I Bleed Red and Black

Back Again...

2009-10-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Ok since I registered to be a Mumme Poll voter I figure that I need to write something here every now and again to establish some credibility as a college football fan.

Right now I am still searching for my "niche" in the blogosphere. I don't have the time nor the energy to immerse myself in the stats and numbers for every opponent. Not to mention that there are several sites (my personal favorite being T.Kyle King whose site you can visit here) that give you all of that type of information. I would be doing a disservice to them trying to break down every game statistically. I also don't have an "in" with any of the players or coaches such as David Hale whose site you can visit here. I check his site at least 2-3 times a day to get all the post practice information, injury updates and a general sense of what is going on with the team. Where I think I will fit in is somewhere along the lines of the Georgia Sports Blog and the Senator over at Get the Picture by offering my opinion on what is going on with Georgia football as well as around college football in general.

Hopefully I will stay around this time and not be one of those lame bloggers that posts once a month.

Grading the Offense

2009-09-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

After last week's disappointing showing by the Offense I think we were all in fear of a repeat of the offensively challenged Auburn v Miss St game of last season that ended 3-2. Neither team looked particularly good in Week 1 and the Dawg offense looked down right bad. It has always been said that the biggest improvement that a team makes is between Week 1 and Week 2 so that coupled with a well Joe Cox gave me some optimism for Saturday's game. I never in my wildest dreams thought that we would put up 41 points on a very good defense (heck as bad as the offense looked agaist OK State I wouldn't bet that they could score 41 points against air.) so to say that our offensive outburst was a pleasant surprise would be an understatement. Let's look at each unit and see where the improvements happened and where we can continue to get better.

Quarterback-All summer long we have been hearing about how Joe Cox may not have Matthew Stafford's arm strength but he was "very accurate" and the offense wouldn't miss a beat. Last week Joe looked terrible plain and simple. I don't know if it was the flu, or first game jitters, or a OKST defense that played out of their minds (or a combination of the 3) that caused the bad game. Combine that with reports coming out of Athens that he has a bum shoulder and the prospects for improvement did not look all that good not to mention the reports of Logan Gray becoming the starter coming out of Athens on Thursday. Everyone was anxious about what was going to happen against USC.

For the most part Joe played a solid game on Saturday completeing 17/24 passes (70%) for 201 yards and 2 TD/1 INT. He made a couple of nice throws to AJ Green and to Orson Charles, conversely he made a couple of really bad decisions with the ball one of which resulted in a pick-six by LB Eric Norwood. The worst part of the INT is that he said he saw Norwood there but decided to throw it anyway. Joe did fumble once, but I won't blame that one on him since he was flattened on the blind side (more on that play in the O line review). Logan Gray got all of one snap so I can't really offer too much of an opinion his play. Overall not a bad game from the QB position.

GRADE: B

Running Backs- Richard Samuel is a beast! Why we keep getting away from the running game is beyond me. The guy seems to get stronger and run harder as the game progresses, yet he virtually disappeared from the game for the better part of 2 quarters. Samuel had a solid game rushing 15 times for 65 yards and snagging 3 passes for 32 yards. Considering he is not considered the "pass catching" back I thought he did a nice job in that area. Carlton Thomas is just not panning out to be the "change of pace" back that he was billed to be in the preseason. 6 rushes for 22 yards is just not going to cut it, I do have to give him credit for being heads up and recovering the fumble when Cox was leveled. Branden Smith added 65 rushing yards to the total but 61 of those came on a reverse for a TD. The backs also did not give up a sack due to poor pass protection or missed blitz pick up and did not fumble. Overall a good but not great day for the running backs. We really need Coach Bobo to give Samuel a chance to rush for 100 yards and take some of the pressure off of Joe and the passing game. Getting Caleb King back for Arkansas will be huge.

