Chick-Fil-A at your tailgate (reminder)

Once again, you're encouraged to pick up some Chick-fil-A for your time in Athens this weekend. LSU fans know their cajun food, but there's nothing like some good Georgia chicken to compliment your tailgate.

You can order trays of nuggets, strips, sandwiches, wraps, brownies, etc. from Chick-fil-A at Beechwood in Athens, and they'll have it ready for you on game day.

Your contact is Chris at cfabeechwood@gmail.com to place an order or get some general info.

God bless the chicken sandwich.

PWD

Full Disclosure: This is a compensated endorsement, but I'm practically a Chick-Fil-A evangelist so it's still from the heart.

V for Vendetta

Did Willie Martinez kick sand on Mark Bradley at the beach? Or steal his lunch money in high school? Or his girlfriend? That would explain Bradley's second column in less than a week putting a cudgel to Willie Martinez.

The gist of the column is that when Les Miles determined his defense was substandard, he upgraded his defensive coordinator(s) by hiring John Chavis. And Mark Richt did nothing (save to promote Janceck to co-cordinator).

Who has two thumbs and gets no pressure...from his boss?

Let me be clear: I am not making the argument that Willie Martinez is as good as or better than John Chavis. Chavis's body of work is demonstrably better. But based solely on this season's statistics, I am puzzled by how Bradley supports his thesis. The numbers are postively underwhelming for both teams.

LSU ranks 49th nationally in total defense and 23rd in scoring defense; Georgia ranks 67th and 95th. The key difference: The Tigers are tied for fifth in turnover margin, having intercepted seven passes and recovered three fumbles; Georgia is 115th, having intercepted one pass and recovered two fumbles. (Neither team has done much sacking: Each has five in four games.

Four games into the season, LSU ranks 49th in defense and UGA ranks 67th. LSU barely cracks the top 50 against such august competition as Washington, Vanderbilt, La-Lafayette, and Little Miss State. So why is Chavis the answer?

But the belief in this space is that Chavis will instill the ethic of tenacity a big-time program must have. The belief is also that Martinez’s defense is based on the backpedal. Granted, Georgia held Arizona State to 204 yards and one offensive touchdown, but ASU might finish fifth (or worse) in the SEC East. There’s a higher standard in this conference, and Chavis has proved he can meet it.

I'll spot Bradley this: LSU's defense may not be very good right now, but it's not crazy to think Chavis will whip them into shape. Willie is what he is. But for now the jury is out until Chavis puts some statistical distance between his unit and CWM's unit.

Bradley hit the nail on the head when he identifies this key difference: LSU turns the ball over much less than Georgia. I suspect the winner on Saturday will not be the team that plays better defense; it will be the team with the fewest turnovers. If we spot the Tigers 2 TDs off turnovers like we did for the Sun Devils, we lose. Likewise, if Daryl Gamble (or anyone) can reprise last year's double-pick-six performance, Dawgs win another over LSU.

SEC Power Poll Ballot

1. Alabama - I had them No. 1 last week and see no reason to change.  Everything they do is competent.  Nothing spectacular, just solid, consistent football.
   
2. Florida - That off week will help, huh?  UF blew the Wildcats off the field in the first half until they slowed and Tebow got hurt.    
3. LSU -  Slots three through five are interchangeable.  LSU continues to look sluggish.  At some point I'll have to admit that it is simply a defining characteristic of the team, not just their play. 
   
4. Georgia - Other than the turnover problems the Dawgs have had, UGA and LSU are playing a mirror image of themselves this weekend.  Neither team runs the ball, rushes the passer, or defends particularly well. 
   
5. Auburn - Another blowout win over a patsy, but at least it was convincing.  Two things that I'd never thought I'd see in a sentence together:  "Chris Todd" and "5 TDs".
   
6. South Carolina - Garcia and the Cocks keyed the hell out of Ole Miss's shiny #4 ranking in front of a national audience.
7. Ole Miss - The Rebs were overrated and now all the experts admit it.  Frankly, they had as good a case as anyone else for the top 5.  Nutt is a far more compelling personality when he is the crazed underdog than the frontrunner.  A high ranking just doesn't fit the guy's personality.
   
8. Arkansas -So that's what an SEC defense is supposed to look like.  Saban blitzed Mallett like he was Poland and the result was surrender.  Also, Hogs, learn to tackle.  That Trent Richardson TD run was embarrassing.
   
9. Mississippi State -You can't get closer to a big win that State did Saturday.  If the ball were pitched on 4th down, Mullen would have a signature win in his first year.  Instead, he has sadness.
   
10. Tennessee -The woe is back in Knoxville.  We should have known that the Vols would be lethargic after last weekend's big moral victory against the Gators.
    
11. Kentucky - Hey, the 'Cats looked decent in the second half after Tebow got knocked out.
    
12. Vanderbilt - Our nerds are better than your nerds, Conference USA!
    

Quinton

New Gator Slogan for the LSU Game

"Win one for the Snipper."

Behold. The best line in the history of the internets. Ht - Dawgspeare.

See Also:
-- Orson's take on things in 1 image - EDSBS

A Long Time Coming

I broke out the media guide tonight to check when Georgia last beat an AP top 5 opponent in Athens.  (LSU is currently #4.)  Would you believe that it was 25 years ago?  The Dawgs needed a 60 yard FG from Kevin Butler to beat #2 Clemson, 26-23 in September of 1984.  The kick prompted the stadium to go "worse than bonkers" in one of the greatest Munson calls ever.  That was a long time, but the Dawgs haven't had many opportunities since that kick. 

Tech was #2 in 1990, Florida was #3 in 1995, and Tennessee was #5 in 1998 when those teams beat UGA in Athens.  Those are the only three top 5 teams to play in Sanford Stadium since 1984.  Notice something about those teams?  All played for the national title in those years and the Vols and Tech (partially) won it. That's a pretty spooky stat.  (By the way, the last season that LSU beat Georgia, they won the national championship.) 

Coach Richt has broken a lot of streaks at Georgia: winning in Knoxville, winning a conference crown, beating the Gators and Auburn in the same year.  Maybe he can add beating a top 5 team in Athens this weekend.

Quinton

UGA vs. UT kickoff time announcement postponed

The Chattanooga Times-Free Press reports that CBS will use a six-day option to decide the game time of the UGA at Tennessee game.  They are televising UF vs. LSU at 8:00 as part of a double header.  The 3:30 slot will have one of the following:

UGA at Tennessee
Bama at Ole Miss
Auburn at Arkansas

The Chattanooga paper says the other two teams will play around lunch time.  There are no ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU night games that week.

I still think we end up at noon or one of the ESPN networks, but I guess if Ole Miss lost at Vandy this Saturday, we beat LSU and UT beats Auburn...our game would be more interesting.  Who knows.  If you're planning...it's not a night game regardless.

