Georgia - Auburn in the Richt Era Part 3: 2006 - 2008

*** This is part 3 of a series looking at the Georgia Auburn Series since 2001

2006:

Georgia travelled to the Plains to take on Auburn with a record of 6-4. The Dawgs were coming off a loss to Kentucky that resulted in the the bruised Matt Stafford you see above. With embarassing losses to Kentucy and Vanderbilt and narrow victories over weak Colorado and Mississippi state teams, Georgia was definitely reeling. Auburn, on the other hand, was enjoying a fantastic season and was in the middle of the National Championship hunt. Because of Georgia's poor record, the game was bounced to the 12:30 Ray Com Sports game. A sluggish Auburn team and crowd showed up for the 11:30 local kick-off and Georgia would take full advantage.

Matthew Stafford hooked up on a long pass to set up the first score of the game, an 8 yard touchdown run by Kregg Lumpkin. Georgia had a 7-0 lead after the first quarter, but would really pile it on in the second. With Stafford's passing and running, Georgia was able to build a 17-0 lead. Former walk on Tra Battle, who would pick off 3 passes from Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox in the game, picked up a touchdown on a 30 yard INT return that gave Georgia a 24-0 lead. Here are the highlights of Battle's heroics:


Georgia picked up one more score to take a 30-7 lead at the half. The second half saw the Dawgs control the clock. Auburn had cut the lead to 30-15 in the third quarter, but Matt Stafford took the Dawgs on another drive. Stafford, who finished the day with 219 yards passing and 83 yards rushing, capped the drive with a 9 yard touchdown run. Georgia had knocked the Tigers out of the SEC and National Championship hunts in a game that has become known as the Massacre on the Plains.

Georgia 37, Auburn 15

2007:

Rumors began swarming around Athens that the Georgia players wanted the fans to come dressed in all black for the 2007 meeting of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. Coach Mark Richt made the announcement official, calling on the Bulldog Nation to have a Blackout at Sanford Stadium. Georgia was coming off a win over Florida a few weeks before and had found a breakout star in halfback Knowshon Moreno. Auburn came in ranked 22 with a record of 7-3 and looking to avenge the beatdown the Bulldogs handed them in Jordan-Hare the year before. This would not be the night for Auburn to get their revenge.

The crowd was ready.

The crowd did their part, showing up decked out in black but the Georgia team came out for warm-ups in their normal home red jerseys. The team went to the locker room, but when they arrived, the lights were off. When the lights came on, black jerseys hung in their lockers. When the team came running out of the tunnel, the crowd lost its $#$%...mind:

With Georgia in black, there was something in the air and it seemed destiny that Georgia would handle the Tigers easily. On the first snap from scrimmage, Kelin Johnson picked off a Brandon Cox pass (Cox threw 4 interceptions against Georgia for second consecutive year) and the Dawgs were in business. They were only able to get a field goal which Auburn soon matched and the score was tied at 3. Georgia had the ball back and began a drive that ended when Matt Stafford found a wide open Mohammed Massaquoi for a 52 yard touchdown that put Georgia ahead. Another Stafford touchdown to Sean Bailey put the Dawgs up 14, but Auburn closed the gap with a late touchdown by Ben Tate that sent the teams to the locker room with Georgia leading 17-14.

At the start of the second half, it looked like the magic of the blackout may end up being a curse. Auburn scored 10 points to take a 20-17 lead. But this night would belong to the Dawgs, and the final 20 minutes of the game will a memory that Bulldog fans would never forget. It started with a 24 yard touchdown from Knowshon Moreno:

Georgia would soon get the ball back and on a third down from around the Auburn 25, Knowshon Moreno broke a series of tackles to take the Dawgs inside the 10. A facemask on the play allowed Georgia one untimed down to end the third, which Moreno capitalized with his second score of the day. After the band played, Soulja Boy cranked over the speakers at Sanford and the party spread throughout the stadium, even into the CBS broadcasting booth. The scene was amazing:

Georgia continued to score in the fourth, adding two more touchdowns. What was a close game turned into a blowout victory for Georgia. Georgia ride that momentum through the rest of the year and #2 national ranking.

Georgia 45, Auburn 20

2008:

Preseason #1 Georgia had been brought back down to earth during the 2008 season with crushing losses to Alabama and eventual national champion Florida. Following a last minute victory over the Wildcats in Kentucky a week before, Georgia returned to the Plains to meet an Auburn team that was on its way to a losing season. Rumors of Tommy Tuberville's potential firing swarmed around Auburn and many were sure the Dawgs would handle the Tigers again.

The Georgia offense failed to get going in the first half and Auburn capitalized on a special teams mistake to take an early lead. At the end of the first quarter, Auburn went back to punt from their own endzone. Georgia hit the Auburn punter and would have had a first down, but it did not matter. Georgia returner Prince Miller fumbled the punt and Auburn took over at their own 48. Kodi Burns connected on a 52 yard touchdown pass on the next play to Mario Fannin, but a botched extra point (which would prove very costly) gave Auburn only a 6-0 lead. Georgia got on the scoreboard just before half, as Knowshon Moreno took a screen pass from Matthew Stafford in for a score from 30 yards out. Moreno would have a solid day on the ground, rushing for 131 yards on 22 carries. Georgia lead at the break, 7-6.

The teams continued to struggle to score in the third, with the only points coming on a Blair Walsh field goal. Heading to the fourth, Georgia led 10-6. Auburn then went on an 11 play, 90 yard drive that was capped off by a Mario Fannin 35 yard touchdown run to give the Tigers the lead with 11 minutes to go. Georgia answered with a 3 minute scoring drive of its own, capped off by a touchdown pass to AJ Green. Auburn would get one final chance to win the game, taking over at their own 20 with 1:44 showing on the clock. Because of the early missed extra point, Auburn could not tie the game with a field goal. Kodi Burns lead Auburn down the field, but a fourth down pass fell incomplete just outside the end zone and Georgia won its third straight in the series. Here are the highlights:

Georgia 17, Auburn 13

Tomorrow: Part 4, the 2009 Preview

A Class Act

Knowshon...a DAMN GOOD DAWG!

