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April 30, 2008

Bulldogs Finalize 2009 Schedule. Maintain Bye Week before UF


The TTU Cowboy-Plumber-Trainer-Medic in action

Georgia announced that the 2009 football schedule is baked. The final team will be the Tennessee Tech. Next year's schedule:
    at Oklahoma State - opening their new facility
    vs. South Carolina
    at Arkansas
    vs. Arizona State
    vs. LSU
    at Tennessee
    at Vanderbilt
    OPEN DATE
    vs. Florida (Jacksonville)
    vs. Tennessee Tech
    vs. Auburn
    vs. Kentucky
    at Georgia Tech
The home games (in bold) deliver enough excitement even with Tennessee Tech to keep me fired up.

Any schedule that involves at least two non-conference BCS teams (GT, Ok State and ASU) plus a bye week before the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is a damn good one.

Note: The photo at the top was taken at a TTU game two years ago. I'm pretty sure that he has athletic tape, a screw driver, a toilet scrub brush, a six shooter and a feather duster on that belt. He has worked the sidelines for Watson Brown for quite some time.

PWD

2009 NFL Mock Draft - Stafford and Moreno

SI.com, Sportsline.com and ESPN.com all discussed their top players for the 2009 mock drafts. Sportsline projects Stafford as #1 overall, and they list Knowshon Moreno just outside of the "cream of the crop."

ESPN projects Matthew Stafford at #3 in their mock draft behind...wait for it...Michael Johnson (DE) of Georgia Tech at #2. If Michael Johnson is a 1st rounder, then I'm John Holmes. If he's the #2 pick of the draft....well...I'm Jenna Jameson. ESPN also has Moreno going at #10 in their mock draft.

SI.com also has Stafford as the #1 overall pick. Interestingly, they have the Falcons with the #1 pick; however, he suggests that they would trade that pick (given that they already drafted a QB this year) to the Chiefs. Talk about a tough pill for me to swallow as a UGA fan trying to develop some sort of interest in the local NFL team. All three services have Michael Johnson from GT as a first rounder which is just laughable.

Regardless, I don't really see Stafford as a Top 5 pick next year. True junior QBs rarely come out early. They successfully come out early even less often. True junior QBs from affluent families (and Dallas' Highland Park neighborhood is fairly well to do) declare early even less often. See the Mannings and Leinart as good examples.

Knowshon on the other hand. If the kid rocks another 1,500+ yards rushing this year, I think he declares. He'll be a redshirt Soph, and he'd be smart to at least consider the move.

All of that said...any site that has Tech's Johnson (who I'm not sure even started last year) in the first round lacks the credibility to worry me into thinking much about Stafford or Moreno's status next season.

See Also:
-- Stafford the rage in '09 Mock Drafts - ABH

PWD

April 29, 2008

Tech to lose another player



Earlier this week, the Jackets lost Taylor Bennett, last year's starting QB, to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. That transfer was hardly news as Bennett was ill suited for the triple option attack (sic) of Paul Johnson, and he had been looking to transfer for months.

Now, rumors are swirling that Trey Dunmon (redshirt junior offensive lineman) will transfer to Georgia Southern. Dunmon is no longer listed on the official Georgia Tech roster. The story has gained momentum via 'demjackets" (the respectable moderator of Stingtalk.com) and the GT Sports Blog (which is experiencing technical difficulties, but generally doesn't run with bad info if it hurts Tech).

(video: That's Dunmom in action. Right side of screen. He was ejected for that classy move. Ht- The Comment Posse)

Dunmon was a likely starter at LG, RG or Center for the Jackets. "demjackets" also says the Jackets are at risk of losing another offensive lineman before the season starts.

Tech reaction is mixed but the bulk of the PJ Believers are saying: "We didn't need him anyway." Or, "If he's not buying into Johnson's proven ways, get rid of him."

That's true to some degree. But they've also lost their top TE (Peek), their top returning WR (Johnson), one of their most athletic young players (Donley - WR/S), and their starting QB from last year (Bennett). Those issues are compounded by the last GT recruiting class falling apart at the seams prior to signing day.

Taken as an individual event, none of the departures are that big of a deal. Taken as a collective bulk, it is most certainly a big deal.

It'll be interesting to see if the GSU faithful embrace a guy that couldn't get along with Paul Johnson. As a UGA fan, I wonder if we'll see Dunmom playing between the Hedges this year for the Eagles?

See Also:
-- The Sky is Not Falling - Mash on the Gas
-- Dunmon Leaves - In the Edge

PWD

(PS -- UGA draft coverage of some variety later)

April 28, 2008

Real Life Intrudes

Sorry for the lack of posting. Real-life and professional responsibilities raised their ugly heads. Hopefully, Tuesday afternoon will be better, but I doubt it. We may be a little slow through Wednesday.

In the meantime, check DawgBone.net for all the Bulldog headlines.

PWD

A Series Lost, But No Ground

It was bound to happen. Georgia hadn't lost an SEC series this year, but Florida took the Saturday and Sunday games from the Dawgs to win this weekend's series 2-1. The Gators got timely hitting, good baserunning, and a slew of double plays to thwart Georgia's offense at every turn. Florida's pitchers didn't really shut the bats down, but it seemed every time the Dawgs were threatening, something would throw cold water on them, a double play, a key strikeout, or a baserunning error. The team just wasn't as sharp as them been during their SEC winning streak. Trevor Holder and Dean Weaver were again solid on the mound. Josh Fields got the save Friday night after getting the team out of an eighth inning jam.

Despite the series loss, nothing changed about the Georgia lead in the SEC standings. It still stands at 3.5 games, the same number as when the weekend begins. The Cocks got swept in Baton Rouge, while Vanderbilt and Ole Miss also lost two this weekend.

The next two series are SEC West leader Ole Miss in Athens and a loaded Vanderbilt team in Nashville. Those two teams are right on Georgia's heels in the standings, so wins would go a long way toward winning the conference. The Dawgs have no midweek games, so they'll have some time to sharpen up before the Rebels come to town.

Quinton

April 25, 2008

4 in a Row! Gym Dogs Win National Championship

Suzanne Yoculan and the Georgia Bulldog Gymnastics Team won their fourth consecutive National Championship tonight in Athens.

(Image: official red championship t-shirt)

It was the first time I had ever seen Georgia win a national title in person despite the multiple opportunities to do so over the years.

Georgia dominated the meet from start to finish. Utah made a late surge in the sixth rotation to close the gap, but it was too little too late.

I'm not Gymnastics Guru by any stretch of the imagination, but I have to tell you how impressed I was with Katie Heenan. I'm pretty sure that she was the girl who suffered a massive face plant during a mid-spin move on the uneven bars only to shake it off and follow it with a 9.95 on the balance beam. Damn impressive.

