Here is the Nov. 3 edition of The Daily Recap presented by JFQ Lending.
Injury updates
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart provided injury updates on receivers George Pickens (ACL) and Dominick Blaylock (hamstring).
Smart said neither have a timetable for a return at the present time. Pickens will meet with Dr. James Andrews soon to determine his next step.
“Dr. Andrews has been very positive with him,” Smart said. “He’s done Cybex testing. There’s nine million tests you do to see where you are. He’s at like 85 percent to 95 percent to some things he’s actually stronger on the injured leg than the other leg. So, he’s come a long way.”
Smart did at least offer a somewhat optimistic outlook with Pickens.
“There’s no timetable yet to say SEC championship or not. We think he may be cleared to practice possibly by then. But we just don’t know,” Smart said. “I do know he’s got a meeting set up with Dr. Andrews here in the future. He’s going to be able to go meet with him, and his mom, and get to visit and share things. And he got that the Auburn game, that’s why he went with us, to get another update.”
Blaylock, who is over a year removed from an ACL tear, has been unable to practice or play due to his hamstring injury.
“His practice has been hindered by his hamstring. And it’s ironic because the brace bothers his hamstring. And he feels like that’s part of the reason he pulls – I think it was the last time you all were there he pulled,” Smart said. “So, it’s been this big gap. But I think he’s got a chance.”
No. 1
To no one’s surprise, Georgia opened the first College Football Playoff poll as the top team in the nation. To somewhat of a surprise, Alabama, despite its loss to Texas A&M, is the second-ranked team in the poll.
Rounding out the top five are No. 3 Michigan State, No. 4 Oregon and No. 5 Ohio State.
Cincinnati, the second-ranked team in both the AP and coaches polls, is ranked No. 6 in the first College Football Playoff poll.
Trips ‘to the doctor’
Safety Christopher Smith likened Monday practices to a trip to the doctor. After each game, the Bulldogs take a look at what to fix and correct on Monday, which Smith said has tremendously benefited the team.
“There’s a lot of things you guys don’t see, and I say it every week I’m up here,” Smith said. “Every Monday, we go to the doctor, we’re going to get here, talk about what we did wrong, and try to fix it. The only way you can get better is to focus on the things you did bad. If you focus on the things you did good, you’re not going to get any better."
Smart couldn’t be happier that his players want to use Monday practices to fix their mistakes from the previous game.
“They've been tremendous. They understand we're not where we need to be, and that's been a consistent theme around here for five-six years. It’s not like it’s all of a sudden magical this year that we just try to get better after games,” Smart said. “Regardless of the outcome of the game, there are things you have to work on to get better. Millions of things that you guys don’t see or aren’t privy to during the game that, on the tape coaches watch, are mistakes.”
Always be ‘crootin
Following Georgia’s 34-7 win over Florida, Smart made sure to mention just how important recruiting year-round is to the success of his football team. Conversely, Florida head coach Dan Mullen said he would worry about recruiting when the season is over when asked a question about the subject.
Adam Gorney offered up a closer look at where things stand with Georgia and Florida when it comes to recruiting.
“Since Smart took the Georgia job, the Bulldogs have signed 23 five-stars through the 2021 class,” Gorney wrote. “Since Mullen took over (and considering he has two fewer recruiting classes to speak of) the Gators have signed four. Since the end of the Meyer era, Georgia has dominated in five-star signings with 30 to Florida’s 13. Four-stars are about the same with the Bulldogs holding a 138-130 edge so this advantage is almost purely among the elite of the elite.
“Georgia is 110-31 since the start of the 2011 season; Florida is 85-49. The Bulldogs have beaten Florida in four of their last five meetings. In their prior six games, the two SEC teams split and that leads us back to the Meyer era ending after the 2010 season. In terms of team recruiting rankings, Georgia has not finished outside the top-10 since the 2013 class. Florida has only three top-10 finishes since 2015. Only twice in the last 11 recruiting classes that coincided with the end of the Meyer era has Florida had a higher recruiting class in the team rankings. It’s not that the Gators’ recruiting classes are bad, it’s just that they’re not as good as their SEC East rival.”
Speaking of ‘crootin
Former Florida commit Julian Humphrey (Cedar Lake/Houston) released an updated top three, which includes Georgia. Humphrey is the seventh-ranked cornerback in the recruiting class of 2022.
UGASports Live
Jim Donnan, Radi Nabulsi and Dayne Young recapped Georgia's SEC East clinching victory over Florida and looked ahead to Saturday's game against Missouri. The guys fielded listener questions and responded to viewer comments.
Film don’t lie
Dayne Young and Brent Rollins broke down the film from the offensive side of the ball in Georgia’s blowout victory over Florida. The two went over quarterback Stetson Bennett’s first interception of the game, which they dubbed inexcusable.
“Throw this ball into the St. John's River,” Young wrote. “I don't love the call or the personnel running it. Even if John FitzPatrick is running a clear out to occupy the safety and open up Jermaine Burton's route, Brock Bowers makes much more sense in this role. Bennett still makes a horrible decision to throw the ball up to occupied receivers. He must either throw this football away or roll to his right and play a little backyard football.”
“This might be the worst decision of Bennett's career. There is no other way to put it. The second interception was a bad throw (and also not the best call given the game situation), but this one was inexcusable. A max protection shot play that is covered well. There is nowhere to go with it. Just tuck it and run the **** ball. If you look right before he decides to throw, there's a nice lane up the middle to go at least three to four yards before trying to make the linebacker miss, or just slide and take the positive yardage. If Bennett is indeed the quarterback moving forward, he has to know and play with his biggest advantage, his legs, always in mind.”
Rumors vs. Facts
Bednarik Semifinalists
Hoops recruiting update
Outside the Vent
Will Clemson’s struggles affect its recruitment of quarterback Arch Manning?
Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker is sprinting into the Heisman conversation.
Former USC head coach Clay Helton is taking the open job at Georgia Southern.
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