MotoGP Rewind: Sachsenring

MotoGP Rewind: Sachsenring

Relive the excitement from Round 9 of the MotoGP World Championship, the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, in the latest free installment of

And I'm Back...

Sorry for the radio silence. Been a month full of 16 hour days (seriously).

Just to catch up...

• Welcome to the SEC. Not Mizzu or aTm. South Carolina. The closest I've come to breaking my self-imposed moratorium on writing was the eruption of outrage from Gamecock fans over the new schedules and moving Georgia/SC to October. Seriously, 'tradition' is something that is older than Britney Spears. Delicious.
• Urbanbowl! Ok, the Urban vs. UF thing is fun, but over played. Is this what it has come to in Gatornation? Seriously, focus on not becoming the first SEC team in forever to lose to tOSU while they are playing with eligible players (Gene Smith assures us). Or you can crappants yourself in the bowl game named for your mascot. Either is fine with me.
• Dooley. Hey, I get it. Loyalty is rewarded. Lack thereof is not. Have fun recruiting kids from more than a three hour drive from Knoxville when you can't even look them in the face and tell them they can go home if their father is dying.
• Illinois' assistants. Some Illini assistant coaches threatened to not coach in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (I had to look it up to make sure it was real) over a contract dispute. I'm not debating the merits of the argument, one way or another, but it sure doesn't make getting assistants to coach in Champaign any easier when you look at both sides' points.
• Iowa State. Any argument about Oklahoma State deserving a shot at LSU went out the window at Yankee Stadium yesterday. There should be a specific rule in the BCS selection procedures that states if you lose to a team that gets dominated by the fourth place team in the Big East, you are ineligible for the BCS. That is all.
• B1G/Pac-1X collaboration. I like it. I've long thought there should be more AQC teams playing each other and fewer Coastal Carolina's on schedules. Scott and Delaney looked at the landscape and figured they need to have more big games of national relevance to make a dent in the SEC monopoly on football. They also get more recognition for their other sports by putting them in the big venues in their footprints (ie, Ford Field, Dodger Stadium). Well played.
• Richt to coach at (fill in the blank). Seriously?

Finally, I've had nearly three weeks to think about the running back situation and am glad I have been unplugged for this time. 

Go Dawgs!

TD

Tribute To Marco Simoncelli

Tribute to Marco Simoncelli

In memory of Marco Simoncelli, one of the most charismatic figures in the World Championship. MotoGP Malayisia Marco+Simoncelli Tribute Moto GP

MotoGP Rewind: Aragón 2011

MotoGP Rewind: Aragón 2011

MotoGP Rewind: Aragón 2011

UGA 2012 Schedule: No Bama

The SEC just released the 2012 SEC football schedule.  The Bulldogs will avoid playing Bama and will instead pick up Ole Miss. Georgia will not get a bye week before the Cocktail Party as the SEC moved the UK game back a week.  The bye week is currently Oct. 13th.   On the other hand, the Gators don't have a bye week either.  They play at South Carolina prior to our match-up.

More later from one of us.

PWD

High Speed MotoGP Cornering At 1000fps - Casey Stoner - Red Bull Moments

High speed MotoGP cornering at 1000fps - Casey Stoner - Red Bull Moments

MotoGP world champion, Casey Stoner, breaks down the technique needed for cornering a MotoGP bike while at incredibly fast speeds...all caught in

MotoGP Rewind: Assen

MotoGP Rewind: Assen

Re-visit the most dramatic and exciting moments from the Iveco TT Assen round in the latest MotoGP Rewind!

MotoGP Rewind: Brno 2011

MotoGP Rewind: Brno 2011

MotoGP Rewind: Brno 2011

MotoGP Rewind: Indianapolis

MotoGP Rewind: Indianapolis

Capture the excitement from Round 12 of the MotoGP World Championship, the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, in the latest free installment of

MotoGP Rewind: Motegi

MotoGP Rewind: Motegi

Re-live all the excitement, thrills and action from Round 15 of the MotoGP World Championship, the Grand Prix of Japan, in the latest free

MotoGP Braking Techniques With Kevin Schwantz

MotoGP Braking Techniques with Kevin Schwantz

MotoGP Legend Kevin Schwantz talks about braking techniques in the premier class.

MotoGP Rewind: Phillip Island

MotoGP Rewind: Phillip Island

Re-live all the excitement, thrills and action from Round 16 of the MotoGP

2012 UGA Football Schedule Rumors

The SEC announced today that they won't be finished with the 2012 football schedule until after Christmas. With that in mind, here's the UGA football schedule as I'm projecting based on the rumors and rumblings:

Week 1: Buffalo (home)
Week 2: Missouri (away)
Week 3: Florida Atlantic (home)
Week 4: Vanderbilt (home)
Week 5: Tennessee (home)
Week 6: South Carolina (away)
Week 7: Kentucky (away)
Week 8: BYE Week
Week 9: Florida (Jax)
Week 10: Alabama (home)
Week 11: Auburn (away)
Week 12: Georgia Southern (home)
Week 13: Georgia Tech (home)

There's a chance we could see Bama at home in Week 8 before the Cocktail Party with the bye week after Florida, but that's not what I heard earlier this week. This is all still fluid to some degree so you could see even more changes. However, this is the latest as of yesterday's rumor mill.

The games that are either confirmed or darn close to being confirmed are Buffalo, Missouri, FAU, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech. Given that Ole Miss appears to be playing Florida and Missouri from the SEC East next year, it looks very likely that Georgia does get Bama...at home.

UPDATE: Various other media outlets are saying that UGA will play Ole Miss at home in Week 10 instead of Alabama. That would be great, but I'm struggling with the conflicting Ole Miss rumors which have them playing:

Missouri and Vandy
or Florida and Vandy
or Missouri and Florida
or UGA and Vandy

I had projected earlier this offseason that we'd get Ole Miss and Aubrn as our Western Teams. I would prefer to have been right then....than the post above.

PWD

Born From MotoGP Feat. Ben Spies & His 2012 YZF-R1 [ Full HD ]

Born from MotoGP feat. Ben Spies & his 2012 YZF-R1 [ Full HD ]

See Ben Spies and the new 2012 YZF-R1 50th anniversary limited edition and get the inside line on what makes this superbike package so great to

MotoGP Rewind: Marco Simoncelli

MotoGP Rewind: Marco Simoncelli

MotoGP Rewind pays special tribute to Marco Simoncelli following the Sepang round.

