The Ole Miss Coaching Search

After reading Blutarsky's outstanding headline regarding the Ole Miss search, I did a little early morning reading about candidates for the job.

It's not that Ole Miss has never made a good hire. It's just they can't get out of their own way.

David Cutcliffe was a well tenured offensive coordinator for Tennessee going into the National Title game in 1998 with ties to the Manning family. It was a logical hire that worked until Cutcliffe's recruiting fell apart. Tommy Tuberville was a tenured Defensive Coordinator for Miami with 3 national title rings, and he was a DC at Texas A&M when they went 10-0-1 in 1994. The hire worked for them until a better offer came along.

Ed Orgeron had a national title ring, but he had never even been a coordinator...and he had a checkered past. Houston Nutt was being run out of his last job on a rail. And the other 5 coaches following Vaught's retirement were just bad.

Who will they hire? Athlon has a very comprehensive list which includes everyone except Terry Bowden (Pictured above). My only issue with the Athlon list is that it lists Mike Leech as a riskier hire than coaches at Southern Miss and Florida International.

If I were running their search, my top 3 candidates would be Leach, Malzahn and Rodriguez. Malzahn's resume is closest to their prior successes...a proven coordinator with a national title. Rodriguez was a horrific fit at Michigan, but winning at West Virginia without an in state recruiting base is a major accomplishment. Leach put forth a consistent winner despite major recruiting, facility and logistical drawbacks.

Would Leach help Ole Miss pass Bama and LSU in the West? No. But there's no coach in America who could do that and not leave them for a bigger job. Leach could build a program that would consistently beat MSU, Texas A&M, the non-conference tomato cans OM schedules, Vandy, Kentucky and Missouri. He could also put them on equal footing with South Carolina and Arkansas. That's enough to build a consistent 8 win program which Ole Miss hasn't been since desegregation.

Having said all of that...my real hope is they hire Terry Bowden. The comedic potential is better.

PWD

Ole Miss Review

A conference road win, one that was much, much more dominant than the score indicated.  An overwhelming defensive performance.  Coach Richt going old school.  Didn't it feel like 2003 or so?  A relatively close game that never felt like it was close at all?

The Good:

• The Defense. Second straight game allowing less than 200 yards offense.
• Pressure on the QB.  Are we finally comfortable running the 3-4?  We brought pressure from multiple spots with multiple players.  We dropped Abry Jones into underneath coverage more than once (he almost got a pick on a tipped pass).  We played stifling pass defense, with two very notable exceptions.  We got stronger as the game wore on.  Very happy with the defense.
• Coaching.  Going to Mitchell right after he got a hold that negated a long run was genius.  The game plan was well thought out and we deviated from it to keep doing what worked.  The only gripe I have is that we didn't try to put another TD on the board when we were in the red zone early in the 4th quarter, instead opting for merely running the ball and the clock.
• Richard Samuel catching passes.  For all his flaws as a ball carrier, he is that good as a receiver. 
• Carlton Thomas' pass blocking.  If Crowell learns to block like Thomas, he'll be as complete a running back as Moreno.  Thomas pass blocks like a much bigger guy.
• Run blocking.  Crowell and Thomas both made plenty of second effort yardage, but they were doing so after rushing 5 yards untouched.  The 29 yard Crowell run on 3rd and 9 from the Georgia 2 yard line was the best blocked run play we've had all season.
• Guys getting into the game due to injuries and ballin'.  Gilliard, Vasser, Bennett, and Lee come to mind immediately.

The Bad:

• Edge contain. Yes, Ole Miss only gained 34 yards rushing (the running backs had more like 60 on 16 attempts), but the edge players were bailed out time and again by Williams and Rambo.  Washington and Vasser had a couple of nice stops, but both sucked inside too often. Oh, and before anyone comments about the long swing pass that the holding penalty negated, I say without the hold, that is a two yard gain, at most.
• This is a corollary to the previous statement, but the defense's ability to read where the ball is has to improve.  Weis will eat us alive with Demps and Rainey.  Johnson will do so with all of his offensive players.
• Droppsies.  Some were on Murray due to poor throws.  More were on the receivers.  Troupe and King both dropped balls that were just about as easy catches as you would expect.  Charles and Bennett both missed balls that hit them in the hands, as well.

