The Play Action Pass

Georgia has used the play action pass a lot this year (sometimes too much). Aaron Murray has proven very capable of executing the fake and I hope that Georgia will continue to use this strategy this Saturday. While last year the Dawgs dominated on the ground, I think a big game through the air may lead the Dawgs to victory this year. Hopefully, Murray can execute the play action as well as David Greene did back in 2003:


Munson: "Great play fake by Fred Greene."

Close enough, Larry!

Go Dawgs!

The Countdown 2010: 10 Days to Go

10: David Greene, Quarterback #14 (2001 – 2004)

David Greene’s father was an Auburn graduate and his sister was a student at Auburn, so naturally David Greene wanted to become a tiger (or War Eagle or whatever). But in the fall of 1999, Auburn had its eyes set on Jason Campbell and did not offer Greene a scholarship. During his senior year at South Gwinnett High School, he earned numerous honors including Gwinnett County Player of the Year, Atlanta Touchdown Club quarterback of the Year, and first team all-state and chose to attend The University of Georgia over Georgia Tech to play college football. Five years later, Greene would leave as the winningest quarterback in NCAA history.

After redshirting the 2000 season, Greene was in a competition with returning quarterback Cory Phillips for Georgia’s starting quarterback job in 2001. After both played poorly in the G-Day game that spring, many suspected that new coach Mark Richt may turn to freshman phenom DJ Shockley to take the reins at quarterback. But as the season neared, Greene won the starting job and the decision to redshirt Shockley was made. Greene played well in his first three games as starter but it was Georgia’s week 4 matchup at top ranked Tennessee that supplant his position as quarterback for the Dawgs. Playing on the road before over 100,000 fans, Greene looked calm in cool throwing for over three hundred yards and two touchdowns. His poise was key in the final drive that gave Georgia the victory:


Greene was named SEC Player of the Week and would continue a solid freshman season. He was SEC Offensive Rookie of the year, throwing for 2,789 yards and 17 touchdowns.

In 2002, Greene would continue his success as the starter, leading Georgia to its first SEC Championship in 20 years. He made arguably the biggest play in Georgia history since Herschel Walker left Georgia in the November game at Auburn. With the Dawgs trailing late in the fourth and facing a long fourth down, Greene lofted a pass towards the back of the Auburn endzone. Michael Johnson was there to make the catch and clinch the SEC East:


During that SEC Championship game a few weeks later, Greene was outstanding, throwing for 237 yards and a touchdown while being named the game MVP. He was a member of the first team All-SEC squad and was honored as the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.


While Georgia would return to the SEC Championship game the next season, Greene struggled behind a young offensive line that gave up the most sacks in the SEC. While throwing for a career high 3,307 yards, he only threw 13 touchdowns and had a career high 11 interceptions.

After Greene and All-American defensive end David Pollack both decided to return for their senior seasons, there were high expectations for Georgia in 2004. The Dawgs got off to a strong start, including a blowout victory over LSU in Athens. During that game, Greene tied a school record throwing 5 touchdown passes. But the Dawgs were upset by Tennessee the following week, ending the dream of a perfect season. Against the Gators in Jacksonville, Greene had his best game against Florida. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 253 and three scores as Georgia earned the first victory over the Gators in the Mark Richt era. During his final home game against Tech, he broke his thumb on a touchdown pass early in the game. After DJ Shockley struggled and Georgia Tech mounted a comeback, Green re-entered the game in the fourth quarter to lead the Dawgs to a field goal. Georgia held on for the win, sealed when Reggie Ball forgot how to count to 4. For the season, he was named a second team All-SEC quarterback, throwing for 2508 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions.

David Greene graduated Georgia with most wins for any starting quarterback in NCAA history (42-10 overall record, later broken by Colt McCoy in 2009). For his career, he completed 849 of 1,440 passes for 11,528 yards and 72 touchdowns. He is both the Georgia and SEC record holder in career passing yards (11,528) and total offense (11,270). He set the SEC record for consecutive passing attempts without an interception (214) and started an NCAA record 52 consecutive games (also later broken by Colt McCoy). Greene was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2005 NFL Draft, but never saw action during a 4 year career. He now co-owns an insurance brokerage firm with fellow Dawg Matt Stinchcomb, is one of the host of the Annual Countdown to Kickoff, and can be heard doing post game for Georgia on the radio.

