HDD Prediction: Dawgs - Pokes

This game is hard to figure in terms of a final score prediction. Their offense can scores points in bunches, but their defense allows points in bunches. Our offense scored effortlessly at times last season, but Stafford, Moreno and Massaquoi are gone to the NFL. Our defense was terrible at times last year, but will most assuredly be improved.

Here is what I expect... Both teams will score early making it look like it could be a high scoring affair. But, our strategy to slow the game down with our road-paving offensive line and bruising teen-age tailback will start to wear on the OSU defense and will keep their offense safely on the sideline. This will go on for long stretches of clock and by half-time, the score will be something like UGA 10 - OSU 10.

In the second half, after relentless pounding by our pleasingly deep offensive and defensive lines, the battle of the trenches will have been won and we will own the line of scrimmage. Accordingly, we will be able to force our will when we have the football and will turn them strictly one-dimensional when they have the football. When that happens, we score and they don't.

I always expect a Mark Richt - Mike Bobo offense to be balanced on offense and that typically yields about 2/3 running plays and 1/3 passing plays. This means about 45 runs and 25 passes. Richard Samuel will have about 25 carries and will average more than 5 yards per carry - netting him over 125 yards rushing and probably closer to 250 yards. The other 20 carries will be divided among Carlton Thomas, Shaun Chapas, Logan Gray and maybe a Branden Smith end around type play. I am most confident that we will rush for over 200 yards. Once we have OSU adjust to try and stop the run, Joe Cox will have much more opportunity to find open receivers off of play action. Since Gray will also have a few throws, I will say that the two will combine for about 15 completions on 25 throws for about 220 yards. There are going to be a few short passes that get turned into big gains. With all of this offensive output, I would expect us to score 34 points if we don't have crucial penalties and if we win the turnover battle.

When OSU has the ball, they will not be able to run in the middle - at all. So if they run on us at all, it will have to be on the outside - which Tech proved possible last December. However, I think we will have much improved discipline in our execution on defense and I expect us to hold their rushing game down around the 100-125 yard mark. So, if they are going to move the ball, it will have to be in the air. I think they have some success early, but when they are unable to establish their running game, we will adjust to limit the effectiveness of their Robinson to Dez Bryant passing attack. They may still throw for 250 yards, but most will be in the first quarter or between the 20's. By turning them one-dimensional, we will force them to try more field goals and have less real TD opportunities. Unless they score on special teams or with their defense, we will hold them under 24 points.

So, under the best scenario, I would have us winning 34 to 20. However, I will factor in that we are on the road with a new starting QB and TB against the preseason #9 team. I hope I am wrong about this, but I feel we might miss a couple of opportunities to really pull away in this one and will have to settle with grinding out a 30 - 24 win.

Dawgs 30 - Poke 24.

GO DAWGS! GATA!!!

An Offensive Formation I Would Love to See

THIS EXCITES ME...

So the Dawgs have 3rd down and 5 yards to go at multiple points throughout the game... based on what you know right now about this team, what formation, personnel and play do you call?

I like the idea of these 5 players on the field:

AJ Green
Michael Moore
Aron White or Orson Charles
Shaun Chapas
Carlton Thomas

Now I line up in a split backfield (Chapas right - Thomas left), TE right, Moore is wide right, Green wide left. I have Green running a skinny post while I flood the right side as follows: Moore is running a 12-15 yard out route, TE is running a 10 yard curl and Chapas is on a flare route. Meanwhile Thomas is running a delayed release to the left flat. All of these guys are athletic, sure-handed players - and I can't imagine that OSU can cover all 5 consistently in these situations. I believe the tendency will be to double AJ Green. So on the left side, the corner will run with Green and one safety cheats to that side. Maybe a nickel back is assigned to Thomas but you would think that there would be a one-on-one match up in the left flat without much help available if the one man misses. Now, over on the flooded right side - Moore, a proven 3rd down reliable go to guy, will attract enough attention that could leave Chapas alone in the flat and almost certainly our tall athletic tight ends create a mismatch with either a smaller db or a slower linebacker.

I really like this scenario with Cox's accurate arm in the game... but imagine the additional pressure you put on the defense if you insert dual-threat Logan Gray in this situation?

One variation would be to sneak Chapas up the middle after a quick delay - a la P-44 Haynes.

Compared to last year, the utilization of either White or Charles at TE makes the 5 eligible receivers more dangerous than any group we used last year since White was not used nearly enough. In addition, Gray gives us the potential to add an element not seen since DJ Shockley lead the team.

So what do you think? How would you deploy these weapons?

Footie Picker Weekend of 9/5

Footie Picker is back and here are my picks for Week 1.

Thursday

NC STATE 4.5 South Carolina Yep
BOISE STATE 4.5 Oregon NOPE

Saturday

OHIO STATE 22 Navy YEP
MICHIGAN 12.5 Western Michigan NOPE
WAKE FOREST 2.5 Baylor NOPE
OKLAHOMA ST 5.5 Georgia NOPE
NOTRE DAME 14 Nevada NOPE
AUBURN 13 Louisiana Tech NOPE
OKLAHOMA 21.5 Byu YEP
Alabama 7 Virginia Tech (at Atlanta) NOPE
CALIFORNIA 21.5 Maryland NOPE
Ole Miss 16.5 MEMPHIS (on Sunday) NOPE
FLORIDA STATE 5.5 Miami (on Monday) NOPE

John Tanner: Damn Good Dawg

My father, John Andrew Tanner is a damn good husband, damn good father, damn good grandfather, damn good friend, and a Damn Good Dawg! And he will be able to enjoy this football season thanks to damn good medical care at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville. Last Friday, he did a nuclear stress test to check for arterial blockages. Yesterday, the cardiologist did a heart catheterization and placed stents in two arteries. Thanks to this amazing medical innovation, open-heart bypass surgery wasn't needed. My dad is feeling quite well and will be released from the hospital today. Just amazing. The doctor said he would have had a heart attack eventually because of the blockages. We are thankful that he caught the problem when he did and especially before football season. This may not be the year to watch our Dawgs with a heart problem.

(John Tanner - pictured top left - with his extended family during the 2008 Annual Turkey Bowl in the 9th Fairway at Douglas Golf and Country Club.)

In the recovery room, his first comment to my brother and me was that we are doing a stress test in the next few weeks. It was not a suggestion and did not sound negotiable. Guess who will be doing stress tests soon?

(My dad and me on a Gulfstream fishing trip on the Hunker Down with a nice Wahoo.)

Throughout the afternoon, while he was recovering, he kept asking about Dawg news from around the blogosphere as I was trying to keep abreast via my Blackberry. We followed the whole Rotowire Zac Robinson leg injury mystery via the interwebs and kept up with Jeff Owens and Mike Moore via Twitter. By the way, did you know you can get fried oreos in Athens? Talk about arterial blockages!

Early this morning I called my dad to check on him. He told me he felt really good and that he must be fine because he was feeling a little "ornery." I didn't hear him perfectly so I asked if he was feeling "horny" or "ornery." He said "Both!" Damn Good Dawg, indeed!

On this trip, my dad and I both landed our first sailfish, which according to fishing tradition meant...

