So the annual trip down below the state line to watch us come oh-so-very-close to beating the Gators has come and gone. I thought it would be decent of me to post some pictures of the trip and then later on this week put up some thoughts of the game. There's not much to cover that hasn't already been said, so I'll just hit the highlights.

Gameday started with a trip to the stadium, where I immediately decided to take in a few moments about the day and what was to come...

"Well that's bigger than any building in Perry."


After a few minutes spent setting up the tailgate, I went to a fellow blogger's tailgate to bring tidings of comfort and joy (see: Sweetwater 420) to say thanks for being a Damn Good Dawg while The Dawg-gone Blog is trying to get off the ground and get recognized. A good conversation of football ensued and then I left to head back my own liquor paradise.


When I returned to the tailgate, I bumped into some old friends (see: a shit-ton of people) and we had a helluva time.



That's a fine picture.



Mason getting it done.



Abby and Stacy, doing what they do best...looking pretty.


Of course, there's always time to pay tribute to those that came before you...


We miss you, Shock.


And when you have a rockin' tailgate going on, even celebrities want to stop by. It was great to meet you, Mr. Federline. Somehow I always knew he was a Gator fan...


"Peep the new album. Guaranteed to make the Billboard 10,000 ya heard?"


Anyway, we got into the stadium and had some great seats to watch one pretty bad first half of football.


Here I am contemplating how I'm going to explain this at work on Monday.


Then, we started to make a charge and things appear to be getting better.


And here's me breaking my neck trying to see if the penalty was justified or not.



I also have got to give it to the Redcoats. They hung tough and aside from some personal gripes about song selection in the 4th Quarter, they kept most of the Dawg fans in the game.


How sweet it is...


But, as the trend has been of late, we were not destined to pull this one out, even though we played with a lot of heart and determination. Florida was just too good.


It's ok boys, you still have each other.


And hell, there's always next year.





Until next time kids.

Be safe.


P.S. -- All photos courtesy of Jeb and his badass camera.

I've returned to the friendly confines of Sminings (see: Smyrna + Vinings) and while I'm tired and disappointed, I'm not nearly as mad as I could be.

I'll talk about it all tomorrow, but for now, it's time to unpack and unwind.

And it's still great to be a Dawg.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

How'd you like to bite my ass?

I'm writing from the birthplace of the Dawg-gone Blog master, known as the metropolis of Perry, Georgia. Aside from the utter lack of buildings larger than 2 stories, there's not much else to talk about.

So, let's get on with my keys to victory, shall we?

1. Dawgs must keep their composure: The Gators will score. They might even score on a big play that totally catches us off guard. Regardless of how they score, they will do it, guaranteed. It's how our team reacts that will be the number one most important thing on Saturday. If we melt down after a huge score or even a 1-yard TD run, this game is over. We must put bad plays out of our mind and then go back to business of answering whatever Florida does with points. Hands down, this is what I feel is the most important thing to do Saturday.

2. Execute the fundamentals: From tackling to catching the ball, it's not about how the X's and O's shake out as much as it is making the tackle at first contact and catching the ball when it's thrown. Everything we need to do right, we need to make Florida do wrong. Kregg's got to have a monster day running the ball (like he mostly does anyway) and our DBs cannot let Gators even touch the ball. If they do, it's a reception.

3. Pressure Leak: If we get after Chris Leak like Auburn did, we will force him to make mistakes. We should learn that sitting back and trying to outsmart another QB is not a good idea (see: Tennessee's Erik Ainge). We gotta put Leak on his butt. Tim Tebow is a talent in the making, but he is not a passer right now, so therefore he's a non-factor. When Tebow's in the game, we need to play man (trust me, he'll throw more in this game) and use pressure to make him make mistakes as well. Pressure pressure pressure pressure pressure!!!!!!

4. No 3rd Quarter Meltdowns: We get complacent when we go into the 3rd Quarter with a lead. That cannot happen in this game and I honestly don't believe it will, but it's still a concern. We just can't think that if a quarter or two goes our way, that it's all going to be sunshine and roses because it isn't. We need to play the 3rd Quarter better than we played the first, end of story.

5. No Turnovers: Matthew Stafford is the future of our team. He is going to be the leader and you're starting to see flashes of it already. If he can protect the ball and repeat all of his good throws from MSU, then we've got a really good shot at this game. If we have 2 INTs (hell, even if we have just 1) we will be out of this game. We have GOT TO PROTECT THE BALL!!!!


Who knows what will really happen but there are a couple of things I like about our position at this very moment before the game.

1. No one's talking about UGA's losses to Florida. Everyone's talking about whether or not UGA can even get it together (Shout out: PWD)

2. There's a lot of hype on Tebow. It will be interesting to see how he handles it when he's called upon to throw more. Urban Meyer picked this game last year to try some new things and I imagine the Tebow = Run offense will be prevelant, but Tebow will sling it around more than we've seen.

3. We've got nothing to lose vs. the Gators have everything to lose. A win helps us immensely, and a loss doesn't kill our season as far as expectations go.


So here's what I believe. I think we come out as a new (but tired) team on Saturday. You'll have two types of Dawgs on your hands. There will be the ones that know they can get it done and ones that need more convincing. If you have more of the former and less of the latter, we make it one helluva game. If the roles are reversed, then we're in for a very long day.

Either way, it's going to be a fight to the end.

I can't even think of a score...Dawgs win, though.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

So, I was going to write a really long-winded post about how great it is to be a Dawg versus how horrible life must be as a Gator, but I figured I'd save my time and just put it in one photo...



Just remember, we might lose on Saturday, but it could be a helluva lot worse.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

This is supposed to be the best time of the year. Every year myself and a group of my closest friends head to the *bustling* metropolis of Jacksonville, Florida to watch the Dawgs and Gators get it on.