Good luck in the NFL number 24. We'll be cheering you on.

(Knowshon placed this ad in the Sunday edition of the Athens Banner Herald.)

Streit's Bowl Picks: SEC Edition

The bowl season is almost halfway over and now the real bowls can begin. The SEC has sent 8 teams to bowls for the 2008-2009 season (the only guys missing out are Mississippi State, Auburn, Arkansas, and Tennessee). Below are my picks for all of the SEC games, including Georgia's match up with Michigan State, leading up to the BCS Championship. I will preview that game in a later post.

Music City Bowl - Boston College vs. Vanderbilt

Vandy finally qualified for a bowl game for the first time in 26 years and they get to travel to... Nashville. That's right, they get to stay home and play Boston College in their home town. Vanderbilt was everyones early season darling, jumping out to a 5-0 start and a top 15 ranking. But, the Commodores soon returned to Earth and lost 6 of their final 7 games (including an embarrassing loss to Duke). Boston College was not expected to compete for the ACC Championship in their first year PMR (Post Matt Ryan). The Eagles ended the regular season strong, winning their final 4 games before falling to Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship. Boston College improved during the season while Vandy seemed to get worse.

Boston College 37, Vanderbilt 13

Chick-Fil-A Bowl - LSU vs. Georgia Tech

As much as the Georgia defense was a disappointment this season, LSU's defense was worse. LSU allowed 31 points in each of its final 3 games to the likes of Troy, Ole Miss, and Arkansas. Lesticles does not have a solid option at QB with Jarrett Lee continuing to throw touchdowns to the wrong team and Jordan Jefferson still a year away from being ready to take the reins. Receiver Brandon LeFell and RB Charles Scott are big time players, but the lack of a QB hurts the Bayou Bengals. Georgia Tech has become a media darling this season with Paul Johnson's triple option attack working better than most thought it would. ACC player of the year Jonathan Dwyer, Roddy Jones, and Josh Nesbitt will be a tough task for the LSU defense. most people are picking Tech to win this one, but I think there will be an upset.

LSU 31, Georgia Tech 27

Outback Bowl - South Carolina vs. Iowa

Steve Spurrier's Palmetto State chickens finished an up and down 2008 season with a loss to rival Clemson and a 7-5 record. Outside of WR Kenny McKinley (who missed part of the season with injury) Carolina never found a true identity on offense. The strength of the SC team is their defense led by linebackers Eric Noorwood and Jasper Brinkley. The 'Cocks will be without leading tackler Emanuel Cook, who has been suspended by Coach Steve Spurrier. The Carolina defense ranked 11th in the nation, one spot ahead of the Iowa Hawkeyes. For Iowa, the game plan is all about defense and running back Shonn Greene. Greene beat out Knowshon Moreno and Javon Ringer for the Doak Walker Award by putting up big time numbers for the 8-4 Hawkeyes. The edge in this game goes to Iowa because of their ability to pull a major upset (of then #2 Penn State).

Iowa 20, South Carolina 14

Cotton Bowl - Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech

Houston Nutt surprised a lot of people in his first season in Oxford by winning eight games. I was not one of those people. With Texas transfer Jevan Snead under center and a new attitude on the sideline, I expected the Ole Miss program to have a strong 2008. Jevan Snead and WR/HB Dexter McCluster lead an explosive Mississippi offense. The question is, will they be able to keep up with Mike Leach's Red Raiders? Graham Harrel and Michael Crabtree lead the Texas Tech offense that scored 535 points this season. This team reached as high as #2 in the rankings and also gave one of the most memorable moments of 2008:

Texas Tech 45, Ole Miss 38

Liberty Bowl - Kentucky vs. East Carolina

Kentucky gave Georgia a scare this season when it finally found its QB of the future in Randall Cobb. The 'Cats were riddled with injuries this year, and after a 4-0 start lost 6 of their last 8 games. East Carolina also started the the season with some big wins, dropping Virginia Tech and West Virginia in consecutive weeks. But, disappointing losses to NC State, Houston, and Virginia derailed their BCS dreams. The Pirates recovered and won the Conference USA Championship by beating Tulsa. Even with ECU's impressive wins, I think Kentucky has a chance to pull the upset.

Kentucky 27, East Carolina 21

Sugar Bowl - Utah vs. Alabama

Another non-BCS school gets to take on the SEC in the Sugar Bowl. This sucks and I expect to see a similar story to play out as the one that happened last year. Nick Saban will have the Crimson Tide ready for the Utes and I expect the defense to have a field day. The Tide offense, while not explosive, will do enough between the running of Glenn Coffee, the passing of JPW, and the receiving of Julio Jones to put up 40 points. Without consensus All-America OL Andre Smith, suspended for violation of team rules, Alabama will need to get the ball out of the backfield a little quicker than usual. Don't look for that to cause Saban too many headaches in the game planning. Utah still runs a variation of the offense left by Urban Meyer, so look for them to use a similar scheme to that which was used by Florida in the SEC Championship. This game won't be as ugly as Georgia's destruction of Hawaii was, but another easy win for 'Bama none the less.

Alabama 45, Utah 24

Capital One Bowl - Georgia vs. Michigan State

At this point, we all know the big story line of this game is the match up between Knowshon Moreno and Javon Ringer. Both backs had great seasons and were finalists for the Doak Walker Award. The Dawgs were a preseason #1 team that underachieved and lost big games while the Spartans were a middle of the pack Big 10 team who is hoping to get to 10 wins for the first time since Nick Saban left for LSU. Rather than carry on about statistics, I'm just going to give my opinion on this game: Georgia should win rather easily. Georgia's offense boasts several top-tier college players: in addition to Knowshon Moreno, consider the fact that Matt Stafford and the combination of AJ Green and Mohammed Massaquoi have become one of the best QB/WR combos in the country. While Georgia may have struggled on D over the last few games, the offense has not. We are the better team and we should win. Ringer is a good back, but he averages only 4.2 yards a carry vs. 5.9 for Knowshon. If we step up and make tackles (yes, that is a big IF), we should stop Ringer in his tracks. And despite our struggles on D, we still ranked 28th in the country on total defense while Michigan State was 61st. I'm picking the Dawgs to pick up their 10th win of the season.