... that we had to do this...


Thanks for all that you have done and continue to do for us Paw Paw. We love you and look forward to many more seasons of following the Dawgs and great fishing.

GATA!

Jody's OSU Preview

Jody has now posted his OSU Preview. Thorough analysis game after game, year after year. Check it out every week.

Pulpwood On Okie State

He is baaaaaacccckkkkk!!!!!

Pulpwood!

Okie State Game

MY FIRST ROUND OF THOUGHTS ON THE OKIE STATE GAME

Discipline on defense will be the key. Two years ago, we disrupted OSU’s entire offense by bringing unrelenting heat on QB Bobby Reid. Saturday, we must get pressure on Zac Robinson, but we cannot allow him to escape contain and beat us with his feet. We also must be aware of screens and shuttle passes to Hunter so that an aggressive pass rush doesn’t get exploited to our detriment.

Against the run… well they won’t gain a yard in the middle, but when Hunter tries to get to the corner, we cannot over-pursue or swing and miss like we did against the Tech backs last December. Hunter has the speed and balance to make us pay if he can turn the corner.

These are my main concerns.

I feel like our offense will move the ball with a balance of 67% runs and 33% passes which will help control the clock and keep their offense off the field. The key for our offense will be turning red zone opportunities into touchdowns instead of field goals (no offense Rex.) If we do that, we will be fine.

GATA!

Who Will Be the Dawgs' Sack Leader in 2009???

If Speed Kills, Then Sacks at Least Maim and Torture

Last August, I posed this same question in this post. My projections for the 2009 Sack leaders were :

"Lomax will lead the team with 8.5 sacks and Atkins will be second with 7 sacks. Houston will contribute 6 as a back up."

But what had happened was that our defensive ends stayed hurt all year and production was abysmal. Lomax had half a sack, Atkins had zero sacks (unbelievable - though he did have 7.5 tackles for loss) and Houston had only 2.5 sacks. The team only registered 24 sacks - down from 42 in 2007. The leaders were:
Curran - 3
Irvin - 3
Wynn - 3
Houston - 2.5
Dobbs - 2.0
Ellerbe - 2.0

Last year I determined that it would be a puzzle to project how the sacks would turn out and it unfortunately was. It is a puzzle again this year, but I will make a bold attempt to predict who, if anyone, will give opposing QBs fits.

I think the clear preseason favorite would be Justin Houston. Especially if he wasn't going to miss the first two games. Demarcus Dobbs, Rod Battle and Marcus Washington will be the other ends getting the most reps. I want to put Geno Atkins in the mix again for 2009 now that he will have Jeff Owens back. Atkins went from 7.5 sacks in 2007 to zero in 2008. I think he will get back to his old ways this season. It is difficult to project which linebackers will have the most sacks but undoubtedly Curran, Gamble, Dewberry, Dent and Dowtin will have chances. So those are the candidates. Rod Battle had a strong Spring and preseason and appears to be at full strength to start the season. While working through injuries all season last year, Battle was only able to muster half a sack. This year will be different for him and the team.

Our annual sack production in recent years is as follows:

2008 Curran, Irvin, Wynn - 3 each (Team - 24)
2007 Marcus Howard - 11.5 (Team - 42)
2006 Charles Johnson - 9.5 (Team - 33)
2005 Quentin Moses - 11.5 (Team - 34)
2004 David Pollack - 12.5 (Team - 37)
2003 David Pollack - 7.5 (Team - 30)
2002 David Pollack - 14 (Team - 45)

Assuming we get back to at least an average year in the sack department, I believe 35 sacks is not unreasonable. However, we don't necessarily have a sack specialist like most of the leaders in years past. So, if we are to achieve these kind of numbers in 2009, it will be spread widely among many players. Accordingly, here are my projections:


Houston - 7
Battle - 5
Washington - 4
Atkins - 4
Dobbs - 4
Curran - 3
Dent - 3
And 5 more sacks coming from the field at large.

What do you think? Who will lead the way? Can we get back to 35 or more sacks in 2009?

HDD Getting all Tweety

I have just created a Twitter account under my name here: hamptanner

I will be tweeting from Stillwater in less than 5 days! Follow me if you dare.

JOE COX OUTLOOK

HOW WILL JOE COX PERFORM AT THE HELM?



Five Things We Know:

• Knows the playbook as well as any quarterback we have had or will have.
• Has an accurate arm, though not nearly the rifle of Stafford.
• Is well-respected by his teammates.
• Has the most experienced OL we have had in years.
• Knows this is his last year of football and has paid his dues.

Five Things We Do Not Know:

• How well he will read defenses prior to the snap.
• How well he will react to the speed of the game after the snap.
• Will he be able to stretch defenses by connecting on a few long-ish balls to Green or King?
  
• How well he will be able to elude the rush or tuck the ball and run.
  
• How will he respond to adversity within a game?

I am confident that his knowledge of the offense/playbook will allow him to read defenses and make appropriate checks at the line of scrimmage. However, I think the speed of the game will be challenging at first and will take him a few complete games to become comfortable.

Though he doesn't have the arm strength of Stafford, I hope that his awareness of this will keep him from trying to force balls into coverage - which plagued Stafford at times. From Cox, I will be content to see lots of short, high-percentage passes to playmakers who can do something once they get the ball in their hands. In other words, not all 40+ yard pass plays need result from balls traveling this distance purely through the air. (For examples, see Montana, Joe - Rice, Jerry.) When Mike Bobo replaced Eric Zeier, the offensive passing scheme was designed around his strength, which was quick-hitting short routes. In 1997, this strategy allowed Bobo to complete 65% of his passes for 2751 yards and an efficiency rating of 155.8. Against Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl, Bobo was an amazing 26 of 28 for 267 yards. Physically, I see no reason that Cox's arm could not be deployed in a similar fashion and I am hopeful that Cox will enjoy similar success with his talented corps of receivers - Green, King, Moore, Brown, White, Charles and Chapas and probably Carlton Thomas.

I have no idea if he will have the knack to evade rushers like Stafford did. Nor do I know if Cox could have success on designed runs - which was hit and miss with Stafford. But, we know that Logan Gray is a QB we will use on occasion to run draws and other dual-threat packages. So, I don't expect much running from Cox and will be pleasantly surprised if he breaks off a few decent runs in the first few games.

As far as adversity goes, Cox came in and saved our hides against Colorado in 1996 by throwing two TDs in the fourth quarter. But, he came off the bench in that situation. We will have to see how he responds when something goes awry in a game in which he has all of the responsibility from start to finish. I believe that his maturity and leadership ability will help him to remain calm and composed during times of adversity, but this remains to be seen until he is in the fire. If we are fortunate, he will be like the coolest customer we ever had under center - David Greene.

We don't need Joe Cox to be a hero. We only need him to be steady and to avoid crucial mistakes. I think the fact that he will have a talented, veteran offensive line in front of him will be a huge advantage that recent UGA QBs have not had and may make all the difference for Joe.

