Old Man T-Shirts

I'm probably not the only one to do this, but I have created a T-shirt in honor of Old Man Football.

If you want one, they can be ordered at:
http://www.customink.com/designs/oldman1/gbh0-000r-e89h/hotlink?pc=HL-76683&cm_mmc=hotlink-_-test_4-_-Body_txt-_-button1

(Please note:  I am not making money off this.  These were made for myself and some friends, but I thought I would share the link.  The shirt does not contain any copyrighted material, so stay off my back NCAA!)

OLD MAN ENOUGH

Photo Courtesy of AJC.com

What a great night for the Dawg Nation!  If this man does not start appearing on Heisman watch lists, it will truly be a travesty.  First, let's take a look at how I did in this week's wishlist:

• Hold Missouri QB James Franklin to less than 50 yards rushing -Check.  When you include loss yardage for sacks and the fumble, Franklin ended with only 14 yards on 20 carries.  Even if you exclude the sacks, he only had 65 yards gained.  The defense did a great job keeping Missouri's playmaker in check.
• Force at least 2 turnovers -Check.  Jarvis Jones did this one all himself.  The turnovers in the fourth quarter put the dagger into Missouri's chances.
• Win the time of possession battle  -Check.  Georgia 32:23 to Missouri's 27:37.  For all the struggles our offense had in the first, the defense kept us in it.  And in the second half, Murray and company got hot and put together some nice extended drives to keep the Tigers off the field.
• Complete a screen pass - Blah.  We tried to run some little screen/swing passes to the running backs, but they failed miserably.  Oh well.
• Register a sack by a DT -Check. - Jenkins and Geathers owned the middle of the Missouri D line.  And Big Jon finally got to Franklin late in the second half.  I just hope they are both okay after leaving the field with injuries.
• One well timed personal foul penalty - Didn't happen and didn't need it.  We had way too many penalties as it was.  Theus had a bad game, but he's just a freshman who was playing on a bum ankle.  He'll only get better from here.
• Georgia 34, Missouri 20 - Very close.  Before Jarvis decided to hunt down Franklin and force the last fumble, I was dead on.

Overall, amazing execution against very tough odds by the Dawgs tonight.  A couple of other notes:

• Marshall Morgan is going to be a very good kicker for the next few years.  Missing an extra point is bad, but I'll take it when he is hitting 52 yard field goals into the wind.  A seem to remember a certain kicker named Robinson who missed his first career extra point...and then never missed one again.
• Murray needs to lay off the caffeine before the game.  He is so amped up in the first half.  And the interception was horrible! (It reminded me of Joe Cox hitting Eric Norwood in the chest back in 2009).  But just like last week, he settled down and owned the second half.  His numbers would have been even better if not for drops by Bennett, Brown, and Wooten.
• Speaking of the wide receivers, we really do have a solid group.  TK with the expolsiveness, Bennett with (mostly) sure hands, and now Marlon Brown is finally living up to his potential.  Add in Wooten, Conley, and maybe Malcolm Mitchell later in the season, and you've got one of the best groups Georgia has had under Richt.
• While the running backs did not have a great night, I really like how they are being utilized right now.  Keeping Gurley fresh until the fourth was a great decision.  Was it just me, or did that long run look eerily similar to the run Crowell had out of the end zone against Ole Miss last year.
• Herrera and Christian Robinson both had really strong games.  I also enjoyed seeing Jordan Jenkins flying around the field.  He's going to be another great linebacker I think.
• Malcolm Mitchell is an uber talent.  He looked great in coverage.  But I can't help but feel his decision to field that punt was trying to fill the void left by not playing on offense.  He just wanted to a make a big play.
• Jarvis Jones.  That is all.

The Wishlist Game 2: Missouri

• Hold Missouri QB James Franklin to less than 50 yards rushing - The Dagws gave up around 80 yards to some scrub from Buffalo, but they are going to need to do a lot better against Franklin.  He is Missouri's leading returning rusher from 2011.
• Force at least 2 turnovers - The Dagws did not force a turnover in week 1.  Momentum will be huge for Georgia in this game and there is no better way to swing it than with a turnover.
• Win the time of possession battle  - As we have done with Georgia Tech in the past, the best way to beat a high powered offense is keep them off the field.
• Complete a screen pass!
• Registere a sack by a DT - Jenkins and Geathers are beasts, but we need them to get to Franklin.
• One well timed personal foul penalty -What?  I want us to get a personal foul?  Yes, I do.  Missouri needs the proper hazing as a pledge to the SEC.  Just don't do it in a crucial moment.
• Georgia 34, Missouri 20 - Yes, I know we could lose.  I am very aware of their offense and that they will be fired up.  But Georgia should dominate the very weak O line of Missouri and make it hard for Franklin to do much.  If the Dawgs can control the line and the clock, they win this game by double digits.

The Wishlist Results: Buffalo

Let's see how I did:

1. 0 turnovers from Aaron Murray - Check.  Murray did not have a turnover, so that is good.
2. 10 carries each for Malcome, Marshall, and Gurley - Wrong.  Marshall was the only one to crack 10 carries.  However, Marshall had a good day and we all saw what Gurley did.  Malcome got hurt, but still had a decent game.
3. No shorts passes that end in long runs given up by the defense - Check but...there were not a bunch of short passes, however the QB runs were really bad.
4. 4 Sacks -Wrong, Georgia only registered 2 sacks.  But Jarvis was double and triple teamed all day.
5. No personal foul penalties (excluding facemasks) -Check
6. 5+ catches from the tight end position -Wrong.  The tight ends were not even targeted, let alone did they catch a pass.
7. At least a full quarter of play for Christian LeMay -Wrong - LeMay got in late, but Georgia's inability to totally blow Buffalo out prevented LeMay from getting significant time.
8. No kickoffs out of bounds -Check.  Morgan can drill it.
9. Brandon Harton and Kyle Karempilis playing in Sanford again - Half right.  Harton got the final carry of the game and Karempilis was out there on special teams, but it definitely wasn't like the NMSU game.
10. Georgia 48, Buffalo 10 -Wrong.  We gave up way too many points.  The missed field goal by Marshall Morgan would have given us 48, so at least I was close.

