Georgia Sports Blog FanShop

September 29, 2006

One Guy's Take on the Georgia Program


Defense wins championships. Image: Hipple

When I interviewed the Colorado Rivals.com guy last week, one of the things he and I talked about offline was what it would take for UGA to lose to CU.

I told him then, and I still believe it to be true today (despite the debacle last week).....

"With the exception of Auburn...every time Georgia laces them up, I expect us to win IF we show up prepared and ready to play. We rarely *lose* football games anymore. We beat ourselves via coming in flat or just stone cold wetting the bed...like when we enter the Jacksonville City limits."

If we come in jacked up and focused, we will destroy Ole Miss. We just have to focus on blocking, tackling, passing and catching. The basics. If we make the plays that our talent level suggests we should make, we win.

Georgia doesn't have to do anything super human to win games with its talent, team work and conditioning.

Auburn is the ONLY team that we play that is just as tough. Just as well coached. Just as deep. Just as talented. And they are the only team that TAKES victory from us without us giving it to them or nutting up.

That's a very good place to be as a program.

pwd

Colorado Fan Feedback on Trip to Athens

Don't tell the Gamecocks or Yellow Jackets, but the Buffalo fans had a blast in Athens. Just like the Boise fans did. Here are some of their comments:PWD

Thoughts on the grad rate debacle

"All our young people are on pace to graduate." -- Jim Harrick, Sr.

Ouch. UGA's graduation rate for men's hoops players enrolling from '96-'99 was a blistering nine percent. That's 1 out of 11 kids graduating in 4 recruiting classes. Only Badi Oliver graduated. Each class was given 6 years to graduate. Obviously, this was near rock bottom nationally.

Football's grad rate was 41%. That's down from our high in football around 65% a few years back. The football stats don't totally bother me because of the timing and our track record had improved dramatically in this area for several years. Look at those recruiting classes from '96-'99, and you will see a bunch of kids that went pro early or transferred during the coaching transition between Donnan and Richt because of playing time, attitude or discipline.

It's the basketball numbers that are the real problem. Why? Well...who's kidding who here...it isn't like the NBA was scooping up our kids left and right. Only Jumaine Jones went pro out of those 11 kids (DA Layne left early, but he was on pace to graduate and doesn't count towards the 11 non-graduates).

Sadly. The hoops stats aren't a shocker:
Only 1 of 11 kids enrolling in the 4 years between '96-'99 graduated. Those recruiting classes included 1 Tubby Smith class, 2 Ron Jirsa classes and 1 Harrick class.

Coaching transitions cause some turnover. It's only natural. 3 coaches in 4 years causes tremendous turnover. However, the realities of Jim Harrick's involvement in the academic development of all four classes pretty much doomed them.

Harrick appears to have completely disregarded a kid's transcript in the recruiting process, and his complete inability to manage eligibility and progress towards graduation made all of this unavoidable. When you hire a guy that doesn't give a damn about academics. This is what happens.

The really sad news
The stats in hoops won't get any better any time soon. Harrick's four recruiting classes that enrolled from '99-'02 included only two high school freshmen that made it through 4 years of college at Georgia -- Chris Daniels and Rashad Wright.


That's right. Two high schoolers in four years.

Based on Harrick's comments at the Senior Awards Dinner days before his departure, it seems unlikely that Steve Thomas left in good academic standing. If he did, then he wouldn't count towards the stats in a positive or negative light as he enrolled at MTSU. If he didn't have good grades, then he definitely counts.

Jarvis Hayes went pro early, and I'm not sure if he graduated. Given that he was an inbound transfer, I'm not sure that he counts either way.

Jonas graduated, but as an inbound transfer I'm not sure if he or Damien Wilkins, who graduated, count in the stats.

No other Harrick player graduated that was recruited during that period from '99-'02. No Moses White. No Shon Coleman. No Anthony Evans. No Nick Temen. No Wayne Arnold. No Tony Cole.

Even Harrick's famed recruits that didn't enroll at UGA, are unlikely to graduate from college. Julius Lamptey, Kenny Brunner, John Toombs, Larry Turner and Alexander. None of them look to graduate.

We likely won't see graduation rate stats in basketball that aren't embarrassing until around 2012. At best. That's assuming the next coaching transition doesn't clobber 2-3 more classes.

What a bummer.

pwd


PS -- the infamous PE Course that Harrick Jr taught didn't help any of the three kids graduate. It was just an elective to fill time. So that's not even part of the issue here.

September 28, 2006

Funniest Thing You'll Hear All Day (The Orgeron Song)

EDSBS tipped us off to this one, and it's teh awesome. I present you with....

The Orgeron Song

It starts slow, but the payoff is well, well worth it.(note: link fixed)


He can hear you laughing.

UPDATE: This was written by Chris Vernon. His radio show is on from 3-6 CST on 730 ESPN in Memphis or @ www.730espn.com.

