A stinger suffered in practice last week turned out to be a bit more serious than anyone had thought, and Jason Johnson’s football career is over according to Anthony Dasher of UGASports.com. Johnson stated that further participation would risk paralysis.

Johnson, a senior from Chicago, started out as a walk-on and through hard work earned a scholarship. He first made a splash as a standout in the 2006 G-Day game and was thrust into the public eye this season as injuries at tailback opened the door for a start and significant playing time against Florida. He has also become a fan favorite for his exuberance on the sideline.

It’s painful to see his career end with just a few games remaining, but he is a guy who really has lived the dream. He got out of inner-city Chicago, earned a Georgia football scholarship, and will graduate in December.

I usually don’t dwell too much on the previous game when we get into Tech Week, but one of Georgia’s low points in the last game leads to some thoughts about the Tech game.

Kentucky was the first game in a while where the offensive line was a problem. As Coach Richt left the field for halftime, he admitted that Georgia was getting its butt kicked on both sides of the line. Before the season we expected many such games where the line would struggle, but they’ve played so well recently that we’ve forgotten how thin the margin for error is up there.

Problems showed up in both the running and passing attacks. Penetration into the backfield led to Knowshon Moreno’s fumble on the second play. While Matthew Stafford made his share of mistakes against Kentucky, pressure was a factor in several poor throws and decisions. The footwork to which coaches pay so much attention suffered, and it’s no surprise that two interceptions came of it. Certainly the injury to Sturdivant didn’t help, but fortunately he should be fine.

If you watched the Lincoln Financial broadcast, they showed Richt and Coach Searels having a little chat with the offense and the line in particular before Georgia’s final drive of the first half. Richt stated that he reminded the line that it starts up front, and they responded. Georgia’s offense finally got on the scoreboard, and they looked much better in the second half. The difference wasn’t exactly night and day. Mistakes and turnovers continued throughout the game, but the effort improved enough to hold off a good Kentucky team.

Stafford and the offensive line will be front and center in this weekend’s game in Atlanta. Georgia Tech features an aggressive defense with an athletic front seven and an attacking scheme that can bring pressure from a number of places.

Stafford can make the throws that Matt Ryan and Sean Glennon did against the Jackets, but they’ll require better accuracy and form from him as well as adequate protection up front. Last year Stafford was a barely-adequate 16-of-29 for 171 yards, much of which came later in the game. Georgia didn’t manage a point on offense until the gamewinning drive. If Stafford can open things up a bit, Georgia behind Knowshon Moreno and Thomas Brown should be able to improve on the meager 2.3 yards per carry that Georgia had against Tech last year.

It seems a fait accompli that Les Miles will be the top choice for the vacant Michigan coaching job. Michigan has to have a Michigan man. But is getting a favorite son the path to success? Outside of Appalachia, it appears not:

• LSU: Miles (Michigan)
• Kansas: Mangino (Youngstown State)
• West Virginia: Rodriguez (WVa.)
• Georgia: Richt (Miami)
• Ohio State: Tressel (Baldwin-Wallace)
• Arizona State: Erickson (Montana State)
• Virginia Tech: Beamer (VPI)
• Missouri: Pinkel (Kent State)
• Oregon: Bellotti (UC Davis)
• Oklahoma: Stoops (Iowa)
• SoCal: Carroll (Pacific)
• Florida: Meyer (Cincinnati)

On a related note, how do LSU fans feel about their program becoming a stepping stone for job-hoppers? Will the next hire go again for the superstar who might bolt in a few years, or is there someone out there to establish an LSU coaching legacy?

This is your team.

Mike Mercer has "become a distraction," so the junior guard has become the latest Bulldog player to be dismissed from the men’s basketball team.

For those keeping score, that’s:

• Leading returning scorer (Takais Brown) dismissed after being suspended for academic issues
• Second-leading returning scorer (Mike Mercer) dismissed after being suspended for academic issues
• Guard Billy Humphrey facing felony charges after a dorm search
• Forward Albert Jackson suspended for academic issues

Sundiata Gaines deserves better, but at this rate he’ll hit a moose on the way home tonight. Only Rashad Wright knows how this feels.

Dismissing Brown and Mercer is probably perfectly justifiable, but someone needs to remind Dennis Felton that 1) there’s no Jimmy Chitwood coming to quiet the townspeople, and 2) Norman Dale did eventually, you know, win.

Welcome to Tech week…the biggest one of them all in my household. 51-7 is bordering on ancient history now; the past three games for the Governor’s Cup have been as tight as it gets.