The Ugly:

• Special teams.  I'm not talking about Walsh's misses (although, since I brought it up...), I'm talking about punt coverage and onside kicks.  On the season, we have given up a TD to Rerun on a fake punt.  We have given up a TD on a punt return reverse that I heard people in the stands yelling about before the ball was fielded.  Don't get me started with the onside kick stuff.  Also, we don't set up punt returns or rush the punter well.

Overall, this is the kind of game that in the last couple of years would have likely been an utter nail biter.  Ole Miss is about as good as last year's Colorado team, but they are certainly better than 2009 Arizona State team that we had to beg, steal and borrow to beat on a last second field goal.   

I'd also like to make a note about Crowell and how his running changed later in the game.  Of course, it changed.  He ran the ball double the number of times he ran in any one game this season.  It is easy for me to judge that, but the fact of the matter is he is an 18 year old that has to do many, many things for his game to be where we, his coaches, and he want it to be.  Learning what it feels like to get 25+ carries is important for him to know what he has to improve. Judging from Boise State to now, any reason to think he won't?

TD

3 Questions Answered: Ole Miss

Turned out my concerns of this being another Colorado game were unfounded. Outside of a two trick play drive and the continued lack of competent special teams play/coaching, this was a total and utter domination by Georgia. 

1. Can the Georgia team that showed up last week and against South Carolina (minus the freebie points) do so for a third consecutive week?  Three strong performances in a row.  We gave them freebie points, but that was all we gave them.  The defense is really coming into their own and the offense is competent, mostly, at moving the ball.  There are places for improvement, particularly in the passing offense, but this was a good road win.  Instead of playing to the level of the competition, which wasn't very good, to be sure, we came out and controlled the game from the kickoff. 
2. Does Mason get in the game anytime other than late in mop up duty? Coachspeak. 
3. Do we finally acknowledge that we have to be a bit more innovative to give the QB time to run the offense since, you know, we are almost down to playing recruits on the offensive line? Murray only got sacked twice, with one of them coming on a Frank Roger Dorn'esque olé by Crowell.  As I said above, we have some improvement in the passing offense to go, with one of those areas being blocking for Murray.  On the upside, the rush blocking was very strong.  I'd still like to see a few more screen plays for Charles, and the swing pass was open nearly every time we snuck a RB to the flats giving potential there.  Murray's footwork is a mess a times, which is exacerbating the protection issue, but all of that is improving.  

One final thing, I don't know why we don't run the play action with Mitchell running deep play 5 times a game. Even if we don't throw it to him, it always has to suck at least one guy (and probably keeps a safety honest) out of coverage.  That is as money a play as we have.

TD

Ole Miss Preview

I really struggled with this preview.  I had planned to do a breakdown of both teams, using stats and such.  However, I stumbled on one stat that was glaring, so unreal, that I decided to just use it and move on:

Ole Miss 2011 Total offense: 757 yards.  That is 252.3 yards per game.  For comparison sake, Georgia is gaining over 125 yards per game more.  Ole Miss has played the number 10 (Vandy..what?), 46 (BYU) defenses by total yards, plus DI-AA Southern Illinois (who the Rebels didn't exactly pile it up on with 315 yards).  Before you fret about that, remember, Elon gained nearly 100 more yards against Vandy than Ole Miss did.  Utah doubled Ole Miss's offensive output against BYU.

The key to this game really is sound defense.  On offense, run the ball and run it some more (they are stout in the first quarter on run defense, but fade through the game).  Take shots down field, but don't get fancy.  They aren't geared to spread the field and love to run the ball on third and anything.  Just about a vanilla as you could imagine. Defensively, use the meat upfront to create match up issues for them.  Force them into making mistakes, since they are so good at that.

It is time to get the road mojo back.  This is just about as good a road game as you could ask for in the conference to do so.

The Grove

I shot this in the Grove in 2006. That's me laughing and singing into the mic. You can practically smell the bourbon when you watch the clip.



Damn I wish I was going this weekend. #Jealous

PWD

Top Trap Games of 2009?

Yesterday, Tony Barnhart listed his Top 5 Trap games for 2009. These are games that don't look so difficult on paper but can really trip a team up. His top five are:

1. Arkansas at Florida
2. Tennessee at Alabama
3. Georgia at Arkansas
4. LSU at Georgia
5. Ole Miss at Vanderbilt

He explains his reasoning, and there's some merit in those selections. However, I'd argue for a few differences.

