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November 30, 2006

Go Dawgs from Korea

An English Teacher in Korea teaches her students to sing Dixie and call the Dawgs.



PWD

Tra Battle gets quasi nominated for SI Sportsman of the Year


Tra Battle (Image: SI.com)

The writers at SI are listing some guys that they would like to see win it. This is informal, but it's a pretty cool story on Tra from one of the SI writers.

PWD

The Tater Rides Again -- Ian Smith Arrested

TurdGate was funny. Sort of a boys will be boys type thing. Falling asleep while drunk on the shitter at a pizza joint in college is comedy. Empirically speaking.

Allegedly, blowing a .216 at 300 pounds and having the cops revive you before they arrest you for a second arrest in a year on booze charges isn't funny. Not when it's going to get you booted from school for a year. Not when it's very likely going to cost you a scholarship.

How drunk is .216? And how much booze does it take to get a 300 pound man drunk enough to blow a .216?

The University of Oklahoma published a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) chart to give students a sense of how many beers / shots is a problem. Many other sites have similar charts that reveal similar numbers. Back of the napkin math...if you double a person's body weight, they can handle double the amount of booze. More back on the napkin math, you can lop off about .01 off your BAC for every extra hour that you spread drinking the same quantity of booze.

The Following are Estimates:
A 300 pound kid like Ian Smith would need to drink about 10-12 beers in a single hour to break .18. That's not kidding around drunk. .18 is *shithoused.*

To break .216 a 300 pounder needs about 18-20 beers or a fifth of bourbon (750 ml) or about 18-20 shots over a 2 hour period. If he had been at a 4 hour party, he would've needed about a liter of vodka or 22-25 shots.

Probably 80% of the folks that went to college had a night where they drank way, way, way too much. But damn. Just damn. That's a heap of booze. Especially for a Wednesday.

BTW -- When Smith sobers up, he needs to seriously re-evaluate who his friends are. If you are going to make a drunken ass out of yourself on a regular basis, you need to find a buddy who is good at taking care of the drunks in the group. Friends that leave you unconscious on the sidewalk or the shitter after that much booze aren't worth a damn.

PWD

ACC Title Game Ticket Humor



PWD

November 29, 2006

How far will GT's Bowl Bid fall if they lose to Wake?

This offseason, the ACC's commissioner announced plans to protect the ACC's members from a bowl selection process that sometimes doesn't reward in season performance "properly." At the time, John Swofford said:
The most significant change this year is that the league has now mandated that each bowl must select a team within one game in the conference standings, an adjustment made after two 6-5 teams, NC State and Virginia, were selected ahead of teams that had better records in conference play, Boston College and Georgia Tech.

That rule had previously been in effect only for the Toyota Gator Bowl and the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, but is now instituted for all seven non-BCS bowls.

Another change is that the loser of the ACC Championship game can fall no lower than the Music City Bowl in Nashville, which currently has the fourth pick outside the BCS.

HOWEVER -- The Jacksonville Times-Union reports that the Gator Bowl is looking at their contract to find a way out of picking the loser of the Title Game. If that happens, the Jackets could fall to the Champ Sports Bowl vs. Purdue. (ht - ucfdawg)

With a fire sale on scalped tickets and projected tens of thousands of no shows in Jacksonville on Saturday, the ACC and Gator Bowl have to be pulling for a Tech win over Wake. That would free the Gator up to take Maryland or Clemson. Otherwise, the Gator could be a disaster attendance wise with a GT repeat appearance.

PWD

Chick-Fil-A Bowl Talks Georgia Bulldogs

From Leeman Bennett's Blog:
"We made no secret of the fact that the Georgia / Georgia Tech game was a possible play-in game for the Bulldogs and Georgia took full advantage of the opportunity. Right now we’re looking at an 8-win team that beat a No. 5 Auburn on the road and a No. 16 Georgia Tech team to finish the season. That’s a strong statement for Coach Richt and his team that has showed a lot of character coming down the stretch. We’re also looking at a team that hasn’t played in the Chick-fil-A Bowl since 1998 that could deliver a great match-up against a Virginia Tech or a Wake Forest team."
Things are looking good for a UGA vs. Virginia Tech match-up. The Dawgs don't end up here if the SEC fails to place two teams in the BCS, which seems unlikely at this point.