Richt and Loyalty

If you want a further glimpse into how Richt is wired, read this article from the AJC about some of the secondary violations committed by Richt over the past few years. Most folks will focus on the $25k Richt gave former assistants. I found this note about the support staff more interesting.

In December 2009, due to “difficult economic conditions being experienced by the University,” the athletic department decided to not provide “bowl bonuses” to non-coach staff members. Richt went to senior associate AD Frank Crumley and asked him to provide a chart of who would have normally received bonuses and in what amount. Crumley provided that list and Richt paid 10 people – sports medicine director Ron Courson, video coordinator Joe Tereshinski, strength and conditioning coaches Keith Gray and Clay Walker, football operations manager Josh Brooks, high school relations director Ray Lamb and four administrative assistants — $15,227 out of his own pocket.

Richt also paid the $15,337.50 five-year longevity bonus to former assistant Dave Johnson when Johnson left Georgia in 2008 just short of his fifth anniversary and the administration refused to pay. Richt paid $6,000 to Jon Fabris in December of 2010 when Fabris was unable to find a job after his UGA severance package expired.

In each case,the payments were not considered against NCAA rules because they were done with the knowledge of the athletic administration, according to the report.

Damn Good Boss.

PWD

MotoGP Rewind: Silverstone

MotoGP Rewind: Silverstone

Review the most dramatic and exciting moments from the AirAsia British Grand Prix in the latest MotoGP Rewind!

MotoGP

MotoGP

MotoGP™ is the premier motorcycle racing World Championship; an eighteen...

UGA Working on a Cure for Cancer

This is so bad ass I had to post it. Georgia scientists are working on a Cancer Vaccine, and they are making terrific progress.

GATA

Richt Flair Open - GSB Bowl Pick'em

Time is nigh to join the Richt Flair Open, the Georgia Sports Blog's Annual Bowl Pick'em.  Named for the winner of the 4th Annual Georgia Sports Blog College Football Pick'em, this is our chance, in some 35 glorious picks, to show Richt Flair our chops.

Or a chance to fail miserably on a big stage with a made up name.  Whatever.

First game is the majestic New Mexico Bowl on Saturday the 17th. Good luck.

TD

Richt Flair - 4th Annual College Pick'em Champion

All the women love him. All the men want to be like him.

Congrats to Richt Flair for his strong finish, picking Navy and guessing the winning score within one point.  A great season for both Richt Flair and Uganewt (who didn't miss by much, either).

This is also our official kickoff of the Richt Flair Open - Georgia Sports Blog's Annual Bowl Pool. Click on the link to join. Same deal as the regular season - assign confidence points from most confident to least confident picking winners straight up.  The spread is for information only.

Thanks to everyone who participated this season. Good luck with your bowl picks.
TD

On the Richt to aTm Rumors

College Pick'em Tie Breaker

Each finalist was given a chance to include an avatar.  Here we go, in order of when the picks were received:

Uganewt picks Navy 31-21. 

RichtFlair picks Navy 27-20.

Tony Schiavone, you’re looking at the next GSB Picks World Champion. That’s right, Richt Flair, Slick Richt, the F-150 ridin’, mission trip flyin’, watergirl kissin’, 10 game winnin’ sonofagun. Woooooooooooooo!!!!

Good luck to you two. Feel free to put your pick in the comments.
TD

College Pick'em - Tie Breaker Coming

Well, we've picked 162 games and it comes down to a tie with one game left.  RichtFlair and uganewt will pick the Army-Navy game for the tie breaker, each pulling in 866 points on the season. I'll publish their picks tomorrow morning.

Hobnail_Boot, who has been at the top of the list for the past seven weeks ended up in third, one point back. Props go out to UGASmitty for getting the most correct picks (128). However, his selections only got him 863 points, good enough for 4th place.   Hunkering Hank, Updyke Tree Service, papadoc19, LuckyGuess, and ChiliDawg rounded out the top ten.

For the Commissioner's Award (something I totally just made up), I ended up smoking Quinton and PWD and ended up in the top 63...

Thanks to everyone who participated. I'll set up the bowl pick'em in the next couple of days.

2012 Schedule Rumor: UGA vs. Bama in Athens

The SEC is a near mortal lock to operate with an 8 game SEC schedule in 2012. As I've said numerous times, this will be temporary before the SEC ultimate goes to a 9 game schedule in 2-4 years.

With that in mind, we had been projecting that UGA would drop a road game at Bama from the 2012 UGA schedule in favor of a road game at Missouri. With the new 6-1-1 divisional rotation, this seemed to make the most sense and have the smallest impact on everyone involved. In that scenario, UGA's SEC West opponents would be Auburn (road) and Ole Miss (home).

However, we've hit a snag. PowerMizzou is reporting that Missouri's SEC West schedule will include Ole Miss (road) and Texas A&M (home). This means, Ole Miss is off the table to come to Athens.

Billy Lucci of TexasAgs.com is reporting that Texas A&M's SEC East opponents will be Missouri (permanent) and Florida. Mr. SEC is reporting that Tennessee's SEC West opponents will be Bama (permanent) and Mississippi State next year. (He also theorizes on some other match-ups which aren't a done deal).

If the rumors above are correct, Ole Miss, Miss State and Texas A&M are off the table as rotational opponents for UGA next year. That only leaves Alabama, Arkansas and LSU as options. More than likely, it looks like Bama will be coming to Athens.

However, Bama doesn't have an SEC road game to give. That means some other SEC West opponent will be swapping home/away dates with Bama next year. I project that type of movement is already in the cards for the MSU vs. UK game (which will likely stay in Lexington in 2012). As well as the Vandy vs. Ole Miss game which will likely be in Nashville again this year.

More than likely, it would be Arkansas going back to Tuscaloosa in 2012. Again...this all assumes the first 3 leaks are correct.

What do you think about Bama coming to Athens in 2012?

PWD

Keith Marshall Junior Year Highlight Reel

Video of Keith Marshall's junior year. I actually think this video is even more impressive than his senior year clips.



What are your thoughts?

PWD

Keith Marshall Senior Highlights Video

Via AthleteVault.com.



