Sorry for the lack of posting earlier today. It’s been a hectic week so far with me coming back to work after 2 days off for the WLOCP. I haven’t had much time to write due to all the catching up, so here’s a quick look as to what’s going on right now.

Recruiting wise, the Dawgs picked up two huge targets today in Dontavious Jackson (D. Jax) as well as Sanders Commings. D. Jax is a big RB get for us and pretty much locks up the next few years at the position. This gives us 1 So., 1 R. Fr., and 2 True Freshman at the position for next season. I know that Knowshon is a very capable playmaker, but I'm very nervous about our depth. Hopefully, the commitment of D. Jax today will give us a solid backup.

I'll be honest, I know Sanders Commings is a special kid, but I haven't done a ton of research on him. I think UGA has him projected as a safety or some type of secondary player. I think it's possible for him to be a LB, but not likely. I could be completely wrong, though.

Either way, both of these kids are great athletes and can help us. This is shaping up to be one fine recruiting class.


Now, let’s take a look at what’s going on around the Blogosphere:

• First of all, if you’re not reading Get the Picture, you’re missing out. Ally gave me a heads up about Senator Blutarsky not too long ago and he is quickly becoming one of my "must reads" every day. He's usually one of the first to break news and for required reading, you have to check out his posts earlier this week about the TD celebration. Let's just say UF has no room to talk.
• PWD has taken a look at the 2008 Defense. It's a solid read, but personally I disagree with his position on the DEs. Yes, we have upgrades in size and experience, but we still lack that Quentin Moses, Charles Johnson, or David Pollack type DE. Yes, those guys were special players, and are diamonds in the rough at best, but I just don't see us causing a lot of chaos for QBs next year and that troubles me.
• I'm a little late on this one, but Doug's view on the win over Florida is a good read as well. It's basically the "grab your balls and get over it, Gators" approach that everyone wants people to say, but can't because it's not PC enough.
• Finally, Dawgs Online has a plethora of great reads. The most recent one with the stadium shot of an empty Florida section and a full Georgia section is a great pic. Past that however, he's got a great review of the Florida game as well. There's no need in posting up links to separate posts; just click over when you have some time to spare and read them all. They're worth it.

OL, well that does it for me. There should be a game preview late tomorrow night or early on Friday regarding the Troy game. I don't think I'll be going, but there's always an outside shot. I'd need a cheap ticket and a place to crash in order to make it happen, and neither of those exist yet, so we'll see.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, The Blogosphere, UGA Football

Well, we beat Florida. Great. Seriously, it's great. But it's also time to put the whole thing to rest and get ready for Troy. I did want to pay one last homage to what really won the game on Saturday...

Superstition.

You see, I'm a creature of habit and superstitious reinforcement. If I do something and it translates to great play on the field, then I must do it again until it fails. It is what it is.

So, without further ado, let's get to the list:



The Ten Things That Changed This Past Saturday:

10. Breakfast must be cooked and I must take a nap afterwards – The breakfast thing has been done before and I took a nap last year, but the two have never been combined. There’s something inherently awesome about setting up a tailgate before the crack of dawn, grilling some pancakes and sausage on a griddle, and then taking a nice 2 hour nap afterwards. Simply put, you could say it “rocked my f*cking face off.” Especially after the 05:00 bedtime and the 05:30 wake up call from the night/morning before.

9. Must stay relatively sober – The main thing that separated this Florida trip from the others is that I stayed sober the entire time…and by choice as well. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t feel the need to really tear it up at all this past weekend. What I got in return was the opportunity to enjoy a victory in a clear state of mind. Against any 1-AA Girls’ School for the Blind’s JV Squad I’d be pissed, but against Florida, a sober victory is one to remember.

8. Gameday boxers? A non-factor – Yes, it was opposite day indeed as not only did I not wear my coveted Dawg Tags or my usual Gameday shirt, but the lucky boxers stayed behind in the hotel room. Actually, it might be a good time to retire them altogether. They’ve held up well over the years, but…well, yeah. You get the point.

7. I must sing karaoke on Friday – I hate karaoke too, but the renditions of Lump, Nothing but a “G” Thang, and Living on a Prayer must’ve done the trick to fire up the Dawgs for the game. Besides, I rock the mic like a vandal.

6. No going to The Landing – I hate that place anyway. After years and years of going while I was in college all the way until last year, I just didn’t want to anymore. If I can’t go and get a beer when I want one, or use the bathroom when I want to, then it’s not the place I need to be anyway.

5. I must eat at The Sunbury Crab Co. – Again, another tradition that just started this year, but the food is so good that it’s got to stick around. It is what it is.

4. I have to go down to Jacksonville on Thursday – Even though I went down on Friday in 2004, this new tradition has to stay because it makes the trip so much longer. Also, I’d like to have the extra day of vacation. So sue me.

3. The Dawg Tags can’t beat the Gators – I’m not sure if I’ve talked at length about the Dawg Tags here, but they are basically some fake dog tags I had made at the Smithsonian for about $10 when I was in high school. I took them to college with me where they became “Dawg Tags” and the reasoning is “you have to wear your Dawg Tags when you go to war.” Either way, they were in my right pocket throughout the game because they haven’t had any success so far against Florida while around my neck (they were in the pocket in 2004, too).

2. A shirt was retired – My roommate gave me one of those Nike Dri Fit shirts for Christmas in 2005 for me to wear during the Sugar Bowl. It’s been a great shirt, but its record is not that awesome in the 2+ years I’ve worn it. The last time we beat Florida, I bought a new polo in Jacksonville the weekend of the game. I copied the same formula this year and we walked out with a win.

1. I have to keep picking us to lose...even if I don't believe it – I know that losses will happen and I don’t expect us to rattle off a streak of 10 wins (though it’d be nice), but for the first time I can remember I actually picked against UGA and was proven oh-so-blatantly-f*cking wrong. There's nothing wrong with being wrong if your heart is in the right place. Follow me?



Ok, so there you have it. Time to put the past in the past and only bring it up when you see a Florida fan. Until then, tuck it away in a nice safe place for the offseason. It's time to take down the boys of Troy.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, I hate Florida, The List, UGA Football

There's a lot to write about, so let's just get right to it OK?



What the Stats Say:

That we won. Honestly, there's no more interesting stat than that one. 42 -- 30. That's all you need to know right now.



The Pros:

1) Knowshon Moreno -- Seriously, this kid is electric. Watching him create gets our team jacked up to a level that I haven't seen since Pollack was creating havoc in opposing teams' backfields. He just might be the most impressive offensive player we've had since the Garrison Hearst days and I'll take his heart and enthusiasm any day of the week.

2) The entire O-line -- These boys stood up all game and hit people in the mouth for fun. They created holes, kept the sacks to an absolute minimum against a decent defense (1 for 10 yards), and gave Stafford enough time to step into his throws and complete some beautiful passes. Stacy Searels needs a raise. Like right now. Also, props to Trinton Sturdivant who showed some particularly good moves during his 1st quarter endzone dance.

3) The entire WR corps -- These guys had very few (if any) dropped passes that were blatantly catchable and, most importantly to me, blocked extremely well on the outside to set up the running game. Mo Mass deserves special praise for his run-blocking efforts as well as turning on the jets and making a beautiful catch in stride for the longest score since 2003 (thanks for the stat, Ally!).

4) The entire LB corps -- Aside from some whiffs trying to tackle Percy Harvin (more on this later), they played quite the solid game. Dannell Ellerbe is playing lights out and Rennie Curran had his best game to date. Curran is shaping up to be the ballhawk that we're hearing so much about and his future looks very bright. Here's a decent stat: Our three starting LBs were Ellerbe, Washington, and Curran. Those guys were also three of the top four leading tacklers for this game. Huge difference from previous contests.

5) The entire D-line -- We got production out of every one of the guys up front. Their job was to create chaos and did they ever. Going into this game, Florida only had five sacks on the WHOLE YEAR. On Saturday, we recorded six. That is "chaos" in every sense of the word. This young group, who is very undersized in certain areas, played bigger than themselves this past weekend.


Why yes, Mr. Tebow. My favorite 3 Doors Down song is indeed "Kryptonite."

6) The entire Coaching Staff -- From Mark Richt's endzone call, to smiling and having fun on the sidelines, he was the catalyst that started the whole thing rolling. It rolled right downhill, though as Willie Martinez took pages out of LSU's and Auburn's playbooks and brought some of the most complex and beautiful blitz packages I've ever seen. We've already touched on the job Stacy Searels has done. Not much more to say other than this was the best coaching effort I've seen out of this group to date.

7) The heart, will, determination, and rage of this team -- We had fun, got pissed off, hit people in the mouth, kicked them when they were down, didn't give up every time Florida scored, didn't give up when we briefly surrendered the lead, and knew that even if we lost, it wasn't going to be because we didn't try. I enjoyed this win even more than I did the 2004 LSU victory in the game I deem as "The Perfect Game." There's no doubt I will enjoy this past Saturday for the next 364 days.



