Quarterback Competition - Could Mettenberger steal the show?

Spring practice looms and the competition for quarterback will become the main focus of the Bulldog Nation leading up to G-Day. Logan Gray's decision to stay at quarterback (for now anyway)means there are three guys throwing their hats into the fire this spring. I think it is safe to eliminate in-coming freshman Hutson Mason by virtue of still being in high school Mason does not have the skill set that Matt Stafford had to start as a true freshman and Stafford actually enrolled early. Gray is the most experienced of the bunch, but disappointing play in limited chances in '09 left many to think switching positions was the best route for Logan. Aaron Murray seems to be the chosen one right now and I believe he will ultimately win the job. But the real wild card in this race may be Georgia's other talented QB from the class of 2009, Zach Mettenberger.

Like Murray, Mettenberger was an Elite 11 QB during his senior year at Oconee County High School just outside of Athens. Listed at 6'5'' and 230 pounds, he definitely has the size that you like to see in pocket passer. Many have praised his strong arm, some saying it could be stronger than Stafford's was. But despite his size and arm, Mettenberger was labeled a project, a player that could be something special but just isn't there yet. Now, a year and a half into his career at Georgia, could Mettenberger step up and take charge?

Here are some highlights of Mettenberger from high school and G-Day last year:







Check the 1:39 mark


It should be a fun next couple of weeks on the practice field. May the best man win the job!

GO DAWGS!!!

Monday Thoughts: Things that make me happy

- Team USA. Helluva job. They may have the gold, but we outplayed them. Canada, look out in 2014, because this young US team will now be the experienced vets and you are going to have a big target on your back.

- Georgia beating Florida. Not nearly the same thrill as a football victory over the Gators, but very satisfying none the less.

- Quotes like this (h/t David Hale) by Branden Smith talking about the new defensive scheme:
"I believe that we’re going to get more interceptions this year. Last year, we didn’t get that many picks, and I believe it was the scheme we were in. The scheme we’re in now, it seems like something everybody’s looking forward to – linebackers, D-backs and especially on the D line.” - Branden Smith

- Colt McCoy giving mad props to Aaron Murray. All Murray has to do now is go out and win the job.

- Diamond Dawgs sweep the Hatters. I know it is just Stetson, but good teams take care of business against weaker opponents and the Dawgs took care of business this weekend.

- March - The end of winter, the return of good weather, UGA spring practice, Braves spring training, St. Patrick's Day, and March Madness.

SEC Out of Conference Shceduling 2010: Seven Great Match Ups

The SEC has always done its part to schedule tough out of conference games and 2010 will be another year marked by interesting match ups between schools who do not normally meet in the regular season. Here is a quick look at seven intriguing games to watch out for this fall:

LSU vs. North Carolina - Sept. 4 in Atlanta
Everyone keeps waiting for Butch Davis and the Tar Heels to have that breakout season they have been expecting. A win over LSU to start the season would be a great springboard into the 2010 season.

Penn State at Alabama - Sept.11
Penn State took advantage of sloppy play and conditions to beat LSU in the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day. I don't think they will find their visit to defending national champion Bama quite as pleasant.



Oregon at Tennessee - Sept. 11
Pac 10 Champion Oregon comes across the country to face Derek Dooley's Vols. The Vols did not fare well against the Pac 10 in recent years, dropping two games to a weak UCLA team.

South Florida at Florida -Sept. 11
South Florida has been a consistent contender in the Big East the last few years, but after firing head coach Jim Levitt they will face a lot of questions. Do they have what it takes to put up a strong fight against the reloading Gators?

Clemson at Auburn - Sept. 14
A rematch of the 2007 Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Auburn hosts "Auburn with a Lake" in this early season game. Will Cameron Newton be ready to handle his first big test on the Plains?

Georgia at Colorado - October 2

The Dawgs should win this game, but it may be a challenge. Colorado almost upset the Dawgs at home in 2006 and Georgia has to travel to Mississippi State the week before.

Arkansas vs. Texas A&M - Oct. 9

Offense should not be a problem in this game as two high scoring teams with talented (and tall) quarterbacks square off. The question is, will there actually be any defense played at all?

Ole Miss Mascot - From Old Southern Gentleman to Star Wars Alien?

Ole Miss's new mascot? You've got to be kidding!

I'll admit it, I am huge Star Wars fan. Call me a geek, but George Lucas's space opera is one my favorite movie series of all time. Star Wars has carved its own little space in the college football world because of the film's music (created by John Williams). And while Auburn playing the imperial death march is fine and dandy, never would I figure a Star Wars character could appear on the sidelines of a major college football program. That may all change in the near future.

