Best thing to come out of California in years: Jarvis Jones

Jarvis Jones: The Beast of the East! (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)

A few more random thoughts in the wake of Georgia taking the SEC East title. …

Week in, week out I don’t think there’s any doubt who’s been the player of the year for the SEC East champions: Jarvis Jones.

Against the Cats, Jones, who transferred to Georgia from Southern Cal after the staff there decided an injury had made him no longer fit to play, had another 2.5 sacks, giving him a conference-leading 12.5 for the season. The former Trojan also forced the fumble that set up Georgia’s only touchdown.

LSU may have its Honey Badger, but Georgia has the Beast of the East. Thank you, USC! …

Some Georgia fans, including former quarterback Buck Belue, are wondering why Isaiah Crowell didn’t attempt to return to the game Saturday with a taped up ankle if, as Mark Richt said Sunday, he’s expected to be ready to play against Georgia Tech.

As Buck put it in his blog: “Must have been more than a tweak, right? How could a competitor sit there and watch his offense struggle like that, if it were just a tweak? Got to figure a competitor would have felt the urge to tape it up tight and go. Tough it out. So, his ankle must be hurting … or he’s just not that much of a competitor. And if it’s hurt that bad, how could he be ready to go on Saturday against Georgia Tech? Just saying.”

Of course, there’s another possible explanation: The Dogs didn’t absolutely need Crowell to return to the game in order to beat Kentucky, and so the coaching staff elected to keep him safely on the sideline.

I don’t know which it was, but, judging from the conservative playcalling (ranging from vanilla runs up the middle to not going for a field goal on fourth down late in the fourth quarter), it looked to me like Mike Bobo and Richt decided the defense was playing well enough to win and there was no need to take any further risks on offense.

As Bobo said after the game, “We did enough to win.” …

Two more thoughts on the subject of running backs: Richt was still mum Sunday on Carlton Thomas’ future but you’ve got to figure that, unless there are some extenuating circumstances, a third full-game suspension this season, especially coming just two weeks after his last one, is likely to mean we’ve seen the last of No. 30. … And let’s hope recruiting target Keith Marshall had the same thought Saturday that many UGA fans had: Crowell spends so much time on the sideline, for one reason or another, that if Marshall comes to Georgia he ought to have plenty of opportunity to play as a true freshman. …

Finally, here’s an unconfirmed rumor out of Athens: The seniors told Richt that if they won the SEC East they’d like the chance to wear those Nike Power Ranger uniforms again in the Georgia Dome, one source says, and he told them they could.

Now, from what I understand the SEC West representative will be the home team this year, and if it’s anyone other than LSU, that would preclude the Dogs being red. But if it’s LSU, which prefers white jerseys even at home, it could happen.

I’m hoping the rumor isn’t true, though. Sure, I think the team deserves some sort of reward for winning the East and I’m not automatically against red tops and bottoms for a special occasion. And the silver helmets weren’t awful.

But those tacky no-name jerseys worn against Boise State? Please, no!

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— Bill King, Junkyard Blawg