PWD

Other UGA vs. Tech Game Photos

Images by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.







PWD

Tech Motivational Posters

Doug at HeyJennySlater gets his gloat on with Motivational Posters. Here's my favorite in the series.


Click to jump to the series

PWD

November 28, 2006

GT Game Photos: Mr. Paul Oliver in action

Oliver breaks up a huge pass to Calvin Johnson. Photos by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.







PWD

Huge Recruiting News -- Vince Vance Commits


Vince Vance Commits

6'8" 310 elite JUCO offensive tackle prospect Vince Vance committed to Georgia today. DawgPost, Ugasports.com and the AJC all have the story. As of right now, the projected OL for 2007 looks like this:
    OT - Chester Adams - SR
    OT - Vince Vance - RSo. (early enrollee this year)
    OG - Fernando Velasco - RSr.
    OG - Seth Watts, Justin Anderson, Chris Davis or Kevin Perez
    C - Ian "Tater Salad" Smith (RSo.) or Kevin Perez (RFr)
PWD

Dear GTU Seniors: The Drinks are on UGA

By 81Dog

In honor of what’s becoming an annual tradition, your humble correspondent would like to offer up a commemorative drink. The swallows return to Capistrano every spring, and the Yellow Jackets swallow their helmets, their gameplan, and their pride against UGA every fall.

Rumor has it that the US Naval Observatory is junking the atomic clock and simply calibrating their watches by the annual November meltdown imposed on the Mustard Nation by the Georgia Bulldogs.

With great pride, I would like to offer you, in honor of Reggie Ball and every GTU senior (and boy, have there been a lot of them) who ever pulled the Reverse 4-0 in Competitive Football versus UGA. I hear that GTU actually gives 4 hours of credit for that; I’m not sure if it makes the butt whoopin’ any easier to take, but that’s for others (perhaps the NCAA Enforcement staff) to decide:

Recipe for The Golden Sombrero

Start with four consecutive losses to the University of Georgia by a class at Georgia Tech University. This is the toughest part of the recipe, or at least, it used to be before Vince Dooley, Ray Goff (that’s right, nerds. I said it.Ray Goff OWNED your asses) and now, Mark Richt all came to town. Once you have the 4 Ls, the rest is easy. Just gather up the following:

1 1/2 shots tequila
1 1/2 shots Grand Marnier® golden liqueur
1 shot Rose's® lime juice
1 shot sweet and sour mix

Shake ingredients, and any midget GTU quarterbacks, running backs or future NFL All Pro Wrs, vigorously with crushed ice (to match the crushed hopes of GTU fans) in a shaker glass, and pour over crushed ice in a lightly salted margarita glass. Garnish with the bitter tears of GTU fans, and serve with a bagel to GTU football seniors.

While they normally claim to like their whiskey clear, getting your ass beat like you stole something every year by UGA is enough to make anyone associated with GTU a lot less picky about what they’ll accept in the way of memory numbing alcoholic relief. What the hell. It’s manlier than drinking Zima.

By the way, University of Georgia seniors don’t drink Golden Sombreros. They just serve them up with a smile.

81Dog

GT Game Photos: Tony Taylor's TD Run

I have a feeling that this will be the last dive for a while. Photos by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.





PWD

Of Mouthy QBs and Fired Coaches


Moses captures Reggie. Image: Jim Hipple

Around the College Football landscape we go:
    -- Kyle King's GT Game Recap -- DawgSports.com
    Kyle makes an excellent comparison saying, "In the larger historical context, the Yellow Jacket faithful must be feeling right now the way Bulldog Nation felt following the 2002 and 2003 Georgia-Florida games: "If we can't beat these guys now under these conditions, when will we ever beat them?"

