Collage 3
The Dawg-gone Blog
Official Sponsor of "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate" Since 1981
Monday, March 31, 2008
Ally passed along this gem to me earlier tonight and I felt the need to go ahead and vent about it a little.  Pete Fiutak has his BCS projections out already (isn't it still a bit early for all this?) and he lists UGA vs. Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl and Florida vs. Ohio State for the MNC.

Now, his reasons for UGA not making it to the Nat'l Championship are not unfounded.  The Dawgs play a BRUTAL schedule this year and as good as we are, it's going to be very tough to overcome the hand that's been dealt.  I can completely see where a pundit comes from when they say that it'll be nearly impossible to run the table this year.

What I have a problem with really is his uplifting of Florida to the MNC stage.  In fact, there are some major "ifs" in his article that I'd like to discuss for a second...

"Georgia might be the hot team going into the year, but Florida will be every bit as good if the secondary has overcome its growing pains."

Well, that's a big "if" chief.  I mean you're looking at a team that last year had the 98th ranked pass defense in the nation.  That's like saying "South Carolina is a MNC caliber team...if they can just get that "winning" thing down."

"The defense might not be better than Georgia's, but the offense will be unstoppable with Tim Tebow likely to be an even better passer, Percy Harvin on the verge of a monster season, and a real live running game ready to operate behind a line strong enough to push some people around." (emphasis added)

Well, here's a couple of things to remember.  Percy Harvin is about to miss the rest of the spring due to a heel injury that looks to be VERY serious.  Even if he is able to play this fall, I still don't think he'll be up to full speed until maybe halfway through the season.

Then, you have Tim Tebow, who despite having apparently the best running back to ever live in Emmanuel Moody (!!!11!!1!!!!111!!!!eleven!!), has to endure another SEC season of getting his collective ass kicked every time he runs the ball.  Make no mistake, the Heisman winner hasn't won a MNC in a few years for a reason.  Once you have that trophy, everyone wants to beat the crap out of you.  

Lastly in regards to that blurb above; doesn't defense win championships?

Finally, we have this nugget of wisdom.

"Next 10 considered (based on talent, schedules, and/or potential to win a conference title): 1) West Virginia, 2) Clemson, 3) LSU, 4) Virginia Tech, 5) South Florida, 6) Texas, 7) Texas Tech, 8) Kansas, 9) Penn State, 10) Auburn."

So let me get this straight.  UGA vs. Florida might be for the SEC East, the SEC in general and a spot in the MNC, but the Dawgs may not be the anywhere around the top 10 teams to play for the title should Florida and/or Ohio State not make it?  

Seriously, Pete, if you're going to say things like "Georgia may be the hot team" or "Florida may not have Georgia's defense" you have to at least throw the Dawgs a bone in the 10.  Besides, half of those teams haven't won ANYTHING yet.  For example, Clemson, South Florida, Texas Tech, Kansas and Auburn all have combined for ONE conference title since 2004 (I might be wrong on that, but I doubt it).  That's half of your "National Champion Caliber" teams that haven't done, well, sh*t.

I swear, I'm not being a douche bag when I ask what makes Florida (or any of these other "top ten teams") an instant contender for the Nat'l Title.  If anyone can drop that knowledge on me, PLEASE, I implore you to do so.



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: , , ,






Sunday, March 30, 2008
Kind of a slow weekend in some areas and a busy one in others.  Here's the highlights:

  • On the charity front, the Karoake-thon raised at least $1300 extra from the $20k previously raised.  For about 4 hours worth of hosting, that's not too bad of a total even though I really didn't do sh*t except talk.  
  • On the Dawgs front, UGA picked up it's sixth commitment in Shawn Williams.  He has the frame of a CJ Byrd or Reshad Jones right now, but with some S&C, he could get up to Greg Blue's size.  He's a hard hitting safety that has been all over the Dawgs for a while now, but UGA wanted to wait to make sure his grades were going to be in line before offering.  Once his ACT score came in, we offered and he accepted instantly.  
  • Memphis can kiss my ass.  I was one pick away from having all of my final four make it two years in a row and they absolutely dismantled Texas.  
  • I still don't have cable television in my apartment.  For those wondering how it is...it sucks.
  • Also for those wondering, the new job is still kicking ass and it's great to be back in media and doing something I care a lot about.  
Other than that, there really isn't much else.  I'm just taking whatever else one day at a time and trying not to screw that up in the process.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: , , ,






