Bubba 'n Earl Sittin' on the 50

It's almost Valentine's Day...

2012-02-13T15:52:00.003-05:00

...and that means the deadline to get donations in for the 2012 Hartman Fund are just two days away. I know a lot of people were kicking themselves for not donating and trying to get tickets last year when the cutoff essential did not exist. While I do think the minimum to start new tickets will go up this year, it will not even be back up to the 2007 levels (around $2,100).

So get your donations in. And, oh yeah, don't forget to get that special someone something nice for Valentine's Day.

It's Been a While, but I'm Back

2012-02-10T08:44:00.002-05:00

So things have been kind of dead here on the blog the last few weeks, despite an abundance of things going on within the Bulldog nation. But let me explain. I was on vacation in Hawaii (absolutely amazing) during NSD and have been completely swamped at work since I got back. Here's my thoughts on what has transpired over the last few weeks:

My only real disappointment with our recruiting class was the failure to land Avery Young. Cordarelle Patterson choosing Tennessee was a bit of a surprise, but we really did not need receivers. After losing Chester Brown, I thought Young was the most important target we had left. I'm glad we got JHC, but I wish we would have gotten Young instead.
Of course, the dismissals make the lack of DB depth in the recruiting class look bad. I am really bummed about Nick Marshall. My brother in law is close with some people in the Wilcox County program and have been hearing about Nick for years. I was very excited when he came to Georgia and had big expectations for him. But stealing from anyone, especially teammates, should get you kicked off the team.
The Chris Sanders situation is becoming more interesting everyday. Today, Sanders spoke about his dismissal and it appears he was not involved in the shenanigans that Seay and Marshall were. He;s going to enroll at GMC and it looks like there may be a chance he is back in Athens in 2013. This is a kid who bleeds red and black and loves Georgia who is owning up to his mistakes. If he gets his stuff together at GMC, I would love to see him back in a Bulldog uniform.
It looks like the Dawgs may pick up a few Juco additions to the class to supplement the loss of the dismissed players and Chester Brown. While I don't always love the JUCO route, we need experienced bodies right now. The starting groups look great next year, but except for wide receiver, running back, and DE/OLB, we are pretty thin.
While I am all for the protection of players, I HATE the decision to move the touchbacks up from the 20 to the 25. I know that means there will be incentive to not just kick it deep like they do in the NFL, but this is a fundamental change to how football has been played as long as I can remember and I just don't like it.
Losing the Auburn game would suck. Can't we just have Tennessee move to the West division? That would be a perfect solution. Tennessee could still play Bama every year, we could still play Auburn every year, and Tennessee would become our new permanent rival in the west. Seems perfect to me.
The more I look at oversigning, the more I think Nick Saban is a dick. A good coach? Hell yeah. But really a dick. I am glad that kid from Atlanta decided to go to Kentucky. But what makes me really mad in that situation is to know that it was the scholarship that was opened up for Dalvin Tomlinson.
I keep hearing good things about Crowell working hard this off season. If Crowell and Marshall become the 1-2 punch we all hope, look for Aaron Murray's completion percentage to go up and his INTs to go down this fall.
Dear Board of Regents: Get the contract extensions done. Nor more debating, we need to lock Richt and Grantham down. It helps recruiting and because of the lack of size in the 2012 class, we need to get as much momentum as possible for 2013 as early as possible.
G-Day will be here before we know it. It may be interesting to watch the kicking duties this year. Georgia has a punter and kicker coming in as part of the 2012 class this fall, but neither of them will be there yet. Most assume Morgan and Barber will win the jobs, but good competition is always better when it comes to kickers.
Man, the Georgia basketball team is not good. I feel really bad for Coach Fox. He is a good coach, but has not been able to get the talent he needs to win. One five star recruit surrounded by a bunch of lightly recruited players doesn't cut it against teams like Kentucky, where they have 7 or 8 players who will be in the NBA soon. And it looks like the Dawgs are going to miss out on the biggest talents in Georgia once again this year.
Baseball season is upon. Major league pitchers and catcher begin reporting in the next two weeks and the Diamond Dawgs begin play next Friday. The Dawgs will open the season ranked #11 in the country, but are only the 5th ranked team in the SEC. Florida opens the year at #1 and two time defending national champion South Carolina at #3. It's going to be another tough go at it, but hopefully Coach Perno can get the boys back to the CWS for the first time since 2008.

That's it for now. Next week, I'm going to pick back up with my Damn Good Dawgs series.

Athens Reminiscing - Music

2012-01-24T16:42:00.003-05:00

(This post has nothing to do with football. Sorry.)

I'll admit, I am not the biggest music fan in the world. I've been to a few Dave Matthews Band concerts and even went to the Zack Brown show in Jacksonville last fall the night before the Cocktail Party, but I rarely attend shows live. However, there was a period in my life where going to see concerts was much more common and that was during the five years I spent at Georgia. Athens has often been called the best local music scene in the country, have produced the likes of REM, Widespread Panic, and even a couple of classmates of mine who are better known today as Lady Antebellum.

Here some of the memorable shows and bands I remember from my days in Athens:

Jennifer Nettles with John Mayer - August 2000

Yes, you read that right. In the summer of 2000, my friend convinced me to go see some guy named John Mayer, who he described as Dave Matthews-like, open for Jennifer Nettles. Little did we know that the approximately 50 people that were at that show at the 40 Watt were watching two future Grammy winners. Jennifer Nettles went on to become the lead singer for Sugarland and John Mayer went on to be come...a douchy version of John Mayer. I saw John Mayer play a few more times in Athens before he got big, including the show at the Georgia Theatre when they recorded the video for "No Such Thing."

Sister Hazel
Probably the best known band that always seemed to play in Athens about once a semester. Yes, I know they are from Florida but they sure were fun in concert.

Jupiter Coyote
I saw them play about 10 times in a two year period. My sister had their CD from when they used to play in Statesboro. Great southern rock that never took off on the radio.

Stewart and Winfield
To this day, I still love Stewart and Winfield. This is another one that my sister brought to my attention. "Catatonic" is still one of my favorite songs.

Kinchafoonee
If you wanted to hear a bunch of drunk Georgia kids sing songs that were popular when their parents were young and watch grown men cry when they played "Amazing Grace", the Kinchafoonee Cowboys were your type of band.

And, the last band I want to mention is one that seemingly fell into obscurity since I cannot find any mention of them anywhere on the internet. The band was called BlueString they played southern rock/folk music that included like 10 people in the band playing guitars, fiddles, and banjos. I saw them two or three times my freshman year when I could stumble back to O House from the Georgia Theatre. But then I never heard from them again.

So what are your favorite memories of seeing bands play in Athens? I'm sure a lot of us saw the Dave Matthews Cover Band, Corey Smith, and may have even caught an elusive performance by Michael Stipe. Leave your stories in the comments.

Damn Good Dawgs 2012 - Orson Charles

2012-01-23T15:30:00.002-05:00

ORSON CHARLES, TE #7

Recruitment:

A 5 star recruit from Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, Charles was one of the most interesting recruiting battles in the 2009 class. He was ranked as the #3 tight end in the country and was highly sought after by Georgia, Florida, and Florida State. During a recruiting visit to Florida, Charles famously knocked over and broke the Gators 2006 National Championship trophy. After waiting a month after national signing day, Charles finally decided to follow his high school teammate Aaron Murray to The University of Georgia.

Career Stats:

Appeared in 40 games, making 29 starts at tight end
94 receptions
1370 receiving yards
10 touchdowns

Career Highlights:

Played in every game during his 3 year career at Georgia
Caught his first career touchdown on a 44 yard pass against Arkansas
Caught at least one pass in 36 of 40 career games
Two career games with 100+ yards receiving (UF in ’10, BSU in ’11)
Caught career high 45 passes in 2011, including 5 touchdowns

Best Game – 2010 Florida

Orson Charles may have been the most talented pass catching tight end to ever come to Georgia. But because he played during a time when the Georgia line was either struggling or the running back situation was unsettled, he was called on to be a blocker just as much as a receiver. He never had more than 6 receptions in a single game, but one of those times was arguably his best game at Georgia. In the 2010 Florida game, Aaron Murray found his high school teammate for a couple of big catches including a touchdown. His best single play was an amazing leaping touchdown catch against Ole Miss last fall.

Honors and Awards

2009 Freshman All-American

2009 All-SEC Freshman team

Named John Mackey Tight End of the Week for effort against Florida in 210

2010 Second Team All-SEC

2011 Mackey Award Finalist

2011 First Team All-SEC

2011 Offensive Team Captain

Damn Good Dawgs 2012 - Brandon Boykin

2012-01-12T13:20:00.006-05:00

(Note: This is the first entry in a series that will look at the career of Georgia players either graduating or moving on this year)

BRANDON BOYKIN, CB #2

Recruitment:
Boykin was a #14 rated cornerback in the country and a 4 star recruit out of Fayette County High School in Fayetteville, GA. Boykin, who also played quarterback, committed to the Dawgs on December 7, 2007 and was amongst a star studded class of 2008 that included AJ Green and Richard Samuel.

Career Stats:

Defense

159 Total Tackles (106 solo, 53 assisted)
20 Tackles for loss, including 1 sack, 1 safety, and 2 forced fumbles
9 interceptions and 27 pass defenses

Offense

Rushed 7 times for 103 yards (14.7 average) and 1 touchdown
Caught 5 passes for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns

Special Teams

Kickoff Returns: 110 returns for 2,663 yards (24.2 average) and 4 touchdowns
Punt Returns: 14 returns for 180 yards (12.9 average) and 1 touchdown

Career Highlights:

38 career starts at corner
Returned 4 kickoffs for touchdowns, including three during the 2009 season. 3 of the 4 went for 100 yards.
Georgia's all-time leader in kickoff return yardage (and second all-time in SEC history)
Had a huge interception in the end zone against LSU in 2009
During the 2011 season, Boykin began playing offense and scored touchdowns receiving and running the ball.

I don't love the music, but here is a great collection of Boykin's career highlights someone put up online.

Best Game - 2012 Outback Bowl
The Dawgs may have come up short in triple overtime to the Michigan State Spartans, but Boykin did everything he could to make sure that didn't happen. Showing his true versatility, Boykin scored in all three phases of the game. He started the scoring by recording a safety in the first quarter, returned a punt 92 yards for touchdown in the second, and catching a touchdown pass in the fourth. He was named the bowl game MVP despite the Georgia loss.

Honors and Awards

2009 All-SEC Second Team as Returner
2010 Defensive MVP - AutoZone Liberty Bowl
2010 All-SEC as Kick Returner
2010 All-SEC Fourth Team
2011 Paul Hornung Award Winner - given to the nation's most versatile player
Invited to play in the 2012 Senior Bowl
2011 Second Team All-SEC
2011 Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist
2011 Defensive Team Captain

The 2011 Season is Over

2012-01-10T10:15:00.004-05:00

Here's what I learned this year:

The NFL may be all about crazy passing statistics, but in college football, defense still wins championships. Alabama's defense is one of the best ever.
LSU may have won if Les Miles takes Jefferson out after the first half. The decision to keep him in killed any chance the Tigers had last night.
Andrew Luck was the best college quarterback I have ever seen. He did things at the line that Matt Ryan is struggling with now.
The power conferences are really top heavy right now. And the SEC is still the best. It will only get stronger next fall.
Teams on the rise for 2012: USC, FSU, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and Georgia
Teams on the decline in 2012: Stanford, Baylor, Boise State, and Michigan State
Tyrann Matheiu is one of the most amazing players I have ever seen. The guy just makes plays. Him and Matt Barkley are the top contenders for the Heisman heading into next year.
The season started and ended bad for the Dawgs, but beating Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech in the same season for the first time since I have been a Georgia fan was awesome.
Grantham getting Jordan Jenkins to come to Athens is the first chip to fall. More good news coming for Dawg fans in the next couple of weeks.
Georgia Tech will continue to be no better than an 8-4 team until Paul Johnson realizes that just because he can recruit crappy players that fit his scheme on offense it doesn't mean you can have crappy talent on defense and be successful.
The person I feel sorry for the most is Marcus Lattimore. The Gamecocks had their best season ever despite his injury. Hopefully he can be back at his old level next year, but unfortunately, I don't think that will happen.
Texas was once again the most underachieving program in the country. How can a school with unlimited money and an unlimited talent pool with their own freaking television network suck.
Despite their absolute embarrassment in the Orange Bowl, Clemson will be a force to be reckoned with next year. They were very young on both sides of the ball this year and the only real challenge in the ACC is FSU.
This was not the year for kickers, especially in bowl games.
Florida will still not be Florida next year. They may be better than 6-6, but they won't win the East.
James Franklin did a great job at Vanderbilt but he is a dick. I hope they get destroyed in every game next year.

Friday's Quick Thoughts

2012-01-06T13:02:00.002-05:00

Here's a few things on my mind this week:

The loss to Michigan State signifies to me that we have become the benchmark for programs on the rise. If you want to become a national player, you must first lose a game to Georgia. You program will have reached elite level once you can come back and beat the Dawgs a few years later. If you don't believe me, think about this.

In 2005, Georgia crushed an up and coming Boise State program. Over the next few years, Boise State played in two BCS games and had a Heisman trophy finalist. When they faced the Dawgs again in 2011, they defeated them and went onto another 12-1 season that ended with a bowl victory.
In 2007, Georgia defeated an up and coming Oklahoma State team. The Cowboys would continue to get better under Coach Mike Gundy and defeated the Bulldogs at home to open the 2009 season. In 2011, OSU won the Big XII, just missed playing for the MNC, won a BCS bowl, and will finish either 2nd or 3rd in the nation.
In 2009, Georgia defeated Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl following the 2008 season. With quarterback Kirk Cousins, Michigan State would win a share of the Big Ten title in 2010 and play in the first Big Ten championship game in 2011. They came back to beat the Dawgs in the Outback Bowl on Monday.

Bowl season has been pretty good this year (with the exception of the Georgia loss). And for once, my bowl picks are doing really well.

Monday night it will be LSU's insane depth and big plays against Alabama's excellence in all phases of the game. I'm still leaning LSU in this one, despite most people appearing to pick Bama.

Recruiting will work itself out over the next few weeks. Georgia will sign between 20 and 25 kids, but most of them will not make much of an impact in 2012...unless we have a bunch of players leave early.

Crowell was hurt, what a surprise. The opportunity is there for Keith Marshall to play right away. If he is impressive at G-Day and the Dawgs pick up some other commits, the running back competition will be the thing to watch this summer.

I will miss Brandon Boykin. God, he was fun to watch. Few players do the fantastic things he can do on the field without being cocky and stuck up. Boykin was a pure class act that I think most people unappreciated. Good luck in the NFL!

Look at what AJ Green did in the NFL this year. Can you imagine if he had stayed?!?

Tennessee football is a mess. I can't see them winning more than 2 games in the SEC next fall.

ACC football is horrible. That is all.

Well, that sucked

2012-01-03T15:51:00.003-05:00

It was a great season with a horrible beginning and a tough ending. But those 10 games in the middle were great. We should have won yesterday.

Too bad our former All-American kicker lost his head this year. The O-line was horrible and Murray looked off. Crowell got hurt, John Jenkins go hurt, and Mike Gillard and Deangelo Tyson didn't play. And we still should have won.

Let's also give credit to Michigan State. They were a veteran team with a senior quarterback who made plays in the end. They were a very good football team. But we still should have won.

But we didn't. That's football. The team is heading in the right direction. From 6-7 to 10-4 is pretty impressive. The 4 teams we lost to this year have a combined 5 losses (and can finish with no more than 6).

It was a sucky way to end the season, but it was a lot of fun getting there.

The 2011 UnDawgs

2011-12-20T15:33:00.002-05:00

As was highly visible in the media last off-season, a number of Georgia players left the team either by choice or because they were forced before completing their eligibility in Athens. Today, I take a look at what a few of those players did during the 2011 season instead of playing ball between the hedges.

Washuan Ealey, Running Back

Rumors ran wild during the spring that Waushan Ealey was going to leave the Georgia program for Georgia Southern. But after Ealey officially left the program, Southern coach Jeff Monken publicly stated that Ealey would not be coming to Statesboro. Ealey followed in the footsteps of former LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux and ended up at Jacksonville State University. Wearing #7, Ealey helped solidify a Gamecock rushing attack that led them to a 7-4 record. Ealey had a very good junior year, leading the team with 1082 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and 8 touchdowns. He added 126 yards receiving and one touchdown, giving him 1,200 yards in total offense for the year. Ealey even had a solid game against SEC foe Kentucky. Returning to the site of his 5 touchdown performance in 2010, he rushed for 120 yards on only 16 carries in the 38-14 loss.

Marcus Dowtin, Linebacker

Marcus Dowtin, who would have been a senior for the Dawgs this fall, left the program in January and transferred to play for Terry Bowden at North Alabama. Dowtin was arguably the best player on defense for the Lions this fall. He was named Gulf South Conference player of the week after his first game against Central Oklahoma. He had 9 tackles, forced a fumble, and returned an interception 23 yards. He lead the team with 115 total tackles on the year, including 9 for a loss, 4 sacks, and one interception. Along with former Florida star Janoris Jenkins, the Lions defense helped lead them to a 9-3 record this fall.

Brent Benedict, Offensvie Tackle

Benedict transferred from Georgia to Virginia Tech and sat out the 2011 season because of NCAA transfer rules. Benedict never played a down at Georgia because of a knee injury, but it sure would have been nice to have him on the two deep.

Zach Mettenberger, Quarterback

Many expected Mettenberger to challenge for playing time at LSU this fall, but a solid early season from Jarrett Lee prevented him from seeing the field much. When Jordan Jefferson returned and took back the starter's job, Mettenberger fell to third on the depth chart. LSU will play for the national championship, but Mettenberger had little to do with it. For the season, he completed 8 of 11 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. He will most likely be the starter in Baton Rouge next fall.

Caleb King, Running Back

King was declared academically ineligible during the summer, ending his underwhelming Georgia career. He entered the 2011 NFL supplemental draft but was not taken. He signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings and has remained on their practice squad all season.

The list of others includes Nick Williams, Jalen Fields, Lonnie Outlaw, Dontavious Jackson, Montez Robinson, Derek Owens, and Chris Little. In all honesty, the only players I wish we still had this fall would have been King, for running back depth and pass protection, and Benedict. The others, it is probably better they were not around.

Streit's Bowl Mania Part 2 - The BCS (and a few I missed)

2011-12-16T12:53:00.003-05:00

Today is the final part in my series previewing the entire bowl season. today, I will cover the BCS bowls along with two games I accidentally missed along the way.

