Hunker Down Dawg

Game of the Eon Redux (AKA BCS National Championship Game)

2012-01-09T19:49:00.001-05:00

I am looking forward to the second go around of LSU and Alabama in the second game of the Eon. I will be sad that football season will be over for too many months, but at least we have this one tonight to hold us over until our Spring Games.

EDIT: Replace LSU with Alabama and Jefferson with McCarron and the following will make more sense.

I believe LSU will win tonight 24-14. Here are my reasons:

LSU has 8 men on the defensive line and no matter how much Bama batters them with their great howitzer-like running game, LSU can keep sending up fresh bodies from the Repple Depple. Where Bama has been able to wear down every other team with the O-line and big backs, they did not and cannot wear down this LSU bunch. So, unless A.J. McCarron can complete some big passes and avoid interceptions, Bama will again find it difficult to score enough to win. And when they do throw, the have to contend with a defensive secondary that is more talented than their own and that means there won't be much room to squeeze the ball into the receivers and one critical interception can be the difference in this game.

On the other side of the ball, it is almost the identical story in which LSU will try to pound and grind with their four-headed 1000 pound running back and throw only when necessary to keep the defense honest and to take a few cracks down the field when they see a favorable matchup. However, a defense as good as Bama's doesn't offer many favorable matchups. The difference is that unlike McCarron, Jordan Jefferson can hurt you with his feet. And not just by kicking you in the head. That one added threat of the QB running intentionally or when in trouble will make the difference between the two offenses. That will be worth one touchdown's difference in scoring offense. (Not necessarily because Jefferson will score a TD, per se, but he will keep plays/drives alive.)

The other difference in scoring will be set up by special teams. LSU has the edge in special teams, which made all the difference in the first match up. I expect another big play from LSU's special teams to either core or set up short field to account for a score at some point.

Lastly, while I am not certain what the constitution of the crowd will be, I expect it will lean towards 60% LSU people. Like the Saints do not lose in the Superdome, neither do the LSU Tigers.

Sit back, open a beer or six, and enjoy the final game of a fantastic college football season.

EDIT: I absolutely whiffed on this one because I did not expect McCarron to be so Joe Montana-like in his accuracy and so Steve Young-like in his escapability. He truly made the difference by keeping drives going and keeping the LSU defense on the field the whole game. The Bama receivers also were huge in making every catch despite very tight coverage in most instances. The entire Bama team played error-free football except for a few inconsequential place-kicking miscues.

On the other side, the LSU defense played as well as could be expected for a unit that was on the field the entire night. To say that Jordan Jefferson crapped his pants would be an understatement. He missed open receivers, he failed to recognize when to run and when to throw it away and he looked like Chris Leake on the option... which is not a compliment. Much of the LSU offensive woes are a credit to the greatness of the Bama defense, but when there were opportunities, Jefferson was there to shut them down. His performance can best be described as Reggie Ball-esque.

Congrats to Alabama for playing a near perfect game against a tremendous LSU team that had previously looked unstoppable.

How long is it until September?

Too Many Ifs Going In, But it Was Fun for a Half

2011-12-04T09:34:00.001-05:00

We knew all of these ifs going in:

- If we could run the ball at least a little bit...
- If we could keep Mathieu from killing us on punt returns...
- If we could avoid turnovers...
- If Murray is extremely accurate...
- if, if, if...

We knew we had to play a perfect game. We knew there was no room for error. We knew all these things and we went into the Dome with hope. Our team delivered from the opening kickoff. The offense moved the ball and scored 10 when it should have been 17 or 21. Our defense allowed only 8 yards of total offense in the first half and zero first downs. We thoroughly dominated the best team in the country for most of the first half. But we did not account for Tyran Mathieu on the one punt and our boat got a gaping hole in the side and began to sink. It sank slowly at first, but then it went to the bottom with astounding speed. Speaking of astounding speed... LSU players move at warp speed.

So we lost to the best team in the world. Time to learn from it, regroup and go win our bowl game to complete an 11-3 season.

I am impressed beyond description with the LSU team. I am proud of the Georgia team and I look forward to an even better season in 2012.

Go DAWGS! GATA!

Hunker Down, One More Time

2011-12-02T14:25:00.001-05:00

I will be brief. On paper, we lose the SECCG to LSU. The games are not played on paper.

Leaving now for the 6 hour drive to Atlanta. See y'all at the Dome.

Go DAWGS! GATA!

Whip Tech, Slide in the Polls - Yes... They Suck That Bad!

2011-11-27T23:16:00.001-05:00

So we beat Georgia Tech easily and drop a spot or two in the BCS Poll?! Maybe we should drop the Nerds from our schedule to prevent this from happening in the future. They suck so bad they pull you down even when you trounce them. Hmmm...

Anyway, Tech is done and we will think about them again around Thanksgiving 2012. For now, our focus shifts to LSU and the most prized piece of hardware in College Football - the SEC Championship. The BCS can kiss my ass. Herbstreit and May can kiss my ass. Spurrier can kiss my ass. Polls don't matter nor do the pundits. All that matters is going out next Saturday and winning our third SEC Crown under Coach Mark Richt. By the way, Coach Richt now has seven 10 win seasons in eleven years at Georgia. HE KNOWS WHAT THE HELL HE IS DOING!

To get everyone in the mood for LSU here are a few early limericks (keep them coming guys)

Gadget Dawg

There once was a coach name of Les, his antics were so hard to guess, while his team kicked some ass, he at up some grass, and his players turned grass to a mess!

There once was a badger of honey, who went to the bayou for money, he smoked some fake grass, they suspended his ass, whatchu think makes his hair look so funny?

There was a tall lad name of Jord, and on friday he got kind of bored, he got in a drunken brawl, they wouldn't let him play ball, til they needed a QB to score.

Mr Shepard he did love to tweet, 'bout the teams that L$U plans to beat, but the text he did type, Dawgs prove to be hype , and some cold crow he'll soon have to eat!

Rex Robinson

What is a Bulldawg to do, when faced with a great LSU? Corndogs will be eaten and we may yet be beaten, but it will NOT be BAYOU!

Rex even submitted a Haiku:

Mad Hatter is here...losing is in his future...he will be pissed off!

Me

Russell Shepard is boldly Tweetin', none of that ish is worth repeatin', with one catch per game, he sounds pretty lame, soon he'll meet Shawn Williams for de-cleatin'

There will be more added, so check back daily.

Go DAWGS, beat the Corn Dogs. GATA!

Let The Big Dawg Eat!

2011-11-26T09:59:00.001-05:00

The Dawgs take prehistoric Grant Field to win their tenth consecutive game this season and to secure the 10th victory in eleven tries over the Nerds during the Richt era. It will be embattled Coach Mark Richt testing wits with the Great Paul Johnson. The same Paul Johnson that Senator Blutarsky reminds us was able to lose to the two worst Georgia teams fielded under Richt. Of course, Georgia is headed to the SEC Championship Game next week while Tech will wait by the phone for the Emerald Nuts Bowl to call. But if you think these Dawgs are overlooking the North Avenue Trade School, you will be mistaken. Hating Tech is bred in the bone of all Bulldogs and our players will be ready to squish the bugs again like always.

In honor of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate Week I have penned a few limericks that I posted on Twitter. I am now posting them here for my non-Twitter friends to see. Some are good, some are a little wanting, but they're free so what the hell...

There once was a nerd named Looper, he went to Tech - how super, call it divinity, he lost his virginity, to a handsome fellow stormtrooper.

There was a young Techie in a daze, his vision was blurred by a haze, it happened again, number 9 out of 10, the Dawgs won it as always.

The Techie said not to fear, as his frown went ear to ear, woefully he quipped, our ass just got whipped, maybe we will win it next year.

Pardon if I am remiss, for failing to hammer on this, all they can win, is 1 out of 10, and their uniform is the color of piss.

Joe was a Techie for life, but his days were full of strife, since dressed as ObiWan, he went to Dragon Con, n made a real Wookie his wife.

Here comes Wrambling Wreck - a'hoy, Marching Yellow Jackets - oh joy, we love game day, no we're not gay, OhmyGod Look - it's Flag Boy!!!

Techie went hunting by the water, he was equipped for the slaughter, saw a naked dame, asked if she was game, she said "yes" so he shot her.

At Tech it's always in style, and sure to make the nerds smile, to get with the boys, crank up the noise, and have a sweet tickle pile.

Tech plays football-who knew, and wins over Georgia are few, but year after year, they whine and they jeer, soon we'll be the boss of you.

At Tech it's every boy's wish, to become part of a niche, rule the whole school, and be super cool, like Mohamed, Clayton and Jugdish.

Oh the Tech Man does cry, no matter how hard he'll try, he still can't get laid, without her getting paid, and the title in '90 was a tie!

Paul Johnson's a douche for sure, his ass-hattery is without cure, a one trick pony, we'll prove he's a phony, another loss he will soon endure.

There once was a Techie from Nantucket, whose teams always did suck it, he said with chagrin, as he took it on the chin, we'll never beat Georgia - aww fuck it!

There once was a coach called CPJ, his fans whined and cried about UGA, he said with disgrace, punch'em in the face, then lost to 'em again the next day!

There once was a QB named Ball, he lost to the Dawgs every fall, with a failing SAT score, he couldn't count to 4, he clocked the last down - great call!

The nerd fan base was ecstatic, cheers for the Jackets were emphatic, Humanitarian Bowl at 10:00 am, despite losing to Georgia again, Hey 7-6 it's totally Chantastic!

There once was a girl at Tech, she wasn't very cute. That is all.

You'll work for us someday, that's what the Tech men say, when year after year after year, the Jackets give them little to cheer, since they are owned by U-G-A!

The Jackets band was so cute, when it sneaked behind the Redcoats to toot, then came Glory Glory, and the scared nerds did scurry, crapping their mustard pants en route! This was a request from Jen_eration_X based on this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9NpHJwpetk&feature=related

There once was a trade school in the hood, had a football team that wasn't good, excuse making aplenty, not even Top 20, if you aren't laughing at Tech - you should.

A Tech Man needs no introduction, great are his skills of deduction, if two teams were in yellows, he'd recognize his fellows, by their unmistakable suction.

Tech once had a coach named John Heisman, his name is known by every fan, the trophy that bears his name, no Jacket player can claim, though two each Georgia and Navy can.

Tech nerds have a race on a tricycle, it is cute to watch the dorks giggle, they laugh and they play, chase the girls away, then they make a big pile and tickle. Another request from Jen_eration_X based on this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0YspBAUg2c

There once was a Techie who couldn't steer, Crushed the Ramblin' Wreck from front to rear, it was not insured, Dawgs laughter long endured, But that boy's a hell of an engineer.

No Chan no Reggie no Little Joe, No Goose no Calvin no Randy Rhino, a new breed of nerds, to hate like lizards, as we win number 10 in a row.

UPDATE: Rex Robinson kicked in (pun intended) with a few limericks that were brilliant:

There once was a coach at THE JOKE, who seldom thought when he spoke. He constantly cried about fish seldom fried, but never acknowledged he choked.

One of Tech's biggest regrets, was letting Reggie say DOWN! SET! With one down to go, which he didn't know, he decided to "hedge" his last bet!

In the first half with time running out, the game still somewhat in doubt, Blair had a miss but hey, what is this? Fryer Schmuck called a timeout? (Obviously this was done after the game)

And Gadget Dawg offered these beauties:

There was a man on the flats, whose brain was too big for his hats, he thought it was smart, to insult folks from Walmart, but oops!, it was run by a Gnat!

There once was a coach, oh so smug, with an annoying smirk on his mug, his team cannot pass, he looks like an ass, and he sat in the hole his mouth dug!

So here we are... 2 hours from kickoff. Grantham's Dawgs will be ready to stuff the triple option early and often. Look for Aaron Murray to have a big first half and our running backs to have a big second half as we grind Tech into the turf.

Go Dawgs, GATA!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Dawgs

2011-11-24T12:20:00.001-05:00

I have been too busy with family fun to blog this week. But I want to take a moment and express how thankful I am for the blessings God has bestowed on me, my family and friends. I am thankful for our men and women in uniform for providing us the blanket of freedom under which have the opportunity to prosper.

I am thankful for my amazing wife, my wonderful kids and my awesome family and friends.I am thankful for Coach Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs. Thank you for contributing to this unforgettable year.

Go DAWGS! GATA!

Time To Roll This Bus Throught the Front Door of the SEC East!

2011-11-18T22:19:00.001-05:00

Well... Auburn provided the resistance of helium-filled beach balls on greased roller skates. It was a great, dominant, team win for the Dawgs but now Kentucky becomes the next "must-win" as we chug-a-lug this big ole bus straight through the front door of the SEC East Championship.

The Dawgs are favored to win by 30. That seems high unless we are playing Auburn again. But Kentucky can't score against bad defenses. There is no way they are scoring more than 17 against Georgia and that is if we give them help. This is a game that we should only need to score 20 to win. We may get there by the end of the first quarter. Surely we will have the 20 points we need by half time. Naturally, this game falls in a perfect trap position between Auburn and Tech, but this team has me convinced that they are focused enough to not allow this year's version of Kentucky to come into Athens and turn over our party bus.

There will be plenty of time to hate Tech next week. Let's get it done early and often today and keep everyone healthy.

Take the Dawgs and give the points. Dawgs are going back to the Dome, through the front freaking door, baby! All aboard...

Go Dawgs! GATA!

GATA Dawgs. This Is the Next Big Game!

2011-11-11T08:55:00.001-05:00

The Dawgs have played "must win" games since Week 3. Now that we are in the driver's seat in the SEC East, without question this now becomes the biggest "must win" game of the season. While South Carolina very well may lose to Florida before our game kicks off, a Dawgs victory virtually assures us the SEC East. We will deal with Kentucky next week. K? A Carolina loss and UGA win clinches it.

Many have expressed surprise that the Dawgs are a 13 point favorite over Auburn. That does seem high, but I like our match ups in this game. Grantham's Dawgs are gearing up to stop Auburn's running attack led by super sophomore Michael Dyer and will probably dare them to throw it on us with Sophomore QB Clint Moseley who has 44 career pass attempts. Dyer is dangerous but if our defense plays the run as it has all season, we won't let him beat us. Moseley may be an accurate passer, but he is green and he is no threat to run. Jarvis Jones likes the sound of that.

When our offense takes the field, we will face the nations 85th ranked rushing defense and the 50th ranked passing defense. Our offense ranks 43rd and 39th in those corresponding categories. It appears to me that our passing offense is finally hitting its stride with the emergence of clutch receivers like Chris Conley and Michael Bennett and with the return of Malcolm Mitchell these three guys will help take some of the attention away from veterans Orson Charles and Tavarres King. As long as our O-line gives Murray time tomorrow, he is going to have a big day. Isaiah Crowell and company will need to be sharp in pass protection and keep Murray safe from big hits.

While Auburn's run defense appears to be their bigger weakness, I don't see this as a game where we try to pound the ball. I think we will use the run to set up the pass. Balance is probably what we will see. I just hope it is not balance for the sake of balance. Hopefully Crowell will be healthy throughout and will get 20 touches. If that happens, go ahead and buy your ticket to the Dome.

Two things I want to note:
(1) We haven't scored a defensive TD or special teams TD all season. That will change tomorrow.
(2) Blair Walsh will not miss another FG attempt inside of 50 yards this season.

I am leaving in a few minutes to make the 6 hour drive to Athens. See y'all there.

Go Dawgs! GATA!

Kiss My Ass, Kick My Ass, Kick Your Ass: Season 2, Volume 5

2011-11-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

It has been a few weeks, but here we go...

Kiss My Ass - Joe Paterno and all of the other enablers in State College. If the allegations in the grand jury report are true or are even remotely true, then the failure of moral responsibility shown by Joe Paterno and others at Penn State is so stupefying and colossal that there is absolutely no excuse and their immediate dismissal is just the first step. Here's the deal... if McQueary had called Joe Paterno and reported that he witnessed Sandusky sexually assaulting Joe's 10 year old grandson, how would Paterno have responded? Oh, but it wasn't Joe's grandson or any other kid he loved, so what did Joe do? Not much. How could he ever allow Sandusky within a mile of his facility after this came to light? How could he allow such a despicable act or acts to be swept under the rug and kept quiet so that Sandusky could potentially continue preying upon little boys? How could McQueary ever cross paths with Sandusky again without splitting his face with a claw hammer? I am so thoroughly disappointed that Paterno let those kids down. All the good he did for 60+ years is nullified in my view by his failure in the most crucial crisis he faced as the leader of the Penn State program. It is a heartbreaking yet disgusting failure and for that, Joe Paterno et al can Kiss My Ass.

