80's Music Video of the Week, 2 for 1: Ozzy & Mike + The Mechanics

Short on time this week, but we do have two wonderful selections for you since there's been an absence of videos stemming from our trip to Colorado.

Your get two treats today come from a metal god and pop/soft rock all-stars of the 1980's:

Ozzy Osbourne's 1983 hit, "Bark At The Moon," (fitting for this weekend's coronation).

Mike + The Mechanics 1986 gem, "All I Need Is A Miracle," (fitting, given our performance this year).

BNE 3rd Annual Pick 'Em: Week 6

Well, its the half-way point of the 2010 season. Six games down, and only 7 more to go to find out who will be making the trek to Atlanta in December. Week 6 proved to be a deciding factor in the race to the top, with only Auburn and LSU escaping unscathed and undefeated. Both Tigers now represent the SEC's best shot of having a contender in the BCS Title provided one remains undefeated. If Auburn wins this week, and assuming LSU can overcome FCS McNeese State, Jordan-Hare Stadium will turn into "Thunderdome" on October 23rd. "Two men enter, one man leave." Then again, if no one remains undefeated after Atlanta, there is a high likelihood of the SEC missing out at a shot for another BCS title.

Can he lead the Tigers and the SEC to the promised land?

Outside of an undefeated Tiger team running the tables (i.e. 2004 Auburn), who will we see emerge from the SEC East? Going into the season, Florida looked like a re-loaded title contender, with a SUC team not far behind followed by a fresh crop of talent at UGA. Six games in and Florida looks to be facing an identity crisis and out of the hunt, UGA is facing a probable break-even record at best, and SUC has risen to the top after stunning #1 Bama. But who knows what can happen? Can SUC hold on and make it to the Dome, or will UGA's win and offensive spark start a fire and send UGA to the top? Maybe the presence of new Uga VIII, Big Bad Bruce, will help lay to rest the ghost of uncertainty in Athens.

11 month old, 55lb, Big Bad Bruce will be collared as Uga VIII this weekend

In the rest of the college football world, I have to say that Air Force is one of the most underrated teams. Each Saturday, this team manages to win games using only the spread option and a speedy yet small defense. The Falcon nearly upset OU, are 5-1 and dominating everyone in front of them with the #1 rushing attack in the country. If that doesn't impress you, don't forget that each of these players will continue on into military service after graduating. Look for Air Force to keep rolling and pose a serious threat for upset champion in the Mountain West.

Asher Clark is carrying the Falcons to wins

In the Big 12, the race is down to OU and Nebraska in my mind. I'll give the Huskers the edge for the same reason I like the Falcons: fast offensive football and a tough D. Nebraska owns the second best rushing attach in FBS and their defense is ranked 4th in points allowed. After seeing Oklahoma squeak by lesser opponents, I can see the Sooners being stopped cold by the Husker's D. Count on Tom Osbourne and Nebraska for the rest of the season.

True freshman Taylor Martinez: 660 yds passing, 737 yds rushing. Boo-yah!

When the rest of the Midwest isn't watching the Big 12 dissolve, they're watching the Big 10-11-12. Michigan looked like it was going to run away on the back of Denard Robinson before being stopped by rival Michigan State. Now its Sparty and Brutus rolling towards an undefeated season and a shot at the National Title. But let's be honest, both of these teams will fall before the end of the year, and I leave it to you to call the upset.

Its inevitable

Outside of the Big conferences, we find FSU running wild in a weak and mediocre ACC. Yeah, nothing much else to say there. Even more depressing is the Big East. In the Big East we have...the Big East is being dominated by...Seriously? Syracuse?! Um, right. Moving right along...