Much more later but to get the week started properly, we’ll go back to last year’s game-winner, Stafford to Massaquoi. Stafford’s pump fake gets Tech’s 6’7″ DE Michael Johnson (a heck of a player actually) and makes the clutch throw.

Prior to Alabama’s game on Saturday against UL-Monroe:

Alabama leading receiver DJ Hall has been suspended for today’s game against Louisiana-Monroe.
Hall was benched by coach Nick Saban because of a violation of team policy, according to football SID Jeff Purinton.

With the score 14-14 at halftime…

Alabama leading receiver DJ Hall, who was said to have been suspended for today’s game, started the second half for the Tide.

Poetic justice: Alabama loses to Louisiana Monroe, at home.

One’s mind drifts back to the Sept. 22nd ESPN Gameday appearance in Tuscaloosa and all of the signs referencing Auburn’s 1-2 start. “Auburn : it could be worse, (signed) ND.” Bama’s going to have to have one hell of a bounceback just to reach “Saban”-and-five.

When I learned that the Silver Wings U.S. Army Infantry Command Exhibition Parachute Team was appearing at the Georgia-Kentucky game, my initial reaction wasn’t pleasant. We know the history here.

But you know what? Screw it. This season has been all about saying “screw it” to trends. We always lose to Florida? Screw it. We always lose to Auburn at home? Screw it. This is just one more trend to reverse. Welcome to these dedicated soldiers – omens of victory from above.

Engadget HD reports today that nearly half of Americans would rather watch sports in HD than attend the games.

(In) a recent survey commissioned by Motorola, some 45-percent of Americans would prefer to watch collegiate / professional football games on an HDTV rather than attending — which certainly mirrors the conclusions drawn by a similar survey conducted earlier this year. Furthermore, only 32-percent of those questioned stated that they outright preferred live matches to those shown in HD, while the other segment was apparently indifferent.

Nothing beats the gameday experience for me, but even a fanatic like me can see the appeal of staying home. Football in HD is incredible. Ticket prices keep rising, parking is increasingly difficult to find and more expensive, and you’re out in the elements squeezed in next to God knows who. When you add up the cost of a Hartman Fund donation, tickets, travel, and tailgate expenses over a season, the price tag of a nice HDTV rig isn’t that unreasonable.

I don’t see myself missing any home games anytime soon, but the availability of HD sure did make skipping a road game or two a lot less painful this year.

Tony Barnhart gives voice to the idea going around that sooner or later Georgia is going to have to forget about motivational gimmicks and just play football. He writes of this weekend’s Kentucky game,

There will be no black jerseys. Mark Richt won’t send the team onto the field after the first touchdown. It will just be 60 very important minutes of football and a game Georgia must win to have any hope of getting to Atlanta.

Now I don’t disagree that these gimmicks gave Georgia a big shot in the arm. Clearly they did in each game. For all of the positive that has come from the attention given to Richt’s motivational tactics, the downside is that some pretty impressive and gutsy fundamental football against quality opponents is getting overshadowed. A lot of people seem to think that the Dawgs are riding on pure emotion right now.

Georgia has already faced the situation of having to move past the gimmick and just play football. Both Florida and Auburn pushed back and actually led the Dawgs in each of those games. Georgia’s ability to regroup and answer in those games has been as big, if not bigger, than any motivational ploy.

Against Florida, the Gators proved equal to the challenge and answered immediately. While the celebration might have given Georgia the confidence to stand toe-to-toe with the national champs, there was nothing gimmicky about the rest of the game as each team threw punch after punch until Tebow’s fumble finally sealed the game. Georgia’s infamous celebration only occurred because the Dawgs had the attitude and the ability to run the ball nine consecutive times at one of the SEC’s top rushing defenses.

The swing was even more dramatic in the Auburn game. Georgia led early thanks to Kelin Johnson’s interception and a couple of big plays in the passing game. Auburn’s control of the game from the late second quarter to the early third quarter was so complete that Georgia had backs running into linemen, Stafford throwing an interception, and defensive backs unable to stop tosses and screens near the goalline. The enthusiastic crowd had been taken out of the game by the turnaround and officiating. The answer sparked by Stafford’s long pass to Bailey and capped off by Moreno’s touchdown run was just big-time football.

Richt’s "transformation"…or not

Ching questions more conventional wisdom related to the whole "Evil Richt" thing today. The perception is that we’re seeing a new and different side of Richt. I called it a "transformation" yesterday, but that wasn’t quite the right word. Much of what we’ve seen from Coach Richt this year has always been there, but it hasn’t always been so visible. Coach Van Halanger explains, "if you really look, there really isn’t much difference (in Richt)." If there is a difference, it’s that we’re seeing in public a few things that had been mostly behind closed doors in previous seasons. "It just wasn’t as up front," says Van Halanger. If you’ve seen the locker room scenes on the Mark Richt show or on a highlight video, you’ve seen the same kind of dancing and celebrating that we enjoy now, and Richt has always been in the middle of it.