See Also:
-- Tickets: Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Vols

PWD

Turnovers....

Post-game Dean Legge at DawgPost.com talked about the Arizona State game, and he essentially said that the current formula of turnovers plus penalties is not sustainable for success. And that's right. We're winning, but you almost have to wonder...how?

We are 113th in the nation in total turnovers and 115th in turnover margin. Here's the company we're keeping in worst turnover margin.

Rank	Name
102	La.-Lafayette
102	NMSU
102	North Texas
102	Rice
106	Fla. Atlantic
106	Tulane
108	Ball St.
108	Fresno St.
108	UNLV
111	FIU
111	Virginia
113	New Mexico
113	San Diego St.
115	Georgia
116	West Virginia
117	Maryland
118	Buffalo
119	Nevada
120	Miami (OH)

That's Loserville USA. They have to trim the turnovers, or this season could get wildly out of hand. You can lose to anyone with -2 or -3 turnovers a game (Stats: NCAA).

See Also:
-- Turnovers Killing Dawgs - Hale
-- Turnovers nearly did in Dawgs - Clarkson
-- Tickets: UGA vs. LSU

PWD

Burying the Devils and Looking Toward LSU

(Image: georgiadogs.com - John Kelley)

I'm not going to get too in depth, but let me start with the good stuff.  First and most importantly, a pass rush was apparent last night and our defensive linemen showed their potential.  Justin Houston had Georgia's only sack, but the line harassed and penetrated all night.  The stats show nine tackles for loss, setting the Devils back 26 yards.  (The official stats also say no QBHs, but that can't be right.)  Willie used a variety of blitz packages, but even when we rushed four, it seemed the Dawgs were getting the best of the line of scrimmage.  Kickoff coverage looked pretty solid. 

Next, A.J. Green will go down as the second best player ever at UGA.  He essentially won that game by himself last night.  He scored on a gorgeous catch and run in the first, should have had another TD on an absolutely impossible catch at the beginning of the fourth quarter, blocked the potential go-ahead field goal for ASU, and saved the game by out fighting an ASU DB in the final minutes. When Marshall had Randy Moss, I used to wonder "why don't they throw to him thirty times a game?"  I'm starting to say that about A.J.  The dude IS our offense.

Now the bad.  The Stillwater offense showed up again, except this time we remembered we had A.J. on the team in time to win.  We didn't run the ball well.  Samuel couldn't break tackles.  Caleb fumbled.  We had a couple of screen passes that weren't thrown competently.  Cox threw two picks.  We are as inconsistent on offense as is possible.  The timing of this really concerns me, because of our next opponent.

LSU hasn't looked particularly impressive this year.  They do, however, have a very important weapon.  Patrick Peterson is as good a corner as exists in college football.  If Peterson slows down A.J., what do we do that can win a game against a solid SEC opponent?  I'm not sure I have a good answer to that question. 

Quinton

Tickets: LSU Tigers at Georgia Bulldogs

If you need tickets for Saturday's game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers at Sanford Stadium in Athens, our Stubhub affiliate can help.

Saturday's kickoff time is 3:30 pm on CBS. Uga VII might even stay awake for this one.

PWD

Last Time

Gordon Biersch ran out of beer, people were scared to use the desert excrement ovens (bathrooms) at Sun Devil Stadium, and Knowshon took flight again.

Quinton

Gameday Garbage Bag Drive

Business Frat to Help Tailgaters Keep Campus Clean

(Press Release)

Alpha Kappa Psi, a national co-ed business fraternity will host their first “Gameday Garbage Bag Drive” this Saturday, September 26th in response to the growing problem of tailgate litter.

Students, alumni, and citizens of Athens were devastated by the sheer amount of waste left behind on the University of Georgia’s campus after the UGA/USC football game two weeks ago.

“We have one of them most beautiful campuses in the country,” said Brian Huff, Warden of Alpha Kappa Psi. “When I saw the now infamous video footage of North Campus that was taken following the South Carolina game, I was ashamed. It is my hope that through this drive, we can keep campus cleaner in the future."

On gameday, volunteers from the fraternity will venture onto campus to distribute two types of garbage bags in order to make recycling more accessible for fans. Clear garbage bags to signify recyclable materials and opaque garbage bags to signify non-recyclable waste.

Alpha Kappa Psi’s house, located at the intersection of Baxter St. and Milledge Ave., has set up large bins on the front porch in order to accept garbage bags from fellow students. In addition, the fraternity is asking for monetary donations from Alumni and friends of the University. Financial contributions to the drive, in any amount, will go towards bulk purchases of clear bags for recyclable items.

The Chick-fil-A restaurant at Beechwood and Jittery Joe’s Coffee have already pledged generous bag contributions. Alpha Kappa Psi would like to thank these stores and invite other local businesses to participate in the drive.

“UGA fans are a people of pride,” said Thorne Brown, President of Alpha Kappa Psi. “We can show that same pride in the way we treat our campus. You don’t show your pride just by wearing UGA’s colors—you show it by keeping your campus clean.”

#

To make a monetary donation to the Gameday Garbage Bag Drive, pay online with PayPal at http://www.terry.uga.edu/akpsi

Hairy Dawg on Tailgating

Saturday is a very big day for the future of tailgating at UGA. Particularly for those of you who tailgate on North Campus. Just bring some bags and put your crap in it. It's not like they are asking you to drive you trash to the county dump before kickoff. Just bag your stuff.

It's your choice. If you want something like The Grove at Ole Miss, you have to treat North Campus with respect. If you want something like a NASCAR infield, you can kiss tailgating in that area as we know it now goodbye.

It's up to you.

PWD

BOW BEFORE ME! I WON THE PICK 'EM LAST WEEK

I haven't had jack crap to brag about with the pool until now. I can't BELIEVE I waited til Thursday to check this week's standings, and there I sit. Majestically tied for first place with a stunning 12-1 record. If you're curious, I went 11-2 last week. (Don't ask about Week 1...no seriously...please don't)

Get your picks in tonight for the Ole Miss at South Carolina game. Here are the current standings.

Standings for Week 3
Rank	Selection	W-L	Pts
1	dawgfan_98's picks	12-1	89
1	PWD's picks	12-1	89
3	mcaison's picks	11-2	88
3	mikebm4wm's picks	11-2	88
3	Turd Ferguson's picks	11-2	88
6	walkermydawg's picks	12-1	87
6	eat the meek's picks	12-1	87
8	HunkerDown09's picks	12-1	85
9	scott's selections	11-2	84
9	bravodawg's picks	12-1	84
11	ScenicCityDawg's picks	10-3	83
11	gatadawg's picks	11-2	83
11	mhaynor's picks	11-2	83
11	AJ's Sloppy Seconds	11-2	83
11	EVIL RICHT 2.0's picks	11-2	83

Overall Leaders....