What's your reaction to these Keith Marshall highlights? I like the way the future Georgia Bulldog stutter steps to let the hole open before accelerating out. Also like that he runs with a nice lean forward. Not the biggest guy obviously, but he's got a tremendous toolset.

PWD

Keith Marshall to UGA (Video)

Video from UGASports.com.



I really believe that there's nothing wrong with Isaiah Crowell that competition with a player of Keith Marshall's caliber can't fix.

Isaiah isn't the first freshman to struggle with toughness issues. Do you remember what Reggie Brown was like as a freshman? If he dropped a pass, he'd limp off the field or have to have the doctors and training staff come tote him off. Eventually, he found his toughness.

He's also not the first kid to come in with an attitude. Remember what Arnold Harrison was like in 2001 as a freshman? Getting into fights and being thrown out of games? Harrison turned into a solid leader for the program and ended up going from 1 star recruit to a spot with the Steelers for several years.

I'm thrilled to have Keith Marshall on board. His commitment is a good decision for Marshall, for UGA and for Crowell.

Having said all of that....the pressure is really on Coach Bryan McClendon. BMac did a great job of helping us secure the #1 running back in the country in consecutive years. Now, the Dawgnation eagerly awaits to see what he can make of this situation. Will his unit lead the team in arrests and shenanigans for the fourth straight year? Or will the RBs become a source of strength for the program?

What are your thoughts? What do you think is UGA's next highest priority for 2012 recruiting?

PWD

Upon Review: LSU

I could spend a whole week writing about the third quarter, but after watching the replay, there were a few things that really jumped out at me:

• Our first string, on whole, is every bit as talented as theirs (this was a recurring theme in the 3 Questions comments). The flip side is they have that talent level on defense in some of the key second string places, particularly on the line.  I think we are getting close, but we aren't there yet.
• Thinking about the above point, the S&C program has paid off. As much as I couldn't tell you what was wrong last year but to say look at them, I can't tell you what is working now, but look at them. For something quantitative, Georgia had 34 non-starters play, including Mason and Bogotay. LSU had 45 and didn't use but one kicker or QB.
• Wow, did LSU ever find a way to neutralize the linebackers in the second half. Particularly on running plays. The first half they used their basic scheme to try and get holes and got stonewalled. In the second, LSU threw a couple of wrinkles in their blocking schemes that had Georgia confused. That was most obvious on the Ford run up the middle immediately after the second long Mathieu return. Ford literally dragged John Jenkins on his back from the line of scrimmage with no one else helping until Ford goes down after 7 yards, presumably from exhaustion. We can debate execution or coaching on our side, but you have to take your hat off to LSU's coaching for that adjustment.
• The second Mathieu return was a thing of beauty. The first was a product of one miss, some questionable no calls, and a good return guy.  The second was as well run punt return as I have seen in a while. Perfect blocking and great vision. If I'm Georgia's special teams coach, I'm showing that...never mind.

Like I said, I could go on. LSU is the best team Georgia has faced since the 90's.  Too much is made of their 'lack' of offense. Their running game is a hidden gem. Yes, they aren't going to flash and dash you like Oregon or use one stud back like South Carolina, but they are strong, they block well and whomever is calling plays is good at getting into the mind of the other team and figuring out what works and making it happen.

TD

3 Questions Answered: LSU

Well, yeah, you see, what it was was, yeah.

1. Will our coaches coach like they need the win? For a half, they did. The on sides kick was pure evil Richt genius. Bobo had the defense on their heels. Grantham's D looked like they had the playbook. Then half time came, and Bobo got scared, Grantham's D looked like he didn't think they would actually run the ball. We kicked to the Honey Badger. Just an increadible turn of events. Some certainly can be attributed the the level of talent and coaching on the other side of the field. Some has to be attributed to Georgia's coaches getting out adjusted at the half. 
2. Can we run the ball? "I don't want to talk about the running backs." Me either coach.
3. Can the defense stand toe to toe with them? Well, we held them to less than 20 yards in the first half. They only gained 237 total, so they had an average 2nd half.  Still, the defense got gashed on the rush in the second half.  Not sure if (or maybe 'why') Jefferson needed to pass in the second half.  Talent wise, we are very close to them, especially in our starting 14 or 15 rotation. We are a progressing towards LSU in execution and coaching.  We are not there yet.  

Give LSU their due. They won the line of scrimmage in the second half and put points on the board when we no longer could. That is the mark of a great football team.

TD

Dawgs to Face Michigan State in Outback Bowl

Kick off is 1pm Eastern on January 2nd from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.  ABC will cover the game with Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden (who still won't be coaching in college by then) in the booth and Lisa Salters on the sideline..

Michigan State got a way worse deal than Georgia did in the bowl selections, with two teams they beat in the regular season (Wisconsin and Michigan) making BCS games.  Of course, they did lose to Wisconsin last night in the B!G championship game.

Very tough defensive team to face. More on that later.

TD

Where Will Georgia Go Bowling?

No matter how the BCS Championship shakes out, LSU and Alabama are going to be BCS teams.  That leaves Arkansas, South Carolina and Georgia left for the CapitolOne, Outback and Cotton bowls. For purposes of discussion, I assume those three bowls wouldn't pick a 7-5 team over a 10 win team (and I am not sure they can by rule, now that I think about it).

The CapitolOne has first pick of SEC teams after BCS teams are off the table. Outback and Cotton pick next, working together.

Conventional wisdom has Arkansas going to Dallas for the Cotton.  There is no rule requiring a West team, but only Tennessee in 2001 and 2005 has played in the Cotton Bowl from the East since the SEC tie in started. The West just makes more sense, given proximity of fan base.

However, for that to happen, CapitolOne has to pick either Georgia or South Carolina over Arkansas. Do you think that'll happen?  I don't. It looks like the B!G rep will be Nebraska, so matching Bobby Petrino and Bo Penlini is a pretty compelling opportunity. If Michigan doesn't get a BCS bid, you can expect them to play in Orlando, by the way. There is a chance they pick Georgia, since we played in the SECC or South Carolina because they are stupid, but given the match-ups and getting a top 5-6 BCS ranked team, they'll pick Arky.

So that leaves the Outback and Cotton picking between Georgia and South Carolina. I don't have anything more than a hunch, but I think we'll go to Dallas and face Oklahoma.   If I am wrong, we'll face Michigan State (or Nebraska if they don't go to Orlando).