The Cons:

1) The Refs -- Man, what a horribly called game. The bogus illegal procedure call to negate Sean Bailey's 40 yard reception was bullshit and killed a drive that could've put this game away earlier. Also you had Matthew Stafford's "well, it wasn't offsides, but the hit was dirty" personal foul which was only caused because the refs wouldn't blow the whistle to indicate the play was over. In defense of the Florida player (yes, I just said that), Stafford was clearly down, but you're not supposed to stop until you hear the whistle. Had Stafford gotten hurt, it'd be on the refs' heads, not the kid that hit him. Then, you could go on and on about the unsportsmanlike conduct and facemask penalties that were excessive to an ungodly degree. All in all it's like they were literally punishing us for running onto their field after that first score. I hope we never get this crew again. Period. They were atrocious.

2) Tackling -- We whiffed a few times due to over pursuit, but we did have a much better effort in this area than games past, which is a bright spot I guess. Still, the tackling we saw on Saturday is not going to cut it against Troy, Kentucky, and Auburn which are teams capable of being just as offensively electric as Florida. We need to learn to stay at home more and not get caught so flat-footed.

3) The Secondary -- Not a solid effort from these guys. If I had to single a couple of guys out, Prince Miller and Reshad Jones did not have good days defending the pass, even though Reshad proved to be excellent in stopping their running game by being the second leading tackler of the contest. The guys that were open were so blatantly even-I-could-make-that-throw open that we never had a chance to make a play on the ball.

4) Tim Tebow excuses -- I really like Verne Lundquist. I think he's hilarious and his "boom goes the dynamite" reference was classic, even though I think I'm the only one that caught it. However, if I had to hear Uncle Verne talk one more time about Tebow's shoulder, I was going to go inside the stadium and jack his shit up. Look, to all you Florida fans that say he was hurt and couldn't play 100%, shut your mouth. If he was so damn hurt, he would've been benched. If you're playing, you're playing regardless of your percentage. I'm tired of the excuses. You lost, so take a page from us and realize that it happens, and move on. There's always next year. To steal the quote from Doug, "Yeah, I know Tim Tebow was banged up. But Tim Tebow doesn't play defense."

5) The hype around this win -- You heard it here first; the emotion you saw on Saturday is a thing of the past and will not be recreated against Troy. You just can't do it two weeks in a row. Hopefully our players will not read the paper, talk to their mom, listen to their girlfriends, or anything like that for an entire week. If they do, then Troy could be a very dangerous trap game for a team that just found out how good they really can be. I'm already very nervous about Homecoming.



Overall:

It was an outstanding effort from a team that everyone considered a lost cause going into this game. PWD, Doug, and myself felt that a loss was more probable, but we wouldn't be surprised if a win happened either.

The best news is that we gave a RB the ball 33 times and he proved up to the task. One of the big question marks every year is whether or not we have a feature back that is ready to tote the rock consistently and we now have an answer to that riddle. Going along with that, he also just might be the emotional spark we need to elevate us to the next level.

My dad and I spoke after the game and we both agreed that a win like this could get this team and program believing that anything is possible. I'm not sure we've cured the Florida jinx, but with all the young talent on this team we will have players around for the next 3-4 years who will know what it's like to beat Florida. They can keep the new guys coming in loose and have this go back to being a rivalry for Florida and just a game for us instead of the other way around. Experience like that is invaluable to a club with National Title expectations for the next two years. It damn sure would've been nice to have a player on that 2002 squad who knew what it was like to beat Florida, right?



Extra Points:

• After writing a solid article on Georgia before the Florida game, Terrence Moore went back to being a dumbass with his latest effort. I won't even waste my breath, but a reader on Kyle's site took aim and honestly did a much better job than I ever could. It's definitely a great read and the classy response that I wouldn't have been able to give.
• Lou Holtz blasted CMR's decision for the TD celebration saying that it was "classless." Then he went on to say that Mark Richt was one of the classiest and best coaches in the country. Finally he was quoted as saying "The Ethh E. Thee ithh the bethh conferenthh in the nathan." If only we knew what the hell he was saying...

"Thhon, don't do thithh! Win with clathh!"

Well, that's all I got for right now. Should be a busy week scouting Troy and seeing how our players respond to the hype that will inevitably surround them. Let's hope we can cash in on this momentum and carry it to the next game, and the one after that, and the one after that, and the one after that. If we can, then we MIGHT just be in Atlanta in December. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, OK?

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, Game Recaps, I hate Florida, UGA Football

Nevermind that I picked the Dawgs to lose.

Nevermind that I picked the Dawgs to lose by 17.





I was proved wrong.

I'll post my "official" recap tomorrow evening sometime after I get a little bit more time to digest the win, take a look at the stats, and form a less biased opinion on what I saw. However, there are some things that need to be mentioned right here and now:

1) The swagger is back -- The Defense showed up ready to punch someone in the mouth and did not disappoint me at all. We still have some tackling issues, but all in all, you couldn't have asked for a better effort. One name that sticks out is Rennie Curran, who showed how much of a man he really can be.

2) Knowshon is ready to be the feature back -- The fact that we didn't have to rip the redshirt off of Caleb King proves that Kno-Mo is ready to carry the load and carry it well. He was absolutely stunning all night long and stepped up his game on a national stage. This kid might be the heart and soul of this team and if we're lucky we can keep him for 3 more years.

3) No excuses for Florida -- My main gripe here is them talking about Tebow being hurt. I consider a player "hurt" when he isn't playing. It was Urban's call to play him and therefore, there can be no excuses for the Gators. If they want to count this as a non-victory because Tebow wasn't 100%, then we can count 2005 as a victory because D.J. was hurt.

4) We can't read anything until Troy -- Go ahead and lock the players up in a room now. Don't let them have any contact with the outside world. If they do, then we will have a bad showing this upcoming weekend. Since it is not my intention to suck it up after such a marquee win, we need to make sure our players don't believe their own hype.

5) I picked Florida to win by design -- This weekend, I bought a new shirt, intentionally didn't go to the game, and purposely picked them to win just to throw the universe back in working order. Did I expect to win? Kind of and not really at the same time. It felt like an upset was possible since about Wednesday, but I didn't want to say anything in fear of a jinx. I know one thing, I was f*cking fed up with losing and am very VERY VERY glad to say....I was wrong.



More tomorrow evening.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, I hate Florida, UGA Football

The Red and Black is reporting that Takais Brown has been dismissed from the team. Not much to comment on about this other than saying that it sucks.

We were going to miss a lot of him anyway this year due to the attendance policy violations, but losing him altogether is a pretty big downer.

Let's hope Reshad Singleton can get his sh*t together pretty quickly.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: Damn It, Men's Basketball

Well it's raining cats and dogs down here right now. We got in yesterday about 4:00 PM and then went to the Sunbury Crab Co. in Sunbury, GA to get something to eat.

If I may, let me suggest to you Dawg fans in those condominiums the Sunbury Crab Co. I went to college and am really good friends with the guy whose parents own the place and it's unique to say the least. The food is excellent, adequately priced, it's a very casual dining atmosphere, and it will rock your face off. For you seafood lovers, the blue crab is caught daily and I hear the crab cakes are knock-your-socks-off good. I don't eat seafood, so I wouldn't know. Sorry for the digression, but if you're in the area, it's worth checking out.

Anyway, just wanted to check in and let you folks know what else is going on around here other than football madness.

• It looks as if the game is inching closer and closer to being a rainy one. If you're traveling and still looking for tickets, you should be able to find them relatively cheap because I don't think many people want to sit out in the rain for this matchup.
• The hotel we stay in is usually packed with Dawg people, but so far there hasn't been much of that going on. That should change later on today as people stroll in, but the lady at the front desk told us there were tons of cancellations. The good news is there are still a lot of people who are filling those spots and they are still "sold out." Hopefully, those on the waiting list are Dawg people.
• My guess is that the die-hard fans show up and give it their all, but the bandwagon folks are probably going to fall off somewhere around the state line and not make the trip.
• From what I read (I'd link it up, but it's EVERYWHERE now), it looks like Caleb King will probably play on Saturday. I raised the question on PWD's blog about whether or not that had something to do with his ability as a special player, or our lack of confidence in Shaun C. or Jason J.'s ability to fill the backup role. It's looking more towards the latter rather than the former.
• Doug Gillett has reworked his initial prediction about the Dawgs vs. Gators, but the outcome is about the same. Either way, it's still a great read and worth checking out.

Alright, that's all I've got. I hope you guys enjoy the rest of the weekend. Depending on how we play, I might update Saturday after the game, but I'll pretty much be out of pocket until Sunday.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, I hate Florida, UGA Football

Editor’s Note: This is a damn long post. It should be called “TMI: UGA vs. UF,” so brace yourselves.