Usually I've got so much in my head that I just cannot get it all out. I've got too much shit to write and not enough time to do it. Hell, usually I've compiled joke after joke after joke to get the point across of how much I hate Florida and how THIS year is the year.

This time around, I ain't got it.

I don't think it's a state of mind regarding the state of our team. I feel surprisingly well about our chances versus Florida this year. Granted, we always catch the Gators after their bye week, but I think what hurts us the most every year is our state of mind, not the lack of rest.

But this year I just can't place focus on any one particular thing to talk about. Stafford's starting, we're appearing to break our practices down to include an emphasis on the fundamentals, and I think our Dawgs want to win this game more than us as fans do. I truly believe all the materials are there for an upset for the ages.

All that's going on, and I ain't got shit to say.

I'm excited about this weekend. I really am. I'm not apathetic towards our team and I've moved on from the last opinion I've had regarding how we're treating our players. I honestly believe the booing of Mo Mass was the beginning of the turnaround we've so desperately need.

In public relations, they call this "rally around the flag" syndrome. Put in the form of an example, compare it to 9/12 where EVERYONE was proud to be an American and displayed that fact for months after the tragedy. It is basically when one event snaps everyone back to reality.

Last Saturday was that event. I saw fans showing their ass. I saw players looking tired and confused as to why they couldn't do better. For the first time in a long time, I saw the beginning of the new season. The best thing about last Saturday is that from your lowest low you can only move up. Yes, we still won the game, but our boys weren't happy and they did not play the football they intended to play at the beginning of the week.

Life is better now in Dawg land. We're working towards an identity and we're really striving to get better. I guarantee you the film room is full more hours than the players would like to admit and I know that's a good thing. We want to win Saturday because very few people, including our fans, believe we can.

I think this is going to be a great weekend and it's shifted all of my focus. That's why I can't write. I believe this game might be won on heart for the first time this year. I can't write because the X's and O's will work themselves out, but I think I know which team wants it more and I can only give you 1 guess as to who that team is. I've got a fever that even more cowbell can't cure. The only way to beat this cold is to walk away with my head held high and my arms in the air.

It's time to kick off Cocktail Party week. I hope you'll join me.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Dear "fans,"

Saturday evening while stuck in traffic on 316 heading back for Atlanta, I had the pleasure of passing time by listening to the 5th Quarter Show from @pplebee's in Athens. I spent the entire show listening to caller after caller question our coaches, our players, and our schemes in approaching this game and the 2 before it.

Then, like a Jack and Coke at 2:15 a.m., I'd had enough. I decided to dial *106 from my Cingul@r phone to tell the fans basically to shut the hell up.

I was welcomed into the show where I said something along the lines of:

"Hey fellas. Thanks for the opportunity and thank you for running a great show. If you don't mind, I really don't have a question, but more of a soapbox moment to tell the fans to not boo our kids during the games. I understand you're frustrated. The last 3 weeks have taken a good 3 years off of my life as well, but please understand that when you boo a player, it not only hurts him and the current team, it hurts the future of the program. Every single game we play in Sanford, there is a recruit sitting somewhere taking it all in, and it's going to be mighty tough to persuade the next Herschel that this is the place to be when our fans are so quickly to turn their backs on the guys that are busting it out there. We are just as much of salesmen as we are fans to the talent we want to bring in here. Just don't do it any more. It's ridiculous. That's really all I have to say and I appreciate the time. Thanks again for all you do and Go Dawgs."

More or less they said "thanks Kit and we agree," though it lasted longer. What they said in response is irrelevant to this post.

However, I'm fed up with our fans in general. This past game was the boiling point for me when the boos were finally loud enough. Then they had the audacity to cheer when he left the field.

Where the hell were you people in '99, '00, and '01? Where were you in the years before then? I have a guess and it probably begins with you asking "Did the Dawgs win yesterday?" at church, or while fishing or hunting. You weren't following the Dawgs then and you're damn sure not doing it now. Of course, you'll sport your red and black when it's convenient for you, but when the chips are "down" (we're still 6-2; it could be worse) and it's not so glamorous for you to be a Dawg fan, you bolt and run.

I'll be honest. The team nor myself wants or needs you there on any given Saturday at any venue. Granted, they get a LOT of "social acceptance" around the university community by wearing the uniform, but they still must wake up every day, practice, go to class, practice, go home to do homework, and sleep, ONLY to repeat that 4 other times during the week and then bust their ass on Saturday for YOU. If you can't appreciate that at least, watch it on TV from home.

CMR was asked on Saturday what the thought about the fans booing Mo Mass in his press conference. Here's what he had to say (shout out to Ching):

"I don’t really want to get into that, really. I understand the fans being frustrated and sometimes there’s a kneejerk reaction on something like that. You hate it when any player gets booed. These are kids, they’re college students and they’re not high-paid athletes by any stretch of the imagination and you hate it when that happens. But I’m sure the fans would all say they still love Mohamed Massaquoi, but at that moment in time, they let it out. We still believe in Mohamed. He’s a very good football player. He’s a very young football player, still, just a second-year guy. We’re not gonna give up on Mohamed, we can’t."

If you don't get it, I'll give you folks out there a translation:

Hey, all you fans that boo our kids. Shut the f**k up.


Yeah, it's kind of like that.

How would you feel if your son caught a beautiful fade in the endzone in the 2nd quarter only to be booed in the 3rd when he dropped a for sure one? I'm sure you'd be damn well pissed off. Now multiply that by 10,000. That's about how many I would imagine vocalized their displeasure Saturday.

Mo Mass is not the savior of this team...yet. He showed moments of brilliance last year, but his confidence is shaken and for DAMN GOOD REASON. Imagine if 92,000 people were breathing down YOUR neck every time a pass was thrown at you. Now imagine you're NOT doing it for money. That's the life of a college football player.