    -- Somedays it really is just one player -- AOL's GT Fanhouse
    Nathan blames it all on Reggie. Fair point. However, you have to blame Gailey/Nix for constantly calling passing plays when we were getting GUTTED by the run.

    -- Photo Timeline of Taylor's Fumble Return -- FootballHuddle.net
    Good stuff.

    -- OL Commit - UGASports.com
    The Dawgs got a commitment from Joe Blaes, a JUCO OL from Kansas. The Dawgs need OL badly, but this seems like a long way to travel to get a JUCO whose other offers were Baylor, Tulsa and OK State type programs. We need hogs up front and tons of 'em. So I'm not complaining. But it's odd.

    -- Reviewing Reggie - EDSBS
    Orson Swindle of EverydayShouldBeSaturday.com attended both UF (undergrad) and GT (grad). Normally, that would make him the alpha enemy. But his disdain for Gailey makes his takes on the GT series comedy. Yesterday, he talked about Reggie Ball's meltdown.

    -- Little Ol' Wake Forest (not anymore) - Nathan Fowler (AOL)
    Solid commentary.

    -- Iowa State hires Texas DC Chizik - FanBlogs.com
    Only reason I care about this...he's not coming to the SEC. Which is a good thing. Chizik was the DC at Auburn during the 2004 season.

    -- Top Candidates to Replace Shula - AL.com
    Odd list. Beamer is too old and already turned down UGA when the guy had a house 45 minutes from Athens....he ain't leaving VT. Spurrier and Saban are pipe dreams. Grobe isn't qualified. Paul Johnson won't get a sniff. A Jersey guy at Bama? RIIIIIIIGHT. Back up the truck and go after Petrino with all you've got. At least he would know what he's getting into from his Auburn days.

    -- Top Candidates to Fill the Open Jobs -- FanBlogs.com
    Just something to keep your eye on.

    -- Line of the Year: Jim Donnan on 680theFan called the ACC Title game, "The World’s Smallest Outdoor Cocktail Party."

    -- UGA vs. GT Bragging Rights T-Shirts (long or short sleeve) - Merchandise
    Celebrate 6 in a row
PWD

November 27, 2006

Photos: Massaquoi's Game Winner

All images by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.







Separately, Mo Mass in action earlier in the game.



All photos by Jim Hipple. click to enlarge.

PWD

Four More Years for Reggie

Feel free to sign the online petition asking the NCAA to grant Reggie four more years of eligibility.

PWD

SEC Bowl Partners Strike Gold

Originally, I had planned to write an article about this year being a great win for the SEC's Bowl partners. I had assumed that the same teams are going to the same bowls over and over, but this year would be different. The research below told a wildly different tale. With the exception of the Outback Bowl, the SEC does a great job of giving its bowl partners different teams on a regular basis. At least lately.

SEC Bowl Partners:
-- Capital One Bowl: The CapOne/Citrus Bowl has had 4 different teams visit the bowl over the past 5 years, and six different SEC teams over the past eight years. Prior to 2001, they were constantly pulling from the same shallow pool with Michigan, Tennessee and Ohio State all hitting town three times in four year periods. That said the bowl has had nine different Big 10 teams over the past 11 years. Only Indiana and Illinois have failed to make a Jan. 1st trip to Orlando over the past 15 years. This year, the CapOne will likely bring Wisconsin back to face Arkansas (last trip in '99) or Florida (last trip in 2000). However, as Tony Barnhart hints, Arkansas may request to be sent to the Cotton vs. Texas or TAMU, which would send AU here for a rematch.

-- Cotton Bowl: Dallas has enjoyed five different SEC teams over the past five years, and six different Big 12 teams over the past six years. Auburn looks like a front runner for this year's match-up. The Aubies haven't been to the Cotton Bowl since Bo Jackson's Heisman Year after the '85 season. With Texas A&M's win over Texas, no telling who's going to play AU. And as I mentioned above, Arkansas might lobby for a trip here instead of Orlando.