It’s a short “Hate Week 2007 Part I” due to travel for most people, so I wanted to go ahead and have the preview up in enough time since I will be traveling starting Wednesday night. This will be my first year in getting to Jacksonville before Friday (we’ll be down there Thursday AM), and to say that I’m pumped would be a huge understatement. I’ve been looking forward to this game for a full 365 days and it has only gotten worse since Florida won the Nat’l Championship earlier this year.

Before you read any farther, I want to make sure that everyone understands that this game is not about X’s and O’s. This game is more about heart, will, and determination to win. That’s what it’s going to take to beat Florida on Saturday, so if you think I didn’t “analyze” the game that much in this preview, then you’d be correct. I don’t anticipate a lot of strategy in this one, but more what we need to do to get the mental edge to win.

So let’s get to it.



When Florida has the ball:

Every time Mark Richt speaks to the media, he throws out this stat: “Tim Tebow accounts for nearly 75% of Florida’s offense when you combine rushing and passing.” We’ll call that “interesting” as well as “not a surprise.” To say that we need to stop him from running, passing, and even existing on that field would be the understatement of the year. The key to winning this game? Keep Tebow on the sidelines, however possible.

The spread offense is one that works based on timing and options. The QB’s check-downs are not necessarily the same types that a normal QB would have. Tebow will fake a run and then look for his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd options as opposed to normal pocket QB’s who run after nothing comes available. We also have to guard against the option because Florida has the speed to get the ball to the outside and take it for a huge gain.

One thing I have noticed about Tebow is that he’s not very comfortable in tucking the ball and running once a play breaks down. You may think I’m crazy, but take a second and think about it. We all see him run a lot, but those are by design. When do you ever see Tebow look around, realize he has nothing, and then run the ball up the gut? From what I remember, this rarely happens, and to me, that is the key to beating Florida.

We have to confuse their offense. I don’t care if we have to put a stick of dynamite in Jeff Owen’s ass, but we have got to blow up the line of scrimmage and cause some chaos. Throw off the timing, force a turnover or two to hurt their confidence, and flat out hit someone directly in the mouth. I want UGA to play mean. Pissed-off-mean. Florida doesn’t need to know our players’ names. They need only to have enough time to see the numbers before they get hit. We win this game if Tebow says “I might as well hand it off to #33 because he’s already in the backfield on every play,” or if Harvin says “I ain’t going across the middle anymore. #30 is questioning my manhood.”

We’ve got to get physical in this game. Yes, I would love to get pressure on Tebow, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the right answer to winning this one. We need to disrupt the timing a little bit, but the main key is when Tebow has to improvise, we make sure his safety valves are not there. On the field, we win this game at the line of scrimmage and with the cornerbacks. Off the field, we win this game when we stall Florida’s offense and then keep them off the field. We must hit them hard, hit them often, and show that we’re bigger, faster, and stronger. If we win that battle, we win the game, regardless of how our offense plays.



When UGA has the ball:

Senator Blutarsky nailed it when he said that in this game, the best defense is a good offense. We have got to keep drives going, even in situations where we’re not given top-notch field positions. We need to bleed as much time off the clock as possible, score some points, and then on the next possession, get a 3-and-out. If we can do that 60% of the time, we win this game convincingly.

From watching the Florida/UK game, I noticed that UK had ample opportunities to burn Florida deep and they would have, had the ball been thrown to the right spot. If Stafford can stay accurate, our deep shots WILL work and it will soften up Florida’s defense in regards to the running game.

Speaking of the running game, the spotlight is on Knowshon and I think he will perform just fine. Jason Johnson is healthy and will provide a solid backup for when Kno-Mo needs a break after he hopefully busts one for about 60 yards or so. Our running game will be crucial to the clock control strategy, but don’t expect it to keep the chains moving for us. Florida is going to know that we will rely heavily on our ability to run the ball, so expect them to dare us to pass. It’s up to us to actually call them on that dare.

An aggressive attitude is what we’ll need in order to beat these guys. We have to have balls in our brains a la Les Miles and just go for the homerun. If Florida knows we’re in this game to score as many points as possible and walk out with a win, they will be a facing an attitude that UGA hasn’t had in years. That right there might stun the Gator defense enough for us to put some points on the board.



Special Teams:

Coutu has been hit or miss lately, but I still trust the guy with the game on the line. He has the leg strength and accuracy to nail a clutch kick, should we encounter one before halftime or before the end of the game. I trust him and I trust his protection to get the ball up and through the uprights should we need him to.

Brian Mimbs continues to impress me in the punting game. Again, that really makes me feel good about Drew Butler and his future in the program. I can’t wait for the impending competition next year after Butler gets some time in the weight room. As it pertains to the present, you couldn’t ask much more of Mimbs, who has done a fine job of kicking the ball this year. Even if some of our drives stall, I trust him to get the ball a good 40+ yards out and hopefully kick out of bounds to protect our sometimes questionable coverage.

In regards to returns, I’m confident in Asher Allen’s ability to gain solid yardage on kickoffs. While he’s not going to have the fanciest of runs, I do believe he can consistently get us to around the 30 or 35. Mikey Henderson should be ready to go, but I doubt that Florida will even give him the chance. UF’s special teams do not give up hardly any yardage at all in regards to punts, so if we can force them to punt at all, don’t expect a game-changing return. My own preference would be to get Mikey back in the kickoff spot so he can use his talent, but I understand the logistics between a punt and kick return are different and he has not had enough time to learn the position. Therefore, expect to see a lot of Asher on special teams, but very little of Mikey.

Return-wise for Florida, they are dangerous, but not scary. We should be able to contain them should we stick to our lanes and not try to get tricky. If we play fundamentally sound here, I believe it will be a non-factor.



The Intangibles:

Attitude is everything in this series. Florida has gone into this game for the past 17 years expecting to win and have only come out twice with a loss. That’s a huge stat that looms over our head every single time we meet in Jacksonville. Don’t kid yourself about things that don’t matter like playing in Florida, Florida recruiting a touch more solidly, or even the fact that they look better on paper. This game is all about who is expecting to win and who has a little bit of doubt in the back of their minds.

Speaking of doubt, don’t expect much from our fans. As a contingent, we go to Jacksonville more to get a quick vacation and hang out with friends than we do expecting to win a football game. Yeah, go ahead and hate me for it, but check and see what ticket prices are on Saturday and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I hope I’m terribly wrong about this, but I fully expect the fans to dump the Dawgs early should they fall behind. So it’s up to our team to win for themselves.

No offense to Ching, but I’m tired of the media hype around this game. I’m absolutely sick of it. Every year I see our players sit down and say that they’re focused, ready to play, and how they’re approaching this game like they approach every other game. It’s driving me crazy to read sh*t like that over and over again when I know that 1) it’s not true and 2) even if it was, it shouldn’t be. Our players need to approach this game as if their life is on the line. We need to get this “I hope we don’t lose” mentality out of the back of our minds and start playing like our brain is on fire.

This doesn’t just come from the players. It needs to come from the coaches too. That’s fine if Mark Richt wants to go in front of the cameras and say “this is a game of streaks and yes, they’re a rival, but we’re approaching it like we approach any other game.” I’m OK with him saying that. What I’m not OK with is if he believes it. I want all the coaches, CMR included, to adopt the Alabama mentality and keep our players caged up for a week. Keep them from seeing their girlfriends and invoke a curfew. Sacrifice a baby lizard if you need to, just to get the mentality correct. I’m excited about the future of this program, but I’m absolutely f*cking tired of the Florida mentality.

I’m not picking UGA to win this game. I feel as good about our chances as I have since 2005 BEFORE D.J. was hurt, but I’m not going to say that we’re going to win. I do it every year and we end up losing.

So this year, the Gators will walk into Jacksonville playing to win and we will stumble into Jacksonville playing not to lose. You can throw whatever stat out there that makes you feel better, but if we do what we’ve been doing, we’ll lose this game and we’ll lose it big. Mark it down; the ONLY way we win this game is if we show we have the drive, desire, and heart to do so. We get that under control and everything else will fall into place. Still, I’m picking the Gators on this one.

I’m BEGGING to be proved wrong.

Florida: 37
UGA: 20



Until next time kids.

Be safe (and GO DAWGS!).

Labels: College Football, Damn It, Game Previews, I hate Florida, UGA Football

The Great Senator Blutarsky posted up some really cool Red Zone statistics regarding how well UGA has turned one of our worst offensive categories into what is essentially our best this year.
However, I still feel like the offense is stagnant in lots of areas, so I wanted to do some research about what our drive:score ratio was. Turns out I think I found the reason why we are getting so frustrated lately. Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.


Total Offensive Statistics:
24 Touchdowns
10 Field Goals
84 total offensive drives


Percentages:
40.5% of our drives result in points scored
28.5% of our drives result in touchdowns
12% of our drives result in field goals
13% of our points scored on drives have come outside the 20 yard line



So what does this say? Well, since Senator Blutarsky was cool enough to provide us with some pretty impressive Red Zone stats, then I'd say the stats tell us we're not completing drives like we should. 17 of our 24 TD's and 6 of our 10 FG's all have come within the 20 yard line. So that leaves 7 TD's and 4 FG's that have come outside the 20 yard line.

