I Was Embarassed To Be A Dawg......

....and it didn't have anything to do with the game. I was appauled at the behavior of our fans booing Mo Mass in the second half. Come on guys this is a 19 year old kid who is arguably our most talented WR. Boo the playcalls, boo the coaches, boo the refs, but DO NOT single these kids out an boo them like on Saturday. You should be ashamed of yourself.

By The Hair Of Our Chinny Chin Chin's

Whew...that was close!! Once again we almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. For the most part an average performance on both sides of the ball.

Offense
QB-Stafford looked the best that he has looked all year. It seemed that he was making the right reads most of the time (except for 2 of the 3 interceptions). I am all for him taking every snap for the rest of the year even if it means that we don't win another game. You can see the progress from week to week and I would rather have him throw 3 picks this year than next. The first interception was a poor decision throwing into coverage, the second one Kenneth Harris was going across the middle and was so wide open if Stafford hits him in stride no one touches him going to the endzone. The third interception wasn't a bad read, just an underthrow to Mikey Henderson. All in all a good game from the Freshman.

Grade: B

RB-I am not sure what was going on here as far as the game plan goes. Miss St has a decent front 4 so CMR was saying in his Press conference that he thought throwing the ball made the most sense against them (but to him when does throwing the ball NOT make the most sense??). Still it was troubling to see them all but abandon the run game, especially in the second half. Miss St wouldn't have had a chance if we could have ground out some yardage at the end and held on to the ball longer. That being said Kregg Lumpkin ran the ball well. It seemed to me that he was having to make his own holes, and did well cutting back several times. Danny Ware on the other hand was less than inspiring, it seems to me that he goes down on first contact WAY to much. I don't think he had a run of longer than 3 or 4 yards the entire game. Brannon Sutherland continues to be our best back, he had a couple of nice runs and blocked extremely well. He is having a great year and hopefully he gets some All Conference honors at the end of the year.

Grade-B-

WR- These guys are still dropping too many passes, but they are improving each and every week and that is all you can ask. Kenneth Harris had a breakout game with 4 catches for 106 yards. I am really glad to see that they are attempting to get Mikey Henderson more involved in the offense, I really think he is our playmaker if they can just get him the ball in space (can anyone say bubble screen....we can't defend it so we might as well run it). I was embarassed at the reaction of the fans to MoMass after he dropped a pass. Completely uncalled for and just plain rude (more on this in a seperate entry). For the most part everyone blocked well downfield. Overall not a bad day.

Grade-C+

OL-These guys with the exception of Nick Jones are an embarassment to the men who have played line at UGA before them. Daniel Inman needs to be shot, 3 false start penalties in one game from a Senior and a preseason All-SEC pick is completely unacceptable. These guys opened no holes, and were barely adequate in pass protection. I understand that they are thin and banged up, but enough with the excuses. Man-up and play like you have some pride.

Grade-D (and I am being kind)

TE-What can I say about Tripp Chandler? Great game all around, 2 great catches, blocked well. Just an outstanding game. Coleman Watson played well too eventhough he didn't get the chance to catch the ball. Considering they are both underclassmen I think they did great.

Grade-A

Playcalling- Eh, so-so at best. Better than in past weeks, but still abandoned the run in the second half. We are still way to predictable on Offense, defenses know what is coming and it makes it easy to defend. I liked the 4 receiver set and the fact that he gave Stafford the chance to sling it around out there.

Grade-B-

Defense

DL- They played better than in recent weeks. There was a Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson siting at several points in the game. It was good to see the two of them making plays again. The weakness is that we aren't getting a good push from our DT's. Gant is so banged up he is having a hard time making plays and Weston and Owens are just not getting the push yet. In time I think both will be good players, they just need another year in the weightroom to put on some more muscle. Geno Atkins is doing really well for a Freshman, he needs some more weight room time also. Overall these guys have got to get more pressure on the QB and plug the gaps so the LB's can make plays. Again improvement in this unit from last week, still not good enough but getting better.