A Look Back at Georgia Quarterbacks Starting Debuts

Be it Aaron Murray, Logan Gray, or Hutson Mason under center this September against Louisiana-Lafayette, whoever the Georgia quarterback is, they will be making their first collegiate start. An out of conference, non-BCS opponent should provide the new starter with a chance to play without the pressures of an SEC conference game. In recent years, some Georgia quarterback have been lucky to start with an easier opponent while others have not. Here is a look at each starting debut for the last 5 players to start games for the Red and Black.


David Greene - September 1, 2001 vs. Arkansas State

After winning the starting job in summer, Greene was rewarded with a weak Arkansas State defense in his first game at starter. The Bulldogs rolled that afternoon, as Greene completed 72% of his passes. He threw for two touchdowns, one to Terrence Edwards and the other to Damien Gary.

Attempts: 29
Completions: 21
Completion Percentage: 72%
Yards: 285
Touchdowns: 2

DJ Shockley - September 3, 2005 vs. Boise State

After seeing occasional playing time during his first three seasons, Shockley finally started his first game to open the 2005 season against Boise State. Shockley would have the greatest starting debut in Georgia history, as the Bulldogs lit up the upstart Broncos. He tied a school record with five touchdown passes and added 85 yards on the ground, as the Dawgs romped to a 48-13 victory.

Pass Attempts: 24
Completions: 16
Completion Percentage: 67%
Yards: 289
Touchdowns: 5
Rushing Attempts: 5
Rushing Yards: 85
Average per Carry: 17

Joe Tereshinski - October 29, 2005 at Florida (in Jacksonville)

Joe Tereshinski was forced into the starting role against the Gators in Jacksonville following the injury to DJ Shockley against Arkansas. The Bulldogs were undefeated and it was a tough situation for Joe T to be in. Despite a conservative gameplan, Tereshinski put forth a valiant effort throwing, running, and catching the ball. This included a highlight reel touchdown catch on a halfback pass from Thomas Brown. The Dawgs came up short in the end and lost to the Gators, 14-10.


Pass Attempts: 21
Completions: 8
Yards: 100
Rushing Attempts: 6
Rushing Yards: 37
Yards per Carry: 6.2
Receiving: 1 catch for 9 yards and a touchdown

Matthew Stafford - September 16, 2006 vs. UAB

Stafford's first start came after he had taken over for the injured Joe Tereshinski the week before at South Carolina. Coach Richt used a conservative gameplan with the freshman at quarterback, and Georgia won easily 34-0. Stafford did not throw for a touchdown, however he did score on a quarterback keeper from 4 yards out.

Pass Attempts: 17
Completions: 10
Completion Percentage: 59%
Yards: 107
Rushing Touchdowns: 1

Joe Cox - September 30, 2006 at Ole Miss

Joe Cox earned the start against the Rebels after leading Georgia to 4th quarter comeback victory over Colorado the week before. The Bulldogs played sluggish throughout the game and Cox was benched in favor of Matt Stafford. The Dawgs would ultimately win 14-9 and Cox would not start another game until the 2009 season opener at Oklahoma State.

Pass Attempts: 10
Completions: 4
Completion Percentage: 40%
Yards: 23

With two great running backs and an experienced O-line, I expect Georgia will go conservative with Murray (or Gray or Mason) in the opener this fall. I expect this debut to be a little more like Stafford's debut in '06 than DJ Shockley's or David Greene's.

LSU: 2004 Edition

I know that we posted this clip prior to the LSU game last year, but it's too good not to post it again. And we won last year after we posted it. Good vibes.

Georgia vs. LSU: The Importance of Joe Cox

If Georgia is to beat LSU this Saturday in Athens, the Dawgs will most likely need a big game from senior quarterback Joe Cox. In the last three Georgia-LSU matchups (all Georgia victories), the quarterback position has been responsible for 11 total touchdowns (9 passing, 2 rushing).

- David Greene threw for 5 touchdowns in the 2004 victory over LSU in Athens
- DJ Shockley threw for 2 touchdowns and rushed for another in the 2005 SEC Championship game
- Matt Stafford threw 2 touchdowns and ran for one in the 52-38 victory in Baton Rouge last season

If Joe Cox can have a day any where close to these, the Dawgs should be in a good position to upset the #4 ranked Tigers.

