Get It Done

Two months ago, we sat in Sanford Stadium as the clock reached :00 and watched the Dawgs fall to 0-2 on the season. After the deflating loss in the Dome to Boise State, the Dawgs had looked determine to turn things around, but too many mistakes led to another home loss. The media and fans were all over Coach Richt, and even I began to think this may be Coach Richt's final season in Athens. But then a funny thing happened - we woke up.

Call it easy schedule, call it luck, call it whatever you want. But the fact of the matter is that Georgia's magic number (to borrow a term from baseball) to clinch the SEC East is 2. The combination of Georgia victories tomorrow and next week or a victory in one of those games coupled with a South Carolina loss to Florida means the Dawgs head back to Atlanta for the SEC Championship for the first time since 2005. You may say you knew this would happen, but I wouldn't believe you.

The game on Saturday presents a interesting matchup for a Georgia team that has really found its groove the last few weeks. Since allowing 35 and 45 points in the first two games, Georgia has allowed more than 20 points only once. The defenses is in the top 10 in the country and has been especially strong against the run. Auburn will rely heavily on HB Michael Dyer and if Georgia shuts Dyer down, I can see a double digit win for the Dawgs. This game really comes down to a good Auburn offense against a strong Georgia defense. The winner of that battle wins the game.

While some people still think Aaron Murray is struggling, the sophomore quarterback is putting together what could be a record setting season. He leads the SEC in passing efficiency and has found a way to make some big plays despite not having his best stuff(see the Florida game). Having Crowell suspended last week may be a blessing in disguise. Hopefully the two bye weeks he had this month allowed that wrist to heal and hopeful he is ready to carry the ball more than 20 times.

Do I think this game will be one sided, as the 13.5 point spread suggests? Hell no. Have you watched the Georgia - Auburn games over the last 10 years? But, do I think this is a game where one team has a talent and experience advantage over the other? Yes. Auburn won a national championship last fall, but almost everyone of the critical pieces from that team moved on. This is a different Auburn team, one that almost lost to Utah State to open the season. Much like Georgia, their losses are all to highly ranked teams. But unlike Georgia, they now start a freshman quarterback who is starting for only the third time in his career.

Georgia should lead most of the game, but the Tigers will keep it close. The fourth quarter may see Georgia build a lead to around ten and then proceed to run clock like they did against Mississippi State.

Georgia 34, Auburn 24

Never Forget

Fairley and Scam may be gone and Auburn is just a middle of the road school, but never forget the cheap shots and lack of class they showed last fall. Auburn deserves no respect from me, at least this year. I watched the Iron Bowl documentary from ESPN last night, and I wanted to punch Fairley and Scam in the face. Auburn will keep their National Championship, but they didn't do it the right way. I am no Alabama fan, but watching them win the 2009 Championship was much more fun to watch than Auburn last year.

After this season, it may go back to a friendly rivalry with the boys from the Plains. But for this year, it's pay back time.

GO DAWGS!!!

DSOR: Flashback,1986 'Between the Hoses'

We all know the big implications of the looming game versus Auburn: Take care of business, and it'll be the first time since 1981 that we will have beaten UT, UF and AU all in one season (plus one more step toward an SEC Championship berth, our first since the Shockley-led Championship team of 2005). And that's not even mentioning the opportunity to get back to a 1-game difference in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

In an attempt to ignore some of the revenge-buzz that will likely percolate after last year's blatant lack of sportsmanship, here's a quick flashback to an earlier Bulldawg generation's controversy, the 1986 "Between the Hoses" game at Jordan-Hare.

The Red & Black front page on November 18,1986.

(H/t: R&B and the University of Georgia Library)

As the R&B article notes, Auburn itself, in an official statement, acknowledged turning the "spray into the stands on the north end of the field," with 400 UGA fans on the field and more trying to partake in the celebration.

The article notes 2 Redcoat Band members were injured by a thrown beer bottle and interviews a flag corps member who received stitches and a drill team member also cut by flying glass; it does not have further details on the extent of any other injuries suffered during the melee. 38 people were ultimately arrested.

The scary footnote to the article, though, happens to be that UGA at that time also had a similar policy for crowd control (quoting then-AA administrative assistant Greg McGarity). I can't imagine a modern Athletic Association ever executing such a policy again, even if it was still on the books, with the swift and immediate repercussions the school would deal with. Can you imagine ESPN's coverage in the 21st century over something like that?

The game itself carried such a strong reaction with the unranked 6-3 Bulldogs facing the No.8-ranked Tigers, 8-1 on the season, on the Plains. With starting QB James Jackson out with an ankle injury while also dealing with his grandmother’s death, backup Wayne Johnson got his first start of the season and led the Dogs to a major upset, 20-16.