Break it down a little further and it basically boils down to this:

Out of 10 drives we get 4 scores and have 6 times where we give it back to the defense. Remember, it's ok to punt the ball SOMETIME but not more than you score.

I hope the numbers are making sense to all of you out there in "Blog Reader Land,"because I've thought and re-thought about what exactly I'm saying, but in my own twisted mind it basically says that we're not capable of driving the ball down the field consistently. Yes our Red Zone Offense has improved greatly, but with as little field goals as we have, we're not even crossing the 40 yard line in most cases since Coutu is pretty much solid from 30 yards and closer.

Going right along with that, if we're not crossing the 4o or 50 yard line into opposing team's territory, then what types of positions are we putting our Defense in when we have to punt? Last year we didn't give ourselves much of a chance to succeed by always forcing the Defense's backs against the wall. We need to drive deeper into our rival's territory so that if we do punt, it forces our opponents to drive 80+ yards.

In the context of "what this means right now," it says our ability to drive the field is a key in winning against Florida. We have to keep the Gator Offense off the field and wear out their Defense in order to have a fighting chance. Early key to the game: clock management.

Simply put with all the statistics above, if we can't reverse that ratio and score 6 out of every 10 times, we're in trouble. We need longer, more sustained drives and we have to score more than punt. With only 12-13 offensive drives per game, we need to make the most out of every one of them.

Thoughts? Disagreements? I could be completely wrong, but this is what the stats tell me.



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, UGA Football

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how UGA is going to get killed by UF this coming Saturday. No one is really giving us much of a chance, and to be honest, I can’t blame them at all. Florida has shown to be much more consistent offensively and have been a touch better than UGA defensively all year.

That being said, today’s list is not about winning or losing. Regardless of what happens in Alltel Stadium, it will still be great to be a Georgia Bulldog. Here’s why:



The Ten Reasons to Keep Your Chin Up on Sunday, Regardless of What Happens Saturday:

10. Red and Black is unique. Orange and Blue is overdone. – Seriously, what is it with college football teams thinking that Orange and Blue are the way to go? Florida, Auburn, Illinois, Syracuse, etc. all use these in one form or another. It’s a horrible color combination any way you spin it, whereas Red and Black will fit nearly any situation at any time. Red and Black says “I’m ready for a black tie event, a night out on the town, or a pickup game of flag football.” Orange and Blue says “I’m replacing the alternator on my Trans Am today.”

9. Our girls are better. It’s scientifically proven. – What do men love about college campuses? Co-eds. Kirk Herbstreit, resident ESPN scientist and magnet for hot women, confirmed that UGA dominates Florida in this category. Remember, you can fix problems in regards to how your football team plays, but there are no halftime adjustments for “ugly.”

8. Ray Goff is better than Ron Zook. – Win/loss records aside, I would much rather have Ray Goff dropping “futbawl nahlege” on me than Ron Zook telling me how to run a team. Besides, which is more beneficial to America right now; Zaxby’s or Illini Football? I rest my case.

7. Everyone loves Uga. – You know your mascot kicks other mascots’ a$$es when he’s featured in a movie, on the cover of SI, attends a Heisman ceremony, and people disregard their collegiate affiliation just to take a picture with him. Uga owns Albert’s soul, and he’s not letting go of it anytime soon.

6. We still lead the all-time series. – UF may have pwned our asses lately, but overall, we’re still the top Dawg. The gap is closing fast, though, so we need to get our shit together soon if we’re going to keep that lead.

5. Most of us get to go home to Georgia. – Look, it ain’t all perfect here in the Peach State, but we have a little bit of everything. From mountains to beaches and big cities to small towns, Georgia has got you covered as far as geography goes. Florida has…sand and palm trees. Lots of both actually. Our water tastes better, too. That is when we actually have water to drink.

4. “We are the boys.” – Yeah, I don’t get it. Everyone has their 4th quarter tradition that is special to them. Florida is no exception. I’m quite fond of UGA’s Krypton (some call it “Superman”) and the whole 4’s in the air thing. However, Florida wants to play a total downer of a song and then hug each other and rock side to side. Albeit sweet (and kind of cool to see from a distance), it’s a little too lovey-dovey for me…or college football in general.

3. Our band is better. – Leave it to the band geek to bring this up, but the Redcoats don’t need to be the pride of anything. They’re the f*cking Redcoats man. They party, get kisses on their cheeks, wear sunglasses when they march, they won of the Suddler Award for basically being the best d@mn band in the land, etc. Florida is the Pride of the Sunshine Marching Band. Fabulous…

2. No matter what happens, we’ll use the motivation from the game to beat Tech. – If we lose, we’ll attack them relentlessly in an effort to get our pride back. If we win, we’ll springboard towards the rest of the year with the sole purpose of finishing strong with *hopefully* a trip to the GA Dome.

1. Regardless of how impressively we win or how badly we get beat, we have the best coach in the nation leading this team. -- Sorry if you disagree, but if you do, then Tennessee's bandwagon is lacking. You can go jump on that one.


Alright, there's your list for this week. Sorry if it seems rushed, but I'm exhausted and didn't have the time to make it all fancy and stuff. Offensive stats come tomorrow and a preview should be up no later than Thursday.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, I hate Florida, The List, UGA Football

Welcome to one of the two greatest weeks in college football! It’s "Hate Week 2007 Part I" and we’ll be unleashing biased, fact less, and tactless jabs at our rivals, The University of Florida!

First, let’s identify our enemy:








Now that you’ve got a basic understanding of what they look like, let’s take it to the next level. Why do we hate them? Well, it’s quite simple of course.

1. We can’t seem to beat them even when it’s fairly obvious that we could throttle their asses right into the turf (see: 2002).
2. Jean shorts. Like synthesizers, spandex, and Michael Jackson, some things worked in the 80's that no longer have any relevance today. Jean shorts are one of those things.

Like every cult, there is a leader. Florida calls this leader "Urban Meyer." We call him "Cousin of Michael Dukakis."

They have an offensive system called "The Spread." The crack team here at The Dawg-gone Blog (now at www.dawggoneblog.com!) have broken down this offensive system with a little help from EDSBS and Mr2Cents' Offensive Decision Maker. Educate yourself fool!




So there you have it. Your basic understanding of the enemy that includes what they look like, who their leader is, and how they do what they do. Tomorrow, "The List: Hate Week Part I" edition!


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, I hate Florida

Welcome to the next step.

I finally did something that I've been talking about doing for quite some time. Last Sunday I spent all of $30 and bought a couple of domain names. After some debate, I settled on using www.dawggoneblog.com and starting today, that is how you can access this site.

So, go ahead. Give it a try.






Welcome back.

Anyway, you'll also notice that I have added GoogleAds to the site. I honestly hated to do that, but this way the site can grow and I don't have to worry about bandwidth or usage or any of that geeky shit that I know nothing about. I'm not even sure Google cares how many people hit my site even if it doesn't have their ads on it, but I didn't want to take the chance.

So, sorry for the ads, but do me a favor and click them if you get the chance. Trust me, I'm not making any money on it (unless you count $.02/day as "raking it in"), but you're appeasing the gods at the Church of Google, and that's always nice.

One very important thing that I'm worried about is the content of the ads. It would be a HUGE favor to me to let me know if you see any ads on this site that would be deemed inappropriate. So if you see an ad for, let's say "g@y clown p0rn," PLEASE send an e-mail to KitZeus99[at]gmail.com. I really would appreciate it.

I hope the ad change is minor to you, but please take the time to redirect all of your links away from what it was and change them to www.dawggoneblog.com. I would really appreciate it.


So, what else is new on the horizon? I'm glad you asked:

• I'm still thinking about tinkering with a 3-column template. I just feel like a lot of the links to the right are getting lost in the shuffle and that's a shame. There are a lot of good blogs out there and I hate for them to go unnoticed on the site.




• If I can find some damn video clips, I'd like to put a video together much like the Munson Mixes. Anyone that has ANY video clips, please let me know.




• Speaking of Munson Mixes, I plan to make a few more soon and have them added to the jukebox.




• Finally, I'm getting a little bored on the colors of the site and it's starting to feel "not so Dawg" to me. I MIGHT be considering a template change that will incorporate a little more Red and Black, but I don't know quite yet. I might just keep them like they are. I can't even remember what the first template looked like.

So yeah, I hope you like everything. If something isn't working properly, please don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail. Also, if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm trying to make this thing as user friendly as possible.





Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: Advertising Makes The World Go 'Round, General "Kit" stuff, The Blogosphere

*I started writing this post a few days ago so I could have it saved for later on in the week. Since then, PWD has written a much better one, so please check his out as well*

I love "Bye Week 2007." Normal weeks are so damn busy that I hardly get to blog about anything other than UGA football. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but seriously, I've got other shit to talk about sometimes.