Just Do It

2012, it's on.

Do for Richt, Dooley, and Butts, the men who have led the team for all those years.

Do it for Verron Haynes and Lindsay Scott.  For the Meat Clever and LeSack, Pollack and Greene, and Charley and Frank, and Herschel, whose names will never be forgotten.

Do it for Stegeman and Sanford, for Ramsey and Baldwin and Dean Tate, who helped build the University we love.

Do it for for Atlanta, August, Savannah, Americus, and Ringold, and ever other proud city of this great state.

Do it for Howard and Zeier, for Loran and Chuck, who cover the Dawgs with passion and grace.

Do it for the Redcoats, for the BSU, for all the houses on Milledge and all those freshmen in Creswell, your fellow students.

Do it for the bloggers, the guys on Twitter, and message board guys who fight the battle against opposing fans on the internet everyday.

Do it for the Georgia Theatre, for Weaver D's, for Gumby's Pizza (it will never be forgotten), the Grill, and all those wonderful places that make Athens great.

Do it for fans, Big Dog Mike Woods, and the greatest Bulldog who ever lived, Dan Magill.

Do it for Russ, or should I say Uga IX, who finally earned his rightful title.

And do for Larry, as we approach the first season without our dear old friend.

The time is now.  No excuses and no remorse.  The schedule is right and the team is experienced.  It's time to bring the glory back home.

JUST DO IT.

The Wishlist: Game 1 - Buffalo

In every game, the only thing that really matters is the final score.  Statistics are merely numbers, but over the course of a season, they typically indicate the success a team has had on the field.  Each game this season I will present The Wishlist, a series of things I would like to see occur.

1. 0 turnovers from Aaron Murray - It is Buffalo and they are without their best defensive player.  Murray needs to focus on limiting his turnovers this fall, but doing it with three new starters will be tough.  He should use the Buffalo game to get a feel for his new line and not take risks because the game should be easily won.
2. 10 carries each for Malcome, Marshall, and Gurley - Why not spread the ball around. 
3. No shorts passes that end in long runs given up by the defense - Missouri lives on quick passes and receivers having the ability to run.  The Dawgs need to step up and defend short passes well.
4. 4 Sacks - With the guys we have on the line plus Jarvis Jones, the Bulls' QBs should be eating grass all day.
5. No personal foul penalties (excluding facemasks) - This is Buffalo.  There is no reason for players to be doing anything stupid.  If this was Vanderbilt, I wouldn't mind a well placed PF.  But not here.
6. 5+ catches from the tight end position - Replacing Orson Charles will be impossible.  It is time to see if Artie Lynch and Jay Rome are up to the job.
7. At least a full quarter of play for Christian LeMay - We have a pretty good idea of what we have in Hutson Mason, but LeMay is still a mystery.
8. No kickoffs out of bounds - With the kickoff moved up to the 35 this year, there is very little reason to not kick it deep almost every time.  Even if touchbacks do come out to the 25.
9. Brandon Harton and Kyle Karempilis playing in Sanford again - It was fun to watch these walk-ons get their chance against NMSU last year.  Hopefully, they can play again this Saturday.\
10. Georgia 48, Buffalo 10 - I would say a shutout, I suspect the backups may give up a long pass at some point.

2012 Season Predictions

I'm back.  My life has been crazy over the last few months and it has not allowed me much time to write.  But as the 2012 season is only a week away, I thought it was time to provide my predictions for the upcoming season.  Here they are in particular order.

• Georgia will beat Georgia Tech for the 11th time in 12 years.  I feel more confident about this game than ever before simply due to the fact that we get a warm up game against the triple option the week before in the form of Georgia Southern.
• Speaking of Georgia Southern, I expect the Eagles to go deep in the FCS playoffs again this fall, maybe even winning the whole dang thing.
• Malcome, Marshall, and Gurley split carries, but Marshall will make the most "wow" plays.
• Marlon Brown will catch 40+ passes in his final season at Georgia.
• Georgia walks out of Missouri with a win despite many picks of doom and gloom.  South Carolina and an improved Auburn team will prove to be the toughest games on Georgia's schedule (I would have said Tennessee as well, but losing Rodgers, as bad of a character guy as he was, really is a huge blow to the Vols.)
• No team in the SEC goes undefeated.  Yes, that includes Alabama.  As a matter of fact, I think no team will go undefeated this year.
• USC (the real USC, not those losers in Columbia) will split their two games with Oregon.  But, they will win the most important one, the PAC-12 Championship game, and earn a spot in the BCS Title game.
• West Virginia may surprise some folks and win the Big XII.
• The Big Ten....what a joke.  The season starts with Michigan getting crushed by Bama and ends with the conference champ losing yet another Rose Bowl.
• Clemson will continue to come back down to Earth.  Florida State or Virginia Tech take back the title of ACC Champion.
• Aaron Murray decreases his interception total but also throws fewer touchdowns.
• Mike Leach takes Washington State back to a bowl game.  The guys who bring the flag every week to Game Day rejoice!
• There will be two upsets in the chick Fil A kickoff.  NC State takes down Tennessee and Auburn defeats Clemson.
• Malcolm Mitchell picks off at least two passes at corner.
• Matt Barkley wins the Heisman. 
• Georgia goes 11-1 and plays in the SEC Championship.