December 28

8 PM - Holiday Bowl
Matchup: California (7-5) vs. Texas (7-5)

What to watch for: California is a mediocre team with a mediocre record. They do not have a signature win on their resume and are 47th in the country in scoring offense and 52nd in scoring defense. Zach Maynard has thrown for 2800 yards, but only completes 57% of his passes. While Georgia was able to rebound from a losing season in 2010, Texas was not. The Longhorns looked great to start the year, but then got crushed in back to back games to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. They dropped a game to Missouri in which they only scored 5 points. Texas's defense was decent this year and should get better in the future.Texas employs a two young quarterbacks in Case McCoy and David Ash. I think the horns take this one to get back to 8 wins.

The pick: Texas - 29 points

December 29

9 PM - Alamo Bowl
Matchup: Washington (7-5) vs. Baylor (9-3)

What to watch for: This will probably be the final college football game for Heisman winner Robert Griffin III. I could take time to preview Washington or talk about the improvements Baylor has made, but I won't. The reason to watch this game is RGIII.

The pick: Baylor - 30 points

January 2

5 PM - Rose Bowl
Matchup: Wisconsin (11-2) vs. Oregon (11-2)

What to watch for: A classic Rose Bowl matchup between the champions of the Big Ten and Pac-12. Both teams feature running games that can rack up yards and points in a hurry. I would love to save that Russell Wilson and Montee Ball can help Wisconsin score enough to keep up with the Ducks. But I just don't see it. LaMichael James will close out his college career in style as the Ducks send the Badgers home as Rose Bowl losers for the second straight year.

The pick: Oregon - 13 points

8 PM - Fiesta Bowl
Matchup: Stanford (11-1) vs. Oklahoma State (11-1)

What to watch for: Offense. You've got the best quarterback in the country against the oldest quarterback in the country. Andrew Luck is the best college quarterback I have ever seen. He looks like an NFL QB the way he commands the line of scrimmage. If he played at USC, Texas, or Alabama, those schools would have gone undefeated. He has taken Stanford, I repeat Stanford, to two straight BCS bowls. As good as luck is, he does not have the supporting class to beat the Cowboys. Oklahoma State proved they are that good by thumping Oklahoma. Justin Blackmon is Julio Jones with better hands. Lots of points will be scored here.

The pick: Oklahoma State - 11 points

January 3

8 PM - Sugar Bowl
Matchup: Michigan (10-2) vs. Virginia Tech (11-2)

What to watch for: Two teams that had solid years but will be much better next year. Denard Robinson is a fun player to watch, but I still think he is too risky with the football. He made so many risky throws against Notre Dame, yet somehow they won. We know Michigan has a solid defense, but winning this game will be on Denard Robinson. Virginia Tech looked impressive when I saw them play...except against Clemson. Logan Thomas is going to be a very good college QB and I loved watching him get 8 yards a pop on QB sneaks against Tech. David Wilson is fast, and the key for him is getting to the edge against a large Wolverine line. I have no clue who wins this one, this is my least confident pick.

The pick: Virginia Tech - 1 point

January 4

8 PM - Orange Bowl
Matchup: West Virginia (9-3) vs. Clemson (10-3)

What to watch for: Dana Holgerson's passing attack is fun to watch. Unfortunately, it is all they have got. I expect the Wolverines will come out looking strong, but eventually Clemson will shut them down like LSU did. Sammy Watkins will have a field day against the West Virginia secondary. Unless Clemson plays like they did against Georgia Tech.

The pick: Clemson - 20 points

January 9

8 PM - BCS National Championship
The matchup: LSU(13-0) vs. Alabama(11-1)

What to watch for: The rematch. Alabama may be one of the most complete teams I have seen in years. But, LSU beat them at their place. Yes, Bama missed 4 field goals. But, LSU has actually played even better since that game. After seeing the Tigers in person, I know what they can do when they get rolling. If Bama wants to win, they will need to win the second half of the game. That is when LSU bludgeoned Georgia and Arkansas. I can't see the Tigers playing as well as they did in the SEC Championship losing to Bama.

The pick: LSU - 2 points

So that's it. Are you ready for bowl season, I sure am.

GO DAWGS!!!

Streit's Bowl Mania Part 3 - January Bowls

2011-12-15T16:39:00.002-05:00

today, I preview all the bowls that will take place in January (with the exception of the BCS). I will also preview the Pinstripe Bowl which I accidentally forgot to cover yesterday. Tomorrow, we'll wrap up the Bowl preview.

December 30

3PM - Pinstripe Bowl
Matchup: Rutgers (8-4) vs. Iowa State (6-6)

What to watch for: You can tell how excited I am for this game, I forgot it in yesterday's previews. Rutgers is basically playing a home game in Yankee Stadium. They have the 12th best scoring defense in the country at 18.8 points and nearly won the Big East. The Scarlett Knights are led by the leading receiver in the country, Mohamed Sanu, who has 109 catches for 1144 yards this year. Iowa State pulled the biggest upset of the season when they knocked off Oklahoma State to keep them out of the National Championship game. Freshman quarterback Jared Barnett has played well since taking over mid-season, but Rutgers defense should get the job done.

The pick: Rutgers - 3 points

January 2

12 PM - Ticket City Bowl
Matchup: Houston (12-1) vs. Penn State (9-3)

What to watch for: Houston appeared to be head to the BCS on the arm of record setting quarterback Case Keenum…until they got destroyed by Southern Miss in the Conference USA championship. Houston sports the #1 passing attack in the country at almost 445 yards per game. They have a pair of solid running backs as well. Penn State has gone through more adversity this season than any team in the country, but still finished with a solid 9-3 season. Their offense is not good, with only bright spot being running back Silas Redd. Their defense, on the other hand, has been fantastic for most of the season. They have 5th rated scoring defense in the NCAA and defensive tackle Devon Still is one of the best in the country at making big plays in the back field. After watching Southern Miss shut down the Cougars offense, I think Penn State will be able to do the same.

The Pick: Penn State - 10 points

1 PM - Outback Bowl
Matchup: Georgia (10-3) vs. Michigan State (10-3)

What to watch for: I'll have much more on this game in the coming weeks. This is a solid matchup between two teams coming off losses in their conference title games. Expect great defense from both squads, but you know I'm taking the Dawgs in this one.

The Pick: Georgia - 15 points

1 PM - Capital One Bowl
Matchup: South Carolina (10-2) vs. Nebraska (9-3)

What to watch for: South Carolina's defense has been great all season relying on the strength of the defensive line led by Melvin Ingram and Jadaveon Clowney. The Gamecocks were able to keep it together after losing Marcus Lattimore and Connor Shaw has gotten better and better. Nebraska also relies heavily on its defense to keep them in games. Runningback Rex Burkhead had another great season this year and Taylor Martinez continued to be Taylor Martinez. If the Gamecocks shut down Burkhead, the Huskers will be in trouble.

The Pick: South Carolina - 22 points

1 PM - Gator Bowl
Matchup: Florida (6-6) vs. Ohio State (6-6)
What to watch for: So may subtitles for this game: The Urban Bowl, The Lowered Expectations Bowl, or the How the Mighty Have Fallen Bowl. Neither team is good on offense and decent on defense. Braxton Miller will be a great player under Urban Meyer, but right now he still plays for Luke Fickell. I'd like to see Muschamp send John Brantley out a winner for making him take a tremendous amount of punishment this fall. Florida fans will get to laugh at Urban on this day…but Urban will remember and it is going to be a big deal!

The Pick: Florida - 14 points

January 6

8 PM - Cotton Bowl
Matchup: Kansas State (10-2) vs. Arkansas (10-2)

What to watch for: This game matches up two school that should be in the BCS in my opinion. Arkansas scores with the best in the country on the strength of its passing attack that features quarterback Tyler Wilson and a great group of receivers. Joe Adams is one of the most exciting players in all of football and the Wildcats would be wise to not kick him the ball. Kansas State, on the other hand, gets things done using a ground game. They rarely pass (109th in the country) but their quarterback is the star of the offense. Collin Klein has been responsible for 38 touchdowns this year, 1745 yards passing, and 1099 yards rushing. But their defense gives up too many points and the Hogs will score at will.

The Pick: Arkansas - 32 points

January 7

1 PM - Compass Bowl
Matchup: Southern Methodist (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh (6-6)

What to watch for: The Pony Express is back in a bowl for the second year in a row. June Jones tried to leave to take the Arizona state job, but he is now back on the sideline. The offense was not nearly as successful as last year, with Kyle Padron benched in favor of JJ Mcdermot early in the season. SMU's best victory was a defeat of TCU, but overall, this season ahs been a disappointment. Pittsburgh lost its first year coach yesterday, so who knows

The pick: Pitt - 23 points

January 8

9 PM - goDaddy.com Bowl
Matchup: Arkansas State (10-2) vs. Northern Illinois (10-3)

What to watch for: Arkansas State lost their coach to an SEC school and immediately replaced him with a coordinator from an SEC school. They won the Sun Belt Conference this year by scoring a lot of points and going undefeated in conference play. Quarterback Ryan Aplin threw for 3,235 yards and receiver Dwayne Frampton caught 90 passes for 1,125 yards. Northern Illinois won the MAC by coming back against Ohio to win 23-20 in the MAC Championship. Chandler Harnish was absolutely amazing this year, passing for almost 3,000 yards and running for almost 1400. That is an amazing feat, and for that, I am giving the edge to the Wolves.

The pick: Northern Illinois - 7 Points

Streit's Bowl Mania Part 2 - The Tweener Bowls

2011-12-14T16:56:00.003-05:00

Today, I preview the bowl games that take place between Christmas and New Year's. There are some good matchups in here.

December 26

5 PM - Independence Bowl
Matchup: Missouri (7-5) vs. North Carolina (7-5)

What to watch for: This is a pretty good matchup between two mediocre teams. The two teams are tied at 43rd in the country in points allowed per game. North Carolina started out strong, charging out to a 5-1 start. But they lost 4 of their last 6, including a 13-0 loss to NC State. The winner of this game will be determined by whether North Carolina can stop Missouri's running game. The Tigers are 11th in the nation in running with mobile quarterback James Franklin, but are missing running back Henry Josey. If North Carolina quarterback Bryn Renner gets hot, the Tar Heels could pull the upset.

The Pick: Missouri - 17 point

December 27
4PM - Little Caesars Bowl
Matchup: Western Michigan (7-5) vs. Purdue (7-5)
What to watch for: Can a strong Western Michigan passing attach, led by quarterback Alex Carder, lead the MAC to a victory over the Big 10? Western Michigan receiver Jordan White leads the nation in receiving yards and total receptions and they also have MAC defensive player of the year, Drew Norak. Purdue is a very average Big 10 team whose best win was beating 6-6 Ohio State. They do not sport any crazy statistics and even lost to Rice. But they should have just enough to beat a middle team from the MAC.

The pick: Purdue - 5 points

8PM - Belk Bowl
Matchup: Louisville (7-5) vs. NC State (7-5)

What to watch for: Louisville was very close to winning a Big East Championship in its second season under Charlie Strong. The Cardinal defense improved to 14th in the country in points allowed per game this year, holding opponents to only 19.2 points per game. They are especially strong against the run, allowing under 100 yards per game. Freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has definitely shown signs that he will be a future star. NC State quarterback Mike Glennon is definitely the leader for the Wolf Pack and he passed for almost 2800 yards and 28 touchdowns this year. The NC State defense is solid overall, but struggles against the pass. Louisville's defense is stronger, and should be the difference in this game.

The pick: Louisville - 8 points

December 28

4 PM - Military Bowl
Matchup: Toledo (8-4) vs. Air Force (7-5)

What to watch for: Toledo's offense is extremely high powered, 29th in the country in passing and 14th in rushing. Their 42.3 points per game is good for 8th in the country. They have scored at least 44 points seven times so defense (89th in the country in scoring) is not too much of a concern. Air Force runs the option and I just don't see them being able to keep up.

The pick: Toledo - 4 points

December 29

5 PM - Champs Sports Bowl
Matchup: FSU (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (8-4)

What to watch for: Many people predicted this would be a BCS matchup. Both of these teams underperformed this fall. Florida State is as talented on defense as any team in the country. Greg Reid may be small, but is one of the best play makers in the country. Brian Kelly hasn't named a starting QB for the game yet, but whoever starts, FSU will only have one goal on defense: stop Michael Floyd. If the Noles shutdown Floyd, Notre Dame has no chance.

The pick: FSU - 9 points

December 30

12 PM - Armed Forces Bowl
Matchup: BYU (9-3) vs. Tulsa (8-4)

What to watch for: BYU returned to being an independent this year and had a successful 9-3 campaign against a pretty easy schedule. The Cougars only faced one team (TCU) that finished in the top 25 and suffered an embarrassing 54-10 loss to in state rival Utah. BYU also changed quarterbacks this year, as once highly touted signal caller Jake Heaps lost the starting job to riley Nelson (and Heaps is now transferring). Nelson found great success as starter, throwing 16 TDs with only 5 picks and helping BYU win 8 of their last 9 games. Tulsa won every game it was supposed to this year, but went 0-4 against ranked teams (and all of those teams finished the season ranked in the top 25, including two in the top 5). They feature a strong passing game and a balanced running attack that saw two backs (Ja'Terian Douglas and Trey Watts) go for over 800 yards each on the ground. Tulsa can score (24th in the country) but their defense isn't up to par. BYU is the better overall team, despite the flashy stats from Tulsa.

The pick: BYU - 21 points

6 PM - Music City Bowl
Matchup: Miss State (6-6) vs. Wake Forest (6-6)

What to watch for: Coming off a 9-4 season, big things were expected in Starkville this fall. But a 6-6 record is not what they expected. I think MSU was really hurt by Manny Diaz leaving for the DC position at Texas. Mississippi State's strength is still its defense, as Chris Relf could not find the success he did a year ago. Vick Ballard had another nice season for the Dogs, rushing for over 1000 yards and 8 scores. Wake Forest was a surprise in the ACC this year, going 5-3. They also played well against ranked opponents, knocking off Florida State and nearly defeating eventual ACC Champ Clemson. Sophomore QB Tanner Price had a great season, throwing for nearly 3000 yards and 20 touchdowns while only throwing 6 interceptions. I see this as a low scoring affair where Mississippi State grinds out a victory in the second half.

The pick: Miss State - 16 points

10 PM - Insight Bowl
Matchup: Iowa (7-5) vs. Oklahoma (9-3)

What to watch for: Oklahoma was the pre-season #1 team and was on a tear until a surprising upset at Texas Tech on October 22. After losing All-American Ryan Broyles, the sooners lost 3 of their last 6 games and found themselves outside of the BCS. This season seems eerily similar to the one suffered by Georgia in 2008 that included a loss to their in state rival who they had recently dominated. Oklahoma still sports the #4 passing attack in college football and Landry Jones will look to get back on track against an Iowa defense that was only 67th in the country against the pass. Kirk Ferentz team averaged 28.7 points per game, but that will not be enough to keep up. Oklahoma, pissed off about their crummy season, blows them out.

The pick: Oklahoma - 34 points

December 31

12 PM - Texas Bowl
Matchup: Texas AM (6-6) vs. Northwestern (6-6)

What to watch for: Texas A&M was one of the best teams in the country in the first half of games, but probably the worst in the second half. The high powered Aggies should have had a much better record this year. This is their last game as a member of the Big XII. Northwestern's Dan Persa is good, but A&M will be motivated to head to the SEC on a victorious note. Plus, I can't see Texas A&M not scoring at least 35 points against the Wildcats defense.

The pick: TAMU - 31 points

2 PM - Sun Bowl
The matchup: Georgia Tech (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5)

What to watch for: Utah has two things going for them in this game: a stroing scoring defense that only allowed 19.7 points per game and running back john White who rushed for over 1400 yards. But their offense is anemic and against a school like Georgia Tech, you definitely need to score points. The key to beating Tech is getting a lead and forcing them to pass. Utah won't make this happen. Tech's running back group of Orwin Smith, Roddy Jones, and David Sims will have big days. Tech scores atleast its season average of 35 points in this one.

The pick: Georgia Tech - 25 points

3 PM - Liberty Bowl
The matchup: Cincinnati (9-3) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6)

What to watch for: Cincinnati (technically) won a share of the Big East championship this fall. They may have easily won it outright if not for the loss of their starting quarterback, Zack Collaros. After losing Collaros in the first half of the West Virginia game, the Bearcats lost by 3 to the Mountaineers and then lost at Rutgers the following week. Without the injury, Cincy may have been a 10 or 11 win team. They sport a solid scoring offense (28th) and a good defense (20 points per game). Vanderbilt has been heaped with praise under first year head coach Tony Franklin. He may have done a good job, but he is a jack ass. Vandy was the dirtiest team Georgia played all year. Jordan Rodgers had a decent season, but he's not his brother. The most impressive player for Vanderbilt is running back Zach Stacy, who was not even supposed be the starter this year. Vanderbilt is really bad in pass defense, and I think Cincinnati will exploit this. Just like many other Vandy games this season, the Commodores will lose a close one in the fourth quarter.

The pick: Cincinnati - 19 points

3 PM - Fight Hunger Bowl
The Matchup: Illinois (6-6) vs. UCLA (6-7)

What to watch for: Two lame duck coaches against each other in a bad bow game. Because of their loss in the Pac-12 Championship, UCLA is playing in a bowl game with a losing record. I think these are two bad, underperforming teams and I really don't care who wins. I'll take Illinois just because I know the Zooker recruits good players.

The pick: Illinois - 18 points

7 PM - Chick-Fil-A Bowl
The matchup: Virginia (8-4) vs. Auburn (7-5)

What to watch for: The defending national champions against one of the surprise teams in college football this season. Auburn has five losses, but all of them came at the hands of teams who finished the season ranked in the top 25. Losing Michael Dyer hurts, but they should still have enough fire power to get past the Cavaliers. Ontarion McCalebb averaged over 5 yards a carry this year and will handle the bulk of the carries for the tigers. Virginia sports the 30th ranked defense in the country, not bad, but not great. They have two solid running backs (Perry Jones and Kevin Parks) who combined for over 1,500 yards this year. Michael Rocco and Kris Burd are one of the better QB and receiver tandems in the country. But in the end, the Tigers will be able to physically beat Virginia down. Whoever players quarterback may have a career day.

The pick: Auburn - 24 points

Streit’s Bowl Mania Part 1: Pre-Christmas Bowls

2011-12-13T13:15:00.002-05:00

Bowl season is just 4 days away. Can you believe it?!? Over the next few days I will preview all of this year's bowl game, provide my pick, and rank each one (1-35) on my confidence in that pick. It should be fun.