Overall Standings Through Week 3
Rank	Selection	W-L	Pts
1	walkermydawg's picks	32-8	249
2	eat the meek's picks	33-7	248
3	scott's selections	32-8	246
3	Statesboro Dawg	32-8	246
5	contrarian's picks	32-8	245
6	hoeilaartdawg's picks	31-9	244
7	CarltonJ34's picks	30-10	243
8	Repn GA from Tx	30-10	242
8	JJPJ's picks	31-9	242
8	dawg with no fleas's picks	31-9	242

Overall, I'm up to 38th place out of 449 people. That's not too shabby. Quinton continues to turn great numbers, and he's at 26th after Week 3. Dawgnoxious is a mind boggling 379th...which again makes me wonder if he knows the rules. And my brother continues to beat me at this which he brings up regularly.

My favorite user names:
1. Joe Cox Circumcises Angels
2. hooterswhisperer's picks
3. Gingers: The Joe Cox Story
4. Tebow sets fruity picks
5. 2gators1finger
6. TebowSurgeryCenter's picks

Get those picks in! Also -- You can use the app to suggest future games for me to pick. I can see the # of votes per match-up many weeks in advance. I have updated the match-ups through Week 9.

PWD

Fix What's Broken and Not What Annoys You

There are only so many hours in a day and because of that we have the concept of Opportunity Cost. If you're not working to fix what's broken, then whatever you are doing is a distraction.

College football is pretty straight forward. Most of the time, the better team wins. Players + Coaches = Team.

There are obvious exceptions in a one game scenario where turnovers, injuries or other miscues can impact a single game. But as the time line of evaluating a single rivalry or the entire scope of all college football grows longer, the better team wins most of the time.

So why do I post this? Because I'm excited to see Georgia renew it's contract in Jacksonville. There are only two reasons to leave Jacksonville:

1. If we thought we'd make more money playing somewhere else.
2. If we thought it would help us beat the Gators.

The university makes more profit down there over a two year cycle than we would make playing a two year cycle of home and away. So it's not money.

That only question left is...would it help us win more games? Which brings us back to the original question. Why do teams typically win games. Because they have better players and coaches.

I think it was Blutarsky who pointed this out first. Since 1990:

UGA vs. UF: 3-14 on a neutral field
LSU vs. UF: 5-14 home and home
UT vs. UF: 6-14 home and home

If playing home and home is such a cure all, why haven't LSU and UT performend noticeably better?

If we were to leave Jacksonville, it would be a way of saying that the current state of affairs is not Coach Richt's responsibility. That it's not his responsibility that we don't have better players and coaches than the Gators. That somehow the physical location of the stadium is the root cause of our issues.

The absolute worst thing that could've happened to Richt yesterday would've been to move that game without fixing the real, systemic issues with losing down there. If he thinks he gets pressure from Dawg fans for losing in Jacksonville, today. That's nothing compared to what he'd hear if he lost to them in Athens or Atlanta. And we will continue to lose more than our fair share regardless of the location until we close the coaching and talent gaps.

Yesterday was a good day for our program. It was a day where excuses for failure were ignored in favor of good business sense and yes....tradition.

We can beat them down there, and return the rivalry to balance. But it'll take raising our game to Meyer's level. Not trying to rearrange the deck chairs.


PWD

Chick-Fil-A at your tailgate...

If you're headed up to Athens this weekend for the game, you might look into picking up some Chick-fil-A trays for your tailgate.

You can order trays of nuggets, strips, sandwiches, wraps, brownies, etc. from Chick-fil-A at Beechwood in Athens, and they'll have it ready for you on game day, or any other day for that matter.

Contact Chris at cfabeechwood@gmail.com to place an order. He handles all the catering and tray orders, and he'll take care of you.

Enjoy your tailgates this weekend and let's make sure to keep campus clean.

PWD


Full Disclosure: This is a compensated endorsement, but I'm practically a Chick-Fil-A evangelist so it's still from the heart.

Mark Bradley: Freelance HR Consultant

This blog has never called for a coach's head (even at the nadir of Felton's tenure), and probably never will. We try to provide attempted humor, commentary and analysis. There are plenty of other folks who fancy themselves one of the Bobs. For instance, Mark Bradley.

In Bradley's latest column, he lists 5 reasons why Willie Martinez should be demoted ASAP. Fortunately for CWM, his boss (like most of people) probably doesn't read the Weekly Reader AJC anymore. And let's not kid ourselves: Mark Richt is not going to make any staff changes in mid-season.

Who has two thumbs and gets pressure...from Mark Bradley?

Back in November 2008, PWD wrote an excellent piece on whether the problem with the defense is coaching or talent. We're basically dealing with the same group of guys as last year, so the analysis is still relevant. I'd say in the case of our secondary, it might be a little bit of both.

Seeing coaches get pink slips is nothing to celebrate; these are decent folks with families to support. However, seeing us get torched by Stephen Garcia is not good times either.

There's an argument to be made that the season's defensive statistics Bradley uses to bolster his argument are partially distorted by our atrocious turnover margin. But any way you slice it, it is clear that the defense needs to step up during the grueling three week stretch ahead.

The worst case scenario for UGA is that calls for CWM's scalp become a distraction to the coaching staff and to the team. Anything that degrades on-field performance is sub-optimal.

I'd like to see the defense rally and prove this unit is more like the team who (but for points off turnovers) basically held Oklahoma State in check. Not to save Willie's job, but because it's unrealistic to think we'll put up 40+ points against LSU and Tennessee.

UGA Asks Fans to Help Manage Gameday Trash

UGA released the statement below to season ticket holders this afternoon:

Subject: UGA Seeks Community Cooperation to Manage Game Day Trash
From: ugatickets@sports.uga.edu
Date: Wed, Sep 23, 2009 3:23 pm

Athens, Ga. - "If you bring it in, please take it out." That's the mantra the University of Georgia is asking its football fans to adopt in an effort to control the amount of trash littering campus on a football Saturday. And if they can't take it out, at least bag it and place it in a trash receptacle or dumpster.

"I believe the students, alumni and fans who attend UGA football games do love and respect this beautiful campus," said UGA President Michael F. Adams. "And I fully expect that they will do their part to clean up after themselves and to ensure that others around them do the same."

The university plans to distribute 12,000 trash bags in parking lots and around campus this Saturday before the Georgia Bulldogs play host to the Arizona State Sun Devils in a 7 p.m. kickoff. Volunteers from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes will walk through tailgating areas distributing trash bags and encouraging tailgaters to bag their trash and deposit it in an appropriate receptacle. The number of disposable trash boxes on North Campus will be increased to 400 from the previous 250, and over the entire campus to 1,500 from the previous 1,200. Several large roll-off dumpsters will be placed strategically around campus for tailgaters to dispose of their bagged trash.