Grade: B+

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends- This continues to be the AJ Green show and a couple of other guys that can catch the football every now and again. Tavarres King had a good game and showed signs of being the guy to step up and take some of the pressure (not to mention the double coverage) off of AJ. Micheal Moore had another TD catch, but for the most part was a non factor in the passing game. Orson Charles is going to be a great TE once he learns the entire game plan and puts on a few pounds. He had a couple of very nice grabs over the middle on Saturday night. AJ is just AJ, the guy is a freak and can take over a game if he wants to do so. He makes the impossible look routine on a regular basis. I was glad to see that Bobo made it a point to get him the ball and get him involved early. We finally got to see Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten briefly in the 4th Quarter, neither were thrown to so no official stats there. Branden Smith was lined up at WR several times during the game and while I realize that he is part cheetah (as evidenced by the 61 yard reverse for a TD), I wonder why our coaching staff considers him the 4th WR over Izzy Troupe and ahead of Wooten and Brown.

Overall Grade: B

Offensive Line- For all the criticism that the O line weathered last year (and even last week for that matter) they finally turned in a dominating performance Saturday night with one (BIG) exception. Clint Boling was the SEC Offensive Lineman of the week after grading out at 94 against S. Carolina and for the most part the line was opening holes, picking up blitzes and protecting Joe Cox all night. It looked like on the sack that Vance was just beaten around the corner by the USC DE and that gave him a clean shot at an unsuspecting Cox. Other than that it was as solid an effort as I have seen from a UGA O line in a few years.

Overall Grade: A-

As a whole I thought that the Offense was leaps and bounds better than last week against OKST. Putting up 41 points against what is largely regarded as one of the better Defenses in the SEC is nothing to sneeze at either. Now I don't think that all of our Offensive woes are fixed and we are just as likely to come out next week and have a clunker as we are to score 40 points again. The main thing is that we seem to be on the right track in getting the ball in our playmakers hands and having our starting QB healthy. I would like to see us stick with the run a little more and the addition of Caleb King to the RB rotation should definitely improve our ability to do so in the future.

Tomorrow we critique the defense.

Go Dawgs!

Well THAT was unexpected....

2009-09-13T20:31:00.001-07:00

For a game that has historically been a low scoring affair, Saturday's meeting between the Dawgs and the Chickens was anything but typical. For the fan it had a little bit of everything, trick plays, a safety, a kickoff return for a TD, a pick-six and plenty of penalties!!

For the most part I think the Dawgs played a good game. It was sloppy (108 yards of penalties and 3 turnovers), the defense gave up ALOT of yardage (425 yards of total offense to include 313 passing yards) but by the same token the offense was exciting (61 yard reverse for a TD) and the special teams weren't quite so special (in a bad way) but were special in a good way (100 yd KO return, blocked extra point).

Ultimately it was a W which we sorely needed at this point and it sets up well for next week at Arkansas. I still don't have a "warm fuzzy" about the offense (which I will discuss more tomorrow) but I do feel better than last week. Despite giving up 37 points and a ton of yards the defense from my vantage point played well. Many times the pressure was there and Garcia was able to scramble out of trouble and make a play.

More tomorrow on the specifics of the Offensive performance!

Go Dawgs!

Cox vs The Cocks

2009-09-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

At 7pm on Saturday Joe Cox (contrary to the recent rumors) and the Georgia Bulldogs (0-1,0-0) will tee it up between the Hedges against the South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0, 0-0). South Carolina brings a stout defense, questionable special teams, and a pathetic offense into this year's tussle with the men in Red and Black.

Offense-One would have never thought that in 5 years in Columbia Steve Spurrier would fail to produce an exceptional quarterback (or for that matter an AVERAGE quarterback). In last weeks game against NC State the Gamecocks were only able to manage 256 total yards of offense (148 pass, 108 rush) and 7 points which ranks them last in the SEC in all offensive categories except rushing (I will give you one guess who rushed for less yards last week.). This week against the Dawgs expect to see a heavy dose of RB Brian Maddox (23-66-1TD) who seemed to be the only weapon the Cocks had last week. Being a Spurrier offense you can also expect them to "sling it around the yard" a bit also (although hopefully Garcia will complete a few passes to our DB's as well as his own players). With the Dawg D playing well last week against a much more explosive opponent and the relative ineptitude of the SC Offense I don't expect these guys to be able to muster very many points.

