GDay Seating

Working to create a less hectic GDay environment, you'll get a pass for a section, and you'll like it.

Honestly, this isn't terrible, unless I end up with a Tech deck section.

Tweet

GDay

Did you really think Ludacris played for free?

UGA paid Ludacris $65k for 15min Spring Game set; imagine staff assembling rider's demands: https://t.co/Kv6jegnpgA pic.twitter.com/mZFkhH1f6k

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) April 19, 2016

Hey, this is a funny talking point for April, but there were 93,000+ fans there. None of this will matter in September if we can't slow down North Carolina's offense.

Besides, I had at least $65K worth of fun Saturday.
T

Tweet

GDay being treated like a gameday

Sounds good to me:

Planning has been ongoing since the turn of the new year. The April 16 event (4 p.m.) is being treated internally just like a fall Saturday home game. Every nook and cranny of Sanford Stadium will be open, every concession stand stocked to the max, every bathroom open. Police will be out en force and parking will be complicated, but a plan is being forged and will be unveiled around the time spring practice commences on March 15.

I'll take some inconvenience in exchange for a fun day of football in April.

T

Tweet

GDay Recapping

A couple of thoughts...

Offensive tempo: Several times, both offenses picked up the pace. I'm not sure if we are toying with pressing tempo like we used to in the early Richt years, or if we were just challenging the defense to see how Pruitt's charges would handle the new substitution rules HUNH. The thing I was most intrigued by was the offense actually getting to the line quickly and running the play, as opposed to hurrying up, then waiting for a play to be called. I'd call the experiment a mixed bag on both accounts.

Offensive line: So much for a regular rotation.

Michael Bennett and Chris Conley: If Mason is going to have anything resembling a decent season, Bennett and Conley will be a big part of that. Bennett consistently helped Mason out with incredible catches. Conley consistently provided a sideline target for Mason.

Mason's consistency: Not sure why, it felt like Hutson was forcing the ball, even to open receivers. Especially early. Like at Tech. And Nebraska. Bobo has got some coaching to do. It was good to see some throws to RBs.

Hicks at TE: He had at least one good catch over the middle. He missed another at the goal line where he could have been more aggressive trying to get to the ball. It looked like he did a good job blocking. Still a work in progress.

Defense: I thought we did a better job in coverage, especially out of the linebackers. The DBs are still a work in progress. Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins had good games up front. Beyond that, it was hard to see much with all the rotating players and whatnot.

It was notable that there was far more rotating in the defensive backfield than up front. Another thing to watch is walk-on Aaron Davis and converted TB JJ Green (who was out with an injury yesterday) getting reps back there. Not saying it is time to panic, but considering our issues covering receivers last year, it is some thing to watch for.

Anything catch your eye?

TD

Tweet

GDay or How I learned to love Spring tailgating

I know it's been quiet time here. No excuses outside of work, kids, work, work, and work. And kids.

Also, while I'm interested in GDay proper, I'm as blah about what actually happens today as I've been in a long time. There are a lot of reasons for that, but the biggest is the two and a half game sneak peek we got from Hutson Mason back in the fall. Yes, I'm interested in seeing Ramsey sling the ball down field. I'm interested in seeing how the RBs look, especially Gurley. I'm interested in seeing how Pruitt's approach differs from Grantham's. I'm interested in seeing Quayvon Hicks at TE.

From recent past experience, we'll have one or two guys on defense stand out, with one of them doing something stupid and being forced into rumored that he has a one or two game suspension that will be announced at kickoff against Clemson. We'll either have a score fest or will struggle to score, either causing the message boards to melt down. We'll either make all the FGs or miss several....

GDay is fun, but it is just a glorified open scrimmage that ends up having no real bearing on what we'll see in the fall (and a cool reason to meet on campus for food and drink, but I digress).