So, in going along with that idea, here's my list of coaches that will not have a job come Jan 1, 2008.

• Sly Croom -- This is a shame, too. He's a class act and was given an impossible situation at Miss. State. Here's hoping he finds himself a good place to go.


• Dennis Franchione -- He needs to be gone. He's an overpriced, underachieving version of Tommy Tubberville. The job he really deserves? Bathroom cleaner for a downtown Atlanta McDonald's.


• Karl Dorrell -- He has recruited well at UCLA but just can't seem to really do much with the talent. I think he's toast, but I'm in the minority on that one. Let's hope Rahim Moore changes his mind about his commitment...


• Bill Callahan -- This hire left me scratching my head. I swear it just seemed like Nebraska said "people know this guy, who gives a damn if his own team kicked him out of the NFL?" I kinda want him to stay, though. Watching Nebraska suck makes me happy.


• Houston Nutt -- After all the trouble over this past offseason as well as not winning every game with one of the best backfields in college football, Nutt is good as gone. Where does he end up? Hellifino. Let's put him at Syracuse for shits and giggles and have Tenacious D rewrite their fight song.


• Dave Wandstet -- Another one of those "Seriously? Did anyone watch him coach in the NFL?" hires. He has effectively shown that he has no business near a head coaching job. If any school in the nation has a "mustache coordinator" job open, he'll be a frontrunner.


• Lloyd Carr -- I'm sure he's probably an alright guy. One of those Donnan type folks that makes you think, "Yeah he's nice, but does he win when it counts?" The Michigan faithful have their eyes dead set on Les Miles and I believe they're going to get him. Carr will go to a decent program with some history that has fallen on hard times. I couldn't tell you where he'd be a good fit right now, but someone will scoop him up if he wants to go. If not, he'll retire and laugh like hell every time Les Miles cashes in his yearly "we shouldn't have lost this game" card.


• Phil Fulmer -- It doesn't matter what happens, he will not go to the SEC Championship, much less win the damn thing. The World's Largest Contingent of Hunter's Orange are fed up and just will not take mediocrity anymore. When you have old players publicly saying the program is going downhill, you have a problem.


• Bill Doba -- So you've never heard of him? Neither had I until recently when someone mentioned Washington State and I said "they have a coach?" Yeah, Mike Price has been more effective at a strip club with 20 cents than that guy. Expect Price to be back is my guess.


• Tommy Bowden -- Why Clemson has kept this guy around for as long as they have absolutely blows my mind. I mean how many seasons have we heard about it being Clemson's year, only to watch them go and take a big dump to the tune of 4 or 5 losses? With a team as good as they have, it shouldn't be brain surgery to think they could be doing better.


• Greg Robinson -- He coaches Syracuse. Nuff said. Where does he go? In a cruel twist of fate...Arkansas.

So there you go. Did I miss anyone? Thoughts? Disageements?



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football

Everyone,

With UGA having a bye week this week before the annual GA/FLA contest, I wanted to take this opportunity to address the State of The Game.

This year in college football has been one of the most topsy-turvy years I can ever remember. From Division 1-AA teams defeating some of the most storied programs, to 41-point underdogs taking ownership of their own house in route to beating the No. 1 team in the land, this year has been one to remember for ages…and we’re only halfway through the season.

New head coaches are turning programs around, while old head coaches at different programs are doing what they were hired to do. While I cannot, and will not, take pride in a rival, I have to respect their accomplishments. Some of these programs are essentially enjoying victory for the first time, while others are reliving memories from previously successful campaigns.

There are parallels in college football however. Those programs destined for greatness are now destined for middle of December bowl games, and seniors who have returned for one last hurrah are now finding themselves carrying the clipboard for their freshmen counterparts. Some teams are suffering from being over-hyped, and others have traded in their gold paint for a more lead-based variety.

Boise State’s magical season has opened doors for teams like South Florida to believe that there is something worth playing for after all. Wake Forest proved against Florida State last week that while you may not still fear them, you must at least respect them. The University of North Carolina showed Miami a few weeks ago that times have indeed changed. Cal tasted their highest ranking in the Jeff Tedford era for a mere hour and a half before losing it at the last second. Let's also not forget Kentucky who now must be given respect in two sports.

I encourage all of you Dawg fans to take a step back in our off-week and enjoy the landscape laid out before your eyes. While I will always bleed Red and Black, the game of college football is one that I love and respect in its own right. It is a game of will, desire, heart, as well as strife, heartbreak, and disappointment. There is no middle ground and no way to mail it in.

Take this week to enjoy the tradition of The Grove, Jump Around with Wisconsin, Dot the “I” in Columbus, burn a couch at WVU, and white out your opponent in Happy Valley. You'll be better for it. I promise.

Our traditions at Georgia are wonderful and what I consider to be the best in the land, but I believe it would be a shame and a disgrace against this game that’s been so good to many of us, to not recognize that we’re a part of something bigger.

Enjoy your off-week. Hate Week Part 1 starts Monday.



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football

Well it's "Bye Week 2007." For those that are die hard Dawg fans, it's a break that we both hate and love.

So with that in mind, here's this week's List:



The 10 Things You Can Do On Your Bye Week:

10. Pretend you care about other schools -- Now's a great time to look at your buddy who graduated from South Florida and say "How 'bout them Bulls, huh?" Hopefully said buddy is your "boss" who will give you a promotion shortly thereafter.

9. Grill some chicken -- Gameday equals "red meat." It's the Bulldog way. So take this week to eat a little healthier. Or just skip all the charcoal and go to Chick-fil-A.

8. Sleep in -- Gameday isn't quite as much fun to watch when you're begging Corso not to pick us to win. So, go ahead and skip setting the alarm. All the good games start around 3:00 PM anyway.

7. Finally wash your Gameday clothes -- Look, football players are the only ones that are supposed to have the superstition of not washing their uniform, socks, jock strap, yadda yadda yadda. Go ahead and wash your Gameday boxers, shirts, khakis, socks, etc.. The people around you will appreciate it.

6. Drink some water -- As opposed to "alcohol." Your kidneys and liver will be very grateful.

5. Do some research -- With Florida coming off a Nat'l Championship year, UGA coming off a bye week, and UK being ranked, you need to arm yourself with stats to combat your Gator co-workers during "Hate Week 2007 Part I." Stock up on stats and use every one to your advantage next week, but DO NOT TALK SHIT. It will come back to haunt you.

4. Catch up on your DVR list -- So you haven't watched "Grey's Anatomy" since the season premiered because Thursday night is football night. First, understand that it's OK that you watch "Grey's Anatomy" ("Private Practice" is a different story, though). Second, do something about it and unleash some TiVo fury.

3. Go on a Halo 3 bender -- Dude, release your inner geek that's been screaming ever since you bought the game. I know that football has taken precious time from your "killing sprees," but now's the time to catch up and get your melee on.

2. Google Keira Knightley photos -- Yeah, this only really applies to me. Here's a great one I found:


You're welcome.

1. Start your own blog -- They've been popping up all over the place this season. It's the internet version of "hugging it out" when things aren't going well. Might as well fold to the peer pressure and write your own stuff for people to make fun of, right?



Well, there's your List for this week. Announcement on the site changes soon.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, Keira Knightley, Really Hot Women, The List, UGA Football

Well, it was a win. In the SEC East. On the road. I guess there's a lot to be said for that. However, I think I was dead on in saying that we'd probably be left wanting more from the team.

So, let's get right to it.


The Stats Say:

That we're a good a team as Vandy. We had 50 more total yards, beat them in passing yards, and they got us in rushing yards. Defensively, we're a little better in that we created a couple of turnovers that essentially won us the game. Special teams-wise, we're dead even.

The most glaring stat to me is that UGA sacked Vandy 3 times for 24 total yards. We have been alarmingly ineffective in getting pressure up front and to get 3 sacks is a great confidence boost to this team. On top of that, it was the direct result of some crucial halftime adjustments that essentially saved us from a very embarrassing loss. More on this later.



The Pros:

Second Half Adjustments -- Nothing was really working for us in the first half. We couldn't stop their mobile QB, we couldn't stop their running back, we couldn't stop their passing attack. It was getting ugly at a very quick pace. However, we went into the lockerroom and came out with a new game plan of bringing pressure to force mistakes on the defensive side of the ball, and we effectively used Chandler to open up short passes over the middle.

Knowshon Moreno -- Now more than ever this kid is essential to our success. His heart is something this team can rally around and his toughness is something we need. He had 157 yards on the ground on 28 carries. I'm not sure how many more carries that is compared to what our per RB average, but he carried the load and came through in the clutch for us on some crucial downs.

