On Georgia's fan behavior

You might have seen a letter floating around on reddit about an Auburn fan's experience in Athens. You can see an article about it here.

A couple of thoughts:

• I'm not going to be one of those people who say 'that couldn't have happened.' Clearly, it can. If you've ever done a road trip, it can happen. I've had all of those things happen to me (not in one weekend) during my travels, usually at Tech, South Carolina and in Jacksonville. I'm sure some or all of it did happen.
• Overall, the Auburn game really brings out the worst in UGA fans. I had some unpleasant interactions with UGA fans over parking/tailgate things. Even when I tried to make nice, the particular fan I had interacted with was a jackass. Such is life.
• I saw plenty of Auburn folks about Saturday, and way too many in my section. None of them looked spat upon, were called bad names, or were physically threatened. There was some mutual back and forth at times, but that was it.
• I made exactly one negative comment to an Auburn fan, and it was about the person that gave them their tickets. I felt bad about that and apologized for my comment (while the game was still close).
• If you participated in the behavior described, or didn't stop your friends or others from that behavior, shame on you. If you spit on anyone, you need to go to jail for the night. And no, spitting on Auburn people doesn't make it ok.
• This is the type of thing that makes the UGA administration hate night games.

I'm truly sorry the Auburn fan had a bad time and feels this way. I didn't go to Auburn for 25 years because of getting hosed down in my first trip there. I'm sorry I missed some good times by my stand. While I got some pretty salty comments last year, especially after the game, it was nothing I wouldn't expect. Getting spit on is something I wouldn't expect. 

So from one Dawg fan to the writer of the letter, a promise: if I ever see someone doing that to a visiting fan, I'll step up, just as I would have on Saturday if I'd seen it being done to you. UGA has an equal number of crappy fans as many, many other schools. It is shameful that we do, but we do.

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Profiles in irony: Bryan Allen doesn't like reporters

I know it is as shocking to you as it is to Bryan Allen, but reporters want to talk to him:

SB Nation reported that Allen's email to them said he would be "crucified if my name was released."

Copyright: Mack Williams
Used with permission

He also asked police to come back to his house late one night last week. But according to cell phone video shot by a neighbor, Allen seemed more worried about reporters than burglars.

He recognized that he'd be in for a rough patch if his name came out, while failing to see the irony of that recognition while emailing with reporters. I'm not saying it is ok for Georgia fans to assault him or burglar his house, but calling police to get the very people he was inviting into his life off of the street in front of his house is high comedy. Apparently not all publicity is good publicity.

The funniest part of his predicament is that it only ranks second in UGA's historical record of incidences where police are called to fix a problem that is caused by the doings of the person making the call.

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When crappy weeks get worse

Great googly moo:

SI.com has learned that a person confirmed to Georgia’s compliance office this week that he paid Gurley $400 to sign 80 items on campus in Athens, Ga., one day this past spring. The person claimed to have a photo and video of Gurley signing the items, but neither the photo nor the video showed money changing hands. NCAA rules require schools to immediately declare a player ineligible if they discover a violation has been committed.

Any of you that were bitching about UGA not protecting athletes want to issue a retraction? No?

This is going to turn out well:

The last time Georgia turned in a violation involving a piece of memorabilia, receiver A.J. Green was suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season after he sold a game-worn Independence Bowl jersey to a person the NCAA considered an agent.

At least there were no agents involved.
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Blerg!

At some point, it just becomes comedy....

At issue with UGA football player arrests: 11 student tuition checks cashed twice each since January 2014. Reported initially March 3.
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) March 18, 2014

Yes, you got that right. Four players thought that depositing a check via moble app, then going to Perry's to cash it would go unnoticed. The kicker?

UGA reported case to police. All checks in case are valued at less than $500, a misdemeanor. Worry of compliance issues if not reported.
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) March 18, 2014

So you know we aren't cheating, so we've got that going for us, right?
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UGA Drug Policy Changes

They won't, certainly under Richt.