December 17

2 PM - New Mexico Bowl
Matchup: Temple (8-4) vs. Wyoming (8-4)

What to watch for: Temple's rushing offense is ranked 7th in the country averaging 256 yards per game. The leader of their rushing attack is Bernard Pierce, who has over 1300 yards and 25 touchdowns this fall. The Owls blew out Maryland 38-7 and played well in a 14-10 loss to Penn State. Their passing offense is horrible, but against Wyoming's 115th ranked rushing defense, they shouldn't need to throw it much.
The pick: Temple - 26 points

5 PM - Idaho Potato Bowl
Matchup: Ohio (9-4) vs. Utah State (7-5)

What to watch for: Ohio is coming off a MAC Championship loss in which they had a 20 point lead at halftime. The Bobcats are led by quarterback Tyler Tettlton who accounted for over 3,600 total yards and 35 touchdowns, but he did throw three picks in the last game. Utah State had defending champion Auburn on the ropes on opening day, only to see an onside kick and a couple of quick scores ruin their upset bid. Despite the early disappointment, they won their final 5 games and finished runner up in the WAC conference. They are led by running back Robert Turbin, who rushed for 1,416 yards and scored 23 total touchdowns this fall. This game will come down to defense, where Ohio is giving up only 22 points per game (while Utah State averages 28). The bobcats win this in a close contest.

The pick: Ohio - 6 points

9 PM - New Orleans Bowl
Matchup: San Diego State (8-4) vs. Louisiana Lafayette (8-4)

What to watch for: Both teams are 8-4, but I do not expect this to be a close game. Lafayette reeled off 6 straight wins early in the season, but went just 2-3 down the stretch. Their defense is weak, giving up 30 points a game and almost 400 yards of offense. The Cajuns junior quarterback, Blane Gautier, led the Sun Belt in passing but it will not be enough. San Diego State senior quarterback Ryan Lindley is a four year starter with over 12,000 career passing yards and 87 touchdown passes. Sophomore running back Ronnie Hillman has rushed for 1,656 yards and 19 touchdowns this year. I don't see Lafayette being able to stop this duo. Plus, the Aztec defense has only given up 72 second half points all year.

The pick: San Diego State - 28 points

December 20

8 PM - St. Petersburg Bowl
Matchup: Florida International (8-4) vs. Marshall (6-6)

What to watch for: We are..not winning this game. FIU had their best year in school history, including its first ever win over a BCS conference school (against Louisville in September). Receiver TY Hilton has nearly 1000 yards receiving this year. Marshall barely made it to a bowl game by defeating East Carolina and Memphis to close the season. Their best player is defensive end Vinny Curry, who had 11 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss.

The pick: Florida International - 12 points

December 21

8 PM - Poinsettia Bowl
Matchup: TCU (10-2) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-4)

What to watch for: This is a matchup of two conference champions, as TCU won the Mountain West while Louisiana Tech won the WAC. But lets be honest, Louisiana Tech only won the Wac because that conference is really horrible and Boise State is now in the MWC. TCU should have been back in the BCS, in my opinion. They lost to Baylor to open the season in a crazy game but 10-1 the rest of the way, despite replacing almost all of their major players from last year's Rose bowl squad. TCU will win, we don't even need to talk details. This is my highest confidence pick.

The pick: TCU - 35 points

December 22

8PM - Las Vegas bowl
Matchup: Arizona State (6-6) vs. Boise State (11-1)

What to watch for: This will be the final game for Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore. The senior who has rewritten the NCAA record books should lead his squad out with a victory. Arizona State was a popular pick to win the Pac-12 South, but they failed to live up to the hype and recently fired Coach Dennis Erickson. If Boise State plays anywhere close to how I saw them play against the Dawgs in September, this one isn't close.

The pick: Boise State - 33 points

December 24

8 PM - Hawaii Bowl
Matchup: Nevada (7-5) vs. Southern Miss (11-2)

What to watch for: Southern Miss is one of the hottest teams in the nation after knocking off previously undefeated Houston to win the conference USA Championship. This will be coach Larry Fedora's last game before he moves on to take the job at North Carolina. Two early season losses to Marshall and UAB are the only blemishes on the Golden Eagles' record. They have a strong defense that has intercepted 18 passes this year and only gives up 21 points per game. Linebacker Jamie Collins had 94 tackles, in 19.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. They also boast the 14th ranked scoring offense in the country, led by senior QB Austin Davis. Nevada does not have the same potent offense as the 2010 WAC Championship team did, but they did finish 8th in the country in rushing. Unfortunately, their defense gives up over 30 points a game against bowl teams.

The pick: Southern Miss - 27 points

I'll be back with Part 2, the 'tweener games, tomorrow!

2012 Recruiting: A Quick Look at the Remaining Targets

2011-12-08T09:14:00.003-05:00

With the commitment of Keith Marshall on Tuesday, the Dawgs have begun their final recruiting push towards National Signing Day 2012. In year’s past, the Dawgs would often have around 20 commitments at this point. Yet this year, the class sits at 14 and is currently ranked #23 by Scout. Come February, I expect Georgia to be back in its normal place in the top 10, but there is a lot of work to be done. Here are some of the players that Georgia is hoping to land in the coming weeks:

5 Star Prospects:

Name: Avery Young
Position: Offensive Tackle
Height and Weight: 6’5’’ 270 lbs
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Notes: Will attend the Georgia Gala on December 9
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdTge9OnY08

Name: Nelson Agholor
Position: Safety
Height and Weight: 6’1’’ 175 lbs
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Notes: Seems like a long shot at this point
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgDTBmew_HM

Name: Jordan Jenkins
Position: Defensive End
Height and Weight: 6’3’’ 246 lbs
Hometown: Hamilton, GA
Notes: Took official visit on 11/12 at the Auburn game and came away very impressed.
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9X2gcQNFDQ

4 Star Prospects:

Name: Josh Harvey-Clemons
Position: Outside Linebacker
Height and Weight: 6’4’’ 207 lbs
Hometown: Valdosta, GA
Notes: Official visit scheduled for Jan 20, the last of his four scheduled official visits.
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1BsHZDEGiM

Name: Mike Davis
Position: Tailback
Height and Weight: 5’10’’ 195 lbs
Hometown: Stone Mountain, GA
Notes: Previously committed to Florida. Georgia re-offered him this week.
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPGjLYvKxZ0

Name: Tyriq McCord
Position: Defensive End/ Outside Linebacker
Height and Weight: 6’3’’ 225 lbs
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Notes: Will attend the Georgia Gala on December 9
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38WvtrbBzxE&feature=related

Name: Todd Gurley
Position: Tailback
Height and Weight: 6’ 190 lbs
Hometown: Tarboro, NC
Notes: Official visit back in September. It appears to be a two horse race between Georgia and North Carolina.
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMUyVSHsoDQ&feature=related

Name: Cordarrelle Patterson
Position: Wide Receiver
Height and Weight: 6’4’’ 205 lbs
Hometown: Hutchinson, KS
Notes: #1 rated JUCO wide receiver in the country.
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EArUSFokOE

Name: Dalvin Tomlinson
Position: Defensive Tackle
Height and Weight: 6’3’’ 270 lbs
Hometown: McDonough, GA
Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzo3ptzclSk

3 Star Prospects

Name: Chaz Elder
Position: Safety
Height and Weight: 6’2’’ 172 lbs
Hometown: College Park, GA
Notes: Will attend the Georgia Gala on December 9
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irWxlDLnDMA

Name: Kendarius Whitehead
Position: Defensive End
Height and Weight: 6’4’’ 212 lbs
Hometown: Lithonia, GA
Notes: Will attend the Georgia Gala on December 9
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGiBWP2nGHw&feature=related

Of course, there is more information and highlights available of these and other prospects, all you have to do is search the web. I am not a recruiting guru and I have no idea which of these players we actually will end up with.

My Final Thoughts on the SEC Championship

2011-12-06T16:51:00.002-05:00

Doesn't Saturday already feel like a long time ago? About 72 hours ago, Georgia had built a 10-0 lead on #1 LSU and it looked like the Dawgs might pull the upset. But it wasn't meant to be. Here are my final thoughts on the game:

The defense was amazing. Allowing 0 first downs in a half is an amazing feat, especially against a highly ranked SEC opponent. Despite LSU scoring 35 second half points, the defense still played fairly well. LSU only had two real scoring drives the entire game. Their other points came off a punt return, a fumble inside Georgia's 30, another punt return into the red zone, and a pick 6. Sounds a lot like the South Carolina game, doesn't it?
Bobo called a perfect first quarter and then fell asleep.
Against a team like LSU, you cannot leave points on the board. And that is what Georgia did. Instead of a touchdown to TK on the first drive, we settled for 3. Instead of touchdown to Malcolm Mitchell (on a perfect throw by Aaron Murray) , Walsh missed another field goal. It should have been 21-0 and the outcome would have been much different.
After the first quarter, the LSU defense was amazing. From pass coverage, to QB pressure, to stuffing the run. They are just so deep.
As good as Brad Wing kicked for LSU, Butler was doing better. too bad our coverage unit started missing tackles.
Damn the Honey Badger.
Malcome should have started and gotten most of the carries. Crowell was hurt and looked like it (or he wasn't ready, either way). See my previous post for opinion on Crowell.
Aaron Murray had a bad game statistically, but 7 dropped passes will do that. In the second half, LSU was in the backfield on every snap and Aaron was just trying to make plays. I can't really put the poor performance on him.
The Dome was electric and then Mathieu returned the punt. It was a kick to the stomach and Georgia never recovered.

All in all, despite the loss it was a great experience. It has been a marvelous season that will conclude with a great bowl trip to Tampa.

It sure is great to be a Georgia Bulldog.

The One Thing You Should Never Do

2011-12-05T14:06:00.005-05:00

Saturday night in the Georgia Dome was whirlwind of emotions. From the great defense and the early lead to the Honey Badger stealing our hearts and momentum. Despite the loss, I will have great memories of the night and of the 2011 season that saw the Dawgs get up off the deck and make it back to Atlanta for the first time since 2005. And while I was proud of the Georgia faithful for showing up and being insanely loud, I was not proud of one moment that occurred in the second half. At that moment, I saw (and heard) Georgia fans doing the one thing they should never do: boo a player.

Yes, that player was Isaiah Crowell. I am not going to sugar coat it, Crowell looked weak on Saturday. Rumors flew all last week about attitude problems and that only stacked the deck more against him on Saturday night. His 11 carry 15 yard performance was highlighted by a personal foul call that made Mark Richt look the maddest I have ever seen him. I was pissed, just as most of you were, but never did I consider booing him off the field.

Let's take a quick step back to the last time I heard a player individually booed by Georgia fans. The year was 2006 and Georgia was going through a tough season that included a loss to Vandy on homecoming. Georgia sophomore receiver Mohammed Massaquoi was struggling mightly in his first season as Georgia's #1 receiver. After a great freshman year, MoMass had a developed a case of the drops and with Sean Bailey out for the year, there was little other receiver fire power for freshman Matt Stafford to throw to. I can't remember which game it was, but after Mohammed dropped a pass at home late in the season, Georgia fans began to boo. I was ashamed and that is much the same feeling I felt on Saturday night.

Before you jump down my throat, yes, this was a much different situation. Crowell has been a problem, including suspensions and attitude issues. You may feel every bit justified in booing the kid for limping off the field. But my argument is not in favor of Crowell, it is more in that you should never boo a kid, period. The Georgia coaching staff has been very quiet in recent weeks about the status of Crowell's ankle. As fans, we actually have no idea how bad he was hurt. And if they knew he was not going to suck it up and bear through it, then why even play him? So he can be made to look bad? My point is, I would have never had him out there if he wasn't ready to go. Malcome is capable enough to carry the ball for 3-4 yards at a time.

Booing a player also looks incredibly bad to those outside of the program. This includes the television audience at home, other coaches, and most importantly, recruits. You don't think Nick Saban is going to call up a recruit and say, "Crowell could have come to Bama, but instead he went to Georgia and that ungrateful fan base boos him after a freshman season where he had almost 1,000 yards rushing"? Come on, you know he will.

In the future, I implore you to keep those feelings in. Remember, these are kids who give their time and their bodies to play football for your entertainment. If you don't like their play or their attitude, open a blog, vent on a message board, but don't try to humiliate them in public. The same thing goes for social media, if you don't want to support them, don't follow them on Twitter.

Make no mistake, I think Crowell is soft and if he can't change, he won't be long for Athens. But I will never justify the booing of a player on our team and you shouldn't either.

SEC Championship - Prediction

2011-12-02T20:17:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately, I had to go out of town this week for a funeral and this did not allow me to provide much preview for the game. At this point, you have all seen a million break downs so I will leave you with a preview.

No matter what happens, this has been a great season for the Dawgs. I honestly feel we are headed in the right direction and will be a contender for the national championship next year. But as much as this team has improved, LSU has been amazing all season long. The Dawgs will put up a fight and it will not be easy like some think. But depth in the fourth quarter will help the Tigers pull the victory.

LSU 24, Georgia 17

Is this the best defense of the Richt Era?

2011-11-29T11:26:00.004-05:00

Todd Grantham has done an amazing job with the Georgia defense. The idiots on television can say what they want about weak schedules, but the improvements we have seen this year speak for themselves. You don't have a top 10 defense in the country by luck. My question is whether or not this year's defense is the best of the Mark Ricth era, even better than the Van Gorder units. Take a look at this comparison of the national rankings for Georgia's defense during the 2002 SEC season, the 2003 SEC East Champion season, the 2005 SEC Championship season, the 2007 #2 final ranking season, 2009 (Willie's last stand) and this year:

Of the 9 major defensive categories I examined, the 2011 squad had the best national ranking in 5 of them. Arguably, this is the best defense since 2003 when the unit featuring David Pollack, Odell Thurman, and Thomas Davis helped the Dawgs win 10 games despite an offense that struggled all year. What sticks out even more is the deterioration under Martinez and the rebound under Grantham. Georgia finished second in the nation in 2007 because of the strength of the offense and the ability to get sacks, not because of their ability to cover receivers.

Can I honestly say this is the best defense of the Richt era? I don't know. But what I can say is Coach Grantham has returned us to the defense glory we once had and I don't see that changing with the very experienced group we having coming back in 2012.

We Run...We Pass.. We Own this State

2011-11-28T11:21:00.004-05:00

For the 10th time in 11 years under Coach Mark Richt, the Georgia Bulldogs defeated in-state rival Georgia Tech by a score of 31-17 on Saturday. The margin of victory was 14, but like many other Georgia games this year, the game was really not that close. People were concerned that Georgia would be looking ahead to the SEC Championship. They were wrong (I'm looking at you, Corso and Herbstreit). Once again, we played without our starting running back and Georgia Tech took out our best defensive tackle with a cut block on the first play from scrimmage. Didn't matter. The Dawgs put "Boots to Asses". Here are my thoughts on victory 10 of the 2011 season:

Dirty play by Georgia Tech knocks Tyson out and what happens? Garrison Smith comes in and play lights out all game. Paul Johnson calls a timeout to try and ice Walsh and Walsh gets a second shot and makes it. Karma bitches!
John Jenkins is every bit the player we hoped. His presence made the difference in how we defended Tech last year and this year.
Tech still seemed to be able to pick up too many yards on the sweep play. Why can't we stop it when we know they are going to run it on third down.
Bad game for Christian Robinson, but he is definitely the emotional leader on defense. I am very glad he is a part of our team.
Shawn Williams vs. Mike Gilliard for biggest surprise play on Georgia this year. Both were after thoughts in the depth chart pre-season.
I thought Brandon Boykin was going the distance.
When you get a big running back near the ground, fall on him. We can't let LSU backs keep their feet this week.
Murray looked sharp like he did against Auburn. The only bad pass was missing a receiver wide open in the end zone (can't remember if it was King or Mitchell).
Speaking of Mitchell. Can you think of a better freshman trio than Mitchell, Bennett, and Conley? I sure can't.
Orson Charles could have had 10 catches at least if we kept throwing to him. Tech had no answers for him.
I am proud of Ken Malcome. He made sure we held the lead with his hard running in the fourth when Tech knew we were trying to kill clock. If Crowell is still hampered and Samuel is 100%, I would keep Malcome for LSU.

Overall, a great day for Georgia once again. After the 0-2 start, nothing feels better than getting win 10 against Georgia Tech. Now, it is the Dawgs' turn to upset someone.

GO DAWGS!!!

"That's how winning is done"

2011-11-27T20:49:00.002-05:00

I will be back tomorrow to offer my review of the Tech game and begin to look at LSU. But until then, I offer this quote from the last Rocky movie which perfectly sums up what the attitude the Dawgs should take heading into this match up:

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!

QuickTech Preview

2011-11-25T11:13:00.003-05:00

The Dawgs take on Tech tomorrow for state bragging rights. Georgia has won 9 games in a row and has bigger fish to fry with the SEC Championship next week, while Tech has had a nice season at 8-3, but for every good win (defeating top 5 Clemson) they have a stupid loss (against Virginia). Georgia's defense is awesome, especially against the run. Tech's option attack is a well-oiled machine in year 4 under Paul Johnson.

Here's what I think will happen. The Dawgs will be able to move the ball effectively on Tech. Who ever runs the ball will have big holes like we saw when Georgia played Auburn. Success in the run will lead to success in the passing game. Georgia Tech, on the other hand, will also be able to move the ball. Their offense is very tricky and despite superior athletes on the Georgia side, Tech will break off a few big plays like they do every game. The difference will be Georgia keeping Tech out of the end zone. While Tech will move the ball, I think the Georgia D will step up on their own side. The key for the Dawgs is to get an early lead. If they can build it to 2 touchdowns in the third quarter, Tech will be in trouble. The Dawgs win a the game that will be a lot closer than the score will indicate.

Georgia 34, Georgia Tech 23

We run this state...revisited

2011-11-23T10:04:00.001-05:00

Last time the Dawgs traveled to Grant Field, Georgia ran all over the Jackets. Here's a quick reminder:

King and Ealey may be gone, but the memory remains.

Go Dawgs!!!

Get...Lost...Nerd

2011-11-22T09:14:00.001-05:00

And, oh yeah

GO DAWGS!!! WRECK TECH!!!

We'll Miss Ya Larry

2011-11-21T08:59:00.002-05:00

When I woke up this morning to the news that Larry Munson had passed away, I immediately began to think of what he meant to me as a Georgia fan. Unlike many of you, I did not grow up in a Georgia family. While I would occasionally watch Georgia play on television, I worked almost every Saturday during high school and did not know much about Larry Munson before I came to Georgia. But when I arrived on campus, I kept hearing about people turning off the sound on their televisions during the games to listen to Munson. This was a new concept to me, but I soon understood why people preferred Larry to the babbling idiots on television.

Larry Munson was a true throwback in the broadcast industry. Today, broadcasters are trained to be objective and to not show favoritism. And while Scott Howard has carried on Munson's tradition of being a blatant homer for the Dawgs, nobody could do it quite like Larry. During my second year at college, I had a ticket to see the Dawgs take on the Vols in Knoxville. But when the people I was supposed to go with backed out (and rather than driving up there by myself) I sold my ticket to a friend from high school. That friend just happened to be the girlfriend (and now wife) of Georgia quarterback David Greene. Watching the game on TV (and listening to Musnon on the radio) in my apartment, I felt sad that I had missed the game, but glad I was able to hear one of the greatest calls in college football history.