-- Outback Bowl: Very little diversity as the Outback guys hosted Florida 3 times in the past 4 years. UGA, SC and UF have represented the SEC in 8 of the past 9 trips to Tampa. The Big 10 has only sent six different teams over the past 9 years. To make matters even less diverse, they've had three rematches over the past 9 years with SC vs. OSU, Iowa vs. UF and UGA vs. Wisconsin. This year, the Outback will end up with one of three teams that hasn't been in a long while: AU (10 years ago) or more likely UT (14 years ago) vs. a Penn State team that hasn't been to town in 10 years.

-- Peach/CFA: Back to back recent trips by Miami and Tennessee not withstanding, the Peach/Chick-Fil-A Bowl has enjoyed incredible diversity of teams lately. The Peach has hosted six different SEC and six different ACC teams over the past eight years. With LSU likely getting the SEC a second BCS birth, the bowl is probably looking at UGA vs. Virginia Tech.

-- Music City Bowl: Minnesota had three trips to Nashville in four years causing some to call the game the "Glen Mason Invitational." On the SEC side, only Alabama has made a repeat visit to the Music City Bowl during the game's eight year tenure. South Carolina could make its first trip this year. If not UK will make its second trip. Plus, the MCB has a new tie-in with the ACC after ditching the Big 10. Boston College, Maryland or Wake Forest as an opponent for an SEC team. Blah.

-- Independence Bowl: 7 different SEC teams have ventured into Shreveport over the past 11 years; although, Ole Miss hit northern Louisiana three times in 5 years. They've had 6 different Big 12 teams in the past 8 years for the game. Bama vs. Ok State, Kansas or Kansas State look most likely. Yuck.

This is the first year of the SEC's Liberty Bowl tie-in. SEC Bowls will be announced after the SECC game.

Other Bowl Projections:
-- AJC's Tony Barnhart
-- ESPN.com (Not updated on Sunday night)
-- Sportsline

PWD

Bama media reporting Shula fired


The Tuscaloosa News and the B-ham ABC-TV affiliate are both reporting it's a done deal. Expect a press conference Monday.

PWD

Richt: Bobo Called the Plays on Saturday


Image: Georgiadogs.com

Richt announced tonight that Mike Bobo, the quarterbacks coach, called all the plays during the Georgia Tech game. Richt said he didn't overrule any calls, but made a "couple of suggestions between series." He also said that Bobo will call the plays during the bowl game. He'll examine how to handle the 2007 season's play calling after the bowl game.

What does this mean?
    1. I think it means Richt is much more willing to change than I or many others thought. There is a perception among many fans that he's too hard headed and stubborn to change certain fundamental things. His strength of conviction is one of his greatest assets. But it's also something that can drive you crazy. Richt addressed some of this topic saying that he had been praying about giving up the play calling duties (DawgPost.com):
    "I get up and I pray every morning and I try to listen to what God has to say to me, and it just kind of hit me in my heart that it was something that I needed to do and something I should do,” he said. “I didn’t want to argue with Him."
    2. Dawgnoxious had told me previously that Richt could never hand off the play calling duties unless he did it from a position of strength. After the AU win, it made sense. Richt admitted as much in the press release saying:
    "I had thought about it at times before the season and mentioned it to Mike around mid-season that I was considering it at some point," said Richt. "But with things not going so well at that time, I didn't want to put Mike in that position. But the thought kept coming back and I finally decided to do it this past week. I told Mike on Thursday he'd be calling the plays."
    3. FINALLY someone will be in the booth calling the plays. You can see the entire field from the booth, and you have the chance to see why something isn't working faster.