The AJC is reporting that the Ole Miss student body is currently pushing for Star Wars character Admiral Ackbar to be their new mascot. Ole Miss is currently searching for a replacement for Colonel Reb, whom the school retired a few years ago after some felt the mascot was not politically correct. The students are voting for the new mascot online. How does Admiral Ackbar connect to Ole Miss? Because in The Return of the Jedi, Admiral Ackbar was the commander on the Rebel Alliance. Ole Miss Rebels...Rebel Alliance...makes sense, right? Yeah, not so much.

Seriously Ole Miss, if you let this happen you will become the laughing stock of the SEC. Can't you just get an old dog (Georgia, MSU, Tennessee), cat (LSU), or other annoying animal (see Auburn's Eagle, Florida's Gators, or Cocky)? Seriously, Vanderbilt would never consider replacing the Commodore with a walking Commodore 64!

This is the SEC. In the words of Admiral Ackbar himself, switching your mascot to a Star Wars character is a trap!

Lets leave the Sci-Fi and fantasy stuff to the Nerds.

USA! USA! USA!

I'm not a big hockey fan, but I found myself captivated last night watching the USA defeat the mighty Canadian team at the Olympics. Yes, Team USA is made up of some good NHL players and they have an exceptional goalie, but the Canadian team roster reads like an All-Star team. Clearly, Canada was more talented, as they remained on the attack throughout much of the second and third periods. But the scrappy American team continued to fight, and this empty net goal, a pure hustle effort, signified why the Americans won the game:


These Olympics are turning out pretty amazing for the American hockey team. Maybe the Georgia Bulldogs should take some notes about playing with heart and use it on the field this fall.

U-S-A!

Thoughts of the Week - Feb. 19

With the current dead period before spring practice and work keeping me busy, posting on the blog will continue to be light for the next few weeks. Here are my quick thoughts for this week:

1. If the NCAA comes down hard on USC for transgressions during the Pete Carroll era, what will happen to the program if it gets in trouble under Kiffin (which it eventually will)?

2. The Winter Olympics...still not as cool as the Summer Games. And Canada, no one expected you to live up to China's opening ceremonies, but come on. That was PATHETIC.

3. Dawgs drop another one on the road after leading at half. If this team had any depth, we would be sitting near .500 in SEC. Instead, we are 3-8. Fox's team will turn that around next year.

4. Georgia baseball season kicks off this weekend. Georgia is ranked #22 and has one of the toughest schedules in the country. It is an even year, but I don't see this Georgia team having the success that the '08 team had.

5. The quarterback battle is coming into focus. Logan Gray is staying at QB, which I think is a mistake. I would be very surprised if Aaron Murray did not win the job, but if Mettenberger really has improved as much as they say, there may be a real dog fight (no pun intended).

6. 9-3. That is my prediction for the worst record they Georgia will have next fall. Easy schedule combined with 10 of 11 starters back on offense and a new defensive scheme = New Year's Day Bowl. Count on it.

What’s on My Mind – The NCAA is Dumb, Winter Sucks, and Other Thoughts

1. The NCAA is talking about some stupid rule changes for football.
a. The NCAA wants to band players writing messages on eye-black. As much as I dislike Tebow, I had no problem with him putting bible verses on his eye black. This seems very stupid to me.
b. The excessive celebration penalty would cause a touchdown to be taken off of the board. This is ridiculous. The 15 yard penalty was already a judgment call that could have potential major impact on a game (see the Georgia-LSU game last year). Now you want to make a judgment call take points off the board. NCAA, please see this is a dumb idea.
2. The Winter Olympics are starting…and no one really cares. In my opinion, the Olympics rank third on the most important sporting events of the weekend behind the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star game. No matter how much figure skating NBC puts on over the next few weeks, I still don’t care.
3. What a letdown for the Georgia basketball team against Auburn the other night. How can a team that has victories over 4 ranked opponents and took #2 Kentucky to the brink lose by 21 to Auburn? Mark Fox has made major strides with the program, but we still have a lot of work to do.
4. Tom Glavine officially retired and joined the Braves front office. I am glad to see Tommy put his anger from last year aside and come back to the Braves. Now, it’s the Atlanta fans’ turn to get off his back. It was an amazing career for Glavine, including 300 wins seen in the video below:



5. Football season is over. Congratulations to the Saints, but when the Falcons’ biggest rival wins the Super Bowl, I kind of get the same feeling as Florida winning the National Championship.

6. 4 weeks til spring practice. Let the talk about Grantham’s D, the quarterback competition, and whether Richt is on the hot seat (which he is NOT) commence.