The Munson's Greatest Calls DVDs introduced me to the full collection of Larry's best moments. For any of us who attended Georgia during the early 2000's, the Munson's Greatest Calls: The Mark Richt Era DVD is a must have. Despite the fact that I saw many of those plays live, I will always remember them with Munson making the call. The DVD includes what I consider to be the last great Munson call, that took place when the Dawgs took the field in black jerseys to host Auburn. It was Munson's classic opening, with a slight twist: "Get the picture now. Only this time it's a little different. The helmets are still red, but the jerseys are black."

My father called me just after the 2008 victory over Central Michigan. No one knew that this was going to be Larry's final game, but my dad seemed concerned. As a kid, my dad rarely watched football games on television. He would sit down and watch Braves games almost every night, but never really watched football. When I went to Georgia, my dad began watching games and he only watched them with the radio on. He loved Larry's passion and it turned my dad into a Georgia fan. Now, I talk to my father every week after the game. It is a bond we share and I feel like Larry Munson had something to do with it.

Larry is a true Georgia legend and there will never be another one like him. He will always hold a special place in my heart.

Larry, thanks for always being you. We'll miss you.

For some more information on how Larry came to Georgia, check out this story I wrote earlier this year.

The Charge Continues: The Kentucky Preview

2011-11-18T08:49:00.002-05:00

If you have ever been around a bunch of Kentucky fans watching the Wildcats play basketball, you will know that they have a pretty passionate fan base. Two years ago, I was sitting in the now gone Wild Wing cafe in downtown Athens before the nigh contest between Georgia and Kentucky. Kentucky was playing basketball that afternoon against some small school (I can't remember exactly which one, maybe it was Liberty or Lehigh). They were up like 40 points in the second half and these crazy Kentucky fans were swearing at the top of their lungs when their walk-ons took a bad shot or there was a foul call. A little annoying, but I understand the love. Luckily for us, Kentucky's football team this year is horrible and our shot at the SEC East is not against the (#2 ranked) Kentucky basketball team.

Georgia goes for its 9th win in a row tomorrow and chance to secure a trip to the SEC Championship for the first time since 2005 (note: this is technically not our first SEC East Division championship since then, however. In 2007, we technically won a share of the division. I know this may seem stupid to point out, but if we were in the Big 10 that year, we could have called our selves conference champs and that whole argument about not winning your conference would have gone out the window). The Dawgs are playing the best football I have seen them play since the stretch run in 2007. And while that team was known for the offensive power of Moreno and Stafford, this team is known for the defensive tenacity of Jones and Rambo. While most of us are still on the high from destroying Auburn at home last week, I hope the team is ready to go for the early kick tomorrow.

Kentucky should not be a problem. In what I have seen out of Kentucky this year, they are the worst Kentucky team I have seen in quite a few years (and since they are pretty bad normally, that is saying something). I listed some statistics the other day, so I won't cover them again. Kentucky's bad defense will be missing two starters on Saturday and their offense is on their third or fourth tailback. Morgan Newton has lost his starting job at quarterback. They lost to Vanderbilt by 30 points last week. Georgia should not lose to this game.

I expect the Dawgs to come out hot on offense once again. A little more rushing in the first half than last week. Crowell goes over 100 and Thomas may too. Hopefully, we get Murray out of the game in the second half and give Mason some more reps. Georgia wins big and will be headed to Atlanta for the next two weekends!

Georgia 48, Kentucky 10

Georgia Will Beat Kentucky Because...

2011-11-15T12:12:00.002-05:00

Randall Cobb is now in the NFL. For the last three years, Randall Cobb was an amazingly talented player on a pretty bad team. But whenever Georgia took on Kentucky, it seemed like Cobb was everywhere. In 2008, a heavily favored Georgia team was taken to the brink because of Cobb's 185 total yard and three touchdowns. In 2009, Cobb rushed for two more touchdowns as Kentucky came back from a 20-6 halftime deficit to win. And even last year, when Kentucky turnovers lead to 5 easy rushing touchdowns for Washaun Ealey, Cobb still had 7 catches.

But Cobb has finally moved onto the NFL, where he now plays for the best team in football and constantly makes highlights like this one:

I hated Tim Tebow and loathed Nick Fairley, but no player scared me more than Randall Cobb. Maybe it was because his team was so bad that you knew he was only chance they had. I am just glad he won't be there to try and prevent us from winning the East on Saturday.

Only One Game Matters

2011-11-14T15:03:00.002-05:00

People are buzzing about a potential match up with LSU in the SEC Championship, but they need to worried about the game this Saturday. But it's only Kentucky you say. Ask South Carolina what can happen if you over look Kentucky. Hell, eventual national champion Auburn needed last minute heroics to beat Kentucky last season. For me, no lead is safe until the clock ticks down to 0 at around 3:30 PM next Saturday.

Without a Georgia victory, the game against Tech will be the final game before the bow. I surely do not want that to be the case. And hopefully that is the same attitude the team is taking. There will be a lot of distractions. The AJC has an article up saying Georgia would be a 10.5 point underdog to LSU. Who cares at this point, since neither of those schools have even clinched a spot in the SEC Championship.

Looking at Kentucky, this is a game that the Dawgs should win easily. They are 4-6 and their signature win is a 17 point victory over helpless Ole Miss. Vanderbilt blew them out, 38-8 last Saturday. Their leading rusher is a junior who had only 55 career carries until late October. As a team, they have a little over only 1400 yards passing and a paltry QB rating of 98. In the NFL, that would be awesome, but in college, that sucks. they are 110th in the nation in passing, 89th in rushing, and average only 17 points per game.

The defense isn't that much better. The Wildcats rank 66th in the country in total defense at 393 yards given up per game. They are 98th in the country against the run (198 yards per game) which should mean another big day for Isaiah Crowell and Carlton Thomas. they are much better against the pass, where they rank 26th in the country at 194 yards per game. But that number may be inflated since opposing teams are often running clock late in the games (like Georgia did the entire second half against Auburn on Saturday). They are 64th in scoring defense giving up 27 points per game.

Georgia should win the game relatively easy. But saying it and doing it are two different things, as we learned out in Boulder last season. Until the Chapel Bell rings on Saturday, I hope the Dawgs keep their minds in the right place.

Woodshed

2011-11-13T20:08:00.004-05:00

That is the only way I can describe Georgia's 45-7 domination of the Auburn Tigers in Sanford Stadium on Saturday. Call it a blowout, call it payback, call it whatever you want. The Georgia Bulldogs stood up on Saturday night and let the entire country know that we are back and a force to be reckoned with. There were no real bad spots in this game except for a Drew Butler shank and two harmless fumbles by Crowell. Here are my observations on the game:

The offensive line absolutely gashed Auburn's defensive front. In the second half, Thomas and Crowell had holes so big they could have driven an F150 through them. Great game on the ground for the Dawgs and we even saw Ken Malcome get a few carries.

Mean, nasty, relentless. This is Todd Grantham's defense. Sign him to an extension, now.

Jarvis Jones has only gotten that much better since the return of Alec Ogletree. Jones may win the SEC defensive player of the year and both will be All-SEC and potential All-Americans next year.

John Jenkins has really started to play well. He has taken that starting spot away from Geathers and I don't expect him to let go. Motel 6 was every where on Saturday.

Aaron Murray is playing lights out right now. Whatever he has found between the Florida game and now, it has transformed him. The most impressive thing that Murray and Bobo did all night was take advantage of the back shoulder throw. Murray could not make that throw last season, but he sure can now.

The Georgia receiving corp is sick and the top 6 guys will all be back next season. As scary as the defense has become, the offense is quickly catching up.

When Bacarri Rambo took that pick 6 back, that was the loudest I have heard Sanford Stadium in years. The crowd was on fire and I loved it. And it also prompted this:

I was very proud to see Crowell come out and have a good second half. After the fumble in the first half, he came up limping after a ten yard carry. Thomas got a lot of carries after that, but then Crowell came back in. And looked every bit the 5 star player he is. I think his eyes are opened and he is ready become the star we need.

My last point is one that I am very proud to say I forsaw even if few people did. Back during the recruiting season, many people lamented the offering of a scholarship to Quitavious Harrow. I wrote this. The hit Harrow put on the Auburn kickoff return was impressive and it fired up a kick off team that had struggled over the last month. I could watch this play over and over again, all day long.

When Vegas set the line at 13 points, I thought they were out of their minds. But they must have known something the rest of us didn't. Georgia beat Auburn as soundly as we have beaten a rival since the 2002 Georgia Tech game. And now, the Dawgs are poised to earna spot in the SEC Championship for the first time since 2005. Kentucky comes to Athens on Saturday, and the Dawgs need to keep their focus on that game. Kentucky is not a good football team and hopefully the Dawgs close out the SEC schedule with a resounding victory. The Vegas line has been set at 29.5, but I think it will be safe to take the Dawgs this week.

GO DAWGS!!!

Get It Done

2011-11-11T08:29:00.002-05:00

Two months ago, we sat in Sanford Stadium as the clock reached :00 and watched the Dawgs fall to 0-2 on the season. After the deflating loss in the Dome to Boise State, the Dawgs had looked determine to turn things around, but too many mistakes led to another home loss. The media and fans were all over Coach Richt, and even I began to think this may be Coach Richt's final season in Athens. But then a funny thing happened - we woke up.

Call it easy schedule, call it luck, call it whatever you want. But the fact of the matter is that Georgia's magic number (to borrow a term from baseball) to clinch the SEC East is 2. The combination of Georgia victories tomorrow and next week or a victory in one of those games coupled with a South Carolina loss to Florida means the Dawgs head back to Atlanta for the SEC Championship for the first time since 2005. You may say you knew this would happen, but I wouldn't believe you.

The game on Saturday presents a interesting matchup for a Georgia team that has really found its groove the last few weeks. Since allowing 35 and 45 points in the first two games, Georgia has allowed more than 20 points only once. The defenses is in the top 10 in the country and has been especially strong against the run. Auburn will rely heavily on HB Michael Dyer and if Georgia shuts Dyer down, I can see a double digit win for the Dawgs. This game really comes down to a good Auburn offense against a strong Georgia defense. The winner of that battle wins the game.

While some people still think Aaron Murray is struggling, the sophomore quarterback is putting together what could be a record setting season. He leads the SEC in passing efficiency and has found a way to make some big plays despite not having his best stuff(see the Florida game). Having Crowell suspended last week may be a blessing in disguise. Hopefully the two bye weeks he had this month allowed that wrist to heal and hopeful he is ready to carry the ball more than 20 times.

Do I think this game will be one sided, as the 13.5 point spread suggests? Hell no. Have you watched the Georgia - Auburn games over the last 10 years? But, do I think this is a game where one team has a talent and experience advantage over the other? Yes. Auburn won a national championship last fall, but almost everyone of the critical pieces from that team moved on. This is a different Auburn team, one that almost lost to Utah State to open the season. Much like Georgia, their losses are all to highly ranked teams. But unlike Georgia, they now start a freshman quarterback who is starting for only the third time in his career.

Georgia should lead most of the game, but the Tigers will keep it close. The fourth quarter may see Georgia build a lead to around ten and then proceed to run clock like they did against Mississippi State.

Georgia 34, Auburn 24

Never Forget

2011-11-10T14:40:00.003-05:00

Fairley and Scam may be gone and Auburn is just a middle of the road school, but never forget the cheap shots and lack of class they showed last fall. Auburn deserves no respect from me, at least this year. I watched the Iron Bowl documentary from ESPN last night, and I wanted to punch Fairley and Scam in the face. Auburn will keep their National Championship, but they didn't do it the right way. I am no Alabama fan, but watching them win the 2009 Championship was much more fun to watch than Auburn last year.

After this season, it may go back to a friendly rivalry with the boys from the Plains. But for this year, it's pay back time.

GO DAWGS!!!

DSOR: Flashback,1986 'Between the Hoses'

2011-11-07T05:00:00.009-05:00

We all know the big implications of the looming game versus Auburn: Take care of business, and it'll be the first time since 1981 that we will have beaten UT, UF and AU all in one season (plus one more step toward an SEC Championship berth, our first since the Shockley-led Championship team of 2005). And that's not even mentioning the opportunity to get back to a 1-game difference in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

In an attempt to ignore some of the revenge-buzz that will likely percolate after last year's blatant lack of sportsmanship, here's a quick flashback to an earlier Bulldawg generation's controversy, the 1986 "Between the Hoses" game at Jordan-Hare.

The Red & Black front page on November 18,1986.

(H/t: R&B and the University of Georgia Library)

As the R&B article notes, Auburn itself, in an official statement, acknowledged turning the "spray into the stands on the north end of the field," with 400 UGA fans on the field and more trying to partake in the celebration.

The article notes 2 Redcoat Band members were injured by a thrown beer bottle and interviews a flag corps member who received stitches and a drill team member also cut by flying glass; it does not have further details on the extent of any other injuries suffered during the melee. 38 people were ultimately arrested.

The scary footnote to the article, though, happens to be that UGA at that time also had a similar policy for crowd control (quoting then-AA administrative assistant Greg McGarity). I can't imagine a modern Athletic Association ever executing such a policy again, even if it was still on the books, with the swift and immediate repercussions the school would deal with. Can you imagine ESPN's coverage in the 21st century over something like that?

The game itself carried such a strong reaction with the unranked 6-3 Bulldogs facing the No.8-ranked Tigers, 8-1 on the season, on the Plains. With starting QB James Jackson out with an ankle injury while also dealing with his grandmother’s death, backup Wayne Johnson got his first start of the season and led the Dogs to a major upset, 20-16.

Wayne Johnson came into the game 1 for 4 on the season with an INT, yet was able to manage the Dawgs down the field in the 2nd quarter to tie it up, with a TD pass to Troy Sadowski on a quick play action rollout. Johnson ultimately had little to show for it in the box score, going 6-7 with only 59 yards passing; the UGA running game saved the day, running all over the top-ranked defense in the SEC for 236 yards. The Dawg defense had a decent day, with LBs Steve Boswell and John Brantley sharing the AP's Southeastern Defensive Player of the Week award.

A late 4th quarter INT by Boswell ultimately iced the game for the Dawgs, 20-16, and then the chaos ensued.

---------------

The 1986 game, with a mediocre UGA team winning over the then-#8 War Eagles, is pretty symptomatic of the Rivalry's swings; the team in a relative down year can and has knocked the stronger team off its pedestal (for a more modern example, look to the 2006 game and Tra Battle's 3 INTs on the rain-soaked Plains against the No. 5 Tigers).

Sporadic highlights from the 1986 game (sadly no 'hoses' footage).

A Welcome Homecoming

2011-11-04T11:33:00.003-04:00

The Dawgs return to Athens for their first home game since beating Mississippi State back on October 1. And after the hard fought victory over the Gators in Jacksonville last week, getting a cupcake game could not come at a better time. I am not going to take much time talk about tomorrow's opponent, the New Mexico State Aggies. I did a profile of them earlier this year that you can check out here. They are a bad team from a bad conference who the Dawgs should beat handily. They do have a decent passing offense and are one of the better teams in the country at kickoff returns (which does scare me a little bit). But other than that, there is not much to talk about.

As for Georgia, the feel good vibes from the Florida victory were quickly dashed this week with the suspension of Isaiah Crowell, Carlton Thomas, and Ken Malcome. The controversy surrounding these suspensions is BS and it seems like everyone is trying to take shots at Mark Richt. But the truth of the matter is the tests took place on Thursday, they got the results on Monday, and the players were automatically suspended per AA policy on Tuesday. I really have to laugh at the Florida and Auburn fans who are complaining, since if this had happened at their schools these guys would be playing this week. In the end, it is just an extra week of rest for these backs who we will need down the stretch with Richard Samuel out with ankle surgery (yes, even Ken Malcome).

This Saturday should be a good chance for the Dawgs to rest some guys and get some backups into the game. Despite his insane 4 sack effort last week, Jarvis Jones has an MCL sprain and I would love to see him get some rest. Maybe we get to see more Ray drew? I'd also like to see Mark Richt give Mason some snaps, just in case Auburn decides to carry on the traditions of Nick Fairley and take cheap shots next week.

Despite the suspensions, I feel like the team is in a really good place right now. A win tomorrow (which would be 7 in a row) coupled with an Arkansas victory over South Carolina could mean next week's game with Auburn will pretty much decide the SEC East (there's no way we lose to Kentucky with the East on the line). From a team that started 0-2 and was getting killed in the media to a potential SEC Championship birth, I am proud of this year's squad.

Prediction:
Georgia 48, NMSU 10

GO DAWGS!!!

So, what will the play book look like on Saturday?

2011-11-01T15:05:00.002-04:00

Since we have exactly zero scholarship running backs healthy or eligible for Saturday, I predict a heavy dose of passing. I'm thinking the play book will look something like this:

Good luck boys!

Glory, Glory...HALLELUJAH!!!!

2011-10-31T12:38:00.003-04:00

My first trip to Jacksonville since the victory in 2004 proved to be victorious this time around. I guess that means I am going to have to make the trip every year. I don't care how ugly the victory was, it was still a victory. And in this series, that is all that matters.

I will only spend a little breath on the bads, because we all know them. Special teams...WTF. Blair needs to see a shrink or something. The kick coverage was horrible too, even though I noticed a few more starters like Ogletree and Samuel out there. Murray made some great passes, but missed a couple of easy wide open throws. No where near as bad as last year, but still. Everything else wasn't perfect, but we won, so they are forgiveable. Now, onto the bright spots.

People can give Todd Grantham crap all he wants about being a hothead, but he is one hell of a defensive football coach. He has turned this team into one of the best in the country in just two years. After the first play of the game that went for 72 yards, Florida had a grand total of around 160 yards. That is phenomenal against ANY team. The blitz worked well and we did exactly what you are supposed to do to a quarterback with a gimpy leg, make him feel uncomfortable.
Jarvis Jones has been in beast mode all season, but it really showed. Man, I wish he would have came to Georgia straight out of high school. Grantham gets a lot of the credit for the defensive improvement, but I think Jones deserves a little bit as well. He is the play maker we needed to make the rest of the scheme work.
Ogletree. Bad ass. All I need to say.
Crowell had another solid game but the injuries keep biting him. I was proud to see him come back on the final drive and pick up a huge first down. People seem to be a little down on him right now, but come next season, injuries and conditioning will not be a problem.
Coach Richt and Mike Bob deserve a lot of credit as well. The offensive game plan was pretty damn good. If Murray had not been all over the place with a few passes (and Walsh could actually make 30 yard field goals) this game could have been very one-sided. The play calling was very good.
Hello Christian Conley! A couple of huge catches and one key PI call. It makes me giddy to think about the wide receiver position next season. King, Mitchell, Brown, Bennett, Wooten, Conley, and 6'7'' Lonnie Outlaw. That's a lot of size an experience for Murray to throw to.
My final nod of the week goes to the much maligned Richard Samuel. He may still fall over way to easy when hit from the side and may never live up to the 5 star recruit he was out of high school, but Saturday this kid wanted that game and it was his determination that keyed the strong second half from the Dawgs. He ran hard and put his head down on every carry and showed the kind of emotion that has been missing in the Georgia backfield the last few years. When he crossed the goal line to give Georgia the lead, his excitement made me finally believe we were going to win the game. 17 carries for 58 yards may not be an impressive line, but this kid had one hell of a football game. It has been a long time, but in honor of Samuel's first touchdown since September 19, 2009, I present to you the return of the RICHARD SAMUEL TOUCHDOWN PYGMY GOAT (for more info, read this)

This was just a great weekend. A gritty, gutsy effort for the Dawgs. This is the type of game that Georgia loses in this series, but we somehow found a way to win. The celebration was great and my favorite quote came from Georgia receiver Michael Bennett:

"I've never seen so many drunk people in my life. I jumped in crowd and all I could smell was whiskey."