Wayne Johnson came into the game 1 for 4 on the season with an INT, yet was able to manage the Dawgs down the field in the 2nd quarter to tie it up, with a TD pass to Troy Sadowski on a quick play action rollout. Johnson ultimately had little to show for it in the box score, going 6-7 with only 59 yards passing; the UGA running game saved the day, running all over the top-ranked defense in the SEC for 236 yards. The Dawg defense had a decent day, with LBs Steve Boswell and John Brantley sharing the AP's Southeastern Defensive Player of the Week award.

A late 4th quarter INT by Boswell ultimately iced the game for the Dawgs, 20-16, and then the chaos ensued.

---------------

The 1986 game, with a mediocre UGA team winning over the then-#8 War Eagles, is pretty symptomatic of the Rivalry's swings; the team in a relative down year can and has knocked the stronger team off its pedestal (for a more modern example, look to the 2006 game and Tra Battle's 3 INTs on the rain-soaked Plains against the No. 5 Tigers).

Sporadic highlights from the 1986 game (sadly no 'hoses' footage).

A Welcome Homecoming

The Dawgs return to Athens for their first home game since beating Mississippi State back on October 1. And after the hard fought victory over the Gators in Jacksonville last week, getting a cupcake game could not come at a better time. I am not going to take much time talk about tomorrow's opponent, the New Mexico State Aggies. I did a profile of them earlier this year that you can check out here. They are a bad team from a bad conference who the Dawgs should beat handily. They do have a decent passing offense and are one of the better teams in the country at kickoff returns (which does scare me a little bit). But other than that, there is not much to talk about.

As for Georgia, the feel good vibes from the Florida victory were quickly dashed this week with the suspension of Isaiah Crowell, Carlton Thomas, and Ken Malcome. The controversy surrounding these suspensions is BS and it seems like everyone is trying to take shots at Mark Richt. But the truth of the matter is the tests took place on Thursday, they got the results on Monday, and the players were automatically suspended per AA policy on Tuesday. I really have to laugh at the Florida and Auburn fans who are complaining, since if this had happened at their schools these guys would be playing this week. In the end, it is just an extra week of rest for these backs who we will need down the stretch with Richard Samuel out with ankle surgery (yes, even Ken Malcome).

This Saturday should be a good chance for the Dawgs to rest some guys and get some backups into the game. Despite his insane 4 sack effort last week, Jarvis Jones has an MCL sprain and I would love to see him get some rest. Maybe we get to see more Ray drew? I'd also like to see Mark Richt give Mason some snaps, just in case Auburn decides to carry on the traditions of Nick Fairley and take cheap shots next week.

Despite the suspensions, I feel like the team is in a really good place right now. A win tomorrow (which would be 7 in a row) coupled with an Arkansas victory over South Carolina could mean next week's game with Auburn will pretty much decide the SEC East (there's no way we lose to Kentucky with the East on the line). From a team that started 0-2 and was getting killed in the media to a potential SEC Championship birth, I am proud of this year's squad.

Prediction:
Georgia 48, NMSU 10

GO DAWGS!!!

So, what will the play book look like on Saturday?

Since we have exactly zero scholarship running backs healthy or eligible for Saturday, I predict a heavy dose of passing. I'm thinking the play book will look something like this:


Good luck boys!

Glory, Glory...HALLELUJAH!!!!

My first trip to Jacksonville since the victory in 2004 proved to be victorious this time around. I guess that means I am going to have to make the trip every year. I don't care how ugly the victory was, it was still a victory. And in this series, that is all that matters.

I will only spend a little breath on the bads, because we all know them. Special teams...WTF. Blair needs to see a shrink or something. The kick coverage was horrible too, even though I noticed a few more starters like Ogletree and Samuel out there. Murray made some great passes, but missed a couple of easy wide open throws. No where near as bad as last year, but still. Everything else wasn't perfect, but we won, so they are forgiveable. Now, onto the bright spots.

• People can give Todd Grantham crap all he wants about being a hothead, but he is one hell of a defensive football coach. He has turned this team into one of the best in the country in just two years. After the first play of the game that went for 72 yards, Florida had a grand total of around 160 yards. That is phenomenal against ANY team. The blitz worked well and we did exactly what you are supposed to do to a quarterback with a gimpy leg, make him feel uncomfortable.
• Jarvis Jones has been in beast mode all season, but it really showed. Man, I wish he would have came to Georgia straight out of high school. Grantham gets a lot of the credit for the defensive improvement, but I think Jones deserves a little bit as well. He is the play maker we needed to make the rest of the scheme work.
  