Dannell Ellerbe -- He continues to impress me with how well he plays the LB position in general. After being relatively quiet since 2005, he is having a monster year and is really the shining star in a struggling corps. Yes, Geno Atkins had more tackles (8), which is a wonderful thing, but Ellerbe is really stepping up for a Defense that is begging for an identity.

Coach Mark Richt -- It has been up for debate whether or not the players intentionally celebrated on Vandy's logo. Me personally, I don't think that they meant to; it's just where they ended up. However, props to CMR for making sure we didn't appear to do something that we just don't do. He apologized to every coach he could, and then did it again on national television. I have doubts about our defensive scheme. I have doubts about our aggressiveness on the offensive side of the ball. I DO NOT DOUBT that we win with class or that CMR is the right man to lead this program.

Tripp Chandler -- He had 2 crucial catches and took a monster hit to get one of them. I hope all those people that booed him a few weeks ago get hit in the nuts sometime in the near future.


The Cons:

First Half Gameplan -- Russ, Will, and I spoke about this at length Saturday night. It's exciting to know that we see problems and fix them. It's exciting to see how much better of a team we are when we are aggressive. It's VERY exciting to hear CMR say on the post game show that he told CWM at halftime that we needed to be more aggressive. What's not exciting? Knowing that we could've done it from the start. We should've been way more aggressive from the beginning on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, I wish we could've been more productive, but I can't complain too much because our early deep shots softened up Vandy's Defense. We still have a long ways to go, however.

Tackling -- We still suck here. We've got to learn to quit biting so quickly on runs. I appreciate the effort of diving towards a player, but if we have to dive, we're already out of position on the tackle.

Needing Luck to Win -- Sorry, but if Vandy doesn't fumble that ball late in the fourth, they score and we lose. Period. We turned 2 turnovers into 10 points, which is good, but we were anemic when it came to creating on our spark. We needed the motivation to score. Sorry to say it, but we're going to have to learn to create our own fire and not wait on someone else's mistakes to get us going.



Overall:

We are not where we need to be to win any more games this season. It's time for us to discover whether or not we're going to be a team that wins one game for the rest of the season, or wins them all. Honestly, if we pull it together and play to our talent level, we're 10-2. If we are the same team that we've seen over the past 3 games, then we're 6-6.

We need this bye week badly. Worse than we've ever needed one. Florida has a tough road ahead of them by preparing for a UK squad that believes they can beat anyone and we get to sit back and enjoy two weeks worth of healing up and getting ready for our rival.

Hopefully this team can find a spark and use this time to come out on Oct. 27 ready to play. If not, it's going to be a very bad rest of the year.



Extra Points:

I usually don't have these, but there are some other things I wanted to touch on before I closed out the post.

• Kregg Lumpkin could be out for the year -- He injured his knee and ankle pretty badly on a play. I knew it was going to be something awful when the camera panned to him on the sideline and he covered his face with the jacket he was wearing. I can only assume he was too upset to be shown on national TV. Can't blame the guy, because I would have been the same way. I hope no matter what happens, he can get healthy enough in time for the combine. He's a DGD to the core.
• Alec Kessler has passed away -- PWD writes better about this than I do, and was the one that broke the story for me. I will be completely honest when I say that I have not followed Georgia Basketball long enough to really know who this guy was or how good of a basketball player he was for us. However, everything I've read says this guy was what you would hope your kids grow up to be. A smart kid, good teammate, enjoyed some athletic success, and then becomes a doctor when his playing career is over. Another DGD that we, as fans, need to recognize.
• Brandon Coutu kicked his first game winning field goal -- He's been more hit or miss this season than he ever has been, but he's still a kid that I trust with the game on the line. The fact that this was his first game winner really shocked me. The more impressive stat behind the stat is that means we either win games by a larger margin than 3 points, or we lose them the same way. I just found that interesting.

Well that's it for the recap. Some changes I hope are going to be happening to the blog this week as I have bought two domain names and should have things up and rolling soon. Also, expect a couple of college football related posts that don't touch on the Dawgs at all. There probably won't be much to talk about regarding UGA football, so I figured I'd talk a little bit about the game in general.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, Game Recaps, UGA Football

Seriously, last week is dead and gone. It’s time to keep on keepin’ on.



When Vandy has the ball:

Two words: Earl Bennett. He’s their machine, playmaker, Offense, savior, whatever word you want to use. He’s the guy. In all of Vandy’s games this year, it has been the case that if you shut him down, you shut them down.

However, even though Bobby Johnson starred in “The Jerk,” he’s not one of those or a fool for that matter. I would be very surprised if Vandy wasn’t working their ass off to expose UGA in another way. My guess is that they will try to run the living heck out of the ball and then throw quick outs and slants to expose our soft zone. If I were coaching the ‘Dores, I would spread the offense out as much as possible and then rely on the quick legs of Chris Nixon if everything breaks down due to a play actually being defended correctly.

What’d you say? Chris Nixon got benched last week?

No big deal. He’ll be back this week. His play might have been shoddy Ala “Brandon Cox of earlier this season,” but he had a big game against UGA last year because we had so much trouble against a mobile QB. We’ve done better this year, but I fully believe his butt on the bench was a wake up call rather than a changing of the guard. His athleticism is too important to be ignored against a UGA squad that last week had such a hard time defending the run and tackling in the open field.

***BROKEN RECORD ALERT!!!***

What UGA needs to do is stuff as many as possible in the box to force man-to-man situations. I’d say rush anywhere from 6-7 men and stunt as many as 8 or 9 depending on how many WRs are in the set. Of course, this can only be effective if we play bump and run coverage AS CLOSE TO THE LINE AS POSSIBLE. Now it could be said that we need to double team Earl Bennett, but my thought is that if Chris Nixon is on his back, then he can’t throw a deep one to Bennett. Sounds complicated, doesn’t it?



When UGA has the ball:

Nationally, Vandy ranks 53rd in rushing defense, 15th in passing defense (I was surprised by this stat), and 18th in total defense. For the record, UGA is 28th in total defense. I’d say that with those types of stats, you would think we REALLY need to play motivated football. Well, we do.

It has been said over and over and over again that we’re missing a “spark.” Well, with Thomas Brown out, who is going to really push this team to have a “never say die” attitude? That person this week apparently is Knowshon Moreno.

Fernando Velasco has been pegged by many as the vocal leader in the huddle, but sometimes, and especially in football, actions speak louder than words. Moreno consistently has the ability to make your hold your breath every time he touches the ball. Couple his playmaking ability with his pure “hard hat” attitude, and you’ve got a guy that reminds me a lot of Hines Ward. You can pop Moreno all you want and he is just going to get right up and run right back to the huddle. He’s a worker, a playmaker, and someone that this Offense can believe in. Everyone loves and will miss TB, but Moreno is not a bad replacement at all. Expect him to get the rock and get it often.

How he runs the ball is what we need to work on. We should really capitalize on his speed and change of direction by bouncing him more to the outside and letting him turn the corner. One of our many problems against UT was that we kept trying to pound the ball up the middle and THEN try to bounce it outside after the play broke down. If our backs have the speed to cut it outside, then let them do it at the BEGINNING OF THE RUN. At the very least, run towards the guards and have them break farther out if need be.

The good news is we have Lump back, who will give us some fresh legs and a relatively un-banged up body. Tony Ball said yesterday that the cast on his thumb is actually giving him a more conscious awareness of how he catches and carries the rock, so that’s a good thing (shout out: Ching). Also, I doubt the Vandy Defense will bruise up the Georgia Offense badly, but it still helps to have a guy in there with relatively fresh legs.

Passing game-wise, we need a very solid performance out of this group. With Florida coming up, we want to give them a look on film that they haven’t seen before. I’m not saying that because I want them to see as much game film as possible, but because UK is not a guaranteed win this year, Florida is only going to get 5 days to really prepare for Georgia. With Kentucky honestly looking like a better team than the Dawgs, I see UF using most, if not all, of their bye week to prepare for the Wildcats. That doesn’t give them much time to prepare for what could appear like a very balanced run/pass attack that is wildly different than the UK Offense. Just my opinion; sorry for the digression.

Anyway, the passing game needs to be there on Saturday. We’ve got too much talent in the WR corps to not be effective. If the O-line can’t protect for long stretches of time, then THROW SHORTER PASSES. It’s not brain surgery. And honestly, I know most people hated running out of the ‘gun, but it seems like every time this year we’re in the shotgun, we tend to only pass. Use a few shotgun formation passes, then sprint draw a few times (which we actually rarely do anymore), and then pass out of the shotgun again. Keep them guessing all the time. That’s the key to effectiveness here.



Special Teams:

To me, this is a wash. They're going to kick it away from Mikey Henderson because everyone has this year. Neither team is playing "Beamer Ball" anytime soon. One thing we've got to do, though is learn to block better and defend returns competently.

How about Mimbs being a captain, though? Kid deserves it, if you ask me.



