Yes, but not the end of the world. I actually was literally laughing after the game last night. From relief.
Just contrast the feeling today with how we all felt after OU and ... especially....florida last year. it's a world of difference. And, as has been pointed out elsewhere, Appy State is actually a really good team. Definitely in the upper half of the NCAA and might even be ranked by season's end.
Finally...and this is key. Not only did we reverse the script of florida and OU from last year, but ... think guys .... THE BREAKS WENT WITH US THE SECOND HALF! Think of all the incredible bad luck for the prior 6-7 years. The breaks starting falling our way in the Uga game last year and the trend continues. In order for breaks to be useful, you have to take advantage of them. And we did. That part I am happy about.
I am not saying last night was acceptable. It was not. But even there, a wakeup call is a good thing, right? The team obviously was looking forward to the Battle of Bristol and reading their own press clippings.
Back to how bad it was...OL now a huge concern. The lackadasical catch by Cam that led to the fumble was a microcosm of the team's unpreparedness and overconfidence. Slopply play and mistakes abounded, even by Dobbs. Staff kept it too vanilla for an opponent of this caliber. Some bad play calling. And probably more.
But the fact is, we won and that's all that matters. The team will either learn and grow from this, or not. I am betting they will.
Final note...I like the line "the team knows how to fall on their own fumbles". Thought the same thing last night.