And in victory, what a glorious smell that is!

GO DAWGS!!!

Final Thoughts and Prediction

2011-10-27T17:09:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately, a busy work schedule that had me on the road a few days this week has prevented me from doing further analysis on this week's game. I will be leaving for Jacksonville in the morning, but here are my final thoughts:

Throw the series history to the wind. If there was ever a chance for Georgia to right the ship, now is the time. Florida has a new coach and is not the juggernaut they were during the Tebow years. Georgia needs to win to get some momentum going.
Brantley will help the Gators, but not that much. On a gimpy ankle, Brantley will be immobile. If Florida wins on Saturday, I do not think it will be because of Brantley. Rainey and Demps will need big days.
Missing Geathers and Williams will hurt in the first half, but will be great in the second. If the Dawgs keep it close in the first, I think they can wear Florida down like LSU did.
Crowell needs a big day. If Aaron Murray has to try and win the game, I am afraid we will lose. For their struggles, the Gators defense still allows less points per game than Georgia's does.
The most important match up is the Georgia line against the Florida front 7. If they can keep Murray upright and create holes, the Georgia offense should move.

I never feel good about the Florida game and this year is no exception. Of course they get Brantley back and we get guys suspended. That's how it always happens. But this year, I can honestly say we have more consistent play makers than they do. The Georgia defense has been opportunistic this season and I expect that to continue on Saturday. This game will be close, but I can see the Dawgs getting a key second half turn over that turns the tide.

Georgia 30, Florida 20

Dear god, I hope I am right on this one!

GO DAWGS!!!

WLOCP 2011: V: For Victory

2011-10-27T13:03:00.007-04:00

Good evening, Dawg Nation. Allow me first to apoligize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine, the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of this rivalry, whereby those important events of the past, usually associated with the end of some awful bloody struggle, are celebrated with a nice holiday (for most of us), I thought we could mark this Cocktail Party, a day that is no longer fondly remembered by Georgia fans, by taking some time out of our daily lives and have a little chat.

There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, there are those in places like Gainesville who wish that the Bulldog Nation remains dormant. Why? Because while their record over the last few years may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to a meaning, and for those who will, the enunciation of the truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this rivalry, isn’t there? For years, Georgia was the dominant team, but only the recent failures are pronounced. Media, fans, and even the players, have come to view this as a one sided affair where only one side has a chance at victory.

How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they have been recognized, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look in the mirror.

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? 3-18. The timeout. Hanging 50. Terrance Edwards drop. Tebow. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the media, such as the AJC and ESPN. They promised unbiased coverage and demanded you respect their opinions. Today, I ask you to forget the recent past and remember why this game is considered a rivalry. 31 years ago, Lindsay Scott wished to embed the memories of late October in Jacksonville forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that heart, determination, and spirit are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you’ve seen nothing, if the pain of the long drive home from Jacksonville each fall is too much, then I would suggest to you that you allow this October 29 to pass unmarked.

But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me this Saturday, in the stands of Jacksonville Stadium, and together we shall give them all a Georgia victory that shall never be forgot!

V is VICTORY!

Hate Week 2011: 10 Reasons I hate Florida

2011-10-24T12:45:00.003-04:00

(Please note: This post is meant to be humorous. It is not meant to be 100% serious. Just enjoy it.)

#10 - The color orange

All of Georgia's major rivals (except Tech) wear orange. Auburn, Tennessee, and even traditional rival Clemson. The fact that Florida wears it just makes them look that much dumber.

#9 - Lack of Punishment

At Georgia, there is a mandatory suspension for players who get caught using drugs,get a DUI, or run afoul of the law. At Florida, they get an internal reprimand and still get to play in the next game. Under Meyer, the worst example was Chris Rainey (who just happens to still be with the Gators), playing against Georgia last year just a week after testing "Time to die, bitch" to his girlfriend. This fall, Marcus Roberson gets arrested for underage possession and what does he get? A written arrest and a court date that happens to be a week after the Georgia game. Well, isn't that convenient? And don't get me started on Carlos Dunlap, Brandon Spikes, etc.

#8 - Non-Floridian Florida Fans

While I think Florida fans are annoying as hell, I am a little biased because I am a Georgia grad. I hate Florida fans in the sense of hating rivals, but not for their love of their team. What I do hate are the people who claim to be Florida fans but have absolutely no ties to the University of Florida. These are typically people from the North who are NFL fans and don't have a decent team to root for. They cheer for Florida because of the media coverage that ESPN gives them and because their grandparents live in Sarasota. They claim to love the Gators, but know absolutely nothing about their history in the SEC prior to the 90's.

#7 - Their Pathetic Scheduling

Every year it is the same, a bunch of pansies in September to boost their stats and give them easy wins out of conference. I know McGarity is trying to institute some of this at Georgia, but we still played Boise this year, have a two game series with Clemson scheduled, and will play Ohio State at the beginning of the next decade. As opposed to Florida, who rarely plays away from home the first month of the season and plays the likes of Miami of Ohio, Troy, and Florida International. And don't forget all the years of scheduling off weeks before Georgia.

#6 - Tight Ends who are Quarterbacks who are Running Backs

This just annoys me. It always seems like Florida has one player that seems to play about 5 different positions and for some reason they always have career games against Georgia. Percy Harvin and Trey Burton, just to name a few.

#5 - Steve Spurrier

Even at South Carolina, the Head Ball Coach is causing issues for the Dawgs. He is the man who started this Florida domination in the series. I will hate the man til I die. At least we ruined his perfect season back in '66.

#4 - Their Best Game is Always the Cocktail Party

Whether Florida is contending for a National Championship or playing like crap, they seem to play awesome in Jacksonville. How else do you explain the Dawgs losing to a bad Florida team in 2002 when Georgia was undefeated? They will look like crap against Kentucky, but look like a juggernaut in Jacksonville. I can't explain it.

#3 - Florida brings out the worst luck for Georgia

Terrance Edwards drops a wide open pass that would have been a touchdown. Billy Bennett forgets how to kick. DJ Shockley hurts his knee against Arkansas. Penn Wagers is always assigned as ref. Shawn Williams and Kwame Geathers get suspended. Every year, something happens that helps Florida get an advantage.

#2 - They keep winning

We all know how Georgia Tech feels about us because it is the same way we feel about Florida. Until we can string together a series of consistent wins, that feeling of gloom will never change.

#1 - THEY ARE FLORIDA

They are the state below us. They have a football tradition that stretches way back to 1990. Lindsay Scott ran right past them. Herschel never lost to them. We beat them 75-0 in 1946. We danced in the end zone. Leonard Pope just kept getting open. Vince ran down the field and Munson broke his chair. They are the Florida Gators, they no good sons of bitches. I hate them with every ounce of my soul. From the spiked hair backstreet frat boys to their slutty sorostitutes. They north Florida white trash who have invaded my city. Gainesville is the a-hole of the south, a city built near a swamp that claims it is a great academic institution. Sorry, you are not Vanderbilt.

I HATE FLORIDA.

GO DAWGS!!!

It's Hate Week: Let's Get it On!

2011-10-23T10:24:00.001-04:00

GATORS! GATORS! HOW'D YA LIKE TO BITE MY ASS!!!

Just thought I'd get that out of the way. It's Florida week 2011 and while a spot in the National Championship is not up for grabs, a spot in the SEC Championship could be at stake. We could talk about history and heroics, but none of that matters on Saturday. I hate Florida, plain and simple. A little part of me dies every year when we head back from Jacksonville with our teeth kicked in.

It sucks that a Georgia team who has won five straight games will most likely be picked against this Saturday in favor of a Florida team with three straight losses and sporting a gimpy quarterback. But that is the reality of the situation. I will have more break down of the match ups this week. For now, I leave you with this:

GO DAWGS!!!

Going Back to Jacksonville

2011-10-21T08:41:00.003-04:00

This time next Friday I will be on my way to city on the St. John's river. And while many Bulldog fans make the annual trek to Jacksonville, this will be my first time going since 2004. It was my final year of college (5th year overall!) and we had a senior loaded team led by David Greene, Fred Gibson, and David Pollack. Florida was struggling and had already announced Ron Zook would not return as coach. It was my fourth consecutive trip to Jacksonville, and the Dawgs had lost everyone of them. But with two touchdowns from Leonard Pope and just enough defense, the Dawgs were able to hold on for a 31-24 victory.

I was finally content. Georgia had ended the misery that was Jacksonville for me. As I graduated from Georgia the next spring, I thought it would be a while before I returned to northern Florida in late October. I was right. Now, 7 years later, I prepare to go back to Jacksonville. The Dawgs have gone 1-5 in the last six years, but just as it was in 2004, it appears we are playing better football than the Gators. Can Coach Richt and the boys finally put together a complete game and make me 2 for 2 (2 for 5 overall)? We shall soon find out.

I HATE FLORIDA!

GO DAWGS!!!

World Series: Someone to Root For

2011-10-18T16:57:00.002-04:00

I know we are in the middle of football season and you probably don't care much about baseball, but the World Series begins in St. Louis tonight. If you are looking for a team to root for, I recommend pulling for the Texas Rangers. The Texas Rangers not only drafted Georgia outfielder Zach Cone in the first round of the draft this year, but they also used a 33rd round pick on injured outfielder Jonathan Taylor. Besides, the Cardinals stole the Braves playoff spot.

Go RANGERS!!!

Hate Week 2011: The Warm Up

2011-10-18T12:19:00.002-04:00

Florida Hate Week doesn't officially begin until Sunday but with both teams on a bye this weekend, it is never too early to start hating the Gators. We all know Georgia's lack of success against Florida over the last 20 years, but for the first time in a long time, I can honestly say that the past should have little affect on this year's game. Here is why:

This is not the typical match up of ranked teams. Yes, this game means a great deal to the SEC East race, and specifically to Georgia . But both teams are coming off disappointing seasons in 2010 and have seen South Carolina pass them as the top team in the east. There's no national championship implications, no Heisman trophies, just two historic rivals meeting on the field.
Urban Meyer is gone. So if Tim Tebow. Florida may have been struggling last year coming into the game, but they still had Urban on the sideline. There is no more curse of Tim Tebow or Urban's crazy spread offense.
Muschamp was a Dawg. Yes, he may be burning bridges fast, but he still played football at Georgia and that will not be forgotten. As much as he claims to be all in at Florida, I can't see Muschamp pulling any of the tricks Spurrier or Meyer would have against Georgia.
We both have byes this week. No one has the advantage in the rest department. After all these years of Georgia coming in beat up while Florida is healthy, Georgia actually looks like the healthier team right now. Florida will get Brantley and rested Demps back, but the Dawgs get Alec Ogletree, Malcolm Mitchell, and (hopefully) a revived Isaiah Crowell back.
Georgia has a lot more on the line than Florida. Muschamp's job is not in jeopardy, it is his first year with a new offensive scheme. But Mark Richt (despite 5 straight wins) still has to be a little uneasy about his position. Georgia has not been to the SEC Championship game since 2005. Florida has won two NCs in that time.

None of these factors mean Georgia is going to win or that the team will forget their shortcomings in Jacksonville. What it does mean is that I am going to try and remove the past from my analysis of the game. Just as I won't talk about Tim Tebow, neither will I talk about Knowshon Moreno. Florida's dominance over the last 20 years won't be discussed, nor will Georgia's dominance for the first 90 years or so of the 20th century. This game is the dawn of a new decade and hopefully this will all just become a thing of the past.

Vandy Wrap Up: A Needed Ugly Win

2011-10-17T12:27:00.005-04:00

Let me get this out of the way, first thing. I have mixed feelings on the Grantham situation. Coaches should not act like idiots dropping F bombs after game. There is no excuse for that. However, no head coach should ever go and start yelling at another team's player after the game, and that is what James Franklin did. From the camera angle, we don't know how much Franklin was yelling. The media has tried to make Grantham the complete bad guy in the situation, but maybe Franklin should get more blame as well. While Grantham could have gone about it with a few less F bombs, I am still glad he let Franklin know his place. I am glad Coach Grantham is passionate and will stick up for his players, but he needs to tone it down.

As for the game itself, it was ugly (to say the least) and not the outcome I expected. But a lot of people were expecting a tough game for Georgia, including Herbstreit and Corso on college Game Day, so I am not mad like a lot of people are. And for those who say this games shows that we are still horrible and are not headed in the right direction, I ask you this: Would Georgia have won that game in 2010? If you said yes, I would ask you to watch the Colorado game or the 2009 Kentucky game. Both losses to inferior teams where Georgia had leads in the second half only to give the game away.

And maybe this was just the type of game the Dawgs needed. The last time the Dawgs won an SEC game by less than 7 points was the 2009 game against South Carolina. And the time in the last few years that Georgia was able to stop a team driving in the closing minutes for a potential game winning (not game tying) score was Georgia Tech in 2009. All most of the players on Georgia know is losing close games. Finally, they got a chance to win one. Think back to 2007. An up and down Georgia team with a sophomore quarterback, a flashy freshman running back, and some up and coming play makers at linebacker won a close game at Vandy and used that to propel them to 7 straight wins and a Sugar Bowl. I'm not saying that is going to happen again, but remember that that game also ended with coaches yelling near midfield (albeit at our own players instead of the opposing coaches).

The biggest gripe I have about the entire game is the failure to cover the fake punt. At that point, Georgia had a 23-7 lead and had forced Vandy to kick them the ball back. Vandy had not scored a single point at offense and looked like they were about to get blown out. When the formation shifted, I jokingly yelled fake to the group of friends we had watching the game at my house. And, holy crap, I was right. From that point on, Vandy was back in the game and they had all the momentum. It was like that single play, followed immediately by the trick play, sucked all the life out of the defense. Vandy still could not pass the ball, but the defense's inability to wrap up on tackles nearly cost us the game. And don't get me started on the fake punt. There were multiple Vandy players who had a shot to block it, and when it happened I thought they were going to scoop and score. Our kickers are talented but they will be gone next year and if we don't improve, our freshman kicker and punter could be in for long seasons in 2012.

But the silver lining to this whole game was there were some definite positives from Saturday night. While the defense was certainly not stellar in the second half, they managed to only give up 160 yards passing and 65 of those came on a fake punt and a trick play. Vandy quarterbacks were forced into three interceptions, including a key one early in the game in the Georgia end zone. Ray Drew had a great game, including his first career sack, and looks ready to contribute down the line. And just think, when we play Florida we get Cornelius Washington and Alec Ogletree back. It may not be perfect people, but I feel a lot better about our chances with this defense taking on an injured John Brantley than I did about our defense that took on a healthy Brantley last year.

On the offensive side of the ball, Crowell's benching combined with his injuries clearly impacted the Georgia offensive attack. Despite this (an the poor defensive showing) Georgia still out gained Vanderbilt by over 100 yards of offense. Aaron Murray was still not flawless, bet his passes looked much better than they had in recent weeks. Marlon Brown and Michael Bennett both stepped up and had the best days of their career. And even though a couple of negative rushes near the end of the game hurt his average per carry, Richard Samuel looked better than I have seen in a long time. No doubt we need a healthy Crowell back there to keep our offensive successful, but hopefully this shows we can still move the ball some even if he isn't around. Keep in mind, at one point Georgia scored on 6 consecutive drives and it would have been 8 if Walsh had not missed the 42 yard field goal.

In the end, there are a lot of things to work on. Thank god the Dawgs have two weeks to rest and get healthy for Florida. The loss of Lattimore at South Carolina makes me think South Carolina will lose at least 2 of their 3 remaining tougher SEC games (Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee). Once again the Cocktail Party will most likely decide the fate of the SEC East. Hopefully, Georgia can get it together and get Richt victory 3 over the Gators.

Vanderbilt Preview

2011-10-14T10:45:00.002-04:00

Things Vanderbilt does well:

Produce major league pitchers
Shoot three pointers
Being really smart
Churning out future CEOs

Things Vanderbilt does not do well:

Run the football
Pass the football
Score points on offense
Win games in the SEC

If this was baseball or academics, I might feel threatened. But fortunately, it is just football. Vanderbilt's defense is much better than their offense, but it won't be enough to make up for their complete lack of ability to move the football. Georgia should have good field position all game long without relying on big plays. The offense scores enough to make it comfortable and then goes into zombie mode. We may even have Hutson Mason and Ken Malcome sightings in the second half. Defense continues to dominate.

Georgia 34, Vanderbilt 7

Mid Season Assessment: The Youth Movement and the Future

2011-10-13T12:11:00.003-04:00

After a dismal ending to the 2010, Georgia fans were looking for something to brighten their spirits for the off season ahead. They got what they were looking for with the recruiting class of 2011. Nicknamed the Dream Team, this class has already become a key part of the team. The decision to play so many true freshman combined with a large talent pool of player who are in their second and third years on campus, and things may finally be looking up in Athens.

Georgia has already played 14 true freshman this season. While a number of these players have been used on special teams, three freshman have become starters and key contributors for the Dawgs. Isaiah Crowell has lived up to the hype and has become the the feature back all of the recruiting experts expected he would be. He leads the team in rushing and is on pace to rush for nearly 1,200 yards this year. Malcolm Mitchell leads the Dawgs in receiving yards and has become the favorite downfield target for Aaron Murray. And Amarlo Herrera has stepped in at middle linebacker and has become a force over the middle. Ramik Wilson, Christian Conley, and Ray Drew have also begun to see playing time beyond special teams.

In addition to the true freshman, Georgia is littered with redshirt freshmen and sophomores who as making a big impact. This begins with quarterback Aaron Murray who, in just his second year in Athens, has moved in the top 5 in school history in passing touchdowns. Jarvis Jones has had an immediate impact this season and may be up for All-SEC when the season ends. Kwame Geathers, Michael Bennett, Garrison Smith, and Kenarious Gates are all making impacts this fall.