Grade-B

LB-Oh where to begin here. Our LB's are slower than dirt. When we do blitz (and its rare) the reason we aren't getting sacks is that our LB's have the speed of a 3 toed sloth (well not that slow but you get my meaning). You have a banged up MLB that can't close on backs or bring the heat up the middle, a SLB that is just not as fast as he was last year. Tony Taylor is having a fantastic year, but he can't do it alone. These guys are also missing WAY to many tackles which is coaching and fundamentals.

Grade-C

DB-This has to be the worst unit on the field. Their play is absolutely atrocious (any guesses who coaches this unit?? Hint: Starts with a W ends in an E and has illi in the middle, also a synonym for moron). Giving Bryan Evans the benefit of the doubt, being a first time starter and a true Freshman, the scheme should have given him more help as he was clearly overmatched. He and Paul Oliver were both victimized for long gains, Battle and Johnson have to be the worst Safety pair that we have had at UGA in a LONG time. This unit seems to be consistantly underprepared, poor coached fundamentally, and generally lost on the field. C.J. Byrd needs to replace Battle as a starter now, I don't care that Battle has had a pick in the last two games. Byrd is more physical and better in coverage.

Grade-D

Playcalling- Once again the village idiot calls a game to make the opposing QB look like Brett Farve. In an interview with Miss St QB Mike Henig post game he said "we knew they played alot of Cover 2 and zone, and we found alot of spots open in their defense". Gee Willie, ya think they knew what you were going to throw at them? Maybe it's because YOU CALL THE SAME FRIGGIN' DEFENSE EVERY WEEK!!!!! Mark my words, regardless of the talent we already have and get in the future, UGA will not win another SEC championship with Willie Martinez as Defensive Coordinator.

Grade-F-

Next up the Mighty Croc's from the Cutest Little Trailer Park in Florida.

Dawgs vs. Dogs

Normally this game wouldn't warrant even a second glance on the schedule, but then again neither did Vandy. That being said I really don't see anyway the Dawgs lose to the Bizzaro Dogs from Starkville. The Bizarro Dogs have to be the most dysfunctional team in the SEC, and the one team that we lead in every statistical category. I really hope that the naming of Stafford QB for the forseeable future will let the Offense get into a groove and put up some points. I also hope the Defense has its head out of their collective hind quarters and come to play. We also need to get through this game as healthy as possible for next weeks game with the Croc's. Hopefully this will be the week when we see improvement on both sides of the ball. One more pathetic Defensive performance and Willie Martinez might want to fill out some change of address cards.

Check back on Sunday for analysis and the weekly gripe and complain entry.

A Non-Football Related Post

In addition to being a football lover, I am also a competative triathlete and triathlon coach. You can visit our website at www.thesportfactory.com for more information.

Midseason Blogpoll Roundtable Questions

Even though I am not a voting member of the Blogpoll, I am still going to offer my $.02 on the midseason questions.

1. Which coaches are clearly on the hot seat at this point? Who is surprisingly not? I think the often mentioned Larry Coker is the leading candidate here, along with John L. Smith and Chuck Amato (yes eventhough he has won a few games lately). I think the surprise of the year might be Franchione, I also think there was a shorter leash than people think on the Wannstache at Pitt.
2. Pick three of the undefeated teams and state your case as to why they won’t run the table. Rutgers and either Louisville or West Virginia simply because they all play each other. Ohio State and Michigan are in the same boat since they play at the 'Shoe later this year. USC is a fraud and either Cal, Oregon, or Notre Dame (or all three) are going to take them down.

3. Which conference is playing the best football right now?.
The SEC hands down. Even though my beloved Dawgs suck this year, the conference as a whole is strong 8-9 deep. Ole Miss and Miss St are about the only pushovers in the conference.
4. Which team is playing above and beyond your expectations this season?
Has to be Arkansas, the Rev. Nutt has two stud running backs and a pretty good defense to go along with it. If they played USC again right now I think they might win.
5. Which team is crashing and burning in regards to your expectations?
My beloved Dawgs. I didn't expect much at the beginning of the season, but I still thought 10-2 or 9-3 with the 10th win in a bowl were reasonable expectations. These were reinforced by our (fake) defense playing great the first few games. At this rate I would be happy with 7-5.
6. Is your pre-season BCS championship game prediction still alive?
Yep, Ohio State started #1 and should remain there, and WVU doesn't play anyone except Louisville.

