The Countdown 2011: 79 Days to Go

Caleb King: One Last Chance

When Caleb King chose to come to Georgia, most fans in the Bulldog Nation rejoiced. The best running back from the state of Georgia (who was considered one of the best in the nation until a leg injury his senior year) was staying home. The expectations were high when Caleb arrived on campus in 2007. With the emergence of Knowshon Moreno that fall, King stayed on the bench and would not make his debut until the 2008 opener against Georgia Southern. King ran well that ( totaling just under 100 yards on the ground) and Georgia fans remained optimistic.

Now, almost 3 years later, many Georgia fans see King's career as a failure. From a series of injuries to academic and off field issues, King has never lived up to the hype. But there have been highlights to King's career. The 75 yard touchdown against Georgia Tech in 2009 may be the one most remember, but my favorite was a play which King never touched the ball. Against Auburn in 2009, King blocked an Auburn defender into the air as Joe Cox hooked up with Israel Troupe on a long touchdown.

Blocking is the one area where most people are satisfied with King. He has been the best blocking back for the last few seasons. Georgia's offense requires its running backs to block and with Crowell just arriving on campus, the Dawgs will need a solid blocker. My hope is that Caleb takes this final year to win back the Georgia fans. If he finally lives up to expectations, he will not only make himself a better draft prospect but he will help relieve some of the pressure off Isaiah Crowell.

Why Washaun Ealey's Reinstatement is a Big Deal

When Washaun Ealey was suspended from the team three weeks ago, many of the Georgia faithful felt he should have been kicked off the team. While I expect Isaiah Crowell to be the feature back this fall, I think it is very important for the team that Ealey come back. Here are the reasons why.

1. Caleb King's status is still up in the air. He was suspended for the bowl game we have not heard much since then. Caleb is Georgia's best blocking back, so I truly hope he returns. But if he doesn't, Ealey will need to step up in the blocking department. Pass blocking is one of the hardest things incoming players have to learn and Crowell will only be on campus for a few weeks prior to the first game. Ealey was not exactly a good blocker (at all) last year, but another year in the system should make him better.

2. Depth is always an issue. In todays football landscape, rarely do you see one running back carry all of the load for a successful running program. Carlton Thomas is definitely not the answer and we are unsure what we have in Ken Malcome. But Ealey has been a bright spot at times over the last few years. Even if Crowell is RB1, we need a good complementary back.

3. Washaun Ealey is a talented player. Remember 5 touchdowns against Kentucky? Remember almost 200 yards against Tech? He may have issues with fumbles, but he still can make things happen on the field.


4. Competition for Crowell. Everyone expects Crowell to be the starter, but ask yourself if that makes sense. Georgia returns its leading rusher who will be a junior and scored 11 TDs last year. Without Ealey, earning the starting job could almost be "easy". Washaun Ealey on campus means strong competition, which usually brings out the best in athletes.

I am glad to have Washaun back on the team. Hoefully, his attitude is fixed and he is ready for a big season in 2011.

Top Ten Plays of 2009: Part 2

#5 - AJ Green Leaping Touchdown Catch against LSU

Georgia struggled all day to get the offense going against the top ten rated Tigers in Athens. Down 12-7, Georgia drove the field to the Tigers 16 yard line. Joe Cox lofted a pass towards the back corner of the endzone and AJ was there to haul it in:

Georgia took the 13-12 lead with only 1:09 left on the clock. A BS celebration penalty was called and we all know what happenned after that.