Here is something to consider... in 2001, freshman starter David Greene threw 27 times per game; in 2005, first year starter - senior DJ Shockley threw 28 times per game; and in 2006, our QBs (Stafford, Tereshinki and Cox) threw 26 times per game. I suppose we can assume that our QBs will throw the ball at least 25 times per game. This won't be like GT and Josh Nesbitt. We will be throwing the ball. It will be imperative that our QBs can get the ball in our receivers hands. Richt's offenses thrive when balanced, so passing the ball effectively must happen for us to be successful.

What do you guys look for from Joe this season?

GO JOE, GATA!

Pulpwood in the River

Pulpwood Smith - Dunked in the Satilla River

On Sunday, August 23rd, 2009, Andre "Pulpwood" Smith was baptized in the Satilla River near Douglas, GA. The Baptism was performed by Pastor Marty Wilkes of the Crossroads Baptist Church in Douglas. The following photos were taken by Anne Marie Hanna Fussell.



Love the high-five! Way to go Pulpwood. God Bless You buddy!

A New Season: Under the Radar and I Like it This Way!

This time last year, the preseason #1 ranking and related media hype was unraveling upon the news of Trinton Sturdivant's injury. Almost immediately upon learning of the loss of Sturdivant for the season, Mark May celebrated and announced that UGA's 2008 quest for the National Title was done. He would be correct, a rarity, but for a lot more reasons than the injury to our starting left tackle. It was, arguably, more the lack of healthy and productive defensive ends throughout the season that derailed our chances to win the SEC East or more. The Dawgs were quickly bounced from the top two spots in the polls for not beating Georgia Southern by 60 points - and the loss of defensive team leader, Jeff Owens, for the season on the third play of the game. The season of so much promise quickly devolved into the anathema of modern UGA football. Sure we had 10 wins. But the 3 losses were all painful and embarrassing and continue to serve as a reminder of why our love affair with the red and black is equal parts joy, pain and madness.

Now we gear up for another season with a chance to experience euphoric highs, suicidal lows and everything in between. This pre-season our team has not been wreathed with the albatross of a stratospheric ranking and I like it this way!

This season is all upside. While I know we will win at least 10 games - because it's what we do - I honestly enjoy that we are underdogs as we prepare to open on the road in the debut of T. Boone's Shrine against the reportedly unstoppable offensive juggernaut that is Oklahoma State. I love that we are being underestimated. The burden of expectation is light as a result. The reports from the off-season and camp have indicated that this group has galvanized into a "team" with more focus and exponentially less distractions than we had one year ago. While we have the need for players to step up at QB, RB and CB, our trenches are in great shape right now and that reminds me of a wise Naval saying from John Paul Jones... "Men mean more than guns in the rating of a ship." In my view, in the rating of a team, look to the trenches. If you have a solid core of big nasty lineman willing to bust ass for little recognition, then your skill players will all look better. In Athens, it is our strength this season with defensive pillars like Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins, Kade Weston, DeAngelo Tyson, Demarcus Dobbs, a healthy Rod Battle and an unsuspended Justin Houston and offensive road pavers like Clint Boling, Trinton Sturdivant, Ben Jones, Cordy Glenn, Bean Anderson, Chris Davis, Tanner Strickland and Vince Vance. There are even more capable back ups that I didn't name. If this was the eighties, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas would not ask "Where's the beef?" when evaluating the 2009 installment of UGA football. We have veterans upon of veterans in the trenches and I like it this way!

We start the season with a "real" game against a highly ranked opponent instead of brave-but-overmatched1-AA (can I still use that?) team or a middling 1-A program with an enigmatic mascot. For whatever reason, our teams have historically had much higher focus and intensity in seasons in which we open with a quality opponent (Clemson, Boise State, Oklahoma State.) A big win early on the national stage is exactly our team needs to set the tone for this season and I like it this way!

We have receivers and tight ends that our opponents have never heard of who will have great seasons by making teams pay for doubling AJ Green. I am talking about Tavares King, Michael Moore, Marlon Brown, Rantavious Wooten, Israel Troupe, Aron White, Orson Charles, Arthur Lynch and Bruce Figgins (when he returns.) When they don't double team AJ Green, he will make them pay and I like it this way!

As usual, we have a stud fullback to pancake unsuspecting defenders while paving the way for a stable of young capable tailbacks. In addition, Shaun Chapas has the best hands of any fullback we have had since Verron Haynes, and I like it this way!

We have about fiftyleven linebackers with significant game experience - Gamble, Dewberry, Dent, Dowtin and Washington (though he may play end exclusively). Then there is the heart of this team personified wearing #35 tackling everything on the field not carrying pom poms. When you have Rennie Curran, you have a chance of stopping any team... and I like it this way!

So, instead of dwelling on the departures of Stafford, Moreno, Massaquoi and Allen, I prefer to look at the huge upside of returning the tremendous core of veterans that may be the most experienced group on both lines of scrimmage since Dooley danced in red pants. And I like it this way!

After a long, long quiet off-season, bereft of barking on Saturdays, 32 ounce gin and tonics, beautiful coeds by the busload, and 93,000 of my closest friends... I am ready for Continental Airlines and Avis to get my ass out to Stillwater in exactly ten days so I can watch my Dawgs Get After Their Asses in exactly 11 days. And I like it this way!!!

Hunker Down Dawg, reporting for duty Sir!

Gators will win it easily

Going on record with this prediction:
Gators 45 - Oklahoma 28

It is what it is.

DAWGS CAPITOL ONE BOWL PREDICITION

DAWGS WIN IT 44 - 28.

Happy New Year.

DAWGS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR DAWGS!

I have been busy doing other things - like taking care of Christmas for my kids - which was awesome! Santa brought us a Wii. I jacked a homer (in practice) 623 feet just like I used to back in the day. Hampton, my 5 year old, has beaten me regularly in baseball and boxing. He won't let me throw junk when I am pitching. He says, "Daddy, you don't push any buttons because then I can't hit it." Then he turns around and strikes out my side like old Jack Morris in the 1991 World Series throwing a devastating splitter at 86 mph twice in a row then crossing me up with a 65 mph change up. I could have swung twice I was so far out front. Crafty little sneak. So far, I have handled him in tennis, but he holds the household record in bowling with a 182.

Anyway, we have had fun the past few weeks and quite frankly, I haven't paid a ton of attention to UGA related football news. I have enjoyed many of the bowl games, but not the outcome of the Navy-Wake game.

I am getting killed in my Footie Picker Bowl Picks against the spread - which is par for the course this season. But, I am still looking okay in my confidence pool. I've got a ton of points still out on the field. But, last night, I almost lost my 34 point game when Missouri needed OT to put away Northwestern. I will post both of my Bowl pool selections later just for reference.

Based on the match ups in the bowls this year, I think the SEC will not look too good (maybe because the SEC is not very good after the top 3 or 4 teams anyway). The Big East and the Pac Ten will look like heroes while the Big 12 and ACC come out looking pretty good. To me, it looks like the SEC will go 5-3 at best, but I have it picked to go 4-4. Here is how I have picked the other majors: Big East 5-1; Pac 10 4-1; Big 12 5-2 (but I am concerned about OSU tonight); ACC 5-5 is how I picked it but they may end up 7-3.

I will be back tomorrow for my Dawgs prediction. For tonight, let's go Pokes.

IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Please view this brief film about gun safety. This could help save your life!



True.

MUMME POLL after 12/06 Weekend

My Mumme Poll Ballot following the weekend of 12/06- Until further notice.

Top 5 - No particular order:

Alabama - Got Tebowed
Florida - Tebow is keeping his promise
Texas - Had to suck for them on Saturday night
Oklahoma - Ain't scoring 60 on Florida
USC - Bored

Next 7 - no particular order:

Penn State - Not bored
Texas Tech - What a year
Utah - Gets a shot to prove it against Alabama
Ohio State - Rubber match with Texas
Boise State - Chance to be perfect against the Frogs
Cincinnati - Won't surprise me if they beat VPI
Oklahoma State - Making plans to be at the Boone for Labor Day

ALABAMA vs FLORIDA

The thud from this game will be heard from Atlanta to Norman to Austin and South Central. And when the dust settles, the winner will not be the flashy, pretty, ESPN darlings. No, the workmanlike Alabama Crimson Tide will emerge victorious on the strength of the two things that matter most in all football contests: great defense and dominating offensive line play.

First, my prediction is predicated on Percy Harvin being out. He is the Reggie Bush of 2008. Having him on the field is like having two extra weapons that are both indefensible. I doubt he will play, and if he does I think he will be severely limited due to the high ankle sprain. As a result, the Florida offense loses it most lethal weapon and that tilts the scale in favor of Alabama in my opinion.

Here is how Bama rolls in Atlanta. First, the best offensive line in the country will establish control of the line of scrimmage by hitting the Gator defense in the mouth extremely hard early and often. Alabama will work the ball down the field methodically and efficiently. Watch for them to get 5 yards or more on first down. When they do that, they will get a first down almost every time. They will run the ball 70-75% of the time with two great backs - Coffey and Ingram. They will ask John Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Parker Wilson to throw high percentage passes with an occasional deep route for good measure. The key is for Bama to not turn the ball over. If they protect the ball, they will have possession for about 36 minutes, which will give them a 12 minute advantage over the Gator offense.

Assuming Harvin cannot contribute, Alabama has a much easier time gameplanning against this Gator offense that has been so amazing for the past number of weeks. First, the Gators will not be able to run inside on Mount Cody, so it will be up to the ends and LBs to make sure that Rainey or Demps does not get turned upfield at full speed. Even Georgia was able to stop these two guys by penetrating and making them run horizontally. Bama has much better talent at the edge than UGA, so they should be able to handle this. Next, they have to contain Tebow when he wants to run. This will be their toughest assignment and Tebow will make some plays to extend drives and score points. Lastly, Bama needs to force Tebow into passing situations and challenge him to beat them with his arm. Bama needs to account for Louis Murphy and the tight end. The other guys will not kill them. It really hurts Florida to be without Harvin and this will bite them on obvious passing downs.

Finally, Alabama cannot allow UF to block a punt. Sure, Brandon James is a threat to break a long one. But, so is Javier Arenas for Alabama. Both average right at 14.66 yards per return and both ahve 2 touchdowns. I call that a push.

This game will feature the two best coaches in college football in terms of scheme and game preparation. Urban's offense against Saban's defense. Since I always have and always will preach that defense wins championships, I am picking Bama to win 27 - 24.

Note: Yes I understand that Florida has a great defense and Charlie Strong should get a HC job somewhere, but I think Bama's defense caught a huge break when Harvin got hurt and that, to me, makes the difference in this close game. Of course, I could be wrong - it won't be the first time! Just read a few of my posts from the week of Halloween or Thanksgiving for proof.

Anyway... GO NAVY, BEAT ARMY!

UPDATE***
Florida played a near-perfect game. Very impressive the way other receivers stepped up in the absence of Harvin. Tebow should be the Heisman winner! He is an amazing competitor. The FLorida defense, Spikes in particular, shut Bama down in the 4th quarter and Tebow did the rest. Well done Gators.

GO NAVY, BEAT ARMY!!!

It's that time of year again. The ONE game that matters most for Navy and Army. Because Navy beat Air Force and Air Force beat Army, Navy has already secured retention of the Commander In Chiefs trophy for the 6th consecutive year.

Navy now leads the series 52-49-7 on the strength of an ongoing series record 6 consecutive wins (all with Paul Johnson was at the helm.) Navy enters the game with a 7-4 record while Army is at 3-8. Navy should win again, but Army has played several good games this season along with some stinkers. Navy is a 10 or 10.5 point favorite. I picked Navy to cover, but I would not bet on it. Still, I predict Navy 33 - Army 20.

Ooooh, Aaaah, Whitewash the Black Knights!

From the Armchair

The Tech Loss – A Few Comments

I know this is old news now, but I just didn’t feel like writing much about this for a couple of days.

1. Again, Mohamed Massaquoi played like a warrior with the heart of a lion. He is, without question, my favorite player on this offense. I hate that his amazing performance was squandered by our Keystone Cops defense. I hope to see Mo Mass having a rewarding NFL career. I think he has the work ethic and heart to contribute to any franchise in the league.

2. My favorite player on defense is, of course, Rennie Curran. For the 5th time this season, Curran recorded double digit tackles and ended the regular season with 109. It is curious that both of these standouts are one generation removed from Liberia.

3. I have to also give a ton of credit to Stafford, Moreno, Green, Chapas and the entire offense for scoring 42 points. That should have been enough to win. Even Chandler, Harris and Moore made big plays.

4. The number one reason that we gave up 409 yards rushing was the terrible kickoff team and the average starting field position for Ga. Tech. Otherwise, Tech would have rushed for well over 500 yards. Twice, Roddy could have run to Bogart without being touched – unless you count shoulder nudges.

5. My key to the game was to punish Nesbitt. That didn’t happen. He could hit hard twice and had to leave the field one of those times. However, he was not holding the ball long on the option. Once it became clear that we weren’t going to cover the pitch man anyway, why should he sell out the option and take hits anyway?

6. Tech is running the Paul Johnson offense well right now, but it can be run better. That is scary. In the game Saturday, as noted in the previous point, Nesbitt didn’t have to make anyone commit before he pitched the ball. They were able to gobble up all those yards without taking a defender out of the play by forcing him to commit to the man who will not have the ball. This offense gets even scarier when the QB comes down the line and you actually have defenders in position to make the play, but fearless execution at the edge causes you to not make the play. For examples of this type of QB play, try to find film of Chris McCoy or Brian Madden when they ran this offense at Navy. Saturday, Nesbitt did not run the option as well as it can be run and that may have been by design because of his injuries.

7. Rennie, you know I love you, but this must be said… On two of the long touchdown runs, Rennie Curran and another defender both over-pursued and allowed the Tech back to cut back inside them and then bounce off the safety shoulder nudge and off to the races. There is a lot to be said for flying around the field, but when a team runs an option into the boundary, you have to use the boundary and defend it from the inside out. (Actually, one of these runs was a toss sweep to the motion man so it wasn’t technically an option play.) Rennie was out there quick enough to stop the play, but he overran it both times. I think both of these plays were on 3rd and 6 – which was a good position to be in for our defense, but we just failed. I am sure Rennie feels worse about it than we do. GATA Rennie.