Overall, the Georgia Bulldogs are a young team that should continue to get better. The only significant losses on defense for 2012 will be Brandon Boykin and Deangelo Tyson. On offense, the Dawgs will lose 3 on the line and will most like lose two tight ends (White and Charles). But the running backs and all of the receivers will return next fall to give Aaron Murray options.

After the 0-2 start, there was little hope for a successful season in Athens. But after 4 straight victories and signs of improvement (particularly on defense), things are beginning to look up. And while the schedule will get tougher with Alabama on the schedule next fall, we will be the much more experienced team when we travel to Tuscaloosa.

Mid Season Grades and Awards

2011-10-12T08:49:00.003-04:00

At the halfway point of the 2011 football season, the Georgia Bulldogs sit at a record of 4-2 tied with South Carolina for first place in the SEC East. And while they do not control their own destiny to get to Atlanta, there are in a good position to be there when it all shakes out. If you asked most Georgia fans if they would be satisfied with 4-2, I think most would have said yes. Considering the Dawgs were 2-4 at this same point last year (including losses to Miss State and Colorado) and I thin I am pretty satisfied. Here are my grades for the first half as well as some superlatives. I will continue my mid season report tomorrow with a look at Georgia's youth movement.

Offense (Overall): B-
Quarterbacks: B
Tailbacks: B+
Tight Ends/Fullbacks: A
Offensive Line: C -
Play Calling: C

Defense (Overall): A
Defensive Line: B+
Linebackers: A
Secondary: B+
Defensive Coaching: A-

Special Teams: B-
Place Kicking: C-
Kickoff Coverage: B-
Punting: A
Punt Coverage Coverage: B
Returns: B
Special Team Coaching: B

Overall Team MVP: Brandon Boykin
Offensive MVP: Isaiah Crowell
Defensive MVP: Shawn Williams

Biggest Surprise (Offense): Carlton Thomas/ Malcolm Mitchell
Biggest Surprise (Defense): Mike Gilliard

Biggest Disappointment: Blair Walsh

Missouri to the SEC: A Hookup That Never Should Happen

2011-10-11T05:00:00.010-04:00

The more Missouri insider information that slowly leaks out about Missouri's desperate courtship for SEC entry (unless the Big 10 calls), the more their statement of "explor[ing] options of conference affiliation" resembles the 1 AM drunken college scramble to find someone, anyone, to go home with other than the Big 12.

Brady Deaton to the SEC: "So, you're telling me there's a chance..."

In an exploratory study leaked from Missouri's governing board analyzing the school's SEC "options," beyond the potential $12 million per year additional funds Mizzou projects in joining the best damn conference in the land, "Missouri would not suffer a dramatic loss in academic prestige with an SEC move."

Are you serious? Was this report written dripping with understatement and irony, in Crayons, or just simply by a bunch of incompetents? As even the most partisan of websites, mizzou2sec.com, outlines in its factual argument, you have to go through 6 schools in the SEC (and only 2 Big 12 members), based on US News & World Report rankings before stumbling upon the Columbia Tigers. Maybe us SEC folks ain't too good at math, but even I end up using two hands to count that one out. Missouri would probably sell themselves to the next conference a-callin' twice as fast if they could even sniff the academic prestige of Auburn.

All I have to say is thank God there are some current SEC schools standing firm against adding another bunch of Tigers (and another Columbia) to the SEC. (And I'll spontaneously combust before someone convinces me that Dr. Michael Adams stands on the 'con' side of this argument).

I don't care how anyone slices and dices a map with lines, there's a cultural, moral and traditions divide that will never be bridged if Missouri joins the SEC. The SEC is kind of a big deal and not used to picking up the conference scraps for a simple short-term fling. It's nothing personal Missouri, really; we just aren't big fans of condescending, underachieving Midwesterners who wear t-shirts to football games.

Don't worry Missouri, don't keep desperately wanting; I'm sure the B1G will be around in a few minutes...

Too Much for UT

2011-10-10T13:42:00.002-04:00

Another satisfying victory for the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday night. Like many others have written, it was certainly one of the most unusual games I have ever witnessed. From long possessions that resulted in few points to the 3rd and 56, just a strange game. But, this game felt a lot like the last few games for the Dawgs, in that the school remained somewhat close but the final outcome was never really in doubt. Here's my thoughts on this week's game:

The kind of bads (there were no real "bads" this week)
- Murray is still on his deep balls. Now, we can forgive because he was able to hit Mitchell deep twice, but he over shot TK twice wide open in the first half. If he hits other of those two passes, this game would not have been close.
- Mike Bobo, here's a little lesson: Calling a QB draw on third down once = Brilliant. Calling a QB draw again on third down later on the drive = Dumb. Also, Orson Charles is a mismatch, all the time. Just throw him the ball.
- Letting Simms complete that pass to the 1 on fourth and long. We had been pressuring his the two plays before, why we suddenly decided not to bring pressure on third and long is beyond me.
- The penalty marathon. It was horrible. From first down at the 23 and a sure fire 3 score lead to punting from around our own thirty. It did not matter here, but we can't waste good field position. This is why we continue to not put teams away when we clearly have the opportunity to.
- Injuries - Thank god it is just Vandy and the bye week coming up. We need Malcom Mitchell and IC healthy to beat Florida.

On to the goods!
- The linebacker play continues to get better each week. Just imagine what it will be like with Ogletree back in there. Gilliard was named SEC defensive player of the week and the Tennessee fans already hate Herrera and he's only a freshman.
- Grantham's D continues to get better each week. And they are mean. We injured their running back and their QB, and I am not sure how Da'Rick survived that brutal hit from Branden Smith.
- If I had to name a defensive MVP this season, it may go to Shawn Williams. Boykin is the best all around player on the defense, Jarvis Jones is an absolute beast, but ever ytime there is a key play, Shawn seems to be there.
- Crowell was pretty banged up, but he stayed in there and made some great runs in the second half. The second touchdown was a thing of beauty. Carlton Thomas continues to impress me as well and I definitely think he should be moved up to #2 on the depth chart.
- Malcom Mitchell is awesome. Great hands, great speed, and good routes. If he doesn't pull the hammy, that is a 93 yard touchdown.
- While Murray is still off, he made some good decisions to tuck and run and only made one bad throw (by my count).

Overall, it was a great night for the Dawgs. They are such a different team than they were 5 weeks ago. I have no crazy expectations of Georgia running the table, but I expect we will at least win a share of the SEC East title this year (even if we don't get the honor of getting smoked by LSU or Alabama). Saturday we go for the sweep of the state of Tennessee and then a much needed week to recover for the Gators. I'll have my mid season assessment of the team up on the blog later this week.

Tennessee Prediction

2011-10-07T08:57:00.002-04:00

The question for the Georgia Bulldogs this week is do they continue to climb the mountain back towards national prominence or do they fall all the way down Rocky Top back to mediocrity. Predictions have been across the board and with the Vegas line at only a 1.5 point Georgia favorite, it appears this game is a toss up.

I think Georgia has come a long way from the sad looking team we saw in the Dome to start the season. The defense has played at a such high level that I cannot see a Volunteer team that is so one dimensional putting up a lot of points. That being said, this will be a night game on the road in Neyland. I think the Dawgs come out with a win here, but it will be close until the end.

Georgia 27, Tennessee 17

Rocky Top Tumble

2011-10-05T08:39:00.004-04:00

Last week, I wrote about the importance of the Mississippi State game and how it could be the key to a successful season for Georgia. Following the Dawgs two touchdown victory over the West Bulldogs, Georgia will travel to Knoxville to take on Derek Dooley's Tennessee Volunteers. Thanks to losses by Florida and South Carolina on Saturday, Georgia is now tied for first place in the SEC East. But in recent years, the trip to Knoxville has not been a kind one for Georgia.

2009 was an absolute disaster. Once erratic Jonathan Crompton looked like a Heisman Trophy winner and the only Georgia offense came from Brandon Boykin. But that was not a good Georgia team. Two years earlier, Georgia lost 35-14 to Tennessee in a game that was no where near that close. The game ended up being the deciding factor in keeping the Dawgs out of the SEC Championship and ultimately out of the national championship game.

The last victory for Georgia in Knoxville came in 2005, when DJ Shockley and Thomas Flowers played key roles. Georgia totally dominated Tennessee last year, but that was before Tyler Bray became the quarterback. And maybe we are to blame for eventually taking the job. Late in the game last year, Bray took over for Matt Simms and promptly went 8 of 12 for 81 yards. He gradually saw more playing time and eventually took over the starting job.

And while Bray is off to a fast start this year, don't forget that Tennessee has played arguably the easiest schedule in the SEC so far. They lost their only meaningful game so far to Florida and lost their best player (Justin Hunter) to a season ending injury. They are incredibly thin on both lines and running back Tauren Poole only averages 4.5 yards a carry despite the poor competition they have faced.

The key for Georgia this weekend is to continue to play the way that has brought them success the last three weeks. Solid defense and ball control offense should limit the time that Bray has to throw to Da'Rick. If the Dawgs can stay grounded, they will find themselves at 4-2 with Vandy and a bye week coming before Florida. Otherwise, it is going to be one hell of a rough fall down the mountain to 3-3.

Thoughts on Mississippi State

2011-10-03T14:01:00.004-04:00

DE-FENSE (stomp, stomp) DE-FENSE (stomp, stomp)!

Wow. For all the issues Georgia may have on offense and special teams, the defense has surely made up for them. For three straight weeks, the Georgia defense has been absolutely dominant to the point where the offense knows it doesn't need to continue scoring points to win. At no point in the game after Georgia held state to a field goal to make the score 7-3 did I feel Georgia was in trouble. Todd Grantham's system is finally paying off and it makes me excited to see how the rest of the year goes. Here are my thoughts on the game from Saturday and what's coming next.

- Pressure was coming from the linebackers all day long. Jarvis Jones notched a pair of sacks and has clearly proven why he was a 5 star recruit out of high school. Cornelius Washington had the best game of his career, but of course he had to go out and do something stupid and get suspended. Hopefully this opens the door for the Pastor of Disaster to finally make his impact.

- What a difference having a true nose tackle makes. Having Geathers and Jenkins in the middle makes Abry Jones and Deangelo Tyson awesome. Speaking of Jenkins, he finally made his first big play at Georgia. I loved seeing him sling Perkins around like he was nothing.

- Amarlo Herrera has done an admirable job filling in but I was very glad to see Christian Robinson back in the lineup. He had a nice pass break up on a key third down that most players would not have made.

- The secondary coverage has been great. Now, if we just learn to actually catch those interceptions before we run for the TD, we'd be awesome. I counted three for sure pick sixes we dropped.

- Blair Walsh...ugh. I know a lot of these misses are from almost 50, but that last miss was BAD.

- Aaron Murray was up and down again. He had some nice throws but all three picks were bad. The passing game plan sucked in my opinion.

- Speaking of the play calling, why the hell was Murray throwing with the Dawgs up 21 on a first down inside MSU territory with 8 minutes on the clock. I know it was first and 18, but three more runs would have ran another two minutes off the clock. You pin them back deep and make them go the length of the field three times in 6 minutes instead of risking them getting the free touchdown. The other part of the offensive game plan I did not like is the complete lack of throws downfield. We went deep once (the incompletion to Bennett) and that was it.

- Orson Charles is in full beast mode. No linebacker in the SEC can cover him one on one (well, no linebacker currently on Georgia's schedule anyway).

- Crowell looked great in the first, not so much in the second. But the blocking was also much worse in the second half as MSU definitely made adjustments to clamp down Georgia's running attack outside the tackles. FWIW, I thought Crowell stayed in bounds from what I saw on the replay.

- Malcom Mitchell is only a freshman. I repeat, only a freshman. This kid is good.

Overall, another solid win over an SEC opponent. I said this to some friends the other night, but this season is starting to feel a lot like the 2003 team. A solid defense that keeps the team winning despite inconsistency on offense. Don't forget that Georgia's leading rushed in 2003 was Michael Cooper and David Greene only had 13 touchdowns to go with 11 interceptions. But that team found its way to the SEC Championship game and finished #7 in the country. The Dawgs are set up for similar results. A win over Rocky Top would continue to build this strong momentum as we get closer to the game that will most likely decide the SEC East, the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville.

GO DAWGS!!!

The Unshocking News of the Day: Ken Malcome Comes Back

2011-09-29T14:50:00.002-04:00

Ken Malcome has decided to rethink his decision to transfer and has returned to the Georgia football team. When the news broke yesterday, I did not write anything because I honestly felt he would be back. He is a redshirt freshman who is currently stuck on the bench behind a true freshman, a converted linebacker, and two guys shorted than Prince Miller was. I can't blame him for being disappointed.

But I had a feeling he would change his mind. I am sure he got calls from his teammates and parents and asked him to really think about what he was doing. Yes, he may be back on the depth chart now, but Samuel and Thomas are juniors who will be gone after next season. Crowell will be the feature back, but even when we had Knowshon, Thomas Brown and Caleb King got a good number of carries.

Can I honestly say I expect Malcome to complete his remain eligibility at Georgia? Right now, the answer is no. But he will be with the team at least the remainder of this season.

How Important is the Mississippi State Game?

2011-09-28T17:23:00.006-04:00

My simple answer is that this is the most important game left on Georgia's schedule. While all of the big rivalry games remain on the schedule, they will have no added story lines unless the Dawgs beat the Dogs on Saturday. Walk with me.

A Georgia win means the Dawgs will be back over .500 in the SEC for the first time since early in the season in 2009. This will be Georgia's last home game for over a month, so now is the last chance to have the home crowd help the Dawgs build the confidence they need to compete in Jacksonville. The next two games are in the state of Tennessee against clubs that Georgia should be favored to beat.

Tennessee is still a very young team that lost its best offensive player (Justin Hunter) to injury. They put up impressive numbers against lesser schools to start the season, but against Florida they looked like the young team that they are. For Georgia, this game will not be easy to win, but coming into Neyland with a winning record should give them the extra boost of confidence needed to pull out the victory.

The next week is Vanderbilt, a team that many people think are much improved. But last Saturday night, Vanderbilt could not take advantage of 4 Stephen Garcia interceptions andcould only score 3 points on a South Carolina team that Georgia put up 42 on. This may not be the 40 something to nothing blowout like it was last year, but the Dawgs should win.

If all this shakes out, Georgia could find itself at 5-2 heading into the off week. With both losses coming against top 15 teams, they most certainly will be back in the national rankings. Florida is always tough and this year will be no exception. But knowing that a win the next week over New Mexico State will secure a bowl birth again should take some of the pressure off the Dawgs.

But none of this happens without a win Saturday. A loss on Saturday means a losing record heading into a month away from home.

Do you honestly think Coach Richt would survive coming home from Jacksonville with a 3-5 record and Auburn and Tech still left on the schedule? I don't think so.

Looking Back at Ole Miss

2011-09-26T12:30:00.002-04:00

What the hell, Georgia fans? Why is it that everywhere I go, people seemed to be upset about the outcome of the game this past Saturday. Why? Was the game perfect, certainly not. But it was a solid victory over an SEC team on the road. Here are my thoughts on Saturday's victory and what it means going forward.

First things first, the defense was dominant. Holding a team to under 200 yards of offense, whether it is Ole Miss or Soutwestern Prairie View State means you had a solid effort from your defensive squad. Coach Grantham's guys are finally starting to figure things out and it shows. And my counter argument to, it was only Ole Miss, is that they still did not have 200 yards even with a trick play that went for almost 40. Take out the drive where they scored their only offensive TD, and the Rebels gained around 130 yards. That's awesome.
Crowell is becoming the feature back we thought. He had big run after big run in the first. And even though he was clearly winded in the second, he still made some nice cuts to pick up extra yards. Samuel is serviceable, if he would just learn to stay on his feet. And Carlton Thomas is slowly but surely making me a believer.
Hello Aron White. Glad to see our other tight end finally make an impact.
Offensive play calling was much better, but I did not understand the reasoning for going so conservative when the lead was only 11.
Justin Anderson is not good, but unfortunately he is all we have got right now.
Murray looked better this week than he did against Coastal Carolina. Too bad Bobo won't let him take more shots down field. The interception was on OC, not Murray. The only bad 'lock on' moment I saw was the 4th and goal when he tried to pass to Crowell. But the pass interference was called, so it doesn't really matter.
Special teams is really struggling right now. Part of it is players (Walsh-what the hell) and a lot of it is coaching. After great games against the Carolina school, Brandon Boykin had a bad day on kick returns. Drew Butler continues to kick well, however.
Shawn Williams is a beast. I can't wait to see him and Olgetree back in the same lineup. Remember that the defense did all this on Saturday without Ogletree and Christian Robinson.
What is the biggest difference in Georgia's pass defense now vs. 2 years ago? Now, the corners and safeties actually play the ball instead of the crap Willie used to have them do. I saw at least three break ups that could have been catches if the players had not watched the ball and knocked it down.

So, at the end of the day, it was a horrible Ole Miss team that we let hang around a little too much. But was the final outcome ever really in doubt? I don't think so. This game reminded me a lot of the 2008 game at Arizona State. If the Dawgs defense can continue the momentum this week against a Mississippi State team that needed OT to beat Louisiana Tech, the Dawgs could have a winning record for the first time since opening day in 2010.

10 Things About Ole Miss and This Week's Prediction

2011-09-23T09:12:00.004-04:00

Georgia will be in Oxford tomorrow to take on the lowly Rebels of Mississippi. Is it fair to call them lowly? When you just got drubbed 30-7 by Vanderbilt and you don't play in division 1-AA or the WAC, then yes. Here are 10 things to know about Ole Miss:

1. Their mascot is now the Ole Miss Black Bear. This is after they got rid of Colonel Reb and they had students vote on who the new mascot should be. The bear won over the likes of the land shark. They should have went with Admiral Ackbar (damn you George Lucas!)

2. They haven't won a conference championship since 1963. That is a long time for a team that some consider to be a good football school.

3. They replaced Coach O with Houston Nutt and after winning back to back Cotton Bowls after the 2008 and 2009 seasons, the Rebels have looked terrible. Maybe they should have kept Coach O and the wild boyz.

4. While I have never been to the Grove, I have heard it is amazing. Too bad the campus administrators took away Georgia's only area that was even remotely close (North Campus).

5. That being said, why the hell do Ole Miss fans hang chandeliers under the tents at tailgates. It just seems strange.

6. Eli Manning was better than college than he has been in the NFL, but in college they couldn't win a conference championship, let alone a national title. In the NFL, Eli helped the Giants beat the undefeated Patriots.

7. Dexter McCluster and Patrick Willis are two of my favorite SEC players of all time. I loved watching Willis club people with the cast on his hand during his senior year.