What I think will happen:

I had been saying it for years before it happened. Vandy always plays us as tough as they can and at some point in EVERY Vanderbilt game from the past 6-7 years, we had a moment where we struggled. Last year, we were finally caught with our pants down and were beat in our house…on homecoming.

This year, Vandy is little less impressive than they were a year ago and even though they are still a team to be respected, they are not completely feared within the SEC. The key to winning against them is to score first and make them play from behind. If they get a lead on us, I’m not sure our team has the mental toughness to crawl its way back out and we’ll be playing with a nagging doubt in the back of our brain. An interesting stat that goes along with this was passed on to me from Ally, who said that UGA is 3-0 in games where they score first and 1-2 when playing from behind. The only win came against Ole Miss, and to me, that might not have happened had Ole Miss not fumbled the ball on the 4 yard line keeping them at 7-0 instead of 14-0.

My guess on this game is that UGA comes out flat as usual on Offense, but the Defense should actually play some competent ball. I don’t mean to pull my best Larry Munson impression here, but I’m still not getting the feeling that there’s a fire lit under this team’s ass and it still seems like everyone is blaming youth for the inconsistent play. Of course, I could be completely wrong because for the first time since I can remember, there isn’t a Senior Captain for this Saturday’s contest. I’m hoping that will send a message to the veterans in the locker room that they’ve got to step it up…and soon. To me, this game will define how we play the rest of our season, plain and simple. That being said, even if we only play decent football, we should win this game. I just have a feeling we’re all going to left wishing for more effort once the 60 minutes are up.

UGA: 27
Vandy: 13



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, Game Previews, UGA Football

I'm trying folks. I'm really really trying to find the silver lining and I'm this close to being over the loss to UT. It's not that I'm bitter because I'm really not. I'm frustrated still, but not bitter. I'm still not even angry.

So in going along with the healing....



The Ten Reasons I'm Looking Forward to the Rest of the Season:

10. It's becoming fall -- Leaves are turning colors, the temperature is dropping. Autumn rocks my face off.

9. Our biggest rivals are on the horizon -- Let's take a look at this. We have Florida, Auburn, UK, Vandy, and Tech still remaining. My hatred for three of those teams is undying, two of those teams upset us last year and we need revenge, and Troy...um...is NOT cool.

8. Tailgating is about to get awesome -- No one wants to tailgate when it's really hot or really cold. Kids are out throwing the football, drunk parents are passing out because they're not sweating out the alcohol, and it's tough (but not impossible) to get really sunburned on cloudy days. Break out the grill!

7. Recruiting is heating up -- As we get closer and closer to February, the future of our program will commit, de-commit, and surprise us each and every day. Which kid will piss us off? Which kid will choose us over Florida, UT, and Tech? Which diamond in the rough will become the next David Pollack or David Greene? Exciting times ahead.

6. Girls dress up in cute winter outfits -- Sorry, but I gotta say it. I'll take a girl in a tight sweater all bundled up over a girl sweating like hell with her boobs hanging out any day. Winterwear is just my thing and what better place to see it than Athens, GA on Gameday?

5. The bowl picture starts to shake out -- Yeah, last season kind of sucked with losing all those games, but weren't you excited to see the Dawgs wake up and play their hearts out to beat out Georgia Tech for the Peach Bowl bid? To me, watching that game in Athens and knowing what was on the line really meant something. I'm looking forward to having that same kind of anxiety this year, but hopefully without all the losses.

4. Watching how this team will respond to being called what they've been called -- Part of being a Dawg means having a metric shit-ton of pride in where you've been, where you are, and where you're going. Yeah, I'm disappointed, and yeah, I'm still looking for solutions to what I feel are huge problems, but I'm still hopeful we can pull this together.

3. Hearing Larry a few more times -- He's going to hang it up for good soon and I'm looking forward to cherishing every upcoming call and conversation he's going to have with the Bulldog Nation. Maybe this isn't his last year, but I'm certainly not going to take him for granted the rest of this season.

2. Watching our Offense find its identity -- Every week we see a different formation. Now trust me, I know we're not being productive and we've got a lot of work to do, but as this playbook opens up, I think you're going to see a team ready for the highlight reel. Besides, don't you get excited EVERY SINGLE TIME Knowshon touches the ball? I'm ready to see the emergence of our Offensive Identity.

1. Because I'm a true F*CKING fan -- We all deserve to have our questions answered about what's going on Defensively and why are players aren't "executing." We all deserve to stop hearing people talk about "youth" and "inexperience" because it's not fair to the kids who actually do bust their ass. But regardless, I bleed Red and Black. I still believe that Mark Richt is the right man to lead this team and turn players into heroes. To all you people who are writing off the Dawgs, go ahead and do it. Just don't expect there to be a seat on the bandwagon when things start going our way again.



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, The List, UGA Football

This post has no title because it is about the game of which we do not speak. There are no words to describe a loss like that as a fan. As an opposing fan you could use the terms: woodshed, ass-kicking, drubbing, domination, etc.

I don't want to talk about the game. I don't have any inclination to talk about how utterly and completely wrong I was, but not because I was wrong, but because I could have been right had our team actually got on the bus leaving Athens.

I'm not one of those people that see my team lose and then scream for someone's head. I'm still on the fence about whether or not our Defensive coach is wrong, or whether or players are still not buying into said Defensive Coach's system. Richt said post-game that some personnel had to be changed on both sides of the ball because of players not executing. I can see that. I can see how CMR, CWM, or CMB really can't be blamed for poor tackling, poor blocking, offensive stagnation, and a complete loss of fundamentals.

However, The King nailed it in his "recap" of sorts and I believe I nailed it last year in a diary I posted on King's site. Here's what I figure is the most important excerpt from what I posted up in that diary:

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.

Plain and simple, we need to find a spark because right now, we don't have it.

Is it possible that Jeff Schultz got it right? Do our coaches not have enough fire to get the job done? I've read a lot of what that guy's written over the past year and I have to say that nine times out of ten, he's flirting with being right. You may not like what he says or even agree with it, but there are grains of truth in every article. Is that one article the exception to the rule or was it more of the "well, he's got a point?"

Right now, I don't see a single blogger flat out calling for CWM's head. That's good, but the night's not over yet and I haven't checked them all. No one has made as good a decision as PWD, who posted a "we're not going there right now" article and then cut off his comments.

I don't believe we as fans have the right to call for someone's head on a platter after each and every loss. However, we as fans who support our team even in it's times of strife and mediocrity deserve answers to why things went wrong after a flat-out embarrassing loss like that. I'm not saying our players didn't try hard. I'm not saying that they're enjoying feeling as embarrassed as they should. All I'm saying is that when something is not working, and consistently not working IN EVERY GAME, why must we have "youth" as an excuse shoved down our throats?

We weren't young in 2005 and we weren't young in 2006. However, our Defense has given up more than they have in previous years. Why is that? I know Mark Richt is a good man who never wants to kick an employee out the door (see: Neil Calloway), but football is a game, and at Georgia it's about winning said game.

You don't grow "heart." You're either born with it or not. "Youth" does not equate to "no desire to win."

I'm tired of this "we're a second half team" bullshit, because it is exactly that...bullshit. If you can't play 60 minutes of football, don't put on the uniform. Also, if you can't coach 60 minutes of football, don't put on the headset.

I'm so frustrated right now I don't know what to do with myself. But I do know that if we don't get mean, ruin someone else's season, hurt someone's feelings, get nasty, get some swagger, embarrass someone else, and flat-out be feared by other teams from here on out, some changes need to be made. Plain and simple.

We need a heart surgeon worse than Seattle Grace.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, Damn It, Game Recaps, UGA Football

Alright people, it’s time for the Dawgs to go out and get them some respect. Last year’s debacle of having 51 points hung on us in our house have stuck with the team in a not-so-positive way. The Dawgs are pissed and focused as per Mark Richt’s praise in his press conferences. He is quoted as saying that Tuesday and Wednesday have been exceptionally good efforts and that is generally a god sign for our cause.

Let me make one thing clear. I don’t hate Tennessee. I can’t stand Fat Phil, but hell, the people of the Big Orange aren’t that bad. They’ve been extremely nice to me and the Redcoats in the past even though we have absolutely pwned them for the past few years. Just saying that in general, they’re good people.

But moving on to my utter disgust of Phil Fulmer…the man sucks. To me, he’s a mix of Tommy Tubberville’s whining, Steve Spurrier’s arrogance, and a dash of Dennis Franchione’s lack of production. For a team that has recruited so well over so many years, he really hasn’t gotten much out of his players excluding the 1998 season when he won the National Championship. Since then, Neyland has been less impressive as a scary venue and more of a home away from home.

However, this is my trap game. On paper, we should walk all over the Vols with our running game versus their defense, and our special teams versus their coverage, but something doesn’t smell right to me. And I don’t think it’s the pulled pork sandwich that Fulmer ate for a midnight snack.

Let’s get to it, shall we?