Additionally, the firm that contracts to clean the campus on Sundays following a football game - American Stadiums - will send crews on an initial sweep through North Campus during the first quarter of remaining games this season to pick up trash already collected and set aside by tailgaters.

The number of Port-a-Johns available on campus also will be increased, particularly in the North Campus area which has been problematic.

"Before people head to the game for kickoff, we hope they'll pick up around their tailgate area, bag the trash, and either place it in their vehicle to carry home or place it in one of our trash receptacles or dumpsters," said George Stafford, associate vice president for auxiliary and administrative services, who oversees game day operations outside Sanford Stadium itself. Fans should encourage those around them to do the same, he added. "It will take the community working together to accomplish this," he said. "People who profess to care about UGA should help take care of UGA."

It looks like the University got the message that garbage cans and toilets were in short supply on North Campus. Now the fans need to do our part.

Decision Time on World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

UPDATE: It looks like the game will stay in Jax. Tim Tucker reports Damon is expected to recommend a six-year contract to the Athletic Board. Damon: "I strongly believe staying in Jacksonville at this time is the most appropriate thing to do." Il Duce is "in full support" of Damon's recommendation. Now all we have to do is win. GATA!

***Original Post***
The AJC reports that the UGA Athletic Board is scheduled to make a decision on the location of the Georgia-Florida game at its meeting today.

The location of the game has been a matter of intense debate among Georgia fans for several months now. PWD persuasively argued in March against moving the game. Go re-read PWD's take, because he nails it.

I am cautiously optimistic that this quadrennial waffling on the part of UGA is just a negotiating tactic for getting a better deal from the City of Jacksonville. Back in June future NCAA President Il Duce said, "[t]here are things we want yet out of the city of Jacksonville that can even the playing field a bit.” Like better coaching and better players over the last two decades? That's hardly Jacksonville's fault, but I digress.

This photo never gets old. Courtesy of Josh Massey.

Georgia has been successful posturing to leave Jax in the past. For example, we currently get $100K more than Florida to defray travel costs. However, I will be deeply disappointed if the Athletic Board votes to move this game out of Jacksonville. Neither of the other options are very appealing. The Georgia Dome is smaller and has the atmosphere of a podiatrist's office, and the notion of bringing those asshats to Athens every other year is repulsive.

It's hard to predict what Adams and his Board values more. By moving the game he gets a belated victory in his war to scrap the WLOCP moniker, but keeping the game in Jax generates UGA about $1 million more every two years. I'm guessing we'll see another 4 year deal to stay in Jacksonville.

When cocktail parties are outlawed, only outlaws will have cocktail parties

SEC Power Poll Ballot

We're still early, but the goo is starting to harden a bit.  Here are my continued guesses:

1. Alabama - Right now, they appear to have the best team.  My concerns about their offensive line and QB haven't materialized.  It's a power poll, so the Bammers get my nod.
2. Florida - Was Meyer being nice or was that the best the Gators have?  Meyer doesn't have "nice" in him, so I'm forced to assume UF is only a few points better than UCLA. 
   
3. Ole Miss -The Rebs are #4 in the country and need to prove they deserve it Thursday night.  
4. Auburn - I'm buying the Aubs.  Their offense looks like its for real and their defense can control the game enough to make the O's scores stand up.  They also have wins over fairly legit opponents, a rarity at this point in the season.
   
5. LSU - I've never heard a group of people more upset about going 3-0.  They have issues on both sides, but I just get the feeling this team is going to hit its stride and crush some people later this season.  Right now, they're just thinking about it.  That Washington win suddenly looks better.
   
6. Georgia - The offense can score with anyone.  The defense can allow scores as well as anybody too.  So far, the Dawgs are Loyola Marymount, scoring huge numbers of points and eeking out wins. 
7. Arkansas -They'll score a bunch of points this year because they have a huge QB who can sling it around.  But, their defense has to get a lot better for them to win serious games.
   
8. South Carolina - The Cocks pulled away in the second half against FAU.  Garcia and crew must win Thursday to remain relevant.
   
9. Mississippi State - State got a conference win in Nashville.  Celebrate Dogs because that may be it for a while.
   
10. Tennessee - Moral victory!  This past weekend's game was the most disappointed I've been with a Vol loss in a long time.  Didn't everyone want to see Kiffy bleed and grovel for mercy? 
    
11. Kentucky - I don't know if Louisville is any good, but I bet that Kentucky is just like they always are: capable, but not overly threatening.
12. Vanderbilt - At home with a winnable game and they come up short again.
    

Quinton

Herschel to Become MMA Fighter

Herschel Walker just inked a deal with the Strikeforce, a MMA league similar to (although less competitive than) UFC, to become a professional ultimate fighter.

On the one hand, Herschel is a sixth-degree blackbelt. On the other hand, he's 47 years old.

I will go in there and test myself against any 20 year old," Walker said. "I know there will be naysayers and I'm fine with that. I want to prove to people who sit on a couch and don't do anything but criticize other people that, if you're a true athlete or martial artist, you're not old until you can't get up and walk around anymore. MMA fighters are said to be some of the best athletes in the world, my plan at the age of 47 is to show the world I am still
one of the best athletes as well.

Herschel will immediately begin an 8-12 week training academy. His first fight will probably be in 2010.

There's no denying the guy is a force of nature and has kept himself in incredible shape. He's been studying martial arts for the better part of three decades, so it's not like he picked some random activity like, say, bobsledding. But he's 47! I guess if anybody can do it, he can. GATA.

If Herschel decides he wants to get into pro wrestling, he could form the GREATEST TAG TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE.

Confirmed: LSU at Georgia kickoff at 3:30 on CBS

The LSU Tigers will play the Georgia Bulldogs at 3:30 pm (ET) in Sanford Stadium according to the official LSU web site. This will be UGA's first game on CBS this season. The last time the Dawgs played LSU at home, they beat them senseless. Wait...that's the same thing that happened when we played them on the road...and at a neutral site.

Other SEC kickoff times for Oct. 3rd are:

SEC Network -- 12:21 p.m. Alabama at Kentucky
CBS -- 3:30 p.m. LSU at Georgia
ESPNU -- 7 p.m. Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
ESPN Classic -- 7 p.m. South Carolina State at South Carolina
ESPN 2 -- 7:30 p.m. Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (Arlington, Texas)
CSS -- 7:30 p.m. Georgia Tech at Miss. State
ESPN -- 7:45 p.m. Auburn at Tennessee

Oct. 3rd is the week we find out what UGA and Auburn in particular are really made of. I have a good feeling we already know that UT and LSU are all about.