Still, there are two things I'm looking for:

1. The defense, both the #1 and #2 units, to look like they are where they are supposed to be. Thinking back to the past two GDays, the confusion that was one of the most frustrating things about Grantham's tenure here was on display. We keep hearing about Pruitt's approach and how it is more intuitive/simple. I want to see that.
2. The offensive line to look competent and consistent. Blutarsky hit on something that I've been frustrated with for two seasons, the lack of a regular bunch playing up front. It looks like Theus, Andrews, Pyke, and Houston have locked up spots. Putting aside the inconsistent play from the guys in this bunch, I think getting a regular bunch and having them work together all summer and into fall will be beneficial. Especially to my psyche. Also, I'd think any of the three (Kublanow, DeBell, and Beard) still fighting for the right guard have the ability to play any of the other line spots but center, so we'll have solid backups.

Bring your canned goods. Show up and have some chicken. Visit with old friends. It's GDay, y'all.

Go Dawgs.

TD

Tweet

G-Day Rosters

With the ones vs. ones approach, it isn't a surprise to see Grantham coaching the team (Black) with the vast majority of the presumed starters on defense, and Bobo coaching the team (Red) with the vast majority of starters from the offense.

You can check out the rosters and the official Spring Media Guide to see the break downs.

TD

Tweet

GDay Preview

A couple of housekeeping notes:

• UGA, working with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, is asking fans to bring a bag of canned food to be admitted to G-Day. Bins will be set up at the Main Gate as well as gates 2, 4, 6 and 9 to accept the donations.
• Rennie Curran's book signing is going on at the bookstore.
• Parking will be open access on campus. All surface lots will be free.
• As I mentioned before, Missouri is in town for baseball. Friday's game starts at 7pm. Saturday's game is at 8pm.
• Georgia's softball team, fresh off a 20-1 (in 5 innings) drubbing of Georgia Tech, will take on Tennessee at 4pm. Admission is free and the first 500 fans get free UGA shirts.
• The #3 Women's Tennis team team will take on LSU at 4pm Friday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. There will be free instruction between sets. Email Michael Gett at promoga@sports.uga.edu to RSVP.
• The weather looks to be spectacular.
• If you can't make it, CSS will broadcast the game. Kickoff is 1pm.

The new t-shirts will be give aways at softball and baseball  this weekend.
(Image: Georgiadogs.com)

What to watch: Defense
Everything, right? With the offense likely to be vanilla, it'll be hard to say if we'll see anything extraordinary out of players. I'll be interested in seeing how Swann manages the Dbackfield and reads the offense. His move to the boundry corner has as much to do with his ability in run support as anything. I'm also interested to see how Dawson (out with a hamstring), Bowman, and Wilkerson do back there, considering we have two very talented Freshmen coming in the fall in Wiggins and Langley.

I'm also very interested to see how the coaches use Josh-Harvey Clemons. I'd like to say seeing how the Dline does is something to look for, but I just don't think there'll be much presented offensively to get a good idea how they'll do, although watching guys match up with our pretty stout, veteran offensive line will provide insight into how this season might play out.

Also, look to see how the LBs gel and work together.

Oh. And Tray Matthews.

What to watch: Offense
Well, how many guys can I list? Clearly Conley's pub has me intrigued. Same goes for Quayvon Hicks. But I'm very interested in seeing how the coaches handle the short passing game. Teams have to worry about all the weapons Georgia has at its offensive disposal come Fall. One place that I think we didn't exploit enough at key times were HB, FB, and TE pass plays. With Jay Rome coming into his own, Arthur Lynch's (seemingly) eight years experience, and Hicks and Hall's time in the offense, it'd be surprising to not see some wrinkles put out there at GDay to give early opponents something to think about.

Don't look for Gurley to get more than a few touches. I'd say Marshall will get three or four series, at most. Murray gets three, unless the coaches want to work on something in particular, like a hurry up drill. Look for Mason to play a lot more than that. I'll also be looking to see how much LeMay, Welch, Bauta (out with shoulder tendinitis), and Ramsey play to get an idea who will be the 3rd string guy this season.

