SEC vs. ACC Hurricane Relief Program Launched

Just a what if, from AshevilleDawg on the porch/hive/rivals.

Atlanta, Ga. – Officials from the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference today announced a joint promotion aimed at strengthening the rivalries between the two conferences, while raising funds to benefit victims of hurricane Katrina.

On Tuesday, October 5, Head Football Coach Chuck Amato of the N.C. State Wolfpack and Head Football Coach Ed Orgeron of the Ol’ Miss Rebels will forgo customary weekly press conferences in lieu of a fight-to-the-death extreme cage match at the Georgia Dome, officials with both programs confirmed. The event, which is expected to be a sell-out, will also be available on pay-per-view in most markets.

[Photo: Coach Orgeron preps for the Match]

“We expect Coach Orgeron and Coach Amato to both experience near-death experiences as their respective teams lose again on Saturday,” said George Burdell, Associate Director of Senior Compliance Programs and Coordination for the ACC said late Thursday. “Look, as far as both these guys go, their careers are over anyway, and frankly we can’t bear the thought of having to listen to them doing color commentary on ESPN. And it’s a great way to help victims of Katrina put their lives back together in the process.”

[Photo: Coach Amato asks the ref if a steel chair to the back of Coach O's head is legal]

Reached in an underground bunker beneath Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, Amato did not deny agreeing to participate in the death-match promotion, but would not elaborate on his chances in the cage with Orgeron, a 349-pound, seething rabid lunatic. “I don’t know what you want me to say,” Amato said, his eyes noticeably tearing behind red-framed Oakley sunglasses. “I don’t think I owe you anything, but I’m doing this for the Wolfpack nation.”

[Photo: The Guest Referee]

Orgeron was more forthcoming in his assessment of the promotion. “The people of the great state of Mississippi have been through a lot in the aftermath of Katrina,” Orgeron said. “For example, well, you already knew about Mississippi State. But then we lost to Vandy. And North Dakota, or Wyoming, or something. At that point, I put out a challenge to the guys. Either we beat UT in Knoxville on Saturday, or I will split Chuck Amato’s head open like a ripe tomato and eat his brains. Puke, and eat them again.”

[Photo: Tailgaters in the Grove enjoy their meals on fine china and heirloom silver. Before watching bloodsport]

One Katrina victim, relocated to the Atlanta area, said he hoped the promotion would be a welcome diversion to others rebuilding their lives in the storm’s aftermath. “A lot of what you heard about death and destruction in the Superdome was just hype,” said Wilbur Etufee, who with his family and 347 bottles of Heineken spent three nights in the Dome before making his way to Atlanta. “This is the real, deal though, the real deal.”

By AshevilleDawg. Special Guest Writer

100,000th Visitor and Greatest Hits

Sometime between now and Monday, the Georgia Sports Blog will get its 100,000th visitor (new URL visitors plus old ones). Not bad since I just got cranking on it in May, and I moved the site a month ago. The 200,000th page view will be in 2 weeks or so.

I thought that I would post a Greatest Hits so far (in no particular order):

Urban Meyer Praised for Pointing and Staring
By JeromeFromDecatur
Guest Writer/Director of PS2 Previews

Pope Benedict XVI Assumes Control of Harris Poll
By Paulwesterdawg

The Meteor Game: Rooting for Cataclysm
By Aaron Fullen
Guest Writer

Georgia Tech to Announce 2005 Team Slogans
By the entire Georgia Sports Blog Investigative Team

Top 10 Things Overheeard said by Georgia Tech Freshmen
By Ugas Home
Guest Writer

27 UGA Athletes Caught in Scandal
By SaxonDawg
Guest Writer

Vandy Makes it Easy Like Sunday Morning
By Paulwesterdawg

UF vs. UT Preview: By the Numbers
By Apu/ArcDog
Guest Writer

81Dog Previews the 2005 UGA Season
By 81Dog
Guest Writer/Chief Tech Hate of the Universe

Mike Floyd's SEC Preview
By Mike Floyd
Guest Writer

Caption Contest: Picture Day at Tech
By Everyone

Pre-season Awards
By Paulwesterdawg

Thanks to everyone who has visited. The site has been a fun stress relief for me. Special thanks to the guys who write things for the site and keep the content fresh and funny.

Go Dawgs and Have a Great Weekend!

Paulwesterdawg

Can South Carolina ever build an Elite Program?

Since this is an off week for UGA, I prepared a non-Dawg article. Attempting to answer the question....."Can Steve Spurrier make Carolina an SEC Champion?" -- by Paul Westerdawg

Some of the experts have poo-poo'd South Carolina's chances of ever being an elite team due to the limited depth of the in-state talent pool. Others pointed to the Chicken Curse.

[Photo: Spurrier burning up the Recruiting Trail]

I think it's important to dismiss the curse and look at exactly how shallow the Blue Chip recruiting pool in the state of South Carolina is.

I think it was Danny Ford who recently said on the Paul Finebaum show that "the state of South Carolina has about 12-14 blue chippers each year, and everyone wants them. Not just Carolina or Clemson."