T Brown Out For The Year

As if things couldn't get worse, Thomas Brown tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the year. Good news is that he can either rehab in time for next year or redshirt next year and come back strong in '08.

Vandy, Vandy, Oh Hell Yes........

I am sure those of you over by the (small) Vandy section heard that chant way to many times Saturday afternoon. I have to admit that I am not terribly surprised by this outcome. I was commenting to a fellow tailgater before the game that I thought we would win, but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we lost. Vandy has a history of playing the Dawgs close even in years when we can tell our hind quarters from a hole in the ground 2 out of 3 times, and this team last year wasn't just Jay Cutler. They have an outstanding defense and RB/WR combination. Plus the fact that they are a scrappy bunch and played with alot of heart, which I have yet to see out of the Silver and Black this year.

This is how things looked to me from Section 321:

Offense

• QB play wasn't bad, Stafford looked great and would have been 12/13 if not for two drops (that incidentally were drive killers). Joe T. didn't look that horrible either, although his lack of arm strength was apparent on a play where he tried to throw an out route to A.J. Bryant from the left hash and it was horribly slow and underthrown (and almost picked off). I love the kid and his attitude, but its time to look to the future and play Stafford and Cox and let them take their lumps. I would rather lose with them now and win next year than get marginal play from Joe T. and have the young guys learn nothing.
• We ran the ball well again in the first half, Brown and Lumpkin were ripping off big chunks and it looked like the O line was blocking well also. Once again though we went away from the run in the second half resulting in 3 and outs. Terrible news about the injury to T. Brown, looks like he is done for the year.
• WR's didn't play too badly either. A.J. Bryant had a couple of nice catches but he did have two key drops. Mo Mass had a couple of good grabs also. They seemed to block pretty well on running plays too.
• O-line....where to start. First of all they did really well run blocking in the first half, pass protection wasn't bad but wasn't great either. In the second half we couldn't run or pass very well and I blame the line on not opening holes and holding their blocks long enough in pass protection. Daniel Inman needs to be run until he throws his toe nails up for the stupid, uncalled for personal foul penalty (that incidentally killed a drive). There is no reason for that and speaks of how undisciplined this team is this year.
• Offensive play calling- I could write for days on this topic! In a nutshell we were hamstrung in certain situations by our playcalling. The shotgun with 3 wide inside the 10 yard line doesn't work. It didn't work last week and didn't work the 3 TIMES we tried it yesterday. Why we don't get into a power I with 2 TE's and pound the ball straight up the gut 4 times is beyond me. We come away with 6 instead of 3 on those possessions then it's an entirely different ball game. I also don't get why CMR insists on asking Joe T. to try and do things he is not capable of doing (i.e. the out route from the opposite hash). Play to your strengths.

Defense

• I can sum this up in one word: Pathetic. This has to be one of the most pathetic displays of defense that I have seen in a long, long time. It is mostly due to coaching and scheme, I'll address this later
• DB's were terrible, they got beat in man coverage (both Oliver and Brown gave up long passes), tackled poorly (but then again who on Defense didn't?), Bryan Evans whiffed on at least 3 tackles that I counted. Saftey play was awful (C.J. Byrd being the exception), the only reason Tra Battle made the interception is that it was thrown right to him and hit him in the hands. These guys are supposed to be talented, but they don't cover well in man, they don't break on the ball in zone, and they don't tackle well at all.
• LB's were marginal at best. The only bright spot was Tony Taylor's pick six at the end of the game. I actually feel sorry for Taylor, he is having an outstanding season that is being overshadowed by the rotten play of his supporting cast. Ellerbe is supposed to be a cover LB and was beaten by the TE more than once, Jackson and the others were OK in run defense.
• The D-line took the game off again. Moses and Johnson were more or less invisible the entire game. Owens, Gant, and Weston had a few good plays but were mostly whipped by the Vandy O line. They generated no pressure on the QB and he had all day to throw.
• Coaching and scheme-There aren't words in the English language to describe how bad both of these are. Willie Martinez should be run out of town on a rail for the last two games he has called. Who in the hell thinks a zone inside your own 10 is a good defense?? If you are going to get beat, at least get beat in man coverage trying to apply some pressure. Our scheme is awful, it doesn't work anymore. Everyone in the SEC has figured out how to beat us, bubble screen look familiar to anyone? I don't attend practice so I don't know what they work on, and I don't watch the film that the staff watches but come on, obviously the coverages and blitz packages (what few we run) are not working. Change something, anything, just don't sit back and get picked apart by an average QB who has all day to throw. Would somebody please teach these kids the fundamentals of the form tackle, this has to be the worst tackling Defense we have had in a LONG time.