Where would you like us to go/see us going?
TD

In the End

It'll take me a bit to re-watch the game and have any cogent analysis.  Just from my armchair perspective, there are places we have to improve to get to the next level.  Yes, Georgia deserved to be there.  Yes, LSU is all that and a bag of chips.  We stood toe to toe with them. Then they stopped screwing around and decided to get serious.

Last night was like thinking the really hot girl was finally ready to say yes to your advances, only to find out that her abusive 300lbs boyfriend was not only still in the picture, but he was on the way over. And she doesn't know it yet, but she is pregnant by some other dude. And your new car is on fire with your brand new computer in it. And your computer just downloaded a virus that writes your hard drive with chicken porn. 

It was gut wrenching.

Georgia got beaten by a better team last night. I am very proud to call this team my team. For the first time since the Alabama game, LSU's coaches were concerned. Unfortunately for Georgia, that great team did what great teams do when facing a very good opponent that has them on the ropes: figure it out and win.

TD

Delicious

Artwork courtesy of @GovernorofDixie.

TD

Final Thoughts on LSU

Well, I've gotten both sides of my mind clear.  A few other thoughts rolling around in my head:

• Playing disciplined: The Vandy game illustrated what can happen if we don't keep our heads about us. They pulled off a fake punt, got free yards on dumb penalties, and nearly won the game because they got in our kitchen. Under no circumstances can we afford to just give LSU free yardage. We have to worry about making plays instead of looking to blow someone up. If it gets personal, show them up on the field with our play, not with some out of the way late hit or stupid attempt to get in their face. You don't have to 'show them' to get respect, especially if all you have to do is point at the score board post game.
• Getting them to play undisciplined: I don't hold out a ton of hope over this. Even with the chippiness and the level of trash talk Mathieu brings to the game, the swagger is deserved. If...IF... we can do that, they are prone to lapses. Getting 15 free yards and a first down is huge. Getting them out of their game, even more so.
• Special special teams: No Brad Wing rolling across the Outback like Quigley. No Honeybadger returns for TDs. No one hop behind the back laterals on fake FGs. No blocked kicks allowed. Butler and Walsh kicking like the NFL is watching.
• Lesticles and the streak ending: Think about Miles' predilection for doing stuff that makes everyone but the dude that does motorcycle jumps on New Year's Eve gasp. The fake FG against Florida. Throwing to the end zone against Auburn. Telling Michigan no. At some point, his luck has to turn. 

Finally, if the Dawgs do win today, will that make LSU just another mediocre SEC East team?

TD

3 Questions: LSU

I hope we a lot of this Saturday (Image: Hipple)

1. Will our coaches coach like they need the win? If LSU is to be beaten, we have to keep them off balance. We need to figure out what we can exploit on their defense and use it like our best opening line at a singles convention. We can't be afraid to run a fake punt, if the situation warrants it. We can't allow the LSU QBs the time to drop back and find receivers without bringing pressure from multiple places. We have to take shots down field and get those CBs and safeties away from the running lanes. Can we make half time adjustments that'll provide opportunity for the win in the 4th Q?
2. Can we run the ball? We don't have to run it much, but we have to make them respect that we can when we need to. Yes, we'll have to throw to win. We also have to run some to throw it. If we get 4+ yards per carry and the average number of carries, we'll have set new highs against LSU's defense for ypc and rushing yards in a game (~160 yards). If more than 50 of those yards come in the 4th Q, Georgia wins.
3. Can the defense stand toe to toe with them? For all national whine about how ugly the LSU-Alabama game was, we SEC fans understand this: defense wins championships. The LSU-Alabama game might not be as exciting as a WACtastic match up like Oregon vs. Stanford. For my money, it is way more compelling. I don't think we'll be in a 9-6 ball game, but if we are very low scoring and close, I like our chances.  

Simple, huh? Just control the line of scrimmage, don't make mistakes and coach brave like bull. No problem.

TD

40 Motivational Speeches in 2 Minutes

GATA.

PWD

Georgia and LSU Comparisons

After doing the comparison of Arkansas and Georgia to prove a point, I decided to see how the six common opponents between Georgia and LSU matched up.

Team	LSU Result	UGA Result	LSU Off/Def	UGA Off/Def
Auburn	45-10	45-7	393/248	528/195
Ole Miss	52-3	27-13	458/195	475/183
Florida	41-11	24-20	453/213	354/226
Kentucky	35-7	19-10	348/155	317/165
Tennessee	38-7	20-12	383/239	366/269
Mississippi State	19-6	24-10	361/193	315/213

So, with the exception of Mississippi State, LSU routinely blew out the common opponents. Looking at the yardage, though, it was much more evenly matched:

LSU Offensive Yardage: 399.3
LSU Defensive Yardage: 207.2
LSU Differential: + 192.1

UGA Offensive Yardage: 392.5
UGA Defensive Yardage: 208.5
UGA Differential: +184

The difference? A little of this and a little of that. Some special teams and defensive scores. Some awesome field field position, due to opportunistic defense, as well as strong punt and kick returns. Some facing depleted offenses at the right time, specifically Florida. As for the lower scores for Georgia in those games, certainly you can look at the offensive philosophy when we have a lead.

I don't know if there is anything I can take away from this, other than I think this game, on paper, is much closer to a push than 13.5 points.

What are your thoughts?

TD

Arkansas Compared to Georgia

One thing that has stuck with me this week is the obvious comparison between the SEC's two 10-2 teams. Both lost to very good teams. So, is it enough to say Arkansas dominated one of the teams Georgia lost to and be done with it? No. Not at all.

True, Arkansas dominated the Gamecocks, but that was South Carolina's second game without Lattimore. Furthermore, when you look at the other head to heads, the picture is very different. Georgia and Arkansas faced six common opponents:

Team	Ark Result	UGA Result	Ark Off/Def	UGA Off/Def
Auburn	38-14	45-7	438/395	528/195
Ole Miss	29-24	27-13	438/370	475/183
Vandy	31-28	33-28	388/462	443/348
South Carolina	44-28	42-45	435/207	436/395
Tennessee	49-7	20-12	499/376	366/269
Mississippi State	44-17	24-10	539/211	315/213

If you are keeping score at home, this is very, very close. Arkansas gained about 30 more yards per game. Georgia held the common opponents to nearly 70 yards per game less than Arkansas did.  Both teams nearly lost to Vandy in Nashville.