SEC Players of the Year

During Saturday's broadcast of the Tennessee-Florida match up the announcers repeatedly made a big deal about the match up between Eric Berry and Tim Tebow. Berry, arguably the best defensive player in college football, and Tebow, a Heisman trophy winner, were named the SEC Defensive and Offensive Players of the Year in 2008, respectively. Verne and Gary, on a number of occasions, mentioned that this was the first time the defending offensive and defensive players of the year in the SEC had met the following season. That is quite an amazing fact, but also consider that in 2003, Georgia had the defending SEC offensive and defensive players of the year on the field for the same team.***

Pollack and Greene

***(Greene was named Offensive Player of the year in 2002 by the SEC coaches. The Associated Press awarded the honor to Artrose Pinner of Kentucky.)

Why Georgia Fans Should Root for Sam Bradford to Win the Heisman

With the departure of Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, the Bulldogs do not figure to have a serious contender for the Heisman Trophy on their squad in 2009. Even if either of those players returned, I doubt they would have been able to wrestle the award away from the three players who were the finalists for the award last season - Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, and Sam Bradford. Considering that two of those players already have a Heisman and the other could have easily won the award last season, I see no way that one of these three does not take home the trophy in New York come this December. While Georgia fans do not have one of their own to root for, they should all be rooting for Sam Bradford to become only the second player to win the Heisman Trophy.

Let me state, for the record, that I do not think Sam Bradford is necessarily better or more deserving to win the award over Tebow and McCoy. However, as the defending champion, there's evidence to support Georgia fans rooting for him as the best player. But my argument here is less about why Sam Bradford should win the Heisman and more about why Georgia fans should root against Tebow and McCoy.

Let's start with Tim Tebow. Do I really need to spell it out? HE PLAYS AT FLORIDA. I bleed Georgia red and I will always root against the Gators when given the choice. Some people will argue that it looks good for the SEC when a player from the conference wins the Heisman, but I could really care less. A second Tebow Heisman would mean another year of Florida playing well and would probably include another victory over the Dawgs in Jacksonville. For those reasons, Georgia fans should not root for Tim Tebow to win the Heisman this fall.

Next, we move on to Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. McCoy is entering his fourth year as the starting quarterback in Austin and the Longhorns expect to battle Bradford's Oklahoma Sooners for the Big XII Championship again this fall. I think McCoy is a fantastic player whose passing and running makes him a top candidate. The real reason Georgia fans should root against McCoy is that for him to win the Heisman, the 'Horns will most likely need to be a contender for the national title and thus they would need to finish with more than 10 wins on the season. Colt McCoy has won 32 games as the starting quarterback for Texas and if he wins more than 10 games this fall, he will become the winningest quarterback in NCAA history. As I pointed out in The Countdown, the current record for victories as a starter is held by former Georgia starter David Greene, and I do not want to see another Bulldog-held NCAA record fall.

With the cases against Tebow and McCoy, that leaves Bradford the lone man for me to root for this fall. Boomer Sooner, Bradford!

GO DAWGS!

The Countdown 2009: 42 Days to Go

42

Number of career victories by David Greene as Georgia starting QB, currently an NCAA record. The record was previously held by Peyton Manning. Greene's record while the starter at Georgia was 42-10 and he is also the SEC record holder for career yards with 11,270.

The Countdown 2009: 45 Days to Go

45

Points scored by Georgia against LSU the last time the two teams met in Athens (Georgia won 45-16) during the 2004 season.

Quarterback David Greene threw for 5 touchdowns as the Dawgs got revenge for two losses at the hands of the Tigers during the 2003 season.

The Dawgs hope to continue its current winning streak when the Tigers come to town on October 3 this season.

If You Could Bring One Player Back, Who Would it Be?

The 2009 season will see Georgia attempt to replace a number of proven players in their starting line up. What would Mark Richt do if he could replace one of those holes with one of his former players? Would he pick one of his past quarterbacks to take over the reigns for Stafford, try to replace Knowshon Moreno with the starter before him, or bring back a player to fill the most glaring needs on defense? Here are some likely candidates that Richt would consider:


David Greene - Quarterback 2001-2004
With the prospects of starting a 5th year senior with limited playing time or a true freshman, Richt would be glad to welcome back the four-year starter with most wins of any quarterback in college football history. Greene would bring a calming leadership to the offense and would take advantage of receiver AJ Green with a combination of quick outs and play action passes.

David Pollack - Defensive End - 2001-2004
While Justin Houston showed some promise and Demarcus Dobbs made a couple of amazing plays, overall the defensive end position let the Dawgs down in 2008. Plugging back in a three time All-American who is the Georgia career leader in sacks would help solidify the pass rush and bring the fire back to the defense.