The Pac 10. Oh the Pac 10! Sarkisian and the purple Kool-aid drunk Huskie nation. Lame Kiffin and his Lame-duck Trojans and their beaten and bruised defense are still a young team finding their way. Stanford and Arizona had promise only to slip up to the top two teams of the West: Oregon State and Oregon. Since OSU is 3-2, we know who is the real top of the heap. Say it with me now, "I believe in Chip Kelly, I love Nike Pro Combat, I envy uniform variations to the Nth degree, my favorite colors is forest green, and I love fast attack football". The Ducks are the team to beat. Chip Kelly has the Ducks running on the 4th best rushing attack, scoring more points per game than any other team, while allowing an average of 16 points per game. By the end of the season, the Ducks and their uniforms of metal, winged, logo covered, neon yellow, green, black...oh forget it! Look for the Quack Attack in Glendale and don't pick against them.

Come on, embrace the Duck...and his friend.

I have to say, I'm very proud of our readers for how well everyone has done thus far in the pick 'em. An average of 972 points and more than half of the group has a winning record. This is by far the best year of picks. Let's keep it up!

And now for our top 5 leaders for the week followed by our overall leaders:

1. Bubba with 176 points and a 15-7 record
2. ugafan13 just two points behind at 174 points at 13-9
3. Silver Britches with 172 points and 15-7
4. Earl's Girl with 171 points and also 15-7
5. WarriorDawg with 169 points and a 14-8 record

Our overall leaders:

1. woof woof with 1386 points and a 101-37 record
2.  AUMav's Picks with 1341 points and a 101-37 record
3.  Silver Britches with 1336 points going 102-36
4.  BLACKOUT with 1300 points going 100-38 
5. allyugadawg with 1325 points and a 100-38 record

I'd also like to give an honorable mention to BNE's Streit, who has managed to compile a league-best 103-35 record so far this season, placing him 2nd overall from the BNE staff, and the top 15 of all pickers.

Moving from our warm and fuzzy honorable mention, we come to our weekly dishonorable mention, The Bottom Feeder of the Week,  which is sponsored by Capitol Nashville's new album, Charleston, SC 1966 by Darius Rucker. Moving into the bottom position this week is G.D.. You managed only 129 points on an 11-11 record. I know 'We All Fall Down' and I know you thought you 'Might Get Lucky' by picking Washington over Arizona, but you need to stop drinking the purple Kool-aid 'In a Big Way'. Secondly, 'The Craziest Thing' and 'Things I'd Never Do' is continue picking BYU, especially 'This' week. Its not too late, you can turn things around. Give a listen to Darius's new album Charleston, SC 1966 and listen to the lyrics and the soulful voice describe his soul searching as he matures and moves into his prime. Give it a shot and this week might just be your 'Come Back Song'.

This album is great to listen to on the way to games

Keep it going folks. Don't forget to get your picks in and I'll be back next week after we make the turn.

A Sort of Homecoming: A Brief Vanderbilt Preview

Normally, the Dawgs enter the month of October in the middle of the SEC race with annual showdown in Jacksonville just a few weeks a way. While all the pagentry associated with Homecoming is taking place, the Dawgs often struggle to put their overmatched opponent (usually Vanderbilt or a bad out of conference school) away. But something is different this year.

With a 2-4 record, any hopes of a Georgia bowl game this year pretty much hang on every contest. While Georgia typically handles Vanderbilt year in and year out, we can't forget 2006 when a struggling Georgia team lost to Vandy on homecoming.

After the drubbing of Tennessee last week, I feel somewhat safe to say that the team will once again handle Vanderbilt without issue this week. Aaron Murray has played great thus far, but has yet notched his first 300 yard passing game. With Caleb King suspended, the Georgia passing game will carry more of the load this weekend. The defense should continue to play well against the run, but that doesn't mean the big pass plays will end.

My prediction: Georgia 38, Vanderbilt 17

Struggle Bowl 2010: Thoughts on Tennessee

Coming into the game on Saturday, Tennessee and Georgia looked to be two teams with bad records who had major issues with their teams. After the Dawgs 41-14 victory, it is clear as bad as the Georgie Bulldogs may be this season, they have no where near the issues that Tennessee has right now. Tennessee is a bad football team, plain and simple, but let's not discount the performance that the Georgia Bulldogs put up on Saturday.