One thing that keeps jumping out at me is the same thing we all have been harping on.  Georgia lost to South Carolina thanks to the unholy trifecta of Interception/Fumble/Fat Guy Fake Punt touchdowns. If any one of those three don't happen, Georgia wins. If Georgia wins South Carolina, there is a strong likelihood we'd not only be having a Game of the Century of the Week discussion, it is possible this would be for a berth in the national championship game. We allow any of those Saturday, it'll be Orlando or worse for the bowl.

To put it another way, if Vandy doesn't allow a 94 yard fumble return for a TD or could hit a field goal on October 29th, the whole Arkansas is way better than Georgia conversation is laughable.

It seems apparent to me that with Arkansas' schedule, Georgia would be no worse than 9-3, and more likely at least 10-2. We certainly belong in the best of the rest conversation. We'll find out Saturday if we might belong somewhere above that.

But if your argument is Arkansas beat South Carolina and Georgia couldn't, just know how dumb that sounds when you look at the match ups.
TD

More Thoughts on LSU

I got my 'irrational exuberance' out of the way, so here is my irrational depression. We are going to lose to LSU on Saturday.  By. A. Lot.

Ok, I don't actually believe that. I think we can lose to them. By a lot. I just don't think that'll happen unless we give them that chance.. So much has been made of the comparisons between Georgia's 10-2 and Arkansas' 10-2.  Afterall, both teams' losses are to 10+ win teams. The rub is that The Hogs lost by to the number 1 and 2 teams in the nation.  That alone is proof that Georgia isn't in the 'best of the rest' talk with Arkansas.  For what it is worth, it is probably a fair comparison.

I'm concerned about special teams play. We've seen improvement the past couple of weeks, but remains to be seen if those are fixes or a product of the competition faced. If Melvin Ingram is good for a fake punt TD, imagine what Brad Wing can do. Visions of him running freely down the side line yelling 'a dingo ate your baby' while we blindly drop into punt return make me cringe.

I'm deathly concerned about fumbles. LSU could conduct a clinic for the NFL at creating turnovers, especially after the catch. If Georgia has any chance of winning this thing, we can't let any of Murray's completions become 22 yard arm punts on second down. Even if we create our own opportunities (Arkansas had one), we have to keep what we gain. It is hugely huge that we don't fumble during runs into the line of scrimmage.

Finally, how in the world we are going to handle 4 full quarters of smash mouth football. LSU is like Georgia Tech, but with a competent passing game and fewer chop blocks. They are going to run at us, then run some more. Jefferson has two awesome running backs to hand the ball to.  Oh, he can run himself (insert your own from the police joke here). And they can throw a little, too. Jenkins and Geathers and Smith and Tyson (if he can go) are going to be tested. Ware and Hilliard aren't quite Lattimore, but they are very good running backs.

This isn't a moral victory post. It would be awesome to play them tight and make them sweat, because very few people outside of Georgia thinks it can happen.  I'm going to be depressed if we lose Saturday, though. Especially if we just give them the win.

TD

First Thoughts on LSU

We'll see some of this Saturday (Image: Hipple)

Well, it's Thursday. I've avoided putting this in words for long enough:  I think we are going to beat LSU on Saturday.

I know, it looks crazy on paper. It sounds crazier when you say it out loud. Hell, the voices in my head say it is crazy. I still think that is what will happen. Why?

Paul hit on it earlier. We're going to hit that one time. LSU is more talented. LSU is better coached. LSU has played more tough opponents. LSU has more maturity. LSU has more All-(fill in the blank) players. LSU has faced more adversity. But there is one thing LSU hasn't faced since Alabama: A game with impact. For ten weeks, we have played with everything on the line.

Others have gotten into match ups, but the one I keep coming back to is our offensive line versus their defensive line. I think we'll see some new plays, plays designed to keep them honest on the run blitz and plays that will help freeze the LB blitz and hard press rush from Mingo and Montgomery. I think we will be the only SEC team to score more than one offensive TD on them. I think we'll do that by halftime. Long live the no-huddle slow down offense.

Make no mistake about this, though. Murray has to be on his game. He has to take the hits and keep on going. Also, Bobo has to call the game of his life, not be afraid of letting Murray exploit the one place we will be able to (the one on one coverage Mitchell, Bennett, Charles and/or King will be getting), and take whatever they give. I don't think we will win on a fluke, either. I think we win the same way we won several times. We play strong defense, especially against the rush, get just enough points to make them get out of their comfort zone offensively, then basically play keep away for a quarter.

Finally, I'll address the sky is falling voices in my brain later. I know we have to not fumble, not give up a fake punt for a TD, or throw the Honey Badger a ball in the flats. I just feel good, right now, about none of those things happening.

TD

About Rodney Garner

I have privately held deep concerns about Coach Rodney Garner's results on the field the past few years. I've kept almost all of those concerns off the blog because Garner is such a lightening rod for a subset of fans of a variety of reasons.

With all of that said...Rodney Garner coached his ass off this year. We have our best defensive line since 2004, and it's not just a talent upgrade. Our guys are playing the position with great technique and fire.

If you're going to bitch about a guy. You gotta step up and admit when he's doing a great job. Thus, this post.

PWD

College Pick'em Due - Selections fixed

For some reason, the selections for this week of the pool didn't get registered.  I have updated that and you can now make selections.  If you had already made selections, you will need to go back and do so again.

If you are one of those folks that already made selections and can't go do the selections now, let me know.  I do what I can to fix that.

Also, we will use the Army-Navy game as a tie breaker, in the event we are still tied after this week. Right now, Richt Flair and Hobnailboot are tied for the lead, with two more one point back.  The tie breaker will only be available for those still tied.

There is a Thursday night game, so get your picks in.
TD

Photo of the Week: Shawn Williams' Interception

A thing of beauty.

Also, fantastic camera work by Jim Hipple.
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Georgia v. Georgia Tech Photos: Defense

All photos courtesy of Jim Hipple.

Georgia v. Georgia Tech Photos: Offense

All photos courtesy of Jim Hipple.

About the LSU game

I really don't know what to say other than:

1. LSU is extremely good.
2. LSU is extremely battle tested.
3. We have a chance.

For my money, this is the best defense we'll have faced since at least the 2003 SEC Title game. You may have to go back to Bama in '92 to find an SEC Defense with this much talent playing at such a high level.