12-14 blue chippers? Geez. That doesn't sound like many kids. Let's look at the numbers.

According to the Scout.com's Database
5 Star Players in SC: 2
4 Star Players in SC: 3
3 Star Players in SC: 16
(Source: Scout.com as of 9/29/05)

Now compare that to....
5 Star Players in GA: 2
4 Star Players in GA: 14
3 Star Players in GA: 49
Source: Scout.com)

[Photo: Spurrier vomits in his own mouth upon seeing the stats]

It doesn't sound like Danny Ford and Scout.com are that far apart. It also looks like Gwinnett County, Georgia may have as many blue chippers as the entire state of South Carolina.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that the recruiting services are always right. There will always be 3 star kids like David Pollack that become All-Americans, and 1 star kids like Thomas Davis who become first round draft picks. There will always be 5 star players like Jasper Sanks or Patrick Pass who basically bust out.

Recruiting is not an exact science, but recruiting is DEFINITELY a numbers game.

Let's face it, the 3, 4 and 5 star players are more likely to become Elite college players than 1 or 2 star players. Texas, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Tennessee, and Miami are loaded to the gills with blue chippers year in and year out. And, they have Top 10 seasons year in and year out. That isn't a wacky coincidence.

[Photo: Spurrier holds all Gamecock Trophies in the palm of his hand.]

Above I showed the difference in blue chip players QUANTITY in Georgia compared to South Carolina. Now, let's look specifically at the Top 25 players in the State of South Carolina.

Currently, SC has only one of the Top 10 players in state committed (#10 Rodney Paulk). They have already lost 5 of the Top 10 in state kids to other schools. They only have 2 of the Top 25 recruits in the state committed. Granted, they are still in the running for #1 Clifton Geathers and #4 Adam Patterson, but things don't look great in state.

Scott Kennedy of Scout.com told the Athens Banner Herald, "you're only talking maybe 15 caliber SEC guys [in state], you can't afford to lose three to your neighbor and watch Tennessee and Florida State get one."

That's ok, you're not going to sign them all in state. Let's look at how SC is doing out of state. Nationally, only one uncommitted 3 star player or higher out-of-state player is listed as having a "High" level of interest in South Carolina by Scout.com.

[Photo: Lou Holtz explains how he won all of those SEC East 4th Place Divisional Championships]

So will Steve Spurrier ever build an SEC Champion at South Carolina? I say no.

That's not to say he won't win some ball games. And it's not to say that he won't beat UGA every now and then. In fact, he's got a great shot at beating Georgia next year in Columbia as we graduate 2 of everything. He will probably beat UGA once every 4 or 5 years just like Carolina always has.

But in terms of sustained ability to compete for the SEC Championship. No way. He doesn't have access to the players.

And much more importantly, it is very difficult to build a program when the other teams on your schedule are Up. Ideally, you attempt to build a program during a power void where the teams around you are down.

When Spurrier first arrived in Florida in 1990, he found Goff at UGA, a declining Dye at Auburn, and a declining Majors at UT. Today, UF, UT and Georgia are Top 10 programs, and Clemson is in as good or better shape than SC.

The only way for Spurrier to win is to recruit the heck out of the state of Georgia. And that means getting kids that Georgia and Georgia Tech want. Not our leftovers. For instance, it isn't a recruiting coup when you sign kids that want to enroll at Georgia Tech, but don't have the grades to even be allowed to visit the campus (like Carlos Thomas).

Spurrier will build a better program than he found. But an SEC Champion? No way.

He'll play UGA tough just like Holtz always did. And he'll walk away defeated by a turnaround job bigger than he could have ever imagined. Just like Holtz did.

pw

Great article on Kenneth Harris (UGA WR)

This ran a few weeks back, but I forgot to post it.

Great article on Kenneth Harris and his father from the Charlotte Observer. If you don't have a password, try Bugmenot.

Fulmer the Looter -- Pic

Classic.

Courtesty of dawgs gone wild's sig on the DawgVent.

More news on the Liberty Bowl Tie-in

No in state matchups for the Liberty Bowl. Thanks to "Kid in Cackalacky" one of my regular comment guys for the heads up.

That means no UAB vs. Bama. or Southern Miss vs. Ole Miss. or Memphis vs. Tennessee.

All things considered, a good move.

UK vs. Memphis would be a HUGE draw for this bowl if Kentucky could ever find a coach with a pulse.

LSU's pre-half time FG blunder / Miles blaming Russell

I was watching NFL on TV once and some coach said that his team drills on the time running out scramble from the sidelines for a last second FG attempt.

If I remember correctly, He said at BEST it takes 16 or 18 seconds to get the offensive team off and the special teams on the field to line up and kick a FG. And that assumes everyone is on the same page.

If you're kicking a longer FG it takes less time to pull the switch than a shorter FG b/c of how far the players have to run from the sidelines. Distance, hash mark spots and knowing to make the switch are the key variables.

Consider that you're asking a few 300 lb linemen to run 20-30 yards across the width of the field to the sideline. (not all of them will come out for the kick. But it only takes 1 switching lineman to slow the play down).