A common complaint of Georgia football over the last few years has been that despite its overall success in the won-loss department, the Dawgs rarely beat bad teams as badly as they should. Games against school like UAB, Marshall, and Georgia Southern immediately come to mind when I think about Georgia underachieving against an inferior opponent. And while Georgia was playing Tennessee, a conference rival who destroyed the Dawgs in Knoxville last year, they did exactly what you are supposed to do to a bad team: get out to an early lead and never look back.

I've already written a lot this season about Aaron Murray. The kid is an amazing talent and he definitely seems to have "it". The 35 yard touchdown run was great for two reasons:
1. All of receivers were covered. Instead of trying to squeeze a pass into coverage, he made the logical choice to tuck the ball and run
2. It really showed his athleticism. He blew right past a couple of defenders and found his was into the end zone. Stafford could run a little bit, but he had no where near the quickness that Murray has.
I can honestly say, Murray really only made one bad throw all day (when he missed an open Orson Charles over the middle of the field). the pass that was almost picked off was tipped by AJ and Tavarres King dropped an easy touchdown in the end zone. If there wasn't a kid named Lattimore over at South Carolina, we would be talking about the leader for SEC freshman of the year.

We all have criticized Bobo's playcalling in recent weeks, but this was an excellently called game. Recievers over the middle, 3 and 4 wide sets, and running the ball outside of the tackles. Because of the Tennessee turnovers, Georgia had a short field for much of the first half, or the offensive numbers may have been a lot higher than they ended up.

Grantham's defense also showed that they can definitely stop teams from running it down our throats. Even if you took out the -20 yards on the bad snap, the Vols would only have around 30 yards rushing. The thing I like most was the tackling. We did not see the plague of missed tackles we had seen in recent weeks.

While there were a lot of positives, Georgia still needs a lot of work if we hope to get bowl eligible this year. When Justin Houston missed a sack on Matt Simms, a receiver was left wide open for one of the two Tennessee touchdowns. We still can't cover the wheel route and for some reason, there still seems to be way too many wide open targets. On offense, the running game struggled to get going again. King looked good, but his arrest for failing to appear in court puts his status in question for next week. Ealey once again fumbled the ball inside the 5 yards line (luckily, it went out of bounds this time).

This game was about redemption for Georgia. They got a little revenge for the beating in Knoxville last year and finally beat a team that clearly has less talent. While this doesn't heal all wounds, it certainly helps. I would expect the same intesity this Saturday with Vandy coming to town, but unfortunately with this team, you never know.

Boulder Trippin': Everything Else

In addition to the beer, the food, and the game itself, we also did a lot of driving and sight seeing in Colorado. Here are some of the sights we saw during our five day trip in the Rockies.

When you first leave the Denver airport, you are greeted by a huge, blue horse. The statue, known locally as Diablo, looks completely satanic, complete with red eyes that glow at night. The artist who created the horse was actually killed before it was complete when a piece of it fell on him. Check out more on the horse here.

It's killed before ... and it will kill again!

Our next stop on Wednesday was Coors field, where the Colorado Rockies were hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers in their final home game of the season. Coors field is an awesome ball park. They even have a row of seats in the upper deck, colored in purple, where you can sit at exactly one mile above sea level. Matt Kemp hit a grand slam for the Dodgers and they held off a late Rockies rally for the victory.

Entering Coors Field, you pass the Blue Moon Pub. I never knw Coors owned Blue Moon

I wish I could pitch for the Rockies.

Beautiful Coors Field

On Thursday, we left Boulder and headed up the road to Rocky Mountain National Park. We stopped in the small town of Estes Park. It is kind of like the Colorado version of Helen, except without the German influence. Estes Park is also home the Stanley Hotel. The Stanley was the inspiration for Stephen King's novel, "The Shining". The old hotel was also used as the setting for the 1997 made for television remake of The Shining (since Stanley Kubrick did not want to shoot the original movie there.) After that, we made our way up to the park and saw some amazing views of the mountains and the valleys below.

The Stanley Hotel. REDRUM!!!