I sat in the endzone away from the student section for the first time ever. I will still argue that the best fans are still in college. They will cheer as much as they can until the very last seconds. However, our elitist alumni who spend so much time trashing the campus still find a way to have an opinion on why we're not the greatest team in the history of the universe.

So the Dawgs are walking off the field after a hard-fought victory and I'm standing there cheering and clapping and forcing myself to do every second of it, and you know what I saw? I saw a bunch of tired and confused faces all wondering why it just isn't getting done like they know they can do it. Trust me; these kids are busting their asses out there, but it just hasn't clicked yet.

So, since you know our kids are trying, I have a solution.

Here's a list of the people that should spend more time shutting the hell up:

1. People that boo our team.
2. People that sarcastically cheer when a struggling player is taken off the field.
3. People that are calling for Willie Martinez's head (I don't like his scheme either, but damn).
4. People that are calling for CMR's head.
5. People that are turning their backs on the Dawgs right now.
6. People that don't think we can beat UF, Auburn, or GT (I think we take at least 1 if not 2 of those games).
7. Lou Holtz (I just think he sucks)
8. Mark May (No thinking here...he does suck)

If I neglected to mention you, it's not because I'm forgetful, it's because I forcibly removed you from my thought process because my head was going to explode. Just know that if you think you might fit in ANY of the above categories, please shut the hell up.

I'm sick and tired of having to defend the Dawgs. Is anyone aware of the talent we have coming in next year? On defense we'll still be young, but we'll be a ton faster and bigger. We've got some kids that are ready to make an impact right now, but we want them to understand the system first. On Offense we have a RB in Knowshon Moreno that is an absolute monster. We'll have all the receivers back, we'll be upgraded at TE, and Stafford wiill have a year under his belt. The only thing we'll be thin at is O-line (there's a shocker), but damn, have a little patience.

Coming back to the present, it's no secret that we won't win the East. Is there any fan out there that 100% believed we would? Hell, even I had reservations about it and I had the Dawgs as SEC Champs. I still said we would go 10-2 and we still could. It's "possible," not "probable," but it could still be done.

Make no mistake, it's not all sunshine and puppies over here in Dawg-gone Blog-land, but that doesn't mean I'm going to boo the team that I care so much about. I don't know why that is. Maybe it's because I'm not acting like a spoiled alumni who sits on his hands all 4 quarters but still finds time to have an opinion on everything. It could also be because I'm not a total f**king moron. Either one of those are fairly reasonable excuses.

So, please "fans," spend more time doing something constructive like cheering on the Defense on 3rd down, staying quiet for the Offense throughout the entire game, and appreciating the effort they give regardless of the outcome. Spend more time getting excited about the future. Spend more time getting back to the reality that it's still just a game. Spend more time doing all those above or spend more time not coming at all.

I'm sure the bandwagon would be a lot more comfortable with you asshats falling off of it.


Sincerely,

The players, coaches, and the real fans.



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Yes, I finally did what I was supposed to be doing all week long. I decided to get off my ass (after the GREAT Falcons/Steelers game) and update the links to your right.

Let's run down them, shall we?

Consistent Bloggers: Friends of mine who blog every day
Non-consistent Bloggers: Friends of mine who don't tend to blog every day
Georgia Football Blogs: This is self explanatory, but I added a few new ones that should have been there all along.
Other College Blogs and Web Sites: Again, self explanatory.

If I forgot your blog, PLEASE shoot me an e-mail at KitZeus99 (at) aol.com ASAP and I will get it changed.

Sorry it took so long. There will be a MSU review plus one helluva long NSFW rant on the fans booing Mo Mass coming later in the day.

That's all for now.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

And I still need to update the links...

Sorry, I'm bad about that and I just remembered that I forgot to remember. Shit happens.

Anyway, you know what we need? We need a "W."


I meant the win. This kind of "W" wins by abolishing terrorism (I.E. Georgia Tech).

It's a Dawg vs. Dog world this coming Saturday. Let me start off by saying that I'm a fan of Sylvester Croom. It's rare nowadays to have a coach try and reinstate discipline into a program before he reinstates winning. That sounds idiotic, but we also have to understand that young men turn into grown men on the football field and some of these kids don't have father figures. I'd much rather see a kid learn something while playing his heart out and lose than to learn nothing, leave college without a degree, and blow out his knee in his first year in the NFL. There is a life after football.

Anyway, I digress. Croom is of the mindset that MSU needs a ton of work in order to turn it into a winner. He is exactly right in this idea. Jackie Sherrill and Lou Holtz could single handedly fuck up half of the NCAA if given enough time. It's a damn shame that Croom was brought into a situation where he may or may not have been given enough time to succeed. MSU stands by their original statement that they are aware this program will take time to turn around, but how long with the alumni deal with losing? It may be really bad PR, but if Croom doesn't get his marquee win that he seems to get every year, he might be approaching his last sting in a maroon polo.

MSU really has no strengths this year. They have a fair-to-bad everything on every side of the ball. Their starting QB got hurt in their debut and is just now getting his bearings back. The truth is, they just don't have the talent to get the job done against the Dawgs this weekend.

However, if they want it more, we might be in for a struggle.

In true broken record style, I will repeat that this Dawg team is currently playing without its number one starter in "Heart."


Maybe a ring would help...

"Heart" has been hurt for a while and has sat out for most of the year while the Dawgs try to fight through games on the way to a 5-2 season thus far. "Heart" also had a huge setback last week when he was hurt in practice in between UT and Vandy. He wasn't seen for a while, until he returned to practice this week roughly around the same time CMR announced Stafford the starter and Joe T. took it like a true Dawg.

My idea is the Dawgs are feeling the need for a huge win as much as anyone else in any program across the nation. The panic button hasn't been hit, but we are looking at it and wanting to push it really badly. My prediction is the Dawgs actually try this week to hit on all cylinders no matter what it takes.