Kick My Ass - Kwame Geathers. Last Saturday, I took my kids to the Dawg Walk. We were right behind the sousaphones. In fact, the kids were reaching out and slapping five with all the players. Some players were tiny, some were small, some were medium sized, some were large, some were huge, and then there was Kwame. He is monolithic. He is listed as 6-6 and 350 lbs. He looked like he was two of me, or more. I hope he will focus his energy and destruction on the Auburn backfield tomorrow, but if for any reason he wanted to, he could most likely Kick My Ass.

Kick Your Ass - Jerry Sandusky. I will make this short because this vile, monstrous, sub-human makes me so sick I can hardly stand writing his name. I believe medieval justice would be too lenient for him. If he gets his ass kicked or worse a thousand times in prison, it won't be enough.

Game of the Eon

2011-11-04T01:39:00.000-04:00

There are games of the decade, games of the century and perhaps games of the millennium, but based on the hype around the Alabama-LSU game, it could be the first (and only) "Game of the Eon." I am not saying the hype is not warranted, but won't we all be disappointed if the game does not live up to the hype?

So this is the proverbial Irresistible Force meeting an Immovable Object game. Vegas thinks that LSU is a little bit movable since they are giving them 4 or 4.5 points in Tuscaloosa. Having a regular season SEC game featuring #1 vs #2 is unprecedented (I believe I saw this somewhere.) That both teams have looked so demonstrably better than the rest of the field of college football is unquestionably unprecedented. Interestingly, #1 LSU is the underdog to #2 Alabama. Bama is at home, so that tilts things there way a little. However, LSU has played a tougher schedule and made it look easy, which illustrates their worthiness of the current top spot in the polls. Both teams are at least two touchdowns better than any other team in college football right now. I think this is why the game has received so much hype and why many believe this is the de facto National Championship Game. In that case, all are well-advised to not miss this one. And... you can watch it without all those Tostitos commercials.

My favorite part of this game is the contrast between the two teams and their head coaches. Alabama and Nick Saban seem completely machine-like in their methodical, relentless and consistent approach to the game. In my work, I spend a fair amount of time in Chinese factories where there is a constant cacophony of machine presses and stamping presses pounding sheet metal into various shapes with tireless efficiency and precision. This is Alabama. They are a Chinese sheet-metal stamping program. Not too fancy. Not too flashy. Just non-stop production with an endless supply of raw material and personnel.

I have also spent a lot of time in the artisan village of Tonala, Mexico where skilled craftsmen using their hands and rudimentary tools produce beautiful, creative, one-of-a-kind objects of art. These Mexican craftsmen take great pride in their work but they also love to have a good time drinking, singing, whistling at girls and shooting off fireworks for no apparent reason. You know what is coming next... LSU and Les Miles are a Tonala arts and crafts program. They work to create something beautiful and unique and they are willing to accept flaws in the final product so long as it is true to the artist's vision.

So what happens when the machinists square off with the artists? To invoke another analogy, it is like Terminator against Sarah or John Connor. I think the biggest distinction is how emotion plays a bigger role for LSU than it does for Alabama. Playing on emotion can work for you or against you where as playing with a mechanical, laser-like focus typically allows you to ride out the waves of emotional ups and downs and maintain course. Obviously, I am generalizing, as I understand that both teams will have an element of mechanical focus and emotional surges during the game. But on the whole, I think it is plain to see some dividing characteristics between these two teams and their head coaches as I have pointed out above. So what does it all mean?

I believe that on paper, Alabama has a stronger team with solid fundamentals, depth and experience. But, the margin is thin enough that LSU can win the game in Tuscaloosa if they channel their emotions into sound execution on key plays during the game. From a position-by-position analysis, Alabama has the better offensive line and top tailback but LSU has more running back depth and has the more seasoned quarterback. While Jarrett Lee has met his struggles early in his career, he has had a great senior season and gives LSU an edge in experience and in the vertical passing game.On the other hand, Trent Richardson is the best running back in college football and will soon be the best running back in the NFL. LSU has a great defensive line, but if they don't corral Richardson at the line of scrimmage, the LBs and DBs will bounce off of him like pinballs.

One X-factor in this game is LSU's playmaker Tyran Matthieu who has shown the ability to frequently be in position to wreak havoc and create turnovers. He is much more dangerous in passing situations, so Alabama can neutralize him by running the ball with authority for four quarters.

Alabama's receivers are not going to strike too much fear in the LSU defense, but the LSU receivers have been less than consistent in big games the last couple of years, So one of these two receiving corps will have to step up and make a difference.

Kicking game, turnovers, special teams, untimely penalties, blah blah blah... There really is no way for me to predict the outcome of this game. Vegas likes Bama. My nephew is at Bama, so I want him to enjoy a huge win Saturday night. I am not sure it will happen. I am not sure it won't. I hope that all of us fans without a Dawg in the fight are treated to a great game that lives up to the hype. A final score of 24-21 or 21-20 would be fantastic. A clash of two styles, both effective and punishing, culminating with an undisputed #1 team in the Eon... that is what we are looking for. Meanwhile, on the other channel, Go Hawgs!

Update: After sleeping on this post, I woke with this feeling... This game will be similar to the Alabama-Auburn game last year in the sense that LSU is the emotional team like Auburn was last year and Alabama is, well, Alabama. I am a slight LSU lean on a neutral field but the Bama home field seems to even it back up. Saban has a coaching edge in preparation, teaching, system, process, etc, etc, but Lesticles has that big ole hat and can sometimes pull a rabbit or fake field goal out of it in big games.

My prediction... Go Hawgs!

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

2011-11-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

After the South Carolina loss, I felt better than I did one week earlier because I saw a lot of fire in the team even though self-inflicted mistakes cost us the game. While there was much belly-aching and overreacting among fans (some friends and family members included) I was of the same belief as Vegas had been before the season began. UGA would be underdogs in the Boise and S. Carolina games and favored in every remaining game. I honestly felt pretty calm about the 0-2 start. Then again, I generally remain calm about most things. It is a Pisces deal.

So when I was in London two weeks ago and saw the pictured coffee mug, I had to have it since it essentially summed up my outlook on life. "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON." This slogan adorned posters produced by the British Ministry of Information during World War II as the third message in a series of three that would be placed all over England during the War. The third poster never made it to public dissemination however as the War ended before it was used.

I suppose the Brits could have used those posters during the IRA bombing campaign, but at any rate, the slogan somewhat typifies a British attitude towards emergency and I find it quite useful in my own life.

During the first quarter of the game against the Gators, I again found myself drawing upon these words and trying my damnedest to channel it to the sideline. Naturally, keeping calm is Mark Richt's strong suit, so it is to his credit that he was able to keep our team from panicking. At the same time, having Todd Grantham on his side was akin to Churchill having General George Patton on his side. The Dawgs did indeed keep calm and carry on to beat the Gators and hopefully they will ride that emotional victory to 4 more regular season wins.

Now... we can again refer to the timeless British advice as we prepare for a game without a single tailback recruited to play football at UGA. KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. You all know we will be just fine against New Mexico State with Brandon Harton and a slew of walk-ons playing running back because we will still have our QBs, receivers and tight ends. More importantly, we will still have our full complement on defense, and really, that is all we will need. As Erk Russell said, "If we score, we may win. If they don't score, we won't lose."

Further to the point, my friend Kerri Loudis had the Tweet of the day when she summed up the situation succinctly as follows:

ugakerri Kerri Loudis

We're going to show Charlie Weis how the empty backfield offense is run! #takethatfatman

(By the way, apparently I cannot figure out how to embed a tweet into blogger. I will gladly accept any technical assistance.)

Move forward fearless Dawgs. KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.

I Guarantee That Muschamp Was Wrong! Dawgs Win 24-20

2011-10-30T23:00:00.003-04:00

What a glorious game, glorious day, and glorious team!

My Saturday morning began with the great news that my nephew Michael had received a nomination to the U.S. Naval Academy from Congressman Jack Kingston. If Michael gets an appointment, he will become the 4th member of our family to attend since 1976. Thanks Jack and good luck Michael!

My day only got better from there. Uncle Bo and I hit three tailgates before heading into the stadium and had some excellent food and beverage with great friends. Confidence was growing with each Hendricks, Tonic and lime I poured. By kickoff, I felt as good as could be expected about the potential fate of our Dawgs on this 90th meeting for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

In the opening flurry, Florida proceeded in a very Georgia-esque fashion having a long kickoff called back by penalty (the refs had several to choose from). Then Jeff Demps, the fastest man in college football, got run down by Brandon Boykin after a 72 yard sprint. Not sure what to call the guy who ran down the fastest player in the NCAA, but Boykin's hustle and TD saving tackle paid a huge dividend a few plays later when the Gator kicker missed a field goal.

For the next quarter and a half, it was Georgia who played like Georgia while Florida seemed to revert to former Gator squads with big plays, interceptions and scrambling passes for TDs as they built a 17-3 lead. Meanwhile, Georgia had turned it over inside their 20, missed a field goal and allowed a 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

But then after a 14 play UGA drive ended in a missed 33 yard field goal by Blair Walsh, with under 4 minutes remaining in the first half, the two teams began to magically morph one into the other. In a word... things got ZANY. Florida snapped the ball past QB John Brantley for a 10 yard loss, got a false start penalty and then Chris Rainey fumbled the ball to Georgia at the Florida 25. Four plays later, on 4th and 5, freshman Michael Bennett made a very veteran catch in tight coverage for Georgia's first TD and the game went into the half with Georgia only trailing 17-10.

When the second half began, Georgia had its full complement of defensive starters and reserves available for the first time since the first quarter of the first game of the season. The addition of Shawn Williams and Kwame Geathers in the third quarter completed Todd Grantham's defense and from that point on, this is what Florida did:

Third Quarter
11 plays for 5 yards, two delay of game penalties, zero first downs and a fumble to Georgia at the Florida 18.

Fourth Quarter
13 plays for 7 yards, one first down, a false start and another delay of game.

In sum, Florida ran 24 plays netting 12 yards in the second half. Easy math says that Florida gained only 18 inches per play in the second half. Or, realistically, if you take out the 20 yards of penalties, they gained 32 yards on 24 plays which is 4 feet per play (or Boss Bailey's vertical leap per play.) Seven possessions, one first down. Their 3 points came courtesy of field position set up by a long kickoff return.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Dawgs managed another TD pass on 4th down and a grinding TD run from Richard Samuel to take the 24-20 lead that was good enough to win. Florida helped Georgia with 2 pass interference penalties on 3rd down. The only things Georgia did that were reminiscent of the usual Jacksonville crap was on special teams in which we missed another short field goal and punted the ball for only 24 and 36 yards when deep in our own end of the field, thereby giving Florida amazingly good field position. Fortunately, Grantham's defense was immovable and Florida never even scared the end zone in the second half.

Yes, it was opposite day in Jacksonville and we can only hope that this is the start of a new trend in the series. After all, Will Muschamp is now 0-5 in this game as a player and coach. Clearly he is jinxed in Jacksonville. Muschamp has a monkey on his back. This game is in his head and it affects his players too. Say it with me Dawgs. This is the new meme for the WLOCP.

I really don't care that this was a weak Florida team with a gimpy QB and after a few series, a gimpy running back. Blah, blah, blah. We won in Jacksonville. We needed the win to keep our SEC East chances alive. We needed the win for Coach Richt. We beat Muschamp despite his guarantee of a victory. It was a big deal and it will forever be in the minds of Hamp Tanner, the Georgia players and coaches and the entire Georgia fan base.

Way to go Dawgs! You really did GATA and made us all proud.

It's Great... to be... a Georgia Bulldog!

2011-10-29T07:50:00.001-04:00

Gators... Gators... how'd you like to bite my ass?

Time to get my WLOCP on. See y'all in Jax.

Go DAWGS! GATA!

Richard Samuel... Do What?

2011-10-29T01:09:00.002-04:00

Yeah, I know I said I wasn't going to make any predictions this year. But, I have had this nagging at me all week and thus, I felt obligated to post it and allow the prophesy to be fulfilled. As you all know, weird shit always happens during the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Often it is completely unpredictable, once in a lifetime stuff that changes the game and becomes a lifetime memory for the participants and the fans. So here is my premonition...

Richard Samuel is going to break off another of those long sprints like he had against Arkansas in 2008 when I had Swine Flu (true story). He will come in to spell Crowell and will take a lead off tackle on the left side into a vacuous hole and will show off his 4.3 speed for a long touchdown run... probably untouched.

There you have it. In less than 18 hours, we will see if I am prescient or delusional.

Go DAWGS! GATA!

What More Need Be Said?

2011-10-24T22:31:00.003-04:00

In previous years I have gone to great lengths to preview the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party - the game on the field, not the games in the surrounding parking lots. And every year, what happens on the field generally defies description. I won't predict anything except that this game is HUGE for Georgia and I hope our boys respond accordingly.

I will say that in the first half, while Crowell is healthy, fresh and not fatigued, we need to convert red zone opportunities into touchdowns. If we get into the bad habit of settling for field goal attempts and God forbid we even miss field goals... better have some nitro glycerin and some lithium handy.

I am doing my best to suppress my excitement and anticipation so that I can try to be productive at work until Friday. On Friday, as is the tradition, I am going fishing for big reds on the jetties. I am looking forward to seeing all the usual suspects who converge on Amelia Island for this festive weekend and I hope that Saturday night, we will have cause for celebrating until the wee hours. Until then... Gators... Gators... How'd You Like to Bite My Ass?

Go DAWGS! GATA!

Dawgs Down Dooley Again

2011-10-11T07:56:00.003-04:00

Man was I worried about our trip to Knoxville. Not because I felt that Tennessee was better than Georgia, because I didn't. But our last two trips up there were such debacles and because this game was HUGE for this particular season and we have not exactly been getting the job done in HUGE games in recent years. For me, this was the bellwether game for the Dawgs' season and our steadily dominant performance was enough to give me more optimism for the remainder of this season.

Going in, I was a little concerned about UT because they had hammered Cincinnati by 22 points and Cincy looked pretty decent dismantling NC State on a Thursday night a few weeks back. But my real concerns were less about UT and more about UGA and our recent penchant for red-zone paralysis and our charitable offense/special teams. I knew that we would shut down the UT rush and would have a better chance of slowing down their passing attack by making them one-dimensional. Still, after two quarters, we had not found the end zone and were one gift TD away from trouble. Then came the third quarter complete domination in which Isaiah Crowell reached paydirt twice and Tennessee mustered only 24 yards on 8 plays. At that point, the party was on at Chez Tanner because there was no way Grantham's Dawgs were letting Tennessee score twice in the 4th quarter.

Speaking of Grantham's defense... if you had told me in September that our linebackers were going to steal the show but would do so without Alec Ogletree, Cornelius Washington and with a limited Christian Robinson, I would have been highly skeptical. But hats off to Mike Gilliard (12 tackles, a pass break-up and 2.5 tackles for a loss for 20 yards), Amarlo Herrera (6 tackles), Jarvis Jones (5 tackles with 3.5 for a loss of 9 yards) and Chase Vassar (2 tackles with 1.5 for a loss of 5 yards). Of course. all of this stellar linebacker play would not happen but for the great play from the front 3 anchored by the rotation of John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers. Indeed, UGA owned the UT backfield with the net result for the Vols being 23 rushes for -20 yards. That is a happy statistic no matter what, but to do it to the Vols in Knoxville is even better. And yes, the Gators held them to -9 yards rushing, which means our defense was more than twice as good as the Gators against the run. Ha!

Beating Tennessee never gets old and no victory over the Vols is anything but beautiful. There is no such thing as an ugly win against any team wearing disgusting orange colors.

Congratulations to Coach Mark Richt for reaching the 100 Victory milestone. Here's to hoping he reaches 108 before he signs another class of Bulldogs.

Go Dawgs! GATA!

UT Night Game: Let's Get It On!

2011-10-03T12:02:00.006-04:00

(I started the post on Monday and got so busy with work that I couldn't get back to it until Friday)

On September 15th, I predicted that the Dawgs would win big in the following three ballgames (Coastal Carolina, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.) In some ways, that prediction held. We scored 59 points against Coastal Carolina and we dominated the Mississippii on both sides of the ball and scored heavily in both first halves. However, my prediction came up short in the second halves of the past two weeks when our offense went into self-inflicted shut-down mode and scoring all but ceased. Still, Georgia controlled all three teams from the opening kickoff and was never in danger of losing those games.