If the kick is from the 20 yardline they are running about 40 total yards (to the player's area on the sideline).

They are exhausted at the end of the game.
They have to pick themselves up off the ground from the last play.

Then they have to stand and sprint (exhausted) to the sideline.

At their best, they probably run a 5.5+ 40. Exhausted, they probably couldn't break 6.0 or 6.5. PLUS, they have to stand up if knocked down from the last play. Just getting everyone off takes about 8-10 seconds.

While that's happening the new players are lining up.

Then the kicker has to take 5 or so steps back. Take a breath and wait for the snap.

To get all of that done in 16 seconds is TOUGH.

Desipte Les Miles throwing Jamarcus Russell under the bus in his post-half interview, it wasn't Jamarcus Russell's fault that they didn't score before the half. He was trying to make a play. It wasn't the smartest play, but it wasn't a terminal error. The fault lies with Miles for not looking up at the clock and KNOWING that there was no way in hell he could get the kicking team on the field. He should've never sent the FG out there.

He should've been sending in the Spike call. That was entirely Miles fault.

But what do you expect from a guy that wanted to call a timeout during the change of possession pre-overtime.

Les Miles = The New Poster Boy for Bad Clock Management

SEC picks up Liberty Bowl for 2006

The Liberty Bowl will be joining the SEC Bowl group (HT to FanBlogs.com). This is a good financial and geographic deal for the SEC. The Liberty Bowl has always been a solid bowl in a fun city.

If handled properly, it's an especially good deal for the SEC West, Tennessee and Kentucky. However, I was hoping for a better matchup than the Conference USA Champ.

A bowl game between Ole Miss and Southern Miss would be interesting if only because of the bad blood. But the matchups wouldn't seem to have much national appeal.

The types of matchups you might see one day:
Arkansas vs. Houston (old SWC rival meet again)
Arkansas vs. Memphis
Mississippi State vs. Memphis
Kentucky vs. Memphis
Ole Miss vs. Marshall
Alabama vs. UAB (if the SEC would allow it)
Kentucky vs. Southern Miss
South Carolina vs. East Carolina

If Louisville and TCU were still in CUSA and if Marshall's program wasn't heading down the tubes, this would have been a more interesting bowl tie-in. Right bowl. Wrong conference to tie the SEC into.

Hopefully, this bowl tie-in will never impact Georgia. ;-)

Blog Poll Week 5 Ballot

Week 5 Ballot:
1 Southern Cal
2 Texas
3 Virginia Tech
4 Florida
5 Georgia
6 Ohio State
7 Tennessee
8 Miami (Florida)
9 Louisiana State
10 Michigan State
11 Florida State
12 Alabama
13 Texas Tech
14 Auburn
15 Arizona State
16 Notre Dame
17 UCLA
18 Wisconsin
19 Louisville
20 Minnesota
21 Purdue
22 Cal
23 Virginia
24 Iowa State
25 Penn State

Dropped Out:
Iowa, Georgia Tech, Oregon, Michigan and Vandy

Welcome:
Minnesota, Iowa State, Penn State, Cal and Wisconsin

Justifications:
Vandy - They are 26th. They were 25th for me. There are other teams with 3 Div I-A wins over BCS opposition now and they added a 4th win over a Div I-AA cupcake.

Big 10 - The arrival of the Big 10 along the bottom of the ballot. I added 3 Big 10 teams to the ballot and dropped 2 out. It feels like I've ranked the entire conference at one time or another this season. I'll have a better feel for how to rank the newbies on my ballot after this week.

Cal - I'm not a believer.

Texas Tech - I'm not a believer based on their performance vs. my mom and her sisters in the first 3 games. I'm a believer because in spite of the schedule I think they are probably a good team. However, based on their schedule the first time that they lose I'm going to pummel them in the rankings.

Implosion on the Bayou! -- Headline Suggestions

Proposed Headlines from LSU's implosion tonight on Rocky Top.

Geaux Vols!
FireLesMiles.com
Rocky Topped
Cheauxke

Harshest line from an Ok State fan seen on the LSU message board tonight:

"As a dedicated Oklahoma State fan, all I can say is get used to second half collapses just like tonight's. Les' tenure at OSU is littered with them.....take last year's Texas game when we had them down 35-7 at half and lost 56-35!!! That's 49 unanswered points my friends. I feel your pain."

Recap: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Mississippi State

Tell me if you've heard this one before. We looked great on defense, but penalities and redzone woes slowed us to a crawl on offense. It's a familiar refrain over the past 4 years. Once again, I feel better after watching the replay because most of our problems are mental. Not talent.

We're undefeated and scoring enough points to win. Nothing wrong with this team is terminal. Everything right should be enjoyed and cherished. This is a fun season. With a little luck and some improvement we're going to have a huge season.

The Positive:
-- Few injuries -- Anderson will probably be fine in time for UT.