I don't predict a huge Dawg win, but I think if we can stay agressive on both sides of the ball, pressure MSU's young QB, and find a way to want to put up points in style, we might just walk away with a convincing win. If we stumble into this game, we might be in for a rough time in Athens.

The Dawgs don't return to Sanford until Georgia Tech after this contest. I would fully expect us to give the city and the team something to build on for the rest of the season.

Dawgs win.

Predicted score:
UGA -- 37
MSU -- 16

Until next time kids.

Be safe (and Go Dawgs!).

I don't want to leave you guys for days without any ramblings from myself, so I figured a few quick hits about what's going on would help some...

1) Joe T. will NOT be the starter this Saturday against Mississippi State. It appears as if the Matthew Stafford era has begun. I personally like this move, not because (to some) it symbolizes our season being over, but because it basically gives Stafford a very good safety valve off the bench should he struggle. In related news, Joe T. solidified his place in the "Heart Hall of Fame" when CMR addressed the media and gave this gem of a quote:

"When Joe T. heard the news, he was disappointed," Richt said, "but after a couple of minutes, he asked Coach (Mike) Bobo, 'Is there someplace else I can play to help us win? Is there anything I can do for the team?' That was pretty inspiring. He inspires me."

That's the mark of someone who is a Dawg. If only our fans would act that way sometimes.

2) PWD and The King are all over UGA not having an opponent for 2007 now that the Beavers have backed out on us. If you care about college football at all (regardless of whether or not you like UGA) I would emplore you to go check out this entry by The King in which he petitions the Dawg Nation to get behind a UGA vs. Texas series for Labor Day. The benefits of this include: Strength of Schedule boost, national attention for both programs, the first game in 20+ years between the two schools, and finally, the fulfillment of the 12th game. Please take the time to go to Kyle's site and write Damon Evans as well as the AD for Texas.

3) I will be in Athens this weekend for the final show of Funkle Ester. It is still uncertain as to whether or not I will go to the MSU game, but if you need tickets, I have a couple that I can get my hands on. They'll be no good to me since I would be in the student section if I do decide to attend. They're not the best seats ever, but they will do the trick. Let me know via comments or e-mail if you could use them. I'll be honest, I'm not looking to make money on them...just looking to not lose it.

4) If you've met me before and you've been to my house (even if you haven't actually), let me know what you're doing for the Auburn game. I might have something planned.

5) Seriously, I know on paper that we shouldn't stand a chance against Florida, but I'm really pumped about this game now. Even if Remarcus Brown hurt his hamstring today.

No seriously. I'm still pumped.

6) Finally, there are some quality blogs out there that have been kind enough to link me up and it's about time that I do the same. Expect that all to happen tomorrow so there may not be a new post for a day or two. I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to do what I should've done weeks/months ago, but it is what it is. We've all got jobs...I think.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

It's not time to ring it yet.

I had already made plans last night to go hang out with The Song Writer, Georgia Girl, and Blog Pong This Beer, at the latter two's casa after the game. However, when making those plans I didn't realize it would be to discuss where UGA goes from here. Hell, I thought we were just going to get drunk with our old friend Jack Daniels and talk about the good ole days.

And you know what?

That's exactly what we did anyway.

You see, I was standing outside briefly (because it got down right cold last night) and decided to take a look up and just check out the sky. It was clear and crisp outside which always makes for a great Autumn trip through space. I found Orion's Belt and just kind of sat there for a moment. At that point, I kind of just figured out that it is what it is....and what it is means that it's still great to be a Bulldog on a Saturday night.

Look, no one wants to lose and no one wants to lose to Vandy at Homecoming. Even Ray Goff didn't deserve it, but it happened. But let's think about it like this; if we were in the midst of a National Championship type season, wouldn't this have been much worse?

The Dawgs are where they are because we basically have no rallying point. Special K and myself have both made the same points in that this team has no unifying force to play for. There are no Davids, there's no D.J. There's basically no one to step up within the group and just say "we can do this and I'm going to take you there."

That's something that is missing for the first time in the CMR regime. Next year, I think we do fine. Next year, I think the offense has a leader. Next year, I think the defense has a leader. But right now, as PWD stated it so bluntly, we have no identity.

And, as a very good friend would say, I'm ok with that.

There are things we need to do before the MSU game. We are officially banged up on the O-line and we've lost Thomas Brown for the year (this is huge by the way). We're blowing assignments left and right in the secondary and our DE's are not playing up to their potential. Offensively, we're not moving the ball 4-10 yards at the time. We might move it 6+ yards every two-three plays, which is about as ineffective as it gets when you need 10 yards every 4 downs in order to create drives.

I think Willie Martinez's job is in jeopardy. I think right now he is in over his head. Guess what? It happens. It's a part of football. You find a system that works and when a cog in that system leaves (VanGorder) you try to duplicate it as best as possible. If you can't, then you have to replace the part that isn't functioning correctly.

These problems will be taken care of soon enough. These are tangibles that are irrelevant because they can be fixed easily.

It's the intangibles of leadership and heart that have really set us back this year. These things cannot be fixed easily and will take time and patience to work themselves out.

Understand that college football as a whole is really shaken up this year. I'm almost positive that a one-loss team will play for the title in January. I just don't see two teams taking it the distance from start to finish to give the BCS people a reason to breathe easy. I think this year will all break down to strength of schedule and who finishes strong. Hell, one of those teams could be UF, UT, or Auburn. Wrap your noodle around that for a minute.

We are in the midst of a down year. Shit happens.

The truth is, there's not much more to say than that. It sucks we lost to Vanderbilt, but we're still doing something really special in Athens right now that is going to make us the best team in the land within the next 2 years. Mark my words, we will have the team to beat sometime soon, and we will make the most of it.

It's time for us to pick our head back up and shake the hangover off (this is tough...trust me, I know). We, as a Dawg Nation, need to step everything up and still be jazzed about our team. There's still a LOT to play for.