Defense-Ellis Johnson is one of the best DC's in the SEC and the NCAA as a whole. He always seems to put a quality D on the field no matter the talent level or inexperience of his players. All SEC LB Eric Norwood is just two sacks away from the all time record at South Carolina. Add to that the return of DE Clifton Geathers (convienient isn't it?) and solid play along the line and in the secondary and the Dawg O will really have its work cut out for it on Saturday night. Expect pressure from all angles, good pursuit to the ball and hard tackling from this group. It is going to take a great effort by Joe Cox and the boys to put up points on this very good defensive team.

Special Teams-With the graduation of Ryan Succoup, South Carolina is breaking in a new kicker this year as Freshman K Spencer Lanning getting the call. Lanning was 1-1 on PAT's against NC State, but missed a 27 yard FG . Lanning also will handle the punting duties for SC. Chris Culliver was the primary kick return man last week and averaged 19.5 yds per return, two players returned puts for the Cocks against NC State with Akeem Auguste returning two kicks for a 3.5 yd average and Devin Taylor returning one for 12 yards. The USC kicking team allowed 2 returns for 39 yards (19.5 yd average) and 2 punt returns for 42 yards (21 yd average). This unit struggled in its opener against NC State and can't afford to miss opportunities against the Dawgs this week in what is sure to be a low scoring game.

Overall this is one of the least talented teams in the Spurrier era across the board. There are some very good players on the field but each unit has holes to fill. I expect the Offense to struggle to move the ball and the Defense to keep the Dawgs from moving the ball as well. This game is going to come down to special teams and which Defense can come up with a key turnover. In typical Georgia/South Carolina fashion this one should come down to the 4th Quarter and end up 17-10 with either team being capable of winning.

Until next time: GO DAWGS!!

Trying this once again............

2009-09-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ok I tried to get on a regular blogging schedule last season and it just didn't pan out, so let's see we can get things started this year. One of the reasons I didn't blog very much last season is the fact that there are a ton of very well written blogs about the Dawgs and SEC football in general. What could the world possibly need with another one?

If the first game of this season is any indication of what lies ahead, my blog will be more of a catharsis for me as a fan (which you as the reader are also welcome to contribute your opinions or observations) than an X's and O's break down of each game.

For now the weekly lineup will look something like this:

Sunday-Recap of Saturday's Game
Monday-Offensive Breakdown from Saturday's Game
Tuesday-Defensive/Special Teams Breakdown from Saturday's Game
Wednesday-Reader Poll/Topic
Thursday-Preview of Coming Weeks Opponent/My Picks on the biggest NCAA/NFL games of the week.
Friday-Brief injury report (if available) and predicitions for the following day's game.
Saturday-Probably nothing since I will be at the game....

My goal is to have original material that is more based on my opinion and not a rehash of what is already out there on the other Dawgly sites. I am just a fan like you and have no inside sources or access to players or coaches so don't expect any indepth interviews or the like.

Tomorrow: Breakdown of the Gamechickens and my picks for all of the big NCAA/NFL games of the week.

2008 The Year of the Dawg?

2008-08-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Ok I know, posting once a year just doesn't cut it. For now all I can promise is once a week (hopefully more) and the subject matter won't just be all Dawg related, but rather all things I am interested in and feel compelled to write about. For now let's just get on with the '08 season and let the big Dawg eat!

How 'bout them DAWGS!!!

2007-09-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

That had to have been one of the most thrilling college football games I have ever witnessed. We had about 20 people over to our house to watch the game so it was a blast.