    4. OJT - More On the Job Training. Ideally, we would be the ones going after a guy like Dirk Koetter, a seasoned college football offensive mind who doesn't need training wheels. Bobo isn't a Borges or Friedgen coming into the job with 10-20 years of experience as a play caller. HOWEVER, Richt isn't Tuberville or O'Leary. He isn't a career defensive guy in need of a more veteran offensive guy. Hopefully, he can mentor Bobo the way that Saban mentored Muschamp.

    5. More Time - As Richt discussed in the DawgPost article, this gives him more time to focus on other things -- like the defense, officiating, player management, etc.

    6. The GT Game - We only scored one offensive TD in the game. That said, the final seven minutes were a thing of beauty.
Regardless, it shows that Richt is open to some new ideas and new ways of doing things. That's a very good thing. Hopefully, this will work out great. Check DawgPost.com, Ugasports.com and AJC.com for more on the story.

PWD


PS -- Who says God isn't a Bulldog. ;-)

November 26, 2006

Amato out at NC State and other Coaching News


He'll make someone a great linebacker coach

PackPride.com, the Scout.com NCSU site, is reporting that Amato will not return for 2007. After seven losses in a row, this news should come as a shock to no one.

Separately, ESPN.com is reporting that Arizona State has fired Dirk Koetter. As Orson Swindle of EDSBS said last week, Koetter would make a helluva choice for offensive coordinator at a place like Florida State. The former Boise State coach was hired the same year that Richt arrived at UGA. Koetter won 40 games in 6 years. As a point of comparison, Richt has won 60.

This Sun Devil news is relevant to Dawg fans as we travel to ASU in 2008, and we see a return trip to Athens in 2009. Keep an eye on who they hire.

PWD

LOL! ACC Title Game Tix on eBay for $5-20/each

I pity the City of Jacksonville. There is so little interest in the ACC title game that tickets are selling for less than a case of beer on eBay. Make that a case of really, really crappy beer.

Example 1 - 2 upper levels (front row)
Example 2 - 2 lower levels
Example 3 - 4 uppers (at time of publish all 4 tix were going for $19.00 total with less than 2 hours left on the auction)
Example 4 -- 2 lowers

The ratings on this game will be roughly equivalent to Women's Softball. And no, I'm not profiting from these links.

PWD

Breaking News: Georgia to Retire Reggie Ball's Jersey


ATHENS -- Georgia officials announced late Saturday night that the school intends to add a fifth jersey to the legendary circle of retired football numbers. Alongside Herschel Walker, Theron Sapp, Frank Sinkwich and Charlie Trippi, the Dawgs will retire Georgia Tech Senior Reggie Ball's #1 jersey.

"The guy did so much for our program," said Damon Evans, director of athletics at The University of Georgia. "It's the only fair and proper way to recognize his contributions."

Reggie Ball's career at Georgia Tech will soon end with a 0-4 mark against the Dawgs. He found new and amazing ways to lose games for the Yellow Jackets each year including classics such as losing track of downs and multiple last minute game ending interceptions.

The only potential barrier in the retirement ceremony would be a rumored petition to the NCAA for a rare fifth year of eligibility for Ball. Georgia officials were unwilling to comment on the rumor.

(30)

Yeah, this idea was floating around tonight from a ton of folks on UGA and GT boards. I just wanted to blog it. ;-)

Chantastic: Six in a Row!


Image from the AJC's *amazing* photo spread (Brant Sanderlin)

The AJC has opened up a "You Write the Headline" feature on one of their blog pages. My favorites/suggestions are:
    CHANWAGON BREAKS DOWN
    BALLED OUT
    OLIVER'S TWIST
    OVERRATED
    DAWGS DOMINATE
    TITANTIUM SOMBRERO
    SIX PACK
    SAME OLD SAME OLD
Personally, I think the best part is the fact that the Techies had Hope. Snatching that back from them is glorious. Does anyone really think the Techies will recover from this and win the ACC? If the Jackets end up in the Gator Bowl vs. West Virginia or Oklahoma, they're going to get waxed.