#4 - Rennie Curran Saves the Day Against South Carolina

Thanks a Deangelo Tyson blocked extra point, Georgia held a four point lead over the Gamecocks in the final seconds of the game. Stephen Garcia led his team inside the Georgia 10 and faced a fourth down with just seconds remaining. Garcia dropped back to pass, but seeing no one open, took off like he was going to run for the endzone (In my opinion, had he ran for it, he would have gotten the TD). At the last second, Garcia tried to throw a quick pass across the middle. But Mr Everywhere, Rennie Curran, was able to tip the pass away and save the game for Georgia:

#3 - AJ Green Blocks a Field Goal, Sets Up Game Winning Score

On a rainy night in Athens, Arizona State had taken advantage of Georgia turnovers to tie the game at 17 and had a chance to take the lead on a field goal with just minutes remaining. The Sun Devils lined up for the kick, but AJ Green was not about to let Georgia lose to a mid-level team from the Pac 10:

Following the block, Joe Cox found AJ on a deep ball the set up Blair Walsh to kick a field goal to win it for the Dawgs. Final score, Georgia 20, Arizona State 17.

#2 - Bacarri Rambo Separates the Ball from Mario Fannin

With Georgia holding a seven point lead against the Tigers, Auburn QB Chris Todd found an open Mario Fannin near the Georgia goal for what looked like the game winning touchdown. Redshirt freshman safety Bacarri Rambo had other ideas:

As the crowd chanted, "Rambo, Rambo, Rambo", the defense came up with a huge play, sacking Todd and forcing Auburn into a long 4th down play. The pass then fell incomplete and Georgia held on to win. Rambo suffered a concussion and would miss Georgia's final two games, but has endeared himself to all of those in the Bulldog Nation.

#1 - Caleb King's 75 Yard Touchdown Run against Georgia Tech

The Dawgs took a suprising 17-3 lead into the half against top ten ranked Georgia Tech. Tech took the ball to start the second half and on the third play Jackets receiver Demaryius Thomas took a quick out pass for a long Georgia Tech TD to make the score 17-10. Many Georgia fans feared the scond half was going to turn into a repeat of 2008, when a a Georgia lead evaporated in what became a 45-42 Tech victory. Georgia had been able to gash the Tech D-line the entire first half and needed to answer the Georgia Tech score. One their first play of the second half, Caleb King provided the answer Georgia was looking for:

Georgia held on for the hug upset victory, 30-24. Georgia's running back pair of Caleb King and Washaun Ealey combined for over yards and 3 scores on the ground. It was a great night for Georgia and was a reminder to everyone that "WE RUN THIS STATE!".

GO DAWS!!!

Thoughts on Georgia Tech

While this season will still be marred as the year of multiple epic failures, Saturday night's victory over Georgia Tech makes this season hurt a little less. While I thought we had little chance to win going into the game (notice I did not even post a prediction last week), I did point out five things I thought we needed to do to win.

1. Run the ball - we sure as hell did that. Over three hundred yards on the ground, both our running backs over 100 (each averaging an amazing 9 yards a carry), and two touchdowns. Perfect game plan by Bobo and Richt. Caleb's answer to Tech's long touchdown was a thing of beauty:


2. Don't throw it deep - We threw exactly one ball that was over 20 yards and it was dropped by Wooten (it would have most likely been a score had he caught it). With the running game working, there was no need.

3. Make solid tackles - Vance Cuff's complete miss on Demaryius Thomas aside, the Dawgs tackled great. Reshad Jones made up for his performance last year with arguably his best game all year. Oh yeah, Rennie Curran was everywhere and made 15 tackles.

4. Kick it deep - At least we did in the first half when we built the lead. I'll take a game with 3 touchbacks, one out of bounds, and one decent return over what happened against Kentucky any day.

5. Play smart football - The running game was working and we did not change our game plan, even when Tech made a comeback in the second half. I'm glad Coach Richt sent Walsh out for the field goal in the fourth. It showed the defense that he had enough faith in them to let Walsh try a 55 yarder with the risk of giving GT a short field.

Overall, it was a great night for the The University of Georgia football team. We ended another regular season with a winning record and improved our chances of playing in a decent bowl (Attention Chick Fil A guys - a rematch between us and Virginia Tech would be a great match up. Make it happen). We have won 8 of 9 against Tech. Now I am starting to know how Florida feels when they play us.



GO DAWGS!!!

The King Strikes Twice

With touchdown runs of 24 and 11 in the fourth quarter, Caleb King now has 3 rushing touchdowns (and 4 total touchdowns) for the 2009 season. For the first time since the Vanderbilt game, the King is back!