Game critique as follows:

Offense: For the most part a good effort. The O-line had their best game of the year so far (especially since there were 3 freshman on the line). I would have liked to see a few more holes opened up for the backs, but a good job all around. Pass protection was very good last night. Both backs had fantastic games, Brown and Moreno both rushed for close to 80 yds each and had several receptions out of the backfield. Receivers were average as usual. Sean Bailey was the most reliable out of the bunch, Mikey gets a pass since he caught the game winner. TE's (or should I say Tripp Chandler) was really poor in the pass game. He had 3 key drops that could have won us the game (or at least made the FG a little shorter) in regulation. Stafford was OK, maybe I just expect too much of him right now. He threw a few great balls, but as a whole most of them were behind receivers or over their heads. The kid has a big arm, but he really needs to work on his accuracy.

Overall Grade: B

Defense: These guys played their hearts out. If not for a very questionable pass interference call on Bryan Evans, this game is over in the 4th Quarter. There were some mental lapses and poor execution, but I thought that the D-line did a great job generating pressure and clogging the gaps, the LB's swarmed to the ball, and the DB's did a good job in run support. The only negatives that I saw were Evans getting toasted by DJ Hall on a key drive in the 4th Quarter and we gave up some gashing runs toward the end again (just like S Carolina). Willie Martinez gets a gold star for calling some timely blitzes and having an overall good scheme.

Overall Grade: A

Special Teams: Outstanding on both sides of the ball. Kick and punt coverage were great (much better than last week). Mikey had a couple of good returns on punts and Thomas Brown had solid returns on kickoffs. The only negative were Coatu's two misses (to be fair there were both over 45 yards). Good improvement from last week.

Overall Grade: A

I was so encouraged by this game, however we all have to bear in mind that with a young team, inconsistancy is to be expected. That being said I really think that we have the talent to compete with anyone in the conference.

More later.....thanks for reading.

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!

2007-09-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

Late last year the "powers that be" blocked all blogs at work, as a result I quit posting. With the start of football season that old desire to write about the Dawgs has come back. I hope you enjoy what I have to say. Leave me a comment so I know someone is reading and I am not talking to myself (not that there is anything wrong with that).

BCS, Nerds, and Bowling.....

2006-11-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

Everyone it seems has an opinion on the BCS mess that seems quite inevitable at the end of the season. The popular thought is that only an Ohio State v Michigan rematch would be worthy of the true title of National Title Game, while others are looking at USC to sneak in the back door if they beat Notre Dame this weekend, and still there is another jean shorts wearing bunch that wants to see the Swamp Lizards in the BCS title game.

Personally I have struggled with how I would like to see this play out. On one hand I personally wouldn't watch a rematch game regardless of the particpants, in this case Ohio State has already beaten Michigan once, they shouldn't have to play them again. Having said that, the next five teams in line don't offer the prospect of a very good game. USC is average, Florida is probably most deserving based on their schedule, they did however struggle in several games this year against lesser opponents, Notre Dame has no argument to be there since their schedule consists of Michigan, USC and a bunch of IAA level opponents, which brings us to my personal favorites Arkansas. The Hogs are the hottest team out of this bunch and I think would give Ohio State the best game. There are those that would argue that no team that gives up 50 at home should play for the National Title, I would counter with the argument that this is not the same team that took the field against USC, and given a rematch now the Hogs would win. Arkansas is the best team in the best conference, how can you argue against them?

My ideal scenario is this, USC beats Notre Dame, UCLA beats USC, Arkansas beats LSU and Florida convicingly, and the computers don't screw them and put Michigan in the Title game.

On the subject of our upcoming reunion with our Nerdly cousins from the big city this weekend, it looks like it is going to be perfect weather (no repeat of the '04 game), and I think we are going to win (but you knew that already). Two words why we are going to win on Saturday: Mark Richt. As much as he has been criticized this season for his playcalling and game management, he is still head and shoulders a better coach than Chan "the man" Gailey. Two more words on why we are going to win on Saturday: Reggie Ball. As well as the midget has played this year, he ALWAYS has at least one melt down against the Dawgs. He puts so much pressure on himself to do well that it is counter productive. I am fully expecting his head to explode when we beat them for a sixth straight year. My prediction Dawgs 31 NATS 21.