The Rocky Mountain Tundra

You don't get these type of views in Atlanta

The Continental Divide

After spending a few days in Boulder, we set out towards Pike's Peak on Sunday for the final leg of our trip. Along the way, we passed Invesco Field (home of the Denver Broncos) and Falcon Field (home of the Air Force Falcons). We stopped at the famous Red Rocks Ampitheatre and saw some beautiful rock formations at the Garden of the Gods. We then took a train (which takes almost an hour and a half each way) to the top of Pike's Peak. The weather was sunny and in the 70's at the bottom, but snowing and cloudy once we reached the top at over 14,000 feet above sea level.

Knowshon's House

Falcon Field ar Air Force

What an amazing place to watch a concert

The Garden of the Gods

At the top of Pike's Peak. It was freezing!

Overall, it was an amazing trip. We saw some beautiful scenery, unlike any I have ever seen in my entire life. Maybe I'll go back one day to ski the slopes.

Blame It On The Altitude: Our Colorado Brewery Tour

One of the best parts about the trip out to Colorado was visiting just a small sample of the 100+ breweries that exist in the Rocky Mountain state.

We were able to visit 4 full breweries and 3 brewpubs, for a total of 7 places that brew their own beer. They were: Breckenridge Brewery and Pub across from Coors Field, Great Divide Brewing Co. , New Belgium Brewing Co., Left Hand Brewing Co., Oskar Blues Brewery, Mountain Sun Brewery & Pub, and the Colorado Brewing Company-Draft House. My biggest regret was not visiting Avery Brewing in Boulder.

Quick Awards:

Best Beers Overall: Great Divide

Favorite New Beer: Oskar Blues & Great Divide*

Best Tour & Overall Experience: New Belgium

Best Personal Experience: Oskar Blues

Best Deal: New Belgium

Best Bartender: Left Hand

*Favorite New Beers: Gubna at Oskar Blues and Wild Raspberry Ale at Great Divide

Probably, the most unique place we visited was a hippie brewpub in Boulder called Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery. The best beers they had by far were their two IPAs and the Colorado Kind Ale. Definitely a cool experience, as it was a small restaurant that had some really good beer.

I've never been a big fan of Breckenridge beers, and their pub across from Coors Field was cool, but the beers were not that special. They had a small batch Pilsner that was really good, but I can't find the name of it online.

GREAT DIVIDE BREWING CO.

The first brewery we visited was Great Divide Brewing in Denver. You've likely had their Titan IPA if you've had any of their beers (it was the only one I had previously).

G.D. was about 3 blocks from Coors Field, which immediately made me a fan, but it also had happy hour right after the game. This means $3 beers, that are mostly high gravity, and very delicious (you can imagine what happened after being there almost 3 hours in their small tap room).

G.D. had the best overall beers on our trip. My particular favorites were their Hades Belgian Style Ale, Wild Raspberry Ale (best berry ale I've ever had), and the Hoss Rye Lager.

Others in our the crew enjoyed the Yeti Imperial Stout and Hibernation Ale. I also enjoyed the Denver Pale Ale.

NEW BELGIUM BREWING CO.

This was the sign waiting for us on our tour. Lots of points for New Belgium!

Does your office have a two story slide in it? Do you have volleyball tournaments every week? Does your company give tours to 20+ insane UGA fans and then also give them FREE BEER?

Didn't think so, and that's why your life sucks if you don't work at New Belgium. Especially if you are not the "Director of Fun" that had this awesome slide installed.

A slide in the brewery. 'Nuff said.

If you've ever drank a beer, then you've likely had Fat Tire, their most popular beer. In recent times, many of the beers have become available in Georgia, so there were not too many surprises in their tap room. Don't let that fool you though, the tap room was still awesome, good bartenders, and we even got to meet the brewmaster.

The 1554, a Black Ale, was an excellent dark beer that tasted nothing like a dark beer. I know that sounds contradictory, and it is, but you just have to try it. Never had anything like it, especially a dark beer with such a smooth taste.