Georgia's 2009 New Year's Resolution: TACKLE BETTER!

Georgia 45, Michigan State 28

I'm headed to Orlando in the morning to cheer on the Dawgs. I'll be back next week with my National Championship Game preview as well as a season wrap up for Georgia.


GO DAWGS!!!

No Award for Knowshon

Shonn Greene from Iowa took home the Doak Walker Award last night. Greene rushed for more yards this season than either Moreno or Javon Ringer from Michigan State.

Unfortunately, that means our bowl game pits the two runner-ups against each other, rather than the winner vs. the runner-up.

On that note, read this AJC article on what Javon Ringer would want his perfect game against UGA to be in his final game as a Spartan.

Ringer isn't really smack talking, though. He said he would want his final game to be 25 carries, 200 yards, and 3 TDs. He never said he was going to do it, and acknowledged it will be difficult against Georgia.

2008 SEC Team MVPs Part 1: The East

(*Note: This article is part 1 of a 2 part series which will highlight the individual team MVPs for each of the schools in the Southeastern Conference.)

Florida – Tim Tebow, Quarterback

Tim Tebow led his Florida Gator squad to their second SEC Championship by playing hard week in and week out. While his numbers may not have been the record breaking numbers he put up during his Heisman season in 2007, he still accounted for 40 touchdowns. Tebow completed nearly 65% of his passes for 28 touchdown passes while only throwing 2 interceptions and also added 564 yards and 12 scores on the ground. While some may argue that Percy Harvin is the best all-around player on the team, Tebow was the reason the Gators were able to knock off Alabama with Harvin out of the line-up.

Tebow’s 2008 Highlights



When Tebow finally decides to leave the Gators, he will be remembered as player who left his heart out on the field. He reminds us of a certain defensive end who played at Georgia from 2001-2004:

Pollack Video



Georgia – Knowshon Moreno, Tailback

While Matthew Stafford, Mohamed Massaquoi and AJ Green all had great seasons for the Dawgs, no one was more important to the Bulldog offense than #24. When Georgia lost to Florida and Alabama, Knowshon was surprisingly absent from the field. He had a number of amazing runs, including a 68-yard touchdown run in UGA's victory over LSU and his first career touchdown reception that finally put the Dawgs in the end zone against Auburn. For the season, Moreno averaged nearly 6 yards per carry totaling 1338 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. He also had 27 receptions for 329 yards and a touchdown. In his 2 years in Athens, Knowshon has racked up over 2,600 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Knowshon also made one of the most memorable plays of the 2008 college football season:



The entire Bulldog Nation wishes Knowshon the best if he decides to leave early for the pros.

Kentucky – Trevard Lindley, Cornerback



No team (except for maybe Georgia) was decimated by injury more than the Kentucky Wildcats. Losing their senior leader, Dicky Lyons Jr., and failing to find a quarterback until late in the season left Kentucky to rely heavily on its defense to keep them in games. One player who stepped up on the defensive side of the ball was junior cornerback Trevard Lindley. Lindley had a league leading 11 pass deflections and 4 interceptions. He returned 1 of those interceptions for a touchdown in their narrow loss to South Carolina. His 34 career pass break ups is a school record and he was named as a member of the All-SEC first team.

South Carolina – Eric Norwood, Linebacker

South Carolina was led by a number of veteran leaders who helped make Steve Spurrier’s defense one of the stiffest in the entire SEC. Captain Munnerlyn and Jasper Brinkley both made large contributions, but no one’s effort was more important than those of Eric Norwood. The All-SEC linebacker tallied 66 total tackles (42 solo) and a league leading 9 sacks. Norwood was constantly after the quarterback, sometimes lining up at defensive end and totaled 9 QB hurries on the year. Only a junior, Norwood will be looked upon to lead the Gamecock defense in 2009.

Tennessee – Eric Berry, Safety

A disappointing 5-7 season in Knoxville and the firing of Philip Fulmer overshadowed the amazing year turned in by Creekside High School alum Eric Berry. The sophomore safety turned in an amazing season that earned him SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Berry led D-1 with 7 interceptions, amassing 265 yards in returns and 2 touchdowns. He also became a feared hitter across the middle of the field and added 72 tackles (44 solo and 9 for loss), 3 sacks, and 6 deflections to his resume. Berry is a bright point that potential new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin can build around in 2009.

We all remember these two amazing plays Berry turned in this fall in Athens.


Vanderbilt – DJ Moore, Cornerback/Wide Receiver

DJ Moore was Mr. Everything as the Vanderbilt Commodores became bowl eligible for the first time in 26 years. Never were his talents more on display than in the bowl eligibility clinching victory over Kentucky in November. Moore had 2 interceptions and 2 touchdown catches as Vanderbilt beat the Wildcats in Lexington, 31-24. At his natural position of corner, Moore had 54 total tackles (including a sack) with 6 interceptions and 6 pass deflections. His contributions on offense included 73 yards rushing on 9 carries and 7 receptions for 143 and two scores. Moore also acted as a kickoff and punt returner for the ‘Dores, contributing 651 total yards.

Capital One Bowl 2009: The Battle of the Tailbacks

Moreno vs. Ringer: Which player will lead their squad to victory?

Its official. Georgia will head to Orlando to take on Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl. What I am excited about is the match up between two of the best tailbacks in the country. It should be a lot of fun to watch these two play what could be their last collegiate game on January 1st.

GO DAWGS!!!

Knowshon a Finalist for the Doak Walker Award

See here for the official release.