PWD

DawgBone.net's Old School Pic of the Week


Champ Bailey vs. Ole Miss

From DawgBone.net

pwd

September 27, 2006

Cheerleaders and Joe Pa's Bowels


Image: MZone

Hail to the Soccer Moms -- You're not going to believe the new cheerleader uniforms at Michigan. If you're into the Soccer Mom, LPGA or MILF scenes, this might be your bag. If you're into Cougars, you won't dig this or any other uni on a woman under the age of 50.

Joe Pa's Poo -- Between TurdGate and Joe Pa's run for the crapper, this site has become your one stop shop for news of the odd doo (for better or worse). FanBlogs.com gives me a run for my money on best headline in the JoePa PooSprintGate. "Joe Pa Loses to #1, Surrenders to #2."

The All Night Diner of My Mind -- In unrelated news, REM sat in on Five Eight's REM tribute show at the 40 Watt a few weeks ago. File this under the heading. Things I didn't see, but wish I did.

pwd

Photos: Colorado vs. UGA (Best Pic = Air Shackleford)

Air Shackleford


Photo by Jim Hipple. Click to enlage.

More Photos:PWD

Photos: Colorado vs. UGA (Set 2)

All photos by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.

Kregg Lumpkin


Martrez celebrates


Moses in Action


Running with Ralphie


Southerland


All photos by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.

More Photos:PWD

Photos: Colorado vs. UGA (Set 1)

All Photos by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.

Inman and the OL


Charles Johnson


Charles Johnson


Joe Cox


Team Defense


All photos by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.

More Photos:PWD

September 26, 2006

Gameday Parking Info

(Source: UGA Gameday Gameplan...not a joke)

UGA to Pre-Sell Remaining Deck Permits
for Final Four Home Games


ATHENS, Ga., Sept. 26 – The University of Georgia is pre-selling the remaining inventory of parking spaces in two on-campus decks for the four remaining home games. The passes, which are available to any UGA season ticket holder, cost $80 ($20 per game) and can be purchased through www.gamedaygameplan.com. Any spaces not sold will be available to fans on the day of the game on a first-come, first-served basis.

Spaces remain in the Carlton Street deck, behind Stegeman Coliseum, and the North Campus deck, between Jackson and Thomas streets near downtown Athens. Permits in the Hull Street and South Campus decks sold out during the preseason buying period. Purchase of a parking pass guarantees a pass holder a spot in the deck, regardless of when they arrive at the game.

Each deck is within a half-mile walk of the stadium and opens at 7 a.m. on gameday. Limited spaces are also available in each deck on a first-come, first-served basis.

Background: In 2006, UGA is offering guaranteed season-long parking passes in several decks to season ticket holders for the first time. Each pass is valid for one space and may only be used for one vehicle entry per game. A vehicle must be present with each pass. Vehicles must be no higher than 6' 8" to enter the parking deck. If you purchase a pass for a vehicle which does not fit in the location, there will be no guarantee of an alternate location.

Orders are restricted to football season ticket holders.
Season ticket holders are allowed to order one pass per season ticket. Lost or stolen passes are not replaceable. For more information, visit www.gamedaygameplan.com.

Coaching Class of 2001 -- The year we hired Richt

This article on the Coaching Class of 2001 looks at the records of all 24 coaches hired in Div I-AA that year vs. the three years prior to their arrival at their respective new schools. It was designed to look at the horribly unsuccessful career of John Bunting at UNC.

As a UGA fan, it makes a great read for appreciating Mark Richt. It's also eye opening to look at how hard it is to hire and keep an elite coach. Of the 24 coaches hired in 2001, there are only 4 elite coaches in that list -- Pete Carroll, Jim Tressell, Mark Richt and Rich Rodriguez -- who remain at their original schools just 6 seasons later.


The Donald should be allowed to handle Bunting.

PWD

Tech Fans: Behind the Curtain

Dan at What's the Good Word wrote this epic piece on the Tech fan. As a GT grad and fan, his piece carries the sort of weight and honesty of Hemingway discussing World War I or John Rambo talking about 'Nam.

My only regret is not seeing and linking this sooner for that I apologize to the entire Dawgosphere.

pwd

Buying Tickets from StubHub.com

Back in January, I started tinkering with Google Ads, the little advertising boxes below my posts that offer things like UGA ringtones, tickets and merchandise.

As the site has slowly grown, it seems you guys -- our readers -- seem to be most interested in UGA merchandise and ticket ads.

With that in mind, I set up the Georgia Sports Blog's online store last month. That site is powered by the same company that built GeorgiaDogs.com's online store. So I felt good about it. Plus, you guys have been nice enough to buy stuff. Which I appreciate it.

Today, I'm launching an affiliate site with StubHub.com. StubHub is a site where fans buy and sell tickets from each other across the StubHub network to a variety of sporting events....like Georgia Football games for instance. The NY Times said:
"StubHub looks like a ticket brokerage. It's not. The company... is a kind of stock market where the only shares traded are tickets to live events...Buyers and sellers mingle in the marketplace and, through free negotiation, arrive at a price that reflects the true value of a commodity."
If you feel that all tickets should be traded between people at face value, the site isn't for you. But if you want tickets to an event or you have extras for an event, the site might be for you. Check it out sometime. Over on the upper right of this site, you'll see "Featured Tickets."