The actual tour of N.B. was awesome, given to us by Kaitlyn, as we got to see their beer making process, their massive bottling plant appropriately called "Thunderdome", and we got to pour our own beers and they served us plenty of free samples. FREE BEER, can you believe that!?!

I would be able to recount all of the cool things on the tour that Kaitlyn told me, but the free beer has caused me to not remember them.

The picture above is "The Thunderdome." One of the coolest things is that the brewery and Thunderdome are connected by a giant beer bridge that flows the beer from one building to another.

I learned how N.B. makes all their money though. They brainwash attendees of their awesome brewery and tap room so that they pile up on the merchandise when they leave (guilty as charged, I am a sucker!)

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY

Dale's Pale Ale is the signature beer of Oskar Blues, and it is one that you can find in almost any store and many bars in Atlanta. It is also the official craft brew of the Bubba 'N Earl tailgates as deemed by Bubba himself (those cans count for something). Mamas Lil Yella Pils is also one of their beers you can find in many stores

We visited the brewery and tap room for Oskar Blues in Longmont, as opposed to their restaurant in Lyons, CO that served as the original brewery.

We got to the brewery in time for them to pop open a cask of special ale(wish i could remember it, but it was delicious). I also got to try a new favorite beer called "Gubna." Hadn't seen it in Georgia yet, but it is a 10% alcohol Imperial IPA. This beer was insane, with a flavor I had never tasted before. Can't wait to find it here soon.

Some jerk and Dale of the Pale Ale.

Our experience was awesome at Oskar Blues because Tree, the HR director for the brewery (and is also the longest standing employee), gave us a personal guided tour of the brewery. It's a huge operation they had going on, and she even made sure we got all of the mardi gras beer can necklaces we could want (which was alot with this group).

Also on the tour was the DALE of Dale's Pale Ale (brewery founder Dale Katechis). Unknown to us was the we had previously met Dale when we pulled up next to a giant DPA RV and asked the driver where the tap room was. Just so happens that the drive was Dale himself, and he also shouted War Eagle as we drove off.

When we saw him on the tour, we found out that Dale attended Auburn before moving out to Colorado. I'm sure we bugged the crap out of him with questions and pictures, but you'd never know it by how nice he treated us and how he just hung out with us for an hour and a
half. He seemed incredibly stoked on how popular his beer was in Georgia.

We probably spent more time at Oskar Blues than any other brewery, and the personal touch and great beer they provided us was exactly why we had such an awesome experience.

The beer comes out of these things, and by the process of magic, ends up in the cans below.

We could not have asked for a better time at a brewery. Thanks Dale and Tree!

LEFT HAND BREWING CO.

Most here in Georgia have had Left Hand's Milk Stout if anything, and maybe their Haystack Wheat (which was the best wheat beer I had in Colorado).

Left Hand has a great tap room and patio. We weren't able to go on a tour of their brewery, so I can't give you the dish on that.

While Left Hand was the most expensive tap room we went to, it also had the best service of any place where you paid per glass (particularly given how full it was).

Our bartender, Josh, took care of us the entire time which was a huge help with our group of 12.

We managed to try nearly every beer on the menu, and there wasn't a single bad one.

As an awesome left handed person, kudos to L.H.!

BNE 3rd Annual Pick 'Em: Week 5

UGA is 1-4. Let's be frank, we can evaluate this situation from all different angles, from blaming Richt for losing the ability to coach his players (both on and off the field) to Bobo not coaching in general, from the lack of skill-set players to run the new D to the plethora of talent not executing, the fact remains that something is wrong in Athens and the Dawgs have slipped to 1-4 this season. If it were just one thing it would be blatantly obvious, but in this case, I think we're looking at a systemic failure across the whole team top to bottom, and the team is in a fog as a result.