There's a very real possibility that UGA finishes this season with only four losses while the Jackets finish with five. Gailey has lost 5 or more games every year that he's been at Tech. Why should this year be different?

Some quick headlines:
-- Six and Counting -- DawgPost.com
-- Dawgs Make it Six - AJC
-- Stafford Grows Up -- AP/ESPN
-- Dawgs Win -- Ugasports.com
-- ESPN Photo Gallery -- AP/ESPN

Also, I really need to update this page. The page provides a look back at the last time that Tech beat UGA without ineligible players.

Best stat of the game. Paul Oliver caught one fewer pass than Calvin Johnson. (ht - AJC)

PWD

Official T-shirts: Georgia vs. GT (Six in a Row)

Here's the design. Click on the image to learn more/purchase. This Bragging Rights T-shirt sells for $17.95. The Long Sleeve version sells for $21.95.



Winning never gets old for Georgia fans! Show it off with this Bragging Rights tee.
    -- Lightweight ribbed t-shirt
    -- Screen print graphics
    -- Rib-knit collar
UPDATE: a Long Sleeve Version also available.

Go Dawgs

PWD

November 25, 2006

It's Gameday

..and I Can't Hardly Wait.

From Paul Westerberg's early '90s solo performance on SNL. Not the legendary Replacements performance (sic) that got them banned from the show. Hey...I posted the video for James Brown's "Dooley's Junkyard Dawgs." I'm entitled to venture off the path. (The tracking problem clears up in 4 or 5 seconds)

Here are some Gameday links:
PWD

November 24, 2006

Is Grobe a Viable Candidate for a Big Time Job?

I've seen some Bama fans talking Jim Grobe as a possible replacement for Shula. You know...if Saban, Spurrier, Pete Carroll, Vince Lombardi and Amos Alonzo Stagg all turn them down. Once you look closer at his resume, it makes you wonder if it would be a decision on par with Bama hiring Bill Curry. Consider....

In six years at Ohio, Grobe went 33-33-1. At Wake, he has gone 35-34 in six seasons. He's had four winning seasons in twelve years, and this will be his second bowl trip.

Still...he's done wonders with Wake right? However, 54 percent of his wins have come against the other schools in North Carolina (UNC, NCSU, ECU, Duke, NC A&T and Appy State). In fact, he is 19-5 vs. the State of North Carolina as coach of Wake Forest.

So Bama fans...that means if you get Auburn, LSU and Tennessee to hire Tier C coaches like Amato, Bunting and Roof, then Jim Grobe is your man. Against the rest of his schedule at Wake, he is 16-29.

He's a very good coach, but that's not the resume of a guy that a prime time school hires. Not yet anyway.

PWD

Hurricanes Dump Coker. Talk Replacements

Mark Schlabach of ESPN says that Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is the top target to replace Coker. The article says that Spurrier and Tuberville have both turned the job down. The article also says this about Richt:
And Georgia coach Mark Richt, a former Miami quarterback, said he wasn't interested in returning to coach his alma mater, and the hefty buyout in his contract with the Bulldogs would probably preclude the Hurricanes from hiring him anyway.
Just throwing that out there.

PWD

Finebaum Interviews Stallings about Bama and TAMU


Finebaum interviewed Gene Stallings on Tuesday about the Bama and Texas A&M jobs. Stallings talks about (18 minutes):
    -- Frustrations with the results at Bama and Texas A&M

    -- He doesn't call for firings. He calls for changes. "If you keep doing the same thing the same way, you keep getting the same results."

    -- The idiocy of giving Shula an extension last year. (Paraphrase) "How can you give him that big contract and extend it and say he's the best coach for Bama til he dies or whatever...and now he's a bum one year later? Either you were wrong last year or you're wrong now."

    -- Bama can't score a lick in the redzone. "I wouldn't let them leave the practice field til we figured that out." And TAMU is kicking too many FGs too.