Bowl Bids and Projections are out. The Big 10 has their post season line up set:

Capitol One Bowl-Wisconsin v SEC
Outback Bowl-Penn State v SEC
Alamo Bowl-Iowa v Big 12
Champs Sports-Purdue v ACC
Insight-Minnesota v Big 12

This virtually assures the Big 10 and Michigan of getting 2 BCS bids for the second year in a row. I have a problem with this for the sheer fact that the Big 10 doesn't play a championship game and therefore doesn't knock it's second best team out of BCS consideration. Since the BCS's inception in 1998 the Big Ten has had two teams in the mix 5 times compaired to the SEC (3), Pac-10 (2), Big 12 (3), ACC (0), Big East (0). The other at large spots were filled by Notre Dame (2) and Utah (1). This seems completely disproportionate to the rest of the BCS Conferences and at large teams.

All of this revives the BCS v playoff debate and once again lets me advance my solution for fixing college football. First off I am a huge fan of Bowl games, the week between Christmas and New Years is a veritable feast of College Football, one last gasp before the season ends. I don't want that to go away. My model would preserve SOME of the bowl games while incorporating others into the pseudo-playoffs, and it goes something like this.

Take the exsisting BCS conferences with some modifications and require them to all have a Championship game. Notre Dame would join the Big 10, Utah and TCU in the Pac-10, Southern Miss, Marshall, UAB, and East Carolina to the Big East. The six winners of these conference games along with 2 at large spots drawn from non BCS conferences and the remaining BCS schools would form an 8 team playoff bracket. First Round Games would be held in the Capital One, Chick-fil-a, Fiesta, and Rose Bowls. Semi Finals in the Sugar and Orange, and then the BCS championship in the Fiesta Bowl 2. The Bowl hosting the National Championship along with the most recent host would be first round game sites. This model preserves the regular season, makes each conference equal in terms of having a championship game, and preserves the lower tier bowls for those teams not involved in the playoff, all while deciding on the field the best team in college football.

Slow Week....

2006-11-15T14:25:00.000-08:00

I am really glad that we aren't playing the Nerds til next week. I am still celebrating the victory over Auburn (as I am sure our players are also), I could just see us coming out flat after this victory and getting killed by the Techies on our own field. I had a Techie coworker talking smack (already) and I told him as long as Reggie Ballsack was the QB we always have a chance to win.

On another note a Tennessee friend of mine had the perfect headline for last weeks game had the Vowels put in famed backup QB Jim Bob Cooter (has to be the best name in College Football) and won the game.

Cooter Beats Dick, Gets Nutt

Jim Bob Cooter thrilled Vol fans by coming in to throw 6 TD passes in the last 3 minutes of the game to carry the Orange to a come from behind victory over Casey Dick and the Houston Nutt coached Arkansas Razorbacks.......

Now that would just be funny wouldn't it?

No I Didn't Watch....

2006-11-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

So I decided rather than watch the abomination that has become UGA football this year, I would go bike and run through the North GA mountains and mud in the Curahee Adventure Race.

Naturally the Dawgs play the best game of the season, and I missed it!! Luckly my lovely wife DVR'd the game for me so I can watch it today.

I stated in my previous post that I wouldn't attend the Tech game if we won....is anyone really going to hold me to that? (Please say no)

Here's to a much needed and deserved bye week.

Gooo Dawgs!!

Okie State and other things....

2006-11-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

Glad to see that we have scheduled a decent team for our home opener. I was worried Nicholls St. was about to make its Sanford Stadium debut next Labor Day weekend (for the record I have no idea if Nicholls St was even contacted reference our open date, nor do I have any idea where in the hell Nicholls St is located.) .

Call me what you will, but I will not be watching the UGA v Warchickentigerplainsmen game on Saturday. Instead I will be mountain biking and trekking up and down Curahee Mountain in Toccoa. Who knows maybe I am bad luck and this entire debacle of a season has been my fault all along. Rest assured if we win, I will not be attending the yearly reunion with our Nerdly cousins from the city.

If you are going to "The Tackiest Little Village" this weekend be safe and Go Dawgs!

Does This Look Fishy To Anyone Else?