If you can get some cheaper than available via StubHub. Have at it. If you can't, maybe they can help you find someone with a few extras.

Good luck and hope this helps.

PWD

BTW -- for more on how StubHub.com works, click this.

Ole Miss Week News


Our starting tailback. Image: DawgPost.com

Some updates:
-- Lumpkin is now the starting running back (DawgPost.com). This is a good thing. Also a good thing is the way that Thomas Brown is handling the demotion saying, "Of course nobody likes to get demoted, but I’m happy for Kregg,” Brown said. “He’s been working hard, he deserves it. I’m just going to keep working."

-- Full Injury Update from DawgPost.com. Looks like JT3 has returned to practice. Perhaps even more importantly, Michael Turner wore a green jersey. We need him badly.

-- Ole Miss to stick with Shaeffer according to the ABH. I checked his stats on the season. It's not pretty.
    Averaging 126 yards passing per game
    46.5% completions
    5 INTs and 3 TDs
    23 yards rushing per game
    1 rushing TD
-- Chip Towers at the AJC says Shaeffer isn't the only Rebel with issues.

--Danny Verdun-Wheeler has moved to MLB while Jarvis Jackson gets healthy (David Ching).

-- Ugasports.com talks with Joe Cox about the QB race. The Columbus paper also looks at the QB race.

-- The Dawg WRs are trying to "catch on" says Josh Kendall.

-- TheRealist grades last week's performance.

-- Kyle King already has next week's predictions up after his blistering 7-2 week.

pwd

September 25, 2006

Confirmed: Dawgs vs. Vols under the Lights

Local CBS affiliate KFSM TV in Arkansas has enough info to confirm it. They just announced that CBS will carry the Auburn at Arkansas game live at noon on Oct. 7th, and that it will be followed immediately by LSU at Florida on CBS at 3:30.

And the AJC nails it. We're at kicking off at 7:45 on ESPN vs. UT in glorious HD.

I know that some folks don't like night games, and I know it's hard to drive back to south Georgia after a night game. But we've got 7 home games this year. The South Georgia fans can certainly tough out a single night game this year. There are at least as many fans who loathe 12:30 starts as there are those that hate night games.

PWD

ht - ozz on DawgRun.com

Developing: Possible Night Game vs. Vols

Per the Chattanooga Times Free Press: (HT - JimFromDuluth)
Late-night Bulldogs
The Bulldogs will play Ole Miss on ESPN2 this Saturday night at 9 Eastern, and it appears the Oct. 7 game between Georgia and Tennessee will be at night as well. CBS has a noon-3:30 doubleheader that afternoon, but ESPN actually has first pick of the UT-UGA, LSU-Florida and Auburn-Arkansas matchups.

Georgia media relations director Claude Felton said Saturday that ESPN "protected" the Tennessee game before the season and does not expect the cable network to change course. ESPN prime-time telecasts kick off at 7:45.

Official announcements for the league's Oct. 7 games will be made Monday.
We'll probably know something around 4 or 5:00 today. If it's not a 7:45 pm start, it will be a noon CBS double header start.

It would be our first night start at home against the Vols since the 2000 Goal Post Drought Buster game. Before that, I think you have to go back to '96. Or maybe '89 for a night start against UT at home.

PWD

Joe Pa Goes for Two


Joe Pa Goes for 2. Image: MSNBC

This and That from the weekend:
  • Best moment of the weekend -- Joe Paterno's "Run from the Squirts." Joe bolted mid-game for the locker room as he was battling the flu. Don't worry Joe, it can happen to anyone. I think it was Bobby Hurley that did the same thing during March Madness a decade or so ago. Joe's line on the incident:
    Asked how tough it was for him to leave the sideline, Paterno was ready with a quip. “It was easier than if I had stayed,” he said with a laugh.
  • Ole Miss' Problems -- The Rebs lost 27-3 to Wake Forest. At home. The Athens Banner Herald notes that their QB problems are much worse than ours, Shaeffer may have been benched and their DL couldn't win a game of Red Rover vs retirees. Wake ran the ball 53 out of 58 plays.


    ND waves goodbye to Smith's career. Image: Greenandwhite.com

  • John L. Smith Termination Watch -- After MSU pissed away a 17 point lead to Notre Dame, you have to imagine that John L. Smith is in deep doo. His record entering this season was 18-18, and he's only 2-7 in his last 9 games against BCS conference teams and/or ND. And if you think things are bad up there now, wait til November. Smith is 2-8 in November since joining the Spartans. The student paper weighs in.

  • ACC Welcomes New Coaches in 2007 -- I doubt a win over BC will be enough to cool off the liquid magma hot seat of Chuck Amato, but we'll see. Regardless, Groh's loss to Gailey and Bunting's boys giving up 52 to Clemson continued to push them both closer to the door. BTW - Clemson called off the dogs and didn't score in the 4th quarter.

  • BC Blew a shot a greatness -- BC Eagle has a recap of the ACC's week. Best line, "The one thing that is becoming clear, is that it is a legit dogfight of a race to the bottom of the conference." He's a bit frustrated with the NCSU debacle obviously.