Special Teams

• Punting was OK (no blocks), Kickoffs were surprisingly good, Coverages on both were good with the one exception of the long KO return. Andy Bailey missed the FG at the end of the game that could have won the game, but in his defense the wind was blowing pretty hard.

My take on the game......

We have no heart and no drive to win. I haven't seen a team quit like this since the Donnan days. We don't play physical on Defense, our Offense still doesn't have an identity, our scheme on both sides of the ball is stale and needs to be changed ( we are so predictable on Offense that I called our first two series sitting in my seat, don't think that DC's all around the league aren't doing the same), and as I stated before PLEASE get rid of the soft zone defense. I would rather get torched in man or combination coverage. We need to get well against the Bizzaro Bulldogs next week and try to get things right so we aren't completely embarassed in Jacksonville. Joe T. is a great kid, but we are offically playing for next year now and its Stafford's turn to get some OJT to prepare him for next year. Lumpkin needs to be the primary running back for the rest of the year with Ware spelling him periodically. On Defense I really don't have an answer, I think Oliver is capable of being a shut down corner, which would leave the safeties to help out the other corner and the nickel back. Our LB's need to play faster, and we have to get pressure on the QB with our front seven.

I will try and get a preview of the Bizarro Dogs up this week, until then stay safe and GOOO DAWGS!

Babies, Birthdays, Busy and Bulldogs

This about sums up my week. I have a 2 month old son that is very labor intensive right now (but he's so cute how can you get upset?), celebrated my 35th birthday Thursday (yes I know I am offically old now), worked (but then again who doesn't?), and am anxiously awaiting tomorrow's contest with the Commodes...er....Commodores. I have to admit I lived in Nashville for awhile and dated a Vandy girl so I have been to Dudley Stadium a few times. Secretly I always hope Vandy will have one of those Northwestern '95 seasons and go 10-1 (with the loss to UGA of course). But alas with the graduation of Jay Cutler that isn't going to happen anytime soon. Kyle has already done the statistical breakdown in his weekley TMI post.

I Wish I Had Gone To Bed Earlier........

If someone had randomly appeared from the future and told me that the Dawgs would be up 24-7 on the Vowels with halftime approaching, I would have run naked down the middle of the street and slapped every ugly orange wearing hillbilly that I could find. Fortunately that didn't happen and I didn't go out and make an ass out of myself as I have heard some of our Red and Black wearing bretheren did. I also heard that some of those same obnoxious hillbillies were less than gracious winners, but then again we expect that from fans that have to take off their shoes to count past ten.

Now that I have gotten that out of my system lets dissect what happened last night:

Things That Made Me Happy

• Lumpkin running hard and ripping off big chunks with every run.
• Joe T returning and completeing some passes.
• WR's and RB's catching said passes.
• Punt Return for TD
• Kick Return for TD
• Thomas Brown running the football well.

