Collage 3
The Dawg-gone Blog
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Sunday, September 11, 2005
Sorry, I am a Chevy kind of person.

Before I begin, I'll be writing a post on 9/11 tomorrow sometime. What you are reading now is an edited post. The reason for this is because I wanted to watch that movie on Flight 93 on the Discovery Channel. Either way, I haven't forgotten about what today meant and I'll touch on that sometime tomorrow.

So here I am, back again with another breakdown of the happenings in UGA's second game. I knew it was going to be a tough one, but I'll be the first to admit that it was a lot tougher than I expected. Well, let's not keep anyone waiting any longer...

1. D.J. did NOT look bad. He had some really tough trouble reading the zone the entire game, but my honest opinion is the he had two problems. 1) Spurrier's defense on this USC team is very difficult to understand. 2) Boise State played nothing but man coverage. The first is a little more intriguing because even though I hate Steve Spurrier, my respect for him is growing exponentially. He has found a way to take mediocre players and put them in a defensive scheme that is so complex, they appear amazing. In college football, the talent dictates the system. The powerhouses of the nation usually play traditional defensive schemes such as the 3-4, 4-3, nickel, dime, etc. Well, when you have talent that will get crushed in a traditional scheme, you have to add spice to it. Mark my words, USC will either upset Tenn. or Florida. Hell, they might do us a favor and knock both off. However, D.J. did what he could given it was his first MAJOR game (let's be honest, BSU was big, but everyone circled this date). D.J. baited too many DBs with his body language and we got lucky once or twice, but I think he'll get a lot of scout team work against the zone and he'll see a LOT of film from yesterday's game to correct mistakes. All in all, I think he'll be fine.

2. The running game looked great. This time, however, it wasn't because of stellar play by the O-line. I still think we have the best OL in the country, but they didn't play like it Saturday. Truth is, Danny Ware and Thomas Brown both played exceptionally well. Thomas Brown still continues to impress me with his vision and strength, but I was blown away by Ware's heart. Sometimes competition drives everyone to be better and Ware showed that he wants to start a game this year. If you think that having three talented running backs in a backfield might make at least one transfer, you're wrong. These guys love UGA and they love running the ball in Red and Black. They're here to stay until they have rings on their fingers.

3. Brian Van Who? No, I'm not saying I'm glad Van Gorder is gone, but old habits die hard, namely old habits like relying on stellar play by the defense in order to win tough games. Willie Martinez did a great job Saturday by defending a VERY good Steve Spurrier system. The toughest part of defending a passing game is battling a QB and WR's timing. Well, we did O.K. in that department (gave up a few more big plays than I would have liked to see), but we still won the game and I don't think anyone is disagreeing with my argument that we won by playing great defense. One thing I would have done though, is jam the WRs more and blitz more. In a timing-based offense, pressure makes a QB look at his second and third targets instead of his first. UCF did a great job of making Blake Mitchell make mistakes. I wish we would've taken a page out of their book and did the same thing. I'll be honest though, USC's O-line didn't play shabby either. They protected quite well.

4. The fans. I NEVER thought I'd say this, but Sanford Stadium was the loudest I can ever remember and the Alumni only sat down during timeouts. Seriously, I was impressed. If I could give out awards, 92,000+ would each get one for "Best Fans on Saturday 9/10." Wow. One more note while I'm talking about the stadium. I LOVE THE NEW SCOREBOARD AND RIBBONS. The UGA Marketing Dept. has found a way to not only make our venue one of the coolest, but making it the coolest that makes $$$ all the time. By airing advertisements on the ribbons and underneath the new scoreboard, our revenue has probably jumped two or three fold. Kudos to you brains in the monetary think-tank.

5. Special teams. We played the field position game very effectively. Ely-Kelso had a couple of Dustin Colquitt (used to play for UT, remember him?) punts that really helped us. I remember one boomer that just made my jaw drop. Plus, we didn't miss any extra points or field goals. There's no kicker controversy when people don't f*ck up.