    Wake is 4-0. No. Seriously. Image; Wake Forest

  • Wake Forest -- Wake is 4-0. They are a banged up team with problems all over the place, but they follow their pounding of Ole Miss with a gimmie against Liberty this weekend. Then they get Clemson, NC State and UNC. 7-1 is totally within reason, and barring a collapse bowl eligibility is almost a mortal lock. Nathan covers the issue better than me.

  • My Life as a Bookey -- I told you not to bet on my ideas. South Carolina covered the 30 point spread against FAU.

  • My UGA Thoughts -- You can find 'em here.
pwd

CNN: Groovin in the Grove

CNN put this spot together a few years ago on tailgating in The Grove and the Ole Miss spirit. In the spirit of getting ready for Ole Miss week and getting past Saturday's CU game, I give you..."Groovin in the Grove"



from YouTube.

pwd

Look at the brightside...


God Bless Hairy. Image: DawgPost.com

Thank heavens we didn't schedule Montana State. lol.

Some random thoughts:
-- It wasn't one thing. It wasn't just Stafford, or the drops, or the coming out flat, or the OLine, or Martinez getting his butt handed to him in the first half, or our slow and tentative linebacker play or the tackling. It was everything. And it took everything going wrong all at once to have an outcome like that.

-- We won: In years past, we lose that game. Just saying, we did gut out a win under tough circmustances, and that's a very good thing.


image: ABH

-- QBs: Joe Cox looked outstanding coming off the bench against CU, but don't forget that Stafford came off the bench and played well vs. SC. Zeier had the same kind of game in 1991 as a Freshman that Stafford had Sat. He was benched in favor of Talley who wasn't good enough to bring us back against Vandy. Having a guy like Cox on the pine to lead us in the 4th was a luxury that UGA teams of yore never had.

-- WRs: At some point, Georgia is going to have to recruit and coach a group of WRs that can catch consistently. Dropped passes have cost us more games since '01 than anything else. There were at least 4 very catchable dropped balls that were drive killers. Stafford did throw some bullets at short range behind WRs. But we have to make the easy catches.

-- More on QBs: It would be a shame to have a weapon like Stafford's arm riding the pine because he throws too hard for our inconsistent WRs to catch it. When have you ever heard of WRs getting a pass b/c of hard thrown balls that they drop? It's ridiculous. A coach complaining about a QB throwing too hard is like a man complaining that his girlfriend's boobs are too big.

-- Tackling: Our LBs looked tentative and our tackling was really poor across the board. The good news is that the big TE #87 only caught 2 passes after the first 20 minutes of game time, and we only allowed 3 points after the half. So we did adjust.

-- Bend but Don't Break: It actually is a good plan against a team like Colorado to force them to try and drive 80 yards in 10 plays to score. Why? Because they can't do it without screwing up via penalties, turnovers and/or incompletions. However, that strategy like ALL defensive strategies depends on tackling well at the point of impact.

-- This isn't new: Lots of big time programs struggle with games like this. We have a long history of walking into these 12:30 games asleep. See Vandy '03 when we were down 2-0 at the half or UAB '03 when we had to come from behind to win 16-13. Yet, we still won the SEC that year. It happens.

-- OLine Play: It's almost funny to watch the replay. Watch our Olinemen pull out on screens and fall down at the feet of defenders without blocking them. It's like something out of keystone cops. Nick Jones came to play. The others?


image: ABH

-- Martez Friggin Milner: Who woulda thunk it. Maybe this will be the confidence boost he needs to finally become the player his enormous physical tools would suggest he can become.

-- The Timeout on the extra point: I don't blame Martez as much as I blame the special teams coach in charge of the FG unit. I think that's Callaway. I thought we learned our lesson on stuff like this during the AU game last year. That sort of thing drives me hookie balookie.

Overall:
We survived. I think it was Chuck Oliver who had a great line after the game on the local CBS station. Something like, "It's not everyday that your coaching staff gets a complete blueprint of everything wrong with your team AND it doesn't cost you a loss." BINGO! He nailed it. Now, what will UGA do with that plan? We've got a great coach and history says we'll do pretty well with that blueprint.

The only things that make me nervous long term are:
    1) Who's the QB - obviously
    2) LB play hasn't been the same since Odell and Coach Van Gorder left. Lots of speed seems to be sitting on the sideline in the form of Dewberry and Ellerbe. That said, Taylor stepped up HUGE at the end.
    3) OL motivation and recruitment
    4) WR improvment from game to game and year to year
    5) How good UF looks at times vs. our weaknesses
Can't wait for the Ole Miss trip.pwd

September 22, 2006

I'm Georgia Video

My internet skills are apparently teh suxorz so I can't figure out how to embed the video on this page. Or I would have.