Thursday, March 27, 2008
Ok, real quick. Tomorrow (Friday 3/28) night, you can join myself and a whole bunch of other folks at Twisted Taco in Atlanta for a Physical Therapy Charity event for Georgia State University.

No, I'm not a PT, but I am emcee'ing the event so you can come and watch me make an ass of myself and hopefully everyone else that makes a mistake onstage.

So, in review, be at Twisted Taco from 7-10 tomorrow evening and watch a legend at work. Then, whenever that person gets done, you can hear me emcee a karaoke night.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels:






So I'm sure most of you heard by now about Kenneth Page, the Clemson recruit who is mysteriously holding anywhere from 1oK to 20K in $20 bills neatly bound together and placed in a ziplock bag. If you haven't then, well, you have now.

Here's the kicker, though. Clemson could have run a quick check of this kid's Myspace page and knew that he was going to be trouble from minute one. I took a quick look earlier today after clicking a link from another blog and was amazed at what I saw. Things included:

1) His Myspace page's title WAS "F*ck 'em F*ck 'em F*ck 'em."
2) He has a picture on there that earlier today said "I was about drunk" which now says "Focused."
3) His friends...well, let's just say they're not winners in the classroom. But maybe they're "winnerz N da Klassroom, b*tch."

I'm sure someone at Clemson's AA got into his ass earlier today and said "change this, this and this."

Anyway, if you still don't believe me, have a look for yourself. Scroll down to the comments section and get a read of those people that need to "read a book" (Insert inside joke of the century. I can hear GeorgiaGirl laughing already).

Yes, UGA is the home of Mudcat Elmore's car and quite possibly the world's largest city of kids who have a suspended license, but seriously, at least our kids are not THAT dumb.

*Knocks feverishly on wood*

So Clemson has one helluva mess on their hands for sure. Some booster has a LOT of explaining to do and I guarantee you whatever story that is concocted is not going to be the one that is good enough for the masses. Usually Tommy Bowden waits until November before he has to cover his ass.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: , ,






Wednesday, March 26, 2008
For those who aren't members of some of the subscription sites, here's a couple of quick nuggets to chew on regarding how spring practice is going:

  • Caleb King is having some small knee trouble, but everything is OK.  From what I've read, he looks REALLY good in drills.
  • Knowshon continues to not get too much work so he can stay injury free.  He's taking part in drills, but not really seeing any real contact.
  • Our Defense has been getting our Offense's goat more often than not.  I see that as a really good thing since I think our Offense is going to be solid, excluding our O-line, which is really thin.
  • Kenneth Harris and Mo Mass are seeming to be the top two WRs going into the fall.  Kris Durham is doing well also.  Personally, I think Mo Mass is going to be the threat we've all expected him to be once you combine his pass catching ability with his blocking skills.
  • Richard Samuel might just stay at running back after all.  Apparently, he's a more polished blocker than Dontavious Jackson and we all know that in order to play RB for Richt, you have to be able to protect that QB first.  Personally, I think we're stacked at RB and since D-Jax can't play LB, we should move Samuel and his athletic ability over so he can give us some playmaking ability on that side of the ball.  That's just me though.
Personally, I think people are going to be REALLY impressed with what they see on G-day.  The Dawgs still have some trouble spots remaining, but word is that we're lightening fast on Defense and we've got legitimate playmakers on Offense.

Is the hype justified?  I'm not sure quite yet, but I know I'm pretty damn pumped about this upcoming season.