Funny lines at the Gymnastics Meet:
-- Upon the Gators finishing their night with the fifth rotation, and realizing they were out of it. "Tebow can't save you now."

-- Upon watching the Alabama team walk around in circles waiting the outcome of the meet. "I'm not sure they have the math skills to realize they're going to finish in last place."

-- "I love gymnastics. It's an opportunity to bark at women without being sued for sexual harassment."

See Also::
-- Gym Dog Photos - AJC
-- One more makes 4 - DawgPost
-- Gym Dogs win it all - UGASports.com
-- Kyle King's Recap - DawgSports
-- Official Red Championship T-Shirt- GSB Store
-- Official White Championship T-Shirt - GSB Store

I'm sure the Athens Banner Herald will have tons of coverage tomorrow morning. But I'm heading to bed now and I'll be out of town all morning.

Go Dawgs.

PWD

New Poll: Who is the best QB in UGA History


Just one candidate (Image: Hipple)

Per a suggestion from "skidawg1985", we've added a new reader poll (upper right side of page). Who do you think is our top QB in history? I didn't include Trippi or Sinkwich because the modern offensive definition of a quarterback is so much different now than then.
  • Zeke Bratkowski - Probably Georgia's first big time passer. Under Wally Butts he lead the SEC in passing twice and was named All-SEC twice. (Note: I actually meant to list John Rauch instead of Zeke. My mistake. Either way, it's unlikely that this readership would've placed Rauch at #1)

  • Fran Tarkenton - Led UGA to an SEC title in 1959. Became one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. 9 time NFL Pro Bowler and 1975 NFL MVP.

  • Buck Belue - Won a National Title in '80 and two SEC titles.

  • Eric Zeier - One of the most decorated passers in SEC History. Left Georgia as the SEC's All-Time leader in total offense and passing. Completely changed the offensive look of the UGA program with his signing.

  • David Greene - NCAA All-Time Leader in Wins. SEC Championship in 2002.

  • DJ Shockley - Arguably the greatest statistical season or any UGA quarterback in history (2005). Accounted for more TDs than any other Dawg in one season.

  • Matt Stafford - Athletic Gifts with little peer. 17-4 as a starter in two seasons.
Who are you voting for? Why?

PWD

Weekend Baseball Preview - Cocktail Party Edition

The baseball team takes its 3.5 game SEC league lead down to Gainesville this weekend to take on the Gators. Baseball doesn't get the attention that the Cocktail Party would, but the series is just as important to the Diamond Dawgs as the football game is to Richt and the football team. Florida is 10-8 in conference and in third place. The Gators led the SEC for several weeks earlier in the year, but have stumbled lately. They haven't won a conference series this month and have lost five of their last seven. A series win this weekend would hurt 'em, bad. The Gators still have South Carolina and Vanderbilt to go. If we win two of three, it doesn't look good for the Gators. And, a series win should put us in prime territory for a full frontal assault on the SEC crown.

The Dawgs will use their normal weekend rotation of Holder, Dodson, and Moreau. The Gators are saving their best pitcher (at least statistically) for Sunday. Second baseman Josh Adams leads the Gators at the plate. Adams is a freshman, but he's having the type of season seniors envy. He's batting .354 with 40 RBIs. The rest of their lineup looks solid, but not spectacular. Brandon McArthur (returning from a torn ACL this weekend) and Matt den Dekker are good hitters, but the Gators don't have much else that pops out on paper.

Sun Sports is broadcasting the first two games of the series this weekend, if you get that channel.

See Also
-- Huge Team Profile on ESPN.com

Quinton

April 24, 2008

Hoops: SEC Championship Highlights Video

Jackson Spalding (PR firm) produced an SEC Highlights for the UGA Tip Off Club that was shown during this week's Post-Season Awards Banquet. Chip Towers and Roger Clarkson have recaps from the banquet.

The video is exceptionally well done as Chip pointed out in his article. Enjoy (ht - Bryan Harris of Jackson Spalding):



See Also
- Incoming Recruit Named Top Impact Players for '08-'09 - Foxsports

PWD

Dawgs Land A Big One From Florida

Quick. Name the last big offensive recruit Richt & Co. plucked out of Florida. Tony Wilson? Mike Moore? Those guys were considered good players, but nothing like shiny new commitment Aaron Murray, who pledged to the Dawgs this morning. Murray is a top quarterback recruit out of Tampa who was named first team All-State as a junior. He was also the first quarterback invited to the Elite 11 QB camp this year. Murray picked the Dawgs over finalists Florida and UCLA, but the guy had offers from seemingly every other national program. He's a midyear grad, so if the commit holds, he'll be on campus for spring practice next year.

The general consensus is that this is a huge, huge pick up for Georgia. Not only do they grab a top flight quarterback, a position the Dawgs need to sign this year, but we get one from Florida's back yard. It's not often that UGA goes heads up with the Gators for a Florida guy and the Dawgs land him. It happened today.

Here's a rather lengthy highlight package.


He looks mobile enough to escape a rush, accurate, and releases the ball in a flash. He may not have Stafford's or Mettenberger's gigantic arm, but he's got enough to hit the big plays. The knock on Murray is his height. He's only 6'1". Not to put too much pressure on the kid (but, come on, this is recruiting and it wouldn't be complete without ridiculous comparisons and laughable hyperbole), but UGA's done well with short quarterbacks.

Quinton

Poll Results: Best SEC Coach Other than Richt


I used to be 'this much' better than the other coaches

The People Have Spoken. Last week, we opened a reader poll asking "Who is the Best SEC Coach (Other than Mark Richt)?" I left Richt out to tone down the natural bias of our readers and get at a more interesting question to me. The results are in with 444 response. Your answers*:
    1. Tommy Tuberville - 27%
    2. Urban Meyer - 23%
    3. Steve Spurrier - 20%
    4. Nice Nick Saban - 15%
    5. Les Miles - 12%
    6. Phil Fulmer - 1%
It would be interesting to do this survey every year and see how things trend up and down. I'd wager that circa April 2005 Spurrier would've been a landslide #1 on the list. Will the Head Ball Coach slip in the eyes of our fan base again next year?

As for Fulmer, I expected him to come in a bit higher given that he has taken three of the past four from Georgia. Is his 6th place standing reflective of losing Cutcliffe? With Cutcliffe at the helm, Fulmer is 9-0 against Georgia. Without Cutcliffe, Fulmer is 2-5 against the Dawgs.

