SEC Championship - Prediction

Unfortunately, I had to go out of town this week for a funeral and this did not allow me to provide much preview for the game. At this point, you have all seen a million break downs so I will leave you with a preview.

No matter what happens, this has been a great season for the Dawgs. I honestly feel we are headed in the right direction and will be a contender for the national championship next year. But as much as this team has improved, LSU has been amazing all season long. The Dawgs will put up a fight and it will not be easy like some think. But depth in the fourth quarter will help the Tigers pull the victory.

LSU 24, Georgia 17

Is this the best defense of the Richt Era?

Todd Grantham has done an amazing job with the Georgia defense. The idiots on television can say what they want about weak schedules, but the improvements we have seen this year speak for themselves. You don't have a top 10 defense in the country by luck. My question is whether or not this year's defense is the best of the Mark Ricth era, even better than the Van Gorder units. Take a look at this comparison of the national rankings for Georgia's defense during the 2002 SEC season, the 2003 SEC East Champion season, the 2005 SEC Championship season, the 2007 #2 final ranking season, 2009 (Willie's last stand) and this year:


Of the 9 major defensive categories I examined, the 2011 squad had the best national ranking in 5 of them. Arguably, this is the best defense since 2003 when the unit featuring David Pollack, Odell Thurman, and Thomas Davis helped the Dawgs win 10 games despite an offense that struggled all year. What sticks out even more is the deterioration under Martinez and the rebound under Grantham. Georgia finished second in the nation in 2007 because of the strength of the offense and the ability to get sacks, not because of their ability to cover receivers.

Can I honestly say this is the best defense of the Richt era? I don't know. But what I can say is Coach Grantham has returned us to the defense glory we once had and I don't see that changing with the very experienced group we having coming back in 2012.

We Run...We Pass.. We Own this State

For the 10th time in 11 years under Coach Mark Richt, the Georgia Bulldogs defeated in-state rival Georgia Tech by a score of 31-17 on Saturday. The margin of victory was 14, but like many other Georgia games this year, the game was really not that close. People were concerned that Georgia would be looking ahead to the SEC Championship. They were wrong (I'm looking at you, Corso and Herbstreit). Once again, we played without our starting running back and Georgia Tech took out our best defensive tackle with a cut block on the first play from scrimmage. Didn't matter. The Dawgs put "Boots to Asses". Here are my thoughts on victory 10 of the 2011 season:

• Dirty play by Georgia Tech knocks Tyson out and what happens? Garrison Smith comes in and play lights out all game. Paul Johnson calls a timeout to try and ice Walsh and Walsh gets a second shot and makes it. Karma bitches!
• John Jenkins is every bit the player we hoped. His presence made the difference in how we defended Tech last year and this year.
• Tech still seemed to be able to pick up too many yards on the sweep play. Why can't we stop it when we know they are going to run it on third down.
• Bad game for Christian Robinson, but he is definitely the emotional leader on defense. I am very glad he is a part of our team.
• Shawn Williams vs. Mike Gilliard for biggest surprise play on Georgia this year. Both were after thoughts in the depth chart pre-season.
• I thought Brandon Boykin was going the distance.
• When you get a big running back near the ground, fall on him. We can't let LSU backs keep their feet this week.
• Murray looked sharp like he did against Auburn. The only bad pass was missing a receiver wide open in the end zone (can't remember if it was King or Mitchell).
• Speaking of Mitchell. Can you think of a better freshman trio than Mitchell, Bennett, and Conley? I sure can't.
• Orson Charles could have had 10 catches at least if we kept throwing to him. Tech had no answers for him.
• I am proud of Ken Malcome. He made sure we held the lead with his hard running in the fourth when Tech knew we were trying to kill clock. If Crowell is still hampered and Samuel is 100%, I would keep Malcome for LSU.

Overall, a great day for Georgia once again. After the 0-2 start, nothing feels better than getting win 10 against Georgia Tech. Now, it is the Dawgs' turn to upset someone.

GO DAWGS!!!

"That's how winning is done"

I will be back tomorrow to offer my review of the Tech game and begin to look at LSU. But until then, I offer this quote from the last Rocky movie which perfectly sums up what the attitude the Dawgs should take heading into this match up:

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!

QuickTech Preview

The Dawgs take on Tech tomorrow for state bragging rights. Georgia has won 9 games in a row and has bigger fish to fry with the SEC Championship next week, while Tech has had a nice season at 8-3, but for every good win (defeating top 5 Clemson) they have a stupid loss (against Virginia). Georgia's defense is awesome, especially against the run. Tech's option attack is a well-oiled machine in year 4 under Paul Johnson.

Here's what I think will happen. The Dawgs will be able to move the ball effectively on Tech. Who ever runs the ball will have big holes like we saw when Georgia played Auburn. Success in the run will lead to success in the passing game. Georgia Tech, on the other hand, will also be able to move the ball. Their offense is very tricky and despite superior athletes on the Georgia side, Tech will break off a few big plays like they do every game. The difference will be Georgia keeping Tech out of the end zone. While Tech will move the ball, I think the Georgia D will step up on their own side. The key for the Dawgs is to get an early lead. If they can build it to 2 touchdowns in the third quarter, Tech will be in trouble. The Dawgs win a the game that will be a lot closer than the score will indicate.

Georgia 34, Georgia Tech 23

We run this state...revisited

Last time the Dawgs traveled to Grant Field, Georgia ran all over the Jackets. Here's a quick reminder:



King and Ealey may be gone, but the memory remains.

Go Dawgs!!!

