Saturday, October 10, 2009

"Let all the Bulldog faithful rally behind the men who now wear the red and black"

I feel the same as all of you: Frustrated, sad, and wondering what the hell just happenned. How did we go from a preseason #1 team last year to what we saw on the field today. There will be lots of radical statements from the Bulldog Nation over the next few days but I think it is time to remember the words above, spoken by Larry Munson before every Georgia home game. This is the team that we have and they need us, the Georgia Fans, more than ever right now.

I'm sure someone will make a smart ass comment making funny of me for this post. I don't care. I bleed red and black and this is my team through thick and thin. Today, I saw the worst performance I have ever seen from the Georgia Bulldogs since I became a student at Georgia in the fall of 2000. Things look bad right now, but if we quit on this team, things will only get worse.

If you truly are a member of the Bulldog faithful, now is the time to get behind our team. There will be plenty of time in the off season to complain about changing coaches.

NOW AND FOREVER...GO DAWGS!!!!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Eric Berry Music Video Of The Week

Eric Berry has forced us to cancel this week's 80's video in order to replace it with his new video.

I don't think I've ever seen a more professional looking video with such a terribly written song.

This whole week, I've had, "Eric Berry. Yo, he's scary," going through my head.

SEC Weekend Games of Interest: 10/10/2009

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up, but better late than never. Another stellar weekend of undefeated picks puts our season record at 33-4. As always, here’s Bubba’s very biased look at the SEC Weekend and what is happening in your neck of the woods:


Auburn at Arkansas: I’m really looking forward to this game and to what Auburn can do on the road against a real offense. One great thing for the Tigers here though is that they saw a strong defense on the road last week against Tennessee and that facet of the game will definitively be missing in Fayetteville from the Razorbacks. Auburn QB Chris Todd should have a big day in conjunction with Ben Tate at RB, but Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett has been stellar with the exception of the Alabama game and is licking his chops to face an Auburn defense that has given up a fair amount of points for a 5-0 club. There will be plenty of entertainment in this match-up as the SEC’s top two passing offenses go at it and I’m going with the Razorbacks 38-34. It’s just what happens, Arkansas beats Auburn in weird football games.


Vanderbilt at Army: Besides not being very good, Vandy has established one trend so far this year, look terrible against SEC teams and strong in non-conference battles. Seriously, any team that can win at Rice can win at Army. The Commodores win 27-14 and hope to find decent QB play in the process.


Kentucky at South Cacakalacky: I’ve said for the last year and a half that UK QB Mike Hartline isn’t very good and it seems like he’s getting worse, especially against SEC competition. It’s unfortunate because Kentucky has very good playmakers in RB Derrick Locke and WR Randall Cobb but no one to consistently manage the game or distribute the ball to them. Granted, the Alabama defense will make most guys look bad. However, South Carolina is no slouch defensively themselves and will continue to put pressure on the inconsistent Wildcat offense. Things get worse for the UK defense with stud CB Trevard Lindley being out and this can only help the development of Gamecock QB Stephen Garcia. Ultimately, Carolina wins this game 31-17 by playing tough D and not turning the ball over.


Houston at Mississippi State: Both MSU and Houston have been awful defensively and that can only mean that we are bound to see high scoring in Starkville, or should I say Stark Vegas. Houston and QB Chase Keenum sling the ball all over the place and will most likely have success doing the same with all those pesky cowbells ringing in their ears. Unfortunately for Houston, the western Bulldogs have a big, punishing back in Anthony Dixon and the Cougars are going to look like they are playing two hand touch with him running through the line. In all seriousness, this is an interesting game, because if Mississippi State bows up and plays physical, they can come out of this with a big win. Unfortunately for them, Houston just has too much firepower and leaves Stark Vegas with a 48-40 win.


Alabama at Ole Miss: Simple question, If Ole Miss couldn’t establish any consistency on offense against South Cacakalacky and Vanderbilt, where are they going find it against a scary Nick Saban defense? Simple answer, they’re not. Alabama is rolling along on both sides of the ball and as well as they are playing, they’re due to play some mediocre football, especially mid-way through the season. That being said, Jevan Snead looks lost and it will take easily his and Dexter McCluster’s best games of the year for the Rebels to pull out a victory. That being said, this is traditionally a tight ball game and Oxford will be rocking. Look for Ole Miss’s defense led by Greg Hardy to give the Tide a test, but for Bama to roll back across the Mississippi state line with a 24-14 win.