On September 15th I felt I didn't have near enough information to form a sound opinion about the game in Knoxville that looms next on our schedule. I wasn't sure what the 2011 Vols would look like against good competition and I wanted to see if Georgia would develop as I expected over the three game stretch we just completed. Today I am still mostly uncertain about how Tennessee will perform against good competition and our offensive schizophrenia coupled with our propensity to give away charitable touchdowns was not part of the development track I had envisioned for our Dawgs. But, here we are on the eve of what I believe is the bellwether game of our season.

The last two trips to Knoxville resulted in inexplicable displays of ineptitude by our football teams. But, those were day games. Tomorrow's game will be played under the lights and our last two night games in Knoxville ended like this and this. That's a 68 - 28 scoring differential in favor of the good guys! If only the absence of sunlight made all the difference...

At this point, I feel that Georgia is a little better on paper but not by much and we are playing in their loud Rocky Topping stadium full of Lulus and Juniors.
I like our running game against their defense in the first half. But, we have yet to establish that we have the stamina and depth to pound it for 4 quarters. Could this be the week that we play offense in the second half? If so, I like our chances to win going away. I also like our play-action passing game if we can run the ball and I am hoping to see several passes to Bruce Figgins out of the backfield and lots of passes to our tight ends. This is the week we really must cash in on our red zone opportunities.

On the other side of the ball, I like our run defense against their run offense. And our pass defense has looked very good in the stats column ever since we were carved to pieces by Cullen Moore. Realistically, we haven't played a capable passer since Boise State. So, tomorrow our pass defense gets a decent test against the cocky, hot-dogging California puke, Tyler Bray. It is to our benefit that he won't have the super-talented Justin Hunter to throw to so he will have to rely on cop-stomper Darrick Rodgers. I may have missed a few apostrophes in his name, but I am not interested in looking it up. I believe Baccari Rambo and Brandon Boykin have the answer for Rodgers but we need to make sure somebody is covering the wheel. Seriously. I have seen us burned by the wheel route against Tennessee enough times to last me a lifetime.

I said it last week and I will say it again... we need our special teams to be special. Is this the week we get a touchdown return on a punt or kickoff? And is this the week that we actually hang onto a pick-six and get points? I am certain that if Georgia protects the football and plays focused for 4 quarters that we will obtain Mark Richt's 100th victory.

The last time I predicted Georgia to win big against Tennessee, we didn't even show up. (2007 fwiw). So I learned my lesson. This time around, I am picking the Dawgs to win by a narrow, but sufficient margin. DAWGS 24 - Vols 19. (Wondering how the Vols end up with 19? After a late TD they go for 2 so that if they can recover an onside kick they could tie with a field goal. But Jarvis Jones sacks Bray on the conversion try.)

P.S. The Hunker Down Beer Challenge will be in effect.

GO DAWGS! GATA!

Georgia Will Win Big Against Mississippi State

2011-09-29T19:55:00.005-04:00

I have had a busy ass week and have been unable to blog. But, here we are on Thursday night and I need to restate what I said two weeks ago: Georgia will win big against Mississippi State. Here are the key reasons why I believe in this statement:

1. Our offense will move the ball effectively. Last year, a lesser offense gained almost 400 yards in Starkville. The offense we have now is more proficient and unless we self-destruct, we will go over 400 yards Saturday. Whether we convert all that yardage into points will depend on better red zone execution (and better play calling.) Here are my red-zone play calling requests:
- If we are 1st and goal and line up with one tight end and one running back... throw the football.
- If we are 1st and goal and want to run the ball, then let's go two tight ends and power I formation.

I know that takes away the awesome element of surprise, but our trickiness last week resulted in 4 fails in the red zone. So despite the great urge to spread the field and line up with a single tailback and run it down their throats... let's stick to the percentages, mmmkkk?

2. Their offense is ok but not great. Relf is a streaky passer and if we can keep him out of rhythm we can make them one-dimensional. I like the way we have been playing the run this year but it sure would be nice to have Christian Robinson back for this one. We will need great linebacker play sideline to sideline to negate the MSU option game. So let's hope Gilliard, Herrera, Vasser and company are up to the task.

3. We have re-discovered our tight ends. If we continue to use them and mix in some screens to Figgins and Crowell out of the backfield, we will open up an opportunity or two to hit King or Mitchell on a long one. Look for this to happen in the third quarter.

4. We are DUE for a big day on special teams. It seems like we haven't returned a punt since Prince Miller graduated. Boykin is still without a TD return this season and I keep saying it is not a matter of if, it is only a matter of when. Also, hopefully we will have the real Blair Walsh in uniform this Saturday. It is important that we not surrender another huge play on special teams. In fact, why don't we go out there and block a punt. It has been a while since we did that.

5. We are at home and we owe MSU some payback for the game we lost in Starkville last year. Surely you have seen what Aron White had to say about how hard they took that loss last year. Well, Saturday is the time to make amends and redress those past wrongs.

I expect Georgia to win by 21 points but I think it will take a 4 quarter effort to get that done. Unlike last week, I don't see us jumping all over them early. I see it more as a gradually progressing game in which our lead grows a little each quarter and ending with the Georgia Bulldogs winning 38-17. The halftime score will be somewhere around 17-10.

Go DAWGS! GATA!

What Did I Miss from Ole Miss?

2011-09-27T11:22:00.004-04:00

I repeatedly made the bold prediction that we would "win big", "score at least 42 points" and "win by 30+ points" against Ole Miss. As the first half unfolded, I felt pretty good about those predictions but in the second half, our red-zone offense went into a coma and the stranger wearing Blair Walsh's uniform failed on 3 field goal attempts that should have been TD's anyway. So, I fell short on the 42 to 45 points scored and on the margin of victory being at least 30 points. But, I am not here to talk about my failures... instead, I want to brag about a few things I fairly accurately foretold:

- 90+ yard TD drive in the first half.
- Aron White's first TD in 2011
- Crowell getting 130 yards rushing (he actually had 147) and I also predicted he would have 50 yards receiving - which he would have gotten all on one screen pass if Murray had not overthrown him... did you see how wide open the field was on that play? Damn!
- Georgia would approach 500 yards in offense (we had 475 yards)
- Dawgs defense will dominate the Rebel offense (held them to 34 yards rushing and 149 yards passing and 2 interceptions). Our defense held them to one TD and 3 of 14 on third down conversions. We also turned in 4 sacks. Let's hope that is a trend.

Our team did indeed dominate on both sides of the ball and while Ole Miss is a mess of a football team right now, they were playing extremely hard so it is not as if we did this against a team that had no pulse. We must solve our red-zone ineptitude if we are going to have any chance to win more SEC ball games. Kentucky is the only listless club left on the schedule. And, we also must stop giving away touchdowns via special teams. In fact, I am surprised that we are still looking for our first special teams TD. Come on Dawgs, let's take back the special teams phase of the game.

A few more positives...
- It was good to see Rambo ball-hawking and coming up with two interceptions. I believe he also had a pass break up.
- Our replacement ILB's Mike Gilliard and Emarlo Herrera led the team in tackles with 7 and 6 respectively. It will be great to get Christian Robinson and Alec Ogletree back, but it was good for these guys to get more experience. They will again have to step up against Mississippi State this week, which will prove to be a tougher assignment.
- We had only 4 penalties for 30 yards. Since the Boise game, in which we had 7 penalties, we have now had only 5, 5 and 4 in the past three games. That is a surprising and welcome trend.

Looking back, I still feel like the prediction of scoring 45 points and winning by more than 30 was not irrational. We just need to get touchdowns when in the red zone. That would do wonders for Blair Walsh's kicking percentage as well because extra points are much easier than field goals.

Up next... Georgia will win big against Mississippi State. (Oops, I did it again.)

Go DAWGS! GATA!

How Will We Score 45 on Ole Miss?

2011-09-23T22:43:00.004-04:00

If I am wrong on this game being a huge UGA blowout, I may stop blogging! Or at a minimum, I will stop predicting how 18, 19 and 20 year olds will perform on any given Saturday. I have convinced myself that the Dawgs will score 45 points in Oxford. Here is how... (I understand that this is pure fantasy, but just play along and let's see what happens tomorrow and if I got anything right)

1st Quarter:

A well-scripted first possession mixing runs with Crowell and play-action passing. Bruce Figgins scores on a FB screen from the 20 yard line. 7 points.

A nice punt return sets us up in excellent field position. First play is a pass to Crowell out of the backfield to get inside the 10 yard line. Then we run 3 straight times with Crowell getting across on the third attempt. 14 points.

2nd Quarter:

Our defense creates a turnover in Ole Miss territory. We come out in the no huddle and after a couple of short passes and a couple of runs, we hit Tavarres King on a corner route for the TD. 21 points.

After Ole Miss mounts a drive, they flip the field and punt us deep in our own territory. We respond with a 90 yard drive on 10 plays with Crowell scoring from about 6 or 7 yards out. 28 points.

Late in the half, we start with pretty good field position with less than a minute on the clock. No huddle. Quickly strike down the middle with Orson Charles to get us to the 20 yard line. Three plays later, we are forced to kick a field goal as the half expires. 31 points.

3rd Quarter:

On our first possession we stay mostly on the ground with Crowell and Carlton Thomas even has a nice run. Then on play-action, we hit Aron White for his first TD of 2011. 38 points.

4th Quarter:

Brandon Boykin jumps an out route at midfield and returns it for a TD. 45 points.

See how easy that was. Also, notice how semi-boring the second half was. Who knows, just to keep it interesting, maybe we will score more than 45.

I believe Crowell will go for about 130 yard rushing and 50 yards receiving.
Murray will go over 200 yards passing and will complete around 24 passes to 10 different guys.

Go Dawgs! GATA!

Kiss My Ass, Kick My Ass, Kick Your Ass, Season 2, Volume 4

2011-09-23T13:45:00.005-04:00

"What? You want me to kiss your ass? That sounds kinky. I like."

Kiss My Ass - Ahmadinejad (aka Akma-weenie-jad). The Iranian President denies the holocaust, says that 9/11 was the work of the Zionists, wants to obliterate Israel from the map and yesterday he took to the floor of the UN to preach the US about our wicked and evil country... again. (Hmmm... he sounds a lot like some whackos out in Hollyweird, but this is not about them.) Hey Shitweasel, I don't care what you think. Not now! Not ever! Why don't you go back to Tehran and continue your campaign of lies, your stench is turning New York into a sewer. But before you go... Kiss My Ass!

Kick My Ass - Philadelphia Eagle Trent Cole. If you watched the Falcons-Eagles game Sunday night, then surely you feared for the health and safety of Falcons QB Matt Ryan. The primary reason was the unstoppable pass rush of Trent Cole. This guy plays the position like a cross between a cape buffalo and a Tasmanian devil (the cartoon version). Size, strength, speed, technique. The Falcons had no answer. He collected 4 tackles for a loss, one sack and countless hurries and knockdowns. Like he did with Matt Ryan, I have no doubt that Trent Cole would Kick My Ass!

Just looking at this picture hurts my bones.

Kick Your Ass - Ahmadinejad (aka Akma-weenie-jad). For the first time in KMA, KMA, KYA history we have a double-entry. It's not because I am lazy and can't think of someone else for this role, it's just that this goat turd needs his ass kicked more than anyone I can think of right now. Bring it on Mahmoud... let's get in the octagon and go a few rounds. You won't have your fellow terrorists holding AK-47s to protect you. On behalf of the 52 Americans you held hostage for 444 days, it will be my pleasure to Kick Your Ass!

"I will fight you in the cage if I can have a knife this long."

Kicking a Rebel Bear in the Nutt

2011-09-22T20:32:00.003-04:00

I have settled on a catch phrase for these 2011 Dawgs and it is this... These Dawgs are knockin' and you know they're coming in. It is understandable that everyone would temper their enthusiasm after the 59-0 thrashing of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. But, my enthusiasm for what I believe this Georgia team will do began in the 4th quarter of the South Carolina game. On Saturday, the Dawgs are going to woodshed the Rebel Bears. The Dawgs will jump on them early, push the accelerator to the floor and ignite the fuse under the powder keg Houston Nutt is sitting on. In 2007 the Dawgs beat Ole Miss by 32 points in Athens. Saturday, we will beat them by 32 or more points in Oxford, which will be the largest margin of victory ever for Georgia in that venue.

The Dawgs will easily eclipse 400 yards of offense and may exceed 500 yards. We will go over 200 yards rushing for the first time since the Vanderbilt game last season. I just feel that our team has been forged under pressure and heat in the first two games and is now hardened for the battle and talented enough to explode on what is a fairly miserable Ole Miss football team. Barring a barrage of turnovers, our offense will move the ball with relative ease on this Rebel defense. One thing that will make it easier for our offense will be the fact that our defense will dominate the Ole Miss offense and give our offense more chances to score than we have seen against an SEC foe in a long time. You may think I am crazy, but I will be surprised if the Dawgs win by less than 20 points but I fully expect them to win by 32 or more. For this to happen, here are the keys to the game:

- Murray must complete 66% or more of his passes with no more than 1 interception.
- Crowell must touch the ball at least 25 times.
- Georgia must convert 50% or better on 3rd and 4th down.
- The Georgia defense must hold them to 30% or less on 3rd down conversion.
- Georgia must not lose the turnover battle.
- Georgia must have more sacks than Ole Miss.
- Blair Walsh can't miss any field goals under 45 yards.

I expect the Dawgs to cash in on all of the above keys and when they do, look for the score to be around 45 - 10.

I do not advise you to attempt the Hunker Down Beer Challenge this week if you have anything to do on Saturday night.

Go DAWGS! GATA!

Hamp's Humpday Derivations

2011-09-21T07:58:00.003-04:00

Before we get into the derivations... enjoy Galactic's live performance of "Hamp's Hump". If you have never seen Galactic play, then do yourself a favor and check them out the next time they come to a city near you. Great shows every time! Drummer Stanton Moore is fun to watch and is probably the best funk drummer on the planet.

Last Thursday I stated that the Dawgs would win big against Coastal Carolina, Ole Miss and Miss State. Nothing happened last weekend to give me cause to reconsider this prediction. The Georgia blowout of Coastal Carolina was expected and since I didn't see the game or the replay, I can't offer much other than it looks like Tavarres King is out of his slump, the defense smothered the Chanticleers but did not register a sack with 26 pass attempts, Baccari Rambo had another nice game and we avoided losing another inside linebacker.

Meanwhile, over in Nashville, Vanderbilt sledge-hammered the Ole Miss Rebels. The 'Dores led the Rebels 30-0 with less than 3 minutes to play when Ole Miss finally scored. Here is what sticks out from this game: Vandy rushed for nearly 300 yards and passed for 100. Ole Miss QB Zack Stoudt threw 5 interceptions on 26 attempts. He barely completed more than that to his own team. Quincy Carter was impressed with that performance. The Rebs also yielded over 400 yards of offense to the SIU Salukis a week ago. This is a very bad Ole Miss football team and Georgia will show them no quarter. Forget about the several narrow victories or even the losses you remember seeing in Oxford. The Dawgs are knocking and in Oxford... they are kicking the door in. If Mark Richt's seat is hot, poor Houston Nutt is sitting on a blast furnace. He may get relieved before sunset Saturday after the Dawgs flay what is left of the Rebel Bear.

Is he waving goodbye to crazy eyes?

I made the trip to Columbia to watch Navy play South Carolina. For the second consecutive week, I saw one of my Alma Maters lose to the Gamecocks late in the game by 3 points. Yet, in both cases, I was proud of my football team. Navy put a serious scare into the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium Saturday night. The 4th quarter began with Navy leading 21-17. SC marched down with Lattimore and Jefferey to score a TD and took a 24-21 lead with about 4 minutes remaining. At that point, I guarantee you, every Gamecock fan was worried that Navy might drive the field, eat the clock and score a game-winning TD. It didn't work out that way as SC put about 17 men on defense and they all blitzed every gap and stopped Navy before midfield. Unfortunately, Navy just missed on a play-action pass to the full back that would have gone for a big gain. Still, SC held on but Navy showed that they are team that can play with almost anyone. I honestly believe that this may be the best Navy team in many years. They hung with SC even without their best running back who broke his arm the week before. I am looking forward to these Middies going on to register an excellent season. On the other hand, South Carolina showed again that their fortunes completely ride on the health of Marcus Lattimore. With him, they may easily win the SEC East. Without him, see 2009.