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: , ,






Tuesday, March 25, 2008
I'm definitely not the first to report it, but Travis Leslie has committed to the Dawgs after coming to UGA and seeing what the team has to offer.  This wraps up a pretty good class for Felton, who still had great recruits coming in BEFORE we won the SEC Championship.

Leslie is a slasher like PWD said, but Groo brought up a good point over on The Dawgvent.  Leslie is not a shooter, but a high riser who uses his vertical skills to get points off of offensive rebounds.  If he's going to be a contributor to the team (and especially to our offense, which is still not great scheme-wise), he's got to learn to shoot the rock from 18 foot and in.   We'll be "OK" on the outside if Woodbury and Humphrey can get consistent and Albert Jackson and Jeremy Price have both shown that they can play the inside.  

I'm not sure if Leslie sees the court next year, but he probably will given that we'll have virtually no depth at PG and we'll need someone who can go inside and create plays.

So, welcome to the Dawgs, Leslie.  Here's hoping you can help take us back to the NCAAs.


Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: ,






Monday, March 24, 2008
For those who didn't already know, today is the "X" birthday of Beer Blog Pong This.  This is significant for a couple of reasons.

One, BBPT is a good friend of mine and it's always important to try and remember friends' birthdays even though I am absolutely horrible at it.  I mean seriously.  I'm f*cking bad at remembering birthdays.

Secondly, BBPT is the person who introduced me to the whole blogging thing on March 5, 2005.

So, if you didn't believe me when I said I was bad at remembering birthdays, then maybe you'll believe me now since I forgot about the birth of The Dawg-gone Blog.

For BBPT, happy birthday, buddy. 

For all of my good friends on the left sidebar, Dawgbone.net, UGAsports.com, PWD, The Good Senator, The King, and everyone else who's felt the need to add my site to theirs, thank you very much.

And for all the people that read the useless sh*t that I write and still choose to come back after that, a hearty thank you.  With a new job, a new apartment, and no cable (not yet at least) I think I should be able to write a little bit more.  And as long as y'all keep reading (even if you disagree), I'll keep on writing.

I aim to please.



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: ,






Monday, March 17, 2008
Something happened on Sunday. Something that we haven’t seen for a long time from those within the UGA Basketball Program. No, it wasn’t the improbable (damn near impossible as well) victories in the first, second, third, and final rounds of the SEC Tournament. It wasn’t Dennis Felton showing the emotion and pride for UGA Basketball that some thought he lost or even never had. It wasn’t even watching our kids run an offense that was as tenacious and aggressive as their defense.

It wasn’t any of those things.

It was watching these kids and that coach, who have endured years of ups and downs, smile. That’s it. They just smiled. They ran around the center of the Cremmins Court and just listened to the “UGA! UGA! UGA!” cheers from the faithful who also believed there was a chance we could go from worst to first in only four days.

Sometimes you can look at players and tell when they’re embattled. You can see the looks on their faces and know that all they want is a little glory because inside they’re competitors. Sundiata Gaines is one of those types of kids. All season long he kept his head up and continued to be one of the best point guards that UGA’s ever seen. He took this team on his back and the only fade you would get out of this kid would be the one that is completed by a ball touching nothing but net. He was the “African Warrior” that his name stands for. Watching him hold that piece of hardware justifying his hard work makes me proud to be a Dawg today.

Then you have guys like Dave Bliss who showed that sometimes athletes play bigger than their bodies. Bliss reminds me a lot of David Pollack. He cares for the game so much that he just won’t quit. He finally has a healthy year and look what he does. He beats up people down low, he keeps the emotion flowing, and he keeps on fighting no matter how dire the circumstances might have become. Dave Bliss is a leader and a good kid as well. He deserved this as much as anyone.