I personally voted for Tuberville. My vote was assuming that he wasn't playing a game before noon central time. Rimshot. Actually, I voted for Tuberville because his teams have historically been the most physical, well conditioned and determined that we have faced. In 2006, I think we beat them because they were overconfident, and Brandon Cox just flat out killed them. In 2007, we were simply better. Sure, he lays an egg once a year against a team he should beat, but it usually isn't us.

As for Meyer, let's see what he does with his own players.

Did the results turn out like you expected?

PWD

*Stats don't add to 100% due to rounding.

April 23, 2008

Ralphie Doesn't Take Mess off Nobody

The Colorado Buffalo got loose and trampled one of his handlers. This was Ralphie V's first run of her career at the CU Spring Game. Can you imagine if this had happened in Athens?


Better video from YouTube:


See Also:
-- Ralphie Gone Wild - EDSBS
-- All our Ralphie Articles - Georgia Sports Blog

PWD

2008 Georgia Schedule: A Long, Rough Road

So far, the 2008 offseason has followed the familiar sine wave of buzz, consensus, backlash, and backlash to the backlash. The buzz surrounding the 2008 Dawgs started about the time Knowshon Moreno strolled into the end zone for his second Sugar Bowl touchdown. At that point, I am certain some of our fans bought full sets of custom made shirts, tableware, and Jack Davis prints honoring the 2008 national champions, the Georgia Bulldogs. The consensus crested when seemingly every publication selected Georgia as the 2008 preseason top pick. But just as the consensus was reached, however, detractors appeared. Most of the backlash centered around one thing: the schedule. Recently, the backlash to the backlash has sprouted and gained momentum.

If you just thumb through the schedule, it looks daunting enough, with two BCS nonconfence games and a grueling four week road stretch that sees the Dawgs go to LSU, play the Gators in Jacksonville, and end up at Jordan-Hare. T. Kyle King has already gone on record as saying this is Georgia's year to win its third national championship, despite the schedule. Senator Blutarsky presents the schedule as an opportunity. Orson Swindle has stated that one cannot eliminate Georgia from the title discussions based solely on schedule difficulty. Orson's theory is that at least two teams that appear formidable in preseason will collapse.

While I share Kyle's general optimism, I think the Dawgs will need a good measure of luck to get to Pasadena (oops ... Miami). How much luck? Another ridiculous season where no one wants to take the title race by the short hairs. A season where the upset of the decade happens every weekend. A season of destiny. A season where every close play goes your way and when you need a miracle, you seem to get it. A season where even when you lose, you still somehow come out ahead. A season, oh, like LSU enjoyed last year.

Here's why. Take a look at the schedules of the past two SEC national champs when compared with the 2008 Georgia schedule:


UF '06 LSU '07 UGA '08
Beginning Ranking # 7 # 2 ?
Home Games 7 7 6
Away Games 5 5 6
vs. Ranked Opp.s at Game Time 4 6 ?
vs. Ranked Opp.s by Preseason Poll 5 4 5
vs. Ranked Opp.s by Final Poll 4 3 ?
Defending Conference Champions 2 (FSU, UGA) 2 (MTSU, UF) 2 (CM, LSU)
Defending National Champions 0 1 (UF) 1 (LSU)
Bowl Teams from Prior Year 8 (3-6) 8 (4-4) 9 (5-4)
FCS Teams 1 0 1
This analysis only contemplates regular seasons, not SEC Championships or bowls.

All of those numbers are scary and none are necessarily determinative, but to me, it looks like our 2008 schedule looks slightly more like LSU's schedule last year than UF in 2006. UF played the same SEC West opponents in '06 as the Dawgs will play this coming year, but got LSU at home instead of in Tiger Stadium. The Gators also played their traditional big nonconference game in Tallahassee, only 150 miles from Gainesville. FSU was the Gators only real nonconference opponent that year. And, they played only four ranked teams during the year. My guess is that we will play five at the least.

Last year, it appeared that God saw the LSU play early, decided they were going to win the national championship, but felt it necessary to toy with Tiger fans by decreeing one miracle finish after another, culminating with Pitt's victory over West Virginia, giving LSU a slot to play Ohio State in New Orleans. LSU had a big nonconference game with Virginia Tech in addition to their normal SEC schedule, during which they faced the defending national champions. The Tigers also played the Sun Belt champion and 7 other bowl teams. UGA is playing the defending national champs, the most difficult SEC schedule possible, and has a big nonconference game in Tempe, a long way from sweet tea and stately oaks. The Dawgs also face the MAC champions and 8 other bowl teams from last year.

There are, however, key differences in last year's LSU schedule and the 2008 Georgia slate. LSU played every key game last year in Baton Rouge. The only road game of significance was at Alabama, a team that lost the Independence Bowl a year before. In the coming season, Georgia is playing its most significant games away from Sanford Stadium: at South Carolina, at Arizona State, at LSU, in Jacksonville with the Gators, at Kentucky, and at Auburn.

The good news is that Coach Richt has a spectacular true road record. The bad news is that he has not won in Tiger Stadium and his record in Jacksonville is 2-5. Those two games are back-to-back. With that many tough road games, you'd think Richt's road run will be tested mightily. Also, LSU's schedule allowed them to build momentum late in the year, despite the team's bumps and bruises. Virginia Tech, Florida, and Auburn all came in the beginning or middle of the year. After the Bama game, the Tigers could coast against Louisiana Tech and Ole Miss. Georgia has no such luxury. The end of the schedule is the brutal part. A loss early is going to be tougher to overcome because the Dawgs will have a nasty October 25 to November 15. This isn't to say it can't happen. This year showed what can happen when the Dawgs catch fire.

As you also may recall, LSU got extremely lucky last year because no one else seemed to want to go to the BCS Bowl. The Tigers were the only team in history to play for the championship with two losses. Anyone taking odds on that happening again this year? I'd bet the winner of the Ohio State/USC game will get one of the championship game spots, even if they drop one along the way somewhere. If Oklahoma gets through with only one loss, it will be close to impossible to send a two-loss SEC team over a one-loss Oklahoma team. Thus, two losses should eliminate a team from title contention.

My bottom line on the schedule is this: It's tough, but not impossible. We probably won't make it through undefeated, just as LSU didn't. We will need some luck to get to the BCS Bowl. If we can get to Atlanta and win, the schedule should give us a strong argument for the BCS Bowl. Two losses, however, probably ends the dream.

It's bad timing that we could have the best team we've had in a long time right as our schedule goes from its normal difficulty to absurd. Get your heart medicine out and keep the defibrillator handy. If we can replicate the past two national champs, we can expect tight games and exciting finishes. If we can make the clutch plays like LSU did last year and UF the year before, the Rose Bowl (oops ... Dolphins Stadium) awaits.