A word on the RV Lot at Williams-Brice. Kudos to the SC fans for welcoming a bunch of Navy guys in style. I met about 6 of my Academy buddies and one of my former roommates in the Navy who was a SC grad. We tailgated with a retired Navy Supply Officer who was also a SC grad who had a 40' RV with all the accoutrements, including the 50" flat screen tv in the side with a satellite dish. slabs of ribs came of the smoker and brats from the grill. We had a fantastic time tailgating with these fine folks before and after the game. For an off-campus stadium, the huge RV lot is one thoroughly redeeming quality.

In the Auburn v. Auburn with a Lake contest, the horse shoe in Gene Chizik's ass finally dislodged and the Auburn sans Lac finally dropped a game. It won't be their last.

The Meteor Game in the Swamp... I watched some of this game and I formed few, if any, strong opinions of either team. About all I came away with is that Rainey is fast and pretty much all of the Florida offense at this point. It is a shame that UT lost their biggest playmaker, Justin Hunter, to an ACL injury. We will see how they respond in the next couple of weeks before the Dawgs invade Tennessee to defend our Tennessee State Championship.

This is all for now.

Go Dawgs! GATA!

Dawgs WIll Roll, I'm Off to Watch the Navy Choke the Chickens

2011-09-16T22:50:00.003-04:00

Navy is playing in Columbia, SC tomorrow and I will be there with about a dozen Navy buddies. I was a plebe in Annapolis in 1984 when Navy beat then #2 ranked South Carolina and knocked them out of the Orange Bowl and a chance at a national title. At this point in the season, the Gamecocks aren't in the national title discussion but they are ranked #10 in the land, so a Navy victory would be another colossal upset. It won't help that Navy lost their top running back last week with a broken arm, but the Navy offense is all about execution and I think they will have some rushing success in this game. However, I can't envision any chance for Navy to stop Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jefferey. There is always the chance of a SC let down after the hard fought win over the Dawgs last Saturday. On paper, however, Navy will be doing well to keep the game inside 20 points.

I am going to have a good time with friends. If Navy surprises us with shocking upset, that will be a bonus. I hope you Dawgs will be pulling for the Mids tomorrow. To do otherwise is clearly treasonous. Go NAVY, beat South Carolina. Fear the Goat!Go DAWGS! GATA!

Kiss My Ass, Kick My Ass, Kick Your Ass, Season 2, Volume 3

2011-09-16T14:50:00.006-04:00

Kiss My Ass - Penn Wagers. Naturally, SEC Referee Penn Wagers, often recognized as the worst referee in all of college football, could occupy this slot every week either for past transgressions or as a proactive measure against future transgressions, you know, to beat the rush. The latest specific reason that lands Penn Wagers on this list is that he or one of the refs on his crew called pass interference on Jordan Love on a critical 3rd and long play in the fourth quarter, after which South Carolina drove down to score a touchdown. It really doesn't matter to me if it was or was not Wagers who threw the flag. I will hold him responsible anyway. And I will feel that yet again, we were "Wagered" which is like getting "f#cked" but much worse. This was not a horrendous call, but it could have easily been a no call. From my vantage point, there wasn't any contact before the ball arrived, but I haven't seen a replay. My point is simply this... when Penn Wagers is on the field, Georgia ain't getting any calls, ever! And for that reason, Penn Wagers can always Kiss My Ass!

How bad do you suppose it is for Coach Richt to gets this angry?
(this was from 2008 by the way)

Want to bet on whether this take-down was called?

Kick My Ass - Melvin Ingram. Any 276 pound beast that Brandon Boykin is afraid to tackle, is someone that I also will prefer to avoid... especially when he is steaming downhill at about 4.6 seconds per every 40 yards. Most assuredly, Melvin Ingram can Kick My Ass!

Can't make a shoestring tackle when the laces are taped down.

Kick Your Ass - Overzealous campus cops. This is rare, so mark it down, but I am coming to the defense of a Gator and to lots of Dawgs. As you have probably heard, Gator linebacker Dee Finley, after being stopped for driving his scooter around a barricade with a suspended license was also cited for felony resisting arrest with violence apparently because, while straddling a scooter, he turned to face an officer. The charge has since been reduced to a misdemeanor and will undoubtedly be dropped altogether soon enough. On the UGA campus, prior to the most recent off-season, we could count on countless arrests for the most minor and petty scooter violations, including, but not limited to "emerging from an alley," whatever that is, and for failure to give a middle name. At the Naval Academy, we called them Jimmy Legs, but they were not armed and were typically old and slow. If you couldn't outrun the Jimmy Legs, you deserved to be caught and punished for whatever illegality you perpetrated, like driving on campus as an underclassmen, for example. My business partner relates a story from his days at Oklahoma State in which he and some buddies were accosted by a campus policeman who stated, "All you boys do is go around stepping on your dicks with golf shoes on." That last part wasn't 100% relevant, but I like it anyway. The point is, all too often, campus police seem to go out of their way to create trouble for students and student-athletes. In this post, I propose that there be a national day of role reversal at which time all of the students and student-athletes get to spend the whole day Kicking The Asses of the campus gestapo.

These Dawgs are Knocking and I Think They're Coming In

2011-09-15T20:22:00.005-04:00

Georgia's offense moved the ball consistently on South Carolina and did so from multiple sets involving a handful of playmakers. By the second half, the South Carolina defense had no prayer of stopping the Dawgs. The Dawgs did stop themselves several times and those issues must be eliminated. If that happens, the Dawgs offense, which has scored over 30 points in 8 of their last 10 games (over 40 in 6 of those), is poised to take us fans on a rocket ride. This potentially explosive offense coupled with continued improvement from the defense which effectively held South Carolina to 17 points will result in at least nine wins this season. After an 0-2 start, nine wins will be a welcome turn around.

Here are a few key points that fill me with optimism for our offense going forward:

- Aaron Murray has made too many mistakes in the first two games - interceptions, fumbles, holding the ball too long, etc - and he is too smart and too talented to not correct those issues in the next two weeks against Coastal Carolina and Ole Miss.

I fully expect Aaron to settle down and become more comfortable with what the offense is doing especially with the emergence of Isaiah Crowell as a guy getting the ball 25 times a game. I believe that the majority of Aaron's mistakes have resulted from him trying to do too much in his effort to lead this team by example and carry them on his shoulders. He showed last year that he knows he can throw the ball away or accept a sack instead of allowing disaster to strike. In the first two games, we have had a season's worth of disasters and I believe this will abate along with the rise of and reliance upon super-talented Isaiah Crowell.

- Speaking of Crowell... He showed just why he was so highly touted coming into the season and based on the admissions of Coaches Richt and Bobo, he will be getting 20 to 25 touches from now on. Here is my assessment of Isaiah: He is quick enough to get to the hole or the corner; powerful enough to break tackles; has the vision and shiftiness to make people miss; and has that extra gear to get gone when he is in space. Against South Carolina he had 118 yards on 16 carries for 7.4 yards per carry and 2 receptions for 40 yards. His two touchdowns are just the first of many that he will amass this season. I won't be surprised if #1 ends the season with 15 to 18 TDs.

- Orson Charles. Even when he isn't getting balls thrown to him, he attracts extra attention from the defense. South Carolina had him double-teamed on every snap and they did shut him out. But, as a result, we had 19 receptions spread out among 8 other players and none of them were Aron White. The point here is that we have guys open when Orson is doubled up and Aaron is finding them. Malcolm Mitchell is a dual threat with the speed to hit on the deep ball and the hands and route-running skill to work the short passing game. Michael Bennett has made his case for the role of "possession receiver" previously held by Kris Durham. Our receiving corps is plenty capable of putting up big numbers, especially when Tavarres King plays up to his full potential.

- Effort. I have said it before and I will say it again. These Dawgs have their backs against the wall and they know that the only way out is to give maximum effort on every outing. We saw that Saturday against South Carolina. I am expecting nothing less for the rest of the season. We will probably see a flat performance at some point, but I hope it is against a team that we can beat even while flat.

As we reflect upon the season from our 0-2 perch (can you be on a perch at 0-2?) this is what I expect over the next three weeks (assuming we don't have devastating injuries and have enough linebackers to play):

I believe we will win big in our next three ball games - Coastal Carolina, Ole Miss, and yes... Miss State. We will be better on both lines of scrimmage and Bobo will have discovered the most effective ways to use Crowell, which will open up other opportunities on offense for guys like Charles, Mitchell and even Figgins coming out of the backfield. The return of Baccari Rambo made a distinct impact in our secondary, but we have to develop some new linebackers immediately to get us through this three game stretch. By midnight on October 1st, we will have great cause for optimism for this team as we prepare for our invasion of the state of Tennessee.

Go Dawgs ! GATA!

Effort Effort Effort

2011-09-12T22:25:00.002-04:00

I hate that we lost that game to South Carolina. I hate that Coach Mark Richt has to endure more ugly rhetoric having just missed on a huge win that would have placated the masses for the time being. I hate that Christian Robinson injured his foot and will miss 2 or 3 games. I hated the way that game felt like so many of our recent games in Jacksonville where we shoot our feet off over and over coupled with some rotten luck. I pray that we have now gotten that out of our system so we won't witness it all over again on October 29th.

Now let me tell you what I loved...

- The effort from everyone on Saturday was tremendous. From my point of view, the Dawgs played their asses off and gave one of the best efforts I have seen for 4 quarters in a long time. Sadly, we outplayed SC but our mistakes killed us. Even so, the team showed that their is much fight in them and there are some very good things coming our way this season. I am not expecting us to run the table, but we will be capable of beating any team left on our schedule and I expect us to capture some memorable wins over some, if not all, of our hated rivals - UT, UF, AU and GT. I am thankful that we have a little relief in the level of competition the next two weeks and hopefully we will improve steadily before Miss State rolls into Athens.

- The fans. Sanford Stadium was loud and raucous, as it should be. No surprise there. But, after the game when the players were heading off the field, tens of thousands of fans remained to clap our guys off the field. It was classy and impressive and I am proud of our fans that showed such enthusiastic support in recognition of the maximum effort from our players.

- Isaiah Crowell and Malcolm Mitchell are two special offensive talents and we need to keep getting them the football.

- Bruce Figgins catching the ball from the fullback position is a thing of beauty and we need more of that as well. I love that the stadium echoes the name "Bruuuuuuuce" every time he makes a big play. I hope we get to do that a lot down the stretch.

- Brandon Boykin is explosive. We already knew that. But this year, he just seems more Champ Bailey-Deoin Sanders-Devin Hester explosive. It isn't a matter of if, it is when he is going to take another kickoff back for a TD. Maybe get a pick 6 or another offensive TD. Every time he gets his hands on the ball, he is a threat.

- And the number one thing I loved about Saturday... the way the players rallied around their coach and left everything on the field in an effort to get a crucial victory. They played with intensity and a sense of urgency that we never saw last year (a little against Tennessee). They will need to continue to give that level of effort and if they do, good things will come. Just how good remains to be seen. But one thing is always true, you won't get extraordinary results without extraordinary effort.

Go Dawgs! GATA!

Charlie is Ready to GATA

2011-09-09T11:35:00.001-04:00

Charlie is our 6 year old Westie and as you can see, when he plays defense, he gets after their asses!

Kiss My Ass, Kick My Ass, Kick Your Ass, Season 2, Volume 2

2011-09-09T11:21:00.005-04:00

Kiss My Ass - Steve Spurrier's Discpline Policy. In Spurrier's world, if you screw up in the off-season, you just might get suspended from the team during the early summer. But even if you have been suspended 5 times, you will be reinstated the day practices start back up. Now, screw up during the season and you might get the treatment below! Yeah, Spurrier's Discipline Policy and SOS himself can both Kiss My Ass!

Kick My Ass - Herschel Walker. This one is a little too obvious, and I didn't need to see the ESPNU Special SEC Storied program on Herschel to remind me. I don't need to see his two MMA fights to remind me. I don't need to watch highlights of all of his long TD runs to remind me. But based on the fact that he kicked the ass of every one of the 2011 Georgia Bulldogs in a private workout this summer (at least all of those that weren't too much of a prima donna to get out of bed for the workout) and due to the fact that he is still 210 pounds of chiseled mass with less than 3% body fat who has a super-hero alter ego... there is no other possible outcome. Herschel Walker can Kick My Ass.

Kick Your Ass - Al Qaeda. With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 coming this Sunday, is there any doubt about whose ass needs to continue to get kicked? Osama Bin Laden, your ass is dead! Atiyah Abd al Rahman... dead! Keep coming at us, we will keep killing you and your leaders. We will never forget. As long as radical Islamic terrorists are attempting to destroy our way of life, we will continue to Kick Your Ass!

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

Gamesmanship or Insanity?

2011-09-08T23:36:00.003-04:00

Gamesmanship or Insanity?

All this talk about the no-huddle, no-hurry, shotgun formation offense either represents a mild attempt at gamesmanship or utter insanity. If I was a coach I would do more of what works and less of what fails. Sounds pretty obvious right. And if my job was in jeopardy, I would double or triple down on the successful stuff. So the mere fact that Coach Bobo has indicated that Georgia will be sticking with its wildly unsuccessful no-huddle, no-hurry offense, to make any sense at all, must be a ruse attempting to get South Carolina to devote at least a little bit of time paying attention to it in practice and in chalk talks. But, if they must give it another shot and they must do it in this crucial game with South Carolina, please convince us that you are not insane and abandon it early enough for us to remain in the game if it proves as disastrous as it was in the Boise State game.

Update: You know when would be a really good time to work the kinks out of the no-huddle, no-hurry offense? September 17 against Coastal Carolina.

Also, the hubbub over Crowell and Branden Smith both wearing jersey #1, so they can't be on offense at the same time should be another attempt at playing coy. Surely we would want to get Branden Smith on offense if his foot is healed. This is especially true for the South Carolina game since he had the 60 yard TD run against them in 2009 and if nothing else, he would be a perfect decoy. If Crowell is an offensive weapon and because Branden Smith is potential explosive when on offense, only a buffoon would not figure out a solution to the two #1's dilemma. I can see the value in stating publicly that there is no solution, but only if you actually have a solution. In which case saying the opposite could create some doubt for the opposition. Or, in the alternative, if in fact there is no solution, then why not say "We have plans to use them both on offense at the same time despite the jersey dilemma." See how this works? Here is a video that may explain the strategy better than I can. (could not embed, damnit, but I promise the time spent going to this video will be well worth it) Do you suppose that something like this is going on in Bobo's brain? Pure battle of wits!

That is all. Thank you.

Go Dawgs! GATA!

Imagine If You Will...

2011-09-07T22:15:00.004-04:00

Imagine If You Will... (Rod Serling voice)

... Your football team takes the field in a strange stadium away from home. The expectations are high but the wiser fans know that the football does not always bounce as expected. In this game, your defense surrenders 35 points by way of a surgical "dink and dunk" passing attack along with steadily effective running plays. Your offense cannot establish any sort of rhythm and sputters despite having many potential playmakers. At the conclusion of this disappointing contest, your fan base is convinced that your team is finished for the season and a great malaise befalls even the most optimistic observers. There is nothing but doom and despair. The apocalypse is nigh. Now imagine that everything you believe, everything that your eyes have told you, everything you have heard far and wide, are about to be turned completely upside down. You have just entered the Dawglight Zone...

I could be referring to the game Saturday in the Georgia Dome, but instead I was harkening back to an unnerving loss to a Tennessee team in 2007 that was nowhere near as consistently good as the Boise team that just beat us. And we lost in Knoxville by a score of 35-14, looking absolutely listless in the process. Yet, somehow, that Georgia team got its collective shit together and went on to win the remaining 7 games and finished ranked #2 in the country. I am not proposing that this is what will happen in 2011, but I am proposing that sometimes teams really do come together, turn the corner and reach their potential. I am not sure exactly what is the potential of this UGA squad, but all summer long I have expected that the over/under on wins would be around 9.5. And if we are to win 9 or 10 games, this would be a fantastic week to get the first one. Winning the SEC East was not and is not an unreasonable goal. It is still fully attainable. We must funnel our energy in a positive way to help this football team GATA on Saturday and get a much needed crucial victory over South Carolina and the evil one.

Hang in there Dawgs. Hang in there like a bloody tick.

Go Dawgs. GATA!