The list goes on and on, people. You could talk about Woodbury coming into his own as a legitimate outside threat. Albert Jackson showing that he can be the complete player that we have yearned for him to be. Billy Humphrey going hot, then cold, and then getting really hot when it counted most. Jeremy Price taking his lumps and showing true grit by getting back out on the court. Corey Butler for having the mental toughness after handing the game back to Ole Miss and then keeping cool enough to ditch the ball to the open man for the game-winner. And finally, Zac Swansey for giving us a taste of the future and how clutch the future can be.

But you can’t forget the coach. The mentally and physically exhausted coach that has had the Bulldog Nation in a tizzy as to whether or not his head deserved to be on a platter. You see it happens all the time in college sports where the pressure becomes too much and teams just buckle. But this man wouldn’t let it happen. I personally have been on both the Keep and Fire Dennis Felton bandwagons this season. The funny thing is, though, I was more on the firing side early on and the keeping side late in the season. Why? Because I could see what this man has done for this program and how his kids still play for him no matter what. Even our walk-on teams that we fielded a few years back played with fire.  On top of that, I have some good friends who made some good points about this man coming in when no one else would.  Now look what our "extended interim." coach has done.

There is one thing I saw from Felton in these past few days that I hadn’t seen from him before…his change from being a coach to being a Dawg. This man has earned our respect as a good person and coach. He earned mine for sure when I watched him hug Sundiata as time ticked down and embrace that kid as his own. He also earned it when he dove into the crowd of the UGA faithful and celebrated with them as any good leader would. Then, as he’s being interviewed, he still takes the time to thank those for their constant support, even when he knew he wasn’t getting it.

Is he the best coach in the business? Nah. But is he good for this program? YES.

UGA did something more special from Thursday to Sunday than any good writer could put into words. Hell, I’m an average one at best and I still know I won’t even come close to doing justice to our feat.  All I know is that it’s Monday after the SEC tournament and I’m looking forward to Thursday so I can catch these SEC Champion, NCAA Dancin' Defiant Dawgs in action at least one more time.



Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: ,






Friday, March 14, 2008
So, in "didn't see this one coming" news, an unconfirmed tornado has apparently ravaged downtown Atlanta.  As of right now, the SEC games in the Georgia Dome are postponed until further notice and the Omni is being evacuated.

Many are wondering how a tornado can rip right through an area that is 1) not flat and 2) not open, which makes creating a funnel cloud extremely tough.  For an answer, we got in touch with Mother Nature, who had this response:

"First, I apologize for all the damage, but sometimes stuff happens.  The truth is, I was gunning for Georgia Tech due to it being an eyesore and major source of embarrassment to the city, but I sneezed in the process and hit the Georgia Dome instead.  Sorry, but it's been warm lately and all the pollen just got to me."

Mother Nature then told us here on the Dawg-gone Blog staff that she had to go because she's got another storm cell building and she doesn't want to miss two times in a row.

More to come later.


Until next time kids.

Be safe (and get away from the window!).

Labels: , ,






Tuesday, March 11, 2008
That's basically what the tone has been for this blog today.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the fact that Tigers as well as Dawgs have weighed in on my little rant from yesterday.  I appreciate all of the comments, even the one where someone said, "Get your facts straight before mom lets you on the computer."  

So, I'd like do just that.  Let's get some facts straight, shall we?

Fact:  RR was let go of his football scholarship FIRST.  Details were later released that he was offered a GA position.  Call it what you want, but as a PR major, there is an action, a public reaction and then possibly another reaction from the initial actor.  If the first action is acceptable, the reaction will the same and there will be no reaction from the actor.  The best way to avoid a horrible reaction is to be proactive and not do something stupid to begin with.

Fact:  Releasing RR in three years instead of the entire four is a PR equivalent of getting caught sleeping with your best friend's girlfriend.  Even if they probably weren't going to get married, it still is a pretty sh*tty thing to do.

And finally, the most important FACT:  TOMMY BOWDEN WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN THIS MESS HAD HE NOT OVERSIGNED HIS CLASS.