8. Ole Miss has put up horrible numbers on both offense and defense this year against pathetic competition. They are probably better than the numbers indicate. But Georgia's defense is also much better than the statistics indicate (especially scoring defense).

9. I can't name a single current Ole Miss player off the top of my head right now. That is how bad they are.

10. Georgia should not lose this game. This would be about on the level of losing to Colorado last year.

Georgia 41, Ole Miss 20

Streit’s Radical Realignment

2011-09-21T14:10:00.002-04:00

Conference expansion is clearly the hottest topic in college football these days. And while it is fun to speculate about who will be the 14^th team in the SEC or how the heck the Big East is going to survive, I think it is more fun to think of how things would be done different if there was a clean slate. Between the BCS vs. Playoff debate and the calls to blow up the NCAA all together, here is my radical take on what college football could look like if they did away with the current conferences.

A couple of notes:

The “conferences” are created based strictly on geographical location. I tried to group states together providing a good balance of strong teams and weaker ones.

States that have multiple D1 schools in them will always see those schools in the same conference. For example, if there were two teams from Vermont, one would not be in conference A while the other in conference B.

There are a total of 11 conferences, featuring 10 schools. A total of 110 schools are represented, with 108 being current FBS schools. The other two schools are programs I could see as moving to D1 in the near future (Georgia Southern and Appalachian State).

Each conference will be divided into two divisions.

The conferences

Southeast (Georgia and Florida): Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Florida, Central Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida International

Tobacco Road (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina): Virginia, Virginia Tech, UNC, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest, East Carolina, Appalachian State, South Carolina, Clemson

Deep South (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana): Alabama, Auburn, Troy, UAB, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, LSU, Tulane, Louisiana Tech

Red River (Texas and Oklahoma): Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, SMU, Baylor, UTEP, Rice, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa

Southwestern (New Mexico, Arizona, California): New Mexico, New Mexico State, Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Fresno State, San Diego State, USC, Stanford, UCLA

Pacific (Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada): Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, Boise State, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, UNLV, Wyoming

Western (Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska): Air Force, Colorado, Colorado State, BYU, Utah, Utah State, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska

Northern (Minnesota,Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana): Minnesota, Iowa, Iowas State, Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ball State, Purdue, Notre Dame

Great Lakes (Ohio, Michigan): Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Toledo, Miami (OH), Bowling Green, Ohio

East (Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia): Arkansas, Arkansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Memphis, MTSU, West Virginia, Marshall

New England (Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut): Penn State, Pitt, Temple, Maryland, Navy, Boston College, Army, Syracuse, Rutgers, UCONN

Schedule:

11 regular season games: 4 against division, 4 against teams from the other division (this rotates each year), 3 non-conference games. Each team will have 1 permanent out of conference rivalry. The other two games can only be scheduled against other division 1 teams.

Conference Championships: Winner of each division play for the conference championship and first round bye in playoffs.

Playoffs, week 1 : 11 conference runner ups eligible – Top ten will be selected based on some type of ranking (be it a selection committee). No one can complain that much since they all had the chance to earn an automatic bid the week before.

Playoffs, weeks 2 -4: All teams are re-seeded into 16 team tournament (11 conference champions and 5 winners from week 1).

National Championship Game and Bowls: During the first week of January, bowl games are held culminating with national championship game.

So this is my radical realignment. Of course it will never happen. This is all for fun, so don’t be too hard on me in the comments. I would love to hear your ideas as well.

When We Last Met: Ole Miss Edition

2011-09-20T14:00:00.002-04:00

The last meeting between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Ole Miss Rebels was during the 2007 season. It was a game that showed the potential that would be realized down the stretch that year, but it was before the debacle that was the 2007 game in Knoxville. Interestingly enough, this game started out looking like it would be a Georgia loss.

Ole Miss already had a 7-0 lead when they drove to the Georgia one yard line. But before they could go in for the two score lead, a fumble by Ole Miss QB Seth Adams lead to a Georgia recovery. From there on, the game was all Georgia.

Many of us remember the great year that Knowshon Moreno had in 2007 and we often forget the accomplishments of then senior Thomas Brown. The Ole Miss game was arguably the best game of Brown's career, as he rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns on only 16 carries. Add in 90 yards and touchdown from Knowshon Moreno and 43 yards from walk-on Kalvin Daniels, and the Dawgs finished with 328 yards rushing on the day. This was the first game under Coach Richt where the Dawgs rushed for over 300 yards.

After falling behind early, the Dawgs defense played solidly throughout the remainder of the game. They forced two turnovers (the fumble in the first quarter and later, a Brondon Miller interception) and held Ole Miss to single second half touchdown.

Final Score: Georgia 45, Ole Miss 17

Coach O is still crying

2011-09-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

Classic.

Carolina is Done, On to Mississippi

2011-09-19T12:17:00.003-04:00

The Georgia Bulldogs completed their two game set against schools from South Carolina on Saturday with a 59-0 domination of Coastal Carolina. And while everyone expected the Dawgs to easily dispatch the Chanticleers, they did in convincing fashion which has not been the norm for Georgia against cupcake schools. This was a domination in every sense of the word and it was just what the Dawgs needed after two tough opponents to open the season. Just a couple of quick observations:

The burst that Crowell had on his first quarter touchdown was ridiculous. This kid is the real deal, both running past people and through them. Let's hope for 20 touches this week.
The line was dominating. Even though they did not record a sack, they were making plays in the backfield and keeping the quarterback on the run from start to finish.
Blair Walsh has some issues right now. One second he misses a 35 yards, the next he makes it from 56. One kickoff looks horrible, the next sails through the back of the end zone. We need him to get this right.
Great game by Shawn Williams filling in at ILB. It makes me feel a lot better about facing Miss State without Ogletree.
Aaron Murray is struggling right now. He throws into coverage too much and seems to have lost the ability to throw on the run. Wasn't that one of strengths last year?
Happy to see Ray Drew finally make his debut. He looked pretty good, making a few tackles and getting some good pressure on the QB.

Lots of freshmen played and some backups, including Hutson Mason, got some work. Overall, it was a near perfect game between the hedges. This week, the Dawgs head to Oxford for the first of two games against the state of Mississippi. In 2006, Georgia swept Mississippi, but only after struggling in both contests. Ole Miss is coming off a bad loss to Vanderbilt and looks to be the weakest team in the conference this season. Hopefully the Dawgs can pick up their first SEC win of the season and continue the improvements we have seen over the last two weeks.

A couple of other thoughts:

I attended the most insane high school football game I have ever seen in the Georgia Dome on Saturday night. It was my high school (South Gwinnett) vs. my wife and step brother's high school (Central Gwinnett). The final score was South 63, Central 55. The game featured over 1,300 yards of offense between the two teams, ten turnovers, and about 40 penalties. Apparently, no one plays defense in high school football anymore (I'm kidding, just not in this game). Malaci(sp) Jones, the younger brother of Notre Dame wideout TJ Jones, had like 280 yards and five touchdowns. We need to make this kid an offer.
Penn State has to score late to beat Temple. Ohio State gets beaten by Miami. And Notre Dame knocks off Michigan State. People want to talk about the SEC East being down, but they need to be talking about the Big Ten getting beat up as well.
Pitt and Syracuse are joining the ACC...and I don't really care. This definitely feels like a basketball move. The Big East is pretty much dead. The team I feel bad for is TCU, who was finally moving to a major conference only to see that conference dissolve before they get there. Maybe Boise State will them come back to the MWC. With the ACC growing, don;t expect any of those schools to jump to the SEC. West Virginia or Missouri are the most likely candidates for team #14.
Florida State is back...almost.
What a devastating injury for Justin Hunter of Tennessee. That leaves Tyler Bray with only Da'Rick to throw to. We'll see how is stats hold up.
LSU at West Virginia on Saturday night in Morgantown is going to be a hell of a scene.

And lastly, I want to mention that Georgia alum Kyle Chandler won the Emmy last night for his portrayal of Coach Eric Taylor on Friday Night Lights. I have mentioned quotes from the show numerous times on the blog and it was one of my favorite shows on TV. I was sad to see it end, but glad to finally see Chandler's excellent performance recognized.

Coastal Carolina Prediciton

2011-09-16T13:24:00.002-04:00

No preview, just a prediction.

Georgia 48, Coastal Carolina 13

Quick Observations from the LSU-Miss State Game

2011-09-15T23:11:00.002-04:00

Because I have been at extended tailgates during the first two weeks of the season, I have not had a chance to sit down and watch much college football this season. But tonight I was able to sit on the couch and watch almost all of the Thursday night match up between LSU and Mississippi State. It was a throwback game to earlier days in the SEC when running the ball and defense ruled. Here are my thoughts about the game and the two teams:

LSU

- LSU's defense is ridiculous. Quick to the ball, solid tackling, and they make big plays. Mississippi State was averaging 300 yards a game rushing during the first two weeks. Tonight they barely had 200 yards of total offense.

- #17 for LSU (can't remember his name) was mentioned in the game as early target for MSU to pick on. The guy finished with two interceptions.

- LSU has enough talent on defense that they will never need to score a ton of points to win. That is good, because Jarrett Lee will not be lighting up the scoreboard. He is the very definition of a game manager.

- LSU has some good young receivers and the duo of Ware and Ford in the backfield are very solid.

Mississippi State

- All the injuries on the Mississippi State line are really killing them. They were getting little to no push against the LSU front.

- Relf makes some pretty good moves for such a big guy, but he doesn't sell play action well at all.

- Ballard is a bowling ball, you've got to keep him off his feet.

- Mississippi State's defense looked out of breath in the second half. If you can sustain long drives like LSU did tonight, you can wear them down and then begin hitting long passes.

- Overall, Mississippi State has not progressed much from last year. Don't get me wrong, they are a solid team who hung with the number 3 team in the country. But, they are still too one dimensional offense which makes them vulnerable late in the game (as evidenced by Relf being pulled in favor of Russell). The defense is solid, but they still rely so heavily on the blitz that a decent quarterback should have little trouble tearing them apart. Fortunately for them, Jarrett Lee is not that type of player. When they play Arkansas, expect big numbers from Wilson and his trio of receivers.

It was a really fun game to watch. I love seeing old school SEC games where you think the final score may be 6-3. I feel like the Dawgs will have a tough challenge when MSU comes to Athens in three weeks, but it won't be much different than waht we saw in Starkville last fall.

How the University of Georgia helped Coastal Carolina Create a Football Program

2011-09-15T12:27:00.002-04:00

As many of you know, Coastal Carolina has only been playing football at the varsity level since 2003. In only 8 years, they have won 4 Big South Conference championships and currently have 4 former players in the NFL. But most Georgia fans may not know that Coastal Carolina may not have developed a varsity football team without the help of the University of Georgia.

In 1987, Coastal Carolina was a small school that was a member of the University of South Carolina system of school. The school colors at the time were red and black, similar to the garnet and black worn by their parent school. That fall, the school would field its first football team, all be it on a club level with Georgia native Andy Lanier as coach. With limited funding, Coach Lanier reached out to both South Carolina and Clemson about donating old equipment for the team to use that fall. Both schools were unable to help, but another school stepped into to help the new team out.

That school was The University of Georgia, who gave them used helmets and shoulder pads. And since they were wearing red black, just like UGA, there was little need to spend extra money redoing the colors on the helmets. As a thank you gesture, the club team would call themselves the Coastal Carolina Bulldogs, instead of the school's traditional mascot, the Chanticleers. The success of the club team, and some funding from alumni, helped Coastal Carolina build new facilities that would eventually allow them to create their varsity football program.

10 Things I Want to See this Saturday

2011-09-14T13:30:00.003-04:00

A win, plain and simple. Shouldn't be that hard against a 1-AA school, but tell that to Ole Miss.
25 touches for Isaiah Crowell. He may not get them if we are playing well, but it is just fun to watch him with the ball.
No interceptions from Aaron Murray. He has two in the first two games and both were costly, especially the one against South Carolina. Hopefully, we get to see Hutson Mason get some playing time as well.
At least one defensive touchdown. The Dawgs have created three turnovers this year, but they have amounted to a grand total of 3 points.
Brandon Boykin playing well...on defense. He did have a pick last week and we have seen him play great on offense and special teams. I would love to see our senior leader make a big hit or get another interception.
Blair Walsh making all of his field goal and PAT attempts. This is a guy who was a Groza Award finalist, he can't be missing 33 yarders.
Sacks from Jarvis Jones and Cornelius Washington.
Ray Drew making his Georgia debut. The shoulder injury set him back, but I think we need to get him in if he is going to be a part of the defensive game plan when we play Miss State.
Marlon Brown and TK making catches. I thought they would step up this year, but clearly I have been wrong. Malcolm Mitchell has passed both of them in my opinion. I also want to see our tight ends (Charles and White) making plays in the passing game after being shutout last week.
Continued improvement. Last week was like watching a completely different team than the one we saw in the Dome. It will be hard to judge the progress against Coastal Carolina, but if the Dawgs eliminate the mistakes and put away a cupcake like an SEC team should, then I will feel good.

Just Something You Don't See in the SEC

2011-09-13T16:43:00.002-04:00

In looking for some information about our upcoming opponent this Saturday, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, I came across the football page on Coastal Carolina's athletics website. The website had some insightful information about their team, including the 2011 Media Guide and Coastal Football History. But at the bottom of the menu section, I saw something that just seemed out of place:

FOOTBALL TRYOUT INFORMATION

Now, I understand that Coastal Carolina is a 1-AA school and one that has only been around for about a decade. But to have a link to tryout information on the team's website just seems...odd. What I found more interesting is that their tryout date for football was listed as August 22, a little over a week before the beginning of the football season. I don't know about you, but if I was planning to walk on to a football team, I would want to do it more than a week before the season started. I mean, what do they expect you learn in a week other than how to hold a tackling dummy and get the crap knocked out of.

Anyway, this is not meant to be harsh (as I know I will get the inevitable comment about not being mean to a 1-AA school) it just seems very out of place. This definitely something that you would not see in the SEC...even at Vanderbilt.

#1 On the Field and in the Depth Chart

2011-09-13T13:18:00.002-04:00

Coach Richt has announced that Isaiah Crowell will be the #1 tailback against Coastal Carolina. Why he wasn't first string already is beyond me, but hopefully this means more carries in the coming weeks. Actually, I hope it means less carries this week since the Dawgs should be able to beat Coastal Carolina with a backfield consisting of only guys shorter than 5'8'' (Thomas and Harton).

The reason for the change was on field performance in addition to some injuries for Samuel. And supposedly Carlton Thomas will move to #2 if Samuel can't go. My question is, what the hell happened to Boo Malcome? Wasn't so impressive in practice last season that the coaches considered burning his red shirt when Ealey and King struggled. Now, he can't even take over the third string spot for little Carlton Thomas. Something just doesn't seem right.

Hopefully this is a permanent change. Getting 25 touches for Crowell a game could spell huge dividends for a Georgia team that appears to pass the ball much better out of play action than out of the shotgun.

Go Greek at Alabama...or not.

2011-09-13T09:20:00.003-04:00

White girls trying to rap. Horrible. This is easily worse than "Party in the UGA".

The Effort Was There, Now We Need Results

2011-09-12T08:35:00.004-04:00

What a tough game for a Georgia fan to watch. Saturday's 45-42 defeat at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks may be one of the most gut wrenching games I have seen at Georgia. There have been bad losses and close losses, but this is one game where I felt the team played pretty well, yet still ended up on the losing side. There are not many times can you say that 3 plays in a game make the difference between a loss and a blowout victory. The effort put forth by the team on Saturday was such a seismic difference from week 1 that I felt Georgia just deserved to win. But that didn't happen.

So let's start with what went wrong:

Three turnovers lead to three touchdowns (including 2 defensive scores). Couple this with the fake punt and that is how the Dawgs lost the game. We can't lose the turnover battle. This felt a lot like a game from the 2009 season, in that respect.
The passing game was almost non-existent in the first half. Murray was constantly on the run and receivers were not getting open. As a matter of fact, I think there were only two completions to receivers the entire first half. The interception was horrible, with Murray throwing it directly into a blanketed man. Murray's numbers look pretty good this year, but he has not been up to par with last season.
The offensive line is still not providing proper protection. I know the play that ended with Clowney causing the Murray fumble was a screen, but you at least need to try and block a little bit. Justin Anderson still looks lost on pass coverage.
The running game may have had a nice day, but why are we running out of the shotgun on 3rd and 1?!?
Jordon Love's pass interference may be the play that cost the Dawgs the game. We got good pressure and it was a bad pass from Garcia. There was no need to hop on the guy's back. It gave Carolina new life and Lattimore scored just a few plays later.
What is up with Walsh? The chip shot field goal he missed ended up being the difference in the final score!
No receptions for Orson Charles. REALLY?!?

On the flip side, this game was filled with a ton of positives:

Brandon Boykin is the best player we have right now. Solid on defense, makes things happen on offense, and is just amazing on kick offs.
Rambo and Cummings had great games. It made me feel that we really missed Rambo against Boise. Garcia was basically a non-factor with the exception of the touchdown to Jeffrey.
The receivers showed up in the second half and looked like they may be a good bunch. I said it last week and I'll say it again, Malcolm Mitchell should be starting.
The defense overall played a hell of a game. Lattimore racked a ton of yards on a few carries in the 4th, but other than that the Dawgs did a much better job tackling him than they did last year. Garcia was held in check and we even got some sacks. It is a shame when a defensive effort like that was wasted with turnovers. If you take out the fake punt, the defense allowed 335 yards. Pretty damn good against a team with a senior quarterback and All-Americans at receiver and running back.
The coaching was better. Definitely not perfect. Allowing the fake punt was all on the coaches. I mean, it was Spurrier after all.
Michael Bennett has good hands. He may be the slot guy we are looking for.
Marlon Brown and TK have talent, we just need to get them the ball.
Isaiah Crowell showed on Saturday why he was the #1 running back recruit in the country. 158 total yards on just 18 touches and two scores. We have to get him the ball 25 times a game. His running on Saturday reminded me a lot of Knowshon Moreno. A number of times he got hit right at the line of scrimmage, but somehow ended up with a 3 yard gain. And if you watch the game, look for a play in the first half when a SC defender blows him up about 10 yards into a carry, he shrugs it off and picks up another 15 or so. The kid is that good, we just need to use him. (added video)

At the end of the day, this game should have been a victory. The team I saw on Saturday looked nothing like the one we saw in the Dome last week. If they cut just a few of the mistakes, they could begin to play great football. We should get an easy win on Saturday against Coastal Carolina and it would not surprise me to see us follow that with four more wins. The talent is there.

GO DAWGS!!!

This is the coach of the team we play next week

2011-09-09T11:41:00.002-04:00

WOW.