We have this discussion every year. Every year it is the same, and the same arguments are trotted out:

1. UGA's drug policies are too tough. Hard to argue with this, especially with a lack of uniformity of policies around collegiate athletics. If you want me to get on board with the 'NCAA cares about student-athlete's welfare' lie talking point, develop a consistent illegal drug and testing policy, instead of simply testing, and requiring testing, but leaving the policies and testing to the individual schools. 
2. UGA puts itself at a disadvantage because it puts the name of offenders in the public on the first offense. This it a tougher one. On one hand, the policy isn't a surprise to players. They should know that if they smoke the reefer and get caught, they will end up on the AJC and ESPN. On the other, at some point, how much do players who know they can't give up on the weed decide that coming to Athens isn't worth the risk when they can play for at least 12 of the SEC members, or nearly all of the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, or B1.5G and get a free pass for the first offense.

However, we have three bigger problems:

• We continually shoot our self in the foot by how, when, and who we test. It is simple to me. Schools are responsible who whom they test, with a few exceptions set out by the NCAA. For example, you can be damn sure LSU isn't testing on Ash Wednesday. I know that sounds hypocritical, and I'm willing to own that. However, if you want to help a kid who is having issues with smoking up, may be testing him right before the biggest game of the season or immediately after he gets hurt isn't the best kind of help we can give.
• We hurt our national perception by the announced suspensions. We are a laughing stock and media punch line. Publicity is an important part of the national game. No one is congratulation us for our tough policy. And it keeps giving Steve Spurrier too many opportunities to gig us, which pisses me off.
• Our scheduling isn't helping us. If we continue to have a tough policy, we need to find a way to not open with Clemson ever again. I'm not a fan of this solution, as I think we should play more of these high profile games.

As I stated earlier, we aren't changing our policies under Coach Richt. We can give up on that. However, there are some things we can do to help ameliorate the issues we have while keeping our policy. 

By the way, this isn't a JHC shouldn't be on suspension post. I'm ok with the second test policy, which is a bit stronger than the other SEC schools, but close enough to be consistent. He should be suspended. And I hope his grandfather wore him out for lying to him and then letting him made a fool of himself in the press. 

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Clemson takes the lead for South Carolina's Pre-Season National Championship

Y'all have seen the quote:

“If we come out and beat Georgia, not just beat ‘em but beat the mess out of ‘em like we should, I don’t see no problems in getting started in the right direction. I don’t have disrespect for them or for nobody else, I just believe we can be just the kind of team we want to be, the talent is here, we know how to win.”

Hey, congratulations. You held the number 87 ranked offense in the nation to 4.56 yards per play. For comparison sake, that is comparable to how those defensive powerhouses like Arkansas (4.57y/p) and Auburn (4.94y/p) did against LSU. As for the offense, Clemson did gain an eye popping 4.45y/p. That puts them in the cohort with VaTech. No other team held Clemson under 5.56y/p.

So how did they beat LSU so badly? Wait, they only won by one point? That can't be right, can it? I mean, they beat LSU by...what? 1 point?

Oh, yeah. Les Miles did Les Miles stuff while nursing a lead, asking Mettenberger to throw the ball, something he'd been super successful at all season.

Watkins showing how to dominate an SEC team
(Image: USA Today)

The best thing Clemson did is run 52 more plays than LSU. You can certainly give Clemson credit for that. Especially in the 4th quarter when they physically imposed their will on LSU, holding the ball nearly 12 minutes and scoring 12 points to complete the one point drubbing of the Bayou Bengals.

Essentially, the best thing they did was keep putting Les Miles in the position to make some decisions.

Now, getting to Mr. Watkins' role in that drubbing. I mean he really lit up the LSU defense for -3 yards on one carry. And a fumble on Clemson's second play from scrimmage. That went for a TD. He did end up leaving the game with a sprained ego.

As for Clemson, they did have quite an impressive offense, but their defense is what really gets me concerned:

Watkins said there were questions about the defense last year, “but those guys got better and better every week, every game and they showed the world who they are against LSU.”

As demonstrated by their holding NC State to 597 yards and South Carolina to 444 yards.

Of course, if Georgia gets held to just 48 plays in the game, we'll only score 27 points based on last year's stats. For reference sake, Georgia was only held under 59 plays per game in one contest, Georgia Tech. We scored nearly a point per play in that game. So, there is that.