Thoughts on Auburn

Down 14-0 and having just lost their best player, Georgia looked like they were in serious trouble on Saturday night. A blowout loss to Auburn would have made me question whether the Dawgs would even get bowl eligible. But what the players and the fans needed, the Dawgs delivered on Saturday night. It was an amazing team effort and with two games to go, a shot a New Year's bowl is suddenly a reality once again. Here are my thoughts on 2009 version of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

- The first quarter was one of the worst quarters of football I have witnessed at Sanford and I've seen some bad ones over the last ten years (Tennessee in 06 and Bama in 08 just to name a few). The defense was lost and once again penalties looked like they were going to be a problem. But then a strange thing happened...we made adjustments.

- I have to give Willie some credit on this one. Auburn was making us look ridiculous, but suddenly things changed and we were getting pressure on Todd. Couple that with the best tackling effort I have see Georgia put together this season (Tennessee tech doesn't count) and we shut Auburn's offense down. When you allow 14 points in the first quarter and only 3 the rest of the way, the defense is definitely doing something right.

- For the first time all season, I can honestly say the special teams was not the best unit for the Dawgs. Obviously the kick off return hurt, but our return game only turned in a mediocre effort at best. And I can't for the life of me figure out why we picked this game to stop letting Walsh at least attempt to kick it deep. Butler was solid and Walsh made the 51 yarder look like a chip shot.

- When Auburn's field goal attempt hit the upright but still went through, I felt like we were getting paid back for the tipped pass to Orson.

- Losing AJ again sucks. It sound like his shoulder is pretty banged up. At this point, let him heal and get ready for the bowl game. The man has done enough for one player to do for his team this, we can't ask him to go out there hurt. With AJ out, it will be a chance for the other receivers to step up, just like Israel Troupe did last night.

- The combination of King and Ealey was awesome. The line finally played up to its potential and the running backs did their part. it was a lot of fun to have a real running game again. These two are going to be monsters next season.

- My final thought is concerning the player who was the MVP of the game and is on every one's mind right now. Baccari Rambo is the playmaker we have been missing in the secondary. Like Rennie Curran, he just seems to be everywhere around the ball. After Evans dropped the easy interception, Rambo came into the game and it was a whole new Georgia defense. He saved the game for the Dawgs and knocked himself out doing it. That is called heart and this kid definitely has it. Heal up Rambo, can't wait to have you back!

Overall, an amazing night in Athens. I was yelling at people for booing early in the game but the support the crowd showed at the end heals all those wounds. It seems like Auburn always brings out the best in Georgia fans.

Two games to go. Let's close it out strong!

GO DAWGS!!!

Thoughts on Vanderbilt: Long Live the King

Now that's a little more like it. For the first time all season, the Dawgs put together a solid effort that resulted in a victory that was not decided in the fourth quarter. I know a lot of people will say that it was just Vanderbilt, but we needed this one bad. It was a great start to a long day of college football yesterday, one which I spent the entire day on my couch surrounded by friends. I couldn't ask for a better day. Here are my thoughts on our game and other things I observed this week.

- The start of the game may have been one of the ugliest performances by two teams I have ever seen. Before the AJ Green 65 yard touchdown, Georgia had already punted twice and thrown an interception. Vanderbilt had already punted three times. It was disgusting. If the offense plays like that in Jacksonville in two weeeks, it will look like the 2nd half last year.

- AJ, by god, Green. How could he only have 3 catches yesterday? The 65 yarder was a thing of beauty and really shows how much he has improved over last season. Did Joe Cox really deserve credit for a touchdown pass on that play or could we just give it to AJ?

- The defense was solid. They played like you are supposed to play against a team the likes of Vanderbilt. Justin Houston is a beast and Rennie Curran was Rennie Curran.

- Drew Butler can kick it 50 yards in a tornado. The punt he hit just before the end of the first quarter went about 45 yards in the air into a stiff wind. This is kid awesome.