At one point, we all fall

2011-09-08T13:54:00.003-04:00

Image courtesy of the AJC

"Every man at some point in his life is going to lose a battle. He is going to fight and he is going to lose. But what makes him a man is at the midst of that battle he does not lose himself. This game is not over, this battle is not over." - Coach Taylor, Friday Night Lights

I find this quote amazingly appropriate for the game this weekend. The irony is it appeared on the television screen spoken by Kyle Chandler, who attended the University of Georgia before becoming an actor.

GATA! Let's go Dawgs!

Quick Hits

2011-09-08T10:41:00.002-04:00

- The special on Herschel Walker on ESPN last night was pretty awesome. I had never heard the story about his difficulties with bullying in middle school and how he chose to transform himself. Pretty moving stuff. And watching the highlights again, I can honestly say there has never been another running back since Herschel that had the combination of speed and strength he had. The dude was just amazing.

- Everyone is frustrated. The fans, the players, the media, and Mark Richt. Coach Richt asked the reporters if they wanted to see him blow up and start throwing things. My first response was, hell yes.

- The Dawgs will be an underdog at home this weekend. That is a very rare occurrence (I believe I read this is only the 3rd or 4th time since 2000). That is pretty amazing.

- Going into last year, Mark Richt had only lost 4 non-conference games in his first 9 seasons at Georgia. He has now lost 3 of his last 6. That's not good.

- South Carolina is a good football team, but they are not unbeatable. East Carolina had them on the ropes last week. If the Dawgs can find a way to keep the score low, I think we win. My god, a man can hope.

- I predicted a loss last week with the caveat that we would win this week. Despite the poor performance against Boise State, my feelings remain the same.

Georgia 30, South Carolina 24

We got Bucked!

2011-09-06T11:20:00.003-04:00

Damn Boise. Damn line play. Damn secondary. Damn coaching. Just DAMN.

That's how I feel about Saturday's game. All this talk about renewed focus and better conditioning resulted in 35 Boise State points and exactly zero chance of winning the game. Even Brandon Boykin's amazing 80 yard run looks kind of bad since Boykin was dehydrated and had to miss plays afterwards. The defense was actually playing very well despite being on their side of the field the whole first half...until the last five minutes of the second quarter. And that was the turning point.

Boise State scored just before half to go up 7 and then immediately put 7 more on the board to start the second half. At that point, you knew the defense could not stop them anymore. The offense certainly did them now favors.

Why the hell was Bobo trying to have us run the spread??? We are not a spread offense. Running out of the shotgun on third and 1 at the Boise 25 was about the worst play call I have seen in my 12 plus years as a Dawg fan. If we would have scored there (even the damn chip shot field goal) I honestly feel the game is much closer.

Crowell will be good, if we ever give him some blocks. The kid can't do it all himself. "Tampa" Mitchell is scary fast and, in my opinion, should be starting next week. (It won't happen)

Jarvis Jones = bad ass. It is really going to suck not having Ogletree for the next 6 weeks.

Overall, a great day of tailgating was ruined by a piss poor effort. I have been positive in the face of the lunatics, but maybe it is just time for Coach Richt to move on. I did predict a loss, but not a domination in the veins of Alabama 2008. I love my Dawgs and I pray we get it together this weekend against Cackalacky.

Game On

2011-09-02T08:25:00.003-04:00

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

Longing for a special moment

2011-09-01T14:08:00.004-04:00

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.

10 Things I Think

2011-08-30T08:51:00.003-04:00

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!!!!

What if we win?

2011-08-23T13:30:00.002-04:00

After a 6-7 season that ended with a bowl loss to Central Florida of all teams, many Georgia fans have little to no expectations for the 2011 season. Opening against a top ten team in Boise State appears to be a challenge that this year's team may not conquer. Throw in a week 2 battle with another top 10 team in South Carolina, and it appears many believe Georgia is headed to an 0-2 start.

But what happens if we win???

A win over Boise would be huge for the confidence of the team, but not so much for the fans. As an SEC school, you are expected to win big games and given Boise State's current status as a non-qualifier, they are still a team that an SEC school should beat. But that win in week 1 may be the boost that the Dawgs need to be successful in the home opener on September 10. While the Dawgs may have given up a lot of running yards to Marcus Lattimore last fall, they were in the game until the 4th quarter and if not for a Washaun Ealey fumble, may have had a chance to win the game. We played that game without AJ Green as well.

Georgia wins in the first two weeks of the season may not mean a championship (of any type) but it sure as heck could be the start of a special season in Athens. The schedule gets easier, as the only team with a winning record (not including Coastal Carolina) the Dawgs will see in the 5 games is Mississippi State, who has to come to Athens. After that, the Dawgs head to Jacksonville to play Florida before 3 more home games against New Mexico State, Auburn, and Kentucky.

If the Dawgs somehow win the first two weeks, I would not be surprised to see the record at 10-1 or 9-2 by the time we head back to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech. To say these first two games are critical is an understatement.

Only 11 more days til kickoff.

Weighing in on the Uniforms

2011-08-22T09:00:00.003-04:00

Alright, now that everyone had has gotten their anger and frustration out, here are my honest opinions on the Nike Pro Combat uniforms the Dawgs will wear in the Dome.

- I don't mind the red jersey and red pants. One of the most famous clips in Georgia history features red pants and at least we got to keep our red jerseys. I am just glad it is not black on black, cause that would have been awful.

- The silver helmet doesn't look too bad...except for that stupid red stripe. If it was just a thin red stripe like the white one on our regular helmets, it would have been great.

- These are definitely not as bad as they could have been. I still think the black pants and helmets from two years ago are worse.

- We only have to wear them for one game, so we can have a burning party after the Boise game to get rid of them.

- I am very glad that the helmet features our regular G logo instead of something like a Bulldog with his hat backwards like this:
- The players like them, but this is definitely not a motivational ploy. Nike required us to do this. The people complaining about Richt doing this for fake juice need to shut up.

While that may not be perfect, they could have been a lot worse. In two weeks, the uniforms will just be a memory.

The Brewing Hurricane in Coral Gables

2011-08-19T13:20:00.000-04:00

They probably were fighting over who got the yacht vs. the strip club that weekend.

The NCAA re-emphasized yesterday that the death penalty option is in fact still available for use:

"If that’s an option that the [NCAA] Committee on Infractions believes is appropriate in any one case — it doesn’t matter which one it is — I’m not opposed to them using that. We need to have penalties that serve as effective deterrents so that people who are doing the calculation in their head [as to] whether or not the risks and rewards line up, recognize the price of being caught.” -- NCAA President Mark Emmert

Forget the "atomic bomb" and "the results were so catastrophic that now we'll do anything to avoid dropping another one,” it's 2011 baby. Matt Hinton's musings are confirmed.

I have been pondering though whether the NCAA is naturally drawn to hammer a little harder on private schools, such as the University of Miami, USC and SMU because of lower political risk to the NCAA when taking on a private entity, or whether private schools are naturally drawn to screw up due to the internal structuring of private schools.

Private schools are not subject to states' Open Records or Sunshine laws, allowing an administration and athletic department to filter out even the most mundane information from the media. Private schools do not answer to state legislative subcommittees and are not forced to make an annual song-and-dance for state funding amidst budget cutbacks. The lack of information flowing out of a private university allows small problems to fester into big nasty problems (needing more than Bernie's ultimate problem solver), and the relative financial independence of a private institution results in an equally slow 180⁰ turnaround by not putting out$ide state funding on the line.

The detailed allegations span two coaching administrations, apparent knowledge by the coaches and administrators, and was largely overseen by an athletic director who also had a part in Miami's more recent football scandals, including a drug testing scandal and where 57 players falsified Pell Grant applications to the tune of $220k. Miami's program since its rise to national prominence in the 1980s has been built on a shaky foundation and indeed may be "broken beyond repair."

If I was an obnoxious "The U" singing-football fan, player-dropout, or alleged alum, I would be frightened. In my mind, the modern baseline for sanctions by the NCAA will probably begin with USC's recent sanctions, be flavored with a little bit of 1980s Kentucky basketball punishment, and garnished with everything just shy of a SMU penalty.

The Countdown 2011: 19 Days to Go

2011-08-15T05:00:00.002-04:00

QB Mike Tamburo, #6

With the Munson-esque cautious skepticism of our first game starting to crop up online, it definitely is starting to feel like football is almost here, with seemingly only a quick trip to stock up on bourbon left before kickoff on Labor Day weekend.

Phillips-Union Cherry blend; goes down surprisingly smooth at September Gameday temperature.

One interesting blurb that I read in the spring and immediately forgot may have a slight impact for our first game: redshirt sophomore transfer QB Mike Tamburo, #6 of the Georgia Bulldawgs (and formerly #9 of the Boise State Smurfs).

The beat writers mentioning that Tamburo has not been asked yet about the Broncos' playbook, implying that game planning for Boise State has (obviously) not yet begun, brought the transfer QB back to mind.

Tamburo, who graduated from North Gwinnett in 2009 and chose Boise over several other D-I schools, suffered a torn ACL his first season up North and lingered at the bottom of the BSU depth chart ever since.

What sort of a weapon could Tamburo be? Inevitably he will be part of the scout team offense during Boise State prep, either in a wide receiver role (which he filled part-time with Boise) or more obviously as the scout QB (as seen in his Youtube HS highlight reel, or as a former "Brother in Arms"-- see below). With the (theoretical) 20-hour NCAA limit on mandatory team activities capping practice time in-season and the 29 practice limit on fall preseason practices, any insights on quickly implementing a realistic BSU simulation should help the Dawgs.

The kickoff game versus Boise State will likely not be of the 2005 vintage; any insight on the margins about the Smurf offense, player tendencies which may not show up on tape or ability to assist game film analysis will help out immeasurably.

Expect to hear a few more blurbs on Tamburo as your liquor shelves are stocked and Gameday crawls oh so slowly nearer...

The newest Dawg in his former colors on the far left. Maybe Boise State will reprint this poster and sell it in a similar fashion as the Cleveland Cavs' owner.

The Countdown 2011: 22 Days to Go

2011-08-12T10:58:00.003-04:00

10 Things I Already Hate About This Season

The season is still 3 weeks away, but I am noticing some trends that are just annoying. Here are my top ten things I already hate about the 2011 season.

1. People (especially when it is Georgia fans) calling Richard Samuel the incorrect name of Richard Samuels. Come on people! This is your team, how hard is it to actually know their correct names.

2. The Longhorn Network. If Texas becomes independent in the next few years, they may very well become as annoying as Notre Dame.

3. Coverage of USC football like they are still a powerhouse. They are still ineligible for bowls and the new Pac-12 Championship game, they have a bad head coach who does not have any history of winning, suffered through major attrition, yet still, ESPN treats them like a top 10 team. Give some press to schools who have gotten better in recent years like Oklahoma State or a team that actually has a chance to win the Pac 12 like Arizona State. I'm not saying they won't be a great team again someday, but right now, they are paying for being cheaters.

4. Recruiters, recruiting services, and recruiting violations. Is it really necessary to put Georgia on the front page of ESPN.com for self reporting a violation when coach McClendon accidentally called a player who shared the last name with a friend? We all know recruiting is a shady business, it has been for years. But it is a lot cleaner now than it used to be. I especially hate the holier than though fans from other conference who like to rag on the SEC. Give it a rest.

5. Is Coach Richt on the hot set??? If you are a coach a program that is used to winning between 9 and 11 games every year and suddenly you have 3 consecutive years where you fail to reach that goal, then most likely you are going to get fired. It is the same in the business world. The question doesn't need to be asked anymore.

6. Aaron Murray's stats were inflated by having AJ Green to throw to. Yes, Green was an amazing receiver who helped Murray out, but AJ missed four games. Aaron Murray had one of the best statistical season by a Georgia quarterback ever, not just for a freshman. One player does not make that much of a difference. Matt Stafford had Massaquoi, Green, and Knowshon in the backfield, and barely had better numbers than Murray last year.

7. Poor Ohio State. Seriously, they brought it all on themselves. I certainly hope the NCAA drops the hammer on them like they did on USC.

8. Florida State suddenly being cocky again. One 10-4 season and a bowl win over an SEC school sure has made FSU fans think the 90's are back. They have to get past Oklahoma first. And then win an ACC Championship (shouldn't be too hard to do).

9. Auburn and the trees...well, really anything related to Alabama and Auburn fans being idiots. Driving to my wife's family reunion, I listened to the Paul Finebaum show for the first time in my life. Good God, the people who call into that show are idiots. This year, I feel like it will be a competition over who has the better sob story: Auburn and the Trees or Alabama and the tornado. Clearly, Alabama has suffered the far greater tragedy. But don't tell that to the Barners.

10. The college football playoff debate. It will never end until there is a playoff. You can argue forever, but the BCS is in place and it will determine the National Champion. Suck it up and quit complaining.

The Countdown 2011: 30 Days to Go

2011-08-04T12:38:00.003-04:00

#22

The preseason Coaches poll was released today and the Georgia Bulldogs check in at 22. I was not sure that the Dawgs would even be ranked this season after finishing the 2010 season with an ugly loss to Central Florida and suffering through an off season of losing starters from last year's team (through graduation, early draft entry, or just plain stupidity).

But being ranked 22 feels about right for the Dawgs headed into this season. There are 8 teams from the SEC ranked in the top 25 and only Florida (at 23) was ranked lower. Alabama and LSU are both national title contenders and who knows what will happen at South Carolina and Miss State. The beauty thing of being the SEC is that you can rise from a low preseason ranking to the top just by winning games. Look no further than last season for proof.

In 2010, Auburn began the season ranked #22 in the coaches' poll. They struggled early against Mississippi State, nearly lost to Kentucky, and were down three scores to Georgia and Alabama. but their ability to make it through the SEC unbeaten allowed them to ascend to the top of the polls.

While I seriously doubt Georgia will be playing in a BCS bowl this season, a trip to Atlanta is not out of the question. Wins over Boise State and South Carolina in the first two weeks of the season would most likely jump the Dawgs into the top 15 (if not the top 10). And considering Georgia avoids Bama, Arkansas, and LSU on the schedule this fall, they may find themselves ranked highly by the time the Florida game rolls around.

Here's to wishful thinking!

The Countdown 2011: 33 Days to Go

2011-08-01T09:17:00.002-04:00

30 Years

Today is my 30th birthday. Wow, that is hard to say. I was born in the summer of '81, seven months to the day that Georgia won its last National Championship in football. And while the Dawgs have failed to make it back to the top in the last 30 years, they have had some pretty amazing moments. Here are just a few facts about the last 30 years of Georgia football.

- 4 SEC Championships: 1981, 1982, 2002, 2005
- 26 Bowl appearances with a record of 16-8-2
- 1 Heisman Trophy Winner (Herschel Walker) and another Heisman Trophy Finalist (Garrison Hearst)
- Posted a 22-8 record against in-state rival Georgia Tech
-Had players win the Nagurski (Champ Bailey) and the Lombardi (David Pollcak) awards given to the best defensive players in college football.
- Produced 20 first round NFL draft picks, including #1 overall in the 2009 draft (Matthew Stafford)
- Turned an 18 year old kid from Snellville, Georgia with no family ties to any major school into a die hard Bulldogs fan.

Here's to hoping the next 30 years are filled with at least as many memories as the last 30 years were.

GO DAWGS!!!

The Countdown 2011: 44 Days to Go

2011-07-21T16:12:00.003-04:00

TEN THINGS I AM THINKING RIGHT NOW ABOUT THE 2011 SEASON

1. I would much rather see Richard Samuel carrying the ball up the middle in the season opener than Carlton Thomas. While it is never good to have suspensions and I still think Samuel would be better as a linebacker, this just feels better.

2. So we are going to wear Pro Combat jerseys. They better not be solid black and please God, no red face masks.

3. As the season gets closer, I can't help but feeling the South Carolina game is going to be much tougher than the Boise State game.

4. If the Dawgs can't beat a Tennessee team that only has 24 upper classmen on it in Knoxville, then something is seriously wrong.

5. I think Knile Davis will up being the best running back in the SEC this year. Lattimore, Richardson, and Dyer will be good too, but too many weapons at receiver for Arkansas will lead to a lot of long carries for Davis.

6. Brandon Boykin is going to turn some heads in the SEC this fall. Most people (outside of Georgia) only know him for his kick return ability. That will change.

7. The offensive line is thin, but not bad. In 2007, we had two returning starters and freshmen on the line. We all saw how that turned out. This year, we have three returning starters plus another senior. If the line can stay healthy, they may surprise a lot of people this fall.

8. Jarvis Jones' eligibility may play a key role in the Boise State game. I fully expect him to be one of the best linebackers in the SEC by the end of this season, but if he has to miss time early on, the linebacking corp will be left pretty thin on experience.

9. As bad as last season was, I am glad to see Georgia fans are still supporting the team. Despite there not being a true cutoff score for tickets, we still managed to sell out all of the tickets (for now). Tennessee is having to cross promote with NASCAR to try and sell tickets for its home opener. Just sad. A turn around season for the Dawgs will keep this thought out of mind.

10. This looks like it will be awesome. Set your DVRs.

GO DAWGS!!!

The Countdown 2011: 53 Days to Go

2011-07-12T11:14:00.005-04:00

Custom NCAA Football 12 Covers

Today is the release of NCAA Football 12. I have not picked up the game yet (I am at work) but I found a couple of custom covers.

AARON MURRAY

AJ GREEN

The Countdown 2011: 54 Days to Go - Parking Passes on Sale Today

2011-07-11T08:45:00.003-04:00

I back today with a quick reminder that 2011 season parking passes go on sale at 9:00 AM this morning. Parking passes can be bought at http://gameday.uga.edu/.

I am going to try and pick back up the countdown next week with my thoughts on the Caleb King situation.

This Year's Cutoff Score Doesn't Exist

2011-06-28T11:44:00.001-04:00

There doesn't appear to be one. According the the athletic association, everyone who donated the minimum 250 per seat got season tickets this year. That is a radical change from 3 years ago when the cutoff was more than $10,000.

Check out the story on the official website:

http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/062811aaa.html

I'm Behind

2011-06-23T09:42:00.002-04:00

So, work has been crazy and I have been too busy to get caught up. The countdown is now a week behind, but I will try to get back next week.

sorry.

The Countdown 2011: 78 Days to Go

2011-06-17T21:34:00.000-04:00

Reasons to Love Athens: Feta and Fries at the Grill

(Note: This is the first in a series of posts on this year's countdown about the home of our Georgia Bulldogs, Athens)

One of the reason Athens is known as a great college town is the abundance of great restaurants. From fine cuisine to a late night snack, the Classic City has a little something for everyone. For those of us that spent many a night at the bars downtown, the last choice of the night was often to pick between one of two places: Little Italy or the Grill. And while I loved getting a few slices of pizza, nothing beats the french fries with feta at The Grill.

The Grill has been open on College Avenue for over 20 years and is the perfect late night destination for the hungry college student. When you end up hungry after a night downtown this fall, head on over to The Grill and order the fries. You won't be disappointed!