My Glass of Kool Aid is Half Full

2011-09-06T09:56:00.006-04:00

My Glass of Kool Aid is Half Full

I am ready to look forward and stop looking back at the Boise game. But, a little more consideration of the Boise game is needed for me to look forward with a glimmer of optimism. When I left the Dome, I felt like we were doomed this coming Saturday against South Carolina. But I have started rationalizing (or perhaps irrationalizing - if that is a real verb) that there are some fixable issues and if they are fixed this week, we can beat the Gamecocks. By fixable, I am stretching and proposing that we may figure out how to pass block on 3rd down and stop the false starts (we had four).

Aaron Murray was sacked 6 times and 5 of them were on third down. Surely South Carolina will see that and plan for similar pressure. Now, the responsibility falls on our o-line and coaches to figure out how to neutralize the pressure that we know is coming from Ellis Johnson's defense. Coach Richt acknowledged that attempting some screens is an option. How about using 275 lb Bruce Figgins in Pass Pro?

I don't see him whiffing at defensive ends like we saw in the Dome. If we had played a team like Louisiana Lafayette in the opener, we may not know the severity of this problem, but based on the results in the Dome, we know where the bulkhead is leaking so hopefully we know how to patch it.

False start penalties are especially frustrating because in addition to disrupting any potential flow you may have going, adding 5 yards to the distance for a first down typically means changing the play call, possibly changing the personnel and naturally makes it harder to make a first down. These are all gimmes for the defense and in a close game against a talented opponent, we simply cannot afford these gimmes. Coach Richt mentioned that they will go to more silent counts this week and that should help the tackles. Maybe that will solve it, but another solution would be for Ben Jones to get in the ass of the culprit who can't remember the snap count. Accountability to your teammates is an effective motivator. Use it. And while we are on the subject of gimmes, remember when David Greene would draw the defense offsides at least twice a game with his cadence and hard counts? More of that please. Make the other guys screw up and give us some free yards and attractive down and distance situations. This is especially true when you know they have their ears pinned back to aggressively rush the QB. Will someone get this memo to Coaches Richt and Bobo?

Now... looking forward. We know South Carolina is good but there is reason to consider that their defense may not be as stout as the Boise defense - at least based on their first week performance. The Gamecock defense yielded 31 points to East Carolina in the first three quarters while the game was very much in doubt. ECU couldn't run the ball very successfully (28 for 85 yds) but the QB was 35/56 for 260 yards and 4 TDs. Both teams lost 4 fumbles in this game and the Gamecocks returned one for a TD and had a long punt return for a TD. Two stats I like very much... South Carolina registered zero sacks and allowed ECU to convert 9 of 19 third downs and 2 of 2 fourth downs.

I still have no idea how our defense will stop Lattimore, Garcia and Jeffery, so hopefully we can outscore them.

There is no doubt that the Dawgs have their hands full, but at least at this point, my glass is still half full. A victory over South Carolina would make our most important season goals still attainable. We need this win. I am behind this team, evidently pushing the bus. If the Kool Aid runs out, I will have to fill it up with some high ABV craft beer.

Go Dawgs! GATA!

A Handful of Positives

2011-09-05T20:10:00.003-04:00

The Boise game is over and we lost to a better team and we showed a frustrating inability to make in-game adjustments and a baffling distrust of going back to plays that worked. But, there were a few positives that I would like to mention before moving on to the more important task of hating South Carolina and Steve Spurrier.

- We had three long touchdowns and none were nullified by a taunting or excessive celebration penalty. That is not insignificant and may be a sign that in addition to having no arrests in the off-season, we may see more personal discipline on the field. We had 7 penalties for 50 yards, which is not terrible.

- Boise State had no plays greater than 20 yards. If you have watched many Boise games in the past few years, big plays are a staple of their game. Of course, missing the NFL departees (Young and Pettis) and the Dutchman were part of the reason, but still... our corners and safeties took away the deep ball. Now, let's shore up the soft underbelly.

- Malcolm Mitchell and Brandon Boykin have jetpacks in their cleats. Now we just need to get them the football more often.

- Aaron Murray survived with his health despite being sacked 6 times and pretty much being on the run the entire night. (See how I turned the poor play of our porous offensive line into a postive? Lemons/lemonade.)

- Drew Butler averaged 47.8 yards on 5 punts.

- Third down defense. We held Boise to 4 of 12 of third down. I don't have the stats on the YTG on those conversions.

- The Nike Pro Combat Uniforms. How is this a positive? We NEVER have to see them again.

There you have it Dawgs, a handful of positives. Now stay positive and let's get after Sackerlina and make Spurrier throw his visor so often that his rotator cuff falls off.

Bad News and Good News

2011-09-05T14:53:00.003-04:00

The bad news is that our Georgia football team was out-coached by Boise's Chris Petersen and his staff and not by just a little. The old statement about how Bear Bryant could take his'n and beat your'n and then take your'n and beat his'n could just as easily be said about Chris Petersen and what he accomplished in the Georgia Dome Saturday night. Does anyone have any doubt that if we had swapped players (or coaches) with Boise back in March that Peterson could take Aaron Murray, Orson Charles, Jarvis Jones, Brandon Boykin and the others and whip the bunch from Boise by at least two touchdowns? In reality, that Boise team is extremely well coached and execute with great precision. Once they figured out what Georgia wanted to do on offense and defense they made the necessary adjustments and never looked back. But for a few monster plays from the Georgia offense, this could have been a 28 point blowout.

The good news is that we will not play a more well-coached team the rest of this season unless somehow we face Alabama in the game that now seems so incredibly unlikely. Oh sure, some have high regard for the evil visored one, but if I was building a program today, I would choose Petersen over Spurrier. Dan Mullen looks like a fine coach and is doing great things at Mississippi State but Petersen has a few more years on his resume. Not that any of this is assurance that we won't be out-coached again, but we won't face a team as well-coached as Boise, so we've got that going for us.

Domeward Bound

2011-09-02T12:52:00.003-04:00

I am now officially shutting down the laptop and leaving for Atlanta. No more posts before Sunday. I am predicting a Dawgs victory because to do otherwise would be unDawgly and unGawdly. Can't wait to see everyone at TweetGate.

Go DAWGS! GATA!!!!

Kiss My Ass, Kick My Ass, Kick Your Ass, Season 2, Volume 1

2011-09-02T11:57:00.006-04:00

Welcome to Season 2 of the wildly popular and highly acclaimed feature... Kiss My Ass, Kick My Ass, Kick Your Ass in which I identify three individuals for praise or scorn.

Kiss My Ass - Craig James. Craig James is a whiny puke and I cannot, for the life of me, understand how he still has a job with ESPN or any other football media outlet. His manipulation of the events that led to the firing of the Dread Pirate Mike Leach was merely the icing on his cake of douchiness. I think we all get dumber every time he speaks during a broadcast. And, as if I needed any additional reasons, he says Boise State will beat Georgia tomorrow. Hey Craig, keep reading your Twitter feed and Kiss My Ass!

Kick My Ass - Bill Goldberg. The word is that former Dawg Bill Goldberg is getting back in the ring. (HT Senator Blutarsky) Just one look at this photo and I concede... Goldberg can Kick My Ass!

Kick Your Ass - Rep. Andre Carson. Andre Carson has nominated himself as Race Baiter in Chief with his recent asinine statement that certain members of Congress want to see black people hanging from trees. That is some real civilized rhetoric there boss. Too bad the late great Democrat Senator Robert Byrd is no longer with us to dispute your vitriol. We don't want to see you hanging from a tree, but I do want to break off a switch and whip your juvenile ass with it until you grow up.

That's right Andre, put 'em up. How big a ole boy are you, anyway? Looking like George Foreman and shit.

Jody's Boise State Review

2011-09-02T11:38:00.003-04:00

If you have time... here is a thorough review from the reliable View from 336.

Footie Picker Weekend 9/3

2011-09-01T18:19:00.001-04:00

My picks are in bold and gold. There is almost a statistical certainty that half of these will be right and half will be wrong. If you can determine which are which, you may be able to make some money off of these picks. Picking against the point spread.

Saturday

AUBURN 22 Utah State
SOUTHERN CAL 21 Minnesota
NOTRE DAME 10.5 S. Florida
Byu 3 OLE MISS
S. Carolina 20.5 East Carolina (in Charlotte)
OKLAHOMA 24 Tulsa
Boise State 3 Georgia (in Atlanta)
Oregon 2.5 Lsu (in Dallas)
VIRGINIA 8 William & Mary

Monday

Miami 5.5 MARYLAND

I WANT TO BELIEVE

2011-08-31T22:16:00.009-04:00

I WANT TO BELIEVE

I am an optimist. Always have been. It works for me. I have friends who are pessimists. Seems fairly miserable, but to each his own. In the past few days, my stolid skepticism from the off-season is magically morphing into guarded optimism. I am not prone to irrational exuberance, but I am pleased with this emerging optimism which will, of course, on Saturday afternoon explode into an indestructible runaway freight train of bullet-proof invincibility. But for the next 48 hours or so, it will remain as reasonable, logic oriented guarded optimism. Here are 10 points that give me optimism (go elsewhere if you want to find a list of reasons for pessimism):

1. Aaron Murray was pushing the 70% completion mark last season and has benefited from another spring and fall camp. It is reasonable to assume that he has a better grasp of our offense and is better at reading defenses than he was last year. If the game continues to "slow down" for him, then his personal goal of breaking the 70% mark is within reach which would bode very well for our ability to sustain drives and open up the running game.

2. Orson Charles will see more balls this year and will continue to create mismatches for opposing defenders. Despite the fact that AJ Green is gone, I believe that Orson will continue to get open and catch balls in space with room to run.

The same is true for Aron White. Then, as a semi-secret weapon, Arthur Lynch can also catch and run and will likely be overlooked by defenders assuming that he is in the game to block with his imposing 275 pound frame. Lastly, Bruce Figgins can haul in passes on fullback routes, especially screens, and will be a load to tackle at 275 pounds. I have always been partial to tight ends and we have an embarrassment of riches with these four talented guys.

3. Ben Jones. When your center is likely the meanest SOB on the team, it's a good thing.

4. Jarvis Jones has the potential to help ease to pain of losing Justin Houston to the NFL. Justin led the team in tackles for loss (19.5) and sacks (11) and Jarvis steps into his shoes at outside linebacker. With his dreadlocks, Jarvis resembles Marcus Howard. Let's hope is play is comparable to either Howard or Houston and if it is, opposing QBs are in the crosshairs. (Side note - am I the only one that keeps inadvertently saying Jarvis Jackson instead of Jarvis Jones?)

5. Alec Ogletree. If you are blind, but not deaf, you will know when Alec makes the tackle. The thud can be heard in the stands or through the television. Think Rennie Curran, only taller.

6. The Brandon/Branden tandem. Speed kills. Speed on the turf kills faster. Boise may not kick it deep to Brandon Boykin, but any time they do, he is a legitimate threat to go coast to coast. Hopefully Branden Smith will be close to 100% recovered from his foot injury. We will need him. I think that the odds are good that one of these guys comes up with a pick six sometime this season, the sooner the better.

7. Strength and Conditioning. Coach Joe Tereshinski can be a scary dude. When players would rather practice with nagging injuries than spend the practice in "The Pit" with Joe T... your S&C program has improved. Plus we added a nutritionist and team tables which means a lot less McDonald's and Waffle House, presumably.

8. Tavarres King averaged 18.67 yards per catch last season with 27 receptions. In his freshman season he averaged 20.94 with 18 receptions. This year he is relishing the opportunity to be the top receiving threat. It isn't possible to replace the impact of having AJ Green on the field, but Tavarres is a legitimate deep threat and Murray can work on his 70% goal by hitting TK in stride on some deep balls.

9. Coach Todd Grantham. You want fiery, you got it. You want intensity, you got it. You want Erk Russell back? Come on, get real. But, if you want a return to the defensive success we had under Brian Van Gorder... stand by because there is enough talent on this defense to make it happen.
(Image by Jim Hipple)

10. You didn't think I would leave him out did you? "Jaws will drop." If you don't know what that means, you soon will.

GO DAWGS! GATA!

Bumping Uglies

2011-08-30T22:29:00.008-04:00

BUMPING UGLIES

You know, I think I could begin the analysis of every team, every season starting with this post. The bottom line is, if you don't have talent in the Big Ugly department, you aren't going to win any championships.

I have said it many times and I will continue to say it as long as it remains relevant... a winning season begins in the middle of the defensive line. Boom. That is not novel but it is indisputable. For best evidence please see: Glenn Dorsey, LSU National Champs 2007; Terrence Cody, Alabama, 2009 National Champs; Nick Fairley, Auburn, 2010 National Champs. If you can wreak havoc from the nose guard position, every other position on defense becomes more productive. It comes down to this basic tenet... if you can get a serious push from the nose and draw two blockers there, you will have an end, linebacker or safety running free to make a stop at or behind the line of scrimmage. It's not rocket science... it's not even economics (which apparently is harder than rocket science). The outside rush and the ability to have a safety free in run support both come down to solid nose guard play. We struggled at this position last year, but this year we have two bonafide 350 pound players sharing snaps at this position, Kwame Geathers and John Jenkins. And that will be the starting point of the turnaround for this defense.

Whether Jarvis Jones or Sanders Commings has a great season depends greatly on the play at nose guard. A disruptive force in the middle creates opportunities for the rest of the defense. This is true whether we are playing a wide open passing offense like Boise State or the triple option of Georgia Tech. In passing situations, if we get a sufficient push from the middle then the QB can't step up in the pocket... which means he can't easily step into the throw, has to throw early or has to move. If we get a strong rush from the edge, moving is not much of an option so that leaves a hurried throw as the alternative to a sack. Naturally, hurried throws lead to less accurate throws. The progression doesn't happen as described if the push from the middle is weak. We should see marked improvement in our 3rd down pass defense based on this position alone. On run defense, it comes down to hats on hats and if they need two men to block the nose, we have an extra hat running free. Stopping a guy like Marcus Lattimore begins with solid play at nose guard.

Conversely, the success of our offense can reliably be linked to the soundness of our center. If our center is solid and he can communicate effectively down the line of scrimmage, we are in the best position as an offensive unit. A strong center makes the guards and tackles better. We are going to need that this year. This translates to both our running game and passing game.

Based on the guy we have snapping the football and the two behemoths at nose guard, I am optimistic about our chances to win the SEC East this season. Obviously four year starter, Ben Jones, is a beast at center. He performed exceptionally well against Terrence Cody as a true freshman and has only gotten better. As such, he is currently viewed as the top NFL prospect at center in the nation. We couldn't ask for more from this position and we will receive a great effort this season from one of this team's most ardent leaders. And on the defensive front, the emergence of Kwame Geathers and the addition of John Jenkins has added a dimension that was wholly absent from last year's squad. This addition will be more than enough to elevate the play of our ends, linebackers and safeties. These improvements will be the hallmark of our success on defense in 2011.

In my narrow view... if you want some reason for optimism about the 2011 season, look no farther than the middle of both lines. Exceptional play there equates to exceptional results on the scoreboard. Every time.

Are These Underdogs WonderDawgs?

2011-08-29T21:56:00.005-04:00

In 2005, Boise State came to Athens as the underdog and fashionable upset pick among the football talking heads. D.J. Shockley and company sent the Broncos home looking more like minidonks after a 48-13 woodshedding. However, you can toss that piece of information out with the morning coffee grounds because the 2011 Boise State team is coming to Atlanta as favorites and again they are the fashionable pick among the football talking heads. So Georgia is the underDawg in this contest and nobody but nobody expects Little Georgia to beat Mighty Boise. Do you realize how utterly ridiculous that last statement is and yet it is true. And you can even imagine Larry Munson saying it with a straight face.

Boise comes in ranked #5 in the AP Poll while Georgia is at #19. Las Vegas has Boise as a 3.5 point favorite despite the game being played 2172 miles from Boise in the Georgia Dome. Since their embarrassing loss to Georgia in 2005, the Broncos have fared very well in openers against major conference foes like Oregon (twice) and Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, since the Dawgs dominated Boise in 2005, Georgia has managed to lose to Oklahoma State, Colorado and Central Florida. The roles are clearly reversed from that game 6 years ago.