When UT has the ball:

I’m sure it’d be a huge shocker here if I said we needed to blitz. I know that none of you would expect that from me. Of course, Erik Ainge toasted Florida and Cal’s Secondary with very gutsy performances. David Cutcliffe, the Offensive Ccoordinator for UT, is no joke and he runs a very effective passing game. However, said passing game is a one that is going to have to be effective because they cannot run the ball to save their life.

When given time to throw (as evidenced by last year’s drubbing in Sanford), Ainge will eat your Secondary like Mike Tyson wants to eat your children. It’s not a pretty site if you are the opposing team. Truth be told, Ainge reminds me of David Greene in a way. He’s never been a flashy QB, but he has a good head on his shoulders and has the poise to win big games. Unlike Greene, though, he has battled injuries during his career and has been a bit of a head case at times.

What UGA needs to do is play zone coverage with one Safety and bring the other Safety up for run support. I don’t know if Kelin is healthy enough to go, but if he is, I would drift Kelin back into coverage, play a tight zone and bring C.J. Byrd up to be a run stopper. It is imperative that we challenge their big O-line (who are big, but not unstoppable) like Florida did and bring a LB on delayed blitzes.

In a nutshell, we have to want to kick some ass and go get ourselves some respect.



When UGA has the ball:

I would love to have another 300+ yard effort from Brown and Kno-Mo, but truth be told, I’d like for us to light up the scoreboard with amazing WR play. However, with UT ranking 10th in the SEC in rushing defense, I don’t see us ignoring that statistic just to get a flashy win. Should UT have some success stopping the run, then we’ll pull some screens out of our butt and take some pressure off the running game and our O-line, but until that happens, you can fully expect us to keep the rock on the ground as much as possible.

The main key to success here is to get the ball in our playmakers’ hands and let them create opportunities after first contact. Knowson and TB will be incredibly important to setting the tone. Their effectiveness has a direct result on how long UT’s Defense stays on the field and tires as the game progresses. Besides, UT can’t score if they can’t get the Offense on the field.

The great news is that with all of this added focus on the running game comes added opportunities for Mo Mass and Sean Bailey to have career days. I know everyone expects us to run all over UT, but I really anticipate us lighting it up in the passing game. We WILL use the run to set up the pass and we WILL do it effectively. All in all, I expect this to be our most impressive offensive game to date.



Special Teams:

Britton Colquitt is not having a “Colquitt” type year. UT is absolutely atrocious on Special Teams coverage and it's hurting his effectiveness. They are decent at best in all categories, but again, they share our problem in kick coverage. There is one major difference in our Special Teams units, though in that they don’t have this man:



Yes, our little Mikey Henderson is projected to have a big day against the Big Orange. Did you know that he is 22nd nationally and 3rd in the SEC in punt return average? Couple that with Thomas Brown’s history of kickoff returns against the Vols and you’ve got a recipe for putting the “Special” in Special Teams.



Seriously, I think we’re fine here and I’d be very surprised if the Vols win the field position game.



What I think will happen:

Let’s be as honest as possible. I have a good feeling about this game whereas earlier this week, I was sitting on pins and needles. The only that that scares me is now this UT coaching staff is backed into a corner and faces a “must win” this weekend against Georgia in order to cool down the seats they’re sitting on.

The blunt honesty is the winner of this game is just going to have to want it more than the other guy. UGA seems to be the team to beat now in the SEC East because I’m not guaranteeing Florida will beat LSU and I have a feeling that UK is going to take it to South Carolina (update: as of 10:00 PM, I'm completely wrong about UK). UT is backed against the corner and all of that “dark horse” talk was quieted a bit when Florida hung 59 on them. That doesn’t mean that they suck, but it does mean that they are probably doubting their abilities to hang with a good offense. Now’s a great time for UGA to come in and put real fear in UT because of that doubt. Don’t get me wrong, the Vols are a not a bad team at all, but they aren’t a great team either and their weaknesses are glaring ones.

The key here is that if UGA can come out early and put some points on the board quickly, we’ll beat the crap out of them. If we keep UT in the game, then we have a real shot of losing this one, but if we make them play from behind and turn those doubts into reality, we win handily.

Expect UGA to come out with some fire and take the first possession in for the score, Ala Alabama. After that, the momentum rolls and the Dawgs emerge as a dark horse for the SEC East.

UGA: 41
UT: 30



Until next time kids.

Be safe (and Go Dawgs!).

Labels: College Football, Game Previews, UGA Football

Ru$$ never had a better idea. The subtle humor is classic...



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: Fun while drinking, General "Kit" stuff, VEGAS

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Tripp Chandler and his case of the drops. The message boards have been blowing up about a shakeup at Tight End and how he just needs to go.

I can’t say that I disagree with mindset of moving him farther down the depth chart. However the gap between Chandler’s mental awareness on the field from that of Bruce Figgins' is quite large. Just like the gap between Figgins’ physical ability and Chandler’s. There are two bright contrasts and if one is under performing, then it is only natural to want a little bit of a change.

What pisses me off however, is the booing of a player when he under performs according to our expectations. So what that in mind, let’s move on to today’s List.



The 10 Reasons Why It Is Never a Good Idea to “Boo” Your College Team:

10. It shows an utter lack of respect. – Think about it. These kids go out and put their bodies on the line to make a crucial block, catch, or tackle. In the world of torn ACLs, dislocated shoulders, broken necks, and all other kinds of ailments, don’t you think they deserve the respect to not be booed off a field if they make a mistake?

9. You wouldn’t boo your own child – PWD nailed this in the comments section of his post recapping the Ole Miss game. Unless you are the heartless SOB that would boo their own child, shut your mouth. And if you are the heartless SOB that would boo their own kid, I will not feel for you when said child gets old enough to kick your wrinkly old ass.

8. If you want to coach, put in an application. – Be frustrated as much as you want to, but your booing does nothing as far as helping the kid learn from his mistakes. Find me a coach that boos his own player and I will kiss you square on the ass. Seriously, if you want to help with the growth of an athlete or player, be frustrated, angry, and then encourage him. And don’t even think that a “boo” is the same as “come on Chandler…catch the ball!” It’s not. Any argument suggesting otherwise is bullshit.

7. You’re hurting the future of the program. – How good does it look to a recruit to go through the Dawg Walk, experience that rush and support, and then see it all go to shit when someone makes a mistake? If I’m guy that has the option of playing at Florida, UT, Notre Dame, Michigan, etc., I wouldn’t want to go to a place that doesn’t support me when I fuck up.

6. The Golden Rule – When I show up at your church softball game and boo you for getting thrown out at second because Jesus didn’t bless you with the fastest feet on the planet, you have the right to boo me all you want. Until then, shut your trap.

5. They’re not getting paid to play. – Again, another one that was nailed in the comments section of PWD’s post. If you want something to boo about you can go to a Falcons, Hawks, or even Braves game. I guarantee you’ll be hoarse by the second half of said game. These kids play because they want to. Most of them (including Tripp Chandler) realize that they will not make it into the NFL. I’d say 90% of them are very down to earth in that regard. So please, ease off.

4. Don’t give them a reason to hate the school. – You know what really impresses recruits? Former players who went on to greatness, but still support their Alma Mater. If I were Tripp Chandler, I would work my butt off, have a fantastic rest of the year, be cheered and adored by many, get my ass drafted, and laugh all the way to the bank. And don’t count on me speaking to future recruits. From here on out, my playing would be less about heart and more about business.

3. How busy is your day? – I’ve had the privilege of spending some time with David Pollack, David Greene, and Fred Gibson all at different times. Aside from being pretty good guys, they are extremely busy guys. My busy days consist of working from 07:30 – 17:30 with maybe 30 minutes for lunch. Their busy days include waking up at 05:00, going to class all day, study time at the Center, and then practice ends around 18:00. Then couple that with an entire Saturday spent playing for YOU and not being able to go downtown afterwards and enjoy a beer without being targeted. Cut the guys some f'ing slack.

2. Mike Gundy will embarrass you publicly. -- Nuff said.

1. Don’t treat OUR players like you treat THEIR players. – I wonder if anyone’s even thought about this. At every home game, we boo the kids from the opposing team because they are our rivals for the day. So when you boo our kid, does that mean you equate him to a Florida, UT, Auburn, Alabama, or any other team’s player? No? THEN WHY TREAT HIM THE SAME?


And finally, two quotes from Chandler in the ABH that should make us all think about how we support our team (shout out: Ally). I added the bold emphasis in the quotes:

"I've seen it before," Chandler said. "They booed Sean Bailey in this stadium. They booed Mohamed (Massaquoi) in this stadium. I don't know if I would say that I didn't expect it. I was already down on myself about the whole situation. It doesn't make me happy, but they're gonna do what they do."

"I guess it comes with the territory. You can't rely on the fans all the time, you have to rely on your brothers and your coaches."

The way the fans acted on Saturday...P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C.

See Also: A Note for the Fans (last year's response to this shit).



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, The List, UGA Football