Things That Made Me Want To Scream

• The Defense not getting any pressure on Ainge.
• The Defense not adjusting to Tennessee getting the WR/LB mismatch on every play.
• ANOTHER blocked punt.
• Blown coverages in the secondary and pathetic tackling.
• Playcalling in the second half (more on this later)
• Turnovers ('nuff said)

I am going to echo a couple of other bloggers in saying that I feel better about this loss than I did about our previous two wins. With Joe T. at the controls the Offense moves and we score points, plain and simple. The Defense was exposed for what it is, a good unit, but a young unit in the secondary. Special teams were both good and bad, Punt and Kickoff for TD's and another blocked punt. Coaching (especially the Defensive coaching) was suspect at best. DC Martinez did nothing to adjust in the second half. We were in a base 4-3 for a majority of plays with safety help on the outside receivers leaving the MLB on the slot man. That is a mismatch and one that a smart QB and OC will take everytime (and they did). When we finally went to a nickel package our true Freshman DB was getting beat like a rented goalie. I don't understand why we didn't roll to a cover 3 or put Oliver in man coverage and give Ramarcus Brown or Evans help deep and put the remaining safety on the slot receiver. The lack of adjustment by DC Martinez has been a hallmark of his tenure as Defensive Coordinator going back to last season.

Offensively we look fabulous in the first half, I honestly think that is as good as we can play on Offense. Why we went away from the run the second half is beyond me. I do however have to be honest and say that I have been critical of CMR in the past for "playing not to lose and not playing to win". I think he was playing to win last night and with our prior success throwing the football felt that if we could drive the field and score we could put them away. No one could have forseen the bad luck that plagued us on our 4 second half turnovers. Three of the four were just plain dumb luck (both of Joe T.'s INT's and the punt block). Take away those three turnovers and the resulting points and we win by a FG.

All in all while I hate losing to those hillbillies from Rocky Top, they clearly had the better team and deserved to win. I also still think that we can get to where we want to be at the end of the year if we handle our business. Florida still has Auburn, UGA and S.Carolina left (don't laugh), Tennessee still has Arkansas, LSU and Alabama left, and we have Florida and Auburn left. Odds are the SEC East representative is going to have 1 loss for sure, and probably 2 losses.

Keep the faith and GOO DAWGS!!

Vandy preview on Tuesday.

Can You Smell That??

Can you?? It's gameday in Athens kids and its right around the corner..(go ahead take a big whif, you can smell the bourbon already...oh wait that's just me...um nevermind). Yes we are less than 36 hours from kickoff and I still have no idea what is going to happen. I guess that I will know when I wake up in the morning. Call me crazy ( and yes it has happened before) but everygame for the last 3 years I have known when I woke up on gameday whether we were going to win or lose (or at least play badly enough to lose see Colorado). The '04 loss to the Vowels (I knew when I woke up that morning that things were not going to go right, confirmed when we arrived to tailgate and campus was FLAT as was the team), the debacle two weeks ago against Colorado ( I told my wife on the way up that we were going to play badly, the fact that our whole tailgate experience was a goat rope only served to confirm this). So basically what I am saying is when I wake up on Saturday I will know what is going to happen based on how well or how crappy my day starts off. Bottom line is if you see me BE NICE, our team's fortunes depend on it.


If you haven't heard Brandon Cotu is injured. Andy Bailey will handle PAT's and FG's. From what I hear he is pretty accurate, just not as long as Cotu.

Things I'd Like To See on Saturday

• Kregg Lumpkin get 20-25 carries and be the featured back.
• Joe T. be efficient in moving the offense through a series of short passes and check to runs.
• Moses and Johnson plant Ainge
• Paul Oliver have a "pick six"
• Tra Battle NOT get a concussion causing him to blow coverage on a 4th and Watkinsville at the end of the game.
• On of our WR's catch 2 passes in a row.
• The inside of Sanford Stadium (no I won't be there this week...don't ask!)
• The Dawgs win! (but you knew that didn't you?)

Is There Anybody Out There?

Hello? Anyone? Is anyone reading this or am I talking to myself (not that there is anything wrong with that)?









Didn't these guys ask the same thing?

Roundtable #4

This is my first foray into the Blogosphere Roundtable Questions so here is goes:

1. We're about halfway through the season at this point. Have you gotten a gauge on your team's chances this year to make noise in conference play, or is the team still a total freaking mystery? Anyone who has watched Georgia Football this year has to say that our team is a total mystery. We come out and look sharp against our first three opponents and then lay two consecutive eggs against teams we should have beaten handily. I have no idea what to expect the rest of the season. Is the return of Joe T. the catayst that the Offense has been looking for? If this is the case then I think we can play with anyone in the league. If we come out and look like the Keystone Kops again on Offense then 8-4 or 7-5 is a real possibility.