See Also:
-- Georgia vs. LSU Tickets

PWD

UGA vs. Arizona State Tickets

If you don't have tickets to the Georgia Bulldogs vs. Arizona State Sun Devils football game at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA, it's not too late to get them. Stubhub has auctions starting at $57.50 and flat price lower level tickets starting at $75.00 as of this morning.

If you're an ASU fan, we typically put visitors in the 600-level, as well as portions of Sections 102, 103, 104 and 301. That's not guaranteed, but that's the way I remember seats / tickets most often being configured.

PWD

This team is most frustrating for....

...the pundits. Because the Bulldogs are too schizophrenic to put into a category for cliched sweeping generalizations. And sweeping generalizations are easier to write (trust me...I love them). All we really know about this team after three games:

1. AJ Green is basically unstoppable.

2. The defensive results do not match the defensive talent. I'm a Willie Martinez apologist by almost any yardstick, but at this point...excuses or not...they have got to tighten up.

3. They don't quit, and they believe in Joe Cox.

4. Directional kicking still doesn't work.

As for my thoughts on the game (in no particular order)

• Joe Cox - Dean Legge nailed it. If Joe Cox's shoulder is injured, it should be injured every week. 375 yards with 5 TDs is amazing. Hale says Cox's performance didn't surprise the Dawgs. Do you realize he was about inches on the missed bomb to T. King from 6 TDs and about 425 yards? Where's the love asks Blutarsky? UgaMummra has all 5 TDs on Video.
  
  
• OchoDos - Es mas pesos en el tercero oportunidad.
  
  
• Drew Butler - Holy crap. He's good, and it's not just lucky bounces at this point. He kicked the leather off the ball at Arkansas. Although, we were close to getting one blocked. We either have to block a little better or get it out of there faster or the Gators might block one.
  
  
• Ryan Mallett - Is much better than I expected, but that slide to the turf on 3rd down inside the 10 yard line late in the 4th quarter was about as big a wuss move as I've seen in a while. That was exactly the sort of dumbassery I was expecting to happen all game. If you're 6'7" and 240 lbs, you lower your shoulder there and make something happen. Not slide. He ignored some easy underneath stuff to force bigger plays (a la Stafford) that cost them. But overall, he was exceptional for a guy in his 5th start. They are very lucky to have him.
  
  
• Branden Smith - The kid has outrageous ability, but this was the first game where it looked like he may be overwhelmed by the breadth of responsibilities. It's asking a lot for a freshman, who by his own admission didn't watch much film in high school, to learn offense, defense and two special teams units (kickoff return and field goal block). He looked positively lost on offense. They need to find a way to focus him a little so he can be come great at something as opposed to a fast, novelty at lots of things.
  
  
• The Razorback PA System - As Bulldog in Exile points out, the Hawgs were cheating their balls off with the PA System playing piped in music on 3rd down when UGA was at the line of scrimmage. It was most over the top in the 4th quarter.
  
  
• The Defense - They only gave up 20 points after the Dawgs stopped turning the ball over, but a few more field goals following the first three turnovers was a reasonable expectation. I re-watched the game on TV after we got back from Fayetteville, and the camera angles didn't do justice to how open the Razorback receivers really were. If you're looking for hope for the season, the best UGA cornerbacks of recent note (Oliver, Minter, Jennings, Thornton, Bryant, etc) didn't come into their own until mid-way through their second season. So Boykin should start to click somewhere around UT or UF if he follows the prior trends.
  
  
• Play Action Defense - Play Action passes weren't invented this off season. Why do our LBs and Safeties seem so bamboozled and frozen by that most basic of fakes?
  
  
• Is the Offense "Enough" - Yes, the Razorback defense is truly awful, but South Carolina's defense is pretty good. We moved the ball pretty effectively on the Cocks. I believe that we can score on anyone we play...including the Gators. Not 40-50 a game, but we can score some serious points. The kickoff return team should give us good enough field position and the punt return unit at some point has to return to last year's SEC leading unit production. If we trim the turnovers, we can score enough to be in any game.
  
  
• Is the Defense "Enough" - Right now...they are enough to beat mediocre teams, and I think they are enough against the run to look above average against teams with bad QBs. Luckily, the QBs at LSU, UT and GT aren't scaring anyone right now, and I like the run defense in all of them. Unluckily, Douche 3:16 is still the Gator QB and AU is passing better than they have in a long, long time. It's going to be a wild ride for the rest of the season

I thought 9-3 was par before the season, and I still do. But this offense can win 10+...if they trim turnovers and get ANY help from the defense.

BTW -- If you google "Mitch Mustain" do you get his mom's blog?

See Also:
-- Wooten the Ball Carrier - Bulldawg Blawg
-- Tickets: Arizona State at UGA

PWD

One More for the Road

The Dawgs won in improbable fashion last night. [Raise your hand if you had money on Georgia scoring more than 30 points? Exactly.] As with the previous two games, it was a mixed bag containing a few great things, a lot of good things, and plenty of bad things. But, a win is a win.

The Good:

• Joe Cox. His five touchdown performance was impressive (including 18-26 passing for 375 yards!). Early in the game, Cox rallied the offense to answer the Razorback lead. He kept the game from ever getting out of hand and prevented the Dawgs from having a hole too deep to escape. What was particularly impressive to me was the number of long passes he on which he connected. Each of Cox's five touchdown passes was for at least 21 yards (including a 50-yarder and a 44-yarder). Hats off the the Ginger Ninja.
  
• The Receivers. AJ Green is simply amazing. He may wind up as the best receiver to ever come through the program. His touchdown catch last night was another in what is becoming a tradition of athletic marvels. In the second half, Michael Moore stepped up and made clutch catches for to help secure the game. And Tavarres King shook off some miscues to haul in a beautiful 50-yard scoring strike.
  
• The Tight Ends. Aron White and Orson Charles gave Cox viable options to beat the Razorback pass rush. White and Charles each had a touchdown, as well as some big catches along the way.

The Bad:

• The Secondary. Georgia entered the game ranked 78th in pass defense. The defense allowed 41 points and 408-yards through the air. Will we even be in the top 100 this week? David Ching does a nice job analyzing the defense. I agree with him: but for the prolific display of offense, the post mortem on this game would be wailing and gnashing of teeth about our pass defense.
  
• The Penalties. With 194 combined penalty yards, both teams were pretty terrible in this department. I think nearly every offensive lineman had a false start, and there were way too many holding calls. This was allegedly an area of intense focus during during the off-season, but we appear to be getting worse in this area. We have to improve here.
  