First off, Florida is going to slaughter Arkansas. The Ole Miss debacle last year wasn't just caused by Florida's ambivalence towards the underrated Rebels. It was also caused by Dan Mullen not finding his rhythm with utilizing Demps, Rainey and Harvin at tailback to take pressure off of Tebow. Once they sorted their personnel utilization issues out, they were borderline unstoppable offensively. I don't see the Gators being tripped up at home against the worst defense in the SEC.

Separately, Tony's hedged remarks about the LSU at Georgia game aside, that's not a trap for LSU. Even though they play Florida the following week, Miles will have them squarely focused on the Dawgs. You don't give up 52 points at home and forget about it.

Alternative Selections
I'd replace one of those two games with Ole Miss at South Carolina on Thursday Night of Week 4. The Gamecocks start the season at NC State and at Georgia before coming home in Week 3 against Florida Atlantic. At best, they'll likely be 2-1 coming into the Ole Miss game, and I'm inclinded to believe they'll be 1-2.

Ole Miss should paste the Gamecocks, but you have the Houston Nutt Implosion Factor(TM) combined with Ole Miss' four decade long struggle with Altitude Sickness. They blow themselves up anytime the thin air of a high ranking gets too much for them. Also, the Gamecocks beat the Rebels last year in Oxford, and this year's game is on a Thursday night where home teams do pretty well. I think the Rebels win, but this is a very dangerous game for Nutt.

Secondly, I'd list Kentucky at Auburn as a trap for Auburn. You could argue that this can't be classified as a trap for AU because Kentucky is likely better than the Tigers. However, most Aubies would have trouble admitting that UK is ahead of them. The Tigers will be coming off consecutive away games at Tennessee and Arkansas, and they get LSU and Ole Miss following the UK game. For the Cats, the trip to The Plains could be the difference between a Peach Bowl birth and a Liberty Bowl game. I think those factors converge to make for a brutally disappointing game for Aubies.

What do you think is the biggest trap game in the SEC?

See Also:
-- SEC Schedule Grid

PWD

SEC Baseball Tourney Enters Day Two

Georgia broke out of its slump yesterday with a 6-3 win over Ole Miss. During the regular season, the SEC Co-Champ Rebels took two of three from the Dawgs. However, Georgia wouldn't be denied as Matt Cerione hit a grand slam and drove in an additional RBI to seal it for the Dawgs. Justin Grimm also pitched his tail off in the win.

Today, Georgia faces Arkansas at approximately 6:00 pm ET on CSS. The winner gets Friday off which is critical for resting pitchers and getting ready for two potential games on Saturday.

See Also:
-- I knew it the whole time - DawgSports

PWD

SEC Baseball Tourney Enters Day Two

Georgia broke out of its slump yesterday with a 6-3 win over Ole Miss. During the regular season, the SEC Co-Champ Rebels took two of three from the Dawgs. However, Georgia wouldn't be denied as Matt Cerione hit a grand slam and drove in an additional RBI to seal it for the Dawgs. Justin Grimm also pitched his tail off in the win.

Today, Georgia faces Arkansas at approximately 6:00 pm ET on CSS. The winner gets Friday off which is critical for resting pitchers and getting ready for two potential games on Saturday.

See Also:
-- I knew it the whole time - DawgSports

PWD

Regional Projections for the NCAA Baseball Tournament

Baseball America has GT, UGA, and Georgia Southern in the Atlanta Regional. While the College Baseball blog has UGA in the Tallahassee Regional with GT hosting Louisville and Ga. Southern in Atlanta.

Personally, I can't see Tech getting stuck with both UGA and GSU in the same regional. We may end up in Atlanta, but Ga. Southern would probably end up in Clemson or Gainesville if that happened.

The biggest difference between the two projections would be the Tuscaloosa vs. Fayetteville argument for hosting a regional. I agree with the Baseball America writer that Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Georgia are competing for two regional host sites. A look at our respective resumes:

Alabama:
-- RPI: 20 and SOS: 45
-- Projected #3 seed in SEC Tourney
-- Will close season at Auburn.
-- Won 9 of their last 10
-- Won series vs. UGA
-- Note: If they win 2 of 3 vs. Auburn, I think they host.

Arkansas:
-- RPI: 11 and SOS: 4
-- Projected 6th seed in SEC Tourney
-- Will close season against Ole Miss at home.
-- Won 4 of their last 10
-- Lost series vs. UGA
-- Note: Would need to beat Ole Miss at least twice to host.

