back to October of 2019, when our Dawgs were set to host the South Carolina Gamecocks. A noon kickoff could not dampen our spirits, after all it was a day of celebration for Scruggs' 30th birthday! Our friend Brittany, owner of Champagne & Sweatpants (the official apparel sponsor of Dtru's Dimes), even had this custom set made for Mr. Scruggs.
Couldn't possibly lose as 23.5 point home favorites, right? Turns out, that was wrong. You may not believe it, but that 2019 game was the last time the Dawgs lost in Athens. Soak it in while it lasts, comrades. This has been a hell of a run. But, I digress.
Why do I bring this story up again? I was tipped off before the season by our friend and SCAR superfan Chris "Fenn Dawg" Fennelly that 6th year senior Dakereon Joyner was going to be the starting RB for the Gamecocks in 2023. Former starter MarShawn Lloyd transferred to Southern Cal via the transfer portal this offseason, leaving SCAR without its bell cow running back. If Joyner's name rings a bell, it's because he is SCAR's former backup QB who replaced an injured Ryan Hilinski in that fateful 2019 SCAR-UGA game. I have no doubt that Coach Kirby Smart remembers that Joyner is still on the roster, and will find a way to spin this as a revenge game. After all, Joyner was the last QB to beat the Dawgs in Athens.
Dtru's nickels
After week 2, Bill Connelly's SP+ has SCAR ranked 39th overall (24th offensive and 59th defensive). For what it's worth, the Dawgs are currently ranked 1st overall (9th offensive and 2nd defensive).
SCAR is ranked 22nd overall in the 247 Sports College Football Team Talent Composite
If the Junkyard Dawgs don't dominate the trenches this Saturday, consider me in full panic mode. Been a bit of a slow start for the senior DL trio of Nazir Stackhouse, Zion Logue, and Warren Brinson. Mykell Williams has first round NFL draft potential, but so far only has 1 tackle (coincidentally a sack) on the year. On offense, the Dawgs have had limited success with interior runs against severely overmatched opponents. My wishlist for the weekend includes increased havoc rate on defense, and improvement in the interior running game. Is that too much to ask for??
Despite Dakereon Joyner being a nice story, the SCAR running game has been nonexistent so far this year. I don't need advanced stats for this one; the screenshot below will suffice. Net of sack yards, the team is averaging 1.5 YPC. Not a huge surprise considering the situation at RB, but truth be told the offensive line probably deserves most of the blame. That should change in years to come, as Shane Beamer and his staff added a pair of Top 300 OL in the 2023 recruiting class and two more top 200 OL committed in the 2024 class. But for now, the situation is bleak.
Spencer Rattler has been forced to put the team on his back through 2 games this year. He is completing an absurd 83% of his passes so far and averaging nearly 11 yards per attempt. He was sacked an asinine 9 times in the opener against UNC; I would have hung up my cleats and retired on the spot. Xavier Legette has been the star of the show at WR for SCAR in 2023, but our friend Rishi reminded me yesterday that we should not forget about proven veteran and star WR Antwane "Juice" Wells Jr. SCAR has big play ability with these two receivers, so keep an eye out for that.
See you Saturday. Go Dawgs!
Comments