It's time for us to stop being Offensive Coordinators and Defensive Coordinators.

We need to just be Dawgs.



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

The Dawgs have two seconds to get this ball into the endzone. Munson thinks that we are going to try some kind of trickeration and I agree.

"And at this moment, we have lost." -- Larry Munson

I believe Vandy is going to kick it short.

He does and Vandy wins.

FUCK.

Vandy has fought its heart out today, for sure. The Dawgs are not looking good at all.

The kicker lines up and is in the dead center of the field.

The Dawgs are going to make a block attempt at this...the snap...

He got it.

It appears as if the Dawgs are going to be in another "dogfight" when it comes to winning games, so I went ahead and blogged the first 10 minutes and am saving the rest for the last 5.

It should be noted that this game always scares the shit out of me.

Vandy's third possession:

Pressure is coming and no one can get the QB. He throws it and the ball pops up in the air but is not intercepted. Nixon gets off a great pass to the TE who gets ROCKED but holds on to the ball. Kelin Johnson threw the wood to him, but he holds on.

The QB, Nixon, goes deep on first down but throws it out of bounds. The combo of Earl Bennett and Chris Nixon is a good one. This team is not bad. An option goes no where which sets up a 3rd and short. It's 4 down territory so this isn't the last stand. Earl Bennett gets the pass and takes it to our 40 for the first.

Vandy is playing well right now and I don't know if we can stop them. Their kicking game is shaky from far out so we need stops here badly. We're still in 4 down territory. The first pass is bad and now it's second and long. Nixon scrambles and gets to the 35. Now, if we get a stop here, Vandy will probably kick it. WE HAVE TO STOP THEM HERE. Nixon squares up and throws to Bennett and HE DROPS THE PASS!!!!! He looked downfield before he looked the ball in.

Steve Martin is going for it on 4th down. HUGE PLAY HERE. The pass is caught by Sean Walker and gets leveled, but he holds on. Vandy is in FG range. This is looking really bad. Vandy gets another first.

They are well into FG range now and this looks very bad. VERY BAD.

My initial reaction is that our team is coming apart. UGA uses its second time out in case the kicker makes the FG (which I think he will). I just don't see us winning this game. I don't want to give up on the Dawgs, but we just don't look good right now.

Vandy runs it forward and it looks like they're playing for the FG. The TV is showing highlights of when Vandy beat the Dawgs here last 43-30.

We've got 53 seconds on the board which will give us the FG and time to try to get the ball in range to kick it.

We will not have the time to get the ball back. Vandy will give us maybe 1 second left to win this game after they kick the field goal.

There's a little bit of upliftment as the TV guys showed CMR at the break getting his team on a knee and firing them up.



UGA's first possession of the 4th:

Screen to Lumpkin sets up a good 15 yard gain. We're driving but we need 8 in order to get this game back in check. Momentum is somewhat on our side, but we're one bad play away from this getting out of hand.

Stafford is playing and he's doing a good job of managing an offense. Some passes aren't exactly where we need them to be but Lumpkin continues to make up for his fumble earlier in the 3rd Quarter. We're on the 11 with one yard for the first. We got the first, and we're in 4 down territory. It's time for the Dawgs to play like the Dawgs.

The first down is done. Lumpkin goes no where. With the way Vandy lined up, a PA pass would've been perfect there. Dawgs are spread 3 wide with Lumpkin out of the shotgun. MARTREZ DROPS THE FOR SURE TOUCHDOWN. If I'm CMR, I go to him again. Vandy is not going to cover him. Lumpkin gets to the 3 on the screen.

CMR is going to go for the points. He gets it and the Dawgs are down 21 - 16.



Vandy's first fouth quarter possession:

UGA doesn't give them great field position. Vandy starts on the 22 and the first play goes no where.

PICKED OFF PICKED OFF PICKED OFF!!!! TONY TAYLOR TAKES IT FOR THE SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!!! He read the route perfectly, stepped in front, and made the play!!!!

***It should be noted that my roomate called just before this and asked if the Dawg had his UGA scarf on. I said no, ran, got it, and put in on him. Then, we scored****

Dawgs need to go for 2. The play doesn't develop and Matt Stafford tries to scramble for the points. He doesn't get it and the Dawgs need to kick now.

UGA is back in the lead 22-21.


Vandy's second possession:

The kickoff goes into the endzone (I'm really impressed with how Andy Bailey has stepped up today) and the 'Dores take a knee. They begin on the 20 and after a couple of plays it becomes 3rd and short. Dawgs need a big stop here. FUMBLE FUMBLE!!!!!! It appears as if Vandy has the ball. Dawgs need to protect against the fake punt here.

Mikey is back deep and it's 4th and 2. We protect against the fake, and the PUNTER SHANKS IT RIGHT!!! We are going to start with GREAT field position deep into the Vandy territory at the 35. It's good to see Andy kicking well as we might have to go to him shortly.



UGA's second possession:

Stafford is back in the game as it appears that he has the hot hand today. He takes a shot and appears that it will be roughing the passer on Vandy. He was looking downfield on the play but it never materialized.

We need to get Kregg back in the game. Danny has had a couple of hand offs, but hasn't done anything with it so far. We're now into second down (we got an auto-first on an facemask to Stafford) and the Dawgs have Milner down. It doesn't look serious, but he is hurt and will have to come out. It looks to me as if he had the wind knocked out of him. Negative, he's limping. Who knows if it was a cramp, a twist, or a roll. Either way, he's not in right now.

A.J. Bryant drops an easy first down that put the Dawgs in 3rd and long. It could've been intercepted as well, but Stafford put it on the money. Ware gets the hand off on 3rd and it looks like Richt wants the points again. This is a good call here as it forces Vandy into a TD to get something going.

Bailey misses it wide left.

Shit.

We're not going there.