    -- Indecision is worse than the wrong decision. If Bama's AD and President had been on top of this issue all year, they should be able to make a decision on Shula quickly. Nothing will be different in three weeks. Lots of frustration with the process and management of the Bama search.

    -- The role of the Bama coach is to beat LSU, UT and Auburn. The role of the Texas A&M coach is to beat Texas and Oklahoma. Neither of these guys have beaten anyone this year. You don't coach at Bama to beat FIU and Hawaii.
Great interview. One of Finebaum's best in a while.

PWD

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Regardless, Happy Thanksgiving and Go Dawgs!!


Paul Westerdawg
Publisher
Georgia Sports Blog

Tech Week Smack



It's time for the Georgia Sports Blog's "Greatest Hits" of Tech Smack. This site churns out anti-GT info the way that the Hoover Dam churns out power. Choosing the best of the best is like picking which child you love the best.

Here are some of my favs (in no particular order):Smack from Others:

Bobby Dodd's Legacy. Fish Tossing.

PWD

November 22, 2006

UGA vs. GT -- The Match-Ups

Our passing offense vs. their pass defense is a pretty good match-up as long as Stafford can get rid of the ball quickly. Auburn's Muschamp blitzed us straight up darn near every down. Stafford had a chance to read and react to the blitz and the man coverage behind it. Tenuta will hide his blitzes better, and they'll be harder to read zone blitzes. We have to catch the ball to make them pay, and the OL has to give him some time. Some song different verse. I'm expecting to see tons of shotgun with 1 TE and 1 RB staying in to block on passing downs.

(Image: Keep catching the ball)

Our rushing offense vs. their rush defense is not a favorable match-up. I think Dawg fans want to see us run right at them like Clemson did. We don't have Clemson's backs, and I don't think our OL scheme looks anything like theirs. But what do I know. I'm eager to see what we do to free Lumpkin up. The OL is healthier for this one than they've been for any game this year. So we've got that going for us.

Their rushing offense vs. our rushing defense. I think this is the worst match-up of the day. They run the ball fairly effectively, and we have been gutted at times via the run right up the middle. UK and Auburn both had tremendous success when they ran it.

Their passing offense vs. our passing defense. Last year Calvin had 1 catch for 2 yards and a TD. Otherwise, he was neutralized. Minter had him in man coverage last year, but Minter is gone. Everyone knows what Calvin is. Big, strong, fast and talented. We have to put pressure on Reggie, and let him lose the game for Tech before the ball makes it to Calvin. Clemson laid a wonderful blueprint for this. If we put the sort of pressure on Reggie that we put on Brandon Cox, we're fine. If not, they're going to have their chances. Luckily, GT doesn't have a stud Tight End.


Charles Johnson had an excellent game last year

The Wildcards
Mobile QB -- We've struggled with mobile QBs this year. We'll see a ton of the stretch play / bootleg / play action sets from under center, and we'll see a ton of the draw from the gun. How we handle Reggie's mobility is critical. Will our DBs and LBs maintain containment on the edges or get sucked in on the bootleg / play action? Moses and Johnson have to play much more disciplined than they did against Colorado and Ole Miss.

Punt Returns -- Last year Thomas Flowers had a huge game. Mikey Henderson is in the Top 5 nationally in punt returns. Tech's special teams are improved vs. last year, but this is still an area where we could break the game wide open.

Intangibles:
GT wants it bad, but all the pressure is on them. With us taking 12 of the past 15, we're in their heads as badly as UF is in ours. Does anyone really think that GT wins the ACC pouting their way into the game after a loss to Georgia?

A truck load of pressure was lifted off the Dawgs with the win over Auburn. I think the intangible edge goes to us...at least partially because of the whole Reggie thing.

(Image: Reggie's game film)

Bottom line:
If we turn the ball over three times, we will struggle MIGHTLY to win. If we protect the ball, pressure the QB, block, catch and tackle we win. But isn't that the key to every game ever played?