Anyway, here is The Who's Baba O'Reilly UGA Pre-Game Video. Ideally, someone will tell me that it's impossible to embed that flash/shockwave file here....or they send me a word doc with the HTML in it so I can just cut and paste. ;-)

And to quote my good friend Liquid Courage on the "I'm Georgia" program:
"You can't stir a drink with a towel."
PWD

Weather for Tomorrow

It should be drizzling and yuck in the early am, but it looks to clear up for game time.

pwd

Around the Blogosphere and otherwise

Richt grew up near Boulder. (Daily Camera)

To this Clemson fan we say, "Dance fat boy dance." Note: we say this from a distance because he is clearly an agile man. (EDSBS)

Under the heading "Theatre of the Absurd" you can file a 6'6" rapper and WVU fan who is creating a new rap mix for each WVU game. The mixes are being played before the games, and the players are starting to lobby him to be included in weekly lyrics. The interview with the guy is pretty funny. I'm all at once humored by the story and frankly jealous. I'd probably crap a chicken if one of my Munson Mixes were to ever be played pre-game in Athens. (DC Sports Bog)

Check out the new Oregon Unis. (NetBuffs.com)

The Cover Two's Jmac has begun the process of lobbying Oconee County to retire Tony Taylor's jersey in all sports. Check out Jmac's justification for it. (Note: He covered/covers Northeast GA HS Sports for the ABH. So he's sort of an expert on Taylor's HS career).

Now. Get back to work.

pwd

Colorado Q&A with BuffStampede.com Publisher

Below is an interview with Adam Munsterteiger, publisher of BuffStampede.com (part of the Rivals.com network). He was nice enough to take a few minutes and talk about the game with us.


Ralphie might be needed to start on defense. - PWD

PWD: What are you expecting this week?
Adam: Most likely it will be ugly. One of the nation's best defenses going against one of the nation's worst offensive teams. Colorado has improved week to week, and at some point they will turn the corner. Arizona State isn't exactly known for their defense, and they held Colorado to 3 points.

PWD: Is the talent as bad as the record.
Adam: On offense, "Yes." On defense, "No." This defense has the talent of a 2-1 team. Their front seven is very solid. You have to understand that Gary Barnett's last three recruiting classes were ranked in the bottom half of the Big 12. The team needs to recruit more playmakers.


Buffalo running back Hugh Charles (Image: Orlando Sentinel)

PWD: Does the team have any hidden strengths?
Adam: Hugh Charles had about 850 yards rushing last year, but he was a non-factor in the first two games because of injuries. He broke out last week against ASU with 109 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving. He looks like a small, scatback but he's strong. He's also a 4.3 guy and a true playmaker. He provides a glimmer of hope.

How are the fans dealing with the season?
Adam: Fans hit rock bottom with the loss to Div I-AA Montana State in terms of morale. The combination of the scandals, recruiting problems, and the Texas and Nebraska blowout losses were tough. Despite those problems expectations were higher because Hawkins is so electric and creates so much excitement. The Montana State loss was definitely rock bottom.


"They won't dare Georgia to pass." (Image: Rivals.com)

In 2005, Boise State put 9 men within 6 yards of the line of scrimmage and dared UGA to pass. Is CU doing that this year under Hawkins?
Adam: No. It's more balanced. They do a good job of stopping the run, but the defensive backs are suspect. Even with a freshman quarterback, they won't dare Georgia to pass.

How does Colorado win this game? Turnovers?
Adam: Arizona State turned it over 4 times last week, and Colorado only scored three points. Colorado has a huge challenge on their hands. They have to play lights out, and Georgia has to really struggle.

PWD: What's the tone of the team?
Adam: Lots of people outside of the program assume they're on a suicide watch. That's not the case. They are still a pretty confident group with a lot of fight left in them. They feel like they can compete with an SEC team, and a few losses won't rattle them. (Note: My note taking fell apart on this question. But his point was the team has dealt with so much adversity from the Barnett situation and the scandals that this isn't an insurmountable challenge mentally. And frankly, I agree with that.)


Drew Davis (left) and Ryan Miller (right) - Images: Rivals.com

How is recruiting coming?
Adam: They have 10 commits, and if you look at their star rating it looks like Barnett's classes. However, there are some big guys left out there. In particular, they are in on the Top 2 recruits in state -- Ryan Miller (OT) and Drew Davis (WR). Colorado has lost to many in state guys for to many years. If they can land both of these guys, the perception in the state would be huge. This is shaping up to be a good class. (PWD Note: Miller is Rivals.com's #2 OT nationally. EVERYONE wants this kid.)


I want to thank Adam for his time. As I said earlier, if Georgia comes in awake and ready we'll cover the 24-27 point spread. If we sleep walk into this thing with our normal 12:30 early kickoff lax attitude, these guys will give us a serious scare. The thing with a program like Colorado that's used to some success (they won the Big 12 North 4 of the past 5 years despite all the off field distractions), is they are a PROUD program. And proud programs can bow up, bear down and give you a game in any situation.

I'm really looking forward to this game.

PWD

Ralphie IV wasn't always a fearsome powerful beast

Sure, Ralphie is an imposing beast. Now. But things didn't start out that way. The Georgia Sports Blog's research team uncovered these pics of a younger, less fearsome Ralphie IV practicing for her early runs.