If our offensive line can give Murray and Crowell the daylight to make plays, we have a shot. If not, the 13 point spread will hold up. LSU's quarterbacks can make the negative plays to give us an opening. The offensive line just has to hold up enough to let us walk through that door.

As Coach Brooks said in Miracle, if we had to play them 10 times...they might win 9. Will Saturday be that 1 game? Hopefully.

PWD

My 3 Beefs with Richt

"Just put that old hot seat over there. We'll send it to Knoxville."
For the past few years, I've repeatedly listed my three top concerns with Mark Richt and the UGA football program as:

1. Lack of a Sense of Urgency
2. Lack of a Meritocracy
3. Personnel Utilization

Coach Richt embraced the challenge of resolving these issues, and we now have the third longest winning streak in FBS. Only LSU and Houston are riding longer streaks. As Tyler said earlier in the week, who saw that coming walking out of the Georgia Dome in September? Not I.

Where did Richt start? In my opinion, the sense of urgency is definitely back in Athens.

A long rumored conversation between McGarity and Richt after their first year together was said to have gone something like this:

Richt: "What's the biggest difference between us and the Gators given what you've seen so far."

McGarity: "They are outworking your staff and players."

Did that conversation really happen? I've heard it so many times, I believe something similar to it did take place. If it didn't it, damn sure should have. Regardless...if your new boss (who is a credible expert on your #1 rival/measuring stick AND who most certainly does NOT want to fire you) drops that line on you...it packs a punch.

Once you instill a sense of urgency into a program with the vast resources of Georgia, the other two issues can fix themselves.

That said...just hiring Coach Tereshinski, bringing in a nutritionist and upgrading the coaching staff wasn't enough to dig us out of the hole we were in. Not after we lost the bulk of two full recruiting classes due to mistakes, discipline and being asleep at the wheel.

Everything...and I mean everything else had to break Coach Richt's way due to his staggeringly narrow margin for error. Especially after starting 0-2.

The strength program had to fix the 4th quarter collapses. The returning defenders needed to get comfortable with the system. Jarvis Jones needed to be an elite playmaker completely unfazed by his prior neck injury. Alec Ogletree needed to jump into playing LB for the first time in his life like a seasoned veteran. The freshmen defenders needed to step up (Herra has been a revelation), and Jenkins/Geathers need to emerge as a dominating presence at DT.

All while Malcolm Mitchell and Isaiah Crowell lived up to their billing. All of that happened. Some of you will argue that Crowell hasn't lived up to the hype, but I'd argue that a true freshman RB who is still on pace for a 1,000 yard season is doing better than OK. It's even more amazing that all of this happened while Mitchell, Crowell, Ogletree, Robinson and one of our starting OL (when we thought we had no backups) were banged up at several points.

I'm amazed that we're in this position, and I'm very excited about the future. We return a ton of talent in 2012, and we may have an extremely favorable schedule. It's a tremendous position we find our program in. Especially relative to the Gators and Vols.

Still can't believe it.

PWD

Georgia Tech Review

One final look at vanquishing our instate rival doin' what we do the weekend after Thanksgiving:

The Good: 

• Game planning. I'll get to praising the job Grantham and his charges did with the option, but first, you have to give props to Bobo's game plan and adjustments.  It was clear from the first series we wanted to run. It was clear Tech was keying on the run. It was clear that Tech couldn't stop the quick pass and crossing patterns. Bobo took that and nearly made a West Coast offense out of it on the fly.  Very nice.
• In my 3 Questions, I almost set 225 as the target rushing yards to hold Tech to if we want to win.  They had 243. Grantham's plan of letting Geathers and Jenkins handle the middle, jamming the strong side, and bringing the safety up to protect on the weak side was awesome. The dive was negated and Washington didn't have many chances to give only one defender the opportunity to make a tough choice.
• That interception by Williams.  Big. Time. Play.
• Orson Charles showing why he is a Mackey finalist. Even double covered, he found ways to get open.
• The execution on the TD pass to Aron White. Just a beautifully run play.
• Zander Ogletree's run...and calling that play at that time. One of the Tech defenders actually tried to shuck him off thinking he was blocking.
• Garrison Smith.
• Butler back on his game.
• Boo Malcome's personal 36 yard, 9 play, 5+ minute manhood robbing drive.

The Bad:

• Murray still overthrowing the middle deep route. There's a reason we don't call it much.
• Spiking the ball...and the tictac officials that would throw a flag for that particular spike.

The Ugly:

• Chop blocks. 

Honestly, I could make the 'good' list longer. Glad 2012 is a leap year.  Extra day to rub it in.

TD

Mea Culpa

I'm still here, y'all. (Image: Jim Hipple)

I have a confession. Back in September, I thought Mark Richt would not be the coach of the Georgia Bulldogs on Monday, November 28, 2011. I stood on the Marta platform after the last trip to the Dome and speculated with my friends how few games we'd win. We discussed who we could reasonably get. We nearly all agreed that yesterday would be the day the Mark Richt era would end. I was officially in the dark place.

I did hold out some hope we'd be competitive, blind hope, or so it seemed at the time. Yes, the schedule still looked easy enough. Yes, we'd have a couple of key guys back on defense. Still, the offensive line got whipped in the Boise game. We weren't in a position to run the ball. We couldn't stop the underneath pass or play action. Most damning, we looked tired and uninspired.

At that point, the off season changes appeared to be mere re-arranging of deck chairs. My, how long ago that seems.

I was wrong. Coach Richt made tough off season changes, changes that have yielded results.  I think the results are still a work in progress, and we'll find out how much of a work in progress it is on Saturday afternoon. This team plays like teams in the early to mid 2000's did. This coaching staff consistently makes smart adjustments and plays the strength into weakness game well (something we definitely didn't do the past 3+ seasons). On whole, players get stronger as the game goes on.

I am no Mark May. I admit when I am wrong, without alibi or explanation of why I might have been a little right.

There are strong arguments for three coaches to win the SEC Coach of the Year award. Franklin, for getting Vandy relevant (insert your own snark here). Miles for going 12-0 with that schedule and more QB drama than they had at South Carolina. Richt, for completely and totally remaking his team and himself. No one would have thought Richt would be in that conversation back in September.