MUMME POLL after 11/29 Weekend

My Mumme Poll Ballot following the weekend of 11/29 - Clear as mud.

Top 5 - No particular order:

Alabama - Rolling, so to speak
Florida - Facing Alabama without Harvin - yikes
Texas - I would place them ahead of OU
Oklahoma - Getting the BCS love again
USC - stuck in the Rose Bowl again

Next 7 - no particular order:

Penn State - A significant season for the ageless Jo Pa
Texas Tech - Escaping at Baylor
Utah - BCS bound
Ohio State - Got the help they needed from Oregon
Boise State - Please play Ball State in a Bowl
Cincinnati - Solid season
Ball State - What the hell, they were perfect.

Back Up A Brinks Truck to Dick Bumpas's House?

Not that UGA is looking for a new DC, but hypothetically, if they were, TCU's Dick Bumpas is one of the best defensive coordinators in the country. A finalist for the Broyles Award, he has the 2nd ranked defense in 2008 and had the 2nd ranked defense in 2006 in the scoring happy Mountain West Conference with Utah and BYU.

If you want a shiny new DC, this wouldn't be a bad place to look. Read more about Bumpas here and here. One little nugget that would make you smile... in 1996, as Navy's DC, the middies beat Ga. Tech at the Joke. Unfortunately, I think PJ was the OC for that Navy team.

Bumpas is not a newbie and he sure as hell knows what he is doing. There is some speculation that TCU HC Gary Patterson is the brains behind the TCU defense, but I am not sure. Bumpas was his mentor before Patterson became a HC. I don't know much about Bumpas personally - whether he would fit in with Coach Richt's staff, etc - but he has put some great defenses on the field in his career.

TEXAS - Bend Over, Here It Comes Again

This year, Texas gets hit with the BOHICA banana. In my opinion, Texas got a royal buggering by the BCS formula. But, perhaps that is the fault of Big 12 officials allowing the BCS formula to dictate the tie-breaker. If the analysis came down to picking Oklahoma or Texas, then I believe Texas irrefutably deserved to represent the Big 12 South in the Big 12 Championship Game. Why? Simple. In a game in which we all believe the regular season games are sacrosanct and mean more than regular season games in any other sport on the planet, not using Texas's 10 point victory over Oklahoma on a neutral field to elevate them above Oklahoma is utter horseshit. Yes, I know that Texas Tech throws a wrinkle into this, but they are far enough behind these two teams in all of the rankings that the inquiry boils down to OU and UT. UT beat OU by 10 points on a neutral field with both teams at full strength. WTF? To paraphrase what Colonel Jessep said in "A Few Good Men" - "You just weakened college football today."

Sorry Longhorns. You got totally screwed.

How Depressing

To me, losing to Tech yesterday was more depressing than maddening. If losing to them once in 8 years is this depressing, I can't imagine how Tech felt for the past several years. Nor do I wish to learn. Better get some defense Coach Richt or we might find out.

Too depressed to look for the energy to write what I think should be done about our serious problems on defense and special teams. Maybe later.

Dawg Mantra for Today...

Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT
Knock the SHIT out of NesBITT

Repeat this 8 times, 8 minutes before kickoff and at the 8 minute mark of each quarter.

GATA!

DAWGS WILL BEAT TECH: EIAR,B!!!

How will the weather affect the game? Since it will have been raining for hours before the game, the field will be soaked and we will probably see a few players slip on cutting. This type of field condition typically favors the offensive player that knows where he is going. This could allow the UGA receivers to gain an extra step of separation on their short routes. If gripping the ball is not a big problem, then we could see an advantage for our passing game against their pass defense.

As for the rushing games are concerned, I believe a player that runs like Moreno, with constant hard cuts, will be hindered more than a player like Dwyer who is more of a north-south power back. However, the Tech offense may be limited in its ability to execute the high speed option play in which a wing back (or whatever they are called) comes at full speed from the opposite side of the formation. On that particular play, the back may have trouble making the turn at the corner at the rate of speed in which the play is normally executed. Also, the QB may have more trouble making the sharp cut inside off of the read at the edge. THat is how Nesbitt normally gets into the second level by breaking inside and causing the overpursuing linebackers fly right by. That particular cut may be less effective.

I think that the kicking game will be all-around more difficult on a wet, soggy day. I would not count on Coach Richt having great confidence in sending Walsh out for a field goal try over 45yards - if that.

All considered, I believe that Moreno's numbers could be down in bad weather while Stafford may have a fantastic day is we concentrate on shorter, quick hitting routes. The Tech running game probably would not be as affected as ours overall - because of Dwyer's style - but I think Nesbitt will be affected as mentioned above.

I said a few days ago that I felt it was reasonable to foresee a score like UGA 24 - GT 17. I still feel about the same, but I am going to pick Georgia to cover the spread and win 28 - 17. I think Moreno will be held to about 100 yards but Stafford will go over 300. We will have 4 TDs. Moreno (2), Massaquoi (1), and Green (1). Rennie Curran will collect 13 tackles and Reshad jones will have 10. The unexpected hero of the game will be Richard Samuel with a long kickoff return to set up a TD in the first half.

Go Dawgs. GATA!

One More Time

The Georgia defense must pound the Tech quarterback like a cheap Mexican skirt steak. He needs to be picking Sanford turf out of his face mask on every play in which he can be legally planted in the sod. He needs to look like he was run through a jumbo sausage grinder by half-time. If we punish him like a Bad Newz Kennel underperformer, he won't finish the game. Do you hear me Wynn, Lomax, Battle, Houston, Dobbs, Curran, Dent, Ellerbe, Gamble, Jones, Byrd? Knock the turkey and dressing out of him early and then beat the pecan pie and ambrosia out of him late. THIS... is the key to the game.

GATA!

Beating Tech - A Simple Plan

There is one simple thing that the Dawg defense can do that will assure a victory. Knock the living shit out of the quarterback on every option play. Every single time, he needs to get hammered. Period. That will neutralize the triple option.

GATA!

C'mon Dawgs, Let Your Balls Drop

I have heard too much pussified whining about how Tech is going to run all over Georgia because "look what they did to Miami." Guess what, we aren't Miami. Senator Blutarsky had some valid points on this issue today that you should read (as if you haven't already.) If Tech had gashed everyone like the did Miami, then I would be more worried. But, before you concede the game to Tech because our defense has tackled poorly lately, let's consider a little more of Tech's body of work.

The five games prior to the domination of Miami looked like this:

Tech 10 - Gardner Webb 7 (3.4 yards per play.)
Tech 21 - Clemson 17 (4.7 yards per play.)
Tech 17 - Virginia 24 (4.6 yards per play.)
Tech 31 - FSU 28 (6.7 yards per play.)
Tech 7 - UNC 28 (5.5 yards per play.)

That is an average of 17 points per game against mediocre competition. On the season, they average 6.1 yards per play. Our defense, on the year, has allowed 5.0 yards per play. While these stats can be meaningless if we give them great field position all day or if we turn the ball over, I think another conclusion to draw from these figures is that we should not expect them to score much more than 17 points.