As a calf (more or less)


A little older


Sort of an early wooly look

When she was a calf, they would take her to CU band practices to help her get used to the noise. Today, Ralphie IV is up to 1,300 pounds which is almost three times her weight when she debuted against Colorado State in 1998. She can now reach speeds up to 25 miles per hour. Now she looks more like this:


All images courtesy of CU SID

According to the Colorado SID's office, Saturday will be the biggest crowd that any Ralphie has ever run in front of.

If you're bringing your kids to the game to see Ralphie, UGA recommends that you be in your seats well before kickoff. The animal will only appear in the stadium twice for about 30 seconds each time. Once before kickoff and once after half-time. Our sidelines are too narrow for Ralphie IV to watch the game inside the stadium.

If you want your kids to get an upclose and personal look at the Buffalo, she will lead the team out of the tunnel in front of the UGA student section. That's a busy area along the hedges so you would have to be camped out there well before kickoff to see anything.

More Ralphie IV stories to get your kids pumped up:PWD


BTW -- Some of you are like..."Paul, WTH is with all the Ralphie stories?" Trust me, I would love to talk about the games and the match-ups. But what's to say? CU is 0-3. We're 3-0. If we show up awake and ready, it should be a beat down. If not, it'll look like UAB 2003, Vandy 2003 or UCF '99

Larry Munson Drinking Game

A riff on the Brent Musburger Drinking Game. According to the email that TeddyBulldawg sent me, this one is by

The Larry Munson drinking game
by Nate McCullough (UGA class of '93 and huge Larry Munson fan)


1) When Larry says "Get the picture now" everyone must do a shot to start the game.

2) The first time Larry says "Loren, whatdaya got?" everyone must reply "Well, Larry" in a high-pitched voice. The last one to do this becomes Loren and must say "I gotta drink" and then drink each time Larry says whatdaya got? for the first half. But at the start of the second half, "Loren" gets to say "I gotta drink for ———" and then gives away a drink to someone each time Larry says whatdaya got? "Loren" must do all this is a high-pitched Loren Smith voice.

3) If the real Loren tells a story that has nothing to do with the game, such as how much a player loves his mama or how the Girl Scout troop cooked s'mores for the team, everybody drinks one.

4) If Loren actually says something useful, like telling what's wrong with an injured player, everyone drinks three.

5) Every time Larry exagerates a figure, whether it be yardage, the speed of the wind, how cold it is, etc. everyone drinks two. Examples: "and he kicked it up past the moon" "the wind's blowing a hundred miles an hour" "it's fourth down and 27 miles" etc.

6) The first time Larry bemoans how much trouble the Bulldogs are in when they are clearly in control of the game, everyone drinks two. Example: "The Dawgs are up 31-0, but they've (they being UAB, Central Florida, Vanderbilt, etc.) got that little fast tailback and you know he can just explode for a thousand yards at any moment." Every time after that when Larry talks about how much trouble the Dawgs are in, everyone drinks one. (If, by consensus, the group decides the Dawgs actually are in trouble, "Loren" drinks two.)

7) Every time Larry says "There's no time" everyone drinks one. If more than five minutes are left in the game when he says there's no time, everyone drinks two. Ten minutes, three. If more than a quarter remains, everyone does a shot of tequila.

8) Every time Scott Howard interupts Larry, everyone drinks one.

9) Every time Larry talks about the fans coming into/going out of the stadium, everyone drinks one.

10) Every time Larry mentions the officials, everyone drinks one.

11) Every time Larry says "whatchmacallit," everyone drinks three.

12) If the game ends on a spectacular play with Larry saying something like "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" and then nothing for like a minute, leaving you to think he might've died, everyone drinks one for each "GOD" Larry shouts.

13) If Georgia beats Florida, everyone drinks a toast to the Dawgs and yells, "Go Dawgs!"

14) If Larry ever says the phrase "hob-nailed boot" again, everyone poors their drink into a boot and "Loren" drinks it.

15) If at the end of the game, Larry says "Old Lady Luck smiled on us" everyone toasts Old Lady Luck and drinks a shot.

16) Anyone in the room not rooting for the Dawgs must double the amount of drinks taken. Any Florida fans in the room must triple it. Since Tech fans are wusses and don't drink, they must substitute getting puched in the head by "Loren."

September 21, 2006

About the Pending Richt to Miami Idiocy

In order to address any rumors that might pop up. Here's a reminder and some info.

Richt has an $8-10 million buyout clause in his contract. Scout.com's Dean Legge has confirmed that there is no exemption for FSU or Miami in Richt's buyout clause. By comparison, Bobby Petrino has a $1 million buyout clause.

UPDATE: The AJC has reviewed the 26 page contract, and they have confirmed that there is no out for Miami or any other school.

Additionally, Coker's buyout if Miami fires him will be $2-4 million.

If Miami hires a top tier coach like Petrino, Rodriguez or Tuberville, they will have to pay around $3 million/year. With all that in mind, Miami's athletic department loses around $1 million per year. By comparison, UGA's athletic department posts a $24 million profit. Miami isn't a school that can pay $13-17 million to fire Coker and hire a guy like Richt. That is fiscally far, far, far beyond their financial reach.