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3 Questions Answered: Georgia Tech

1. Can the defense stand up to the big play threat? I'd say we did ok here.  We held them ~100 yards below their rushing average and well under their total yards per game average.  They only got off one long pass play and 7 or so runs of longer than 8 yards.  We held them to 4.6 yp rush, over a yard per rush below their season average.  
2. Passing Play competence? 19-29-1 vs 6-17-2; 252 vs 112; 4 tds vs 0 tds.  We only got smoked on one pass play. Murray could have been 24-29.  9 Bulldogs caught a pass in the game. This was a resounding yes.
3. How much are we looking ahead to the Dome? I admit I bought into the drivel being spouted at ESPN, CBS Sports, CFN, AJC, Fox Sports, SI and the troll that kept emailing me.  I was worried we'd be focused elsewhere.  I was so wrong.  

I think this win is so much sweeter because a loss might have taken away all the good juju we've gained from the win streak.  Lose to Tech this year and the whole 'Georgia is a product of the schedule' meme continues. I am much happier with the 'Tech must be mediocre because they lost to Georgia' meme.

TD

Tech Misery

Skimming GT message boards gives us gems like these:

• Let's cancel the series - The Hive
  
• It's just a game dog. - Stingtalk
  
• GT's "savior" at QB regrets going to GT? - Stingtalk
  
• Sweet bitter tears - Get the Picture

I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow.

PWD

Gator Misery

This is delicious. There's no bigger Gator sunshine pumper than Pat Dooley which makes this piece so much more tasty.

PWD

Let the Belittlement Begin (from an Unlikely Source)

This week is going to be a constant belittling of UGA.  LSU is really, really good and no one who doesn't own red pants will believe Georgia can even make it a close game.  The Tigers just beat the #3 ranked team by 24 and have only been challenged once this year despite playing one of the more difficult out-of-conference schedules for an SEC team in recent memory.  We get it.  We're facing an impossible task and are supposed to get embarrassed because we aren't really any good and haven't played anyone.  I expect those stories all week long.  But, does the New York Times have to go so far as to argue that our mascot is a breed of dog so inbred and physically flawed that it can't continue to exist?

Uga is featured prominently, as shown by the article's illustration of a melting dog above. 

Quinton

SECC Tickets

The aftermarket came way down over the weekend for SECC Tickets as Bama fans dumped their tix. I've seen them as low as $145 each. There's not much over face.

There's no such thing as a sellout.

PWD

We Run This State

With our 3rd and 4th team running backs. Great win for the Dawgs.
TD

Last Minute Thoughts on Tech

As we work inside of two drinks and a walker to gametime, a couple of random thoughts keep going through my head:

* The Munson factor. I don't know what the Tech officialdom has planned, but I expect the fans to be usually classless.  How does that motivate our fans and team?  I have no worries about us playing flat, strangely enough, but I worry we'll be too amped up and make poor decisions that result in drive killers or sustainers.  Hopefully, we'll play all business like.
* What will knowing LSU is the opponent next week mean? Tech actually provides a very good example of playing assignment defense, something that will be useful against a Jordan Jefferson led O.  I think knowing this provides extra incentive to play well, both from a beating a rival standpoint and a silence the critics standpoint. 

Overall, I'm trending hopeful. The more I think about the game, the more I like the matchup in the trenches. Keep Murray upright, run effectively, and keep Tech from the big play, we should take care of business. 

TD

3 Questions: Georgia Tech

Mitchell making plays down field won't hurt (Image: Hipple)

1. Can the defense stand up to the big play threat? At the beginning of October, I was in a near panic over stopping Tech.  They were averaging 630 yards per game offense, good for first in the country by 20+ yards per game.  They were passing with abandon (relatively speaking) and running until their legs fell off.  Then came October.  People figured them out.  They faced some ok defenses in North Carolina State, Virginia, Miami and Clemson.  They faced a terrible defense in Maryland.  In October, they had the 84th ranked offense at 349 yards per game, a full 20 ypg under Georgia. In the past couple of games, they have done fairly well.  Can we bow up and make them earn yards?
2. Passing Play competence? I have a feeling the passing game will be make or break for both teams. If we stop them from getting that TE alone, they have to rely on the run. If they take our quick passing game away, we have to rely on the run. I like our chances in the first instance. I have little confidence in the second.
3. How much are we looking ahead to the Dome? Ha! I waited until the third question for a 'look ahead' worry. In all seriousness, I'm concerned about focus. Between Munson's death and the lack of respect factor in the SECC, how many retards and folks without a life will it take at Historic Mark Richt Field to get the Dawgs fired up?

At least the Tech fans are handling Munson's death with their typical aplomb. I can count on class from them.

TD

SEC Championship Game Cutoffs Announced

From Georgiadogs.com:

Hartman Fund Contributor Tickets - in an attempt to provide tickets to as many Hartman Fund contributors as possible, the following ticket limits were implemented.
6 tickets: All contributors who ordered with a cumulative score of 100,000 and higher will receive up to 6 tickets.
4 tickets: All contributors who ordered with a cumulative score between 52,500-99,999 will receive up to 4 tickets.
2 tickets: All contributors who ordered with a cumulative score between 12,050-52,499 will receive up to 2 tickets.

They were higher than I would have though.

TD

College Pick'em Due

We have the *last ever* Texas v. Texas A&M game on for tomorrow and the Game of the Century, Jr on Friday.  Get your pics in to score points for those games.  The rest of the slate closes around noon Eastern on Saturday.

Richt Flair still leads the pack, with ugafan a few points back.

Get your picks in.

TD

UGA vs. Kentucky Pics- Defense

All images by Jim Hipple. Please click to enlarge.

A well deserved dunk, thanks to the D.

UGA vs. Kentucky Pics - Offense

All images by Jim Hipple. Please click to enlarge.

You Shouldn't Have Made Fun of the Dawg

I hate Tech. Let me rephrase that. I normally disregard Tech, but hate them some. If they win, well, what do you expect, they play in the ACC. If they lose, well, what do you expect.

Now, I have had my share of fun at Tech's expense.  My favorite four:

1. The Ramblin' Wreck wrecked. No one got hurt. Hilarity.

2. Tech not winning, but still putting Georgia in the number one spot in the polls. How very Tech to tie the number one team, giving Georgia the top spot after the Georgia-Florida game in 1980.  Hey, kissing your sister isn't all that bad, if that is your only kiss.