Florida at Louisiana State University: Here it goes; Tim Tebow is a game time decision. In other words, he ain’t starting folks. I fully expect him to be dressed and on the sideline, but have no reason to believe that John Brantley will not make his first career start in Baton Rouge on Saturday night. Concussions are fickle business and you never know how a player, especially one who doesn’t shy away from contact like a linebacker, or Tim Tebow, are going to respond. Getting to the game, LSU is a very good and very talented team, but it is hard to figure out what kind of challenge they are going to provide Florida. Florida could potentially have a first time starter/injury hampered QB in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night, but what good does that do when the Tiger defense hasn’t mustered a sack in their last 3 games? Florida still has one of the best defenses in the nation and what have you seen from Jordan Jefferson that would make you expect them to consistently move the ball and score against the Gators? You couldn’t have created a better situation to upset the country’s #1 team and defending National Champions than you have in Baton Rouge Saturday night and this will help the Bayou Bengals keep it close. However, Florida will be prepared and won’t hand this game over to LSU like they did in 2007 and the Gators win 27-21.


Stay safe and good luck to all of the traveling fans on the road this weekend. To everyone else, enjoy your favorite team and beverage at home. Go Dawgs!

Time to Topple Rocky Top: The Tennessee Preview

Following the loss to LSU, the Dawgs hit the road to face their old rival the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. For both teams, this game will be key between getting their season back on track or continuing their fall from grace.

Who are these guys?

Tennessee is not a good football team. After struggling through their second losing season in the last 3 years, Tennessee fired long time head coach Phil Fulmer and replaced him with Lane Kiffin. Kiffin has ruffled many feathers in his short time in Knoxville, particulary jawing with Florida coach Urban Meyer. They have a solid coaching staff, including Lane's dad, Monte Kiffin, engineer of the Tampa Bay defense that won the Super Bowl earlier in the decade.

If football was only played on defense, Tennessee may be among the better teams in the country. Led by All-American Eric Berry, the Tennesse defense has proven its worth time an again. They even held Florida in check in Gainesville this year, a game many thought the Gators would put up 50 on the Vols. In my opinion, Eric Berry is the best player in the country and is a real threat to make a play every time he is on the field.

Conversely, the Tennessee offense is a complete train wreck. Running backs Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown give the Vols a decent one-two punch on the ground. The two have combined for over 800 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns this year. If the Dawgs can shut down the Tennessee running game, they should have a good chance to win this game because the UT passing offense is anemic. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton is horrible and they have a lack of experienced play makers at receiver.

What are the Dawgs going to do?

Hopefully, the Georgia offense shows up early in this game and doesn't wait until the second half like it did last week. Georgia clearly has more talent on the field than Tennessee right now, but if we get into a defensive battle, it may be one that Tennessee can win. Despite the struggles, Georgia must try and establish a running game early. Without Caleb King, look for Washaun Ealey to get more carries this week and we may see Carlton Thomas for the first time in a few weeks as well.

Losing Tavarres King for the week will also hurt the Georgia passing game, as he has proven to be a viable down field option opposite AJ Green. That means that Rontavious Wooten and Marlon Brown may see an increase in their playing time. I know Brown will be hungry to play in his home state and show the Tennessee fans what they are missing out on. Despite the threat of Berry in the secondary, I think the Dawgs will continue to try and stretch the field with long passes to AJ Green and passes to the middle of the field to the tight ends.

Defensively, Georgia should apply a similar game plan to that it used last week against LSU. Crompton has proven to be shaky in the pocket, and if Georgia is able to get the kind of pressure it did last week, they should be able to produce a couple of turnovers. Rennie Curran will need to be everyone, as Tennessee will try to pound the ball with Hardesty.

What is going to happen?

If Georgia can come out and get a lead early in the game, they have a chance to blow Tennessee out. But if Tennessee can keep this game as a close defensive struggle, the Dawgs will be in for another close battle. I think the Dawgs will come out fired up after the loss last week and put Tenneesse away early.

Georgia 31, Tennessee 17

Thursday, October 8, 2009

BNE Pick 'Em Reminder

DON'T FORGET TO MAKE YOUR PICKS!!!


Week 6 features the following matchups:

Alabama vs. Ole Miss

Auburn vs. Arkansas

Boston College vs. Virginia Tech

Florida vs. LSU - Matchup of the week

UGA vs. Tennessee

Georgia Tech vs. FSU

Houston vs. Mississippi State

Kentucky vs. SUC

Meeechigan vs. Iowa

Oklahoma State vs. Texas A &M

Vanderbilt vs. Army


Bulldawgjosh, you no longer have an excuse.