Get...Lost...Nerd

And, oh yeah



GO DAWGS!!! WRECK TECH!!!

We'll Miss Ya Larry

When I woke up this morning to the news that Larry Munson had passed away, I immediately began to think of what he meant to me as a Georgia fan. Unlike many of you, I did not grow up in a Georgia family. While I would occasionally watch Georgia play on television, I worked almost every Saturday during high school and did not know much about Larry Munson before I came to Georgia. But when I arrived on campus, I kept hearing about people turning off the sound on their televisions during the games to listen to Munson. This was a new concept to me, but I soon understood why people preferred Larry to the babbling idiots on television.

Larry Munson was a true throwback in the broadcast industry. Today, broadcasters are trained to be objective and to not show favoritism. And while Scott Howard has carried on Munson's tradition of being a blatant homer for the Dawgs, nobody could do it quite like Larry. During my second year at college, I had a ticket to see the Dawgs take on the Vols in Knoxville. But when the people I was supposed to go with backed out (and rather than driving up there by myself) I sold my ticket to a friend from high school. That friend just happened to be the girlfriend (and now wife) of Georgia quarterback David Greene. Watching the game on TV (and listening to Musnon on the radio) in my apartment, I felt sad that I had missed the game, but glad I was able to hear one of the greatest calls in college football history.

The Munson's Greatest Calls DVDs introduced me to the full collection of Larry's best moments. For any of us who attended Georgia during the early 2000's, the Munson's Greatest Calls: The Mark Richt Era DVD is a must have. Despite the fact that I saw many of those plays live, I will always remember them with Munson making the call. The DVD includes what I consider to be the last great Munson call, that took place when the Dawgs took the field in black jerseys to host Auburn. It was Munson's classic opening, with a slight twist: "Get the picture now. Only this time it's a little different. The helmets are still red, but the jerseys are black."

My father called me just after the 2008 victory over Central Michigan. No one knew that this was going to be Larry's final game, but my dad seemed concerned. As a kid, my dad rarely watched football games on television. He would sit down and watch Braves games almost every night, but never really watched football. When I went to Georgia, my dad began watching games and he only watched them with the radio on. He loved Larry's passion and it turned my dad into a Georgia fan. Now, I talk to my father every week after the game. It is a bond we share and I feel like Larry Munson had something to do with it.

Larry is a true Georgia legend and there will never be another one like him. He will always hold a special place in my heart.

Larry, thanks for always being you. We'll miss you.

For some more information on how Larry came to Georgia, check out this story I wrote earlier this year.

The Charge Continues: The Kentucky Preview

If you have ever been around a bunch of Kentucky fans watching the Wildcats play basketball, you will know that they have a pretty passionate fan base. Two years ago, I was sitting in the now gone Wild Wing cafe in downtown Athens before the nigh contest between Georgia and Kentucky. Kentucky was playing basketball that afternoon against some small school (I can't remember exactly which one, maybe it was Liberty or Lehigh). They were up like 40 points in the second half and these crazy Kentucky fans were swearing at the top of their lungs when their walk-ons took a bad shot or there was a foul call. A little annoying, but I understand the love. Luckily for us, Kentucky's football team this year is horrible and our shot at the SEC East is not against the (#2 ranked) Kentucky basketball team.

Georgia goes for its 9th win in a row tomorrow and chance to secure a trip to the SEC Championship for the first time since 2005 (note: this is technically not our first SEC East Division championship since then, however. In 2007, we technically won a share of the division. I know this may seem stupid to point out, but if we were in the Big 10 that year, we could have called our selves conference champs and that whole argument about not winning your conference would have gone out the window). The Dawgs are playing the best football I have seen them play since the stretch run in 2007. And while that team was known for the offensive power of Moreno and Stafford, this team is known for the defensive tenacity of Jones and Rambo. While most of us are still on the high from destroying Auburn at home last week, I hope the team is ready to go for the early kick tomorrow.

Kentucky should not be a problem. In what I have seen out of Kentucky this year, they are the worst Kentucky team I have seen in quite a few years (and since they are pretty bad normally, that is saying something). I listed some statistics the other day, so I won't cover them again. Kentucky's bad defense will be missing two starters on Saturday and their offense is on their third or fourth tailback. Morgan Newton has lost his starting job at quarterback. They lost to Vanderbilt by 30 points last week. Georgia should not lose to this game.

I expect the Dawgs to come out hot on offense once again. A little more rushing in the first half than last week. Crowell goes over 100 and Thomas may too. Hopefully, we get Murray out of the game in the second half and give Mason some more reps. Georgia wins big and will be headed to Atlanta for the next two weekends!

Georgia 48, Kentucky 10

Georgia Will Beat Kentucky Because...

Randall Cobb is now in the NFL. For the last three years, Randall Cobb was an amazingly talented player on a pretty bad team. But whenever Georgia took on Kentucky, it seemed like Cobb was everywhere. In 2008, a heavily favored Georgia team was taken to the brink because of Cobb's 185 total yard and three touchdowns. In 2009, Cobb rushed for two more touchdowns as Kentucky came back from a 20-6 halftime deficit to win. And even last year, when Kentucky turnovers lead to 5 easy rushing touchdowns for Washaun Ealey, Cobb still had 7 catches.

But Cobb has finally moved onto the NFL, where he now plays for the best team in football and constantly makes highlights like this one:


I hated Tim Tebow and loathed Nick Fairley, but no player scared me more than Randall Cobb. Maybe it was because his team was so bad that you knew he was only chance they had. I am just glad he won't be there to try and prevent us from winning the East on Saturday.