Quinton

April 22, 2008

David Pollack Retires

Three-time All-American DE, David Pollack retired today from pro ball. After a promising rookie season, Pollack broke his neck in the second game of the 2006 season. The first thing I think of when his name comes up is not that "his motor never stops running," but is this play from the 2002 South Carolina game. "How 'bout that Pollock?"



Good luck and Godspeed, David Pollack.

Quinton

Houston Nutt's Daughter Performs

I present you Haven Nutt, Houston's kid, performing...well...I have no idea what she's performing. But she clearly loves her some Zac Efron. My immediate thoughts are:I present you...

Thank you Al Gore. Thank you for today.

See Also:
-- Nutt's Kid Sings the Classics - Friends of the Program
-- Zac, I love You - Arkansas Times
-- Haven loves Zac - HollywoodGossip.com
-- Nutt wrote the book on Parenting - SportsByBrooks

PWD

DawgPost Roundtable

DawgPost.com's Dean Legge leads a discussion of recruiting, the Gators and the NFL draft.

PWD

April 21, 2008

2008 SEC Strength of Schedule Discussions

Paul Finebaum has posted his annual ranking of SEC non-conference schedules. The Bulldogs predictably come in first place in his rankings with a road trip to preseason Top 10-15 Arizona State and a home date against the Yellow Jackets. Senator Blutarsky has some quick thoughts on the Finebaum article.

Looking at non-conference schedules on a more national level, YahooSports ranks all the top non-conference games this year (excluding the normal rivalry games like FSU vs. UF). The UGA vs. ASU match-up comes in 2nd place for their list. Only the tOSU at USC out shines our duel in the desert.

It's times like this that make me want to point out the all-time strength of schedule numbers from College Football Data Warehouse. Georgia comes in at #2 on their all-time list. (ht - Dawgnoxious)

We're definitely getting the value for our entertainment buck this year.

See Also:
-- How to get UGA vs. ASU tickets from ASU's Ticket Office - GSB
-- SEC Bulks Up - AJC
-- SEC Schedules - CFN
-- Cupcakes Anyone - RollBamaRoll

PWD

Clemson to play 2 SEC teams per year

Starting in 2010, the Clemson Tigers will enter a seven year stretch of playing at least two SEC teams per year. This is in addition to Clemson opening the season against Alabama in 2008 in the Georgia Dome.

The Tigers have signed two game series with Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

YearHome
Away
Neutral
2008SC

Alabama
2009

SC

2010
SC
Auburn

2011
Auburn
SC

2012
SC
Vandy

2013
UGA, Vandy
SC

2014
SC
UGA

2015
Ole Miss
SC

2016
SC
Ole Miss


It'll be interesting to see how Auburn with a Lake holds up against Auburn without a Lake in 2010-2011.

See Also:
-- Clemson Future Schedules - NationalChamps.net
-- Georgia Future Schedules - SicemDawgs.com
-- UGA vs. Clemson '03 (Gibson TD) - YouTube
-- UGA vs. Clemson '03 (Pollack INT) - YouTube

BTW -- This post is one of those "scheduled posts" that I'm tinkering with from Blogger.com. I found this info earlier Sunday morning, and I saved the post for today. It's at least "something" football related for you since I didn't have time tonight to put together a Spring Recap article. However, I do have some more interesting things on that front hopefully soon. Also, Quinton has a couple of solid baseball and "other" sport articles up this morning.

PWD

ht - The Wizard of Odds

Kissing Your Cajun Sister

The baseball team didn't lose for a third straight weekend. But, Sunday's game against LSU ended in a clock-induced tie. There's no clock in baseball and you can't tie, right? Yes you can if the team flight leaves Baton Rouge at 5:30 and, after a world class comeback, the game goes 12 innings. Georgia and LSU agreed not to start an inning after 4:00 PM central time (extending the SEC curfew rule) and it didn't look like that was going to be a problem until Robbie O'Bryan blasted a home run to tie the game up in the 9th. O'Bryan's homer capped an epic Georgia comeback. After the 6th, LSU led 10-3, but the Dawgs got seven in the last three innings and held on for a tie.

Sunday's game was an almost mirror image of Saturday's game that Georgia dominated until the 8th inning. Justin Earls had a nightmare inning, giving up 7 runs and allowing LSU to tie the game. Ryan Peisel won it in the ninth on an infield single that scored Matt Cerione.

The big performers this weekend were predictable. Trevor Holder and Stephen Dodson had masterful pitching performances. Josh Fields set the UGA record for saves Friday night. Beckham, Peisel, Olson, Poythress, and Massanari banged out hits and scored runs. Gordon Beckham continued to look like Roy Hobbs at the plate. LSU did not get Beckham out until his second at bat Sunday. Wow.

It's hard to complain about the team right now, but there is one thing that continues to cause concern as the Dawgs gear up for the next three SEC series against Florida, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. The bottom half of the order needs to carry their weight at the plate. The top half of the order is lethal, but the bottom half is snoozing at the plate. The bottom half had 10 hits in Baton Rouge and that includes Matt Cerione's 4-for-4 Saturday. That's not a lot of production.

The 4 game SEC lead is still there and the team is playing well, but the conference schedule is about to increase in difficulty. The next three series are big and we need to win two out of those three to salt away the regular season crown.

Quinton

April 20, 2008

Another Conference Crown

This is the Georgia Sports Blog, so I don't want to ignore some deserving teams that have done Georgia proud. Georgia's always had strong golf and tennis programs and this year is no exception, although you might not know it after this weekend. The SEC golf and tennis championships took place over the weekend, with mixed results for the Dawgs. The women's tennis team upset Florida 4-3 to win the conference crown. This is the second straight conference title for the team. The girls were simply returning the favor for their male counterparts. The men's team was the top seed, but got upset by the Gators Saturday in the men's tournament.

On the links, both teams finished third. The tournament was a disappointment to the men's team who went into the weekend ranked No. 1 nationally. Alabama, ranked No. 2, won the championship. Russell Henley recorded a hole-in-one Saturday, but it wasn't enough to get the Dawgs past the Tide.

Both men's programs have shots at the national title. The golf team was ranked No. 1 most of the year and has three excellent golfers to build a tournament score around. The tennis team started the week at No. 3, but lost their regular season finale against Tennessee and lost in the SEC tournament. Also, Luis Flores injured himself again this weekend, possibly ending his season. The tennis team needs to regroup before the NCAAs if they are going to challenge teams like Virginia or Ohio State for the NCAA crown.

Quinton

Richt to take team members to Honduras


The Birmingham News, Orlando Sentinel and Savannah Morning News have joined DawgPost.com in writing about Coach Richt taking approximately 23 members of the Georgia Football Team to Honduras for a mission trip.