Final Thoughts
I'll be interested to see how JJ Green gets used. He'll definitely get touches as a tailback, considering how few touches I'd expect to see Gurley and Marshall get. I wouldn't be surprised to see him get looks at slot receiver either. Not sure what they'll do with kickoffs and place kicking, but it'd be nice to see all touchbacks and straight true kicks out of Marshall Morgan.

Be careful, have fun, and we'll see you in Athens.
TD

Tweet

Spring Practice

Like the past few springs (and like many of my fellow bloggers), I can't get too worked up over Spring Practice. We've gotten the standard fare of S&C is working, new guys are catching up, OMG!1! the defense (both worried and hopeful), and hype.

However, there are a few things that I'm interested in seeing this Spring.

• Hutson Mason's development. Getting dengue fever during spring break isn't going to help short term, but I was very nervous about what would happen if we needed a QB substitution in an important game situation last Fall. I'm very firmly not in the 'Mason aught to get a chance' camp, but I have more faith in his ability to come in and handle a game situation than anyone else on the side line, should that need arise. That actually goes double with Murray talking about losing a bit more weight and running more.
• Spring Break Shenanigans. So far nothing, other than dengue fever. That isn't to say we'll find out something at kickoff in Clemson, much to the consternation of the beat writers.
• Injuries. As usual. A knee thing here pretty much equals a missed season.

Basically, there is nothing going on this spring that will likely change the way I feel about Georgia's season in the fall. Which is to say there is a lot up in the air about the defense, but I like our chances in all games because we are going to score some points. Seeing some defensive guys stand out on April 6th will help me start feeling better about the defense.

Of course, things can change, but that, and a chance to tailgate in April, is what I'm looking for out of GDay.

TD

Tweet

G-Day and Spring practice dates announced

Mark your calendars: G-Day (Georgia's spring game for the uninitiated) will be on April 6. Start of spring practice is tentatively March 2.
— Seth Emerson (@SethEmerson) January 14, 2013

G-Day is the week before Masters again.

TD

Tweet

G-Day is Saturday

There are three things I am looking for on Saturday.

1. What the rotation at LB and DB will be. With the issues in the defensive backfield, especially for the first two (and maybe longer) games, how will Grantham work in the LBs and those guys that can take a couple of steps back into safety or other nickel back types of schemes.
2. What running back or backs will stand out in protecting the QBs? The one sure advantage Crowell has over any other running back vying for the staring job is a full year hearing about how his blocking has to improve. Will it?
3. Will any receiver impress? This kind of ties into number 1 in that Mitchell's utilization on defense is likely to take something away from his duties at WR. Will we see any combination of Conley, Scott-Wesley, or Wyatt really step up? Same goes for watching Rome and Artie Lynch at TE.

I'm making no prediction on the offense vs. defense or anything like that. If GDay has taught us anything, don't expect a whole lot of slinging it up and down the field. For that matter, just keeping the defense from metaphorically killing the QB with the new look offensive line will be a surprise now that I think about it.

Hope to see you there Saturday.

TD

Tweet

G-Day Video Highlights

Word of warning. This is the single weakest song selection for UGA football highlights that I've seen to date. I strongly recommend hitting mute. Beyond that, I do appreciate someone (Jalindo) taking the time to edit and upload the video.


Also, the Banner-Herald has a great interview with Richt online.


PWD

Tweet

Keeping up with the Enemy (Spring Updates)

Here's a quick update on how our upcoming 2008 opponents are approaching Spring Practice.

• Georgia Southern - A former Bama wide receiver is trying to catch on at GSU. In broader news, the defense dominated Friday's scrimmage.
  
  
• Central Michigan - CMU is expected to have a potent offense and a weak defense this year, but they struggled to gain first downs in Saturday's scrimmage.
  
  
• South Carolina - Spurrier is thinking about transitioning some of the play calling over to his son this season. I have no idea how that could be bad for Georgia. In other coaching news, the Gamecocks are chatting up their new special teams coach.
  
  
• Arizona State - 16 penalties for ASU in their first scrimmage of spring. Beyond that, they are focusing on their redzone offense.
  