I'll be honest, I was the one and only person who picked Colorado in the BNE Pick 'Em this week. It wasn't because I'm an Auburn fan or don't have faith in the Dawgs, I just saw a bad situation in a bad location for the Dawgs to turn this thing around. AJ Greene came back and proved why he is the best WR play maker in FBS this season. However, as I said in my last post, the altitude got to him and most of the team resulting in a lot of cramping and substitutions, and one man does not make a team. Altitude is a variable that has to be taken into account for any game played in higher elevations. This factor, coupled with the time change, the travel, and the intensity coming into a game with a 1-3 record only helped to disrupt a team already playing with little focus. I don't think UGA lost this game because of bad play (the fumble not withstanding), I feel everything else was stacked against the Dawgs before they even arrived.

Now sitting 1-4, UGA has an even greater sense of urgency to win coming into this week's game against the Vols. Luckily for the Dawgs, they're back in Athens. My only hope is that the fans are back as well and will have enough faith to back the Dawgs when things get tough. Richt has taken a suggestion from a fan to heart, and will lead the Dagws out onto the field this Saturday. I have a feeling he will lead them out and on to a win over Dooley. If not, he might be leading someone else off the field entirely...

Outside of this game, look for me on ESPN2 when I make the trek with the #8 Auburn Tigers as we go to face the Wildcat offense of Joker Phillips, Mike Hartline and the rest of the 3-2 Smurfcats in Lexington. We're favored by 6.5 and rightly so given our double come from behind wins against the state of South Carolina. I think I'll also be catching up on Bama and SUC, Arkrysaw and the Aggies at Texas Stadium, UCLA and Cal, and maybe Clemson and UNC just for fun.

And now for our top 5 leaders for the week followed by our overall leaders:

1. LostinAlabama making a midseason surge after a stint as our BFotW with 218 points and a 17-5 record
2. BLACKOUT with 210 points and a 16-6 record
3. woof woof with 209 going 16-6
4. Hayduke with 206 points yet managing a 14-8 record
5. AUMav's Picks with 199 points going 16-6

Our overall leaders:

1. woof woof with 1232 points and a 89-27 record
2. AUMav's Picks with 1192 points and a league-best 91-25 record
3. Hayduke just one point behind at 1191 and 85-31
4. Dawgsman81 with 1774 points and a 88-28 record
5. Silver Britches and allyugadawg with 1164 points and a 87-29 and 86-30 record respectively

Now that the cream has risen to the top, we can shift our focus to the bottom and our weekly Bottom Feeder of the Week, sponsored by http://www.georgiadogs.com/ , the official website of the UGA Athletics Department. This week's BFotW is OneHairyDawg with 151 points and a mediocre 13-9 record. What can I say OneHairyDawg, you're on a downward spiral much like the real Dawgs of UGA. You started off with such promise in Week 1 with 319 points going 21-6, just like UGA and their shiny new season, only to slip and fall over the next 4 consecutive weeks. And while this week you managed a 13-9 record, your picks showed a lack of focus and attention causing you to fumble into our BFotW...just like UGA did in Boulder. Picking Navy over an Air Force team that nearly beat Top 10 ranked Oklahoma, AND with 20 confidence points?? JoePa and a shallow offense over Iowa's swarming and fierce defensive line? And what did you see in Kansas to convince you to risk 11 points over Baylor? You must have been calling that pick in from the land of Oz. Seriously, much like UGA, you need to turn this around and fast. Four consecutive weeks of falling points! Wake up, make a change, try something different, don't go with the status quo, make smart choices, watch some tape! Hell, maybe even let your girlfriend pick 'em based on uniforms, or mascots, or cutest QB. Whatever you do, do it fast or else you and the Dawgs might share the same fate this week and head straight into a downward spiral.

Who wins? Smokey...

...or Uga?



Boulder Trippin': Gameday

The main reason we all traveled 1000 miles across the country was to see the Georgia Bulldogs take on the Colorado Buffaloes in Folsom Field. Thanks to the efforts of the Colorado Dawgs, there was a great tailgate set up on a field near the stadium where thousands of Dawgs fans met. Overall, it was a great day that ended on a sour note. Here are some pictures taken throughout the day:

Folsom Field is gorgeous from the outside. The brick blends in with the rest of the buildings on campus

We arrived at the Georgia tailgate around noon. It was already packed.