The other two finalists are are Javon Ringer of Michigan State and Shonn Greene of Iowa.

The winner is announced on December 11th and the award in officially presented on February 6th, 2009.

All three of the finalists have impressive stats. While Greene and Ringer has more yards and TDs (as of now), Knowshon is the most high profile name of the three. With a big showing against NATS, Knowshon has a really good chance at taking this award.

Garrison Heart is the only other Doak Walker Award winner from UGA.

h/t to David Hale.

Week 11: Impressions and Ramblings

Georgia 42, Kentucky 38
- Wow, what a game. I told other people this weekend that if I wasn’t a Georgia fan, that game would have been awesome. However, I am a Dawg fan and I almost had a heart attack. The important thing is that Georgia came out of Lexington with a victory.

- While I may not have correctly guessed the final score, at least I was right about Georgia jumping out to a big lead. The Dawgs got out to a quick start scoring two quick touchdowns on a pass from Stafford (career high 373 yards passing with 3 TDs) and a hard fought six yard score by Knowshon Moreno (123 yards and 3 TDs). The offense kept going most of the day, scoring touchdowns on six of its ten total possessions.

15 touchdowns on the season with 3 games to go. Please come back next year!

- While Mohamed Massaquoi did not quite match Fred Gibson’s Georgia record of 201 yards receiving, the senior from Charlotte turned in a hero worthy performance. MoMass had eight catches for 191 yards and a touchdown. After two costly fumbles on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter, it looked like he may end up being the goat. With Georgia down three points and the ball inside its own 20, Stafford hit Massaqoui across the middle and Mo did the rest. 78 yards later, the Dawgs were inside the Kentucky 10 and Stafford hit AJ Green for the game winning touchdown.

The Texas gunslinger waited just long enough to find AJ in the back of the endzone for the winning touchdown.

In the words of Jonathan Moxon in Varsity Blues, “If we go out and half-ass it 'cause we're scared, then we'll always wonder if we were really good enough. But if we go out there and give it all we've got... that's heroic.” Mohamed, that was a heroic effort.

- The downfall of Georgia’s special teams continues to perplex me. Maybe we have been spoiled with great kickers and excellent special teams players, but the breakdown in punt blocking and kick-off return coverage on Saturday was embarrassing. Not to mention that we have stuck by the directional kick off game plan with limited success and an out of bounds kick off on Saturday initially looked like it might spell disaster for the Dawgs. If Kentucky had not returned the favor with a kick off of their own out of bounds, the special teams collapse could have yielded a far worse outcome than it ultimately did.

- The defense stepped up when they had to in the 4th. Is it just me, or does Georgia’s defense seem to strike fear in exactly NO ONE? What happened to the days when teams were scared to come across the middle because Thomas Davis or Sean Jones was waiting for the kill. I really miss Brian Van Gorder.

Texas Tech is for real
- I thought the Red Raiders would fold in their second week in the spotlight to a well rounded Oklahoma State team who took Texas to the wire. I was wrong. The offense led by Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree scored on seven consecutive possessions after a fumble on the opening drive and never looked back. Their defense also showed its muscle, keeping the Cowboy offense in check in the blowout victory.

- Graham Harrell is a heck of a quarterback. Over the last ten years, Red Raider quarterbacks have consistently put up huge numbers in their pass happy offense. But Kliff Kingsbury, BJ Symons, and others all failed to find success at the next level. I believe that Harrell will be a different case. He makes every throw with crisp accuracy and has the arm strength to play on Sunday.

The Heisman front-runner could not be stopped on Saturday

SEC Championship Match Up
- If Alabama and Florida win their remaining games, the game in Atlanta will most likely be a match up of the #1 team in the country against either the #2 or #3 team in the BCS.

- Alabama was pushed to the limits against LSU on Saturday. After Jarrett Lee’s latest interception-filled game (including another pick 6), do you think The Hat is regretting the decision to kick Ryan Perrilloux off the team?

North Carolina knocks off Georgia Tech
- Butch Davis has built a solid program in Chapel Hill and is now in position to play for an ACC Championship. The offense was not brilliant, but put points on the board in beating the North Avenue Trade School, 28-7.

- Paul Johnson’s team moved the ball into Tar Heel territory on numerous occasions but could not put points on the board. I hope Mark Richt has a copy of the game on tape, because that was the perfect example of how to shut down Johnson’s triple option offense.

You lost to a team whose primary color is baby blue.

Final Thought
- As ugly as the game was, the only thing that matters is that Georgia’s record is now 8 -2. Since we are no longer in the national title hunt, style points mean nothing. We go to Auburn this Saturday to face a down Auburn team. Let’s make it three in a row over the War Tiger Plainsmen.

Even with Auburn struggling, the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry should be one hell of a fight.

GO DAWGS!!!

Georgia vs. Kentucky Preview: Righting the Ship

This how we all feel after last week’s debacle in Jacksonville:

I sympathize with the guy who gets punched and then later strangled. Reminds me of Alabama and then Florida. Notice that Andy Samberg’s shirt is blue with orange lettering.

Now is the time for the Dawgs to put last week behind them and focus on closing out what can still be a very good season. The road ahead begins Saturday in Lexington. Here’s a preview of what we’ll see.

Kentucky Wildcats – Who are these guys?

Thanks to an out of conference schedule filled with cupcakes (Norfolk State, Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky) and conference wins over Arkansas and Mississippi State, Kentucky is already bowl eligible for the third straight year. At 6-3, an upset over Georgia could propel Kentucky to a bowl game outside of Shreveport or Nashville.

Last time Kentucky went a bowl outside of Nashville it was the Outback Bowl in 1998. The ‘Cats proceeded to drop that game to Penn State, 26-14.

