What's on my mind: G-Day, NFL Draft Sleeper, Rules Changes

Tomorrow is G-Day! Usually, I get a sense of excitement from the Bulldogs nation about the annual spring contest. Despite the fact that game usually ends up pretty boring, people tend to be fired up. This year...not so much. The new format of having the teams picked seems cool but there just doesn't seem to be much buzz. Maybe it is the 6-7 season, maybe its the injuries, or something else.

I'll be in Athens for G-Day tomorrow and I plan to take pictures and have a complete write up next week. Guys I am looking for tomorrow: Christian Lemay, Ken Malcome, and Kwame Geathers.

SI released its "Welker List" today, a list of some sleeper draft picks that could become great NFL players. Kris Durham made the list and I fully agree that he may become a successful NFL player. He has good size, hands and speed and it was a major mistake that he did not get invited to the combine.

The NCAA released some rule changes today, most notably the "Dooley Rule" and the new rules regarding taunting. No one will make a big deal about the taunting rule until it costs a media darling like Florida or USC a game.

Enjoy G-Day tomorrow, Dawg fans. Its the last Georgia football we get for the next 20 weeks!

The Loss of Trinton Sturdivant

Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of press about the mounting list of injuries suffered by the Georgia Bulldogs during spring practice. But until yesterday, the only serious issue was an MCL strain by Bacarri Rambo that will hold him out for the remainder of spring. Today, we learned that redshirt senior tackle Trinton Sturdivant tore his ACL during the scrimmage on Saturday. This appears to be a sad end to a once bright career for Sturdivant.



Sturdivant burst on the scene during the late run during the 2007 season. Then a true freshman, he took over as the starting left tackle by mid season providing protection for Matt Stafford. He was a Freshman All-American and the future looked bright. He would suffer his first ACL tear in the summer of 2008 and missed the '08 season. He returned for 2009 and had regained his left tackle spot heading into the season opener at Oklahoma State. But he would be injured during the game and miss the remainder of the '09 season. 2010 saw Sturdivant earn his starting spot back. All-SEC performer Clint Boling began the year at LT, but moved back to right tackle after Sturdivant proved he was back healthy. He considered leaving school early for the NFL draft, but along with fellow lineman Cordy Glenn, chose to return to Georgia for the 2011 season. Now it appears that decision may have cost him a future in the NFL, as few teams will be willing to take a player who has missed three of the last four years with knee injuries. I really feel bad for Trinton Sturdivant. He worked extremely hard to make it back, and this is about the worst thing that could have happened. I'll never forget his dancing during the touchdown celebration against the Gators in 2007. I wish him the best of luck.



As for the Georgia offensive line, it now has a major hole to fill at tackle. Cordy Glenn, who had been splitting time at left tackle with Sturdivant during spring practice, will most likely assume that position full time. Redshirt sophomore Austin Long, junior AJ Harmon, and freshman Kolton Houston will be the primary guys competing for the starting spot. The good news is, they will have all summer to prepare for their new starting role.

BNE's Music Video of the Week: The Masters Edition

In honor of The Masters this weekend, I present a video from the early 90's about two guys riding around the city playing golf. From their 1994 album, Without a Sound, here's Dinosaur Jr. with "Feel the Pain":

Random Thoughts for a Random Tuesday

The first full week in April is always a great one for sports. The NCAA tournament concludes, the baseball season gets going, and The Masters hands out another green jacket. Throw in spring practice and great weather, and things don't get much better. Here are my thoughts on what's going on right now:

- WRESTLEMANIA - On Sunday night, myself and two friends relived our high school days by attending Wrestlemania at the Georgia Dome. I have been to plenty of sporting events in the dome (not to mention monster trucks, motivational speakers, and concerts) but nothing gets that place as loud as Wrestling does. The last time I went to wrestling in the dome, former Georgia lineman Bill Goldberg defeated Hulk Hogan for the WCW Championship. And while this night was not nearly as exciting, we did get to see The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and even Snooki from the Jersey Shore.

You can check out some crappy videos I took on my phone at my YouTube page

- UConn beats Butler for its third NCAA title since 1999. Just like Auburn, they win a championship in a year where they were accused of violations in their program. Unlike Auburn, Jim Calhoun was actually suspended for games this year. Funny how none of the announcers seemed to mention it during the game. I really wanted Butler to pull out the victory, but when you shoot 18% from the field, you don't deserve to win.

In Georgia basketball news, Travis Leslie is planning to make his decision concerning the NBA draft soon. If he decides to return, Georgia could be back in the tournament next March. Without him, that mountain is going to be a lot tougher to climb.

