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

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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?

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?

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

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!

(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

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?

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?

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

"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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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...

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

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!