CLEAN, OLD FASHIONED HATE IN THE DOME? CONSPIRACY!

Please do not fool yourself into thinking that moving the 2011 game against the North Avenue Trade School will be an interesting opportunity to play on the national stage and have even more Dawgs at the annual game against the bumble bees.

It is pure conspiracy on the part of Techies to play us on the national stage and have THEM fill the Georgia Dome. How would they do such? Easy.

Dragon*Con.

Dragon*Con has typically lined up with Labor Day weekend each year, and the Trade School will find every wizard, storm trooper, and fat superhero they can to fill the Georgia Dome if the game is moved.

There will probably be an entire section full of Harry Potters and storm troopers, painted bumble bee yellow, will guard the Trade School players on the sideline.

Not only must we not agree to this proposal so all of the supreme nerdiness in the air will not lead to the Trade School having a magical advantage to the game, but we do not need to embarass the game of college football.

If you see Damon Evans, tell him to stop the conspiracy, stop the nerds.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

The Heavyweight Bout: Green vs. Berry

For those of you who read the Iliad in high school, you know that at one point they attempt to end the conflict by having a one on one fight between two men. Since it seems that both Tennessee (Eric Berry) and Georgia (AJ Green) heavily rely on 1 player to help them win games, why not let them decide this game like they did in the old days. Here's the tale of the tape:
In the White corner...
Eric Berry
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 203
Age: 20
Position: Safety
Hometown: Fairburn, Georgia
Awards: 2007 Freshman All-American, 2008 All-American, 2008 SEC Defensive Player of the Year
Impressive Statistics: Has recorded 13 interceptions in a little over two seasons including 3 that have been returned for touchdowns. Berry also played quarterback in high school with a 37-5 record as the starter.
Rival for title of best player in the country at their position: Taylor Mays, USC
Famous YouTube Video: "Eric Berry for Heisman"



And in the Red Corner...
AJ Green
Height: 6'4''
Weight: 207
Age: 21
Position: Wide Receiver
Hometown: Summerville, South Carolina
Awards: 2007 Parade All-American, 2008 Freshman All-American, 2008 All-SEC, 2008 Freshman of the Year
Impressive Statistics: Through 18 games in his collegiate career, Green has amassed 86 catches for over 1500 yards and 13 touchdowns. He caught the game winning touchdowns in back to back games against Kentucky and Auburn in 2008. Green is 2nd all time in receiving yards by a high school athlete (5,373).
Rival for Best Player at their Position in the Country: Julio Jones, Alabama
Famous YouTube video: "The Catch"



I imagine the fight would look something like this:








It should be a fun battle to watch in Knoxville this Saturday.

GO DAWGS!!!

BigVolDaddy's Reaction to the UCLA Loss

Warning: Language and Hand Gestures.

But I agree with Assessment 1 and Assessment 2.

"I'm BigVolDaddy and I'm a loser today." I agree with that too, but don't just limit yourself to today. I would extend that to tomorrow, next week, next month and next year too.



Nothing Sucks Like a Big Orange. Except for maybe Jonathan Crompton - he's f'ing terrible...

Tennessee Notes

Tennessee leads the all-time series vs. UGA 20-16-2. The Dawgs are 8-10-1 in Knoxville and 6-8-1 at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee leads the SEC in penalties with only 18 on the year equaling 144 yards and an average of 28.8 penalty yards per game. Georgia averages 74.6 penalty yards per game. An interesting note is that Georgia's opponents average 83.6 penalty yards per game.

I'm not going to editorialize the penalties called during Georgia games. That's been done enough this week.

Senior RB Montario Hardesty leads the SEC in rushing, averaging 115 yards per game.

Junior S Eric Berry and senior LB Rico McCoy are third and fourth respectively in the SEC in tackles, averaging 9 and 8.8 tackles per game. Rennie leads the SEC at 11.2 tackles per game. UT's McCoy has also forced 2 fumbles.

Junior DE Chris Walker is second in the SEC in sacks with 4 solo's on the year.

1937

The last time UGA met Tennessee when both teams were unranked. Like this Saturday, the game was played in Knoxville.

Tennessee won 32-0. I pray for the mental health of the Bulldawg Nation that doesn't happen this Saturday.

The Dawgs and Vols have met 25 times since that 1937 meeting. An impressive streak of at least one program being ranked between the two. Something you might expect when discussing the program with second most SEC titles (Tennessee - 13) against the program with the third most SEC titles (Georgia - 12). These are the kind of historical streaks that Florida doesn't have. Both UT and UGA have actually played football for 100+ years at a quality level.