If we play our best game and they play their best game, I think we win.

If we give them the game that we gave SC, we win a squeaker. If we show 'em the AU effort, we win. If we give them the 2nd half we gave UF and the first half against UT, we win massive. If we give then the UK, Ole Miss, Vandy or MSU games, we lose.

Personally, I'm expecting a win. They've got Chan Gailey and Reggie Ball. We've got Mark Richt and Matt Stafford. I prefer that match-up over all others. But no outcome would shock me.

pwd

Georgia vs. Georgia Tech: By the Numbers

Here's a look at the stats from the two teams.


UGA
(Rank)
GT
(Rank)
Total Offense (yards/gm)
327.1 (75)
336.6 (61)
Rushing Offense
136.4 (58)
165.9 (32)
Passing Offense
190.5 (72)
170.7 (92)
Scoring Offense
25.6 (51)
26.9 (43)



Total Defense
270.9 (13)
292.6 (25)
Rushing Defense
110.8 (30)
89.2 (12)
Passing Defense
160.1 (13)
203.4 (64)
Scoring Defense
17.6 (24)
17.7 (26)



Turnover Margin
-0.55 (94)
0.82 (14)
Sacks/Game
2.36 (43)
2.55 (27)
Sacks Allowed/Game
1.18 (11)
1.36 (22)

Pretty similar stats except for the turnovers and their ability to run the ball. BTW -- are you as shocked as I am to see how highly rated our defense is? Check out some thoughts on the match-ups.

pwd

November 21, 2006

Shula's Ouster Gaining Momentum?


On the brightside. His daddy still loves him

-- Finebaum Calls for his dismissal - Mobile Register
"And it was so predictable if only people could have taken the Crimson blinders off and seen this for what it really was and was always going to be. Letting a teenager drive the family car without driver's ed will usually garner the same result -- a wrecked car, or in this case a severely damaged football program." - Paul Finebaum
-- Is UA in the Market for a New Coach? -- Tuscaloosa News

-- Shula's Status in Limbo - Mobile Register

-- Shula's Status Uncertain -- Huntsville Times

No announcement is expected until after Thanksgiving. If he stays, you have to imagine it's wholesale changes to the coaching staff.

PWD

Smile. You're on Wookie Camera


The. Best. Day. Of. His. Life.




PWD

Video: 2006 Season Highlights (so far)

Pretty damn good.



Uploaded to Youtube by "ugamummra."

PWD

Recruiting News: Caleb King video and More

Caleb King video from Scott Kennedy of Scout.com.



2008 Recruiting: Georgia's Top 12 - Chad Simmons

Dawgs get a 2008 RB Commit - DawgPost.com
(note: Ugasports.com says he's not committed "yet." The kid told Dean Legge of DawgPost.com basically that he's committing and not to bother pulling the story down. Apparently, it's semantics.

PWD

GT Week News and Notes



UGA vs. GT History Lesson - 81Dog

Teams Play for Governor's Cup - Columbus-Ledger

Dogs Prepare for Jacket Blitz - Columbus-Ledger

Monday Notes - David Ching

Dawgs vs. Jackets Match-ups - Red and Black

Ware Readies for Tech - DawgPost.com

Day in the Life of a Tech Man - GA Football Blog


Tech Man

Hat tips all around for DawgBone.net

PWD

November 20, 2006

Pat White Mocks Pitt's Panther Noise

SEC fans who've heard the annoying Cock-a-Doodle-Doo noise in Columbia can related to how White felt upon hearing the artificial PA system noise maker doing the Panther screechy thing.



PWD

Jake Scott to Serve as Honorary Captain on Saturday



The incredibly reclusive Jake Scott will be the guest captain of the 2006 UGA vs. GT game. Jake is one of our greatest players along side Herschel, Trippi and Flat Foot Franky. He was a Super Bowl MVP, and the team MVP of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins team.

David Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has an incredible exclusive interview with Scott. It's a must read.

PWD
 
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