My final thought is that the USC game is a good indicator of our season. We played them closely in 2002 without much offense and look what happened. I'd much rather face adversarial conditions and come out with a win than to do it and come out with a loss. This could be our one EXTREMELY tough game to get our boys back on track and also give them the confidence to know they can win tough games as long as they keep on fighting. Also, it doesn't hurt for them to know that the Bulldog Nation is in full support for 60 minutes. Great game, even sweeter victory, and a big toast to Coach Richt and the boys. Y'all played like champions on Saturday, even if I am one of the only ones that think so.


Updated Top 25

1. USC -- Um.

2. Texas -- Talk about a team that wouldn't give up. I'm still not sold, but that defense is quick.

3. LSU -- See Texas, except with a high-powered offense and a QB with faith in his WRs.

4. Va. Tech -- Well it looks like Marcus Vick doesn't suck...against Duke.

5. Ohio State -- Y'all played a helluva game and I moved you up mainly because Michigan allowed me to do so.

6. DAWGS -- I do and don't agree with my own ranking. We're a great team, but honestly, there's no need to rank either Tenn. or Florida ahead of us. I'll wait until next weekend to determine their fate as it compares to ours.

7. Tenn. -- Off week. I think Florida is going to kick your ass by the way.

8. Louisville -- Blah blah blah.

9. Florida State -- Man you guys suck ass.

10. Notre Dame -- I told y'all so. They'll lose games, but seriously, these guys WANT to win. FLASHBACK: "I'll bet they win six games on emotion alone."

11. Florida -- From what I hear, Urban Meyer's system is a little tougher than we thought. Thank God someone in your backfield can carry the ball.

12. Purdue -- Nothing to say here.

13. Miami -- Nothing to say here either.

14. Michigan -- I wonder if Lloyd Carr's ass is feeling heat from that seat he's on.

15. California -- HERE WE COMEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

16. Boston College -- You won't win the ACC.

17. Ga. Tech -- Ugh I feel dirty for doing that.

18. Arizona State -- This is the team that is now my favorite to upset So. Cal.

19. O-how-the-mighty-have-fallen-klahoma -- I love watching Bob Stoops suck.

20. Texas Tech -- Um. Sure.

21. Virginia -- I have to pee.

22. Alabama -- Come on guys, stop playing like shit. Except for that one guy who made that kickass catch. You rock my face off man.

23. Iowa -- Ouch.

24. Clemson -- Show me more and I'll bump you up some notches. In related news, I think that big Ralph (Maryland Head Coach) is the most overrated coach in the game. What has he done since he went to Maryland other than being mediocre year in and year out? I mean seriously, the guy is the Mike Martz (head coach of the NFL Rams for those of you scoring at home) of college football. I definitely see how both of them could be labeled "offensive geniuses." Not. Win another ACC title and I'll give you some love, but going the distance with someone else's team the first year you coach makes you just a guy who took a team and gave them a fresh start, not new ideas. Win with your own players.

25. Vanderbilt -- Seriously, someone's gotta show these guys some love for their biggest victory since...ever.


Alrighty. Really quickly before I go, I'd like to say that it was great seeing everyone this weekend. I am particularly greatful to have had one more drink at 283 with Russ, Ln, and [NAME REDACTED]. That was on my list of things I wish I could do one more time. Thanks guys, it's always awesome to see you. And [NAME REDACTED], you looked good, but different, in a RCB shirt again. I think everyone was a little relieved to see that. I'll be honest, I know it's like wearing a right shoe on your left foot, but you learn to walk without the RCB cane supporting you. Congrats on doing so well my friend.

Also, to everyone else I saw, it was great and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Days like Saturday are the reason I left Savannah. I can't wait to do it again. And there is nothing more beautiful than a night game in Sanford Stadium on ESPN. We could've lost and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

If anyone knows of a place I can watch this weekend's game, let me know. I was thinking something like the ESPN Zone in Atlanta, but since it's on PPV only, I don't know if hey can show it. Someone fill me in and/or if anyone's watching it and doesn't mind me throwing in $5 to help pay for it, I'll take that too.

Go Dawgs.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

P.S. -- By the way, next week's score will be 38 - 13. Look for D.J. to put up great numbers again and for us to beat last year's total INTs (5).
1 Comments:
Blogger Stacy said...
You're the best and I love you bunches! I'll get you the copies of my pictures soon!

::muah::