2. Many of the bigger conferences such as the Big 12 and the Big 10 use a rotating schedule to determine conference games each year. What are your feelings on the current system used in your conference? Does a rotating schedule work? Has your team always caught a break? I like the way that we do it now with the 5-1-2 rotating schedule. It allows us to keep the Auburn rivalry and get teams like Alabama and LSU "Between the Hedges" every few years. We certainly caught a break this year with Ole Miss and Miss St on the schedule. I imagine whenever a SEC West team gets Vandy and UK they feel the same way.

3. In an effort to get to know more about college football, both nationally and regionally, what have you done to expand your college football horizons? Have you caught yourself watching games from other conferences, or taking an interest in games that show up on ESPNU or Fox Sports? I read blogs from all over now and not just the one's that pertain to the Dawgs or SEC teams in general. As far as watching more games I will watch college football regardless of who is playing. I just love football!!

4. What would you change about the current exposure your team gets, either on the radio, television, print, or on the internet? I think locally UGA gets the lion share of the exposure simply because Tech has been so average for so long. They have poor fans that don't show up to games, so the local media figures that they probably aren't going to read or listen to stories about them either. Coupled with the fact that the Falcons have stunk for so long and the Braves are usually putting the final touches on their annual October chokefest, and the Dawgs are arguably the most succesful sports team around. As for National Exposure, we have gotten more since the Richt era began (that might have something to do with 2 SEC titles in the last 4 years). I still don't think that the SEC in general and UGA in particular get enough exposure on ESPN. Spittin' Grandpa Holtz and Mark Mufstache are the 2 biggest UGA haters around.

5. During last Saturday's game against I-AA Northern Iowa, Iowa State trailed 21-7 at the half. The Cyclone Marching Band played a variety of songs from animated shows, including selections from South Park titled "Blame Canada" and "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" Needless to say, the Cyclones outscored the Panthers 21-6 in the second half. If you had to pick one song for your favorite team to rally to, what would it be? Because we all know what they did for the 2005 White Sox, Journey and "Don't Stop Believing" are not to be considered. I have never really given this much thought, although I think the Superman thing that the Redcoats play at the beginning of the 4th Quarter is pretty cool. It would motivate me if I were a player.

Phat Phil and The Vowels Come To Town

Hide the MoonPies and call out extra security for the Krispy Kreme, Phil Fulmer and the Vowels are coming to town Saturday for a clash with the #10 Georgia Bulldogs. This is my break down of the game and what I think we need to do in order to emerge victorious and send Phil into a binge eating depression.

Offense

Tennessee-The Vowels currently rank 2nd in the SEC in Scoring Offense averaging 32.0 pts per game. Tennessee also ranks 1st in Passing Offense (296.0 ypg), 9th in Rushing Offense (133.0 ypg), 2nd in Total Offense (429.2 ypg), 1st in Passing Efficiency (.710 percentage), and 3rd in Red Zone Offense (87.5 percent 11 TD/3FG)

Georgia-The Dawgs currently rank 6th in the SEC in Scoring Offense averaging 25.6 pts per game. The Dawgs also rank 9th in Passing Offense (163.6 ypg), 8th in Rushing Offense (133.4 ypg), 10th in Total Offense (297.0 ypg), 9th in Passing Efficiency (.504 percentage), and 7th in Red Zone Offense (76.5 per cent 11 TD /2 FG).

So what does this all mean? Basically Tennessee can throw the ball, but has virtually no run game. While the Dawgs don't do ANYTHING on offense particularly well.

Advantage-Tennessee

Defense

Tennessee-Currently the Vowels rank 6th in Scoring Defense (16.6 pts per game), 4th in Pass Defense (157.4 ypg), 7th in Rushing Defense (126.8 ypg), and 6th in Total Defense (284.2 ypg). The Vowels are generous however in the Red Zone allowing opponents to score 100% of the time (9 TD/2FG).