The DawgPost article went into some degree of detail around the NCAA Bylaws which permit the trip. Apparently, Georgia's compliance office has been working with the SEC and NCAA to double and triple check the viability and appropriateness of the trip. Nice work to all involved.

See Also:
-- They probably won't perform surgery - DawgsOnline
-- A Coach and a Man - Allie Bates
-- Richt enjoys Trip - Augusta Chronicle (2007)

PWD

Georgia Football lands recruit #8

The football team picked up its 8th commitment of the year when Dallas Lee (6'3" 305 lb lineman) from Buford High School gave his verbal to the UGA coaching staff. Lee says that UGA wants him at offensive guard or center. Lee appears to have had offers from FSU and Georgia Tech among others.

Separately, 4 star quarterback recruit Aaron Murray looks set to name his school of choice on Thursday. The scuttle butt points to UGA over Florida and UCLA. If Murray commits, Georgia will be done recruiting QBs for the season. Pulling an elite QB out of Tampa would be a nice score for the coaching staff.

See Also:
-- More recruiting news - YahooSports

PWD

More on the Basketball Schedule

Assistant Coach Pete Hermann is in charge of scheduling for Coach Felton's squad. He spoke with Chip Towers of the AJC about the 2008-2009 schedule.

PWD

April 19, 2008

Georgia Basketball headed to Preseason NIT


UGASports.com got confirmation of it, so I'll add color to the story via additional research and rumors. The Dawgs will open the 2008-2009 season at Purdue in the Preseason NIT Tournament this year. It's Georgia's first trip to this prestigious tournament since 1998. Our other appearances came in 1998, 1993 and 1988.

Based on the tireless research of MemphisDog (MemphisDog is to basketball scheduling as JimFromDuluth is to kickoff times), we believe the following other teams will be involved in the 16 team field:
    1st round hosts:
    Purdue
    Oklahoma
    Boston College
    Arizona

    Other Rumored Teams of Note:
    Georgia
    Davidson (opens at Oklahoma)
    St. John's
    Santa Clara
    New Mexico State
    Cornell (not a team of note, but we think they are in)
    James Madison (not a team of note, but we think they are in)
    5 more unknown teams
The tournament typically invites only one team per conference. Each regional host (a "name brand" team) usually gets paired with one quality mid-major or Tier 2 power conference school and two low major squads.

I would expect Conference USA, the Atlantic-10 and/or the Missouri Valley Conference to fill at least two of the five remaining slots with teams not named Memphis or Xavier.

The way the bracket works, we would likely have to beat a low major team at Purdue and then the Boilermakers to advance to Madison Square Garden. In NYC, we would get two more guaranteed games likely against the other host teams listed above. But there's more. Per UGASports.com:
The remaining 12 teams [not advancing to NYC] will play third- and fourth-round NIT Season Tip-Off games during Thanksgiving week. The games will be played on three home campus sites that will be determined by a seeding process. Participating teams will not play any team twice and third- and fourth-rounds will be assigned to the most geographically compatible site as possible. (Emphasis added)

According to Felton, if Georgia (17-17 last year) does not advance to New York, the Bulldogs would get to host its final two [rounds] Thanksgiving Week.
If the rumored list of teams above holds up, there's an excellent chance that Georgia could host Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats in Athens. For my money, Curry is the most entertaining scorer since LSU's Chris Jackson. We'll provide more info as the teams and bracket become available.

See Also:
-- So long 'stache - ABH
-- Felton: We can Dominate the Nation - AJC
-- Clean-shaven Felton makes one more promise - AJC
-- Felton Rocks a red sports coat - AJC (images)
-- Closing the Gate - DawgSports.com

PWD

April 17, 2008

Spring Football at LSU

My favorite part of this is the last interview with the Bama fan, and the LSU fan sporting the Ric Flair WCW Championship Belt with the letters B-C-S in black electrical tape across the front.



So much comedy here. ht - dawgpost.com

PWD

Hawai'i Can Afford It Now

Good news: Hawai'i did get something good out of the Sugar Bowl, besides an expensive vacation to New Orleans to watch a blowout. The Warriors received a record bowl payout for a non-BCS team, $4.4 million. After the expense of transporting the team, band, and hula girls from the islands to New Orleans, the team is expected to net about $2.2 million.

Maybe that will be enough to reassemble Colt Brennan from that pile of agonized body parts under Marcus Howard into a functioning NFL backup QB.



Quinton

Golden Spikes For Gordon Beckham?

Let the legend of Gordon Beckham grow. Beckham hit a three run walk-off home run to beat Georgia State in extra innings (correction: it was the bottom of the ninth) Wednesday night. He currently leads the NCAA in home runs and total bases. He's in the top 20 for average, hits, on base percentage, runs, and slugging percentage. In short, he is having the best offensive season Athens has ever seen. At this pace, Beckham will either fell a cedar tree in the outfield or permanently disable someone on Kudzu Hill.

He's already been named the Midseason Player of the Year by Baseball America and Rivals.com. So, my question is can Beckham win the Golden Spikes award? The Golden Spikes is the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, without the politics and incessant hype. UGA's never had a Golden Spikes winner and if Beckham wins it, he'd join guys like Will Clark, Bob Horner, J.D. Drew, and Mark Prior as past winners. With his gaudy stats and the team playing well, Beckham has to be considered the frontrunner.

There are five SEC weekend series to go and the Dawgs currently lead the conference by three games. As the postseason approaches, Rivals.com has already projected the 64 team field for the race to Omaha. They've got the Dawgs hosting a regional, but not slotted as one of the eight national seeds. Obviously, we're a long way from the start of NCAAs, but we're playing inspired baseball right now. If we win the SEC East, Georgia is almost assured of hosting a regional, but they need to keep winning two out of three on the weekends and show up for the midweek games to get a national seed.

Quinton

April 16, 2008

Do the Jorts Fit Better...

I was having a Cocktail Party flashback this morning when I thought of this song. It's by John Radcliff, and it originally aired on AOL's Fanhouse.



PWD

Felton to Pay Off on Bet with Students

On Friday, Dennis Felton will make good on his promise to the UGA students. He swore that he'd shave his mustache if UGA won the SEC Championship.

Mission Accomplished.

On Friday at noon, the mustache comes off. Check the Athens Paper for details.

"It's so hard
To say goodbye
To hairy days."

PWD

Reasons Furman Bisher Blows

Apparently, the Birmingham News ran an article a few weeks back about the infamous Saturday Evening Post article in the early 1960s that accused Bear Bryant and Wally Butts of fixing an Alabama vs. Georgia game.