There is an acknowledgment that there has been at least some change. One thing that Van Halanger and Kathryn Richt both touched on was that Mark Richt did have to step on the gas after the Tennessee game. "After Tennessee, we needed something," admitted Van Halanger. Kathryn added, "I just think he maybe has more time to do things and think about them and maybe do a little bit extra. And we’ve needed it."

Ching got a really good line from Kathryn Richt. "Now we’re having parity, parity is here, and you have to find the edge and what it is that’s gonna make you different than the other team." That’s a great point. There’s not a lot separating Florida and Georgia or Georgia and Auburn. Those teams all have talented players and capable coaches. All of them work year-round and have extreme off-season conditioning programs. Mat drills don’t separate Georgia; they simply keep the Dawgs competitive with other teams working just as hard. Games that close can turn on the smallest edge or matchup or momentum change, and Richt has found that edge over the past month.

If you, like half the people in my section on Saturday, have been looking for a #24 jersey, good news is on the way…just in time for Christmas.

Georgia fans have searched high and low for replica Knowshon Moreno No. 24 jerseys to buy, but to no avail. UGA did not approve that number for marketing purposes before the season.

But that has changed. Alan Thomas, Georgia’s senior associate athletics director for promotions and marketing, said Tuesday that the athletics department recently approved the sale of No. 24 jerseys, and they should be showing up on retail shelves soon.

I wonder whether the #24 or #7 will sell better next year or if Thomas would even release that information.

While we’re talking about jerseys, which number should get the nod if they selected a defensive jersey to replicate next year? #33? #2? #95? #35? #9?

This weekend’s final home game of the season (is it that time already?) is our annual opportunity to recognize and honor the senior class. Since 2004, Georgia is 37-11 with an SEC title. They have beaten every other SEC team. While the 2002-2005 group still sets the standard these days, it’s still been a very good and successful run for this senior class.

Coach Richt has requested that fans be in their seats 20 minutes before the game on Saturday. It’s kind of sad to have to remind people to be on time and in red, but this week’s Senior Day deserves the extra attention. It’s our last time to enter the shrine until next year, and who doesn’t want to stretch that experience out until the last postgame note from the Redcoats echos around the stadium?

This has been a particularly interesting group of seniors. It’s relatively small, numbers-wise. There aren’t many NFL draft picks among the class. Many of the team’s stars are younger players. Some of the better seniors like Fernando Velasco and Brandon Coutu play positions that are usually out of the spotlight.

On the other hand, you can’t tell the story of this season without acknowledging some very big senior contributions. For some, like Thomas Brown and Sean Bailey, it’s the story of potential and promise realized. For others like Marcus Howard, Kelin Johnson, and Mikey Henderson, this season is about the payoff at the end of a long career of hard work. Velasco’s stabilizing presence anchoring the young offensive line hasn’t received nearly enough billing.

This season also provides some stark reminders that the journey isn’t always smooth or linear with a Hollywood ending. Kregg Lumpkin played well since his freshman season but has battled injuries right up to the end. Brandon Miller was one of the nation’s top defensive prospects but has spent much of his career fighting for playing time.

The senior class has stepped back into the public eye for their role in last week’s black-out. They handled the tough job of keeping the secret with which Richt trusted them back during the summer. Their request early last week got the black-out rolling. But in a way, it might be something that the seniors didn’t do that became one of the biggest developments during this season.

Fans can point to several factors in Georgia’s turnaround during the course of this season, but most will agree with (in no particular order) 1) an improved offensive line, 2) the emergence of Moreno, 3) Stafford becoming more consistent down the field, and 4) Richt’s unprecedented dip into the motivational bag of tricks.

Richt’s breaking point came in Knoxville,

On Oct. 6, in the closing seconds of a 35-14 loss at Tennessee, Richt stood on the sideline at Neyland Stadium and said to himself, "Never again." He never wanted to experience that lack of emotion and energy in a game. So he made a conscious effort to emote those qualities himself from that point forward.

Sensing a vacuum, Richt stepped into a role that had previously been the domain of players. Jon Stinchcomb’s tirade at halftime of the 2002 Auburn game is perhaps the clearest example. D.J. Shockley was another player who exuded presence and was a natural leader as a senior. This time, Richt took it upon himself to be the catalyst for change, and now the team looks to him. As a player said at halftime during the Florida game, "Coach, you are the key. You have got to keep it going."

