The Countdown 2009: 54 Days to Go

54

2009 will mark the 54th year that Uga will patrol the sidelines at Georgia football games.

The Countdown 2009: 55 Days to Go

55

As in 1955, the year in which Georgia mascot Mike, a brindled English bulldog owned by C.L. Fain, died. Mike lived in the field house on campus and died of natural canine causes in 1955. As his master's thesis, Gene Owens of Fort Worth, Texas, cast the bronze statue of Mike, which is located at the entrance of Memorial Hall. Mike served as Georgia's mascot from 1951 to 1955.

His death opened the door for the Seiler's Uga I, Hood's Ole Dan, in 1956. Hood's Ole Dan was born December 2, 1955 in Columbus, Georgia, and was given to Ceclia Seiler by Frank Heard of Columbus.

The Countdown 2009: 56 Days to Go

56

Jersey number of defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Atkins was a force on the defensive line in 2008 with a team high 32 quarterback hurries.

The Countdown 2009: 57 Days to Go

57

Jersey number for former linebacker Mo Lewis, who played for the Dawgs from 1987-1990. Lewis would go onto to a Pro Bowl career in the NFL. Lewis is most famous for making the hit below on Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe in 2001 that knocked him out for the remainder of the season. This allowed a low round draft pick from Michigan by the name of Tom Brady take over and the rest is history.

ESPN's 50 States in 50 Days

College Football Live on ESPN has been running a series where they visit each state as we count down to the beginning of the 2009 season. For each state they run a poll of the best team in the state's history. For the state of Georgia, the two leaders are the 1980 Georgia team (47%) and the 1952 Georgia Tech team (39%).

A second poll currently has Vince Dooley leading Bobby Dodd as the best coach in the state's history (34% to 32%).

If you have a minute today, take the time to head over and vote for the 1980 Dawgs and Vince Dooley here. We don't want to give the Techmites another thing to gloat about.

Thanks to reader Twilb Dawg for the suggestion.

Recruiting 2010: Competing with Florida and Bama

It is July and news is slow right now, what better a time to talk recruiting. With the commitment of Brandon Burrows yesterday, the Georgia recruiting class for 2010 is starting to look really impressive. Georgia has already picked up 7 commitments in state and another 6 in the state of Florida. What is most impressive about this class is how well Georgia has fared going head-to-head with Florida, Alabama, and other southeastern schools. Here's a look at the commitments the Dawgs have so far and other offers each player had from schools in the southeast:

Brandon Burrows - Florida, Alabama, Tennessee
Ken Malcome - Florida, Alabama, Clemson
Alec Ogletree - Alabama, Auburn, LSU
Deon Rogers - Florida International
Demetre Baker - Miami, South Carolina, East Carolina
Michael Bennett - Southern Miss
Brent Benedict - Florida, Alabama, Clemson
Da'Rick Rogers - Florida, Alabama, LSU
Kolton Houston - Auburn, Tennessee, South Carolina
Marc Deas - Kentucky, Ole Miss, UCF
Jalen Fields - Florida, Alabama, Tennessee
Derek Owens - Florida, South Carolina

While Alec Ogletree is no doubt the prize of the class so far, I really think that the combination of Da'Rick Rogers, Marlon Brown, and AJ Green will be a lot of fun to watch in the Georgia passing game in 2010.

GO DAWGS!!!

The Countdown 2009: 58 Days to Go

58

Yards on the touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Mohammed Massaquoi during the first half of the Georgia "Blackout" victory over Auburn in 2007.

The Countdown 2009: 59 Days to Go

59

Wins against Georgia Tech, the most victories for Georgia against any team. Georgia will go for win #60 in the series in November.

What Gordon Beckham thinks about Transformers

When Sports Illustrated asked former Dawg and White Sox rookie Gordon Beckham to finish the sentence "I wish I could transform into...", Beckham replied simply with, "Megan Fox's bed."

Go Gordo!

Lewis Grizzard/Lucille Memorial Best Beer Joint in Georgia

Just wanted to make sure everyone saw Bulldawg Illustrated's contest to find the best beer joint in Georgia in honor of the late, great Lewis Grizzard and Lucille, the first person to ever sell him a beer.

A good read and a good contest. If you have a winner, make your way over to Bulldawg Illustrated.