Now, those are the facts.  What Tommy Bowden did was f*ck up and then try to cover his tracks later.  It is irrelevant if RR was offered a GA job.  He was offered a four-year football scholarship FIRST and then it was revoked when Tommy Bowden forgot how to add.  

Do football players go to college on scholarship to play ball and get an education?  Absolutely.  Do any of them anticipate being relieved of their ROOM AND BOARD scholarship in three years and then be offered a job that only pays a small wage?  NEGATIVE.  

So with that mindset, let me ask you this:  Would it have been OK for Tyrone Prothro to have his scholarship revoked just because he would've never been able to play again and an extra player was signed in his place?

Have the Clemson staff been good to RR and his little brother?  Yep.  Have the Clemson faithful been better?  Absolutely.  

The problem is not with the Clemson fans and not even with the school in general.  The problem lies within Mr. Clemson himself, Tommy Bowden.  The good news is that he probably learned it from his father, so I guess no one taught him better, which is sad (shout out: The Good Senator).  

Was I wrong to question his faith?  I probably was.  I'm man enough to say that.  I drink, party, cuss, etc. and I get angry when folks question mine, so that was a low blow on my end.  

But for the record, for those named Tommy Bowden and those that still support him through his f*ck up of enormous proportion:

You're still wrong.  Deal with it...kind of like how you've dealt with years and years of disappointment on the field.  



Until next time kids.

Be safe.


Labels: ,






Monday, March 10, 2008
There are coaches out there that absolutely drive me insane. They're assholes, they're pricks and they make me want to kick them in the balls repeatedly.

Then, there's Tommy Bowden.

Earlier his offseason, he pulled a Petrino and spoke to Arkansas to leverage big money away from Clemson. Then, he signed a stellar recruiting class of too many kids. Now, instead of worrying about natural attrition to make his numbers (and by natural, I mean planting drugs in their room or asking them if they'd like to take their gun out with them tonight), he's decided not to renew some kids' scholarships.

Now he has every right to do so, don't get me wrong. But in the midst of my reading about this first over at The Good Senator's Blog, and then over the The Wiz, I came to realize that not only did Tommy Bowden rip a scholarship away from a kid, he ripped it away from the ONE kid on his team that epitomizes what it means to come from nothing and to become someone. He took the scholarship away from Ray Ray McElrathbey.

Ray Ray was the kid who adopted his 11-year old brother in 2006 to get him out of the poor life he was left with after Ray Ray left. Ray Ray (who'll we'll now refer to as "RR") worked, went to school, played football, and then did whatever else he could to support his little brother, Fahmarr. RR was even given a special waiver from the NCAA to allow the university to give him assistance in taking care of Fahmarr while RR tended to his other obligations.

Now here's what really pisses me off, because RR graduates soon, Tommy Bowden feels that he and his situation are expendable. Expendable = deplorable. I know we have our problems at UGA and we call for heads left and right at the slightest drop of a hat, but for Tommy Bowden to be the man of faith and community that he has claimed to be and then to turn around and cut a kid loose before he's done playing football? Are you serious?

Players graduate early all the time in college. They take classes year round so they can work out and get ready for the upcoming season. I've even heard of players getting upwards around two Bachelor's AND be partly done with a Master's before they leave.

So Tommy Bowden has loyalty to pre-madonna's prima donnas like Dwayne Allen who buy into the bright lights and rock rubbing while the future looks good, but when it's evident that perhaps they won't see the field as much as you thought originally, it's ok to cut them and move on?

To me, when you offer a kid a scholarship to play football, he has to do everything wrong to lose it. This kid did everything right and all he got was a hard-boiled "bye" from those in he Athletic Department.