Georgia:
-- RPI: 18 and SOS: 25
-- Projected 5 seed in SEC Tourney
-- Won 2 of their last 10
-- Would have to sweep SC and win at least 2 in Hoover to host.

Ole Miss:
-- RPI: 17 and SOS: 34
-- Projected 4 seed in SEC Tourney
-- Will close season at Arkansas
-- Won 7 of last 10
-- Won series vs. UGA
-- Note: If they win the series vs. ARK, they'll likely host.

It's going to be interesting to see how the selection committee slots us.

See Also:
-- Georgia at Arizona St. in Tempe Regional - Rivals.com
-- Playing for pride - ABH


Paul Westerdawg
Georgia Sports Blog

Regional Projections for the NCAA Baseball Tournament

Baseball America has GT, UGA, and Georgia Southern in the Atlanta Regional. While the College Baseball blog has UGA in the Tallahassee Regional with GT hosting Louisville and Ga. Southern in Atlanta.

Personally, I can't see Tech getting stuck with both UGA and GSU in the same regional. We may end up in Atlanta, but Ga. Southern would probably end up in Clemson or Gainesville if that happened.

The biggest difference between the two projections would be the Tuscaloosa vs. Fayetteville argument for hosting a regional. I agree with the Baseball America writer that Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Georgia are competing for two regional host sites. A look at our respective resumes:

Alabama:
-- RPI: 20 and SOS: 45
-- Projected #3 seed in SEC Tourney
-- Will close season at Auburn.
-- Won 9 of their last 10
-- Won series vs. UGA
-- Note: If they win 2 of 3 vs. Auburn, I think they host.

Arkansas:
-- RPI: 11 and SOS: 4
-- Projected 6th seed in SEC Tourney
-- Will close season against Ole Miss at home.
-- Won 4 of their last 10
-- Lost series vs. UGA
-- Note: Would need to beat Ole Miss at least twice to host.

Georgia:
-- RPI: 18 and SOS: 25
-- Projected 5 seed in SEC Tourney
-- Won 2 of their last 10
-- Would have to sweep SC and win at least 2 in Hoover to host.

Ole Miss:
-- RPI: 17 and SOS: 34
-- Projected 4 seed in SEC Tourney
-- Will close season at Arkansas
-- Won 7 of last 10
-- Won series vs. UGA
-- Note: If they win the series vs. ARK, they'll likely host.

It's going to be interesting to see how the selection committee slots us.

See Also:
-- Georgia at Arizona St. in Tempe Regional - Rivals.com
-- Playing for pride - ABH


Paul Westerdawg
Georgia Sports Blog

Dawgs Get One, But Could Have Had More

I know what I said Friday.  We should be happy with Friday night's 6-3 win, powered by Holder's great pitching and Joey Lewis's grand slam.  I suppose we can't complain too much about losing the series.  The Diamond Dawgs still lead the SEC, but they are now tied for first instead of leading the league by a few games.  Given what could have happened, I guess we should still be OK with the weekend.  The problem is it should have been a series win for us. 

Even if I ignore that we blew a 5-1 lead Saturday, it was still 8-7 after the seventh.  Bryce Massanari was the second Bulldog to hit three HRs in a single game this week and powered UGA with five RBIs.  It still wasn't enough.  A whirl of walks, wild pitches, and a pass ball helped Ole Miss, who is already a good team, score three runs in the bottom of the eighth to win 10-8.  Justin Earls just couldn't keep it together out there and it cost us a big road win and the series.  Saturday's game was there for the taking and we blew it.  I don't know what was wrong with Dean Weaver there, but I'd rather blow it with our ace reliever. 

Not that I expected to beat Scott Biddle today, but Ole Miss led 2-1 after the first on a Chase Davidson drop in rightfield and Perno pulled him shortly thereafter.  I'm not sure when he'll be back.  Peter Verdin looked alright out there in the first two games.  Justin Grimm pitched fine, but just got a bad matchup with Biddle and, hence, no run support.  Ole Miss was just better Sunday.

Given the performances turned in when the Dawgs have played top teams, one would have to agree that Georgia is a good team.  But, you can also conclude that we make too many mistakes to win a championship, conference or otherwise.  The lower part of our order is unreliable.  We walk too many batters.  We strike out too much.  Our defense is average to below average.  Despite these flaws, we've been leading the SEC most of the year.  You just wonder how much longer that can last. 