Do you have any idea what our offense averages? 6.7 yards per play. Their defense only allows an average of 4.5 yards per play, but they have surrendered an average of 24 points per game during the past 5 games. We have scored an average of 29 points per game over the past 5 games - including our 10 point outing against Florida. My point is that if those mediocre ACC teams could score 24 points per game, then we should too. And, if those mediocre ACC teams could hold them to an average of 17 points per game, then we should too.

This is not my final prediction on the game, but on paper, we should beat them by more than 24-17 despite our defensive woes on occasion. If the turnover battle is even or in our favor, then we win this game by at least a touchdown but probably by two touchdowns. So stop worrying and start planning to GATA!

MUMME POLL after 11/22 Weekend

My Mumme Poll Ballot following the weekend of 11/22 - Musical Chairs.

Top 5 - No particular order:

Alabama - Iron Bowl Bound
Florida - Tebow and Harvin may be rusty after sitting out most of the Citadel game
Texas - I would place them ahead of OU for now (pending the outcome of OU-OSU)
Oklahoma - That was a statement heard loud and clear
USC - Praying for Oregon State to win so they won't have to destroy another Big Ten Champ in the Rose Bowl

Next 7 - no particular order:

Penn State - A significant season for the ageless Jo Pa
Texas Tech - Crashing back to earth
Utah - They are good, but I have no idea how good
Ohio State - Didn't mind kicking Michigan while they were down
OK State - Is an upset brewing in Bedlam?Georgia - Just beat Tech!
Boise State - Hoping Fresno State will put Detwiler and Mendonca in pads to knock off Boise this weekend

Missouri sits and waits and waits and waits.

Eight Things That Need to Happen for The Dawgs to Make It Eight In A Row, Bitches

#1. Moreno needs to have at least 23 carries. The Dawgs have never lost when he has gotten this many carries. Moreover, if Moreno runs it 23 times or more, he will certainly have over 125 yards and the Dawgs have never lost when he gains at least 105 yards.

#2. Stafford needs to take care of the ball and have zero turnovers. The Dawgs have only lost once when Stafford had no turnovers - Vandy 2006.

#3. We must get Touchdowns instead of Field Goals when we are in the red zone.

#4. Average more than 5 yards on first down. The key to being effective on offense in this game will be to stay out of 3rd and long situations.

#5. Penalties. For the love of everything that is holy, do not commit countless senseless personal fouls. Also, no procedure penalties in the red zone would help.

#6. Hammer their QB on every play. Put his ass on the ground on every pitch. If he keeps it, drill him. If holds the ball until the last second, nail him as he is pitching the ball and follow through with the tackle until he is buried into the ground. Nesbitt needs to be gun shy by the second quarter. He is already playing banged up, so keep on banging on him.

#7. Clog the middle to minimize the fullback. We have 5 tackles and they need to be rotated every two plays to keep them fresh. All they have to do is occupy the middle and take away the fullback. But they have to do it on every snap. They cannot take a play off.

#8. Our defensive ends need to avoid cut blocks. They have been terrible all year about getting cut down on the edge. If they cannot properly neutralize the Tech blockers, then Tech will be 5-10 yards upfield before first contact. Our ends must beat the block and force the pitch. The earlier they can force the pitch, the easier it will be for our corners, LBs and safeties to make a stop.

UGLY WIN YIELDS THIRD STRAIGHT OVER AUBURN: Things could be much worse

You know the last time we beat Auburn in three consecutive seasons was when #34 toted the ball for us. I have been watching Georgia since I can remember and I am 42 years old now. In my lifetime, here is what we have done with Auburn:
66-69: 3-1 (were 4-6 for the decade)
70-79: 4-6
80-89: 4-6
90-99: 4-5-1
00-08: 5-4

The overall record in my lifetime is 20-22. As you can see, this is the first decade since I was born in which we are finally assured of not having a losing record against Auburn. So you will please forgive me if I am not too upset with an ugly win against Auburn.

Auburn is now 5-6 on the season. Their offense is terrible. But their defense has kept them in every game except the West Virginia contest. Excluding the 17 point loss to WVU, Auburn has lost the other 5 games by an average of less than 5 points per game. While I think we are better than the other teams that have beaten Auburn, I was not at all surprised that we couldn't put them away. They were fighting for their (post-season) life and we continued to be plagued by the things that have hurt us in recent weeks. Poor special teams play, poor tackling, stupid penalties and red zone problems. Our defense played better, but were not spectacular - allowing 303 total yards. Despite all of this, I am still happy just to get out of there with a win.

The personal foul penalties are just a big, hairy, WTF? Although, I must say that it did not look like Reshad Jones did anything that caused the Auburn player (Burns I think) to go down a couple of steps out of bounds. I could be wrong, but it looked like Reshad let him go and then Burns tripped over his own feet at the exact same time making it look like Reshad threw him down. Someone correct me if I missed that. Watching the replay a few times on Raycom, I never saw an actual foul, just what appeared to be a foul and one in which we were never going to get the benefit of the doubt.

Prince Miller should be done with returning punts. This should have been decided before the fumble against Auburn.

No more fade passes please. We can't hit them and we don't need to throw that type of pass given Stafford's arm strength and Massaquoi and Green's ability to make cuts and catch balls in traffic. I have beaten this dead horse since the Tennessee game. Still not reaching Bobo's ears yet.

Moreno got close to the magic number of 23. He had 22 rushes for 131 yards. That 23rd carry could have been a beauty.

Stafford was effective and most importantly, had no turnovers. We did not do well on first down on too many possessions which led to poor down and distance situations. The result was a 3-11 effort on third downs. That will get us beat in most games. I felt like our offense should have shown a solid commitment to running the ball, but I did notice some effective defensive adjustments by Auburn in the first half that slowed our rushing attack. So, perhaps I need to give more credit to Auburn on this one and acknowledge the youth and lack of depth on our offensive line.

All-in-all I am happy with the win. Frustrating at times, but satisfying when the game was finally secured. At this point in this season with this team... it is what it is and we are slowly marching to an 11-2 season. Things could be much worse.

Now, on to Eight In A Row, Beotch!

MUMME POLL after 11/15 Weekend

My Mumme Poll Ballot following the weekend of 11/8 - No changes.

Top 5 - No particular order:

Alabama - Methodical
Florida - Steamrolling
Texas Tech - Everything on the line this week
Texas
USC - May get the UGA 2007 treatment if Oregon State doesn't lose again

Next 7 - no particular order:

Penn State
Oklahoma
Utah
Ohio State
OK StateBoise State
Georgia

None of these 12 teams lost and I am not inclined to promote Missouri into my Top 12 right now so there is no change from last week. The big game coming up with Texas Tech and Oklahoma will probable send a few ripples throughout.

GEORGIA - AUBURN 2008

I am having a hard time getting a read on what I expect to happen on the Plains Saturday. One reason is that I refuse to believe that Auburn is as bad as their performance this season would indicate. Thus, I have a minor dreadful concern that they have a break-out game that they have not yet played this season. On the other hand, offensively, they don't appear to be able to pour piss out of a boot. At the same time, our defense also appears to have forgotten how to operate the boot for piss removal. So, what happens when an offense that can't score meets a defense that can't stop anyone? Fortunately, it may not matter.