  
• Alabama - Bama had their second scrimmage on Saturday. RollBamaRoll has more thoughts. Most interesting to me was this article about the offensive progress from the B'ham news.
  
  
• Tennessee - The Vols are half way through Spring, and (like most teams) their defense is dominating the offense. In fact, Vol QBs threw 4 INTs with Crompton (3) leading the action.
  
  
• Vanderbilt - Vandy's spring practice is over. In their "Black and Gold" game, the team's top two QBs from last year combined for 25 total yards (6 passing, 19 rushing). So they've got that going for 'em.
  
  
• LSU - LSU may have found a tailback. Richard Murphy burned up the final LSU scrimmage with 197 yards of total offense. The QBs (not named Ryan P.) also put up strong numbers.
  
  
• Florida - Meyer is taking it easy with his QBs this spring. The Palm Beach Post also has an update on the Gator RBs.
  
  
• Kentucky - Rich Brooks and the Wildcats are just getting started with Spring Practice. They tested three new QBs in the first scrimmage with overall positive results. More importantly, they may have found a go-to receiver.
  
  
• Auburn - Auburn's "A-Day" was two weekends ago. Some video highlights are on Youtube courtesy of AuburnSource.com. They are clearly going to throw it a ton, and I say good for us. Auburn is scary when they go "old school whip your ass tougher than you Pat Dye style football." Throwing the ball all over the yard with a QB who slings 1 hoppers right and left in this video ain't scaring me.
  
  
• Georgia Tech - As I said earlier, the AJC reported that Tech had 14 fumbles in their 130 play scrimmage. If you fumble over 10% of the time, you're going to struggle to beat anyone. Jacksonville State included. If GT lost to JSU (cock-a-doodle-doo), my dad says that the US Navy would have to send an armada of battle ships down the Chattahoochee River to protect Paul Johnson from the nerd onslaught.

Obviously, we're not playing Michigan, but I thought this article on the Spread Offense was interesting. It's an interview with Gary Danielson discussing the spread
.
If you see other articles of interest, feel free to link them in the comments section.

PWD

Tweet

The Knewshon? King Stands Out at G-Day

Coach Richt discussed G-Day in the above video from DawgPost.com. The sound quality is a little rough, but you'll get the gist of it.

For my money, the most impressive player was Caleb King. He looked very solid. The stats don't blow you away with 6 carries for 31 yards and 2 catches for 17 yards. However, he showed speed, moves and quickness that inspired a great deal of confidence. Per Rennie Curran:

"It was just like he did in high school, slashing, getting people to miss and getting in the open space," said linebacker Rennie Curran. "He really impressed me with his performance."

I'm going to try and watch it on DVR tomorrow, but my initial impression for the game overall was "yawn." There were too many kids banged up to learn much. I liked what I saw from the first team offense in the first half, the linebackers, King and Logan Gray. Beyond that, it was hard to learn much.

In other positive news, Arby Jones committed to play for the Georgia Bulldogs. Jones is one of the nation's elite defensive linemen in the 2009 recruiting class. The AJC, UGASports.com and DawgPost.com all have articles up regarding the commitment.

Separately...Are you're curious as to how the other half lives? Well, Georgia Tech fumbled the ball 14 times during their scrimmage on Saturday. In Tech's defense, their starting QB (Nesbitt) didn't play in the scrimmage. But it wasn't just the QBs. According to Paul Johnson

"I'm going to guess there must have been 60 missed assignments, 70 missed assignments on offense. Clearly, we don't know what we're doing. That's a poor reflection on us as coaches. We haven't done a very good job coaching them if they don't know what they're doing. I'm embarrassed that they don't know what to do."