Bryant and Butts were both vindicated in the libel law suits following the story, and the resulting back lash and legal payments bankrupted the paper. The suits are still studied in Law and Journalism School for the ground breaking decision regarding libel in regards to "public officials" vs. "public figures."

The story revolved around a phone conversation between Butts and Bryant that was apparently over heard by a third party. That third person took notes of the conversation and accused a drunken Butts (serving as AD of UGA at the time) of giving up the Georgia play book to Bryant. The third person sold his story to The Post for $5,000.

In their rush to bring down UGA, Alabama and College Football, the Birmingham News says that magazine didn't bother to look at the notes from the phone conversation. It was a hastily assembled story that didn't hold up under investigation. And frankly, Bear Bryant didn't need Georgia's play book to obliterate Johnny Griffith's team.

I throw Bisher into this because he helped Frank Graham Jr. write the story.

Fall out from the story:
  • The Saturday Evening Post went bankrupt Georgia and Alabama stopped playing every year to avoid the story. We moved to playing about twice every 8-10 years in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
  • Bryant was so enraged by the incident that he came to hate Atlanta. If memory serves, his team packed a lunch when they came to Atlanta after that. He refused to spend a nickel in town.
  • The scandal helped push Butts out as Athletic Director.
PWD

April 15, 2008

Do you know what your Man Cave needs?


Georgia Bulldog Sofa. Click to Learn More

Your man cave is in desperate need of an inflatable Georgia Bulldogs Football sofa. Realistically, how can you go wrong with such a purchase? It's simply a no brainer.

What better way to spend your IRS refund check than at the Georgia Sports Blog store?

PWD

Just watched the Herschel thing on Nightline

The part that was so unnerving about the ABC Special was the genuine concern for him that his ex-wife showed. Regardless of how the story evolves from here, I just wish the best for him and his family.

I'm going to take Vince Dooley's stance on this one which was, "All I know is whatever personality he had when he had the football was the one I liked."

I'd rather just have a blog that sticks to snarky comments about our neighbors and occasionally discusses our sports programs. I'd rather not pick apart our greatest legend.

Going forward, if you're looking for commentary on this, you won't find it from me.

PWD

April 14, 2008

Felton lands shooting guard for 2008 signing class

The 2008 class needed a shooter, and Felton signed a shooter. Ebuka Anyaorah is a 6'4" shooting guard from North Gwinnett high school who averaged 26.3 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. Per the AJC:
Anyaorah was recruited by Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Michigan and Vanderbilt. He originally committed to Colorado before changing his mind and deciding to join the Bulldogs.
First Joe Cox steals the souls of the Buffalo nation, and now Felton kicks 'em while they are down.

This will be an interesting kid to watch. The State of Georgia is loaded once again in 2009. The Dawgs currently only have two scholarships to give for the '09 class. One has been claimed by Demario Mayfield. The other is likely being reserved for All-Universe recruit Derrick Favors of South Atlanta.

Hopefully, Favors will let Felton know one way or the other as soon as possible so that we can use the scholarship on someone else if need be. Statistically speaking, we will likely have some attrition before the 2009 class enrolls; however, it's more likely that we wouldn't have that spot open up until the Spring '09 signing date.

Anyway...we needed a shooter. This kid is a shooter with multiple offers from other high major schools. He's also a Gwinnett product. Gwinnett County is the key to the Georgia Basketball program's future.

PWD

Herschel Walker to Reveal More Personality Disorder Details Tonight on Nightline

ESPN is reporting that Herschel Walker will appear on ABC Nightline tonight at approximately 11:35 pm to discuss the details of his multiple personality disorder within the context of his book "Breaking Free."

Update: Video from Nightline web site. It's a 4 page article. More video here.

The ESPN article reveals some horrifying stuff about attempted suicide and other violent behavior. From Herschel:
After his retirement from football in 1997, Walker said the disorder began to overwhelm him. At one point, while sitting in his kitchen, he said he played Russian roulette with a loaded pistol.

"To challenge death like I was doing, you start saying, there's a problem here," Walker told Woodruff.
From his ex-wife
Walker and his ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, were married for 16 years before she knew about his illness, she said.

"Well, now it makes perfect sense, because each personality has a different interest," Grossman told "Nightline". "This one has an interest in ballet, this one has an interest in the Marines, this one had an interest [in the] FBI, this one had an interest in sports.

"There was also a very sweet, lovable [personality]. That's the one he told me I married. He told me I didn't marry Herschel," said Grossman, who later in the interview recalled a conversation with Walker, "and the next thing I knew, he just kind of raged and he got a gun and put it to my temple."
It isn't news that Herschel says he has/had a personality disorder. We've known about the book and this "revelation" for a few months. I had privately blown this off as a B.S. attempt to sell books. That's the primary reason that I haven't promoted any of his book signings...despite multiple emails asking me to do so by various book stores and publicity types.

I mean if your dad, ex-football coach and everyone that knows you says they lack any knowledge of your problem, then is it really...real? Far be it for me to criticize a UGA legend if he's trying to make a buck. So I said nothing about the book on this site.

But to hear him talk about suicide attempts and to see his ex-wife vouch for his behavior...it makes it more real. And it makes it Must See TV for me tonight.

PWD

Larry Munson Tribute from the Sporting News


Spencer Hall (aka Orson Swindle of EDSBS) writes a regular column for SportingNews.com. In today's edition, he wrote an incredible tribute to Larry Munson.

The article is even more impressive given that Spencer's undergraduate degree is from the University of Florida, and his masters degree is from Georgia Tech. In other words, he is in possession of every imaginable reason on earth to hate Larry Munson, but he can't help himself...he must appreciate the legend. For bonus points, he is a former member of the Pride of the Sunshine Fighting Gator Marching Band.

A highlight from the article:
My own football baptism, whether I knew it or not, came with Munson calling games in the background. I am not even a Georgia fan, but even as a screaming insomniac food monkey myself being raised in Atlanta, I knew something very, very important was happening when the creaky voice came on, a man whose voice seemed to have its own odd echo and static even when he spoke on television interviews.

Even now, with age obviously limiting him, Munson calling a game seems like a man torn between throwing himself over the rail with despair and hugging the nearest person 'till their ribs break. He is an announcer who admitted breaking a chair out of excitement on the Lindsay Scott call in 1980, who sounded unhinged with excitement when David Greene tossed an improbable TD to Michael Johnson against Auburn in 2002 and who coined the call of the millennium against Tennessee in 2001.
It's a great read. Get well soon, Larry!



PWD

ht - blutarsky

Keeping up with the Enemy Spring Updates II


Never get enough Black Out pics (image: Hipple)

A look around at how Spring Practice is fairing for our competition next season:By the way, we added a new Poll over on the right. In your opinion, who is the best SEC coach other than Richt?