The UGA offense should be able to run the ball on Auburn. Sure, our offensive line continues to lose players like a modern-day Western Front. But, the Auburn defense has been equally stung by the injury bug. I think Knowshon will get to the second level often enough to have a special day. As always, I want to see him get 23 carries and if he does, it should be good for about 150 yards. Of course, if Moreno has this kind of day, there should be plenty of opportunity for Matthew Stafford and the play-action passing game. I hope we will see a solid commitment to getting Moreno established and will be content to pound the ball. If this works, we will score over 30 points.

I think 30 points will be more than enough to win this game. It damn sure better be. I have a sneaking suspicion that our defense is going to show a level of determination not seen since Tempe. I believe the talent is there to shut down this discombobulated Auburn offense and it will begin on the first possession. Our front 4 need to focus on whipping the man across from them. We need the big uglies to occupy the Auburn line so our linebackers can roam free to make tackles. Speaking of making tackles, we can't try to hug these guys to the ground. We need to punish them from the very beginning.

To keep this game from becoming a shoot-out, we need to win the turnover battle for a change and our special teams need to be at least mediocre. The good news is that there is no way our special teams can do worse than last week.

I know that there is a feeling that Tuberville is fighting for his job and that the Auburn players want payback for having been embarassed the past two years. Those two factors bother me. But, this team has not scored on anybody this year. I have to believe that we won't be the one team that allows them to have an orgy of offense. I do wish we had the added comfort of knowing that Brandon Cox was still their QB, but we will have to do what we can with Kodi Burns instead. He has been generous with the ball this year with 7 interceptions in 126 attempts. That is a pick in every 18 throws. In fact, he has thrown 5 picks in his last two SEC games. Maybe we will grab a few of his passes.

I may amend this on Friday, but for now, I am feeling like the Dawgs will score 31 and will hold Auburn to 24 or less. So, I guess... UGA 31 - AU 24. Another ugly win? Maybe.

NAVY - NOTRE DAME: TWO IN A ROW?

Last year, Navy beat Notre Dame for the first time in my life. That was a pretty good Navy team and a horrible Notre Dame team. This year, due to injuries and graduation, Navy is not as strong as last year but is still having a nice season at 6-3. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is improved but not anything special at 5-4. The game is in Baltimore this year so hopefully ND won't get every call from the officials like they do in South Bend. If Navy protects the ball and doesn't fall behind early, this will be a good game. I am not expecting a Navy win, but it will certainly be sweet if they get it done. GO MIDDIES!

Midweek Musings: A Smorgasbord

Red Zone Touchdowns... Did you notice how that statistic improved to perfect last week? Did you also notice that Knowshon Moreno was on the field every time? That is no coincidence. He can get in the end zone on plays that our other backs would not. Even if he doesn't get the ball, he commands much attention which opens up our other playmakers. In these last few games, we must have KM on the field when we are in the red zone. It just works.

Tailbacks... Last year, Thomas Brown and Knowshon made a great 1-2 punch and both had the ability to get in the end zone. This year, when Knowshon comes out, we have a precipitous drop in the talent/productivity at the tailback position. That includes running and blocking.

Richard Samuel is a true freshman who is barely 18 years old. He may become a great tailback in the next couple of years. He also could be a great linebacker, which is the position I thought he would play at Georgia. He is fast, tough and strong but he doesn't seem to be a fluid runner. He can still be effective in a Musa Smith style of running, but he will need a solid offensive line to gobble up yardage. Fortunately, barring continuous season-ending injuries to offensive linemen, he will have a tremendous line to run behind in the coming seasons.

Caleb King has size, speed and elusiveness. So why does he not inspire confidence when he goes in the game? Does he remind anyone else of Patrick Pass? And how did Patrick Pass have such a long NFL career?

Auburn... I will have more input about the game tomorrow, but for now I keep vacillating between being worried that they will play out of their heads... to being confident that they totally suck. I want to believe that our defense is going to nut up and play with a new level of determination. I expect our offense to be able to move the ball and score, but we can't commit costly turnovers. If our special teams make the trip, we should win, even if it is another ugly win. I just can't yet make up my mind what it is that I foresee.

Best Case Scenarios... It is not that I expect either of these scenarios to manifest, but if we win out, here are two scenarios to put us in a BCS game. (1) Florida loses to Spurrier's Cocks (or FSU) and Alabama in the SECCG. Sure they were a better team than UGA, but I suppose losing two of their last three games would move them below us in the BCS standings. This isn't going to happen, but they will be facing the best defense they have seen all season on Saturday. Perhaps it will be close. Perhaps. (2) Alabama loses to either Miss. State or Auburn and to Florida in the SECCG. This is less likely to happen because Bama losing to State or Auburn seems unlikely, though they have played with fire several times this season already.

Kentucky Coach... I am not sure which coach to attribute this to, but the timeout call right before the end of the 3rd quarter was brilliant and directly led to an easy touchdown drive. With UGA facing 4th down around our 10 yard line there was only about 15 seconds remaining in the quarter. Kentucky called a timeout to force Mimbs to punt out of his end zone into a stiff 20-30 mph wind. The result was a wobbly shanked punt that landed around the UGA 35 and bounced backwards to the UGA 29. It was a net 19 yard punt. Kentucky scored shortly thereafter. It was a brilliant call and most coaching staffs would have missed the opportunity - I assure you.

MUMME POLL after 11/8 Weekend

My Mumme Poll Ballot following the weekend of 11/8 - this one was easy.

Top 5 - No particular order:
Alabama - Flirting with disaster and surviving.
Florida - will be interesting to see how their offense does against a really good defense Saturday.
Texas Tech - Fun to watch
Texas
USC

Next 7 - no particular order:
Penn State
Oklahoma
Utah
Ohio State
OK State
Boise State
Georgia

Thoughts on Kentucky Game

I was not surprised that this game was close (42-38.) However, I was surprised and disappointed in how many points our defense surrendered. I expected a flat, malaise-like performance overall. But, there was no shortage of energy on the field for both sides. We just did not make plays on defense and tackled poorly again. We were fortunate to escape with a win - thanks to some incredible improvisation by Stafford and Green and thanks to our defense finally making a few stops late in the game.

Mohamed Massaquoi! I have to say that he is my favorite player on this team. I love how hard he plays. My heart was breaking for him after two consecutive fumbles. I don't remember him ever fumbling before. These fumbles resulted from him struggling for extra yardage and the Kentucky defenders doing a great job hammering the ball. Thankfully, Mo Mass had an opportunity to redeem himself and did with a 78 yard catch and run on our last possession to put us inside the 10 yard line. On the day, he had 8 catches for 191 yards and one TD. I said last week that he was a warrior. I now say that he has the heart of a lion. I am glad we get to watch him play 3 more times. After that, I will be sad that he is gone, but hope he has a stellar NFL career. He is a terrific young man and has been a tremendous asset to our program.