If you're just joining us, the UGA offense has been much of the same, while the Defense has looked fierce and pissed off. Chester Adams has gone down with a left ankle injury. He's heading to the back right now to get X-rays.



Vandy's third possession:

Starts at their own 20. There goes that athletic QB of Vandy that I was talking about. We give up on the pass very easily to a scrambling QB. That could hurt us in a critical situation. Moses stops a quick run. QM wants a big game so badly. It's not that he's playing under his potential, he just hasn't had the opportunities so far to make the impact. DAMN. Offsides gives Vandy 5. We're not killing ourselves on penalties and I like the GATA attitude, but we need to play smarter.

Vandy goes 3 and out and here comes the punt...Mikey made a good move and took it to the 24.



UGA's third possession:

Stafford's in the game. He throws a safe pass to Southerland to let him get settled a little. Damn that kid has an arm. He was rolling to his right and threw too strong of a pass to Demiko that couldn't connect. Vandy has decided to bring pressure probably because of Stafford being in and the Cheese being out. Time to punt again...

It's also worth noting how the announcers just made mention of how out-of-it the crowd is today. I think they're half right. Homecoming is never a rowdy game, but I know the Dawg Nation is zapped form last week.


Vandy's fourth possession:

A decent UGA punt brings the ball to the Vandy 30 where they will begin. A couple of not-worth-mentioning plays and we jump offsides again. I can hear the bugler playing in the background. Those old guys are always a blast. Damn offsides again. WHAT THE HELL...

The man-child Kade Weston makes a good play to kepe the pass from getting off. Weston is going to turn into a helluva player in time. Damn, another penalty, but this time not against us. This is a VERY sloppy contest so far. The crowd has woke up. C.J. Byrd jumps a good route to break up the pass.

Vandy punts...Good coverage drops Henderson immediately.


UGA's fourth possession:

More running the ball so far. They're measuring but there's no need. We've got it. After a pass that really showed how weak Joe T.'s arm can be, Southerland runs the ball with all heart. I'd hate to be a defender against that guy. Not since J.T. Wall have we had a fullback that dominates in that way.

Play action opens up the perfect TD strike to Martrez Milner who makes a soft catch. WHAT A GREAT PLAY ALL AROUND.

PAT is good and the Dawgs are up 10-0.

Some thoughts on that possession...The Dawgs looked good with their blocking and especially with some longer pass plays. Joe T. showed lack of arm strength on the pass to Mo Mass, but he showed maturity with the touch on the pass to Martrez.



Vandy's fifth possession:

Vandy gets a helluva return on the play and one of the sideline coaches gets LEVELED. That was funny and one big hit.

Vandy starts at the 49. Vandy has hit a couple of good plays (passes) which has driven the ball a good 20-25 yards. Safety blitz is coming and almost breaks up the double reverse, which got 5 yards. Vandy picks up another first and it looks like they are going to get at least some points out of this, but they're moving the ball at will right now.

And as soon as I type that, Vandy tosses a PRETTY pass to Earl Bennett (their stud) for a TD. We came apart on that drive. PAT is good.

UGA still leads 10-7, but the game is very different all of a sudden (you like my Munson impression?)



UGA's fifth possession:

The wind is still blowing pretty heavily and for the second time, it's been blown off the tee. Is it just me or do you want to see a Charlie Brown type move where the kicker completely misses the ball?

The ball is kicked into the wind over TB's head, but he takes it anyway and gets to the 15. As J@y Jones used to say "That just makes it look that much more impressive when we go 85 yards to score."

The No Huddle has come out as we try to get some points before the half . I just saw the old cheerleader Jen on the TV. She dated a friend of mine for a while and is one helluva girl. Hell, she even looks better than she used to. Damn I'm single.

TB gets a HELLUVA RUN to take it about 20 yards upfield. The offense suddenly doesn't look so impotent. We're wearing Vandy down 5-10 yards at the time. Munson is in full swing right now. Brown is running like a beast right now. Who knows if any other HBs will get carries today as long as he keeps running like this. A fan makes a good catch on a pass by Joe T. out of the tackle box. The O-line is getting a little disrupted here on two consecutive plays.

After the time out, the Dawgs are back in the huddle. We really need 7 here. We ran a good slant to Mo Mass to get the ball to the 4. WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED? I guess CMR just said "get the points" and let's get the ball back after the half.

Bailey's kick is good.

UGA's on top going into the half 13-7.

More to come, I'm going to go get lunch so i might miss the first couple of series, but I'll update when I get back.

But since a 3 days-from-going decision kept me at home this weekend, I thought it would be interesting to take a series by series account of what's going on. I didn't think this to be a good idea until I saw my roomate's laptop so I missed the first series of each team. Highlights so far include the Defense REALLY getting after it and the Offense producing no turnovers.

It should be

Since I'm getting a little bit of a late start, here it goes.

Vanderbilt's second possession:

A start on the Vandy 25 gives them pretty crappy field position but their athletic QB would scare me had our Defense not come out form the get-go looking so damn tough. This is the defense of the first half against Tennessee. I'm not sure anyone on the Georgia team is playing better all around than Tony Taylor. Holy shit, a holding call...the SECOND one of the day. I thought it was in the rulebook that holding UGA was ok.

Vandy punts. Damn Mikey, be careful with that ball.

UGA's second possession:

Starts at our own 40. O-line seems to be blocking well. TB and Kregg both had some holes to run through, but couldn't get past Vandy's LBs. Kregg picks up a good first down for us after using his vision to bounce it outside. If his pass protection would've held up last week, there's no doubt he would've started. JOE T. WITH A HUGE RUN A LA HERSCHEL WALKER!!! He flat out ran over that guy!!!!!!!

Another running play produces the fifth straight run in this series. It looks like we're finally going to that ground game to set up the rest of the playbook. Just a random thought here, but I really miss having that TE to go to in clutch situations. Martrez is so hot and cold that it makes it very tough to count on him on 3rd and long.