But more important than all of that. Richt has moved more than 30 family members to Athens. With that in mind, we repost this article about Richt's family moving to Athens. (Original Publish Date: July 20, 2006)
- - - - - - - - -

Mark Richt to Move Entire City of Tallahassee to Athens


"Dadgumit, will the last person leaving Tally please turn off the lights"

Today, Brad Johnson, Mark Richt's brother-in-law, and Richt's sister announced that they are moving to Athens. This is roughly the 30th person that Richt has moved to Athens from Tally. Leaving the question remaining of...who is stuck down there still?

All non-sense aside, this should be (but it won't be because some people are stupid) the last nail in the "Richt to FSU" worry wart festival of doom.

Richt has been working since he arrived in 2001 to convince the media, rival fans and the Bulldawg Nation that he's not leaving for FSU or Miami when/if Coker or Bowden step down.

Many of the hints were apparently too subtle for the masses.
  • In 2001, when he asked Coach Van Halengar to relocate his family to Athens from Tallahassee, it was the first sign. Why would Coach Van move only to move right back? The money was basically the same.

  • In 2001, when he moved his brother-in-law to Athens and hired him as the new full-time team chaplain. It was another statement of "Athens is my home."

  • When he worked out a deal after the 2002 season to create the largest two-way buyout in college football history at $9.9 million at its peak. Some folks still said he'd leave. Although, virtually no program would touch a buyout that large.

  • When he moved his father and his new mother-in-law to Athens. Still many remained convinced that he would leave.

  • In 2005 UGA reported a $23.9 million profit in athletics. By comparison in 2005 FSU posted a profit of $164,185, and Miami LOST $1.5 million the year that they won the National Title in 2001. Yet some folks think they could STILL outspend us and take on Richt's $10 million buyout.

  • Today, the Tallahassee newspaper reports that Richt's sister and brother-in-law, NFL QB Brad Johnson, are selling their $3.8 million home in Tallahassee to move to Athens.

  • The article also announces that Mark Richt's mother AND Brad Johnson's mother are moving to Athens in the near future. And Richt has a new contract extension which pays him $2 million per year through 2013. (If the buyout clause is structured like the last one, it now stands at closer to $12-14 million).
So please for the love of all that is decent and holy. Can UGA fans please stop worrying about this?

All coaches talk about staying put. But nobody moves 30-40 friends and family members including almost two dozen school age kids to Athens just to uproot them again when Bowden retires or Coker gets canned. That's not the way decent people deal with other decent people. Especially not family.


Paul Westerdawg
Georgia Sports Blog

ACC Team Posters

Damn. Dan at What's the Good Word has torn the cover off the ball with his ACC team posters. My favorite:



I'm also a pretty big fan of the UVA version.

Ninja Update: The UGA version deserves mad props too.
--Dawgnoxious



















pwd

UGA vs. Colorado: Tale of the Tape

No proper analysis of the Georgia Bulldogs vs. the Colorado Buffaloes would be complete without a Tale of the Tape.


Image: Jim Hipple

Colorado's Offense vs. UGA's Defense
The Buffs have scored two TDs this season. UGA has allowed one TD this season. Edge: Georgia



Mascots: Ralphie vs. Uga
Uga VI is 55 pounds. Ralphie IV is 1100 pounds. Uga V was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Ralphie almost ran over Tom Osborne. Uga VI has an air conditioned dog house inside the stadium. Ralphie sits in the truck during games. Edge: Uga



Colorado's Defense vs. UGA's Offense
Field Goal U vs. Yoda's Press Defense. The last time we saw this in Athens, Richt and Shockley lit Hawkins' boys from Boise up like Clark Griswold's house on Christmas Eve. Edge: Georgia



Famous Residents Part I: Mork vs. Stipe
One is an alien from another galaxy who has strange customs and social patterns that mainstream America doesn't understand. The other is Mork. Michael Stipe is a Grammy Award winning member of REM and recently was inducted into Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Mork has a flying saucer that looks like an egg and drinks Orange Juice through his fingers. Neither have made a great album in a decade. Edge: Mork



Fulmer Cup Points
Colorado got rid of Gary Barnett because the program had become the Tennessee Vols of the Rocky Mountains in terms of off the field antics. Since Hawkins came on board, the newspapers have been mostly clear of any off the field antics. On the other hand, Georgia finished 8th in the Fulmer Cup rankings. Edge: Georgia (Barnett would've waxed Richt on this one)

Special Teams
Colorado has hit 3 of 6 field goals this year, and Georgia's Coutu is 7 for 7 from the three point line. UGA is 6th in the nation in net punting yards while the Buffs are 86th. Edge: Georgia



Famous Residents Part II: Mother Abigail Freemantle vs. Kim Basinger
Mother Abigail Freemantle was a female prophet of sorts who led the forces of good in Stephen King's The Stand as they settled in Boulder after the world wide plague. She was able to communicate to thousands of believers via dreams, and she talked directly to God. Ultimately, she organized the effort to bring down Randall Flagg and his entire Las Vegas collection of evil doers. On the other hand, Kim Basinger is very hot. Edge: Georgia


The Tale of the Tape is Clear.
Georgia 34
Colorado 6

pwd

The "Grey's Anatomy" of S.E.C. Football

Kyle King of DawgSports.com has outdone himself. As Grey's Anatomy moves to Thursday Nights and premiers tonight, Kyle has compared the show's characters to SEC programs.