From 1972: UGA QB and Athens High School's very own Andy Johnson squares off against UT LB Art Reynolds at Sanford Stadium. #13 UT would win 14-0. Yet another UGA-UT matchup in which at least one team was ranked. Courtesy of UPI and govolsxtra.com.

The 1937 Georgia team finished 6-3-2 and was Coach Harry Mehre's last Georgia team. Mehre coached the Dawgs from 1928 to 1937, recorded an overall record of 59-34-6 (.626), and led Georgia as an initial member of the Southeastern Conference in 1933.

Coach Joel Hunt would lead the Dawgs for one season in 1938 before Coach Wally Butts took over in 1939 and would be the head man for 21 seasons.

Side note: The 1937 Tennessee team was led by the famous General Robert Neyland. They finished 6-3-1, shutting out 7 opponents. Yes, the tie was 0-0 with Duke. The 1938 Vols would go on to shut out 8 opponents, while the 1939 Vols would shut out 10 opponents and the 1940 Vols would shut out 8 opponents.

Neyland left after 1940 as he was recalled to military service during World War II. He returned to coach the Vols from 1946 to 1952.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The Perfect Drive Against Tennessee in 2008

Coming off of two straight straight beatdowns by the Volunteers in 2006 and 2007, the Dawgs met Tenneesse in Athens last year after the failure that was the Blackout against Alabama. While Georgia was clearly the better team on the field, they could not seem to put the Vols away. Leading 23-14, the Dawgs took over at their own 13 yard line with 13:48 left on the clock. What followed was one of the best drives I have ever witnessed while watching Georgia football. Here is the play by play account:

1st and 10 at UGA 13
Moreno rush for 11 yards to the Geo 24 for a 1ST down.

1st and 10 at UGA 24
Chapas rush for 4 yards to the Geo 28.

2nd and 6 at UGA 28
Stafford pass complete to Green for 5 yards to the Geo 33.

3rd and 1 at UGA 33
Moreno rush for 3 yards to the Geo 36 for a 1ST down.

1st and 10 at UGA 36
Moreno rush for 1 yard to the Geo 37.

2nd and 9 at UGA 37
Stafford pass complete to Green for 14 yards to the Tenn 49 for a 1ST down.

1st and 10 at TENN 49
Moreno rush for 6 yards to the Tenn 43.

2nd and 4 at TENN 43
Moreno rush for 6 yards to the Tenn 37 for a 1ST down.

1st and 10 at TENN 37
King rush for 7 yards to the Tenn 30.

2nd and 3 at TENN 30
King rush for 7 yards to the Tenn 23 for a 1ST down.

1st and 10 at TENN 23
King rush for no gain to the Tenn 23.

2nd and 10 at TENN 23
King rush for 9 yards to the Tenn 14.

3rd and 1 at TENN 14
Stafford rush for 3 yards to the Tenn 11 for a 1ST down.

1st and 10 at TENN 11
Chapas rush for 6 yards to the Tenn 5.

2nd and 4 at TENN 5
King rush for no gain to the Tenn 5.

3rd and 4 at TENN 5
Moreno rush for a loss of 1 yard to the Tenn 6.

4th and 5 at TENN 6
Georgia penalty 5 yard delay of game accepted.

4th and 10 at TENN 11
Walsh 28 yard field goal GOOD.

DRIVE TOTALS: 17 plays 76 yards, 10:59

This drive was old school SEC football. The Georgia line chewed the Tennessee line apart as the Dawgs ran 15 running plays. The longest gain on the drive was 15 yards on a pass to AJ Green. The Dawgs were 2 for 3 on 3rd down and while they failed to get a touchdown, by running nearly 11 minutes off the clock they essentially put Tennessee away. While it may not have been flashy and most of the plays were not included in the highlight reel, this drive was about as good as it gets.

What I wouldn't give to see another drive like this on Saturday.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Knoxville Memories

The Dawgs head to Knoxville this weekend looking to shake off the bad taste left in their mouths following the loss to LSU. Georgia has won 3 of the 4 meetings at Tennessee this decade, a place they had not previously won since 1980. Here's a look back at the memorable Bulldog victories in Knoxville since 2001:

2001- "We just stepped on their face with a hobnail boot and broke their nose."
During Mark Richt's first season, the heavy underdog Dawgs travelled to Knoxville to take on the #4 Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee took the lead, 24-20 with just 44 seconds left on the clock. David Greene would lead the Dawgs down the field that would end with a touchdown pass to Verron Haynes and one of the most memorable Munson calls of all-time:

Georgia 26, Tennessee 24

2003 - Sean Jones Takes it All the Way
A close battle in the first half, the Dawgs were leading 13-7 when Tennessee took the snap at Georgia's goal line attempting to take the lead. The following play ensued:

The Dawgs would proceed to blow the Vols out in the second half, a win that would help the Dawgs back to the SEC Championship game that December.