- Georgia baseball is starting to figure things out. After a year of the worst baseball play ever seen in Athens, the Diamond Dawgs have looked impressive in SEC play. At 6-3 in the SEC, the Dawgs are back to .500 overall and have even made it back into the college rankings. I know many were calling for Perno's head, but if the team can continue to improve, he may earn at least one more season at Foley.

- Spring practice continues and things are quiet. I am perfectly fine with that. Normally, G-Day would be this weekend. Smart more by McGarity to move it away from Master weekend. I am encouraged by the words about Caleb King.

It's Opening Day!

Let me take a quick timeout from our Georgia coverage to remind everyone that today is Opening Day in Major League Baseball. The Braves take on the Nationals today at 1:05, the first time in 20 years without Bobby Cox in the dugout. Baseball season still holds a special place in America, but if don't believe me, believe James Earl Jones:



Let's go Braves!

In other news, G-Day is just two weeks away.

Fiesta Bowl Turmoil: Jerry Jones' Dream

The Fiesta Bowl is in turmoil, firing its 30 year CEO John Junker, who had guided the bowl from its infancy to BCS-welterweight status. Jerry Jones must be salivating...

It's all part of the plan

Fiesta Bowl CEO Junker allegedly reimbursed employees for campaign contributions:

"The reimbursements, listed as at least $46,539, are an apparent violation of state campaign finance laws and the charter that allows the Fiesta Bowl its nonprofit status. The Arizona attorney general's office is conducting a probe of the matter."

While the Fiesta Bowl only dates back to the 1970s (and was originally modeled after the Peach Bowl), there is another older, historically prestigious bowl waiting in the wings to assume BCS status: The Cotton Bowl, which dates back to the 1930s and is soaked with history and cachet, which is practically currency in college football.

Right now, the BCS is in the middle of a TV contract with ESPN, locking in the BCS lineup until 2015. However, rest assured that Jerry Jones, Cowboys owner and the co-captain of the joint 1964 Champion Arkansas Razorbacks, is already blowing up the phone lines trying to line everything up. After all, the BCS Chairman has previously stated that he is willing to discuss the Cotton Bowl joining the BCS lineup with Jones.

The Cotton Bowl's prestige largely fell off due to the Southwest Conference's downfall, driven by recruiting scandals, as well as the 'Pony Express'/SMU Death Penalty in 1987. Additionally, until 2010 the game continued to play in the equally historic Cotton Bowl at the Texas State Fairgrounds, which is outdoors and not as modern as the ideal bowl site would be (ironically enough, SMU's downfall equally contributed to the Cotton Bowl Stadium's disuse, as the Mustangs had used the stadium as their home field until their attendance suffered post-Death Penalty).

With the right publicity and the ripe opportunity, no need for the Cotton Bowl to wait for the bowl system to change to a +1 bowl format or for the BCS to break up the rotating MNC game among current BCS locales. As the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association originally envisioned in their announcement, moving the game to Cowboys Stadium makes BCS membership ripe for the picking.

Tavarres King's Time to Shine

Tavarres King came to Georgia as a member of the 2008 recruiting class, in which he was raned as the #22 receiver in the country. For most teams, getting a top 25 player at wide receiver is a big deal. But the 2008 class also included uber-recruit AJ Green and King has spent his first three seasons in Athens in the shadow of #8.

Before I go any further, let me state for the record that Tavarres King will be a redshirt junior this fall. I have seen a number of places call him a senior, but anyone who follows Georgia closely knows that King is only a junior. He played in 4 games in 2008 and made a spectacular 41 yard catch against Arizona State. But his season ended early and he was granted a medical redshirt. For that reason, King is only a junior this fall.

King has spent the last two years starting opposite AJ Green at the splint end position for the Bulldogs. In 2009, he caught 18 passes for 377 yards and one touchdown, a 50 yard grab in the shootout victory over Arkansas. Last fall, his production increased once again, as hauled in 27 passes for 507 yards and three touchdowns. His most impressive highlight was a 63 yard touchdown against Florida.

With the graduation of Kris Durham and the departure of Green, the Dawgs will be without their top 2 receiving threats from last year. While the tight end position is deep in experience, the wide receiving corp is not. TK will move to the vacated flanker position this fall and will need to become the go-to receiver for Aaron Murray. Success for King should open up the other side of the field for the likes of Marlon Brown, Michael Bennett, and maybe Malcolm Mitchell.

If King continues to show the progression he has during his first three years, a 50 reception, 850 yard season with 7-9 touchdowns is a perfectly reasonable expectation.

Top 10 Games involving SEC teams in 2011

The complete schedule for all 12 SEC schools for the 2011 football season was released this week. Here is a quick look at the top games this fall (thought this could all change throughout the season).