The series loss coupled with LSU's sweep of Auburn puts the Dawgs and Tigers in a tie for first in the league.  Three teams are stalking, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Florida.  The Rebs and Gators are only a game back and the Gators get both UGA and LSU before the season's over.  The Dawgs get a chance to avenge last week's loss at Jacksonville State Wednesday night before the Gators come in for another big home series this weekend.

Quinton

Dawgs Get One, But Could Have Had More

I know what I said Friday.  We should be happy with Friday night's 6-3 win, powered by Holder's great pitching and Joey Lewis's grand slam.  I suppose we can't complain too much about losing the series.  The Diamond Dawgs still lead the SEC, but they are now tied for first instead of leading the league by a few games.  Given what could have happened, I guess we should still be OK with the weekend.  The problem is it should have been a series win for us. 

Even if I ignore that we blew a 5-1 lead Saturday, it was still 8-7 after the seventh.  Bryce Massanari was the second Bulldog to hit three HRs in a single game this week and powered UGA with five RBIs.  It still wasn't enough.  A whirl of walks, wild pitches, and a pass ball helped Ole Miss, who is already a good team, score three runs in the bottom of the eighth to win 10-8.  Justin Earls just couldn't keep it together out there and it cost us a big road win and the series.  Saturday's game was there for the taking and we blew it.  I don't know what was wrong with Dean Weaver there, but I'd rather blow it with our ace reliever. 

Not that I expected to beat Scott Biddle today, but Ole Miss led 2-1 after the first on a Chase Davidson drop in rightfield and Perno pulled him shortly thereafter.  I'm not sure when he'll be back.  Peter Verdin looked alright out there in the first two games.  Justin Grimm pitched fine, but just got a bad matchup with Biddle and, hence, no run support.  Ole Miss was just better Sunday.

Given the performances turned in when the Dawgs have played top teams, one would have to agree that Georgia is a good team.  But, you can also conclude that we make too many mistakes to win a championship, conference or otherwise.  The lower part of our order is unreliable.  We walk too many batters.  We strike out too much.  Our defense is average to below average.  Despite these flaws, we've been leading the SEC most of the year.  You just wonder how much longer that can last. 

The series loss coupled with LSU's sweep of Auburn puts the Dawgs and Tigers in a tie for first in the league.  Three teams are stalking, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Florida.  The Rebs and Gators are only a game back and the Gators get both UGA and LSU before the season's over.  The Dawgs get a chance to avenge last week's loss at Jacksonville State Wednesday night before the Gators come in for another big home series this weekend.

Quinton

Ole Miss Series Sketch

The big crowds in Oxford.

The Diamond Dawgs travel west this weekend for a three game set with the Ole Miss Rebels. Ole Miss (30-11, 11-7) looks a lot like Georgia in terms of their record and their stats. They've lost two cof their conference series, at LSU and against South Carolina. Their numbers are almost identical to ours, with only a couple of notable exceptions. Average, ERA, opponent's average, and fielding percentages for both teams are within a few tenths of a point. The exceptions, though, show the difference in these two teams.

Georgia has a big edge in power hitting. UGA's slugging percentage is .548, compared to .445 for the Rebs. But, the Rebs have a pitching edge. As we know, walks have been a problem for our staff this year and Ole Miss walks significantly fewer batters than UGA. They've also struck out out 44 more batters than our staff. Like most power lineups, strike outs are a problem for us and we'll need to get good at bats against one of the best staffs in the SEC. Despite those numbers, Ole Miss's collective ERA is still a bit higher than UGA's (4.02 compared to 3.89).

Ole Miss's pitchers are no joke. I've already mentioned that their Sunday starter, Scott Biddle, was an All-American reliever last year and has been fantastic since moving into a starting spot (3-0, 1.29 ERA). Biddle isn't the only solid pitcher for the Rebs. Sophomore Drew Pomeranz, who will face Holder tonight, is coming off a complete game against Florida which pushed his record to 4-1. The pitching match up that favors us the most is Saturday's as McRee faces Phillip Irwin. That's not to say Irwin is weak, because he isn't (5-3, 3.57 ERA), but McRee should be able to outpitch him. All our guys must exercise control, especially McRee. Walks have been killing us and the staff has to minimize free base runners.

The history of this series is terrifying. Georgia has one series win in Oxford, ever. It happened in 1989, twenty years ago. A realist would say we're hoping to get a single game over there. A series win would, of course be a titanic step toward the SEC crown. I'd be happy with one and Perno has said that is about as good as he can hope for.