-- Defensive Line Play -- Our DL dominated the line of scrimmage. I think MSU crossed the 50 yardline 3 times all night. And the last 2 drives were well after the game was decided. If Charles Johnson or Gant were a half step quicker, we would've busted up 3-4 more amazing scramble plays from Omar Conner. I'm not complaining. In reality, Conner is a former QB turned WR turned QB. No other QB that our DL will chase this year is that fast. We put their running game up on blocks. Speaking of a half a step quicker, is it just me or is CJ sporting a bit of a tire around the middle? Don't get me wrong....he's a beast. I'm just making an observation.

-- Defensive Play Calling -- We blitzed more. We seemed to stunt more up front. We just attacked them more. In the seats during the game, it seemed as if Conner had all day late in the 4th quarter. I was complaining about being more aggressive in the stands, but after watching it again...it wasn't that big a deal.

-- Emphasis on Creating Turnovers -- We now have 8 interceptions for the year on defense. We have also recovered 6 fumbles. This is the biggest change in the Martinez era. Emphasis on this area is paying HUGE dividends.

-- Passing and Catching -- DJ and the QBs are developing nicely. Sure, they dropped a few. Sure, DJ made some bad throws and missed some guys. All of that is normal. We will NEVER have a QB that makes every throw. We will never have WRs or TEs that catch every pass. All we can ask for is improvement. They are improving. DJ currently has 8 passing TDs and only 2 INTs. There isn't a Dawg fan alive who wouldn't have taken those numbers through Game 4 if you were offering them pre-season.

-- Paul Oliver -- Continues to improve. Very encouraging.


Areas for Improvement:
-- Offensive Line Play -- Mississippi State's DTs were pushing our centers 3-7 yards back all night. This was primarily the problem out of the Shotgun sets. It was much less common out of the I formation sets. From the gun, our centers stand straight up and the low leverage (apparently stronger) DTs just push them straight back to bust up the play. It is common with both of them. Mahalona will eat them alive.

In today's AJC, Richt addressed this saying:

"On the offensive side, the focus will be on holding blocks a little longer, getting lower and better leverage, and making the right decisions.

Well thank heavens. The centers need an extra helping of this class because this was also a problem versus SC. It would also help if our OL played smarter, and blocked the right guy man.

For pete's sake every single starting Offensive lineman has at least 25 starts under his belt. Some have almost 30 starts. With 125 total starts under their belt we shouldn't still be whiffing on assignments.

It's one thing when the Defense sends 7+ guys at a time. 5 can't block 7. It's another when 4 whip 5. And it isn't talent at 4 of the 5 positions. When all of them had a hat on a man, we looked pretty good.

-- Penalties -- I offered my suggestion of fining the coaches $100 for every holding or offsides. Dave Johnson, TE coach, would've been out $300 for this game. Pope tackled a guy for his first hold. His second one was pretty ticky tacky. Penalties are 1/2 of our redzone and 3rd down conversion problems. Penalties don't just add yards and complexity to a drive. They wipe out plays. We had about 40 yards of rushing wiped out by penalties and another 20+ yards of receiving wiped out. These mental mistakes make fluid play calling and execution so much harder. It's maddening.

-- WR Downfield Blocking -- The young guys (Harris, Mo Mass and even Bailey still need a ton of work in this area). In theory, they are young and will improve like Reggie Brown did in his time here. In reality, Eason's guys not named Reggie or McClendon haven't blocked well over the past 4+ years period. I miss Darryl Drake.

-- Play Calling -- It isn't just that we need to call more runs. We need to call more power runs out of the I formation when we need 2 yards. The finesse running out of the gun is really inconsistent right now because of the center blowback issue.

It was nice to see Richt bringing the RB screen back. Although Ware and Lumpkin seem to run it in slow motion. Brown and Browning appear to be much better at executing it. It BADLY blew up twice when the other 2 ran it. It worked like a champ when Thomas ran it. Also nice to see us take some shots downfield. We hit one with Gartrell, but we missed on two along the sidelines.

-- Fade route in the endzone -- for the love of all that is decent and holy please don't let DJ throw this route anymore. His attempt at this throw vs. MSU was worse than the debacle vs. SC before the half.


OVERALL -- I saw almost nothing that can't be fixed with practice. My only concerns going into the UT game are:

1. How will our interior OL handle Mahalona. We're going to have to double him. That will limit what we do offensively.

2. Will we beat the penalty bug. Or will it beat us.

3. Will we stay healthy the next 2 weeks in practice.

All Photos are from Georgiadogs.com.

Thoughts on Starkville and MSU in general

This was my first trip to Starkville. I've now hit 11 of 12 SEC stadiums with no real intention of hitting The Swamp. Some thoughts:

The People -- Everyone in Starkville was exceptionally nice to us. Our tailgate hosts were accomodating and friendly and the environment was solid. I think the MSU folks were enjoying the novelty of having Georgia in town. Our group was certainly enjoying the novelty of being in Starkville.

The lack of familiarity between the two programs prevents the sort of contempt for each other that Georgia fans and their more regular rivals share. This was only Georgia's 4th visit to Starkville despite both teams being charter members of the SEC. Several people we spoke with commented on seeing Herschel run in 1982. No one mentioned steamrollers.

