The Countdown 2011: 82 Days to Go

2011 Opponent Profile: New Mexico State

School: New Mexico State University

Mascot: Aggies

Conference: WAC

Last Conference Championship: 1978 (Missouri Valley Conference)

Head Coach: DeWayne Walker (3rd season, 5-20 overall record)

DeWayne Walker became head coach at New Mexico State in 2009 after spending three years as defensive coordinator at UCLA (and as interim head coach in a loss to BYU in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl). He has failed to have much success at New Mexico State, winning only a single conference game each of the last two years.

Rivals: New Mexico and UTEP

Last Season: 2-10 (1-7 in WAC)

Interesting Fact: "The Woodson Curse"

Future hall of famer Warren B. Woodson became coach of the Aggie program in 1958. His team won the 1959 Sun Bowl and went a perfect 11-0 during the 1960 season. After a few more successful seasons, the university administration invoked a clause which required state employees to retire at age 65. Woodson was turning 65 that year, and despite another winning season and a blow out over rival New Mexico (53-7) he was forced into retirement. In 40 years since Woodson's forced retirement, the Aggies have only had 4 winning seasons and have not returned to a post season bowl game.

New Mexico State travels to Athens to take on the Dawgs on November 5.

The Countdown 2011: 84 Days to Go

2011 Schedule: From Least to Most Important

12 - New Mexico State - November 5

A bad out of conference opponent the week after Florida. The Dawgs should be either eying an SEC crown or pissed off about another loss in Jacksonville. This one should be easy.

11 - Coastal Carolina - September 17

Any questions? The only reason it is more important than New Mexico State is that it follows two tough opponents to open the season.

10 - Vanderbilt - October 15

Vandy will be horrible again and the Dawgs should roll.

9 - Georgia Tech - November 26

Other than bragging rights, this game is not too important at this time. That could all change depending on how the season goes.

8 - Ole Miss - September 24

The first true road game of the season. Hopefully the Dawgs will be looking to go 2-0 in the SEC.

7 - Mississippi State

MSU surprised everyone last year, but I don't think they will be as nearly as strong this year.

6 - Boise State - September 3

This is important on a perception scale, but in the terms of the 2011 season, this one is not that important. The Dawgs could lose this one and still have a great season, just ask Virginia Tech.

5 - Kentucky - November 19

The Dawgs' final SEC game could have a lot to do with bowl positioning this fall.

4 - Tennessee - October 8

The Dawgs won easily last fall, but have struggle the last two visits to Knoxville.

3 - Auburn - November 12

REVENGE!

2 - Florida - October 29

This game is always important, but this year the Gators seem more vulnerable than they have since 2004.

1 - South Carolina - September 10

The most important home opener in a long time. Whether they win or lose in week 1 against Boise, this game is a must for a good season this fall. Win it, and you are the favorite for the SEC East crown. Lose it, and it may be another long year in Athens.

Why You Should Be Concerned About McGarity's Scheduling Philosophy

Procrastination will certainly be my downfall. I've had the intention of making this post since McGarity's hire and since T Kyle King's argument for playing Clemson more often under the new regime at Butts-Mehre.

Now that McGarity is saying he wants to schedule 7 homes games per season, you should be concerned if you enjoy watching Georgia travel out of the southeast, and even if you like seeing them leave the state.

While this likely doesn't come as a shock to most given that McGarity is considered a protege of Vince Dooley and Florida AD Jeremy Foley (neither known for their strength of scheduling), you might not be aware of the extent to which Florida has avoided rigorous out of conference games.

Many have criticized Florida and Foley for their weak scheduling philosophy. In fact, McGarity's intent on scheduling is identical to Foley's known scheduling standards.

However, there's some facts that everyone should be aware of regarding Foley's tenure as AD that might cause concern, even if you want to see some lighter scheduling:

- Florida has not played an out of conference game outside of the State of Florida during Foley's 18 years (their last out of conference game outside of the sunshine state was against Syracuse 1991, when Foley was second in command).

- Only ONCE has Florida played an out of conference game away from Gainesville under Foley (this was 2003 at Miami and this of course excludes FSU since they are a permanent fixture on the schedule).

We're not talking a 4, 5, or 6 year period. We're talking almost two decades of Florida avoiding leaving their home field, let alone the flat peninsula they call home.

Most of the opponents Florida has brought to Gainesville range from Southern Miss to the Citadel to the always challenging, Charleston Southern. If you look back, they aren't brining quality opponents, they are feasting on trays of cupcakes. One could argue that Florida's 2010 schedule of Miami (OH), South Florida, FSU, and Appalachian State is their most difficult slew of out of conference games in two decades.

Florida also refuses to commit to scheduling anymore games with Miami since Miami insists on a home & home deal, and the gators aren't even interested in traveling to Tampa to play USF. Florida has also turned down an opportunity to play Utah, because at most they wanted a neutral site game in the State of Florida (once again, a home and home series is a non-starter).

As a fan that loves road game almost more than home games, I find this absolutely troubling. The trend goes beyond just scheduling some directional southern schools more often; it's leading towards us never leaving Sanford unless we are playing at Georgia Tech.

I'm not excited about another noon kickoff cupcake game with empty seats at Sanford. I can understand Richt not wanting constant cross country travels and even I'll agree that the 2009 schedule was excessive. However, if McGarity is importing the Florida model, we won't be venturing across state lines after our current commitments are fulfilled (or it will be minimal at best).

McGarity could be lighter on scheduling standards than his former boss and be willing take a 6 game home schedule every once in a while. Possible, but given how McGarity was heavily involved in Florida's scheduling (as was discussed during the interview process for Georgia's AD position), I'm not so sure we'll be seeing any exciting matchups being scheduled.