Oh yeah, Michael Palazzone won't make the trip due to some sort of finger injury. So, we'll be one short in the pen for this weekend, too.

See Also:
-- NCAA Regional Projections (Dawgs #6 National Seed) - CBB

Quinton

Ole Miss Series Sketch

The big crowds in Oxford.

The Diamond Dawgs travel west this weekend for a three game set with the Ole Miss Rebels. Ole Miss (30-11, 11-7) looks a lot like Georgia in terms of their record and their stats. They've lost two cof their conference series, at LSU and against South Carolina. Their numbers are almost identical to ours, with only a couple of notable exceptions. Average, ERA, opponent's average, and fielding percentages for both teams are within a few tenths of a point. The exceptions, though, show the difference in these two teams.

Georgia has a big edge in power hitting. UGA's slugging percentage is .548, compared to .445 for the Rebs. But, the Rebs have a pitching edge. As we know, walks have been a problem for our staff this year and Ole Miss walks significantly fewer batters than UGA. They've also struck out out 44 more batters than our staff. Like most power lineups, strike outs are a problem for us and we'll need to get good at bats against one of the best staffs in the SEC. Despite those numbers, Ole Miss's collective ERA is still a bit higher than UGA's (4.02 compared to 3.89).

Ole Miss's pitchers are no joke. I've already mentioned that their Sunday starter, Scott Biddle, was an All-American reliever last year and has been fantastic since moving into a starting spot (3-0, 1.29 ERA). Biddle isn't the only solid pitcher for the Rebs. Sophomore Drew Pomeranz, who will face Holder tonight, is coming off a complete game against Florida which pushed his record to 4-1. The pitching match up that favors us the most is Saturday's as McRee faces Phillip Irwin. That's not to say Irwin is weak, because he isn't (5-3, 3.57 ERA), but McRee should be able to outpitch him. All our guys must exercise control, especially McRee. Walks have been killing us and the staff has to minimize free base runners.

The history of this series is terrifying. Georgia has one series win in Oxford, ever. It happened in 1989, twenty years ago. A realist would say we're hoping to get a single game over there. A series win would, of course be a titanic step toward the SEC crown. I'd be happy with one and Perno has said that is about as good as he can hope for.

Oh yeah, Michael Palazzone won't make the trip due to some sort of finger injury. So, we'll be one short in the pen for this weekend, too.

See Also:
-- NCAA Regional Projections (Dawgs #6 National Seed) - CBB

Quinton

Is Foley Field Worthy of the Dawgs?

The Diamond Dawgs swept last weekend's baseball series with Mississippi State in front of record crowds at Foley Field.   Originally constructed in 1966 and refurbished in 1990, Foley Field currently seats an official capacity of 3,291, the second smallest in the SEC.  Only UK is smaller.  Despite it's small size, the facility held crowds of 3,876 Friday night, 4,461 Saturday (the largest crowd in Foley Field history), and 3,689 Sunday.  Those crowds broke the all-time attendance record for a weekend series.  Clearly, demand for UGA baseball is at an all-time high.  And it should be.  Very few programs have performed like UGA in the last ten years.  So, isn't it time to expand Foley Field?

We've mentioned, albeit briefly, that a new Foley Field is included in the athletic facility master plan. The master plan, though, is a long range wish list.  It's projects are aspirational over the next ten to fifteen years.  The plan advances two alternative designs for a new Foley Field.  The first would involve a completely new structure, rotating the field so that home plate would be moved to the present right field.  This plan would present two significant changes: 1) present a more aesthetic view beyond the outfield wall, with the Rankin Smith Center and Stegeman as the view beyond the batter's eye, and 2) eliminate the view from Kudzu Hill, the most unique aspect of Foley Field.  I'd rather keep the kudzu.  

A second alternative is presented in the master plan that maintains the existing structure and simply adds seating all the way down the outfield lines.   This alternative was presented without comment, so I'm at a loss on details, but it has to be less expensive.  Because it's less expensive and would preserve the charm and beauty of the existing setting, I like the second alternative.  Depending on how the additional seating is planned, we could also add additional baseball specific facilities under the new stands, like offices, weights, or batting cages.

This season, three SEC teams have new or refurbished baseball facilities. Six other schools have new digs, too.  (Baseball America put together this slick review of all the new stadiums.)  