Kentucky on Offense

Kentucky has been a team plagued by inexperience and injuries during the 2008 campaign. After All-SEC quarterback Andre Woodson moved on to the NFL and Chris Pulley was kicked off the team (he now plays at Florida A&M), Coach Brooks has yet to settle on one quarterback as the new leader of the team. Randall Cobb, a converted wide receiver, and Mike Hartline have split time under center for the Cats this year. According to coach Brooks, we will continue to see a QB rotation for the remainder of the season. Kentucky lost its senior leader on offense when receiver Dicky Lyons, Jr. went down earlier this year with a leg injury. If you have never read the comments Lyons made about having dreams with Matt Stafford in them during SEC media days, check out the story here. The only other threat Kentucky had in the passing game was sophomore running back Derrick Locke. Unfortunately for Kentucky, he also suffered a season ending injury. Locke was not only the Cats' second leading receiver but also their leading rusher. With little experience, don't expect an explosive offensive performance from Kentucky on Saturday.

Kentucky on Defense
The strength of the Kentucky team resides on the defensive side of the ball. With the exception of the blowout loss to Florida, the Kentucky defense has not allowed another opponent to score more than 20 points. This includes holding Louisville scoreless (the Cardinals’ only score came on a safety). Linebackers Braxton Kelly and Micah Johnson lead the team in tackles with 31 each. Kentucky is also solid in the defensive secondary, where Marcus McClinton and Trevard Lindley both have 4 interceptions a piece. The defense only gives up about 300 yards of total offense per game and should be quite a challenge for Stafford and the Bulldog offense (which averages about 420 yards per game).

What Will the Dawgs do?
Coaches Mark Richt and Mike Bob have taken a lot of criticism this week for the failures of Georgia’s offense to put up points in the red zone. There has also been criticism surrounding Knowshon Moreno’s absence from the huddle on several plays throughout the past few games. Look for the Dawgs to try and silence some of the doubters this week. Matt Stafford will play a controlled game and should put up decent numbers, but the tandem of Moreno and Caleb King will get a lot of carries. Look for Georgia to once again control the clock as they did in the Tennessee, South Carolina, and Arizona State games.

Knowshon had 124 yardsand 1 touchdown against Kentucky last year. Look for more of the same on Saturday.

On defense, Georgia will need to find a way get some turnovers. Kentucky’s line does not allow many sacks, so the Dawgs are going to need to at least put enough pressure on the inexperienced Wildcat QBs to force some bad throws into coverage. I also look for Georgia to make a big play on special teams. Georgia blocked a punt in the game in Athens last year and Kentucky exposed an inability to provide good protection for its kickers during the Florida game (UF blocked two punts and a field goal on its way to 63-5 destruction of the Cats).

Prediction
Believe it or not, I actually think the Dawgs will come out on fire in the first quarter. The loss to Florida hurts and this young team will be hungry to make a statement. Knowshon should go for at least 125 with two or three scores. On defense, look for the secondary to step up and make plays and help fix Georgia’s current turnover deficit (-1).

Georgia 38, Kentucky 17

GO DAWGS!!!

Weekend Wrap Up: ONE DAY IN THE VALLEY

Week 9 of the college football season has passed. We survived our trip to New Orleans and Baton Rouge and it is now on to face the hated Gators in Jacksonville . Here are my thoughts on the victory over LSU, the Tiger Stadium experience, the other big games from the weekend, and the upcoming clash with the Gators. Welcome to Hate Week 2008.

VICTORY!!!

What an amazing game in Death Valley on Saturday. We arrived at Tiger Stadium expecting to see a hard fought SEC battle that would be won in the trenches. What we got was a shootout that looked a lot like it belonged in the Big XII. Despite the efforts of the Bayou Bengals, the Dawgs kept their focus and left Louisiana with a 52-38 victory.

Georgia 52, LSU 38

- The offensive line played an amazing game. They gave Stafford enough time to stand tall in the pocket and get the ball to open receivers. The boys up front also opened the holes to allow Knowshon Moreno to slash his way to another huge game (163 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown.)

- Matthew Stafford may have played his best overall game as a Georgia Bulldog. He made some great throws despite getting hit by the LSU pass rush. The long touchdown pass to AJ Green was a thing of beauty, as Stafford waited just long enough for AJ to get past the coverage and delivered the pass before getting hit hard by the defender.

Stafford also ran in a score from 5 yards out on a third and goal.

- Daryl Gamble is getting better every week. I had a number of people tell me before the game that they thought Gamble would play a big role. Gamble had 13 tackles and returned two Jarrett Lee interceptions for touchdowns. He was awarded SEC defensive player of the week for his efforts.

- Georgia played a great game, however there were definitely some issues. LSU gashed the Georgia defense for over 500 yards and once again the Dawgs failed to deliver the final knock out punch. There were way too many missed tackles and that must be improved before the Florida game.

This was a huge win. The boys were warming up their dance skills for next week.

The Tiger Stadium Experience

- As advertised, a visit to Baton Rouge is everything it is advertised to be. The fans are crazy and definitely make you feel intimidated. If I never have to hear "Tiga' Bait" again, I won't be sad. I also witnessed grown men throwing dog biscuits at us and heard about the LSU cops turning the other way to a man getting beaten on the ground.

- We were on the top row of Tiger Stadium (row FF in section 641) but the view was actually very good. Death Valley is very steep so while you are very high up, you are actually still pretty close to the field.

- The LSU band puts on a great show. It is too bad that their fans seemed to give up on their team in the 3rd quarter. When Georgia took the lead at 38-17, the place began to clear out. The Tigers certainly did not quit, but their fans did.

Other Games

- Penn State defeated Ohio State and has pretty much guaranteed themselves an undefeated season.- The suddenly hot Virginia Cavaliers knocked off the Bees from the North Avenue Trade school . Tech has tough games with Florida State, Miami and Georgia left on their schedule.

- Oklahoma State gave Texas a run for their money but came up short in the end. That trip to Stillwater to open the season in '09 keeps looking tougher and tougher.

- Alabama beat Tennessee in another ugly game for the Volunteers. Is Fulmer's career at UT going to end without being bowl eligible?