Hershcel Walker - 1992 Winter Olympian

While there have been many Olympians who spent years at the University of Georgia, none are as famous as the greatest football player in Georgia history, Herschel Walker. Herschel was amazing both on the football field and on the track during his years in Athens, but in 1992, Herschel would head to the Winter Olympics to compete in another sport: Bobsled.

The United States Olympic Committee granted Herschel a late tryout following the completion of the 1991 NFL season. Herschel's team at the time, the Minnesota Vikings, missed the playoffs and Walker immediately went to try out for the US team. He made quite an impression on US Coach Jim Hickey, who was quoted as saying, "It takes a great athlete to be a pusher, combining speed and strength." But it was not just his physical abilities that allowed Herschel to make the team, it was also his effort and attitude. Hickey said, "He brought a desire to win. It was something he conveyed in meetings. The guys were very attentive to what he had to say."

Herschel was named the brakeman for the #1 sleds for both the 2 and 4 man bobsled teams. CBS ran this story leading up to the games. Just two days prior to the competition, Herschel was taken off the 4 man team at the request of driver Randy Will. Herschel had replaced Will's friend, Chris Coleman, on the team and despite being the better athlete, Coleman ultimately took Walker's spot. (More on this story can be found here.)

Despite the drama that surrounded Walker being replaced, he (along with partner Brian Shimer) finished seventh overall at the Albertville games. The four man team which he was removed from finished 9th.

As we have seen in recent days, Herschel continues to excel a many sports outside of the football field. When the Olympic Opening Ceremonies take place later this week, don't forget that one of Georgia's favorite sons made his mark there 18 years ago.

GO DAWGS!!!

Where are they now? Blake Barnes is Playing Football ...in France?

Originally saw this mentioned over at Dawgsonline and I had to repost it here. Blake Barnes is now playing football in France (I didn't even know they played football in France.) While some of the players do get paid, they actually have to pay to join the team at first. Sounds kind of like my men's baseball league, except for the whole being in France thing.

The 2008 Sugar Bowl was Barnes' (15) last game at Georgia before transferring.

Check out the CBS story here.

Hoops: The Other Star of the Georgia Basketball Team

Under Mark Fox, the Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball team has shown a great amount of progress the team has made under the first year coach. Despite the record, the team is much better than in year's past and is getting some attention from the media. Most of the attention is on Georgia's two stars, versatile big man Trey Thompkins and the high flying Travis Leslie. While watching Georgia upset #18 Vanderbilt on Saturday night, I noticed another player who really seemed to make an impact on the floor: senior guard Ricky McPhee.

McPhee hails from Lilburn, Georgia where graduated from Parlview High School in 2005. Despite being 12th all time in Gwinnett County in scoring, the county all-time leader in 3 pointers, and finishing second in state in scoring his senior year, McPhee did not have a local basketball scholarship offer. This was mostly likely due to three other Gwinnett County players who graduated at the same time as McPhee who all accepted scholarships to Georgia: Dacula's Billy Humphrey and South Gwinnett's Louis Williams and Mike Mercer. In a twist of fate, McPhee is the only one of those three players that will end his college career at Georgia.

McPhee committed to play a Gardner-Webb, where he made an impact during first collegiate game. Ricky scored 21 points against national powerhouse North Carolina. He would play the next years at Gardner-Webb, averaging 8.9 points a game. He even scored 12 points against Georgia in a near upset of the Bulldogs (the final was Georgia 97, GW 96). McPhee then transferred to Georgia as a walk-on, where had to sit out the 2007-2008 season.

Once eligible to play, Ricky did not see the floor much during the first half of the 2008-2009 season. But once January came around, he gradually began to see his role increase. McPhee hit the game winning three pointer in a Georgia victory over Vanderbilt. A few weeks later, he scored a season high 15 points in a loss to Mississippi State. For the year, he averaged 11 minutes per game and hit 36% of his shots from 3 point range.

Under Mark Fox, McPhee has become a starter and one of the constants of the floor for the Dawgs. He has started all 21 games at guard and is averaging over 31 minutes per game. He is third on the team averaging 10.3 points per game, third in assists with 41, and leads the team in steals with 31. McPhee is one of the top deep threats in the SEC, hitting on nearly 41% from downtown (44 of 108). McPhee played a key role in Georgia's upset victory over #8 Tennessee, scoring 11 points. He also had a big game in Georgia's loss at Florida where he scored a season high 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting (5 for 8 from 3).

Ricky McPhee has been one of the true surprises on this year's Georgia team. It is a shame that he only got to spend two years on the court in Athens. "McThree" has certainly lived up to his nickname this season.

GO DAWGS!!!