• The Turnovers. This game would have been an Old Testament-style beatdown if we hadn't let Arkansas stay close with points off turnovers. The first three turnovers resulted in Razorback scores. When Boykin and Miller flubbed the first punt and wasted an impressive stop by the defense, I thought we were in for a long night. The good guys scored 17 unanswered after that, so credit the whole team for not letting early mistakes dictate the flow of the game. But still, we have to quit making it harder for ourselves than it has to be. If memory serves, we were ranked 116th in turnover margin before the game. If we turn the ball over 3-4 times against LSU or the Gators, they'll bury us.

This and That:

• The field goal to end the second half should have been a touchdown. I can't believe the officials reviewing this play concluded Greg Childs didn't have possession of the ball when Vance Cuff returned his fumble for a touchdown. Childs had hauled the ball into his gut when it was knocked loose. Fortunately, these four pilfered points weren't needed.
  
• We may look back on this game as the pivotal game for Joe Cox's confidence. This is his team now. We've got a winnable game at home against Arizona State. We've seen a glimpse of what this team is capable of; now let's see if we can put all the pieces together.
• Friendly tailgating reminder for next week: Please clean up after yourselves.
  

Arkansas Tailgating Info?

I'm running to a meeting, and I don't have time to check this out.  But I was sent it, and I'm forwarding to you guys.

Hey – can you help spread the word – this is apparently a sort of "undiscovered" free spot to tailgate in Fayetteville and very close to the stadium. Would be nice if we could mass our forces up there and have a central location for our fans to gather:

 
The Gardens at the University of Arkansas: 

http://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2009/08/13/the-fayetteville-flyer-tailgating-guide/ 

http://razorbacks.flex360.net/facility.asp?id=7 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fayetteville-AR/The-Gardens-at-the-University-of-Arkansas/59183583164 

Hopefully the state of Georgia will be well represented up there this weekend by both the fans and the team. 

 

Could Adams pull a Dick Cheney?

Our high regard for Michael Adams is well known. Today it was announced that Mike Adams is going to chair the search committee to replace Myles Brand as NCAA President. It is difficult to know what impact chairing the search committee might have on his rumored candidacy for the job. He appears to be downplaying any interest in the position.

"I am not a crook." Deloitte & Touche still disagree.

It's not as outlandish as it might seem. The average tenure for a college president is 8.5 years. Il Duce is getting long in the tooth, as college presidents go. The NCAA job is high enough profile to be appealing. Might Adams follow in the footsteps of a previous search committee chair who found none as qualified as he? Do we want him to?

While "Adams Steps Down" has the mellifluous sound of a choir of angels, might he do college football more harm than good as NCAA President? Adams is a well known, if poorly received, advocate of a playoff system. Current contractual arrangements notwithstanding, he would certainly be in a position to impose a playoff system as NCAA President. BCS fans, take heart because he is also a well known hypocrite and sellout. This story is going to be interesting to follow.

UPDATE: AJC reports Adams is on the shortlist to replace Brand. His statement "I'd never talk publicly about two things, jobs or money. I love the University of Georgia. My plan is to be here until retirement," is positively Saban-esque.

Pulpwood Wants A Pork Chop

Pulpwood pontificates on the Hawgs, Petrino and the local populace of Fayetteville.  It's a classic.  Still not safe for work though, slaves.

Quinton

Get your picks in for the Pick 'em

They are due! The link is on the right ---->

PWD

Imagine

After a seemingly short battle with cancer, NCAA president Myles Brand passed away yesterday.  We issue our condolences to the Brand family.  Brand made his chops as the president of Indiana University by firing Bobby Knight.  He had little to no sports experience when he arrived at the NCAA headquarters.  At the NCAA he will be remembered for emphasizing academics by instituting higher eligibility hurdles for incoming athletes and the APR requirements on athletic departments.

So this got me thinking about the next head of the NCAA and I have a meek suggestion:

Such an appointment would accomplish two things.  First and foremost, it would get him out of Athens, a dream of many fans (especially Dawgnoxious).  Second, it would force him to deal with blow hard university presidents hell bent on their own view of every issue.  He would essentially have to win over people like himself.  Who better to do it? 

Quinton

Georgia vs. Florida Cut-Off Scores Announced

Florida Regular:
All contributors who ordered with a cumulative score of 9,200 and higher will receive tickets.

Florida Club:
All contributors who ordered with a cumulative score of 49,837 and higher will receive club level tickets.

Florida tickets will mail no later than Monday, September 21 via US Priority Mail with Signature Required.

Refund checks for unfulfilled orders will be issued the week of 9-21.
 
Georgia-Florida Game Parking:
The Georgia Bulldog Club receives a limited number of parking passes at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for the Georgia versus Florida game. Hartman Fund donors who contribute a minimum of $5,000 and receive Georgia versus Florida game tickets through the Athletic Association will have the opportunity to receive a parking pass at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for the Georgia versus Florida game, at no extra cost. For the 2009 game, all Hartman Fund contributors who qualified will receive a parking pass with their game tickets.

Twenty Years Ago Today

(Official Game Program)

Exactly 20 years ago to the minute, my dad took me to my first Georgia Football game. The Bulldogs faced the Baylor Bears to kick off the start of the Ray Goff Era in Sanford Stadium, and I'm pretty sure we sat in Section 302.

I distinctly remember three things about that game.

1. The hugeness of the stadium
2. Calling the Dawgs
3. That Ray apologized for not scoring more points

Thanks for taking me dad. It was really an awesome day.



(Image uploaded from the Anti-Orange Page's new Program Cover Library)

Houston...we better not have problems

Not to put too much on the back of Justin Houston, but it's extremely large that he have a good game against Arkansas. And beyond. The defensive scheme that we utilize in Athens desperately needs a pass rushing end who disrupts plays and makes QBs nervous. That allows us to play the sorts of back end coverages that have historically been more successful.

The defensive line did an ok job of stuffing the run in Games 1 and 2 (3.8 yards per carry by non-QBs) with DTs playing the Buck end position and Battle (who is now out for the season) playing Rush End. Well...except on 2nd, 3rd or 4th and 1 yard. In that case, we're not doing so good.

The problem is defending the pass. The Dawgs haven't had much of a pass rush since Marcus Howard left. Houston showed in the Spring and a few flashes last fall as a freshman that he can be that guy. He has to deliver in a big way this season for this defense to move from "good, but [insert excuse here]" to "good" or "very good"...without all the caveats and disclaimers.

As for being "rusty" after missing the first two games....
Odell Thurman missed the first three games of the 2004 season. When he returned for the LSU game at home, he had 8 tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery. Nobody expects Justin Houston to be Odell Thurman (for more reasons than one), but players play. And ballers ball.

See Also:
-- The wait is almost over for Houston - ABH

PWD

The Future

David Ching has an article up about the exciting young players in Athens. Really, other than the DTs and safeties*, the vast, vast bulk of high-end talent on this team is not a senior. With the bulk of the most intriguing talent being Soph or younger. And the youth movement in Athens has the attention of the recruits.