So let me say this about Tommy Bowden: He is a disgusting piece of coddled baby sh*t. THIS f*cking guy is the best I've ever seen at coaching his way into a losing season and then he goes and f*cks up off the field too? Look, do SOMETHING right. I don't give a damn if you just win at a game of scrabble, at least you could point to that and say "hey, it's something I haven't f*cked up in the past 20 minutes." I can't stand hypocrites. Don't get me wrong, I have gone on record on this blog and turned right around and changed my tune before, but I would NEVER do something like what this asshat just did. He single handedly took the face of the Clemson Tiger "team" aspect and pissed on it after eating a bushel of asparagus. When you're so oblivious to doing what's right, you deserve to lose every time your team takes the field. F*ck Tommy Bowden. You just surpassed Nick Saban for "ultimate douchebaggery." I sure hope he's sterile. I'd hate to know that any more Bowdens with THAT mindset could possibly be running around.

Oh, and if any of you Clemson fans disagree with me, you can go f*ck yourselves. Don't give me any of that bullsh*t about "well they did so much for him and his little brother and he got his degree." Eat a dick. People like RR do what they do and play football because football gives them a break. When I have a stressful day, I have a jack and diet. When RR wakes up, goes to class, takes care of his little brother, works a job, and then comes home from his day, he probably can't relieve stress like I can because he took his brother out of that kind of environment. So what does he do instead? He hits people with pads on. And now you take that away from him???!!!???

In other news, props to James Davis who actually broke the story to the press. RR was too scared to talk about the situation in case Clemson wouldn't put in a good word for him elsewhere. Now the Tigers have egg on their face and I couldn't be happier. Maybe RR will go to a team or just go finish up his graduate degree at a school that plays on or after New Years Day. That'd be my wish for the kid.

I'm hoping for the best with RR and since I hear he's looking for graduate assistant jobs, I would love to see him come over to a real family like the one we have between the hedges. Maybe since our neighbors across the border have no idea how to treat a kid well, we could figure it out for them. And hey, we're a little thin at running back right now anyway. When he finishes up his undergrad he will be eligible to play anyway due to the NCAA rule about graduate students transferring without having to sit out a year.

Anyway, the only thing I have to say is that I hope Tommy Bowden goes 0-12 this year and halfway through, he gets a phone call and is told that since he's already get his resume in order after many years at Clemson, they won't need his services anymore. I mean, he's stayed at that job for a while now. He really isn't needed, right? Besides, they've got some new coaches possibly coming in and they want to make room.

I wonder if Jon Richt is sitting at home thinking right now "if I don't play up to par, I'm expendable." I'm sure Mark's really happy about that. Helluva way to set an example.




Until next time kids.



Be safe.

Labels: , ,






Thursday, March 06, 2008
Dear Mr. Moreno,

I say "Mr." because in the worst of circumstances, one should be forced to put that before your name.  Defenses may call you "Supreme-Shon" or perhaps even "Chancellor Touchdown."  I understand that while spring practice goes on, you will see little to no contact, but I know with your work ethic, you will still find a way to put pads to Defense ass even when you're probably not supposed to.

As my readership dwindles due to lack of posting and as The Song Writer moves me effortlessly from "Check every day" to "Check once a week," the chances of you, Mr. Moreno, seeing this are little to none, but I want to offer some advice towards the upcoming season:

  • When you're tired, come out of the game.  Caleb King is a solid backup and Dontavious Jackson may just be a stick of dynamite himself.  The options behind you have the tendency to act like a firecracker with a short fuse that you're holding in your hand.  Sure, you plan to get rid of it in time, but the next thing you know, you're burned and there's this ringing sound in your ears.  That will be the exact situation when Defenses think they can take it easy and get burned (on a long TD) and the ringing will be the thousands cheering.
  • If you know you're going to get tackled, go ahead and hit the ground. Sure, no one likes a bitch-ass football player, but you of all people, should know when the time is right to break a tackle and when it's OK to just go down.
  • Keep being the leader of this team.  Matt Stafford is your friend, your confidant, and your field general.  However, you are the spark that ignites the team and it's your Walter Peyton-esque style that gets people ready to play football.  Never lose that because it's more important than "hustle."
  • Keep having fun.  Hype comes after the performance, not before.  It's an honor for Defenses to have to scheme for your ability.  It's a privilege to still get your yardage and help your team win.  Your desire to play the game and be the best you can be will make you successful.
  • Respect those that came before you.  You have a lot to live up to, sir.  Walker, Hearst, Edwards, etc. all came before you and will still be mentioned after you have signed the dotted line to be a pro.  You can join the company, but you can never replace them.  Be who you are and the accolades within the Bulldog Nation will follow.  
It should be said that I only played a down of football in pee wee leagues and in pickup games.  However, I know a leader, a playmaker, and a symbol of a team when I see it.  Stafford is the guy that gets you the ball, the Offensive Line are the guys that get you the yards, and you will be the guy to hand that respect right back to them.  That is what a leader does.  