Georgia 41, Tennessee 14

2005 - Thomas Flowers Breaks it Open
With the Dawgs clinging to a 6 point lead in the fourth quarter, Georgia forced the Vols to punt from inside their own 10 yard line. Thomas Flowers received the punt and the rest was Georgia history:


Georgia 27, Tennessee 14

Thoughts on Louisiana State

After LSU scored to take a 20-13 lead, I looked at the time left on the clock and immediately thought something special might happen. Georgia was about to receive the kickoff with 1 timeout remaining and 46 seconds on the clock. 8 years ago, the Dawgs received a kickoff with one time out remaining and 44 seconds on the clock after Tennessee had scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter on the Dawgs in Knoxville. Unfortunately, there were no hobnail boots to rescue the Dawgs this time. Here are my final thoughts from a tough game that leaves the Dawgs at 3-2 and a tough game next week against the Vols in Knoxville:

- Despite the score only being 6-0 at half, this game felt a lot like the 2008 Bama game. The fact that we held it that close is a testament to the defense's performance. If you were to remove the final 3 minutes of the game, that was one of the top 10 defensive performances of the Mark Richt era (and yes, there have been some great defensive games during that time).
- People have been complaining about Richard Samuel and Caleb King in the first half, but really they should be complaining about the O-line. The offensive line was great on pass protection, but every time we ran there were mutliple guys through the line. However, it was nice to see the number 24 bursting through the line again. Washaun has a bright future in Athens.
- The lack of effort to both block and return punts is horrible. Put Carlton Thomas back there and let him give it a try if Prince can't. Every time we send out Logan, we might as well be raising a white flag.
- Rennie Curran and AJ Green continue their wonderful play. Our offense would be nothing with AJ right now. He is not on any Heisman lists (and with the team at 3-2, he stands no chance of winning it) but he is clearly the most valuable player in college football right now.
- The penalty was crap and the make up call against LSU was BS as well. Bottom line is the first one should have never been called, it changed the game. Walsh had two touchbacks during the game and I believe he could have done it again if we kick off from the 30.

This game was a heart breaker. After an exhausting 5 week stretch to open the season, the Dawgs have yet to play a game that they either had a no chance to win or lose. The won-loss records of the teams Georgia has played so far is 16-5 (I believe). To come out with a 3-2 record, while disappointing, is still something to be proud of. We've got two games in Tennessee and then the week off before Florida. I hope the Dawgs can right the ship like we did in 2007.

GO DAWGS!!!

BNE Pick 'Em Week 5

Once again, it was an exciting weekend for college football and there was a lot to see this week with a couple of upsets and overtime games. UGA, Air Force and Meechigan fell in tough battles during close games, Miami pulled off a miraculous win against OU, and USC trounced Cal. It looks like everyone did a good job this week with their picks.


Here's the quick and dirty standings overall after week 5:

1. OneHairyDawg (our new #1)

2. Gen. Stoopangle

3. DawgDai

4. Donald Eason

5. bcdawg97 & aumaverick

7. dawgsman81

8. ecdawg

9. yedidawg

10. allyugadawg


From the BNE staff...

1. aumaverick

2. BFR

3. bubba

4. earl

5. Streit

6. bulldawgjosh


And now for our Bottom Feeder of the Week, sponsored by www.noclue.com "Helping you find what you need". Our newest member to the bottom feeding pool is diangel with a 6-51 record and only 37 total points showing that he/she truly has no clue. Its a long climb to the top and OneHairyDawg's 234 points. I'm going to suggest stopping by our sponsor, www.noclue.com to find some help for your picks this week along with some climbing gear for that long trek to the top.


This week's matchups will feature a sampling of games from the ACC (BC vs. VaTech), the Big East (WV vs. Syracuse), Big 10 (Wisconsin vs. Ohio State), Big 12 (OK St. vs. Texas A&M), Independent (Vandy vs. Army) and of course our SEC matchups. Look for UGA (3-2) to rebound from a tough loss to LSU (5-0) and Auburn (5-0) to keep the high-flying Razorbacks (2-2) in check. Good luck!

Chris Todd & Onterio McCalebb have the Tigers running to a 5-0 start. Will it hold?