When the Georgia Bulldogs take the field at the Georgia Dome tomorrow night, it will have been 8 months and 4 days since their last game. The horrible ending to the 2010 campaign left a bad taste in the mouth of Bulldog Nation. An excellent recruiting class mixed with an apparent change in attitude in Athens has given us hope. Now we find out if things are really changing.
But let me clarify. Should the Dawgs lose tomorrow, it does not mean that the season is over and nothing has changed. Let's not take anything away from Boise State who has come a long way for the team that the Dawgs crushed in Athens in 2005. If the Dawgs stay competitive, don't appear to tire, and don't make many of the stupid mistakes that have plagued them in the past, then I think things will be headed in the right direction.
As for my prediction, this is a really tough one to call. I think the Dawgs will split this tough two game set to open the season, but I am not sure which game will be the win and which one will be the loss. I feel Boise State with their crazy formations and Heisman candidate quarterback are a steep challenge for the Georgia defense. I can honestly see this one close late into the game. If I have to pick, I think the Dawgs win game 2 at home against Carolina more than I think they will win tomorrow.
It will be a close game, but I think the Dawgs are going to come up just short. It pains me to write this.
Boise State 31, Georgia 27
Friday, September 2, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Longing for a special moment
I don't know about most Georgia fans, but for me, it has been way too long since the Dawgs experienced a truly special moment. The 2009 victory over eventual ACC Champion Georgia Tech comes close, but that was more of a surprise that salvaged a bad season as opposed to something truly good for the program. Honestly, I think I have to go back to early October of 2008 when the Dawgs dismantled LSU in Death Valley, and that was only special becasue we hung 50 on them and everyone got mustache rides (inside joke). It has been a bad few years since then.
Special moments seemed to be the norm for Dawgs under Mark Richt until recently. I can think of something special that happened during every season until 2008.
2001 - The Hobnail Boot game
2002 - The win at Auburn and the SEC Championship
2003 - Shutting out Clemson to open the season
2004 - Beating Florida!
2005 - Destroying Boise, SEC Champions
2006 - Massacre on the Plains, Stafford to Massaquoi
2007 - The celebration, The Blackout and lots of dancing
But since then, it has been slim pickings. That does not mean there haven't been great plays, but just not something I would consider special. Hopefully all that changes in the Dome on Saturday night.
Special moments seemed to be the norm for Dawgs under Mark Richt until recently. I can think of something special that happened during every season until 2008.
2001 - The Hobnail Boot game
2002 - The win at Auburn and the SEC Championship
2003 - Shutting out Clemson to open the season
2004 - Beating Florida!
2005 - Destroying Boise, SEC Champions
2006 - Massacre on the Plains, Stafford to Massaquoi
2007 - The celebration, The Blackout and lots of dancing
But since then, it has been slim pickings. That does not mean there haven't been great plays, but just not something I would consider special. Hopefully all that changes in the Dome on Saturday night.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
10 Things I Think
With just a few days til kickoff, here's what's on my mind.
1. The SEC Classic Games event that has been running on FS South the last few days has been awesome. I have watched some great Georgia moments, including the entire hobnail boot game from 2011. They should do this every year.
2. Texas A&M is coming. I haven't said much on the conversation of SEC expansion, but with A&M telling the Big XII they are leaving yesterday, it seems like a foregone conclusion. My preference for the 14th team would be North Carolina. They have a decent football program with the proper booster backing plus a tremendous basketball program that would be an instant rival for Kentucky. i would much rather pick up the Tar Heels than FSU, Virginia Tech, or Clemson.
3. Bacarri Rambo has to be suspended, but the question is for how long. It seems amazing that the Dawgs will begin the season without the two players (Rambo and Hamilton) who were listed atop the safety depth chart after spring and no one really seems that worried.
4. I like Brandon Boykin's challenge to Chris Peterson on Twitter. Yes, Boise will be favored but that doesn't mean the Dawgs should go into the game without any confidence. Hopefully, the Broncos honor the request and we see Boykin take one back for 100+ again.