• Ogletree. Bad ass. All I need to say.
• Crowell had another solid game but the injuries keep biting him. I was proud to see him come back on the final drive and pick up a huge first down. People seem to be a little down on him right now, but come next season, injuries and conditioning will not be a problem.
• Coach Richt and Mike Bob deserve a lot of credit as well. The offensive game plan was pretty damn good. If Murray had not been all over the place with a few passes (and Walsh could actually make 30 yard field goals) this game could have been very one-sided. The play calling was very good.
• Hello Christian Conley! A couple of huge catches and one key PI call. It makes me giddy to think about the wide receiver position next season. King, Mitchell, Brown, Bennett, Wooten, Conley, and 6'7'' Lonnie Outlaw. That's a lot of size an experience for Murray to throw to.
• My final nod of the week goes to the much maligned Richard Samuel. He may still fall over way to easy when hit from the side and may never live up to the 5 star recruit he was out of high school, but Saturday this kid wanted that game and it was his determination that keyed the strong second half from the Dawgs. He ran hard and put his head down on every carry and showed the kind of emotion that has been missing in the Georgia backfield the last few years. When he crossed the goal line to give Georgia the lead, his excitement made me finally believe we were going to win the game. 17 carries for 58 yards may not be an impressive line, but this kid had one hell of a football game. It has been a long time, but in honor of Samuel's first touchdown since September 19, 2009, I present to you the return of the RICHARD SAMUEL TOUCHDOWN PYGMY GOAT (for more info, read this)

This was just a great weekend. A gritty, gutsy effort for the Dawgs. This is the type of game that Georgia loses in this series, but we somehow found a way to win. The celebration was great and my favorite quote came from Georgia receiver Michael Bennett:

"I've never seen so many drunk people in my life. I jumped in crowd and all I could smell was whiskey."

And in victory, what a glorious smell that is!

GO DAWGS!!!

Final Thoughts and Prediction

Unfortunately, a busy work schedule that had me on the road a few days this week has prevented me from doing further analysis on this week's game. I will be leaving for Jacksonville in the morning, but here are my final thoughts:

• Throw the series history to the wind. If there was ever a chance for Georgia to right the ship, now is the time. Florida has a new coach and is not the juggernaut they were during the Tebow years. Georgia needs to win to get some momentum going.
  
• Brantley will help the Gators, but not that much. On a gimpy ankle, Brantley will be immobile. If Florida wins on Saturday, I do not think it will be because of Brantley. Rainey and Demps will need big days.
• Missing Geathers and Williams will hurt in the first half, but will be great in the second. If the Dawgs keep it close in the first, I think they can wear Florida down like LSU did.
• Crowell needs a big day. If Aaron Murray has to try and win the game, I am afraid we will lose. For their struggles, the Gators defense still allows less points per game than Georgia's does.
• The most important match up is the Georgia line against the Florida front 7. If they can keep Murray upright and create holes, the Georgia offense should move.
  

I never feel good about the Florida game and this year is no exception. Of course they get Brantley back and we get guys suspended. That's how it always happens. But this year, I can honestly say we have more consistent play makers than they do. The Georgia defense has been opportunistic this season and I expect that to continue on Saturday. This game will be close, but I can see the Dawgs getting a key second half turn over that turns the tide.

Georgia 30, Florida 20

Dear god, I hope I am right on this one!

GO DAWGS!!!

WLOCP 2011: V: For Victory

Good evening, Dawg Nation. Allow me first to apoligize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine, the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of this rivalry, whereby those important events of the past, usually associated with the end of some awful bloody struggle, are celebrated with a nice holiday (for most of us), I thought we could mark this Cocktail Party, a day that is no longer fondly remembered by Georgia fans, by taking some time out of our daily lives and have a little chat.

There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, there are those in places like Gainesville who wish that the Bulldog Nation remains dormant. Why? Because while their record over the last few years may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to a meaning, and for those who will, the enunciation of the truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this rivalry, isn’t there? For years, Georgia was the dominant team, but only the recent failures are pronounced. Media, fans, and even the players, have come to view this as a one sided affair where only one side has a chance at victory.

How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they have been recognized, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look in the mirror.

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? 3-18. The timeout. Hanging 50. Terrance Edwards drop. Tebow. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the media, such as the AJC and ESPN. They promised unbiased coverage and demanded you respect their opinions. Today, I ask you to forget the recent past and remember why this game is considered a rivalry. 31 years ago, Lindsay Scott wished to embed the memories of late October in Jacksonville forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that heart, determination, and spirit are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you’ve seen nothing, if the pain of the long drive home from Jacksonville each fall is too much, then I would suggest to you that you allow this October 29 to pass unmarked.

But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me this Saturday, in the stands of Jacksonville Stadium, and together we shall give them all a Georgia victory that shall never be forgot!