Georgia-The Junkyard Dawgs are the SEC leaders in Scoring Defense allowing a stingy 6.8 pts per game. The JYD also are ranked highly in Pass Defense 3rd (133.4 ypg), Rushing Defense 4th (100 ypg), and 2nd in Total Defense (233.4 ypg). The Dawg Defense is very stingy in the Red Zone allowing opponents to score only 50% of the time (2 TD/3FG).

So what does it all mean? Georgia's Defense is among the best in the league and could be credited with the last two wins as the Offense was abysmal. For Tennesee the Defense is average, but is capable of bowing up and getting a stop when needed.

Advantage-Georgia











Special Teams

Tennessee- The Vowels are blessed yet again with the latest in the line of "Punting Colquitts". I think every male member of this family has punted for UT at one point in their lives. That being said the latest one ranks 4th in Punting with a 40.0 yd net. The Vowels also cover punts well only allowing a 1.3 yd return on average. On punt returns Tennessee doesn't pose much of a threat returning punts ranking 9th and averaging a paltry 6.8 yds per return. Place Kicking for the Vowels is a stregth with James Wilhoit hitting 6 of 7 attempts and a perfect 20 for 20 on PAT. The Vowels cover Kickoffs well ranking 5th with a 43.5 net and 18 touchbacks. Tennessee however does not do well on Kick returns as they are dead last in the SEC with a 14.0 yds average return.

Georgia- The Dawgs are fortunate to have two of the best kickers and one of the best return men in the country on Special Teams. Gordon Ely-Kelso is 38.0 yds net and ranks 5th in Punting. Brandon Cotu is a stellar 7 of 8 in FG with a 55-yarder already this year and a perfect 17 for 17 on PAT's. Dawg Punt coverage is getting it done only allowing 1.5 yds per return. Mikey Henderson is electrifying as a returner and a threat to take it to the house everytime he touches the ball. The Dawgs are tops in the SEC averaging 18.6 yds per return with 2TD already this year. Dawg Kick Coverage ranks 9th with a net of 43.1 yds. The Dawgs also do well on Kick returns ranking 2nd with a whopping 25.4 yds per return.

What does it all mean? Special teams have always played a factor in this rivalry. The Dawgs have been fortunate to be on the positive ends of two punt returns for TD (01,04) that changed the momentum of both games. While I think this is pretty much a wash statistically, Georgia had better fix its punt protection problems before Saturday.

Advantage- Even


Coaching

Tennessee- As much as we all enjoy making fun of Phil Fulmer, you can't argue with success. Phat Phil is the SEC leader in winning percentage .776 and active leader in wins 132. The man can and does scheme to your weakness and his strength.

Georgia- I expect Mark Richt to be the leader in win percentage and total wins after he has been at UGA for 15 years. Currently CMR is 57-13 (.814) in six season as the Head Dawg. A great coach, sometimes a bit hard headed when it comes to running the football.

What does it all mean? This is basically a wash as well, although as stated before Phat Phil is a bit more willing to change his scheme to beat you rather than sticking with the same old stuff.

Advantage- Even

So tell us RocketDawg, what do you expect to happen? I honestly don't know to tell the truth. Looking at it purely objectively, if our Offense comes out and lays an egg like the last two weeks then UT wins by 2 TD's. I would like to think that the return of Joe T. and his ability to check out of bad plays will lead to the Offense running a bit more smoothly. I would also like to think that the Coaches and Seniors have put a foot into each others rear ends and we are going to finally play like we are capable of playing. I think our D matches up well with the UT Offense and I think we can force them to try and run which they have been unable to do so far this year. I am going to wait and make a prediction later on in the week.









We could use a few of these!!

Welcome

Welcome to the beginning of yet another blog dedicated to the University of Georgia and its athletic programs (like there aren't enough of these already!!). My posts will be purely opinions with little or no scientific fact to back them up. I am also a very busy person so don't be offended if you become a regular reader and I don't update for awhile. My goal as of now is to preview each of the Dawgs upcoming opponents, offer my take on what might happen, and then recap the game as seen from section 321 (home games), and from the comfort of my home for away games. Feel free to post your comments, suggestions, gripes, rants, and other constructive prose here.

Thanks again! and welcome to my blog.