A.J. Bryant just caught a long pass, looks to be around 20 yards. He came back for the ball just like you would want him to. A.J. is another guy who is finally becoming what we wanted him to be.

Shit, someone just went down and it doesn't look good. Damn it's the Big Cheese Chester Adams. He is in some obvious pain. It's not coming across well enough on television to indicate what is wrong with him. Damn commercials.

According to Loran, they're working on the left ankle of the Cheese. That's NOT GOOD.

After a pass gets batted at the line, we have to kick for 3. It's good. Damn, I really wanted 7. I just saw some old school Georgettes on the TV, and when I say "old school" I mean "I know them." They still look good, which is nice.

Vandy's third series (I'll post at the quarter.):

The Cheese has gone to the back to get Xrays. He might be out for a while. Initially, I'd say there's no way he'd be back for Florida.

The kickoff puts Vandy at the 20 and runs down the quarter.

More to come....

It's been covered everywhere.

Some blame The Cherrishinski.

Some say poor field position backed the defense into a wall.

Most blame a poor game plan by Willie Martinez (no link there...too many people).

I blame lack of heart.

A co-worker (who is just as large of a Dawg fan) and myself were discussing what we think went wrong. Her and her husband both believe that it was the first time under Mark Richt that our team gave up.

I somewhat agree with that statement. Usually we are a 2nd half team and our team most of the time will find a way to win the game by adjusting throughout all 4 quarters.

This time, I don't think our team flat out gave up as much as I think they just got too deflated. It's almost broken-record-like how often I say that college football is a game won and lost by heart and heroes. You play to win the game because you want to win the game. Not because it is your job to do so. Danny Ware wanted to get in the game and get some carries against UT, but his paycheck will not be affected due to the fact that he didn't. Mainly because he doesn't get a paycheck at all.

Our team felt the momentum shift just before halftime. They looked slow and on cruise control. They were not the GATA Defense that we saw in the first half. The offense was exactly the same in the second half as it was in the first. It didn't execute as well, and the playcalling wasn't stellar, but it's not like it totally died.

Our desire to win the game crapped out. When we saw UT still being hungry, we got scared. We got f*cking scared. That shouldn't happen in football and it damn sure shouldn't happen to a UGA team, but it did.

So where do we go from here?

It starts within. The Dawg Nation is pissed and everyone is an Offensive/Defensive Coordinator right now. However, the Dawg Nation is not in the lockerroom and it can't fix what's going on. The players inside have to get their shit straight before they do anything else. This team needs to gel in a way that is hasn't yet. They have to trust each other.

Granted, they've got to execute on the fundamentals, but this team will not win until it believes it can. The team believed in the first half but it couldn't carry through. We've got to get hungry and get mean and we have to have to have to have to have to play with more heart.

We're going to have a long year if we don't.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

There's a long-winded post about what happened Saturday night, but I have a feeling I'm not going to post it until tomorrow at the earliest.

Let me make one thing clear: I'm not down on the Dawgs at all. What happened is very unfortunate, but those guys played with heart for 60 minutes. No one wanted to lose that game. It just happened due to MANY contributing factors.

Also, let me point out that we lost a very disappointing game to UT in 2004. We also beat Florida that year.

Anyway, for your YouTube.com viewing pleasure, here are the best two things about Saturday...

First, a video of Battle Hymn on Saturday morning at rehearsal (which is LEAGUES better than the one taken from the Dawg Walk that is circling the internet)



And the second, which is a video of the aforementioned Rooster Call that I posted about a few weeks back. Unfortunately, size constraints made me edit it, so for the rotund bald fella who said some stuff before I this recording begins, I apologize. Sometimes, these things happen.



Enjoy.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

First of all, please go check out RocketDawg58's new blog I Bleed Red and Black. He takes about the same stance I do on a lot of things; mainly in citing that our opinions are merely opinions and pretty much are based on nothing.

Now, on with the show.

I hated Georgia Tech for two straight days. I let that team fire my gut into a frenzy of raw emotion filled with bile.

I still hate Tech.

But I'm better now. SWEET.

I have to do a preview today instead of my usual Thursday because apparently corporate America thinks that I'm worthy to fly on their behalf. That's right kids, I've kept my foot out of my mouth long enough to take my first official business trip to the metropolis known as...

LAREDO, TEXAS!!!!!

What? No cheerleaders?

Yeah, I'm pumped about the opportunity, but the trip I'm not so stoked about. Laredo, TX is fine enough, but when they told me I was going to make a quick trip across the border into Mexico, things got a little uneasy around the pit of my stomach area.

No, I don't have a passport.

This will be interesting.

If I don't come back (which I will, it just might take a little while longer, but I can swim) then make sure someone buys my UT ticket for this weekend.

So, wish me luck. I get to fly 4 times and go to Mexico within a span of 30 hours. That kind of shit is WAY high up on my to-do list.

What to expect from the game:


When UGA has the ball:

1. Joe T. starting is a good thing for us. I think it's been proven that neither of the Freshman QBs can get it done yet and it's not a knock on them, it's more of a testament to how complicated running an offense can be. Couple that with it being a Mark Richt offense (which is more about passing efficiency than the big play in my opinion), and you've got a recipe for confusion due to audibles and checks. Joe T. is fucking smart. We won't have confusion as to what play to run. We just have to worry about his athletic ability to get the ball where it needs to be.

2. UT is going to stuff 8 in the box and dare us to throw it. They've seen the film and they know the running game's going to be what we go to first, especially to knock the rust off of the now-kinda-healthy-but-not-completely-ready QB. When you couple that with a less than stellar (but still good) O-line, you're looking at a not-very-productive running game. We've got to throw the ball to the RBs some in order to get them to respect the run. Hell, let's even toss a screen or two out there to get it going. My thought is we won't be very effective on the ground.