3. Lying to the NCAA. Yeah, because your programs are so pristine.

3. Reggie Ball's counting skilz.

In my mind, it all comes down to them mocking the death of UGa.  Consistently.  Hey, if someone had gotten hurt in the Ramblin' Wreck crash, that would have been sad.  No one did.  I'd have been happy (for once) if they'd beaten Notre Dame that glorious November day. It doesn't surprise me they followed the Tressel/Tennessee route with the NCAA.  

Reggie Ball....I got nothing.  That shit is just funny.

I've said it once, and I'll say it until my dying day: "You shouldn't have made fun of The Dawg."

TD

Why Munson Meant So Much

I've spent a great deal of mental energy over the past few days trying to put my finger on why Munson meant so much to all of us. He wasn't one of us. He was us. He embodied Bulldawg Nation. Literally. When you hear a naysayer or Disney Dawg or CBSM or any other type of Georgia fan, that is Larry.  He could make Richmond seem like Notre Dame and winning over Notre Dame seem like carrying enough water to quench the fires of hell.  He was at his best, as we fans are, when we faced any number of hated rivals-Clemson, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, and yes, even Georgia Tech.  

We all have our individual reasons, but after reading Joe Posnanski's eulogy, I realized just why he meant that to all of us as a body corporate.  As he put it

I always felt better after hearing him do a game, win or lose, because it has always made me feel better to be around people who care and lot and don't mind if everyone knows it. 

Very simple. Very true.  He cared in a way we all do. There are plenty of announcers that care. There are very few that care in the same way we do. Or Larry did.

In my mind, anything short of naming the press box in his memory and retiring his headset or whatever you retire for him (fishing rod? movie seat? hat?) is not a fitting tribute.
TD 

Dawgs in the CBE

Between Munson's passing and gearing up for Tech, I've let the hoops team's CBE tourney experience kind of pass by.  I got to see the uninspired win last week against South Dakota State and watched the manhandling Cal put on the Dawgs last night.

Tonight, we take down Notre Dame.  Coach Fox's Hounds take third place in the Progressive CBE Classic.  This is a potential tournament resume win, depending, of course, on how the Irish's season pans out.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is showing to be everything you'd hope, netting 16 points, including the go ahead 3 with just under 4 minutes to play.  The Dawgs avoid the long runs that have plagued them last season (and in the Cal game), although they did have a 9 point second half lead that Notre Dame whittled down before Kentavious' trey.

Still a win over a Big East team is a win.
TD

Munson's Pregame Battle Hymn Voice Over

I put this together a few years ago. It's an audio voice over that Munson did. The actual version that airs in the stadium was slower paced by Larry.

Ok, Guys. We've Got Tech in Four Days.

Because Munson wouldn't approve of us moping around, it is time to get on with hate week.

Beware, Tech isn't known for class when it comes to handling delicate topics.

TD

Munson Tapes

Munson Tapes

By Mike Floyd

---

We all remember Buck Belue:
God Bless him for that he threw.
And Blessings, too, go out to Lindsay.
Who caught the pass to ignite the frenzy.

And forevermore, there’s Herschel Walker.
Just ask Bill Bates about the Goal Line Stalker.
Of course there’s Donnan and Theron Sapp;
Both ended droughts to make us clap.

There’s Charlie Trippi, with broken nose;
Flatfoot Frankie striking the Heisman pose.
And let’s keep in mind that Wally drove’em nuts;
The sign that read “Nobody beats our Butts.”

Coach Dooley said: “We gotta run the ball”
He praised opponents, large and small.
It was the Irish, of course, Vince helped us beat,
When we partied down on Bourbon Street.

And good ole’ Erk made the defense go;
Head to helmet and his veins would flow.
“Fires up the dawgs,” we’d hear him say,
“See’n that blood really makes’em play.”

There’s Hearst and Hastings and Eric Zeier;
Back in ’92 they set the world afire.
Jake Scott, Bill Stanfill and the Florida game;
Gators still cringe when they hear their names.

Johnson, Lastinger and Kasay, too;
In the final seconds they all came through.
And the Butler did it in ’84;
From 60 yards he slammed the door.

But perhaps the greatest dawg of all,
Has never played a down of ball.
He’s loved the Dawgs through thick and thin,
From top to bottom and back again.

Though not from Georgia, nor even the South,
It was long ago the North left his mouth.
He’s liltin Larry of broadcast fame.
Just say “Munson” and we’ll know the name.

“My God a Freshman,” you’ll hear us say,
though none can growl it quite the same way.
“Those guys are big” and “Man, they’re strong,”
“They’ve been pushing us around all day long”.

There’s “Sugar from the sky” and “Woerner, Woerner, Woerner,”
“McClendon just scored in the far right corner.”
Tales of “Run, Lindsey Run” and “Ol’ Lady Luck.”
And opponents who wish he’d be hit by a truck.

“We saved ourselves,” we’ve heard Larry shout,
although he reserved such statements for games in doubt.
Always “We” and “Our” or “Them” and “us”
It’s Munson the homer that our enemies cuss.

They’ve spit in the face and hit him with drinks,
But Munson has no concern for what other fans think.
“I’ve Lit the cigar,” they’ll all hear him say,
as the Dawgs savor the victory on a fine Autumn day.

And when the day comes when his voice is no more,
We’ll sit down with our child in a love-inspired chore.
“His name was Munson,” we’ll say, choking back tears,
and we’ll pop in a tape and remember the cheers.

“There was no one better,” then we let out a sigh,
The child will just smile as he sits on your thigh.
You must start them early, you’ve always been told.
But will your efforts work? Will the Bulldawg take hold?

In route to the games with recordings of Larry;
Thoughts of your kid at Auburn are really quite scary;
But you don’t say a word and just hope it sinks in;
While returning from Athens you both speak of the win.

The years pass like months, and months pass like days,
And your son is adjusting to some high school phase.
Then one day, rather sudden, decision time will arrive.
You hope he’ll choose Georgia , but know you’ll survive.

“Dad” he will say, and you try not to blink,
“I’ve made up my mind, I need to know what you think”
And then he’ll say something that would make Larry proud,
Not timid, not shy – in fact, really quite loud.

“I’m going to Georgia,” he will say with a grin,
and you remember the day that you helped it begin.
But before you recover, there’s a favor to ask,
Can I borrow your Munson tapes, for the guys in my class?”

--Mike Floyd