As I sit and ponder the upcoming season to get my mind off of other things and back to more pleasant times, I offer this editorial to you, Mr. Moreno.  I hope you read it and realize that you have hundreds of thousands of people who are rooting for you.  Take that and keep on going.  We all know good things are on the horizon.


Man crush over.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: ,






Monday, March 03, 2008
Sorry it's taken longer than expected to post up the #1.  Unfortunately there are two games that I can't even try to decipher as the complete #1.  So, you get this honorary #1 and then the other one will come up in a few days.

Enjoy!!!

1. Auburn 2003 – It’s always a good game when UGA and Auburn meet on the field. It’s also a very rare occurrence to have UGA leave Sanford Stadium with a victory against the visiting EagPlainTigers. This home and home series is so lopsided that “home field advantage” never crosses anyone’s minds. Auburn was having another good season and had quite the solid team, just like in years before. They were also still VERY pissed off about us squeaking one out against them in 2002. Auburn came in looking for some respect and were also still in the hunt for the SEC West crown. A win against UGA would prove to be a huge deal for them trying to get to Atlanta since it was apparent at the time that Alabama was not going to give them any fits. UGA also had a lot to play for as this was a crucial piece to another SEC East crown and a date with either LSU or a rematch with Auburn in Atlanta. Another year, another game against Auburn, and another must-win. 

It was also my very last game in a Redcoat uniform in Sanford Stadium. Everything was in place for me to graduate, so this was the last time…guaranteed. That year’s game would prove to be much different than 2003’s though, as UGA definitively took the Tigers to the woodshed and then back again.  If you have any problem remembering what "woodshed" looks/feels like, let Mr. Blue show you...



Uncle Vern drops a "de-cleater" on you son.  You never saw it coming.

The “Money Shot Memory” begins as the Tigers are inching closer to the North end of the stadium and are looking to get a quick score before halftime. The student section was right there in the Plainsmen’s ears. It was loud and getting worse with every second the ball wasn’t snapped. Campbell took the ball from under center, dropped back, got in a little bit of a rush and threw on the run. The ball was tipped in the endzone and Odell “Oh Hell” Thurman grabbed it out of the air for a 99 yard score. The crowd went nuts and I knew we had this one sealed up. 

The audio is weak, so bring the noise by cranking up your speakers.



I was sitting next to my buddy Amos, who also was enjoying his last game in uniform, and I just said to him “It’s early in the evening in Athens, 65 degrees, our last game in Sanford, and the Dawgs are on the way to whipping Auburn’s ass. This is as good as it gets, my friend.” He looked at me, nodded, and we continued to soak up every moment like it was our last...mainly because in that aspect, it sadly was. 

After the win, Battle Hymn, Glory, and Glory Glory Dixieland never sounded better to an adoring crowd of proud parents, onlookers that were already waiting until next season, and senior Redcoats who were too choked up to play.  After the post-game concert, I remember looking at an empty stadium, turning to my parents who had been crying the whole time, and telling my dad through my on cheek-stained tears that I just wanted to go home. And then I left up the stairs with my back turned to the field.  I couldn't bring myself to get one last look.  

I haven’t felt the same in that stadium since then.



The true #1 Home Game is coming in a day or two.  Three guesses says you already know what it is.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: , ,