It’s no condemnation of the seniors to talk about a void of leadership. Many of them were (and still are) individually fighting for places on the depth chart, and that has to come before someone can worry about lifting up teammates. The personality traits and presence it takes to push a team of highly-skilled peers has nothing to do with football skills or quality of character. The point here is that a coach has to play to his team’s strengths and adapt to its weaknesses. As Richt’s role in the past month has shown, evaluating those strengths and weaknesses goes far beyond athletic ability.

It would have been easy for Richt to stay the course, and many of us (myself included) would have pulled out his resume to defend him and trust that somehow things would work out. He could have also placed the burden on the players and challenged one of them to be responsible for rallying the team. Instead he took responsibility for becoming the motivational focus for the team.

It’s still a work in progress and a learning process for Richt. After a month of "cutting loose," to use his term, the pendulum might be swinging back in certain areas. For instance, Richt has evaluated his approach to the officials:

Since I’ve kinda cut loose a little bit in some areas, I cut loose a little bit in that area. I probably went a little overboard on that, so I’ve just been convicted (?) that I don’t need to do that anymore, so I will be strictly polite and gentlemanly from here on out….If I do talk to (the officials), it’ll be in the proper tone and I’m just gonna calm down on the official thing.

As Richt refines his personal intensity and motivational approach, there will also be the opportunity for players to take some of the responsibility back on themselves. There is no shortage of young players who will be returning in meaningful roles next year. Stafford will be an upperclassmen, and it will be the third year in the program for players like Moreno and Rashad Jones.

But even if the load shifts back onto team leaders in the coming seasons, hopefully the transformation of Richt will have some lasting effects. "It is just a lot more enjoyable being around here," said Sean Bailey. That’s true not only on the practice field but also in the stands. The Munson-driven worry and negativity is loosening up, and Georgia games are fun. Recruits see Athens as the place to be. I totally see Richt’s reasons for pulling back in certain areas like officiating, but there have been a lot of things worth keeping from this experience.

How has gameday traffic been for you this season?

There was a letter in the ABH earlier this week complaining about conditions after the Auburn game, and it’s the first I had heard of really bad post-game traffic this year.

I’ll admit straight up that I’m rarely affected by traffic. We’re usually in Athens before 9 a.m. and often leave several hours after the game or even later in the evening. We’re also on the downtown side of things, so we’re never dealing with the crowds on East Campus.

I usually gauge the traffic by the time it takes my wife to navigate from her family over at the Georgia Center to our tailgate downtown. To be honest, it hasn’t seemed that bad this year. Even last weekend after the Auburn game we had clear sailing through and out of town just a couple of hours after the game ended.

For those of you with a little more urgency getting in and out of town, how has it been? I’m especially interested in feedback about East Campus and the impact of the new direct on-ramp to the bypass.

Anthony Dasher of UGASports.com reports($) that Larry Munson will be on hand to call the Georgia-Georgia Tech game on Nov. 24th in Atlanta. Scott Howard’s obligations with the basketball broadcast team will have him in Wisconsin.

For the first time this season, the tandem of Munson and Zeier will call the game.

Earlier today I was reading Blutarsky’s comments about the whole Michigan/journalism/blogs flap. When you start thinking about some of the things that separate the pros from the unshaven masses, several things come to mind. Thoroughness when it comes to getting the story is one of them. For example…

ESPN’s Pat Forde turns to the people for help this week,

Putting Out An APB For …
… Former Georgia quarterback Eric Zeier (37), who was the Bulldogs’ starting QB for approximately seven years in the 1990s. (Unfortunately none of it was done in the very cool black uniforms coach Mark Richt trotted out against Auburn Saturday. Props to that move from the suddenly motivation-stoked Richt.) Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the Bulldogs’ second-leading career passer, please apprise The Dash.

Now I don’t want to get on Forde’s case too hard because, after all, he’s giving props to the Dawgs, Mark Richt, and Eric Zeier, and we appreciate it.

But still. Google is your friend, Pat. Zeier’s not exactly Jake Scott when it comes to reclusiveness.

Georgia looks to sign three quality players during this early signing period:

• Howard Thompkins : 6’8″ F from Norcross (GA) Wesleyan. #30 nationally and #10 PF according to Rivals.com
• Dustin Ware: 6’0″ PG from Kennesaw (GA) North Cobb Christian. #141 nationally and #34 PG according to Rivals.com
• Drazen Zlovaric: 6’8″ F from Weston (FL) Sagemont. Chose Georgia over Texas and Arkansas.