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See also:
-The Chick-fil-A Bowl Changed Everything (Blutarsky)
-Watkins jab at UGA Should Serve as Reminder (Barrett Sallee)

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Thanks for the Memories

Where does the time go? We would be remiss if we let Coach Michael Adams' retirement go unnoticed.  We had some good times together. Like this, and this, and this and this and this and this. Best wishes for a robust retirement.

The bow tie can also retire from holding his foreskin down.
Now, our eyes turn to the future. Thirteen months ago, a search committee was named to replace Il Duce. Executive search firm R. William Funk and Associates, Dallas, Texas was brought on to help identify candidates.  Given the nearly seven billion people on planet earth, it was truly a daunting task.  Improbably, out of all the people in all the world, the best only qualified candidate was just across the quad, toiling in obscurity.  So, congratulations to the new No. 2 Mr. Jere Morehead on first day as president of UGA.

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Problem with booster club talk...

Is that people beyond your boosters are listening. If you've ever been to a Georgia road show, you can count on the most controversial thing Richt says being about a UGA player or coach. While I don't put too much stock in other coach's comments, there are other coaches that do.

How the AJC wished Grantham responded

Florida's coaches are finding that out. I've excused Will Muschamps rantings musings at Florida Gator club meetings, especially when he's making bold predictions. However, when he intimates that the Gators just graciously handed the ball over to Georgia six times during that game, Todd Grantham responds, and does so reasonably and with stats. Those stats point out that it was a hard played game, but that Grantham's defense won the game over Boom's team, did so with aggressive defense, and got the ball three times more than Florida's defense did. I can't really blame Boom for missing those facts. The national media did so for a full two months until Florida got emasculated by Louisville in the Sugar Bowl.

Which leads me to wonder why he didn't promise a win over Louisville the next time they play.

Then you have the whole Saban is 'the devil himself' thing:

"I've always wanted to work with Will [Muschamp]," Davis said at a booster club meeting Tuesday. "Will's got a plan. Will coached under the devil himself for seven years. I only did three. He did seven. And his DNA is not any different than Nick."

Putting aside the logical inconsistency of calling Saban the devil, then saying you love working for Muschamp and that Muschamp has the same DNA, don't think for a second that whenever Florida and Alabama eventually face off, Saban won't do everything he can to embarrass Davis' offensive line. If there is a prop bet on sacks surrendered or whatever in that game, whenever it happens, take the over.

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Guy behind Ryan Lochte gets his own gold

Since the Olympics are over, I'm not a Ryan Lochte fan. I mean, his turn on 30 Rock was awesome and all, but there is something so Gator about him that I just can't get over.

Oh, yeah. He's a Gator and has a tat to prove it, bro.

None the less, when he Tweeted this tonight, I was charmed:

Me @devonlochte and @unclerickg watching the Gators dominate the first half! twitter.com/ryanlochte/sta…
— Ryan Lochte (@ryanlochte) December 20, 2012

I mean, what is more perfect than a Florida fan picking his nose for Lochte's 1+ million followers on Twitter. Bet that dude is wearing jorts, too.

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tUga Made Him Do It

If you can't run with the Dawgs, son, stay off the porch.

Look for Tech fans to argue that Georgia should be assessed the Fulmer Cup points, too.

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See also:
-Blutarsky calls out the hypocrisy of Tech fans.

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It is 4:20

Do you know where your football team is?
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My Platform: Abolish Spring Break

I've kept quiet about the spring practices because after so much time losing hair sleep over what happens in April, I just don't have the energy to worry about which 5th string QB is 'really lighting it up.'

Sound familiar: "OMG! That walk-on from Cogdell was 9 of 10 with 157 yards and 3 TD's! QB competition is the bombz! Fire Bobo!."

I was gonna play some ball, but I got high.

However, the recent news of likely suspensions got me thinking I might run for office just to abolish spring break. I know Georgia has one of the toughest testing and suspension policies in the SEC and nation.  We have to do something. I get where Coach Richt is going with the tough policy. Don't do drugs, hippies.

Clearly, it ain't working.

I know abolishing spring break won't stop it. The comments on any blog, fan post site or newspaper article make it clear that all of us were basically smoked up horn dogs with kleptomaniac tendencies when we were in college. No, I call on Coach Richt to do something more drastic: Drug test the whole team every two weeks.

