Weekly data dump

This will likely end up being a weekly feature. Inevitably, a couple of days after the football weekend I still have a bunch of random thoughts running around in my head that I start trying to work into a conversation so that I can get them out of my head. Luckily for you, I have a blog now where I can flush all of that information out. Here goes...

• How bad must it be for Michigan fans to look over at the Buckeyes and see Terrelle Pryor? This is a guy who I think most Michigan fans thought was going to be a Wolverine all along, especially after the hiring of Rich Rodriguez. Pryor seems like he would be a perfect fit for RichRod's spread offense...kind of like a super-sized Pat White (more on him in a minute). Instead, not only does he not become a Wolverine, he goes over to the dark side and joins their most hated rival. I was trying to think of a comparison to make for Dawg fans, and then it hit me...only it's in the other direction, luckily. It's Aaron Murray. Let's see...
• Fan base assumes that he will almost certainly commit to them...check. Aaron himself has said that he grew up a Gator fan, and most Gators thought it was a foregone conclusion that he would be donning the jorts come 2009.
• Seems to be a perfect fit for said team's system...check. If you've seen clips of Aaron Murray, he seems to have everything Urban is looking for...good speed, strong and accurate arm, great decision making.
• Instead, shocks the fans by not only shunning their team, but instead choosing their hated rival...check. Aaron committed to UGA very early in the 2009 recruiting process and has been hard at work calling other high-profile recruits trying to get them to join him. What made this one even better was that we took Aaron out of the Gators home state, which just twists the knife even more. I love it.
• By the way, Aaron Murray's numbers for his first game of the season Friday night? 19-25 passing for 319 yards and 5 TD, as well as 117 yards rushing. The Dawgs' QB situation for the next few years is very exciting...even if Stafford leaves after this year, you're looking at probably Cox for a year (it will come down between him and Logan Gray), and then Gray, Murray, and Zach Mettenberger battle it out.
  
• Speaking of numbers (and Pat White, which I was a long time ago), how about White's numbers for Saturday? 25-33, 208 yds, 5 touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who is only supposed to be a runner, even if it was against Villanova.
• One thing Phat Phil can tell his team to help soothe the wounds from last night's embarrassment...last year, the Vols went out to Cal to start the season and lost, only to wind up in the SEC championship game. They haven't really lost anything yet, other than pride. That being said, I think last year's team was much better equipped to make that kind of turnaround, especially at the QB position.
• Everybody is writing off Clemson after their disgraceful showing against the Tide, but think about it...aren't they probably still the most talented team in the ACC? Wake Forest is tough, but Clemson certainly has more talent. They are another team that, even though they are licking their wounds right now, are still in the running for everything they were realistically in the running for 4 days ago. And if you don't think a team can bounce back from a beating like that, I say remember the Dawgs last year...they came back from the beat-down they received in Knoxville and did not lose again for the rest of the season, so it's possible.
• The more I think about UCLA's decision to pooch kick in the last minute, the more irritated I get. This is just one of those "by the book" things that drives me crazy, like Bobby Cox insisting on righty-lefty matchups even if the stats say otherwise. UCLA gave up roughly 20 yards of field position (if they cover the kick effectively) plus at least 4-5 seconds on the clock by choosing not to just kick the ball downfield. It was especially boneheaded because they were only up three points...they put UT in a situation where all they had to do was pick up about 25 yards and they could tie it up, which is exactly what they did. Just another example of the fact that UCLA tried desperately to give the game to the Vols and they absolutely refused to take it.
• Typical Spurrier..."Beecher is our guy, no matter what, we're going to stick with him." Then, after one bad performance, Smelley will be the starter on Thursday. Yeah, Smelley looked good last week, but NC State had rolled over and died by that point...he was basically playing pass skeleton. Personally, I think this is all designed by Spurrier so that he can go through those two guys as quickly as possible so he can go ahead and hand the reins to Garcia and feel justified.
• And, to go out on a good (if somewhat bittersweet) note, check out these quotes from Jeff Owens, courtesy of David Hale. Owens is such a class act, and here's hoping he's able to come back full strength next year and continue his path to his dream.

On his attitude about the injury:
"It's just a little bump in the road. You've always got to face adversity to be the best, and this is my real, true, big test of adversity at Georgia, so I'm going to come back and stay positive."

On whether he would definitely take a redshirt and come back next year:
"I really haven't been thinking about nothing right now because I just hurt my knee Saturday. My main thing is just to get healthy, doing rehab and try to come back 100 percent. Get my knee back healthy, then let it go from there."

(NOTE: Everyone else - from Richt to Owens' good friends Corvey Irvin and Geno Atkins -- expect him to be back.)

On the support from his teammates:
"I have a lot of guys backing me up and just trying to keep me positive and know that just look on the bright side. The storm's going to be over, I've just got to weather the storm."

On how the injury happened:
"It was just a freak accident. I jumped over the pile, I landed on one leg, my body shifted one way and my knee went the other, and it just blew it out."

On whether he's angry about the injury:
"It's all in the game. It's football. It's going to happen. I take a risk of getting hurt every time I step on the field. I know there's a risk, and I know that injuries happen. I've just got to come through it, fight through it and get back healthy. Injuries are going to come. I'm not looking down on myself thinking, if this is gonna happen, if that had happened. It's football."

On how well Corvey Irvin will replace him:
"No doubt in my mind he can do it. As a matter of fact, I look up to Corvey. He might not know it, but he pushes me. We both motivate each other. I know he's going to take over my role and be a leader of this defense."

On how well the D-line will do without him:
"They're still great. I was just a small piece of the pie. They're way bigger than me, and they're going to blow up this season."

AAAHHHH....I feel better now that none of that stuff is rattling around my brain anymore. On to the Chippewas!

P.S. - What is a Chippewa? Is it a flavor of ice cream? Sounds yummy...