PWD

April 13, 2008

Another Huge Sweep

After weekday losses to Winthrop and Tech, this weekend's series with Kentucky held less promise than this time a week ago. With last weekend's sweep of South Carolina, it appeared UGA was rounding into a complete team. A team capable of going to Omaha. After dropping a game to Winthrop Tuesday and losing to a solid Tech team in Atlanta Wednesday, my hopes went from Omaha to simply making some noise in Hoover.

Despite those losses, the Dawgs are showing that their puzzling midweek play won't get in the way of their focus on SEC play. Coming into this weekend, Georgia sat atop the SEC by a game. Today, the Dawgs are up three games after sweeping a good Kentucky team. With two consecutive SEC sweeps of top 25 teams, I'm allowing Omaha to barely sneak back into my head.

The Dawgs won in a variety of ways this weekend. Friday night was a pitcher's duel, seeing Trevor Holder K 9 batters in a tense 3-2 win. The bats came out Saturday in a 13-4 beatdown of the 'Cats. The top half of the order had 7 RBIs on 10 hits, despite two walks by Gordon Beckham. And today, the Dawgs had a big comeback win, scoring 5 unanswered to win 6-4. The theme of the series was pitching. Starters Trevor Holder and Stephen Dodson were spectacular Friday and Saturday. The bullpen finally gave up a run today after holding the opposition scoreless for an amazing 40 consecutive innings. Then after giving up that one run, Dean Weaver was awesome in relief and Josh Fields tied the school record for career saves. With a 3-2 week, the Dawgs should hold at around No. 14 in this week's rankings.

East Tennessee State and Georgia State come to Athens this week before the Dawgs head to Baton Rouge this weekend for a series with LSU.

Condolences: We make fun of Georgia Tech a bunch here at the Georgia Sports Blog, but tragedy transcends rivalry. On behalf of Paul and Dawgnoxious, I extend our condolences to the Georgia Tech athletics family on the passing of junior pitcher Michael Hutts Friday. The death of any person, much less such a young athlete, is an unspeakable tragedy and our thoughts are with the Tech baseball team.

Quinton

Headlines for Sunday Morning

I loathe golf. I'd rather be punched in the face than actually hit the links, but it is Masters Sunday. So let's start things off with a Masters feature on Boo Weekley over at DodgyatBest. He's the golfer for guys who hate golf. He's currently tied for 7th going into Sunday.

Now, on to something I give a damn about.Also, I updated the Blog Roll again to make it easier to read. If you look to the left, you'll see the non-UGA SEC blogs broken out separately from the broader "other" category. They are also organized more or less by school affiliation.

PWD

April 12, 2008

Advice to Dawg Fans Uploading Video to Youtube

There are a variety of secondary sites that are downloading video from YouTube and re-uploading it onto their web sites. They are attempting to create aggregation / portal web sites about a variety of niche topics.

In the process, they slap their own logo on the work, sometimes add advertising and you get no credit for it. This isn't a big deal if you're just uploading highlights from CNN or CBS. But if you're going to the trouble to put music and transitions to the work, it's annoying to not get some credit.

Therefore, my advice for uploading video that you put some time into editing:
    Add a logo or title slide to the beginning and end of your video before uploading it. UgaMummRa has started doing this for the BulldawgBlawg.com. Example here. This way, if someone else re-distributes your video, you'll still likely get credit for your work and draw attention to your site. Put those sites to work for you with a credits slide.
PWD

April 11, 2008

CBS leaks info on Dawg kickoff times


Night Games = Supply Run (Image: businessweek)

David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press interviewed Mike Aresco, CBS's senior vice president of programming. Among his other responsibilities, Aresco apparently decides what games will air each week on CBS as part of their SEC coverage.

Everything is still described as "speculative" at this point, but he points to ESPN having Alabama at Georgia as one of ESPN's priority picks.
A night home game against the Tide = Awesome Tailgate
The article also lists the UT game as a possible evening kickoff on CBS due to their double header schedule. As Iron Chef Turducken just pointed out to me, Mike Adams would likely lobby for the UGA vs. UT game to be played at 3:30 pm in order to avoid back to back night games in Athens. Regardless, it's an option on the table.

Based on the article and our previous discussions with the schedule, our TV / kickoff time schedule could very well look like this (home games in bold):
    -- Georgia Southern - 1:00 PM (PPV)
    -- Central Michigan - 12:30 pm (Raycom*)
    -- at South Carolina - 3:30 pm (CBS) - Per article linked above
    -- at Arizona State -- 8:00 pm (ABC)
    -- Alabama - 7:45 pm (ESPN) - ESPN has priority pick
    -- Tennessee - 3:30 (CBS) - Double header CBS weekend
    -- Vanderbilt - 12:30 (RayCom)
    -- at LSU - 3:30 (CBS) - Per article linked above
    -- vs. UF - 3:30 (CBS) - Per article linked above
    -- at UK - 12:30 (RayCom) - Best Guess
    -- at Auburn - 3:30 (CBS) - Per article linked above
    -- Georgia Tech - 3:30 (CBS) - Per article linked above
According to Paschall, the Dawgs were on CBS 18 times in three years from 2002-2004. However, the College Bulldog Station (CBS) down shifted their coverage of the Dawgs in 2006 (two appearances) and 2007 (three appearances) in recent years.

It's a great read.

PWD

(Ht - korndawg79)

*formerly known as LF Sports.

April 10, 2008

Ain't nothing for Herschel to Whip a Protester's Ass

Herschel carried the Olympic Torch in San Francisco. The ESPN video below includes an interview with Mr. Walker discussing the anti-China protests that are surrounding the Torch.



ht - Bruce Frazier

PWD

As much as I heart Evil Richt....



...I gotta tell ya...Normal Richt pretty much kicks ass, too. The Oklahoma State student newspaper has a great article about the recovery of OSU wide receiver Artrell Woods. You may remember that Woods was almost paralyzed during a weight lifting incident in Stillwater prior to the season opener with Georgia last year. Woods talks about his time in the hospital and the support UGA game him:
Woods said the level of support he received was a motivating factor in his recovery.

“I got tremendous support,” Woods said. “Nurses would walk in with a stack of e-mails from people from all over the place, not just Oklahoma. People from OU, Georgia, Texas, wherever, just everybody.”

The University of Georgia football team and coach Mark Richt sent Woods an autographed football and the players and coaches sent their best wishes. That gift meant a lot to Woods.

“They were so nice to me; I still have that football,” Woods said. “It’s like a showcase thing for me. “It just meant the world to me.”
Damn. What can you add to something like that? Nothing.