If you will recall, when Oklahoma State came to Athens in 2007, the Dawgs handled them fairly easily. But when we went to Stillwater in 2009, we had a lackluster performance and lost. I believe that our team felt that by just showing up, they could beat the Cowboys and after marching the length of the field for a touchdown on the first possession, they mailed it in and failed to play much for the remainder of the game. I bring this up because I think that particular reversal of fortunes should be instructive for our team as we prepare for Boise. Though none of our current roster was on the team when Boise came to Athens, the memory of that game is still fresh in the minds of Dawgnation. It may create a tendency for fans to be overconfident or to underestimate Boise State, but there can be no way that our team is taking them lightly or will be overconfident. There should not be another Oklahoma State (2009) or Colorado performance this coming Saturday. By the same logic, however, all Boise State's Coach Chris Petersen has to do to get his player's attention is to point to the results of the 2005 game. I do not believe we can expect that team to come into the Dome overconfident and under-prepared. No, this will be a game in which both teams have tons of motivation and much to prove. Georgia wants to show that they have gotten the ox out of the ditch and Boise wants to show yet again that they can compete with teams from the automatic qualifier conferences.

I think the 3.5 point spread in favor of Boise State is fair. I am glad we are playing them in the Georgia Dome. This is the perfect opportunity for the Dawgs to announce that they are back... if in fact, the Dawgs are back. Are these underdogs WonderDawgs?

On Game Day, I will be visiting a couple of tailgates. One is the TweetGate being organized by Ludakrisi for our Dawg Tweeps. And the other is the Shepherd Spinal Center S.H.A.R.E. tailgate with proceeds benefiting a program that provides rehabilitation and community-based care to U.S. military service members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I look forward to seeing my fellow Dawgs before, during and after the game. Between now and Saturday, I will have more to say about our team and the game. But for now, I am fired up that we are merely days away from live action. Remember to Spread-the-Red this Saturday. Go DAWGS. GATA!

Pulpwood on Boise State

2011-08-29T19:46:00.001-04:00

Pulpwood Smith coming atchall to open the 2011 season:

Definitely NSFW

It Never Leaves You

2011-08-28T19:35:00.017-04:00

By now, everyone has surely seen the wonderful video recently released that will serve as an advertisement for UGA. In the song that accompanies the video, REM sing that "This place is the beat of my heart" while the text reads "You may leave, but it never leaves you."

There are three places in the world where these words ring truly nostalgic in my heart: my parents' home in Douglas; the classic city of Athens; and the U.S. Naval Academy.

All three are inextricably woven into the fabric of my life. My parents met in Athens and I grew up listening to their stories about their time at UGA. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from cool fall Saturdays in Athens tailgating with my family, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and friends of friends. My grandfather's brother, Howell Hollis, who coached golf at UGA for many years, provided us with some of the best seats in Sanford Stadium. I usually sat next to my mom's younger brothers, Howell Hollis (named after our Uncle Howell of course) and Bo Hollis. They were in high school then and were essentially de facto babysitters. During halftime, they would take my brother and me to go slide down the hills adjacent to the end zone under the railroad tracks. For you young folks, that last line made no sense. Haha. The games were always the highlight of the trip but the entire experience of tailgating, seeing family, playing on the hills, throwing those little plastic footballs and barking for the Dawgs combined for my bred-in-the-bone connection to Athens, Sanford Stadium and the team I love.

On Thanksgiving weekends we would stay in Atlanta at my grandparents' home and go to the UGA vs Ga Tech freshmen game that was linked the Scottish Rite Hospital in some fund-raising capacity I believe. That is another sentence that will make no sense to the young ones. We would also go to the varsity game. On Thanksgiving Day we would enjoy the Dallas-Washington game on TV while I pulled for my favorite pro football player, Roger Staubach (USNA grad incidentally - see how this starts coming together?)

But... perhaps the most memorable game every Thanksgiving was the family Turkey Bowl. In Atlanta, we would play on this unusual triangular patch of grass that was nestled between three streets in front of my grandparents' home. My mom and dad, brother, sister, uncles and some of their friends would join the game which somehow always ended in a tie (to prevent 364 days of trash talking.)

In 1975 my Uncle Howell enrolled at the Naval Academy (see a pattern?) while Uncle Bo enrolled at Ga Tech (please hold the boos and hisses.) After my grandfather passed away in 1978, our Thanksgiving tradition moved to Douglas where the Turkey Bowl Game continued and thrived. By the mid '80's Uncle Howell's wife and three kids were on the field.

By 1984, both My brother Drew and I were Midshipmen at the Naval Academy (see what I mean?) and coming home for Thanksgiving was one of the highlights of every year. Sadly, Uncle Howell passed away a few years ago, but the Turkey Bowl Game still includes my mom and dad, Uncle Bo and his wife and son, my brother and his wife and 5 children, my sister and her husband and 3 children and my wife and our two children, and me, and usually some friends and occasionally some stragglers. In my 45 years, I have been away from family on Thanksgiving twice: in 1990 I was in Subic Bay Philippines after 92 consecutive days at sea in the Persian Gulf and in 1991 I was stationed in San Diego and unable to get home. When I was in the Gulf, my aunt videotaped the Turkey Bowl game and mailed me a copy in a care package - so I didn't miss the game completely.

Important note... after blistering the Ga Tech curriculum for 4 years, Uncle Bo finally got his butt over to Athens for Law School and his 3 years of law school coincided with the three years that #34 stalked the goal line - and coincided with my high school years.

On many weekends during this era, I would play my HS football game on Friday night and leave Douglas at 5:00 am Saturday to get into Athens by 9:00 to meet Uncle Bo to watch Herschel run over people. And for the past 15 years, Uncle Bo and I have sat together in section 127.

Because I was wise, I became a Navy Supply Officer and got to spend the 1988 football season, Vince Dooley's twilight season, as a student at the Navy Supply School in Athens. Then I came back in 1992 to be an instructor. In 1993 I started law school in Athens and in 1994 my brother started law school in Athens. I met my wife in Athens and proposed to her on the steps of the beautiful Chapel on North Campus. And now my kids love the Athens game day experience and so it goes.

I know this post rambled on, which is appropriate because I am a rambling man, but here is the clincher. My heart swells with pride and my eyes tear up every single time I hear the Redcoat Marching Band playing the first notes of Fanfare on a game day and then again when the Dawgs run onto the field. The same thing happens when I watch the Midshipmen march onto the field before a game and when the players and the brigade sing Blue and Gold at the end of the game.

It also happens when I walk through the main gate at the Naval Academy after being away too long. It happens when I hear the national anthem. It even happens when Zsu Zsu hears the bell ring. And it happens every time I think about my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving and how much the family tradition means to me and our family and how it has evolved over the past 45 years. Without question, home, Athens and Annapolis are places that I have left, but they will never leave me. Oh my heart, oh my heart indeed.

I am ready for some football! Go DAWGS! GATA!

Great Post from a Dawg in New Zealand

2011-04-18T13:29:00.001-04:00

This article sums up many of the things in life that matter most to me. Well done Adrian.

A Bulldog in New Zealand

Hope Springs Eternal on NSD

2011-02-02T22:30:00.003-05:00

The Dawgs signed a great recruiting class today and much credit must go to Coach Richt and his staff for working hard to find talent to meet the needs of this team. A homerun running back, some beef on both lines of scrimmage and some speedy athletes in the defensive backfield - to name a few.

All indications are that Crowell will be a difference maker. Anyone want to bet that he won't redshirt?

Please remember our troops and their families during the holidays!

2010-12-14T11:52:00.004-05:00

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts…

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said, "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.”
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
“I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

In God We Trust

This came to me in my email. I remember seeing it last year. It is important to me, my family and friends that we remember our troops and their families during the holidays. Thanks to God and thanks to our troops, we live free this season. - Hamp

Mumme Poll Ballot Weekend of 11/27

2010-11-29T08:55:00.002-05:00

Top Team - Oregon

The Next Nine (in order)

Auburn
TCU
Stanford
Wisconsin
Arkansas
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Ohio State
South Carolina

The last few spots were tricky but I decide to stick South Carolina in there because (a) I am an SEC homer, (b) I won't be surprised if they beat Auburn Saturday and (c) I think they are better than any of the teams I left off my ballot.

Footie Picker Weekend of 11/27

2010-11-26T11:57:00.001-05:00

Currently 75-78 for the year. Would be nice to get back to .500.

Friday

ALABAMA 4 Auburn
OREGON 17.5 Arizona
Boise State 15 NEVADA

Saturday

OHIO STATE 17.5 Michigan
Mississippi State 3 OLE MISS
FLORIDA STATE 3 Florida
TENNESSEE 3 Kentucky
South Carolina 3 CLEMSON
VANDY 5 Wake Forest
NC State 2.5 MARYLAND
VIRGINIA TECH 24 Virginia
GEORGIA 13 Georgia Tech
Michigan State 2 PENN STATE
OKLAHOMA ST 2 Oklahoma
ARKANSAS 4 Lsu

Breaking Radio Silence

2010-11-17T21:49:00.002-05:00

I was not surprised that we were unable to contain the Auburn offense Saturday and that did not bother me all that much. But the horseshit pulled by the super thug Nick Fairley left me extraordinarily pissed off. He is a piece of shit of the highest order and I know that karma will deliver him a sweet knee injury any day now. When it does, I will not feel sorry for him for a single nanosecond. It was awful what happened to Robert Edwards' knee out in Hawaii a few years back... but I wish that double on Fairley. Screw him. That is all.

Mumme Poll Ballot Weekend of 11/13

2010-11-15T07:23:00.001-05:00

#1. Oregon

The Rest:

Auburn
TCU
Boise State
Stanford
LSU
Nebraska
Oklahoma State
Wisconsin
Alabama

The only change from last week is having Alabama replace Michigan State in the Ten spot. The reason for the change is that I wanted to go ahead and get the Bama in the Top Ten before they punk Auburn in the Iron Bowl.

Newton or Not, Dawgs Defense Must Get After Some Asses

2010-11-13T07:29:00.002-05:00

As of 7:32 am Saturday morning, I am still of the opinion that Cam Newton will play. Of course, if Auburn does plan to sit him out, they are wise to keep UGA in the dark about it. No matter who plays QB for Auburn today, the Dawgs defense needs to get after some asses. I like the fact that Alec Ogletree is getting his first SEC start against the #2 team in the country. Can you imagine how jacked up he is?

Justin Houston had to have dreamed of this type of matchup his entire football life. He has a chance to make a huge impact on the outcome of this game against the top player in the nation. If he slept at all last night, I don't know how. If we can hold down the middle of the field, I like Houston's chances of making things difficult for Newton. That is a big if... but I will go ahead and predict 2 sacks and 2 TOFLs for Houston.

Our offense needs to come out of the gate swinging... and connecting. Maybe we go back to the first play we used against Florida. Only this time, pump fake, double move and hit AJ Green deep. If the safety rolls over the top, hit Orson Charles in the middles seam. As others have pointed out, we should have success passing against the Auburn defense, so in a rare instance, I am not looking for us to try and establish the run. Instead, get the passing game cranked up and then neutralize Auburn pressure with well-timed draws and screens. I expect a big day for our offense, but avoiding turnovers will be the key to whether they can do enough.

I think we will score over 30 again. I hope it will be enough. The Hunker Down Beer Challenge is in full effect and we have participants committed from Florida to New York, New Jersey and Illinois. Here's my toast to the Dawgs and a lot of drinking going on starting at 3:30.

Go DAWGS. GATA!

Footie Picker Weekend of 11/13

2010-11-13T06:53:00.002-05:00

After going 7-6 last week, I am sitting at 62-64 for the year. Here is another swing...

Maryland 1.5 VIRGINIA
Miami 3 GEORGIA TECH
FLORIDA ST 7 Clemson
OKLAHOMA 15 Texas Tech
FLORIDA 6.5 South Carolina
KENTUCKY 14.5 Vandy
ALABAMA 13.5 Miss State
AUBURN 8.5 Georgia
Oregon 19.5 CALIFORNIA
Stanford 5.5 ARIZONA STATE
OHIO ST 17.5 Penn State
Virginia Tech 3.5 UNC
TENNESSEE 1.5 Ole Miss
ARIZONA 4 Southern Cal

Start Fast, Get Faster

2010-11-11T22:46:00.002-05:00

Back for more suggestions on how the Dawgs can subdue the Auburn Horned Eagles...

4. Score first and last and lots in between... Last year the Dawgs found themselves in a 14-0 hole before gradually working their way back to a 31-24 win. This year a 14-0 hole will equate to a 51-28 blowout. The Dawgs must start fast, finish fast and hold on like a bloody tick in between. I believe the Dawgs will need to score over 40 points to win this one. Accordingly. we need to average no less than 10 points per quarter. If the Dawgs maintain that pace... they have a chance.

5. Play downhill (or make Auburn play uphill)... the Dawgs will increase their odds if they can successfully use their fine kicking game to keep Auburn looking at a long field. We have seen significant improvement in our kickoff coverage this season and this is a game in which we must limit the hidden yardage available on kickoff returns. In addition, when we are forced to punt, we need Drew Butler to unleash his howitzers so we can make Auburn look at 80 or more yards on most possessions. And on the other side of the coin, we need Brandon Boykin to keep up his record-setting kickoff return prowess while Branden Smith gets back in the groove returning punts. If we can generate a field position advantage in the kicking/returning game, it will bode well for our chances against the #2 team in the land.

6. Take the $200,000 man out of his game early and often! No doubt about it, this will be a difficult task. But, if the Dawgs defense can make things difficult for Cam Newton in the first couple of series, they could place enough doubt to keep the big man off balance all day. In order to do this, we will have to step up at the the nose position like we haven't seen all season. I expect that we will have continuous pressure from our ends from Houston and Washington and those guys will need to stay under control to keep Newton from breaking contain and getting outside them, at which point he will eat our lunch. But, if we do not have a strong push in the middle backed up by disciplined play by our inside linebackers, then Newton will kill us by stepping up in the pocket and either running for 5 to 10 yards or buying time to find an open receiver to throw to. I understand that this is simplifying the defensive strategy, but it really is just this simple... if we do not get stellar play from our front 7, it will be a long day for the red and black. And, obviously it goes without saying that we must gang tackle this beast. We cannot shoulder bump him or arm tackle him. It is more like wrestling a steer, grab something, hold on and wait for help.

Help me out... what else do we need to do?

Pulpwood on Auburn

2010-11-11T14:12:00.001-05:00

"While Auburn was cheatin' the Big Dawg was eatin'."

As always... NSFW

Pulpwood on Auburn

How Now Brown Cow?

2010-11-08T22:07:00.006-05:00

So here we find ourselves sitting at a lowly 5-5 and needing a win over Auburn or Georgia Tech to secure a bid to a pitiful, yet important bowl game. Important because we need the extra 21 practice days. We travel to the Plains to face undefeated and second ranked Auburn. The Dawgs have won 4 straight over the Tigers but face a tall task this week. A 6'6" 250 pound task named Cam Newton. How the Dawgs are going to slow him down is beyond me. I honestly have no idea. We haven't exactly contained mobile QBs well this season and comparing Newton to the QBs we already faced is like comparing Zenyatta to Kenny Powers' Mexican donkey - which I obligingly provide visually here:

In case there is any confusion regarding the analogy... Newton is the thoroughbred with the number 9 on her blanket.

Short of Cam Newton waking up with his head sewn into the carpet next Saturday morning, the Dawgs will need to score a pile of points to keep this one close. Fortunately, the Dawgs are on a current streak of 5 consecutive games scoring over 30 points for the first time in school history. In the past 5 games, the Dawgs have put up: 41, 43, 44, 31, 55. Meanwhile, Auburn has yielded the following points in their past 5 outings: 34, 43, 17, 31, 24. It looks to me like the Dawgs have a great chance to extend their scoring streak another week, but this is a game that 31 points won't be near enough. To win this game, we may have to score over 50, unless of course, Newton has that afore-mentioned issue with his head and the carpet.

So there is your task armchair OC's and DC's. You need to devise a plan to slow down Newton while putting up 40+ points. How will you do it? AJ Green said he and Aaron Murray were going to shock people in Auburn. Wow! Like the Tigers actually needed bulletin board material. Alright AJ... I believe you are the best receiver in the SEC... now go out and back it up.

Each day this week I will toss out a few wrinkles that I think the Dawgs could employ to achieve a victory on Saturday. For today, Monday, I propose...

1. Practice tackling to the ground all week while using Arthur Lynch (6'5" 256) or Derek Rich (6'5" 265) as Cam Newton.

2. Review film of all of Lesticles Miles's trick plays and plan to use all of them in this game.

3. Practice passing drills in which Murray gets no more than 1.5 seconds to release the ball or he gets a moderate shock from a Hot Shot cattle prod. With Nick Fairley on the other side of the line coupled with the seive formerly known as our O-Line, the extra half-second will be a luxury.