10 Things I Like About the Dawgs in 2009

Mackalicious over at Blogging Pantsless has posted his 10 expectations for 2009. Well, here is my list of reasons to be excited about the Georgia Bulldogs in 2009:

#10 - The Schedule Looks Better on Paper

- I know, the schedule looks almost as tough 2008 beginning with the first game of the season on the road in Stillwater. Some people are very scared of this game, but watching Ole Miss put the Texas Tech offense in its place in the Cotton Bowl makes me feel better about the Dawgs chances against the Cowboys. This season, Georgia played four of its final five games on the road, including a stretch of four road games in four weeks at LSU, Florida (Jacksonville), Kentucky, and Auburn. Next year, our road schedule is much more manageable and we get three of the final four games at home. The 2009 version of the tough mid-season road trip includes bouts at Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Perhaps the most important change to the 2009 schedule is the return of an invaluable bye week prior to the annual road-trip to celebrate the repeal of prohibition when the Dawgs face the Gators in Jacksonville. Having LSU, Carolina, and Auburn at home next season will be a plus as I expect all of these schools to be better in 2009 than they were in 2008. Granted, these programs couldn’t get much worse than they were in 2008…

#9 – Progression of Blair Walsh

- Walsh got off to a great start in 2008 by nailing a 52-yard field goal against Georgia Southern. The freshman also hit other big kicks during the season, including four field goals against Tennessee, but overall the season was a disappointment. Walsh never quite lived up to the excitement that preceded the first Georgia kicker to be offered a scholarship out of high school since Andy Bailey. Walsh’s kickoffs, oft landing out of bounds and spotting our opponents incredible field position, are an area where he must improve next season. I look for more consistency out of Walsh both kicking field goals and kicking off. Hopefully the coaches have realized the directional kicking is not working and will let Blair kick it deep in ’09.

#8 – Full Season of AJ Green

- AJ Green had an amazing freshman season in Athens and he was not even a starter when the season began. There is cause for concern that, with the matriculation of Massaquoi, teams will be able to key in on Green. If they do, hopefully receivers like Michael Moore and Kris Durham, who both had great performances in the Capital One Bowl, step up. Green has proven to be a clutch receiver with game winning TDs against Kentucky and Auburn. Look for more of the same from him during his sophomore year in 2009.

#7 – More Passes to Aron White

- During the Mark Richt era, Georgia has produced an amazing list of tight ends that have moved on to the NFL. In 2008, Georgia seemed to abandon to use of the tight end as a major weapon in the offense. I look for that to change in 2009. Aron White only had three catches in 2008, but 2 were for touchdowns and the other was for a huge gain against LSU. While White’s blocking ability may not be great, he has proven he can catch passes and I think he will be a big target for Joe Cox in 2009.

See the 3:10 mark for White's TD vs. Michigan State

#6 – The Quarterback Position

- Joe Cox will begin the year as the starter and, as I wrote previously, I think he will be a great leader. I also think that we will get to see some of Logan Gray and what he can do on the ground. With Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger in waiting, the QB position should be fun to watch for at least a few years.

#5 – Defensive Pressure

- A glaring deficiency of the defense in ’08 was their failure to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and record sacks. We saw glimpses of the future this year in freshman Justin Houston. With another year of experience under his belt there are considerable expectations for him to improve next year. The Dawgs were also able to create a lot of pressure during the bowl game and I hope Willie continues that strategy.

#4 – The Return of Jeff Owens and Marcus Washington

- The loss of Jeff Owens was the most significant injury the Bulldogs suffered during the season last year. With Owens out, teams were able to focus on Geno Atkins and the D tackles were unable to put much pressure on the opposing QBs and running backs. The loss of Marcus Washington before the season may have been just as devastating as the loss of Owens. With Washington starting in the middle during the second half of the 2007 run, Georgia’s defense was solid. Washington is a force in the middle who also happens to be a solid tackler, one of the major issues with Georgia’s D last season.

#3 – Rennie Curran

- Washington’s return to the linebacking corps will provide solid support for Rennie in 2009. The Liberian Nightmare had a great season this year and will only get better with a healthy and improved supporting cast around him. This guy is a human wrecking ball and finished second in the SEC in tackles with 109. Curran will be all over the place and with Washington back, he will not have to make every tackle that gets into the linebacking area. Did I mention he is from my home town of Snellville (nod, nod)?

#2 – A Healthy Offensive Line

- This year, we could not keep our line healthy and we were constantly shifting the line up. Despite the well-publicized personnel challenges, the line did a great job giving Stafford time to throw and opening holes for Knowshon. With Trinton Sturdivant back at left tackle, Cordy Glenn and Ben Jones solidified as sophomores, Vince Vance returning, and Clint Boling in his natural position, the big boys up front should be one of team’s strongest assets. Caleb King and Richard Samuel may be pleasantly surprised with the size of the holes that could open up for them to run through, especially given that in each of the backs’ freshman campaigns they were asked to move the ball through gaps that only Knowshon could maneuver through. In addition, Joe Cox will have plenty of time to make his progressions and find open receivers.

#1 – It is not 2008!!!

- 2008 started with so much anticipation and talk of a national championship that a 10 win season was a huge disappointment. 2009 will paint a much different picture as the Dawgs will open the year around #15 in the polls and will not be considered title contenders. This is a similar situation to what happened in 2005, when DJ Shockley led Georgia to an SEC title. 2009 will be a chance to get back to having fun like the Dawgs did in 2007.

GO DAWGS!!!