The Campus -- They are working to modernize it from what I saw. There are some older dorms that make Russell and Brumby look modern. Because of the weather and the general spreadout nature of the campus, we didn't see much. It appears to be a work in progress.

The tailgating -- It wouldn't be fair to judge anyone on their tailgating scene based on the weather conditions.

The Hump (basketball arena) -- The building was open. I think they renovated it about 10 years ago. Imagine if Stegeman was a complete bowl instead of a horseshoe and the seats were closer to the court all the way around. Also imagine a better paint job, a roof who's problems are not exposed and somewhat better concourses and you have The Hump.

The MSU Football Program -- I'm more convinced than ever that Croom is the right man for Mississippi State. It is just going to take time. He lost 29+ players who refused to live by his rules. He's also in the process of losing players to scholarship reductions. When he gets a full roster watch out. I was impressed that his team didn't quit. And I was impressed that the thuggish, bush league, late hitting, eye poking, jawing, punkittude from the Sherrill era was gone. He's good for the SEC.

In fact, I think they still have a shot at a bowl game. They still play Houston, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Kentucky. All of those teams are very beatable. Beating Arkansas in Little Rock will be the biggest test. Nutt is almost invincable at The Rock.

Overall, Starkville was less charming than Ole Miss, but much less needlessly pretentious. They were there for a football game. Not a fashion show. Good people.


pwd

Is Perdue an Indian word for Dumbass?

I don't do politics normally on this board. But I will point out that Gov. Sonny Perdue just cancelled school for Monday and Tuesday in order to save 250,000 gallons of diesel fuel and help with possible gas shortages caused by Hurricane Rita.

250,000 gallons of diesel is a drop in the fuel bucket.

All this is going to do is cause another idiotic gas panic.

I can't wait to vote against him.

Sincerely,

Republican Who Voted for Perdue

Why the Outrage from the Vol Nation?

The game was moved to Monday and the Vols are outraged. Fulmer even considered forfeiting the game.

Why the outrage from Vols? This is no different than NASCAR. A subject the Vol nation should be deeply familiar with. Sometimes weather is a problem, and they race on Monday.

As for Bertmann's comments that it's a burden for LSU. He's right. But, it isn't the hotel rooms or the fans or team that are the logistical problem for LSU. The logisitcal issue is arranging 150-200 law enforcement and Emergency officials to work security, traffic and manage public safety for the game in Baton Rouge with little notice.

Vol fans and Phil Fulmer need to realize that the entire NCAA and SEC doesn't revolve around them and what is most helpful to them.

pwd

Mississippi State vs. Georgia Preview

Courtesy of JeromeFromDecatur and His Playstation


Dawgs Offense Continues to Dissappoint
Georgia defeats Mississippi State 52-14 but offensive production raises serious questions

Starkville, Miss. -- Expectations. It's a word that has haunted the Jerome led Dawgs through the early weeks of the season. Despite a #7 national ranking and a 3-0 record going into the game, some Georgia fans were up in arms over a lack offensive production.

"Look," Coach Jerome said after the game to ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews, after Georgia's 38 point victory, "we have high expectations and no one is more dissapointed than me after a performance like this."

Photo: Coach Jerome: Not Pleased

The Dawgs gained over 606 yards of total offense and over 350 yards on the ground with Thomas Brown and Danny Ware each rushing over 100 yards. This however didn't please Jerome.

When asked to point toward his specific dissapointments Jerome was able to quickly respond.

"D.J. could've done more. (Shockley was 6 for 11 for 298 yards and 3 TD's and had 8 rushes for 70 yards) We could've run the bubble screen more. We didn't run the wishbone at all. We just have to keep aiming till we can reach the level of Georgia Tech."

When it was pointed out that Georgia was averaging more yards and more points per game than Tech, Coach Jerome was quick to correct Andrews.

"No, no. Not the 2005 Chan Gailey Yellow Jackets. I'm talking about the 1926 John Heisman led Yellow Jackets that defeated Cumberland College 220-0 Until we reach that level, I realize a lot of our fans aren't going to be happy."

Photo: Heisman: Tech: Perfection

Despite Jerome's dissastifaction, the Dawgs certainly looked impressive. Using a power running game and a running back rotation that featured at least five different Dawgs getting at least six carries--Thomas Brown (11 carries 134 yards), Danny Ware (10 carries 120 yards), Kregg Lumpkin (8 carries 54 yards), Brandon Southerland (8 carries 20 yards), Tony Milton (6 carries 22 yards)--the Dawgs controlled the line of scrimmage and the scoreboard early, jumping out to a 14-0 lead after three minutes of play.

"It could've been 28, it should've been 28" Jerome said, "but we ain't USC."

The Georgia defense proved tough, holding All-SEC caliber running back Jerious Norwood to 81 yards on 12 carries.

"81 yards, uh?" Jerome said when confronted with the stat from Ryan Jordan who butted into the Coach's interview with Erin Andrews. "Pathetic."

Adding insult to blow-out victory injury, Coach Jerome's attempt to get Erin Andrews phone number proved futile as she was seen leaving the field, chatting and smiling with Mr. Jordan.