G-Day Articles (updated Sunday evening):

-- G-Day Central - UGASports.com
-- G-Day Stats - UGAsports.com
-- Some highlights, but few answers - AJC
-- Expectations could bite Dawgs - AJC
-- OLine Responds - DawgPost
-- Fans go to great length to see G-Day - AJC
-- Ching's Recap - Ching
-- Glimpse of Future - ABH
-- Defense not too worried - ABH
-- King Flaunts It - ABH
-- Moore makes his case - ABH
-- A Big Splash - ABH
-- Pretty Good Finish - Columbus Ledger

I'll update with more headlines when they come online tomorrow.

PWD

Tweet

Final Spring Ball Previews

ESPN's First Take recently discussed spring practice with UGA grad and ESPN columnist Mark Schlabach. It's a good primer for those who have missed or avoided spring coverage.

Schlabach says Willie Martinez is headed to Ohio State this summer for the usual note swapping between coaches during the off season. Before you write off the Florida and LSU games as a result of this revelation, Schlabach notes that Florida and LSU visited Columbus the summer before their recent national championships. The host remarks that at least Ohio State is helping someone win the national championship.



The weather forecast looks like it's going to be sloppy out there today, further diminishing your hopes of seeing an entertaining preview of 2008. Also of note, Tavarres King will not play due to a minor knee problem. He joins a bunch of other ailing starters that will sit out today.

Quinton

Tweet

G-Day Rosters Via Your Computer

Georgiadogs.com has the G-Day rosters up and ready for your printer. The Red team looks like the number one offense and the reserve defense. The Black team is the opposite. Both Caleb and Knowshon are running for the Red team. I want to say that Coach Richt is sticking with his normal policy of rewarding the winning team with steak, while the losers get beans and hot dogs for the post game meal, but I'm not positive on that.

As I've written before, I really like .pdf rosters and game notes. If the rosters aren't enough to satisfy your thirst for all things scrimmage, there's always the spring media guide. Follow the link, study, memorize, and discuss.

Quinton

Tweet

G-Day Storylines

Image: georgiadogs.com

Here are a few things I'm eager to see in Saturday's spring game:

1. A Crisp Matt Stafford - There's been a lot of talk about how good Matt Stafford has looked this spring. Bobo has openly talked about how hard he's coached Matt on fundamentals. As we've seen, Stafford can get complacent with his rifle arm, relying on velocity rather than brains and technique. I'd like to see Stafford make smart throws, lead the slant routes better, and keep his touch on the deep balls. He'll have to do it quick, though because I expect he'll play a half at the most.
2. A Mean Bean - The offensive lineman that has had the most buzz this spring has been Justin "Bean" Anderson. Jeff Owens has heaped praise on Bean. He's reportedly a mauling run blocker who's strong of the ball and has the speed to pull out as a lead blocker. With the lack of a true leader on the O line, with no upperclassmen up front, I'm more anxious than eager about the line. Richt's comments that this year's line is further behind than last year's line is troubling to say the least. I want to see some physical play up front Saturday. If we can't technique 'em, just keep fighting 'em. Bean reportedly has the physical tools, so I want to see him play mean.
3. Caleb King - After a quiet redshirt season, King should be ready to break out. Someone has to spell Knowshon this year and King is being counted on as an able backup. King came in with loads of hype. Reports from the practice field are that Caleb has looked good this spring. While he might not have Knowshon's grit or overt enthusiasm, he's supposed to get to the corner just as fast. I wouldn't expect Knowshon to get many carries Saturday, so Caleb should have plenty of opportunities to shine.
   
4. Defensive Ends - Every year, it seems like we get surprising production out of an unknown defensive end. Other than Charles Johnson and Will Thompson, none of our great ends have started as big DE recruits. David Pollack was a converted fullback. Quinton Moses was a basketball player and project recruit. Marcus Howard was a converted linebacker who was tiny by SEC standards. So whose turn is it? Battle and Lomax had some bright spots last year and they should be ready to assume the starting spots. But, it sounds like we've got a slew of ends who will play this year. Redshirt freshman Justin Houston has turned heads this spring, but seems light to me. Fabris always seems to find production out of the ends and I'd expect an unproven guy to step up and get some sacks.

What are you looking for?

Quinton

Tweet