In other news:

-- UGA's newest stars - AJC
-- Cox out performs predecessor - Chattanooga Free Press
-- Mallett is a happy hog - Chattanooga Free Press
-- Bracing for a shootout - Chattanooga Free Press
-- Cox Rattled? No. - DawgPost.com
-- Boykin's big day - David Hale
-- Cartoon for Arkansas week - Anti-Orange Page
-- Tickets: UGA at Arkansas
-- The classic trap game - Barnhart

PWD

*No disrespect intended to OchoDos.

Photos: Georgia vs. South Carolina (Mr. Boykin)

The Georgia Sports Blog player of the game. Image by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.

PWD

Headlines from the Ozarks

Let's take a look at what the Razorbacks are saying about Saturday night's game:

-- Battle Tested or Well Rested - Razorback Central asks the question for this game. Is UGA better prepared for this game via two strong opponents or are the Hawgs better prepared after starting off with Div I-AA Missouri State followed by a bye week. I like our polish. Someone said, "But Petrino has been planning for this game for 5 months." Yeah....did he acquire any new players during the bye week?

-- What to make of UGA - NWAOnline (which is oddly not a web site run by Jim Crockett and Dusty Rhodes), asks what to make of the Dawgs. It's a fair point, and I think a question all Bulldog fans are wondering as well. For everything good about the SC game, there's something bad.

-- What to make of ARK - Another good question from the Slophouse. As I've stated several times, the Hawgs were about 4 plays from being 2-10 last year. How good is this bunch really? With only a glorified scrimmage against Missouri State, they have just as many questions as we do. The HogBlog also explores the question of Arkansas' identity.

-- Focusing on UGA's offense - One of the problems with the Petrino has had 5 months to prepare argument....prepare for what? Offensively, we've run just about everything under the sun, and we haven't really stuck to anything. Defensively, we've tried everything and with wildly mixed results.

See Also:
-- Tickets: Georgia vs. Arkansas

If you tailgate on North Campus....

Clean your crap up after you tailgate. This is a damn joke. This is the kind of crap that ends up with tailgating rules that cripple everyone's fun. If you don't have the God given sense to bring a damn trash bag to campus to pack your filth into, then tailgate at a bar. Here's the image....



I help run a tailgate for 40, 50 and sometimes 75 people, and I NEVER leave a mess like this. Ever. If I were Adams, I wouldn't make a rule about bad tailgate behavior. I'd instead work with the Athens PD to fine everyone that litters like this $500. Then I'd make you spend the next home game bagging garbage around Campus for 4+ hours pre-game so that you couldn't tailgate at all.

Yes, we need more garbage cans on campus. I know it, and you know it. But there are these places called "grocery stores" that sell these things called "trash bags." BUY SOME. We're going to go from 1-2 night games per year to 3+ from now on. If you continue to leave North Campus wrecked like this, you're going to screw it up for everyone.

We'll end up with tailgate rules like they have at Arizona State. No fun until 3 hours before game time and no hard liquor. I swear some folks have no home training.

Here's an educational video on how to not make such a huge mess.



Post this to your FaceBook status so others can see what kind of mess it is.

See Also:
-- Cleaning up Campus - Gameday Gameplan

PWD

Photos: Georgia vs. South Carolina (Defense)

All images by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.


Rennie Curran on the tackle.


Rennie Curran goes looking for pain.


Objects in your ear hole are bigger than they appear.


Introducing Mr. Washington.


All pictures from the 2009 UGA vs. South Carolina Gamecock game are courtesy of Jim Hipple.

PWD

Photos: Georgia vs. South Carolina (Offense)

All images by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.

Mike "Ochodos" Moore

Branden "Vrooom" Smith

So...this is what a healthy A.J. Green looks like.

Ridiculous.

All pictures from the 2009 UGA vs. South Carolina Gamecock game are courtesy of Jim Hipple.

SEC Power Poll Ballot

 

The data is still fluid and the conference pecking order has yet to emerge.  Here are my continued guesses:

1. Florida - Everybody is waiting to see Urb and the Gators utterly crush Kiffy and I wouldn't mind that result.  The most interesting thing about Saturday's game to me is watching Monte scheme against the spread.  Does the old man have some brilliant insight?
2. Alabama - Bama struggled at times, but the numbers were still respectable at the end.  
3. Ole Miss - Not sure if Southeastern Louisiana will put up much more of a fight than the open week did.
   
4. LSU - The Tigers seem to be trying to figure it all out.  I continue to think they have talent and good coaching, but they look like a team groping around in the dark. 
   
5. Georgia - The Dawgs rebounded well, but they are shaky.  Richt needs to stabilize things because Petrino has been eyeing this weekend's game since December.
   
6. Auburn - I have a feeling that Gus Malzahn is going to make Auburn look very good all year.  They've played decent competition, but not a high end defense.  I haven't bought them yet, but I'm inching up to the check out line.
   
7. Arkansas - Saturday is the biggest game of the Petrino era. 
   
8. South Carolina - Gave up too many big plays Saturday, but can be encouraged by Garcia's progress. 
   
9. Kentucky
10. Vanderbilt
    
11. Tennessee - Now that's the Crompton I remember. 
    
12. Mississippi State - Mullen got some points again. but the Aubs tore up the State defense.  I think they have a shot in Nashville this weekend.

Quinton

UGA vs. Arizona State Kickoff Time Confirmed

The Georgia Bulldogs will face the Arizona State Sun Devils at 7:00 pm on ESPNU. It will be Georgia's first appearance on ESPNU. (For tickets check here)

Comcast subscribers in my area (North Atlanta) should have ESPNU and ESPNU HD without buying a "sports tier" package. I have no idea how the rest of the cable providers get the game.

SEC Football TV Selections for 9/26:

SEC Network: 12:21 p.m. ET LSU at Miss. State

CBS 3:30 p.m. ET Arkansas at Alabama

ESPN2 6:00 p.m. ET Florida at Kentucky

ESPNU 7:00 p.m. ET Arizona State at Georgia

FSN (FOX) 7:00 p.m. ET Ball State at Auburn

CSS 8:00 p.m. ET Vanderbilt at Rice

Pay Per View 7:00 p.m. ET Ohio at Tennessee

PWD

Random Thoughts from the Weekend

Some stream of conscious ramblings:

• Whew -- Saturday night's final defensive stop was absolutely enormous. If they score there, the Dawgnation would have come totally unglued at the seams. I've seen people online making it sound like we only won because of a great defensive play by Rennie. Well, duh. How else do you stop someone in a big SEC rivalry game? With a routine defensive play? On South Carolina's final six trips into the redzone, they didn't come away with a single touchdown. I can live with that. In 2006 (which seems to be the season folks want to compare this one), we surrender that score.