Photo: Miss Andrews

"We've just got to work hard and get better. Work hard. Get better. Work hard. Get better," Jerome was heard saying to no one in particular as he walked off the field. His words seemed to recall a Dawg coach of old.

The now 4-0 Georgia Bulldogs will have a bye week before locking horns with the Tennessee Volunteers.

Photo: Surreal

It's unclear if their recent performance will impact their position in the polls. When asked how he will be spending the week off before firing up the Play Station to take on UT in Knoxville, Jerome's answer was clear, "I'll be on the message boards. Lurking. Getting advice. Learning how to coach. Learning how to run an offense. The place is amazing. Their standards, expecations, transcendent. A real passion for unreasonable standards of perfection."


Preview: Provided by JeromeFromDecatur. PlayStation is a licensed trademark of Sony.

Extremely Belated Blog Poll Ballot

Yeah, I didn't get my ballot in on time. It was a zoo this week. Here's the full poll results for Week 4.

My unsubmitted Ballot would look something like this:
1 Southern Cal
2 Texas
3 Louisiana State
4 Florida
5 Georgia
6 Virginia Tech
7 Ohio State
8 Louisville
9 Purdue
10 Iowa
11 Tennessee
12 Miami (Florida)
13 Florida State
14 Texas Tech
15 Georgia Tech
16 Alabama
17 Oregon
18 Auburn
19 Arizona State
20 Michigan State
21 UCLA
22 Notre Dame
23 Michigan
24 Virginia
25 Vanderbilt

Dropping Out:
Boston College (19), Colorado (24), Clemson (25)

New Teams:
Michigan State (20), UCLA (21) and Vandy (25)

Now, let me defend a few picks.
Vandy - As someone else pointed out before I lost the link to their web site, Vandy has beaten three teams from BCS conferences (Wake, Arkansas and Ole Miss). Two of those wins are on the road. What other team can say that? Not Colorado. Not Cal. Not BC.

Michigan State - And to think that Brian wanted to boot the MSU blogger for having MSU ranked higher than Michigan pre-season. That's crazy talk no more my friend. I know that there is no transient property in football. But this early, I did want to rank MSU over ND and ND over Michigan.

Michigan - This isn't a Top 20 football team. I'll believe otherwise when I see it.

Oregon - I can't justify this pick. I really can't. I'm going with Gut.

UVA - I could've gone with Cal, but they haven't beaten anyone.

FSU over Miami - Yes. I think if they play again that Miami wins. FSU isn't long for this high of a ranking either way.

pwd

Hollywood's Best Fraternities

SI.com On Campus asks, who had the best Frat. Their choices:

5. The Pit (PCU)
4. Melon's Tall & Fat (Back to School)
3. The KEG House (Beverly Hills, 90210)
2. Alpha Beta (Revenge of the Nerds)
1. Lambda Epsilon Omega (Old School)
Lifetime Achievement award: Delta House (Animal House)

Ok, if I'm picking from that group, I definitely roll with Thorton Melon's crew. First, you're not competing with Thorton for the ladies. Second, he's got all the bills PAID.

SI.com on Campus has had great stuff most of the week. Although most folks threw a conipition over their campus road trip rankings. Journalists who love Neyland Stadium have never sat in a seat in Neyland Stadium.

A gamecock fan once said this about practicing for a trip to Neyland Stadium:

"Go home. Buy a child restraint seat. Place it on top of your house. Climb your house, walk to the seat and try to fit your fanny in the seat. If it fits - sit there for 3.5 hours while listening to "Rocky Top" 75 times in a row. That'll get ya ready."

PWD

Georgia to Play Clemson 2013-2014

Dawgs Also Announce Season Opener with Western Kentucky for 2006

Sept. 22, 2005
(Original Source: UGA SID)

ATHENS --- The University of Georgia and Clemson University will renew a rivalry that dates back to 1897 when the two teams meet in a home-and-home series in 2013 and 2014.

The contract agreement was announced by UGA Director of Athletics Damon Evans who also said the Bulldogs would open the 2006 season against Western Kentucky University in Athens on Saturday, Sept. 2. Georgia's original '06 opening day opponent, Central Florida, had to cancel the game due to new conference scheduling.

"Georgia and Clemson is one of the oldest rivalries in the country," said Evans who also indicated that exact dates for the games have not been determined. "It's a natural fit and one that we are delighted has worked out in a way that suits the schedules of both schools. Some of the greatest college football games have been played between Georgia and Clemson over the years, especially in the 1980's, and we think this will be very well received by both Georgia and Clemson fans."

Western Kentucky won the 2002 Division 1-AA national championship and is currently ranked number one nationally in Division 1-AA. Evans also said the game with Western Kentucky "will give our fans a chance to see a team that has never visited Sanford Stadium and a school that we are currently playing in a basketball series."

While dates have not been determined, Georgia will travel to Clemson in 2013 and the Tigers will play in Athens in 2014. Georgia leads the overall series with Clemson, 41-17, and has won the previous five meetings dating back to 1991. However, from 1978 to 1990, the Bulldogs and Tigers played 11 games with equal records of 5-5-1.

