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PAGE 4B
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2016
Sports and expectations
It is easy to analyze
Georgia’s final regu
lar season
game — not
enough talent
to put down
an ambitious
Georgia Tech
team, which
has had limited
success in the
ancient rivalry
in the last half
century, if you
don’t play with
aggressive
effort for four quarters.
It is an old story, a latent
trend which has plagued
the Georgia program in
recent years.
There often has been no
killer instinct.
Putting teams away has
been an issue for some
time.
The Nichols State game
was not exactly an anom
aly.
The Colonels were sim
ply better than Georgia in
many areas with regard to
personnel.
Georgia has become a
laid back team.
There is no urgency to
win.
In today’s football
world, everybody has
some players and most
every football coach
enjoys a high pay grade
which only heightens
the expectations from
pre-season to the end
where disappointing
results have fans carping
for change.
Losing to Vanderbilt,
after the Commodores
pasted once high and
mighty Tennessee, should
now bring Georgia some
respect.
Kirby Smart said it poi
gnantly on Sunday morn
ing Oct. 16.
“They have a very good
defense, but we should
not lose to Vandy at
home,” he said.
Ole Miss looked like
the Lombardi packers
when Georgia played the
Rebels in Oxford in Sep
tember. Wonder what
the Rebel fans are say
ing about the play calling
with Chad Kelley out of
the lineup and Ole Miss
staying home from a bowl
game getting blown out
by Mississippi State at
Vaught-Hemmingway
Stadium, 55-20.
Everybody says that
Bobby Petrino is a genius
when it comes to offense.
Ask the Kentucky fans
what they think about
that with Lamar Jackson
becoming suspect for the
Heisman trophy?
Naturally, when a team
struggles, the critical
inventiveness surfaces.
Typically the finger finds
its way in the direction of
assistant coaches.
Who should be expend
ed?
Play calling is castigat
ed, sometimes vocifer
ously.
We should remember
that many fans could have
called the plays for the
Vince Lombardi Packers.
If your offensive line can
dominate, your play call
ing usually resonates.
The one most respon
sible for the Georgia
program probably has a
couple of stomach ulcers
from this season of high
expectations.
Kirby Smart watched
football Saturday night
and took note of the
upsets and found a com
mon thread. The teams
which won “made the
plays when they had to,
to win.”
In case you are interest
ed, he got to work early
— nobody beats him to
the office — and stayed
late Sunday, understand
ing what so many
don’t:
There are no
quick fixes.
He never
throws his team
under the bus.
He knows, from
his background
that talented
depth comes
from consistently
good recruiting.
Back-to-back-
to-back-to-back recruiting
years must be an ongoing
thing if you expect to win
championships.
Even so, expectations
must be realistic. When
Smart arrived, he quick
ly became the subject of
high expectations. Geor
gia boy with a Bulldog
pedigree and a key con
tributor to Nick Saban’s
success at Alabama — all
of that made alumni and
fans become dizzy with
optimism.
Then Jacob Eason
signed with nobody
reminding themselves
that freshmen, even with
a knapsack full of talent,
often play like freshmen.
And then ... and then ...
93,000 showed up for the
spring game. All that is
well and good, but what
came next? There were
visions of winning the
SEC East.
If Smart signs the class
he has committed, today’s
lamentations will likely
segue into high expecta
tions for 2017.
There is nothing you
can do about results. You
can’t replay any plays or
games; you can only go
to work.
Recruit and work is the
Kirby mantra and he will
follow that game plan.
He has no time to small
talk anybody who comes
“It is an old story, a latent trend
which has plagued the Georgia
program in recent years. There
has often been no killer instinct. ”
-Loran Smith
into his sphere.
The Tech game is over,
the season is over. Move
on.
His pragmatic view is
as old as the hills, but
he subscribes to the long
standing Whittier verse:
"Of all sad words of
tongue or pen, the saddest
are these, ‘It might have
been.’”
That is why the Bulldog
coach, driven by an inde
fatigable work ethic, will
climb aboard the recruit
ing train until he can
build a talent base with an
urgency to win, incorpo
rating a killer instinct that
strikes when opportunity
presents itself.
Loran Smith is a sports
columnist for the Bar-
row News-Journal. He is
co-host of the University
of Georgia football radio
pre-game show.
SwimDoggs have
record-setting meet
The Winder-Barrow
High School swim team
had a record-setting meet
at the University of Geor
gia on Nov. 18.
The girls 200 medley
relay team of Maddie
Budrock, Hannah Smith,
Mia Hernandez and Hope
Brewer broke the school
record.
Followed by the girls
200 free relay of Mia Her
nandez, Kayleigh Miller,
Hannah Smith and Mad
die Budrock. who broke
the school record in that
event.
Both previous records
were on the books for
almost six years. Maddie
Budrock then earned a
state qualifying time in the
100-meter backstroke. She
would be the first girl at
Winder-Barrow to reach
the state meet in that event
in six years, school athlet
ic director Rob McFerrin
said.
Several personal bests
were also earned, includ
ing those by Michael
Colosimo, Bailey Brock.
Christian Davis, Esteban
Garcia. Spencer Smith.
Hope Brewer, Kayleigh
Miller, Hannah Smith and
Maddie Budrock.
The SwimDoggs will
compete next in the North
Hall Invitational at 9:30
a.m. Saturday at Frances
Meadows in Gainesville.
Northeast Georgia
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Surgical Associates
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