Please feel free to offer your tips in the comments...

Mumme Poll Ballot Weekend of 11/6

2010-11-08T12:00:00.002-05:00

#1. Oregon

The Rest:

Auburn
TCU
Boise State
Stanford
LSU
Nebraska
Oklahoma State
Wisconsin
Michigan State

These are pretty much in order. I have Oregon ahead of Auburn based on how they have run away from their competition while Auburn had several narrow escapes earlier in the season.

The rest are pretty much in order. No trouble picking the top 6 but after that the teams are relatively interchangeable along with the also rans Bama, Arizona, and tOSU.

2010-11-06T08:26:00.001-04:00

5-7 Last week dropped me to 55-58 for the year. But I am only 6 games back of the leader. Need some luck.

Thursday

VIRGINIA TECH 14.5 Georgia Tech

Saturday

DUKE pick'em Virginia
CLEMSON 2.5 NC State
FLORIDA ST 10 Unc
OKLAHOMA ST 7.5 Baylor
S. CAROLINA 3 Arkansas
Florida 14 VANDY
BOISE STATE 22 Hawaii
Oklahoma 4 TEXAS A&M
STANFORD 8.5 Arizona
Tcu 5 UTAH
Alabama 6.5 LSU
OREGON 28 Washington

Another Chance to Excel

2010-11-06T08:15:00.002-04:00

Go Dawgs. Take care of business and stay healthy. GATA!

I Don't Want to Talk About It, But I will This Once

2010-11-01T12:00:00.002-04:00

If it wasn't for bad luck, we would have no luck in Jacksonville at The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. At least that has been the case since 1990. We had some luck prior to that if you are old enough to remember any of it.

We didn't play terribly, but we made too many mistakes to win and the weird shit kept happening to us. To wit:

- First half, Florida fumbles inside their own ten yard line, we could easily recover it but instead we try to pick it up and bobble it right back to Florida.

- Twice Florida has big negative yardage plays nullified by penalty... their own freaking penalties. Since when does a team get saved twice by their own penalties. Argh!

- One of Murray's interceptions was a gift from Aron White's hands straight to the defender. But when Brantley tries to return the favor later by nailing Rambo in the numbers, we drop it. Argh!

- Fourth quarter, Brantley under pressure, fumbles, we pick it up and then, of course, fumble it back to Florida and all the while none of this really matters because we get called for defensive holding from about 20 seconds earlier. I will assume that our DB did hold (though I have not seen a replay) but this is just a perfect example of the weird shit that happens to us in this game.

The benefit of hindsight won't change the outcome from this game, but I hope Mike Bobo will at least take away one nugget of experience and use it in the future. In a game featuring a hot shot shut down corner back and the best receiver in the conference in which the cornerback feels confident enough to play man-to-man... DO NOT throw and hitch to that receiver on the first snap of the game. Instead, if you want to throw to that receiver on the first play... use the corner's aggression and desire to make a statement against him and try a double move. Jenorris Jenkins was coming so hard on that first play that a pump fake and double move would have left Jenkins hitting the brakes so hard he wouldn't have stopped until he reached the Matthews Bridge. We probably only have a few more games with AJ Green, but if any of our remaining opponents want to prove that their corner can cover AJ in man-to-man, give the double move a shot on the first play. Give their guy a reason to play timid, not ours.

To be fair, it was Florida's ball hawking secondary and the Burton/Rainey combination that did us in. But in a game that we can never afford to make any errors, we again made too many to overcome. I am proud of the way our offense got going in the second half and we had a chance to win, which is better than the past two bloodlettings in the series. I have to give huge hand to Aaron Murray and Tavarres King for the hustle they showed on our final offensive play in overtime in which Murray ran the length of the field and blew up a blocker to impede Will Hill just enough to allow King to force him out of bounds just short of a game winning TD. Despite the fact that the Gators were able to win with their FG in OT does not diminish the effort from Murray and King to prevent the TD and at least giving us a chance to stop Florida on their OT possession.

Neither Florida or Georgia is a special team this season, but this was a golden opportunity to capture a rare victory in JAX that slipped away like so many others have in the past two decades. For a rivalry game, this one does not have the give-and-take that most rivalries have (Georgia-Auburn, OU-Texas, Lehigh-Lafayette). No, it is mostly give give give from Georgia. In most of Florida's 18 wins since 1990, the Gators were the better team on paper and on the field. In all of Georgia's 3 wins in that same stretch, the Dawgs were the better team on paper and on the field (you could argue 1997 if you like.) There are definitely a few games we have lost in which we were clearly the better team on paper (mostly during the Zook years) but not once since 1990 has a better Gator team surrendered a win to a lesser Dawgs team. They may have booted a few games against teams from Mississippi, but they haven't botched a game at the Cocktail party since 1985. Hats off to them for that, but still, that is uncanny. Sadly, this must be how it feels for Georgia Tech every Thanksgiving weekend.

History, logic and good money says that we will win a couple games in JAX this decade. But I will bet you they won't come easy.

Go Dawgs.

Mumme Poll Ballot Weekend of 10/30

2010-11-01T00:24:00.001-04:00

#1 - Oregon

The rest, loosely in order...

Auburn
Boise State
TCU
Alabama
Utah
Stanford
Wisconsin
LSU
Ohio State

This took longer than it has all season. I listed the teams in the order in which I think they belong, but after Wisconsin at #8, it became a toss up between a handful of teams that have one loss but for various reasons none stood out from the pack. I may have missed the mark by giving preference to Ohio State over Missouri/Oklahoma. I don't know that LSU belongs at #9 but their only loss was a close one to the #2 team in the land, so I gave them the nod.

What to Expect at The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

2010-10-30T08:07:00.002-04:00

The general sentiment around here (Amelia Island) is confidence for the Dawgs and malaise for the Gators. Don't be fooled Dawgs fans. We will get the best game the Gators are capable of playing in 2010. The question is this: Is the Gators' best game in 2010 good enough to beat a good-to-great showing by the Dawgs?

The Dawgs offense has been firing on most cylinders for the past three games. There has been a fine blend of running and passing and the offensive line play has improved significantly during the three game winning streak. The defense has also shown signs of improvement as they ascend the learning curve in the new 3-4 defense. Of course, these trends have occurred against Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky so it remains to be seen if there has been enough real improvement to warrant the optimism in Dawgnation.

In the Dawgs past three wins I did not make any pre-game predictions so I am certainly not going to start now! I hope our team will remain consistent and remain on the plus side of the turnover ledger. I hope the penalty monster will not rear his ugly head for us today, but he is welcome to afflict the team in Nike Pro Combat uniforms as much as he likes. And perhaps most of all, I hope that we don't get complete incompetence from the officiating crew (a man can dream can't he?)

To Corch Meyer, the message of the day is: TIME TO CRY, BITCH!

I will be heading to the stadium in about an hour. I will leave you with these important thoughts:

Gators wear jean shorts.

It's great... to be... a Georgia Bulldog!

Go Dawgs! GATA!

Footie Picker Weekend of 10/30

2010-10-29T23:06:00.001-04:00

Last week I was 8-5 and I am 50-51 on the year.

Thursday

Florida State 3.5 NC STATE

Saturday

Miami 14.5 VIRGINIA
IOWA 6.5 Michigan State
Clemson 6.5 BOSTON COLLEGE
S. CAROLINA 17.5 Tennessee
ARKANSAS 21.5 Vandy
MISS STATE 7 Kentucky
Auburn 7 OLE MISS
TEXAS 7.5 Baylor
Georgia 2.5 Florida (in Jacksonville)
NEBRASKA 7 Missouri
Michigan 2 PENN STATE
Oregon 6.5 SOUTHERN CAL

Pulpwood on Florida

2010-10-29T10:55:00.001-04:00

This may be his best game prediction in history...

NSFW

Time To Die, Bitch

Bite My Ass, Kick Her Ass, Kick Your Ass: Volume 7

2010-10-28T21:15:00.010-04:00

In this feature for my fairly featureless blog, based on current events, I will regularly announce who can Kiss My Ass, who can Kick My Ass and who I should Kick Your Ass. For this Volume, I have modified the protocol to Bite My Ass, Kick Her Ass, Kick Your Ass.

Bite My Ass - Gators. This is obvious. Gators... Gators... how'd you like to bite my ass? Gators... Gators... how'd you like to bite my ass?

Kick Her Ass - Hunker Down Beer Challenge & ugakerri. It appears that ugakerri was the latest victim of The Hunker Down Beer Challenge last Saturday as she started it with the Auburn-LSU game and continued for UGA-Kentucky and then this happened - NYC walk of shame.

Kick Your Ass - Joy Behar. What an insufferable bitch. She seems keen on challenging Sharron Angle to a catfight, but my money says that she would get her ugly ass kicked. This idiot is clearly misnamed - Bitter Behar would be a better name. Shut your stinking pie hole, bitch.

Mumme Poll Ballot Weekend of 10/23

2010-10-25T00:33:00.002-04:00

The best: Oregon

The rest...

Auburn
Boise State
Missouri
TCU
Michigan State
Alabama
Utah
Wisconsin
Stanford

These are listed loosely in order. The last two spots easily could have been occupied by at least 4 other teams outside of my top ten. I feel pretty solid about who I like as the top 8 teams in the country. I am surprised by Missouri but they showed me something handling Oklahoma the way they did.

In a Record Setting Day, Navy Sinks Notre Dame and the Dawgs Tree the Cats

2010-10-24T20:28:00.004-04:00

It was a great day in football for me yesterday. Navy horse-whipped Notre Dame 35-17 in a game where Navy never trailed and looked as dominant on defense as they did on offense. Beginning with a sweet goal line stand on NDs first drive the Navy defense never gave the Irish any easy points. The Navy offense kept the pressure on all day as fullback Alexander Teich rushed for over 200 yards (a Navy record for a fullback). This was Navy's second straight over ND and their 3rd win in the last 4 tries. It was also Navy's 3rd win over the Irish in my lifetime. I sure do love the recent history in this series!

Later in the day, the Dawgs created opportunities early and capitalized on them jumping to a 28-10 halftime lead and held off Kentucky's second half comeback effort to win 44-31. Washaun Ealey rushed for 157 yards and 5 touchdowns (a UGA record). The Dawgs' other TD came on a Brandon Boykin 100 yard kickoff return.

I have heard some Dawgs fans grumbling about the Wildcats outgaining the Dawgs 423 to 290 yards. This stat means nothing to me as the Dawgs worked with short fields most of the evening and you can't get any more yards once you cross the goal line, which we did 6 times (which was more than Auburn or South Carolina scored against these Cats). I was impressed that we dictated our will on the Kentucky defense on the ground and only threw the ball 12 times, completing 9. Justin Houston racked up 3 more sacks putting him at 9.5 on the season and Sanders Commings got his 3rd interception of the season. The Dawgs forced 4 turnovers and surrendered only one which came on the late on-side kick that bounced off of Boykin's knee right back to the UK kicker.

There were a few trouble spots such as our propensity to continue to give up first downs on third and long. There are still some coverage issues to work on. The only other problem is one that I am glad happened in Kentucky so hopefully it won't happen this coming Saturday in Jacksonville. Blair Walsh missed a make-able field goal and also missed an extra point for the only time in his career. Get it out of your system Blair because we need you to be perfect at the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

All said... it was a thoroughly satisfying win as we scored over 40 points for the third consecutive week and did most of it on the ground and without Caleb King. Now, we prepare for the Gators in a game that I look forward to more than all the rest. Have a great week of practice Dawgs and get ready to Get After Some Gator Asses!

The Grind Effect: End of the Line for Kentucky?

2010-10-23T10:06:00.004-04:00

Playing against good teams several times a year is tough. Doing it three weeks in a row is officially a "grind." And the third game in a grind is where bad things can happen - attributable to "The Grind Effect." Note: The Grind Effect can apply regardless if you win both of the first two games in the trifecta.

Two weeks ago, Kentucky played a knock down drag out game against undefeated Auburn in which Auburn won on a field goal as time expired. Last week against South Carolina, Kentucky pulled themselves out of a deep hole in the second half, scored a go-ahead TD on fourth and game and then staved off the SC answering drive by intercepting a pass in the end zone to seal the victory. Today, the resurging Bulldogs enter Commonwealth Stadium after two easy wins in which the Dawgs outscored their opponents 84-14. The Grind Effect clearly favors the Dawgs.

Here are a few examples of the The Grind Effect in action in 2010:

Alabama: After downing Arkansas 24-20 in a come-from-behind thriller and then handling Florida 31-6 in a heavily hyped game, the Tide was out when The Grind Effect was on and Bama lost The Grind Effect game to South Carolina by two touchdowns 35-21.

South Carolina: After losing a physical war against undefeated Auburn 35-27, SC played lights out in beating Alabama 35-21 and then collapsed in the second half against Kentucky in The Grind Effect game losing 31-28. Losing Marcus Lattimore for the second half was a huge factor which can also be lamed on The Grind Effect.

Arizona: Beat Iowa 34-27, beat Cal 10-9 and then lost to mediocre Oregon State 29-27 in The Grind Effect game.

The Dawgs are entering this game relatively healthy but without the suspended Caleb King. Kentucky will be without their best RB Darren Locke. The Dawgs need to play physical and win in the trenches - where grinding really takes a toll. Making Kentucky work hard for everything they get will hasten the process of emptying the Wildcats' tank so that another second half comeback (like last week against SC and last year against UGA) will not be possible.

Join me today in pulling for the Dawgs and The Grind Effect as Georgia continues to improve and stay alive in the SEC East race.

Footie Picker Weekend of 10/23

2010-10-21T13:05:00.000-04:00

Thursday

OREGON 21.5 Ucla

Saturday

Notre Dame 6.5 Navy (in East Rutherford, NJ)
MIAMI 6.5 Unc
CLEMSON 5.5 Georgia Tech
IOWA 5.5 Wisconsin
Michigan State 7.5 NORTHWESTERN
South Carolina 12.5 VANDY
*ARKANSAS 10 Ole Miss
OKlahoma 3 MISSOURI
Alabama 17 TENNESSEE
AUBURN 6.5 Lsu
Georgia 3.5 KENTUCKY
TCU 20 Air Force

Letter to Collegiate Officials

2010-10-19T07:25:00.004-04:00

Gentlemen (and others):

I assume that it is your job to get calls correct on the field or at worst, upon review. I further assume that you would like to perform this task accurately. (Penn Wagers and Marc Curles are excepted.) Here is a bit of advice that will improve your accuracy percentage... When AJ GREEN appears to catch a pass in the end zone, call it a touchdown ON THE FIELD. In other words, set your default on "TD" and then let the replay official fix it in the unlikely event that you are wrong.

AJ Green has now been screwed out of two amazing acrobatic touchdowns in the past two seasons because the official on the field probably felt that it was not possible for any receiver to make that catch. Guess what... AJ Green is not "any receiver" and he has proven over and over that he has the best combination of hands and body control of any receiver in the SEC in a long time. This is especially true in the end zone where he has routinely defied physics and logic to make unbelievable catches. I think that AJ has earned the benefit of the doubt instead of the opposite which is "let's assume that he didn't make the catch unless indisputable video evidence proves he did."

TD #1 that was taken away:

The second touchdown that was missed was last Saturday against Vanderbilt but I can't find any video. AJ went up high and snatched the ball away from a defender and came down with the ball tucked in one hand against his belly and landed on his belly. It was clear that his arm was between the ball and the ground. When he bounced off the ground, it was clear that he kept the ball tucked tight against his body as he rolled over to reveal possession of the ball. The referee said that the ball hit the ground, which looked possible in full speed. Upon review, it was clear to me that the ball did not touch the ground but there were not 10 corroborating video angles proving this so the replay official did not overturn the call.

So, in the future, just call it a touchdown and chances are almost 100% that you will be correct. Then apply the "indisputable video evidence" standard to overturning the touchdown. Got it? Great. Carry on.

What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is a Going On Here

2010-10-18T22:15:00.003-04:00

The Dawgs pitched a beautiful shutout against Vanderbilt in a 43-0 shellacking of the most hapless team I have seen in the SEC in a long time. As usual, Murray played a fine game, earning him SEC Freshman of the Week honors for the second time this season. Kris Durham and AJ Green made big catches while Washaun Ealey and Carlton Thomas sparked the running game behind improving offensive line play. The defense swarmed the ball, pressured the QB, forced turnovers and generally played a highly spirited ball game. But... what does it all mean?