Hat tip to DawgPost.com.

Scheduling News Around the SEC....

I love these articles. I continually post the updates for the big SEC scheduling news. Earlier today, I posted the news of UGA vs. Clemson 2013 and 2014, and I continue to hear good rumors about an opponent for 2011 and 2012.

Now, let's look at others in the SEC. The Vols announced that this week a monster two game series with Oklahoma in 2014 and 2015. UT also announced a two year deal with UNC for 2011 and 2012.

Here are some other non-rival Out of Conference games of interest for SEC teams:
Alabama vs. Penn State - 2013/2014
Alabama vs. FSU - 2007 (pending TV contract resolution)
Auburn vs. Washington State - 2006
Arkansas vs. Southern Cal - 2005/2006
Georgia vs. Colorado - 2006/2010
Georgia vs. Arizona State - 2008/2009
Georgia vs. Clemson - 2013/2014
LSU vs. Arizona - 2006 (return date from 2003)
LSU vs. Arizona State - 2005/2008 (Plus 1 more unpending)
Ole Miss vs. Wake - 2006/2008
Ole Miss vs. GT - 2010/2011
MSU vs. West Virginia - 2006/2007
Tennessee vs. Cal - 2006/2007
Tennessee vs. UCLA - 2008/2009
Tennessee vs. NCSU - 2008/2012
Tennessee vs. UNC - 2011/2012
Tennessee vs. Oklahoma - 2014/2015
Source: NationalChamps.net and Fan Blogs (among others)

You may ask yourself. Why does UT schedule so aggressively? Part of the answer is..."Because they can!" They have great scheduling flexibility because the lack a non-conference rival. UGA, SC, and Florida have non-conference foes booked into their schedule which limits some of their scheduling flexibility. UT, LSU, Bama and Auburn have no such commitments.

The other part is "Because they have to." Filling a 110,000 seat stadium with contributing season ticket holders isn't easy. You need a compelling schedule to do that. Good for them. They schedule more aggressively than others.

I'm glad the Dawgs are stepping up too. It'll be interesting to see what we do with the 2007, 2011 and 2012 slots.

As for the Gators. Tell you guys what. If you can PROVE that you have a series with the Canes actually booked, then send me the link. I'm sick of getting hate mail and comments that I have to delete from Gator fans boasting of a series with the Gators in either '07, 08, 09, 13, or whatever. Produce a dang link, and I'll gladly list it. Until then I'm assuming that you guys are ducking the Canes again, and your series is scheduled for Nevuary.


pwd

Around the Football Blogosphere

Some things I've been reading...mostly dealing with last week.

Let's get things started with a look at one of America's most important football blogs. Yes, that's right the Professional Cheerleader Blog. You know what's wrong with that blog? Nothing. That's what. Great photo from their site (click to enlarge)

Now, where was I. Oh, yeah...StraightBangin has a great weekend recap. The many faces of Dave Wannstedt starts things off and closing with his Vandy commentary is very strong.

R.D. Baker brings the Big 12 into focus in his Cheap Seats recap.

Words don't properly express capture EDSBS's commentary on Rich Brooks at UK. You'll just have to read it.

Spartan Tailgate brings us Things safer than a Michigan Spartan lead. HT to Brian.

Good stuff.

UGA vs. MSU 96-97: Starkville and Steamrollers

By: Paul Westerdawg

Because UGA plays Mississippi State so rarely and few Georgia fans have experienced a trip to Starkville, the Georgia Sports Blog wanted to get some insight on playing the "other" Bulldogs through the eyes of a former player.

Ronald Bailey, cornerback for the Georgia Bulldogs from ’94-97, spent a few minutes with us looking back at the 1996 and 1997 games. Georgia won the 1996 meeting in Starkville 38-19 and won the 1997 meeting 47-0 in Athens.

[Photo: Bailey picks off a Tim Couch pass for a touchdown against Kentucky in 1997. He also had an interception versus Mississippi State in the 1997 match up in Athens.]

Question and Answer:
Paul Westerdawg (PWD): We rarely play Mississippi State, and I've never been to Starkville. What was the town and stadium like?

Ronald Bailey (RB): "When we got off the bus and I looked around, I was happy that I went to Georgia. Like a lot of places in Mississippi it was in the middle of nowhere."


PWD: Their stadium is pretty small. What was the crowd like in Starkville? Were the cowbells a factor?

RB: "We played them in a late night game, and I remember it being a pretty rowdy crowd. It was a small stadium, but with the cowbells the noise was really magnified."


PWD: How did the stadium compare to other places in the SEC?

RB: "We joked that it was a big high school stadium. I preferred playing in Starkville to Vandy because of Vandy's Astroturf. I almost broke my foot on Vandy's old turf. As a player, I preferred Vandy, but as a fan I would definitely go to Nashville before Starkville."


PWD: In 1997, Jim Donnan drove a steamroller onto the practice field to motivate the team before the Mississippi State game in Athens. What do you remember about that?