Showdown in Jacksonville

- This may be one of the biggest Georgia-Florida matchups in Cocktail Party history. The Dawgs really got under the skin of the entire Gator nation with the celebration and the beatdown in 2007. The tag line for this year's game: "There Will be Blood"

GO DAWGS!!!!

In Nawlins, Leave A Message

Still celebrating on Bourbon Street. We cannot seem to find any Tiger Bait.

We'll give you a call later, promise. Gotta head back to Pat O'Briens for now. Hopefully we'll see Pulpwood.

Week 8: Impressions and Ramblings

Week 8 of the college football season has come and gone. Another Dawg victory, a massacre in the Lone Star state, and a scare for 'Bama are among this week's highlights. Here are my thoughts:

Georgia 24, Vanderbilt 14

- Without Blair Walsh's two missed field goals, my prediction of a 34 - 13 victory for the Dawgs would have been pretty close. Like the UT game last week, this was a game that was close on the scoreboard but not really that close on the field. Georgia once again dominated in yards (425 to 245) and one of Vanderbilt's touchdowns was the result of an interception deep in our own territory. While Georgia failed to put the pesky Commodores away, I had little doubt who would end up with the victory.

- Stafford really loves throwing the ball to AJ Green. Stafford only had 13 completions for the day and 7 of them went to Green. The second half was a struggle for Stafford, which is cause for some concern. There were a couple of occasions where he completely overlooked our tight ends who were wide open. Also, if Stafford would have taken the time to plant his feet, the interception by DJ Moore would have been a touchdown to Massaquoi instead.

You're looking at the SEC Freshman of the year.

- What was the most encouraging thing on Saturday? The play of the Georgia defense. A great defensive game overall kept Vanderbilt from making any big plays (they had 0 plays of more than 20 yards). Game balls go to Darius Dewberry (who had his best game as a Bulldog), Daryl Gamble (who is becoming a very good linebacker), and Asher Allen for the huge hit he laid to make Vandy turn the ball over on downs late in the fourth quarter. The only bad thing I saw out of the Dawgs on Saturday was the regression of Bryan Evans. Teams have continued to pick on him this season, and it seems like he is backing away from the challenge. I hope Vance Cuff can step in at the outside corner when we are in the nickel package, because Bryan just isn't getting it done.

- Every week Knowshon Moreno amazes me with his heart and play on the field. It is my opinion that there is no player in the SEC more valuable to his team right now than #24. Over 170 yards on 23 carries, another touchdown, just another day at the office. It will be a real shame if he isn't at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York in December.

This is the definition of walking in untouched.

Alabama 24, Ole Miss 20
- Alabama stopped Ole Miss from converting a 4th down late in the 4th quarter and ended the Rebels' hopes of upsetting another top 5 team. Alabama is starting to show signs that they can be beaten, especially with the injury to Terrence Cody. I've seen conflicting reports about what the injury is, but they all seem to think he will only be out a few weeks. I doubt it. When a man that size either badly sprains or tears a muscle in his knee, I don't see how he will be back at full strength in a few weeks. Mount, it's up to you to prove me wrong.

When Cody hit the ground with a knee injury, a 6.5 was measured on the Richter scale.

Texas 82721320, Missouri 1122993
- Missouri looked worse in the first half against Texas than we did in the first half against Alabama. Has the Big XII just decided to completely ignore defense? I know Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and others have good skill players, but when both teams are putting up over 500 yards of offense, it is a little ridiculous.

Why do the 'Horns score so many points? Ask Roger Clemens.

Ohio State kills Michigan State

- I thought MSU had a good chance to win. Javon Ringer has looked great this year, and I finally thought the Spartans may be for real...Never mind. Now we have to hear about Ohio State (along with USC who beat poor Washington State with their 4th string QB 69-0) as being a contender for the National Title.

ACC = Parity
- Your top team in the ACC this year- Georgia Tech. What year is this, 1990? Maryland knocks off Wake Forest, Virgina has suddenly won 4 in a row and knocked off UNC, and preseason top 10 Clemson is now under .500. With Duke actually looking better this year (they were leading Miami into the 3rd quarter on Saturday), there is very little difference from those teams at the bottom and those on top.


Overall, another good weekend for the Dawgs. We're 6-1 and headed to a showdown in Baton Rouge with the Bayou Bengals. The game has been chosen as the CBS game and will kickoff at 3:30 PM EST. Thank God. Most of the Bubba 'N Earl crew will be there this week as we celebrate my bachelor party. It should be one hell of a match up.

GO DAWGS!!!

*Pictures courtesy of the AJC, ESPN, and texassports.com

Homecoming 2008: "Vanderbilt is a fine academic institution..."

"... but they f***ing suck at football." - Bubba, while standing on the Vanderbilt car that we painted and hit with a sledgehammer during Homecoming 2004.

Who are these guys?

Vanderbilt has long been known as the whipping boy of the SEC but during the 2008 season, this academic school from Nashville has tried to make its own mark on the college football world. ESPN College Gameday even came to Nashville two weeks ago and what followed was a Vanderbilt upset of then ranked Auburn. Unfortunately, the real Commodores came to play the next week as they got "Croomed" by Mississippi State in one of the most offensively challenged games of 2008 (Funny how Mississippi State has been in a couple of those so far).

Vanderbilt comes to Athens ranked #22 in the country touting a 5-1 record. Could this be the worst ranked team in the country? The statistics would say yes:

Vanderbilt's defense is ranked 10th in the SEC (ahead of only Arkansas and Ole Miss) and Vandy’s biggest strength on defense is their ability to get turnovers. Vanderbilt has 11 interceptions on the season and that includes all four starting members of their secondary having at least 2. They are also very good in Red Zone defense.