• Mallett -- Arkansas is tailor made for Georgia's defense right now. Ryan Mallett is epic slow. He's probably slower than Taylor Bennett or Rudy Carpenter. He's your stereotypical big armed, slow footed ex-Michigan QB. He loves the deep ball, and he is prone to bad decisions. With the return of Justin Houston and the emergence of Cornelius Washington, we should get better production from the Rush End spot. Rod Battle's season ending injury weakens us at Buck End; however, the Arkansas running game probably suits up nicely for a combination of big guys like Demarcus Dobbs and Geno Atkins to help control the line there. (Note: Owens played some DE last week after Battle went down)

• DJ Williams (Arkansas TE) is going to be a problem. Last year against SEC defenses, he routinely went for 4-8 catches per game. He was a reliable safety net for the mediocre Hawg QBs from last year. We can't defend him the way we defended SC's tight ends or it'll be a long night.

• Ochodos -- That's what Mike Moore jokingly called himself on Twitter yesterday. That's funny stuff.

About our neighbors:

• UT at UF -- If you're related to any of the Tennessee QBs, I don't recommend watching this one. The Gators may not score as many points as their fan base thinks because the Vol defense is pretty good. So, the pain will be inflicted on the Vol offense. For the Gators to score the 50+ points everyone seems to expect, the Vols would have to turn it over in their own redzone 4+ times. That's possible, but I think the score won't reflect just how badly the Vol offense will be beaten up.

• WVU at AU -- The Tigers are looking good so far, and the Mountaineers are a shadow of last year's team. Win this one, and AU should be 4-0 heading into Tennessee against an incredibly beatable Vol squad. I'm not saying that I think AU is good. But they have definitely caught some breaks on the schedule this year. On the other hand...
  

• Miss State's Schedule -- Dan Mullen's first schedule looks tougher by the day. His non-conference schedule includes home games against Georgia Tech and a Houston squad that just beat Oklahoma State. And he also has a road date against an MTSU squad that took Memphis to the woodshed. From the east they get Florida at home and travel to Kentucky and Vanderbilt. This week's match-up at Vanderbilt is one he desperately needs before facing six Top 25 teams.

• Georgia Tech at Miami -- Great match-up for Thursday Night. The Canes gave up eleventy billion rushing yards to the Jackets last year, and Tech doesn't look like it can stop any competent or quasi-competent passing game. If Tech wins, they are looking at a 9-3 season almost at a minimum. A win by Miami puts them as the odds on favorite for winning whichever ACC division they are in (honestly...how many football fans know who is in which division or what the name is? I know who is who...but the names? Forget it)

What jumped out at you from the weekend?

See Also:
-- Tickets: Georgia vs. Arkansas

PWD

A Few More Points ...

I just had a few more points, many of which were covered in the comments today to the story below.

To start, the first half was played like the team reads my stuff.  Bobo was going to A.J. as often as possible, Richard Samuel was breaking tackles, and Blair Walsh was booming them into the end zone.  But, there's still some odd things about our offense.  Carlton Thomas had some plays that were much better suited to Richard Samuel.  A.J. still needs to work on ball security (is that the third pitch-fumble for A.J. in our territory early in the game?  Bama, Okie State, and SC).  And Joe Cox stared down Tavarres King so long before that INT return, I thought he was a Tech student seeing a decent looking woman for the first time. The series that ended with the safety was almost as bad as an offense can get.  Consistency, as usual, is lacking.

On the whole, though, we had some strong plays and a crafty reverse call that went 61 yards.  Lots to improve, but you should feel much better about the offense than a week ago.  

Now, I know many of you will serve up Saturday night as more evidence for the indictment of Willie Martinez.  However, he has some mitigating circumstances.  First, most of SC's scoring drives started in UGA territory.  Second, the defense was out there all night.  Carolina had about thirty more snaps than UGA.  They had the ball for ten more minutes than the Dawgs.  Any defense is going to bend under those conditions.  Third, Willie was trying everything.  We blitzed linebackers, safeties and corners, but Carolina picked them up or Garcia squirted out of the collapsing pocket to make a short gain.  In fact, Garcia and the Cocks seemed to bog down on their drives when we stopped blitzing and dropped more guys in coverage.  So, while the score and Garcia's numbers looks bad, our D wasn't as bad as you might think.  (By the way, the sermon at church today was about focusing on the positives.  Can you tell?) But, at some point, you might think we would adjust to stem those short underneath routes that shredded our zone defense all night.

On a sad note, for the second time in two games, a Dawg tore his ACL.  This week it was Rod Battle.  (Get well, Rod!)  Justin Houston comes off suspension this week just in time.  

In sum, there was enough improvement to be optimistic about this year, but Georgia still has lots of work to do.

Quinton

Victory

There was enough for everyone to crow about and enough for everyone to complain.  A few notes before I head off to bed:

• Logan Gray - Who is this guy?  Does he exist?  I heard he "could" start and then he gets to call a fair catch and hand off once to Carlton Thomas.  I'm convinced the Grayhound is like the Loch Ness monster, except that I've seen better evidence that Nessy lives.  Same for the freshmen receivers, Yeti and Swamp Ape.
• Stephen Garcia Loves Zone Defense - I'm not sure if Garcia completed a pass that was thrown more than ten yards beyond the line of scrimmage.  He scooted around and took the underneath routes for a slow water torture of five to seven yard gains all night.  Just my thought, but I think we weren't counting on Garcia's mobility and decision making.  The D-line would crash the pocket, but Garcia would just squirt out of there and dump off another little short pass for a gain.  The pressure seemed to work against us.  Ryan Mallett, as I understand it, is like a log standing on its end.  If we get the same type of pressure next week, I think we get a bunch of sacks.  Welcome back, Justin Houston.
  
• Reshad Jones, Trampled by Zebras Again - For the second week in a row, I'm confused by a Reshad Jones personal foul.  What exactly did he do to deserve a 15 yard flag on that sideline tackle?  Bump Cocky? 
• Branden Smith, Fast and Unwavering - It appears that any time Smith touches the ball, he is steadfastly attempting to break the sound barrier on the way to the end zone.  This works well if you are getting a reverse or fielding a short kick.  It ends in disaster if you receive the ball five yards deep in the end zone.  Smith has a brilliant future ahead of him, but unless Brandon Boykin is hurt, I'd rather not see Branden on kickoff returns for a while.  If he is in there when the ball is kicked into the end zone, Chapas should tackle him.
• I Thought They Brought Their Own - Good to see that the Georgia State Patrol doesn't change allegiances no matter what their duties require. (ht - Red Stripe Dawg)
  
  

 We'll have some analysis tomorrow.

Quinton