The weather was absolutely beautiful.

A few members of the Red Coats came by to fire up the Georgia fans.

Why do opposing teams always feel the need to dress Bulldogs up in their colors when they play us?

A giant, inflatable buffalo just outside the entrance to the stadium...

...and then a real buffalo running around on the field.

The team looked pretty fired up before hand. Then the game happenned.

Folsom Fiels looks really nice from the outside, but inside it sucks. The concourse is an old field house and it feels very outdated. The stadium is pretty small and the loud music definitely made more noise than their crowd. At times, I felt like I was at an ACC game.

It’s Not My Fault: Aaron Murray

Through the first five games of the 2009 season, the Georgia Bulldogs compiled a 3-2 record. This included shootout victories over South Carolina and Arkansas where the Bulldogs put up big offensive numbers. However, the two losses early that season saw Georgia struggle to score points against Oklahoma State and LSU. Senior quarterback Joe Cox had shown flashes of brilliance, but often tried to do too much resulting in interceptions.

In 2010, freshman Aaron Murray has stepped into the starting role. As the only new starter in the preseason depth chart, many were concerned about an inexperienced player under center. While the Dawgs have struggled to a 1-4 start, Murray has actually been a bright spot for the Georgia offense. A quick comparison between Murray’s stats from the first five games of the 2010 season against Cox’s stats from the first five games of 2009 provide further proof that Aaron Murray has certainly not been the problem for the Georgia offense.

Joe Cox – First 5 Games of 2009

Pass Attempts: 144
Pass Completions: 85
Completion Percentage: 59%
Yards: 1,209
Yards per Attempt: 8.4
Touchdown Passes: 11
Interceptions: 6

Aaron Murray – First 5 Games of 2010

Pass Attempts: 132
Pass Completions: 80
Completion Percentage: 60.6%
Yards: 1,100
Yards per Attempt: 8.3
Touchdown Passes: 8
Interceptions: 3

Aaron Murray has attempted 12 less passes than Cox had at this point in the season, but has completed a higher percentage for nearly the same yardage per pass attempt. While Cox clearly has an edge in touchdown passes (11 to 8), remember that he threw 5 of those in the shootout victory over Arkansas and also threw for twice as many interceptions during that period. When you factor in rushing statistics, Murray’s number look even better when compared to Cox.

Through 5 games, Murray has rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns despite being sacked 12 times. Through 5 games in 2009, Joe Cox had a negative total for rushing yards and had failed record a touchdown. While Murray has been sacked 12 times in 5 games, Cox was only sacked 11 times all season in 2009.

At this point in the season, Aaron Murray would be my pick for offensive MVP. Keep in mind he has compiled these statistics without the services of AJ Green for 4 games and Kris Durham for one game. Georgia certainly has a number of problems on offense, but Murray is not one of them.

About that AJ Green Catch

One of the few bright spots from last Saturday’s loss in Boulder was the return of superstar AJ Green. After being totally absent from the offense in the first quarter, he took a reverse for over 40 yards early in the second to get the Georgia offense going. AJ Green was back. The Dawgs were soon facing a third and goal from inside the Colorado 10.

This was my view of the field. The play happenned at the other end zone.

Green had yet to make a catch on the season, but this was the perfect situation for him to get his first. Quarterback Aaron Murray threw a fade pass towards Green. The pass was high and a little behind him, but that did not stop AJ from bringing it down:



The play was reviewed and soon the referee confirmed the touchdown. The Georgia fans went nuts and began chanting “A-J-GREEN! A-J-GREEN!” The play was named the #1 play of the week on Sportscenter the following night. But for those of us who have followed AJ’s career, you know that this catch still sits #2 on the list of his most amazing plays. In high school, Green hauled in a similar catch, only this time it was at full speed, thirty or forty yards down the field:



Personally, this catch may have been one of the most spectacular plays I have ever seen. The only exception may be Knowshon leaping the defender in 2008.

AJ, it’s great to have you back.