When UT has the ball:

1. Ainge is a pocket passer. This makes our DTs, DEs, and LBs very happy. If we can do what we're supposed to do and blitz the hell out of Ainge, we've got a good shot of not being carved up by a very good WR corps. However, if we play zone and sit back, then it's going to be a very long day. We need to let our DBs do what they do best and put a hat on them. UT's ground attack isn't the best ever, so let's put some pressure on Ainge and force him to screw up.

2. As covered earlier, the ground attack is not that great. I know Ole Miss got a bunch of yards, blah blah blah. That's not going to happen against UT I don't believe. I expect a much different performance in regards to this area of the game.


Special Teams:

1. UT is good and possibly better than last year. Good punter, solid kicker. Return-wise, they're not that great.

2. However, all the way around I believe we're better. Coutu still hasn't shown the cannon because honestly, we haven't needed him to. Ely-Kelso didn't look that hot against Ole Miss, but maybe he was having an off game. As far as blocking on KRs, PRs, Punts, etc. etc., understand that will not happen again. Period.

All in all, this is going to be a dog fight from start to finish. UT will not let us make it look easy like they have the past 3 of 4 years. It just isn't going to happen like that.

I'm honestly undecided as to what will happen. I'm just not feeling it from our team. They are not impressing me with what's coming out of their mouths. I still don't believe that THEY believe they can win. That's the most important factor in getting a "W" Saturday. If we feel like we have someing to prove, play with a chip on our shoulder, and hit someone in the mouth, then yeah, we've got a great shot. If we come out hoping to do our best; we're done before the whistle even blows.

It should make for one interesting game. My brain puts the Dawgs on a loss here (SORRY!), but my heart won't let me do it. No Geno this week. He's had three predictions and two bad games. Sorry man, but we'll see you after the season.

Predicted Score:
UGA -- 24
UT -- 20

Until next time kids.

Be safe (and Go Dawgs!).

So far today I've had 84 unique IP hits to the site. It's been amazing how since the beginning of the season, the traffic of this site has grown. Many thanks to PWD, The King, The Gunslingers, all the links to the right, and all the lurkers that have made me feel this whole thing has been worth doing.

Now that I've officially put on the tutu, it's time to take it off. This isn't the kind of post you want a pastor to read.

You've been warned....




I came across the Stingtalk board earlier through a link on Dawgbone.net and saw this pearl of fucking wisdom in response to an earlier, FRIENDLY post from a UGA fan who was COMPLIMENTING how Tech played earlier in the day...

I originally had this post's title planned as "I just don't know anymore" in reference to the phone calls I received asking what is happening to our beloved Dawgs.

The truth is both titles are appropriate but I decided "Frustration" was much more accurate.

Firstly, I don't find this to be a bad team. Our talent level on the offensive and defensive side of the ball would indicate this team to be able to compete with anyone in the SEC, much less the nation. If we played up to our talent level on a game-by-game basis, we would be at the top of most teams' "Don't want to play them" list.

Secondly, I DO find this team to be consistently playing down to the talent on the opposite side of the ball. If we feel we should win this game easily, then we play easy.

Bluntly put, I just think we're not playing with heart.

I have said time and time again that I admire college football for the pure fact that most of its participants will not make it to the NFL and they play for the love of playing the game. Heart is what turns young men into men and then takes those men and transforms them into heroes. Heart is what wins championships. Heart brings you from behind in the 4th Quarter. Heart is what you play with at home to give the Number 10 team in the nation a scare when no one expected you to even show up for the game.

Our team has no heart. Currently it has no rallying force. Last year we played for D.J. The year before we played for the Davids. The year before that, we played because no one expected us to.

This year, we play because it's on our schedule. With the current QB situation (I've always been a fan of Joe Cox, but there's no way he should've started that game), our team can't find a rallying force offensively. The three essential elements in running a successful offense are timing, rhythm, and trust. When you have a new QB every second series, you can't have any of those three. Kudos to Richt for figuring that out in the second half.

We need to pick a starter and stick with it unless the chips are completely down (I.E. Colorado). Let the team trust the guy who's taking the ball from the center. Let the team figure out that he WILL put the ball in their hands and all they have to do is catch/run it.

I know we have a ton to work out offensively. Dropped passes are killing us. They're worse this year than they have been in a long time. Mo Mass is our star and he isn't even starting. It's a damn shame when A.J. Bryant and Demiko Goodman are our two productive guys. Not that they're bad people, but they are deep in the WR depth chart. Hell, Kris Durham started tonight. HE STARTED and I don't even know if we got him the ball once.

We've got to get back to the ground game essentials. Mark Richt said he would open the playbook more and he tried, but we have just got to pound the ball more. Game ball without a doubt should go to Kregg Lumpkin who put the team on his back and rode it all the way to the win. His first down conversions kept us alive.

It's time for this team to get serious about playing football. It's extremely apparent that our defense is ready to shine and is quite tired of being what wins us games. They want to go out and play; not keep us from getting in a tougher situation. I can't imagine the pressure they face on a series by series basis when they see the offense struggling. The whole situation is circular and one problem is breeding others. There's only a matter of time before the wheels come off.

That being said, I believe this team is on the way up. UT next week will provide an emotional boost for us. The fans will be into the game and that will put our team into the game. You can imagine that UT will come to Athens expecting to win after their performance today.

Our team needs to put the newspaper down and log off the internet. We need to get back to the basics of blocking downfield, opening holes, and catching the ball. We are a tiered offense that is very stagnant right now. It is time to get back to basics. Offensively we're bad. Defensively we're great (I loved the blitzes tonight).

I'm not ready to give up on the Dawgs and I never will be. Remember, we were very high on this team through three games. There is no sense in getting down on them for two bad ones (which are still WINS). We're still undefeated heading into the meat of our SEC schedule.

October will be a "fun" month for UGA football. Now's the time to step the game up.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.