V is VICTORY!

Hate Week 2011: 10 Reasons I hate Florida

(Please note: This post is meant to be humorous. It is not meant to be 100% serious. Just enjoy it.)

#10 - The color orange

All of Georgia's major rivals (except Tech) wear orange. Auburn, Tennessee, and even traditional rival Clemson. The fact that Florida wears it just makes them look that much dumber.

#9 - Lack of Punishment

At Georgia, there is a mandatory suspension for players who get caught using drugs,get a DUI, or run afoul of the law. At Florida, they get an internal reprimand and still get to play in the next game. Under Meyer, the worst example was Chris Rainey (who just happens to still be with the Gators), playing against Georgia last year just a week after testing "Time to die, bitch" to his girlfriend. This fall, Marcus Roberson gets arrested for underage possession and what does he get? A written arrest and a court date that happens to be a week after the Georgia game. Well, isn't that convenient? And don't get me started on Carlos Dunlap, Brandon Spikes, etc.

#8 - Non-Floridian Florida Fans

While I think Florida fans are annoying as hell, I am a little biased because I am a Georgia grad. I hate Florida fans in the sense of hating rivals, but not for their love of their team. What I do hate are the people who claim to be Florida fans but have absolutely no ties to the University of Florida. These are typically people from the North who are NFL fans and don't have a decent team to root for. They cheer for Florida because of the media coverage that ESPN gives them and because their grandparents live in Sarasota. They claim to love the Gators, but know absolutely nothing about their history in the SEC prior to the 90's.

#7 - Their Pathetic Scheduling

Every year it is the same, a bunch of pansies in September to boost their stats and give them easy wins out of conference. I know McGarity is trying to institute some of this at Georgia, but we still played Boise this year, have a two game series with Clemson scheduled, and will play Ohio State at the beginning of the next decade. As opposed to Florida, who rarely plays away from home the first month of the season and plays the likes of Miami of Ohio, Troy, and Florida International. And don't forget all the years of scheduling off weeks before Georgia.

#6 - Tight Ends who are Quarterbacks who are Running Backs

This just annoys me. It always seems like Florida has one player that seems to play about 5 different positions and for some reason they always have career games against Georgia. Percy Harvin and Trey Burton, just to name a few.

#5 - Steve Spurrier

Even at South Carolina, the Head Ball Coach is causing issues for the Dawgs. He is the man who started this Florida domination in the series. I will hate the man til I die. At least we ruined his perfect season back in '66.

#4 - Their Best Game is Always the Cocktail Party

Whether Florida is contending for a National Championship or playing like crap, they seem to play awesome in Jacksonville. How else do you explain the Dawgs losing to a bad Florida team in 2002 when Georgia was undefeated? They will look like crap against Kentucky, but look like a juggernaut in Jacksonville. I can't explain it.

#3 - Florida brings out the worst luck for Georgia

Terrance Edwards drops a wide open pass that would have been a touchdown. Billy Bennett forgets how to kick. DJ Shockley hurts his knee against Arkansas. Penn Wagers is always assigned as ref. Shawn Williams and Kwame Geathers get suspended. Every year, something happens that helps Florida get an advantage.

#2 - They keep winning

We all know how Georgia Tech feels about us because it is the same way we feel about Florida. Until we can string together a series of consistent wins, that feeling of gloom will never change.

#1 - THEY ARE FLORIDA

They are the state below us. They have a football tradition that stretches way back to 1990. Lindsay Scott ran right past them. Herschel never lost to them. We beat them 75-0 in 1946. We danced in the end zone. Leonard Pope just kept getting open. Vince ran down the field and Munson broke his chair. They are the Florida Gators, they no good sons of bitches. I hate them with every ounce of my soul. From the spiked hair backstreet frat boys to their slutty sorostitutes. They north Florida white trash who have invaded my city. Gainesville is the a-hole of the south, a city built near a swamp that claims it is a great academic institution. Sorry, you are not Vanderbilt.

I HATE FLORIDA.


GO DAWGS!!!

It's Hate Week: Let's Get it On!

GATORS! GATORS! HOW'D YA LIKE TO BITE MY ASS!!!

Just thought I'd get that out of the way. It's Florida week 2011 and while a spot in the National Championship is not up for grabs, a spot in the SEC Championship could be at stake. We could talk about history and heroics, but none of that matters on Saturday. I hate Florida, plain and simple. A little part of me dies every year when we head back from Jacksonville with our teeth kicked in.

It sucks that a Georgia team who has won five straight games will most likely be picked against this Saturday in favor of a Florida team with three straight losses and sporting a gimpy quarterback. But that is the reality of the situation. I will have more break down of the match ups this week. For now, I leave you with this:

GO DAWGS!!!