Knowshon Moreno - A very good game with three TD runs that no one else in Red and Black could have made. This is nitpicking, but he made a rare bad cut inside our 10 on third down. It looked like he could have easily made the first down by going outside but was tackled short when he tried to cut inside. Maybe the TV angle did not give the accurate picture, but it looked like he would have had it easily by going outside. The shocking thing is that since he has such great vision and nearly always makes amazing, intuitive cuts, the rare bad cut seems amplified. Still, he does things that no other Bulldog back can do right now. His next carry, after a Kentucky TD, was an 18 yard TD run. Redeemed!

Matthew Stafford - Went through a few streaks of being perfect and only missed a few throws when the wind was at his back and the ball seemed to sail. His 17 completions were good for a career best 376 yards. That is 22 yards per completion. His scrambling game-winning toss to AJ Green appeared to be headed into the first row of the bleachers. Green really went up the ladder. It was a brilliant throw that was calculated to have only one of two results: A TD to Green or an overthrow out of the back of the end zone giving us the opportunity to tie the game with a field goal. The fact that the pass was virtually unable to be intercepted made it spectacular and has been praised by Coach Richt.

Prince Miller - Twice now he has fielded an over-the-shoulder punt return inside the 10 yard line. There is no scenario, with any punt returner - Deion Sanders included - in which fielding a punt running into your own end zone is acceptable. That he has done it twice is an indication that he can't be coached on this point. Thus, he should not be returning punts unless the punter is standing near his own goal line. This doesn't make him a bad person, just the wrong person to handle punts inside our 20 yard line.

Defense - We have a combination of things contributing to our defensive problems. Coaching, talent, poor tackling, etc. I concur with Quinton's remarks and PWD's remarks. I can't add much to those two summaries, so check them out. I think the biggest problem starts with the play of the front 4. When they play well, good things happen. If they get pushed around, bad things happen. We have to get solid in the middle. That means we need our guys healthy and deep. Our depth has been hurt all year by injuries. As PWD notes, if everyone comes back and stays healthy next year, it should be a much different defense.

Special Teams - ugh!

That is all for now.

Go DAWGS!

HDD PREDICTION - UGA Over Kentucky

I have been on the road since Tuesday and have not had time to pay much attention to the news leading into this game against Kentucky. From what I can tell, the lingering hangover from the WLOCP is worse than any in recent memory. How will that affect the players?

I am tired from my trip and still hung over from the WLOCP myself, so I will be brief...

The Dawgs need to start fast and keep their foot on the accelerator in this game to begin their healing process. This is not a game that just any win will make people feel better. No sir. Everyone is in a mood for an ass-whipping and they don't want that ass to be wearing silver britches. I feel like the team will not be especially sharp in Lexington and this could be a frustrating game a la UT and VU. That is not what we need.

However, in the end, a win by any margin is critical to point this team toward a 10-2 regular season record and a Capital One bowl bid. I truly believe we will win this in a game that is too close for comfort and I hope I am wrong. There is not any one thing that I expect to be a problem but just a general sense of malaise and drudgery. Look for an uninspired plodding effort resulting in a final score of 23 - 13. Damn I hope I am wrong. I am totally in the mood for us to ring up 50+ points while playing a modicum of defense. We shall see.

GO DAWGS!

MUMME POLL after Weekend 11/1

Here is my Mumme Poll Ballot this week...

Top 5 - No particular order:

Alabama
Penn State
Florida
Texas Tech - Now THAT is how you play inspired football!
Texas

Next 7 - no particular order:

USC
Oklahoma
Utah
TCU
OK StateBoise State
Georgia (because, despite the complete meltdown in Jax, I would keep them ahead of tOSU and Missouri)

FOOTIE PICKER - Weekend of 11/9

I forgot to post my picks last week, but I went 7-7 to bring my season totals to 61-72.

My picks in BOLD.

Thursday
Tcu 2 UTAH YEP

Saturday

Ohio State 11 NORTHWESTERN NOPE
UNC 4 Georgia Tech YEP
WAKE FOREST 3.5 Virginia YEP
TEXAS TECH 3.5 Oklahoma State
Florida 23.5 VANDERBILT
SOUTH CAROLINA 10.5 Arkansas NOPE
Georgia 11 KENTUCKY YEP
Oklahoma 25 TEXAS A&M NOPE
FLORIDA ST 6.5 Clemson
Penn State 7 IOWA
BOSTON COLLEGE 3 Notre Dame
Alabama 3 LSU
SOUTHERN CAL 17.5 California

PHIL FULMER ERA ENDS AT UT

I just watched a video of Phil Fulmer's press conference...



That is a video of a man who is hurting and heartbroken and I truly feel bad for him. I don't feel bad that he will have a golden parachute worth a few million (of course Obama will make it fair and redistribute some of that money to coaches who haven't achieved much.) It is obvious that Fulmer has just dived onto a grenade to try and save something he loves. I respect that a lot.

I never really liked him as their coach. Probably because he beat us more than we beat him. But, in looking back, I can't really remember him ever being anything other than a determined recruiter and coach who loved his job and his school. I don't recall many if any instances of him being a huge prick. Sure, he may have misled some Georgia HS prospects to get them up to Knoxville, but that is part of the game.

Here's to hoping UT can find someone to come in and lead them straight into solid mediocrity for the next decade or more!

ON A BRIGHTER NOTE

NAVY WINS!

"WOULD YOU LIKE US TO WRAP THAT FOR YOU? IT'S COMPLIMENTARY."

Dear Gators,

We sincerely apologize for "The Celebration." Please accept all of these gifts as reparation. We know you may not even need them because you seemingly have everything anyway. But we are in a giving spirit and will be offended if you refuse.

My alternative headline was this...

WARNING, THIS TEAM WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN EXACTLY 2.5 QUARTERS.

I don't feel like writing much about this game, so this will be short. The Gators are an excellent team. We had no chance in this game if we made even one or too costly errors. Making errors by the fistful... well that results in the worst loss in the Richt era. Call it payback for the celebration if you like. But, take an explosive offense like the Gators, give them freebies like you are handing out Halloween candy, and prepare for an embarassing outcome. Congratulations to Florida for making us pay and pay and pay. That is what championship teams do. And, to make their day even better, Texas went down to Texas Tech in a thriller.

A few specific comments:

Mohamed Massaquoi is a WARRIOR. He plays fearlessly and is the most reliable receiver we have ever had in a Bulldog uniform. Let me know if you think that is inaccurate.

Stafford's hurt leg. I don't know if that caused the underthrows, but he had his man open for big gains on the first two pics if he didn't underthrow it.

The onside kick. I am not opposed to the call if we were in the lead. I didn't like it at that point with the score what it was.

Demps and Rainey... I thought we contained them pretty well. But, in the end, Tebow and Harvin are gonna hurt you.

How to keep Brandon James in check? Before the game I said we should just score when we have the ball to avoid risks of blocked punts or long returns. I didn't consider the alternative... turn it over on every second half possession. That also keeps Brandon James from taking one to the house.

Extensive pre-game analysis... I won't be bothering in the future.

Penn Wagers and crew... AWFUL. Though they didn't per se cost us this game, they certainly do not seem to have the capacity to call a decent football game.

Florida vs. Alabama... who will win it? I think Florida.

That is all. GO DAWGS!