- Boykin and Prince Miller were both about 1 tackle away from scoring touchdowns. Nothing helps out a struggling offense like a good kick return.

- Joe Cox is still not that good. When we went the first 4 drives with barely any yards, I really had to question why Logan Gray was not out there.

- Glad to see the running game get going, even if it was in the 4th quarter. We need to stop this rotation though, it should be 1 and 1A with Caleb and Washaun.

- The King has returned. He may not have put up big rushing numbers, but I thought Caleb had a great day. With his two touchdowns, the King is back!

2009 KING TOUCHDOWN COUNT: 2

Now, onto other games:

- Notre Dame put up a good fight against USC. The fake field goal play they ran was the same one that Georgia Tech ran against Clemson and should have been flagged as a penalty.
- SEC officials are the worst in the country. Florida celebrates, Tebow runs around, Riley Cooper pushes off and they do not get called. There were some bad calls in the Alabama game against South Carolina as well.
- Nice win for Georgia Tech. I did not think they would get it done against Virginia Tech. Too bad the lost to Miami, because right now they would still be on the outside looking in at the ACC Championship game.

After over a year of posting at least 2 articles a week, I am going to be taking my own "bye week" this week. The rest of the guys will be picking up the slack and I will be back next Sunday for the start of Hate Week 2009!

GO DAWGS!!!

The Countdown 2009: 61 Days to Go

61

Carries by running back Caleb King during his freshman year in 2008. He had 95 yards on 12 carries in the season opener vs. Georgia Southern and scored first career touchdown against Central Michigan.

Will Caleb King Break Out in 2009?

When Knowshon Moreno announced his intentions to go to the NFL it opened the door for a new starter to take over the tailback position for the Dawgs. One of the favorites to take on the role is redshirt sophomore Caleb King. Here is a look at the running back from Norcross, Georgia who wears #4 for the Dawgs:

King began his school career at Parkview High School in Lilburn. By the time he was a sophomore, he had taken over as the go to player in coach Cecil Flowe's offense. As a sophomore he rushed for over 900 yards and 397 yards receiving and 3 return touchdowns. However, it was during his junior year that he became the focus of many national recruiters. As a junior, King rushed for 2,768 yards and 19 touchdowns.

King's Parkview Highlights


For his senior season, king transferred to Greater Atlanta Christian. He was off to a fantastic start (939 yards and 13 touchdowns) and was considered a five star recruit before breaking his leg. The injury would end his high school career, but King soon announced his intentions to go to Georgia as part of the class of 2007.

King's Senior Year Highlights


Caleb King arrived at Georgia in the fall of 2007 and found himself at the back of crowded Georgia backfield that included seniors Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin as well as freshman phenom Knowshon Moreno. King redshirted that fall and finally made his Georgia on field debut at G-Day 2008, making some exciting plays in front of a rain-soaked crowd.

G-Day 2008 Highlights


In the fall of 2008, King was second on the depth chart behind Knowshon Moreno. King had his best game of the season in the opener against Georgia Southern, racking up 95 yards on 12 carries.

Georgia Southern Game Highlights


After scoring his first career touchdown against Central Michigan, King's playing time began to decrease. He had a couple of key runs in the victories over Tennessee and LSU, but after missing struggling with his blocking (particularly against Florida) King was demoted behind freshman Richard Samuel. He did have a nice catch and run in the Bowl game and finished the season with 247 yards rushing on 61 carries (4.0 YPC) and 1 touchdown.

For King to become the featured back in the Bulldog offense, there are a number of areas which he must improve. The first and biggest weakness King has is his blocking. He needs to add some strength to hold provide time for Joe Cox. Secondly, King must lower his head and attempt to break tackles. He has good quickness and the ability to make defenders miss, however he will need to be able to break tackles to prevent broken runs from turning into losses.

Look for a competitive competition between King, Richard Samuel, Dontavious Jackson, and Carlton Thomas this fall. King appears to have the upper hand with his experience and the fact that Samuel is out for spring practice and G-Day.

GO DAWGS!!!