Things get really ugly for Vanderbilt on the offensive side of the ball as they are ranked 118th out of 119 Division I teams in total offense, featuring a passing offense that averages only 90 yards a game. The running game is not that much better; Jared Hawkins leads the team in rushing with 333 yards on the year and their second leading rusher is on again/off again starter Chris Nickson. Auburn game hero Mackenzi Adams will get the start in place of Nickson and Dawg fans will remember Adams as the guy who led Vanderbilt down the field in 2007, nearly upsetting UGA before a Daryl Gamble forced fumble saved the day. However, Vandy does an excellent job converting turnovers into points and is very efficient in the Red Zone.

"Your name is Mackenzi? You would go to Vanderbilt, wouldn't ya?"

What are the Dawgs going to do?

Hopefully, the UGA Homecoming crowd will get a healthy dose of Knowshon left, Knowshon right, and Knowshon up the middle. Vanderbilt's strength is their secondary and their leader is standout two way player D.J. Moore. Coming out and establishing the run will be huge and there is no reason to think that Knowshon Moreno can’t have another 100 yard game or get closer to 150 yards, as he did against the Commodores last year. These yards should be easier to come by than the 100 yards he had against Tennessee last week. However, Vanderbilt tackles very well and is disciplined on defense, making strong offensive line play pivotal. Expect Mike Bobo to continue to call screen and swing passes to AJ Green early in the game. Getting Vanderbilt's D to bite on these established plays should open up passes over the middle later in the game.

Knowshon for Homecoming King, '08

On defense, having Adams in the game may present some problems for Georgia. The pass defense is statistically the worst in the league, giving up 222 yards a game, and Adams is a better drop back passer than Nickson. DC Willie Martinez should try to confuse Adams early, sending blitzes to hit the Vandy play caller in an effort to force mistakes and turnovers. If Georgia jumps out to an early lead, look for the linebackers to drop back into pass coverage and attempt to contain short passes and the option game.

What's going to happen?

Historically, Georgia is a slow starter in these 12:30 games. Rarely do the Dawgs come out and put away a team they should beat early in the first half. Georgia dominated Tennessee last week but failed to put the Vols away with a couple of costly turnovers. This week, history shouldn’t repeat itself and expect the ever changing O-Line to leave gaping holes for Moreno. After failing to score for the first time last week, expect at least 2 touchdowns for the kid from New Jersey. Vandy's offense will struggle against UGA’s physical defensive line and look for Georgia to get a couple of turnovers that lead to quick scores. The Dawgs need to stay focused with two huge games looming and a solid, dominating win would create great momentum.

Georgia 34, Vanderbilt 13

GO DAWGS!!!

Week 4: Impressions and Ramblings

AJ Green is scary good, enough said.

Week 4 of the 2008 college football season has passed and for once Georgia didn't lose votes in the polls. Here are my thoughts from this weekend.

Destruction in the Desert

- Now that is the Georgia Bulldogs team that was preseason #1. The defense was dominant and the offense was clicking. We made Erickson and the boys in gold look pretty bad. I was disappointed in the clear Pac-10 preference that was afforded by the referees, my god they were trying to Give ASU every break while calling nothing in our favor (they missed at least 3 blatant holds). In my Friday preview, I was pretty close on a couple of things: Margin of victory (I predicted 15 points (38-23), at least 6 catches for AJ, and big rushing numbers for Knowshon, especially in the second half). Overall, a great game.

- AJ Green is out of his mind good. There's so much I could say, but Dr. Saturday says it best.

- Knowshon continues to make amazing plays every week. Right now, I don't see any way he is not in New York at the Downtown Athletic Club in December. Another solid day from Stafford as well, as he continues to show the maturity of a third year starter.

Knowshon doing his best Touchdown Jesus pose.

- The defense is better than a lot of people think. When you only allow 4 rushing yards, you're doing something right. It took Rudy Carpenter almost 40 throws to get over 200 yards, so even the much maligned pass defense played well. Willie did a good job of utilizing the blitz this game and it really worked.

Didn't mention last week that Rennie Curran is a beast.

- Alabama is coming to Athens next week for a prime time show down on the World Wide Leader. They have announced College Game Day will finally make its return to Athens (after nearly 10 years). If Nick Saban had his game plan to shut down Knowshon and stop our offense, the emergence of AJ Green this week has totally blown those plans out of the water. John Parker Wilson only had about 100 yards passing in their win over Arkansas, but there is not way they knock off the Dawgs with a non-existent passing game. It's gonna be one hell of a match up between the hedges!

Colorado

- I said after week 1 that I was impressed the Buffaloes and after they knocked off West Virginia, I see them as a dark horse contender for the Big XII North title. Missouri watch out, the balanced attack of Cody Hawkins and Rodney Stewart are coming to crush your perfect season.

Alabama and Georgia Tech Win Big

- Are Bama and the North avenue Trade School really that good, or are Arkansas and Mississippi State really that bad?

If Mississippi State can pull a Knowshon on you, are you really that good?

Florida/ Tennessee

- Tennesse is a train wreck. The failure to score multiple times from inside the 5 with their veteran offensive line is pathetic. How many Georgia fans had memories of the 2003 game in Knoxville come to mind when Crompton fumbled at the 2?

- Once again, Urban Liar has Tebow in the game with minutes left of a blow out. On a third down. Tebow rolled right and got drilled by a Vol linebacker. One of these days Urban, you're gonna get your boy hurt and you'll have no one to blame but yourself.

Wake Forest and Vandy

- Wake Forest is the best team in the ACC and Vanderbilt is ranked. What bizarro world am I in?

Since when do smart kids know how to play football?

Notre Dame

- So I was wrong. They suck.

In conclusion...

It was a great week for the Dogs and college football. There's gonna be a hell of a fight at Sanford next Saturday. Get your tickets and I'll see ya there! Go Dawgs!

The Dawgs bring the Heat

Bring on Georgia, huh? You're gonna hate the real heat in Athens next fall!