#10 - Alabama at Auburn - November 26

Auburn is lucky that the Iron Bowl takes place at the end of their schedule. Alabama will be looking to get revenge for the 28-27 loss last season. Auburn lost so much talent from last year's team, but by the end of the 2011 season, the new players should be comfortable and ready to welcome the Tide to the Plains.

#9 - Tennessee at Alabama - October 22

Last time they played in Tuscaloosa, Mount Cody saved the day for the Tide. Can Derek Dooley finally get things turned around in Knoxville?

#8 - BYU st Ole Miss - September 3

I know Ole Miss is horrible, but it will be interesting to see what happens to BYU students who come to the Grove. Does the BYU administration kick them out for just being there?

#7 - Mississippi State at Auburn - September 10

Upstart MSU almost beat eventual national champion Auburn last fall. After a 9-4 season, this game may help dictate the season for the western Bulldogs.

#6 - Georgia vs. Florida - October 29

The Dawgs lost in overtime to a bad Gators team last year. Now that Urban is gone, can Coach Richt turn around Georgia's fortune in the series now that a Georgia grad is on the sideline for the Gators?

#5 - Arkansas at LSU - November 26

I have a feeling the outcome of this game may decide the SEC West Champion. I expect Arkansas' offense to be even better this year with their experience at receiver and a star at running back. Arkansas has stolen victories from LSU of late.

#4 - Alabama at Florida - October 1

The Tide crushed the Gators at home last fall. Will Muschamp have his team ready for this game which begins a tough four game stretch for the Gators that includes Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia?

#3 - Auburn at South Carolina - October 1

Carolina had the Tigers beat in their first meeting last fall but turnovers cost them the game. When the two met again in the Dome, even hail mary passes were being caught for touchdowns. Lattimore and company were able to knock off Bama at home last year, can they beat another defending national champion in Columbia this fall?

#2 Georgia vs. Boise State - September 3

The country will be pulling for Boise to beat the Dawgs. I sure hope we are ready to send them packing just like we did back in 2005. Georgia typically shows up in these situations. I definitely don't want to be the team that let Boise State get the SEC monkey off their back.

#1 - Oregon at LSU - September 3

LSU hosts the defending Pac-10 at Jerry Jones' football palace in Dallas. It should be quite a show!

North Campus Tailgating: Is It Really 'Back'?

While the supposed official 'Gameday Gameplan' website has not yet been updated, new regulations for the 2011 tailgating on North Campus have been issued.

The highlighted changes in the media reports include:

• Can now setup 5 hours ahead of game time (from 4 hours).
• Tailgating tents are now allowed
• 6 foot tables allowed! (from 4' previously)

2008 seems like eons ago... From UGA/Bama Blackout, crowd watching on TV the UF/Ole Miss game

In reality, not a monumental change. Tailgating is now feasible on North Campus with a 5 hour window, and I do anticipate North Campus not being a vast, empty wasteland as it was last year. But will there still be grumbling? Sure; alumni will not be completely placated.

I think there still needs to be more flexibility in terms of time and setup... while the time window for setup now is perfectly reasonable for 12:30 games, having to wait and setup until 10:30 for a 3:30pm game is a stretch. And 2:30 for a 7:30 ESPN game just ain't happening.

If the University wants to address North Campus "destruction" and general inebriation, why can't we just bring back the 7am setup rule, and actually enforce the rules? You would think the University Police, of all people, would love to enforce some real laws.

Hopefully McGarity at least will continue to re-evaluate the regulations each off-season and will also make vast steps in providing a realistic infrastructure this fall on North Campus (adequate numbers of trash cans, trash bags and Port-a-Potties are all good starts).

At the end of the day, an Alumni group should establish the broad rules of North Campus tailgating (what you can bring, what you can't bring, and setup times) and allow the police to enforce the laws otherwise on the books. After all, Ole Miss is structured this way, has pretty permissive rules and they actually get positive press for having a good, safe, yet legendary time.

Pro Day for Green, Houston, and others

Georgia will host an on-campus pro day tomorrow at 10:00 AM to showcase former players who will be available in the upcoming NFL Draft. The day will be highlighted by early entrants AJ Green and Justin Houston, but will also be important players like Kris Durham who were not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last month. Here is the full list of participants:

Clint Boling, Shaun Chapas, Vance Cuff, Chris Davis, Josh Davis, Akeen Dent, Demarcus Dobbs, Kris Durham, Darryl Gamble, Chad Gloer, A.J. Green, Justin Houston, Derek Rich, and Kiante Tripp

AJ Green is the biggest name, and the receiver from Summerville is most likely going to be taken in the Top 5. There has been a lot of press covering AJ since he made his decision to leave early. Here is a video that takes a look at the workouts he has been doing to prepare:




For those interested, you can watch the Pro Day online at ESPN3.com.

Good luck to all the former Dawgs tomorrow!