Thomas Brown - Running Back - 2004 -2007
A solid player during his four year career, Brown found great success when paired with Knowshon Moreno during his senior season. Pairing him with Caleb King or Richard Samuel, the Dawgs would have a nice 1-2 punch that they lacked in the '08 season.

Paul Oliver - Corner Back - 2004-2006
Oliver's career (at Georgia) was cut short when he failed to qualify academically for the 2007 season. After closing the 2006 season by shutting down Calvin Johnson, Oliver had finally reached the potential he showed coming into college. With Asher Allen gone, Oliver would provide experience that is certainly lacking in the current group of DBs.

Ben Watson - Tight End - 2002 -2004The 2008 season saw the Georgia offense forget what had been a staple of previous Mark Richt teams: throwing to the tight end. Richt's tenure has produced Leonard Pope and Randy McMichael,but the most balanced of the group was Ben Watson. The threat of a pass catching tight end over the middle would help create better match ups for the outside receivers like AJ Green and Tavarres King.

If I were Mark Richt and I had my choice from this list, I would take David Pollack. The chance to team Pollack on a defensive line that already includes Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens would be amazing. The amount of defensive pressure these three would create would generate rushed throws from opposing quarterbacks and seal up holes for opposing running games. Take the survey and let us know which player you would love for the Dawgs to have back.

GO DAWGS!!!

David Greene Retires

This came out a few days ago, but I guess I missed it. After 4 years, former Georgia quarterback David Greene has retired from the NFL. Greene was quarterback of the Dawgs for four out of the five years I was in Athens. Greene was named the 2002 SEC offensive player of the year in leading the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record and a Sugar Bowl victory. He left Georgia as the NCAA's all-time winningest quarterback with 42 wins and is the holder of numerous Georgia passing records including:

- Attempts: 1440

- Completions: 849

- Passing Yards: 11,528 (also an SEC record)

- Touchdown Passes: 72

- Consecutive Passes without Interception: 214

- Lowest Interception Percentage: 2.22% (also an SEC record)

Other highlights include:

- 4-0 record against Georgia Tech

- Victory over Florida in 2004, breaking a 6 game losing streak
- 3-1 record in bowl games (3-0 in New Year's Day Bowl Games)
- 2002 SEC Championship MVP

- 3-1 record against Tennessee, including this amazing victory in 2001

After being drafted by Seattle Seahawks, he bounced around to a number of NFL teams before calling it quits, having never taken a snap in a regular season game. As the guys on this blog know, David was a high school classmate of mine and it was a lot of fun watching him play for seven years. I will never forget my final Georgia game as a student against Georgia Tech in 2004. Greene came off the bench (after breaking his hand earlier in the game) in the fourth quarter to lead the Dawgs to a field goal and hold on for the victory over the Jackets. It may have been one of the coldest games I have ever been to (it was also pouring rain), but I would go back to that game again in a heartbeat.

DAMN GOOD DAWG!

Georgia vs. LSU Memories - 2004

Revenge. How sweet was this game? LSU came to town as defending National Champions and had beaten the Dawgs twice in 2003. We took them to the woodshed. David Greene threw for 5 touchdowns as Georgia rolled to a 45-16 victory.

The video below has all of the highlights. Be sure to look for:

(0:58) - David Pollack adds to his legend with a sack.
(2:28) – Thomas Davis hits then freshman Jacob Hester who fumbles. Hester would not fumble again until late in his senior year in 2007.
(2:45) – David Greene to Reggie Brown for an amazing TD catch.
(4:47) – The LSU kick off returner takes a knee at the 1
(5:10) – Daivd Greene’s 5th touchdown of the day to Sean Bailey.

Georgia vs. Vanderbilt Memories - 2004

On October 16, 2004, Vanderbilt once again came to Athens as the homecoming opponent for the Dawgs. Georgia came in at 5-1 and ranked number 8 in the country, while the only thing Vanderbilt really had to show was quarterback Jay Cutler. This game went the way that many past Georgia-Vandy games had gone, as the Dawgs crushed the Commodores, 33-3. David Greene passed for two touchdowns and both Georgia runningbacks Thomas Brown and Danny Ware went for over 100 yards. They became the first Georgia duo to rush for 100 yards in the same game since Garrison Hearst and Mack Strong did it in 1992.

Leonard Pope had 3 catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. This game was a warm up for his 2 touchdown performance against the Gators two weeks later.

Georgia vs. Vanderbilt - Memories - 2002

David Greene fakes out the Vanderbilt D, the cameraman, and about everyone else on this TD pass to Terrence Edwards in 2002.



GO DAWGS!!!