5. I have much more confidence in the running back trio of Crowell, Samuel, and Malcome than I did in King, Ealey, and Thomas heading into last year. Between King and Ealey, I can think of at least 4 crucial fumbles that they had in the last two years that were the difference in close games (Kentucky 2009, Miss State 2010, South Carolina 2010, Colorado 2010).
6. Tavarres King and Marlon Brown will be solid receivers this year. The last time we entered a season without a standout at receiver was 2005. I seem to remember us picking up an SEC title with Bryan McClendon, Sean Bailey, and a freshman Mohammed Massaquoi.
7. I am excited that Kwame Geathers has performed well enough to keep the starting job at NT. Big boys like Geathers and Jenkins cannot play every down, so having two dominating forces in the middle will be a great advantage.
8. Since ESPN has decided to be in Arlington on Sunday instead of Atlanta, our game has almost become the big game that isn't important to them. I have heard countless reports on LSU-Oregon, but very little on the Georgia-BSU matchup. Granted, our game is not a clash of two top 5 teams, however, it is one of the only games this week that matches two rank opponents.
9. When will the hammer drop of Miami and Ohio State? Right, it looks like they will be able to take the field this fall without any fear of bowl banishment. That means they can still compete for conference championships and reap all the benefits from playing in bowl games. Seems pretty ass-backwards that the NCAA suspended AJ Green for 4 games for selling one jersey but won't step up and punish cheaters that included the coaching staffs at the universities.
10. And lastly....
FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL! Finally! It is time to make 2010 a distant memory and right the ship in Athens.
GO DAWGS!!!!
1. The SEC Classic Games event that has been running on FS South the last few days has been awesome. I have watched some great Georgia moments, including the entire hobnail boot game from 2011. They should do this every year.
2. Texas A&M is coming. I haven't said much on the conversation of SEC expansion, but with A&M telling the Big XII they are leaving yesterday, it seems like a foregone conclusion. My preference for the 14th team would be North Carolina. They have a decent football program with the proper booster backing plus a tremendous basketball program that would be an instant rival for Kentucky. i would much rather pick up the Tar Heels than FSU, Virginia Tech, or Clemson.
3. Bacarri Rambo has to be suspended, but the question is for how long. It seems amazing that the Dawgs will begin the season without the two players (Rambo and Hamilton) who were listed atop the safety depth chart after spring and no one really seems that worried.
4. I like Brandon Boykin's challenge to Chris Peterson on Twitter. Yes, Boise will be favored but that doesn't mean the Dawgs should go into the game without any confidence. Hopefully, the Broncos honor the request and we see Boykin take one back for 100+ again.
5. I have much more confidence in the running back trio of Crowell, Samuel, and Malcome than I did in King, Ealey, and Thomas heading into last year. Between King and Ealey, I can think of at least 4 crucial fumbles that they had in the last two years that were the difference in close games (Kentucky 2009, Miss State 2010, South Carolina 2010, Colorado 2010).
6. Tavarres King and Marlon Brown will be solid receivers this year. The last time we entered a season without a standout at receiver was 2005. I seem to remember us picking up an SEC title with Bryan McClendon, Sean Bailey, and a freshman Mohammed Massaquoi.
7. I am excited that Kwame Geathers has performed well enough to keep the starting job at NT. Big boys like Geathers and Jenkins cannot play every down, so having two dominating forces in the middle will be a great advantage.
8. Since ESPN has decided to be in Arlington on Sunday instead of Atlanta, our game has almost become the big game that isn't important to them. I have heard countless reports on LSU-Oregon, but very little on the Georgia-BSU matchup. Granted, our game is not a clash of two top 5 teams, however, it is one of the only games this week that matches two rank opponents.
9. When will the hammer drop of Miami and Ohio State? Right, it looks like they will be able to take the field this fall without any fear of bowl banishment. That means they can still compete for conference championships and reap all the benefits from playing in bowl games. Seems pretty ass-backwards that the NCAA suspended AJ Green for 4 games for selling one jersey but won't step up and punish cheaters that included the coaching staffs at the universities.
10. And lastly....
FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL! Finally! It is time to make 2010 a distant memory and right the ship in Athens.
GO DAWGS!!!!
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