Photo courtesy of the AJC

Manifest Destiny: The Georgia - Arizona State Preview

For years, the critics have knocked Georgia (and other SEC teams) for failing to leave the comfort zone that is the Southeastern United States. All that changes this Saturday, as the Bulldogs head to Arizona to conquer the Sun Devils. This is a first stop of many over the next few seasons that could see the Georgia Empire expand from its humble beginning in the mountains of Northeast Georgia. We hope to conquer the ruling empire of the west coast (USC) later this year, and in coming years conquer the mid west (Oklahoma State), the Rocky Mountains (Colorado), and the Pacific Northwest (Oregon).

I believe we have the right to spread our boundaries across the entire continental US and move right on to Hawaii - Oh, we already conquered Hawaii.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take a look at the target at hand: Arizona State.

Who are these guys?

The Sun Devils entered 2008 as a sleeper pick for a BCS bowl and why not? In 2007, they won 10 games and technically a share of the Pac-10 title with USC (though to claim it would be like Georgia claiming we won the SEC East in 2007. Only schools like Auburn claim things they technically didn't win.)

13-0 does not equal Championship...when you're Auburn.

The Devils are led by senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter, known for passing prowess as well as his bad attitude. He passed for over 3,200 yards and 25 five touchdowns and has a solid core of receivers in Mike Jones, Chris McGaha, and Kyle Williams, who together combined for 17 touchdowns in '07. The Sun Devil rushing attack is led by Dimitri Nanace, however has only averaged (as a team) 117 yards per game against rather weak opponents early on in '08. The question on offense coming into '08 was the O-line, which allowed 55 sacks last year. They have only allowed 4 so far this year, but don't be surprised if you see more of the hits like the one where USC kills Rudy over and over

(http://www.youtube.com/v/QaIM_yGOlYc&hl=en&fs=1) - I'm having trouble embedding video right now.

On defense, ASU returns seven starters from the '07 squad that allowed an average of 22.5 points a game. Their defense looks like Superman coming into this game, allowing only 295 yards a game. However, this was against weak competition and we all saw how solid their defense was holding a lead against UNLV last week.

What is Georgia going to do?

If we learned anything last week at South Carolina, I hope it is that we need a healthy dose of Knowshon (and Caleb) to help set up the passing game for Stafford. If you shut down the running game, it forces us to have to throw shorter passes to make up for lost downs. On the offensive side of the ball, I'd like to see Knowshon get 25 carries and Caleb about 12. This should allow Stafford to torch the ASU secondary with a mix of passes over the middle and deep balls. We definitely need a better performance by our receiving crew and don't be surprised if AJ Green catches 6 or more passes this week.

On defense, the weaknesses shown during the 4th quarter last week do scare me. Carpenter is the heart of ASU and if he is having a good day their offense will move the ball down the field. We need to ditch the constant zone and bring blitz. This line is not that good (as evident by their performance last year) and we should be able to get to Carpenter at least 4 times.

Coach Martinez: Please let the Liberian nightmare run wild!

What will happen?

This game could be a back and forth offensive battle. Look for both teams to score quick and early on as the defenses settle in. I look for this to turn into a game similar to the '07 Oklahoma State game, where Georgia's offense pours it on in the second half while clamping down on D. Knowshon should have a huge day (150 yards or more).

Georgia 38, Arizona State 23

Knowshon's UGA

"My Dawg" by Knowshon Moreno

posting will be slow today but we'll be back later with the SEC Preview as well as our preview of the Georgia - ASU matchup.

Week 3: Impressions and Ramblings

A win is a win. Sometimes it ain't pretty, but at the end of the day all that really matters is the W.

Week 3 of the college football season has passed, here are my thoughts:

Georgia - South Carolina

- This was a typical Georgia - South Carolina game. Georgia dominates much of the game, but Carolina still has a chance at the end. This time, Rennie Curran played the role of David Pollack and saved us. (The B 'n E staff likes to knock me for being from Snellville, but our boys tend to come through when it counts.)

Snellville comes through in the clutch!

- Stafford proved that he is ready to lead this team. The Cocks brought pressure and Stafford made the right decisions that led us to a victory. He's a dropped pass and Richard Samuel lowering his head away from a two touchdown day. The throws to Durham and Green were NFL caliber.

Catch the damn ball!!!!

- Knowshon continues to amaze. That was the hardest earned 79 yard game I have seen in a long time.

- The bad things from weeks 1 and 2 remained. Too many penalties, bad kick-offs and not enough pressure. We've got some work to do in practice.
- We dropped to 3 in the ranks, which I think is crap. USC killed an overrated OSU team and deserves to be 1, but Oklahoma who has played no one did not deserve to jump us.

Notre Dame is back?
- In what I like to call "Pillow Fight 2008", Notre Dame put a hurting on Michigan 35 -17. This may not be a popular opinion, but I think Notre Dame may be a little better than people think. Don't be surprised if they end up with 8 wins this year.



USC shows its muscle
- Ohio State is horribly overrated. I know USC is good, but they only put up 3 points. The loss of Wells does not make up 32 points.



The Pac 10 is as bad as the ACC
- Arizona State showed that they are clearly not ready to compete for a spot in the BCS with a loss to UNLV, UCLA got demolished by BYU, Washington got blown out by Oklahoma, Arizona loses to New Mexico, Washington State loses to Baylor, and Cal's mighty running game got beat by a Maryland team that lost to Middle Tennessee State. Conference Power ratings are clearly defined with the SEC at 1 and the Big XII at 2.



Mississippi State picks up 2 in the 8th, but Auburn's closer shuts the door in the 9th
- Auburn 3, Miss St 2 - Are you freaking kidding me?!?! When Miss St. went for on 4th and 15 from the 50 in the fourth, Earl looked at me and said, "They should have pinned Auburn deep and went for the safety to win." The sad thing is, that could have really happened.

In Conclusion...

We escaped Columbia with a win and we are 3-0. We travel to the desert next week and we need to send a message to USC that the Pac 10 doesn't scare us one bit. With Bama looming, we need to fix the penalties and pass coverage fast.

Photos courtesy of the AJC and the Athens Banner Herald