He compares Izzie to Arkansas.

Judge for yourself.

pwd

Thursday Night Football: Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

By JeromeFromDecatur

In the on-going quest to equip the football public with inside information, we take a break from speculating on Matthew Stafford’s x-ray vision in order to give you the skinny on Thursday Night’s Clash between Georgia Tech and Virginia. Quickly and without bias, here are several indicators.


UVA's Mascot. Seen here with something more gay.

Mascots: Yellow Jackets vs. Cavaliers
For one of the rare times on it’s schedule, Georgia Tech University faces a school with a mascot less intimidating than its own. The hard-core football fan and cynic might ask, “How much impact does a mascot have on a game?” Good question. But this is the ACC. And in the ACC, this year especially, every point counts.

And try as we might to not give the nod to the Jackets, Buzz clearly comes out on top here. Which begs the question—is there a mascot in the history of football less intimidating than the Virginia Caviler?

Perhaps the only other candidate includes that other swashbuckler, the old school Tampa Bay Buccaneer who looked as if he’d gotten lost on his way from Midtown in Atlanta to Key West, Florida and ended up in Tampa on a shrimp boat.

Tampa Bay eventually had the resolve to change its mascot and its attitude which led to a Super Bowl victory. Unfortunately, for the Cavaliers, the only change this year has been its rapid meteoric descent into suckiness.

None of this is playing well in Charlottesville where now UVA seems to be a house divided as it comes to Atlanta. Word out of Charlottesville is that the UVA fan base is outraged as several alumni have written strongly worded emails to Athletic Director Craig Littlepaige asking him to look into “the most quarrelsome matter of our hardships on the fields of American Football.”


(UVA FAN TAILGATE: where discussions of turtle neck fashions, Warrick Dunn being stopped at the Goal line, Volvo repairs, Peach Bowls, and Whole Foods stock reign supreme)

For managing to have a wussier mascot than Buzz and given the fragile psyche of Cavalier Nation, we give a touchdown and a field goal for the Jackets.

ADVANTAGE: Tech +10


Coaching Match-Up

Where's Vinny?


(Happier times when Gailey had a non-midge quarterback who could count to four)

Both head coaches Chan Gailey and Al Groh have an NFL pedigree. Which is saying something. But not much. Chan Gailey went a pedestrian 18-14 in two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. And Al Groh went 9-7 with the New York Jets in 2000 before turning in his Jets sweatshirts for the Cavalier kind.

What do either of these brief stints in the NFL point to? Mediocrity. Pure and simple. And while both similar records seem to represent a push in this category, Gailey was slightly above average with Troy Aikman. Al Groh had a winning record with Vinny Testaverde. That distinction alone gives UVA three touchdowns.

ADVANTAGE: UVA +21


Intangibles
Perhaps the biggest key to Thursday Night’s contest is the psychological advantage for Georgia Tech. Make no mistake about it. Thursday Night is ALWAYS a big time for Georgia Tech Football and its fanbase.



Thursday Night’s game has been officially declared “Throwback Thursday." To commemorate Georgia Tech’s "Glory Years" (sic), the team is going to be wearing a special uniform. We, at the Georgia Sports Blog, were tempted to crack back smart-alec like and ask if it was really safe for either team to wear leather helmets. But as a credible news source, we’ll forgo the easy route and do some research:

According to GT:
Tech will don uniforms reminiscent of the early 1970s, including gold jerseys, white pants and white helmets. Tech wore various gold jerseys with white or gold helmets from 1968-1971.
It’s hard to imagine if the GT AD could have picked a better era to honor as the essence of Georgia Tech football as those four years mark a standard worthy for all Georgia Tech teams to strive for.
    1968 4-6
    1969 4-6
    1970 9-3 Sun Bowl (W)
    1971 6-6

    23-21. Two games over .500.
Stay forever radically mediocre Jackets.

This teary eyed nostalgia for the mediocre past and mustard uniforms will certainly generate some excitement among the GT crowd (sic). This writer sees Throwback Thursday is worth at least two touchdowns and a blocked extra point from GT kicker Travis Bell.

Georgia Tech +13


The Outcome:
What can you expect from one team who struggles with Troy and makes Notre Dame’s secondary look fast and another a team with losses to Pitt and Western Michigan?

The outcome will be predictable, mediocrity always is, but when you tally up all the points we’ve outlined here, look for the Jackets to prevail 23-21 with the spirit of 1968-1971 pushing Tech to something like victory.

JeromeFromDecatur

 
Copyright 2009 Georgia Sports Blog. Powered by Blogger Blogger Templates create by Deluxe Templates. WP by Masterplan