RB: "I think it was the beginning of practice on Thursday. We were on the lower practice field. The gates towards the Coliseum were open, and Donnan rolled onto the practice fields driving the steamroller. He drove it directly into the middle of the field.

Donnan was just trying motivating us. When your coach comes out and says you’re going to steamroll somebody it shows confidence in you. He said, 'We’re going to be the steamroller, and they are going to be the pavement.'

Mississippi State always had very physical teams. Coach Donnan wanted us to out-physical them. We had to match their physicality to win."


PWD: What was the team's reaction to the steamroller and the speech?

RB: "People were surprised and laughing. Nobody could believe he would do something that outrageous."


PWD: Even after the steamroller stunt. Did you ever thing that you would beat them so badly (47-0)?

RB: "No. I was really surprised by the score."


PWD: Do you have a prediction for this Saturday?

RB: "Our defense has been playing so well, I don’t think they’ll score any more than 7 points. I’m thinking 31-7."


Thanks again to Ronald Bailey for this look back. - PWD

Mississippi State and Starkville Tidbits

When you look at the pre-game UGA vs. MSU stats, one unusual thing pops off the page -- Georgia and Mississippi State have only met 19 times. More shockingly, Georgia has only traveled to Starkville 4 times to play this SEC conference foe. UGA leads the all-time series 14-5, and we hold a 3-1 edge in games played in Starkville.

With so little familiarity between the two schools, what can Georgia fans expect on their trip to Starkville? Skip Bertman, current LSU Athletic Director and former baseball coach, is attributed to have the best quotes on the topic:

"Starkville is Indian for Trailer Park." - Skip Bertman

"Everytime I go to Starkville I ask for a room without a view." - Skip Bertman

"NASA is moving the space program to Starkville because it has no atmosphere." - Skip Bertman

"Who is the Loneliest Person is Starkville? The Tooth Fairy." - Smoke Laval, current LSU baseball coach.

Most Georgia fans (including this one) have never made the trek to Starkville as UGA has only been there in 1996, 1988, 1982 and 1951. We have played in Atlanta (2x), Jackson (3x) and Athens (10x).

As a point of comparison, Georgia has played Furman (23x), Mercer (22x), Tulane (25x), UNC (30x) and UVA (19x). The only SEC school that we have played less is Arkansas (10x); although, we've oddly enough played Arkansas in 7 different cities. (I must point out that the Furman and Mercer games were pre-1950).

From Dictionary.com:
Stark (adj.)
1. Bare or blunt.
2. Complete or utter; extreme: stark poverty; a stark contrast.
3. Harsh; grim.

PWD

Chicken Curse in Detail (from The State)

The following letter gives the world's greatest insight into the history of the Chicken Curse. It details the power of The Curse to destroy the Gamecock program and ruin lives. It was written by a Gamecock fan (more details below) and published in The State newspaper shortly after Lou Holtz was named the head coach of the Gamecocks.


To the Editor:

I feel sorry for poor Lou. He doesn't realize what he has gotten into. As a diehard Gamecock and ardent Lou Holtz fan, I was as ecstatic as anyone when the announcement became official. But then I realized, unfortunately, that Lou won't remain at USC for very long.

No, I'm not talking about the rumors of son Skip assuming the mantle in a few years. I'm talking about the all-too-real Chicken Curse. Lou WILL turn the program around. Lou WILL win games. Then Lou will die.

The Chicken Curse does not like to be flouted. Most USC coaches have read the scriptures and learned early on--win in moderation. Sparse success is permitted. Consistency will only raise the ire of the great Chicken. Joe Morrison chose to defy the Curse, and he paid the ultimate price.

In the Great Volumes of the Curse, in the Book of Cursemiah, Chapter 3 it reads: "Thou shalt not flout the Great Foul. He is a jealous foul, and shall heap tumultuous suffering upon wayward brethren. Therefore, reside ye in blessed mediocrity."

Chapter 12 details the tragic history of the one man who chose to ignore the warning: "The Great Winged One didst grant King Joe of Blacknessia the Season of Prosperity. But King Joe looked forward with greed. He taunted the All-Mighty Bird with successive octa-victory harvests. And the Great Chicken didst rise up and smite him dead."

Unfortunately, Lou Holtz is a man of drive and determination. He will instill in our young men motivation and a winning attitude. He will succeed.

Then he will meet the great Cockaloonda in the sky. Skip Holtz will be devastated by the loss of his father, and will be unable to coach. USC will then faithfully resume it's predestined mission of mediocrity.

Thank you, Lou, for risking your life for the good ol' University of South Carolina.

Sincerely,

Cliff Springs
Gamecock Fan

- - - - - -
As stated above, Cliff Springs, co-founder and president of Genesis Creative and an old friend of mine, wrote this letter shortly after Lou was hired. After it was published by The State, portions of it were later read by Lou Holtz at a Gamecock press conference. It was also referenced on ESPN College Gameday. Cliff sent it to me years ago, and with his permission I'm republishing it now. Cliff didn't predict everything right...which was good for Lou Holtz' family. But it's still very funny. I only wish I had published it before the South Carolina vs. Georgia Game.