Separately, the expanding national story that is the 2008 Georgia Bulldog team, grows daily. Today, the LA Times suggests that Georgia could be the team to beat. However, a much larger media super power (The Tifton Gazette) interviews Richt and says the coach cautioned fans not to book travel to Miami for the title game ... yet.

PWD

Sugar Bowl Highlight Video

UGAMummRa finally has his Sugar Bowl Highlight video up. I'd bust his balls, but I'm more behind than him. lol.

PWD

April 9, 2008

2007 in Pictures from ABH

This has probably been up for quite some time, but it's the first I've seen of it. The Athens Banner-Herald put a slide show of photos up from the 2007 season.

There are some really great pics in the series. I highly recommend it.

PWD

SI.com Profiles Knowshon Moreno


Andy Staples of SI.com compares Knowshon to a Super Hero as he works to tell the back story of our legend in the making (Image: Hipple). The last paragraph (Page 2) is the best:
Moreno already seems poised to join the Justice League of former Georgia ballcarriers that includes Garrison Hearst, Tim Worley and Terrell Davis, but does he have the superhero chops to earn his way into Walker's one-man pantheon? In December, Herschel and Special K filmed a segment that ran on Fox minutes before the kickoff of Georgia's Sugar Bowl rout of Hawaii. They walked between the hedges at Sanford Stadium and chatted. Walker showed Moreno different push-up styles. Moreno challenged Walker to a 40-yard dash. At one point, Walker turned to Moreno and spoke.

"The only thing that separates us now," Walker said, "is the Heisman and the national championship."
Separately, check out Kyle King's article on why he thinks UGA can win the National Title in 2008.

PWD

Fun "Hate Tech" Factoid of the Day


Image: Hipple

I've pointed out on numerous occasions that Georgia Tech hasn't beaten UGA without Ralph Friedgen on the Tech sidelines since 1985. Overall, they are 6-28 without Big Ralph since 1964 when Vince Dooley came to Georgia. With Friedgen, are 5-4. That's of course counting the years played with ineligible, knuckle draggers participating at 10 positions.

This begs the question...why didn't they back a dump truck full of money and donuts up to Coach Value Size's office on the Maryland Campus in 2001? For that matter, why didn't they just hire Ralph as the head coach in 1995? He was clearly the brains of that O'Leary / Ralph combo. Honest George went 0-6 in '94 as an interim. What was the point of keeping him for the '95 season?

On another fun statistical front, we all know that Mark Richt is 7-0 against Tech during his tenure as a head coach. Did you also realize that his nine wins at FSU as an assistant bring his career total as a coach to a healthy 16-0. (Don't worry, I checked with Reggie Ball. So the math should be right)

In other words, none of Richt's children have ever lived in a world where their father has lost to Georgia Tech. All children should be so blessed.

PWD

April 8, 2008

Expecations for 2008 (Fan Poll vs. Media)


Even Moreno needs blocking (Image: Hipple)

The Georgia Sports Blog's most recent poll asked the question, "How many football games (pre-SEC Championship) will the Dawgs win?" Your answers:

12
114 (31%)
11
168 (46%)
10
63 (17%)
9
10 (2%)
8
7 (1%)

That means about 77% of you expect the Dawgs to be very much in the national title race entering the Georgia Dome for the SEC Title game. I knew the expectations would be high, but that was a little higher than I thought. I personally only have us at 10-2 entering the title game.

Basically the youth along the OL, lack of a proven kicker and the schedule makes me nervous. I'll probably feel better once I learn more about the competition, and all of their flaws.

YahooSports /Rivals.com has two articles about our chances vs. expectations next season. Pretty good reads.

PWD

Idle Weeks for Dawg Opponents

The full 2008 Schedule is up on the Orlando Sentinel's site. (ht - Blutarsky). As much as the media and our own fans have been playing up the difficulty of our schedule, one fact seems to have gone unnoticed. No UGA opponent will have a full bye week before playing the Bulldogs in 2008.

Opponent's game prior to match-up with UGA:
  • Week 1: GSU -- n/a

  • Week 2: Central Michigan -- The Fighting Middle Men (I prefer that nickname to Chippewa or however you spell it) will play Eastern Illinois at home before coming to Athens.

  • Week 3: at South Carolina -- The Gamecocks get a two day head start in prepping for the Dawgs as they play Vanderbilt the Thursday before the UGA game.

  • Week 4: at Arizona State -- They face UNLV at home before playing us. (Image: Click to enlarge and then laugh...3.5 hours to tailgate. lol*)

  • Week 5: Alabama -- The Crimson Tide plays Arkansas in Fayetteville the week before us. Houston Nutt coached teams and their punishing ground game used to softened up teams for their next opponent. It's doubtful that Petrino's squad will be beating Bama up much, but at least it's an SEC game.

  • Week 6: IDLE

  • Week 7: Tennessee -- Last year, the Vols had an off-week before playing the Dawgs. They used it to get pissed off, healthy and much less stupid. Subsequently, they beat the unshirted hell out of us. This year, they get Northern Illinois and we get the bye week. I still think this is a blackout game. We should be ready.

  • Week 8: Vanderbilt -- The Dores travel to Starkville to face the Bizarro Dawgs prior to playing us.

  • Week 9: at LSU -- The Tigers will play South Carolina in Columbia before we tangle in Baton Rouge. (Image: LSU fan in training)

  • Week 10: Florida (Jax) -- The Gators face Kentucky in the Swamp. Many UGA fans point to the need for a bye week before this game. I could care less as long as the Gators don't get one, either.

  • Week 11: at Kentucky -- The Wildcats will get a banged up Georgia team coming off two extremely physical match-ups away from Athens. The prior week, the Cats face Miss State in Starkville.

  • Week 12: at Auburn -- The Tigers get UT-Martin prior to facing Georgia. Last year, they demolished Tennessee Tech before the UGA game. They looked to be coming into our contest rested and finely tuned. Then came the Black Out, the Interceptions, the Soulja Boy and the shame.

  • Week 13: IDLE

  • Week 14: Georgia Tech -- We face the Nerds on Nov. 29th. That's 41 days after our last home game vs. Vandy! After traveling 3,164 miles in 23 days, the Dawgs will need the two weeks to rest and get ready for the triple option. The Nerds get the Miami Hurricanes at home before playing us. However, they catch a break with the Cane game on a Thursday. That gives them an extra two days to prep for us.
In 2007, I think that the Vols were the only SEC squad to have a bye-week before playing us. In 2006, it was the Gators who rested before playing us.

Your take on the schedule?

See Also
-- UGA 2008 Schedule: 7,338 miles of awesome - GSB

PWD


*ASU image from ink of the week
 
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