If you want to keep them from smoking up (I have to assume it was pot; if it were something stronger I believe we'd be talking rehab and such), test all of them all the time. If the idea of a possible random drug test catching them or lung damage (myth propagated by all the coughing) isn't doing it, then test all of them all the time.

As for the Fulmer Cup hit, unless Orson decides to pull Commissioner's privilege, there is no real danger there. I don't think he will because it didn't involve standard Athens fare such as roving gangs of mopedist passing out on the shitters of bad Italian joints and whatnot. Or not knowing your middle name.

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UPDATE:
-The Haze Thickens, Weiszer - ABH

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Alabama Fan Charged in BCS Case

I'm not going into the detail of what when down in the Bourbon Street Krystals, but Brian Downing has been charged with sexual battery in the incident.  Good.

His lawyers are a bit incredulous:

"The 18-year-old victim was never physically harmed and, in fact, was so intoxicated that he would have had no recollection of the incident, but for a video posted online," the lawyers wrote. "Any ‘harm' is entirely post hoc and amplified by media."

Fine. It was the media's fault.  But the media didn't put their 32YEAROLD BALLSACKONACOMPLETESTRANGERSFACEINPUBLICWHILEHEWASPASSEDOUT. Yeah, I have some strong views on that.  My guess is Mr. Downing won't have any problems with keeping the boys inside his pants during his time in Angola.

Tell you what, let the LSU fan put a sack of his choosing on Mr. Downing's face, and his lawyers' faces, in public and on ESPN. They could get Jim Gray and make a whole hour out of it.  Then just for funsies, still charge him with sexual battery because YOUDONTPUTYOURSACKONACOMPLETESTRANGERSFACEASSHOLES.
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At Least We Don't Live in Texas

I swear a friend who doesn't watch football thought this was a 30 Rock spoof.

He's got the career management skills of George Costanza. #firecraigjames

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UF Students Caught in The Act

Wonder if they were doing it Dawgy style?

"Well, it was kind of funny in a way, but it was kind of crazy coming in here and doing that, especially on a picnic table where everyone eats lunch," said Mark Lopez, who works at the construction site. "Yeah, it bothers me. People come in a place like this and do that."

Dude, your picture is on the internet.  


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(h/t @celebrityhottub)

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On the Suspensions

So, we have some dudes that are suspended.  That isn't extraordinary.  That it is three running backs is.  That is also life, except when it isn't life at nearly half of schools in DI (h/t Blutarsky).  That number includes at least 10 other members of the SEC (including Texas A&M) and Georgia Tech.  In case it gets posted to the SEC website again today, Mizzu also doesn't penalize for the first test.

I honestly have no idea if the test results were known before the Florida game.  It is hard for me to believe they were considering the line Coach Richt has consistently taken on player suspensions.  It is a disingenuous, at best, for any fan of any school that has a more lax policy to be outraged at any actions of a school that has a tougher policy. There is no moral high ground when you are not on moral high ground. Furthermore, if failed drug tests are what led to the suspensions, it also illustrates the lengths Georgia drug testing policy goes to, testing at least three of the four scholarship RBs in a RB focused offense.  Of course, all of this is circumstantial, and therefore based on my suppositions.   

Finally, I admit I am a Georgia homer.  Hell, the name of the blog should indicate that. I also can admit when I am wrong. It would, frankly, shock me if I am. I wish others, especially those that write for less subjective outlets, would be, you know, less subjective.

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For Further Reading:
-Bradley: I trust Richt and McGarity. (AJC)
-Weiszer: Richt Defends His Integrity (ABH)

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At Least Smith Can Play Offense Now

I guess there will be no worries about that. Hell, Branden can wear 24 and 30, too.

Time for the Nick Marshall show.

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Garcia Kicked off South Carolina's Team

Really.  They mean it this time.

#genesmithassurances

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Marrying Down

That is all.

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Am I the only one?

That saw this and thought "Good for Coach Wilson?"

I mean, you can be all "Ha, ha, guys" and kiss their butts or you can say, "You know what? Stop with the Indiana will never be good routine."  The Coach defended his school.  That is what I would want my coach to do.  I guess only radio jocks can have bad attitudes and diss others.  Turnabout is not allowed.

The way Trudeau was acting, you would have thought Wilson brought up his arrest for supplying booze to high schoolers.

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