• Ole Miss refurbished Oxford-University Stadium for an estimated $18 million.  Their expansion looks a lot like what the second alternative of the master plan would look like.  The Rebs added a bunch of seats down the lines and redid their entire stadium facade.  
• LSU built a new Alex Box Stadium, expanding from 7,760 seats to 9,200.  The Tigers have led the nation in attendance for several years now, so an expanded stadium makes perfect sense for them.  They added 288 luxury boxes, too. 
• And, South Carolina built an absolute palace for an estimated $38 million.  It is a seemingly self-contained baseball shrine, with built-in batting tunnels, weight room, media rooms, and athletic training facilities.  It also has luxury boxes.  LSU and Carolina's new digs make Foley Field look even more like a little league park when compared with the rest of the conference.

Look, I'm not demanding that Damon unveil the best facility in the country, although that would be great.  What we need is increased capacity so we don't leave ticket revenue on the table.  UGA already has a renovation plan that preserves Kudzu Hill and shouldn't cost as much as building a plush, new AAA-equivalent ballpark like LSU and Carolina.  Let's advance the plan.  

Coach Perno continues to coach and recruit at a high level.  The program looks like its on a solid foundation for years to come.  Let's build a facility worthy of such a program.

Quinton

Is Foley Field Worthy of the Dawgs?

The Diamond Dawgs swept last weekend's baseball series with Mississippi State in front of record crowds at Foley Field.   Originally constructed in 1966 and refurbished in 1990, Foley Field currently seats an official capacity of 3,291, the second smallest in the SEC.  Only UK is smaller.  Despite it's small size, the facility held crowds of 3,876 Friday night, 4,461 Saturday (the largest crowd in Foley Field history), and 3,689 Sunday.  Those crowds broke the all-time attendance record for a weekend series.  Clearly, demand for UGA baseball is at an all-time high.  And it should be.  Very few programs have performed like UGA in the last ten years.  So, isn't it time to expand Foley Field?

We've mentioned, albeit briefly, that a new Foley Field is included in the athletic facility master plan. The master plan, though, is a long range wish list.  It's projects are aspirational over the next ten to fifteen years.  The plan advances two alternative designs for a new Foley Field.  The first would involve a completely new structure, rotating the field so that home plate would be moved to the present right field.  This plan would present two significant changes: 1) present a more aesthetic view beyond the outfield wall, with the Rankin Smith Center and Stegeman as the view beyond the batter's eye, and 2) eliminate the view from Kudzu Hill, the most unique aspect of Foley Field.  I'd rather keep the kudzu.  

A second alternative is presented in the master plan that maintains the existing structure and simply adds seating all the way down the outfield lines.   This alternative was presented without comment, so I'm at a loss on details, but it has to be less expensive.  Because it's less expensive and would preserve the charm and beauty of the existing setting, I like the second alternative.  Depending on how the additional seating is planned, we could also add additional baseball specific facilities under the new stands, like offices, weights, or batting cages.

This season, three SEC teams have new or refurbished baseball facilities. Six other schools have new digs, too.  (Baseball America put together this slick review of all the new stadiums.)  

• Ole Miss refurbished Oxford-University Stadium for an estimated $18 million.  Their expansion looks a lot like what the second alternative of the master plan would look like.  The Rebs added a bunch of seats down the lines and redid their entire stadium facade.  
• LSU built a new Alex Box Stadium, expanding from 7,760 seats to 9,200.  The Tigers have led the nation in attendance for several years now, so an expanded stadium makes perfect sense for them.  They added 288 luxury boxes, too. 
• And, South Carolina built an absolute palace for an estimated $38 million.  It is a seemingly self-contained baseball shrine, with built-in batting tunnels, weight room, media rooms, and athletic training facilities.  It also has luxury boxes.  LSU and Carolina's new digs make Foley Field look even more like a little league park when compared with the rest of the conference.

Look, I'm not demanding that Damon unveil the best facility in the country, although that would be great.  What we need is increased capacity so we don't leave ticket revenue on the table.  UGA already has a renovation plan that preserves Kudzu Hill and shouldn't cost as much as building a plush, new AAA-equivalent ballpark like LSU and Carolina.  Let's advance the plan.  

Coach Perno continues to coach and recruit at a high level.  The program looks like its on a solid foundation for years to come.  Let's build a facility worthy of such a program.

Quinton