2006-11-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/ncaa/11/04/thomas.booted.ap/index.html

Evidently Florida decided that after reinstating their stud DT for arguably the hardest stretch on any football schedule this year, that they didn't need him anymore. Convienient, right?

Will Someone Please Shoot Me and Put Me Out of My Misery??

2006-11-04T16:59:00.000-08:00

I knew we were going to lose this game today before we even kicked off, yet I still held a belief that maybe, just maybe we could play well and win. Alas, that was not to happen, 4 turnovers will do that to you. I am not sure what to feel anymore, its gut wrenching to watch (or in this case listen) to the Dawgs play. I don't even enjoy the games anymore, they make my stomach hurt and I end up in a pissy mood the rest of the day. I haven't been happy after a game since the South Carolina game, and that seems like forever ago. I can't believe that I am actually typing this, but I wish the season were over today. I wish we didn't have to play Auburn or Tech, I wish we could just pack it in like a bad relationship and say "I just didn't work, let's move on and start over". I am trying to remember when I have felt this way about UGA football and I can't do it. The mid '90's we expected to lose, it wasn't an "if" but "when" type of mentality, the late '90's to '01 there were flashes of greatness, and we underachieved badly for the talent that was here, but you could pretty much hang your hat on 8-4 or 9-3, we would lose to the Vowels and Swamp Lizards , and War Chickens too often, and Tech and Bobby Gaston a couple of times, but we usually ended up in a mid tier bowl. I really thought when Mark Richt was hired at UGA that the days of losing and losing badly were gone. I am not one of those foolish fans that expected us to win the SEC every year or even win the SEC East every year, that level of success in the hardest conference in football is just not sustainable. I did (and still do) expect these teams to be competative, winning more than we lose and having a chance to win every week. This year that hasn't happened, we find more ways to lose than any team I can ever remember seeing in any level of football. It's maddening to watch the inconsistancy and lack of execution week after week after week. You hear all this BS about we are a young team and it a rebuilding year. What a load of crap! We started 8 upperclassmen on both sides of the ball, that is guys who have been here at LEAST 3 years (4 or 5 if they redshirted). What happened between the end of last year and this year? I'll grant you that they loss of D.J. Shockley's (or if you prefer J.D. Stokely) athleticism and leadership is huge, and the fact that 3 out of our starting 4 DB's from last year are playing in the NFL now is also a big deal, but come on did we really lose THAT much from last year? are those 4 players really the difference between 11-3 and 6-6? Sean Bailey being out this year is also a fairly big loss, but he and McClendon's hands were suspect at best. The lack of a running game is due to the fact that our upperclassman OL are awful. I understand that they are thin, but even when they are healthy they haven't played well. How in the world do you not get enough push to convert a 4th and 1 against UK? They have been getting their asses whipped all season long.

I realize this hasn't been the most coherant of posts, but I am just writing what I am thinking right now. I am frustrated, but more disappointed and scared than anything. I thought prior to the season that Joe T was going to be adequate enough to lead us to at least a 10-2 or 9-3 record, I thought our D was going to win us a few games we shouldn't win, I thought our "3 Headed Monster" was finally going to run wild on the SEC, I thought we wouldn't have anxiety about every kick, I thought MoMass was going to be this year's Sidney Rice. WRONG on all accouts, Joe T tried but he just doesn't have the physical tools, our D has lost us 2 games and tried really hard to lose us another one (Vandy and UK, tried to lose Miss St), our tailbacks are overrated and our OL hasn't helped any, with Cotu's injury and Ely-Kelso being "gun shy" after the three blocks I am anxious about every kick, MoMass has just struggled this year (possibly because of the constant QB rotation). I am already nervous and anxious about next year, its going to take a few big wins before I start "trusting" the Dawgs again, another year like this and we could be returning to the "Dark Times of Which We Shall Not Speak".

Only 2 more games to go.....thank God!

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

2006-10-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

....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

2006-10-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

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........

2006-10-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

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........

2006-10-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

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??

2006-10-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-10-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

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.