As you know... The Mighty Gator lost their third straight SEC game to Mississippi State 10-7. This slide means that UGA and UF have the same number of losses in the East and some Dawgs fans are giddy about what could happen in Jacksonville at the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in two weeks. There is hope that the Dawgs could climb back into the race for the SEC East.

In addition, Sackerlina lost their second SEC game and only hold a one game lead over the Dawgs with Arkansas and Florida remaining on their schedule. Yes things are looking up for the Dawgs and the new pup on the block, UGA VIII.

[Cue sound of a phonograph record scratching to a stop]

Have you all gone mad? Are you insane? Have you lost your minds? Don't take the bait. Stop looking forward to a game two weeks away! Let me inject a few nuggets of reality here...

- We have to play Kentucky, in Lexington, at night. Two weeks ago, Auburn needed a last second field goal to win in Lexington, at night. Last Saturday, South Carolina lost in a late rally by the Wildcats in Lexington, at night. In short, we have to play a good Kentucky team, that just beat the team that beat us and Alabama this season. This is the same Kentucky team that beat us 2 of the past 4 years - and would have been 3 if not for a late game heroic redemption by Mo Massaquoi. The Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we will get to that game in Jacksonville. But first, there is some extremely serious business to attend to this week. We can beat Kentucky but it will require the best game we have played on defense all season and our offense must continue the momentum it has gained in the past two weeks against significantly lesser competition.

- Even if we are able to win out, we need South Carolina to lose twice and we are counting on the Gators, who have looked anemic on offense most of the time, to give them one of those losses. Presumably, Arkansas would provide the other opportunity - but at Columbia. Yes, Marcus Lattimore hurt his ankle and missed most of the second half against Kentucky and this assuredly contributed to the comeback by the Wildcats. But SC plays Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the next two weeks, so I would imagine that Lattimore will be back in business in time for Arkansas on November 6.

- In addition, we would have to beat the best Auburn team since 2004 with this year's likely Heisman winner making all kinds of Herschel Walkerish, Bo Jacksonish, Tim Tebowish plays. For us to win at Auburn this year, we would have to win our 5th straight over the WarTigers which we haven't done since Harry S. Truman was in the White House.

Now, I am generally optimistic about things but I am also realistic. And while there is still a chance that we could win the SEC East, nothing really matters except the next game. And this week, the next game is against a Kentucky team that plans on making it extremely hard on us this Saturday night.

After our loss to MSU, I stated that it is time to literally take this season one game at a time and enjoy any wins in the singularity of that event. The win over Tennessee was satisfying for me because I don't think I will ever grow tired of seeing a Dawgs victory over any team in orange. The win of Vanderbilt was enjoyable because the team looked great in every phase of the game and there were some beautiful plays that will be on highlight films for the next number of years. And, I will submit, that a win over Kentucky this Saturday night will be a wonderful thing no matter what happens in the other convoluted precarious scenarios that we hope will come to pass.

And now... despite all that I have just said... I must admit, I am a little excited about the glimmer of hope and how uplifting it is to know that there just MIGHT be a chance...

GO DAWGS! GATA!

Pulpwood on Vanderbilt

2010-10-16T08:41:00.001-04:00

Pulpwood says we better beat Vanderbilt or you won't hear from him for the rest of the year.

As usual NSFW.

Footie Picker Weekend of 10/16

2010-10-15T23:43:00.001-04:00

Last week was upside down with a 4-9 tally bringing my YTD to 35-40. Now starts the long climb back to .500.

CLEMSON 15 Maryland
MICHIGAN ST 7 Illinois
GEORGIA 15.5 Vanderbilt
South Carolina 6 KENTUCKY
FLORIDA 7 Miss State
ALABAMA 21 Ole Miss
Unc 6.5 VIRGINIA
NEBRASKA 9.5 Texas
Iowa 3.5 MICHIGAN
Ohio State 4 WISCONSIN
AUBURN 4 Arkansas
GEORGIA TECH 19 Middle Tennesee St U
TEXAS A&M 3.5 Missouri

Kiss My Ass, Kick My Ass, Kick Your Ass: Volume 6

2010-10-14T21:13:00.004-04:00

In this feature for my fairly featureless blog, based on current events, I will regularly announce who can Kiss My Ass, who can Kick My Ass and who I should Kick Your Ass.

Kiss My Ass - Major League Baseball. Since the Braves lost and since it is freaking mid-October... baseball can totally kiss my ass. For that matter, so can the NBA and NHL. Why don't they wait until winter when someone may actually watch?

Kick My Ass - Hunker Down Beer Challenge. As BernieDawg predicted... The Hunker Down Beer Challenge last Saturday kicked my ass. I committed to drink one beer for every Georgia score (TD, FG, Safety) which resulted in my obligation to consume 7 beers. One of the 7 was a 22oz bomber of Terrapin Hopzilla at 10.7 % ABV. The next 6 beers were Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ales at 5.4 % ABV and then I had "one to grow on" which was a Sweetwater IPA at 6.7% ABV. The photographic evidence is tendered herewith. Note - my mom was drinking the red wine and my friend Dave was drinking the Ketel One. Anyway... since the Dawgs decided to open a can of whoop ass on Tennessee and scored 41 points, I willingly and happily drank to excess. You may be saying, "Dude, it was only 8 beers. You let that kick your ass?" In short, yes... briefly. I admit that I dozed off during the second half of Bama's debacle at Columbia and woke up just in time for Navy's kickoff at 6:30. The last time I took a nap shortly after a UGA game was in 1991 when we beat Clemson on the same day that the Braves clinched a playoff berth. I was in San Diego at the time and my Navy buddies and I watched the Braves clinch at a place called Sluggos in La Jolla that served Chicago Style dogs and chili cheese fries along with cheap pitchers of beer. Then we went to a sports bar to watch UGA beat Clemson. My friend Jim Chatfield from Pittsburgh decided that we would all do a shot of tequila every time Georgia scored. The Dawgs won 27-12 and we did 5 tequila shots along with countless beers plus the pitchers at Sluggos. We were exuberant, to say the least. Anyway, I thought, by way of comparison, that I would equate my beers last Saturday to tequila shots. Turns out that my beer challenged resulted in the consumption of 7.046 ounces of alcohol. If a tequila shot is 1.5 ounces and is 40% alcohol (80 proof), then my beers equated to 11.7 tequila shots in about 3.5 hours (or 1 tequila shot every 18 minutes.) Ouch. I am glad the Dawgs broke out in a big way, but I am also glad that things slowed down in the 4th quarter. So yes, The Hunker Down Beer Challenge kicked my ass, but I will reissue the beer challenge on October 30 for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Who is with me?

Kick Your Ass - Aaron, the Indian midget on Eastbound and Down. Little man, you and your fake mustache better stop screwing with my boy Kenny Powers or I will come down to Mexico and kick your diminutive ass! And your tiny blade doesn't scare me at all, cabronita.

Belated Elated Thoughts

2010-10-12T22:51:00.003-04:00

I replaced my laptop Monday afternoon, so I have spent most of the last two days configuring and uploading and downloading and calling tech support, blah blah blah. Anyway...

We kicked Tennessee's ass all the way up 441 and right through Talullah Gorge. It was about time this team showed up ready to play, executed well and received a plethora of breaks at the misfortune of the opponent. As Senator Blutarsky pointed out, we recovered as many fumbles in the first half as we did in all of 2010.

Aaron Murray continues to get better and Bobo finally moved the pocket and sent him on some bootlegs. More please. Common sense says that Murray will make some more rookie mistakes, but I would like to compare his performance against UT with Stafford's breakout performance against Auburn in 2006. In both cases, the teams were coming of a stretch of 4 losses and the teams appeared to be on the verge of coming unglued. In Auburn 2006 and UT 2010, our freshman QB showed their first best grasp of the playbook and recognition of the defenses resulting in sound execution, timely audibles and several gutsy improvisation runs to lead the team an emotionally charged victory over an SEC rival. Starting with Auburn 2006, the team went on a 24-5 run with Stafford at the helm. Much remains of the 2010 season, but if history was to repeat itself, I think Dawg fans would be happy. (In fairness, Murray has played well in every game this year, but he noticeably elevated his game Saturday and part of that was a result of playcalling, part a result of AJ Green being on the field, and part due to Murray getting more experienced and more comfortable running this team.)

Aaron Murray's play reminds me of Chase Daniel from Missouri a couple of years back. Daniel was a three year starter and had two seasons with over 4000 yards passing and 30+ touchdowns. Daniel was also an elusive runner and certainly made plays with his feet. I think they are both about the same size and a lot of Murray's movements are reminiscent of Daniel - to me.

How did you guys feel about Tennessee making all of the mistakes that have haunted the Dawgs in the past couple of seasons? Fumbled kickoff, fumbled punt, interception, two personal fouls on late hits out of bounds... It sure was nice to see a team not in Red and Black shooting their feet off for a change.

Tight ends... the more we use them the more we score. The more we score, the more we win. Ergo... throw to your tight ends early and often! With AJ getting so much attention, our tight ends should find some open space in the middle seam but we haven't exploited that yet. We missed Charles on a seam route earlier this year but that was without AJ in the lineup. I predict that Charles or Aron White will strike for a long one against Vanderbilt right down the middle of the field.

AJ Green is Superman. There is no other explanation.

Mumme Poll - It Just Got Real

2010-10-11T07:52:00.004-04:00

Here is my Mumme Poll ballot, followed by some commentary. I have Oregon way out front as number one now that Bama stumbled.

1. Oregon

the next 9 not necessarily in any order:

Ohio State
Nebraska
Auburn
Boise State
Oklahoma
LSU
TCU
Michigan State
Nevada

Dammit Mumme Poll, I need my 11 and 12 spots back so I could put both Sackerlina and Bama on the ballot but not in the Top Ten. Seriously, I believe Alabama would beat most any team in my Top Ten, but they have a loss and if I keep them in the Top Ten, wouldn't I also be obliged to put South Carolina in the Top Ten as well? And, if so, which undefeated teams get booted?

To solve this conundrum, I decided, at least for this week, to include only undefeated teams in my Top Ten. Of course, there are undefeated teams outside my Top Ten as well. Most notably, Utah. I suppose I could replace Michigan State or Nevada with Utah, but frankly, I am more impressed with the body of work of those two teams at this point.

I recognize that Nevada is my outlier, but I have seen them play twice and I am blown away by there efficiency and execution. They have yet to trail this season and Colin Kaepernick looks like the second coming of Vince Young, only better. The 52-31 drubbing of Cal continues to stand up as Cal smashed UCLA 35-7 Saturday. If Nevada remains undefeated until their showdown with Boise State 11/26, they can make everyone believers by dispatching the Broncos on their home field in Reno.

Oregon is my #1 team and it is not even close. I cannot imagine why the major polls have tOSU in front.

LSU is the only team in the nation with 6 wins over BCS conference foes. In fact, no one else in the Top Ten has more than 4 wins against BCS conference teams. Say what you will about the method, but the madness has resulted in a 6-0 start.

What do you think? Where did is screw up? What would you do differently?

Dawgs... Please Defend The Bootleg

2010-10-09T01:30:00.002-04:00

If I was an offensive coordinator preparing for UGA, I would plan to run 4 plays:

1. Bootleg QB keeper.
2. Bootleg toss to TE on an out.
3. Misdirection pitch to a tailback going one way while the other 10 guys are going the other.
4. Play action pass to a tailback on a wheel route.

I would run these plays until the Georgia defense stopped them. Tennessee feasted on this combination in 2007 and 2009.

If I was Todd Grantham, I would do all in my power to take away those 4 plays.

We need a win badly and stopping the bootleg just might be enough to get it done.

Go Dawgs. GATA!

Strike Out Kings

2010-10-08T12:13:00.006-04:00

The Braves went down swinging last night as Tim Lincecum struck out 14 in a complete game shut out. What is more, 13 Braves struck out swinging and most of those pitches were well out of the strike zone. Lincecum's 1.55 K's per inning last night was a dominating performance but it reminded me of a certain other dominant pitcher that I saw pitch at least 150 games while growing up. That would be my brother Drew Tanner, who is two years older than me. Imma brag a little now...

Drew was an extraordinary pitcher in Douglas, Georgia in an era when we had a glut of excellent baseball talent which led to many consecutive youth league State Championships, a long run of High School Region Championships and a run of 3 State Championships in 4 seasons at Coffee High School: 1981 (AAA), 1982 and 1983 (AAAA). Drew was pitching at Navy in 1983, so he can't get any credit for that one.

Drew, a lefty, was a tall kid until around the age of 14 when he stopped growing taller and everyone else caught up or passed him. In High School he was 5'-10" and about 185 lbs. His fastball was in the upper 80's (despite his claim of being in the low 90's) but he had immaculate control (picture Greg Maddux) and he managed to throw his deceptive change up with the exact same arm motion as his fastball. But, his out pitch was a devastating curve ball that came in only about 2 or 3 mph slower than his fastball and would literally dive 18 inches right at the plate. It didn't move as much from left to right as it did from high to low. It was virtually unhittable and he could throw it for a strike. If the batter did make contact, rarely would the ball leave the infield. In other words, if you were going to get a hit, you better get it early in the count, because once the count went to 2 strikes you weren't getting another straight pitch and driving the curve ball was impossible. Often the third strike would hit the dirt in front of the catcher and would require a tag or throw down to first base. On occasion the batter would reach first base after striking out. But, then Drew would use another crafty tool from his bag of tricks and pick them off with the sneaky "balk move." This usually happened to the first man to reach first base in the game and thereafter, any other runners would usually be heading back to the bag while Drew was throwing to the plate.

It was a lot of fun for me to watch my brother pitch for so many years. In fact, when I was a sophomore bench warmer for the baseball team in 1982, when Drew was pitching, I was his de facto database on the opposing batters. Before each inning I would remind him what upcoming hitters had done in their previous at bat in an exchange that might go something like this...

Me: The first guy swung at the first pitch fastball and made good contact so maybe start him out with a breaking ball. The second guy almost fell down swinging at the curve ball and the third guy fouled off several curves in a row so maybe give him some high heat as an out pitch since he will expect the curve.

Drew: Ok. Thanks Brother Rudy. (Long story but has nothing to do with the move "Rudy" which came out later.)

In his senior year (1982), Drew was 16-0, yielding a lonely one earned run in 101 innings - with a stint of 78 consecutive innings without an earned run. But what about strikeouts? After all, the title of this post is "Strike Out Kings." This is the point that made me think of Drew last night after Lincecum recorded his 14th strikeout. In his senior year, Drew averaged nearly 14 strikeouts per 7 inning game with 197 K's in 109 innings (1.8 K's per inning.) A couple of years ago, Coffee High School had a pitcher strike out 12 in a game and one excited fan, upon seeing my brother in the crowd, asked, "Drew, did you ever have 12 strikeouts in a game?" My brother, doing his best to be humble, replied "Yeah, a few times."(Drew was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" on July 5, 1982)

Drew was recruited by Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Texas A&M but was leaning to go to Navy (where our uncle had recently graduated) and since pro scouts were telling him he was too short to pitch in the bigs. But another reason was that the big schools would not offer a full scholarship as they explained they only had 13 scholarships for the whole team and so rarely did a pitcher get a full ride. As a point of pride, Drew wanted a full ride because he felt he could also contribute as a position player and hitter. When none of the big boys offered anything more than a 1/2 scholly, Drew chose Navy. Regarding his recruitment, I will never forget the day that Ga Tech head coach Jim Morris came to watch Drew pitch against the Johnson High Atom Smashers (out of Savannah.) Drew wanted to impress on this occasion and only threw a no-hit shutout. Later, back at our house, Jim Morris sat in our dining room and told Drew that college hitters won't swing at his curve ball. I heard him say it.

Despite Jim Morris's prediciton, at Navy, Drew continued to win games and strike out batters with his curve ball. In his Junior and Senior years he had a combined 18-2 record and led Navy to the Miami Regional where they lost a close game to Georgia Tech, but not before Drew, in a no-decision, struck out his share of Morris's GT batters in a game that went 11 innings and ironically was ended when our former high school teammate Riccardo Ingram hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 11th.

At the conclusion of his senior year at Navy, Drew was recognized as a Baseball America Third Team All American and was selected to pitch on the 1986 USA Baseball Team that summer before heading off to flight school in Pensacola. After 7 years flying P-3C Orion's in the Navy, Drew joined me at UGA Law School and is now practicing back in Douglas.

Of course, I recognize that Drew was not striking out players in a MLB playoff game. But when it comes to Strike Out Kings, my all-time favorite will always be #22. I love you, bro!