Look who’s 3-1 in the SEC. Look who hit the game-winner.

After the past few seasons, a three-game SEC winning streak and a win in Fayetteville over Arkansas might seem as improbable as senior forward Steve Newman hitting three three-pointers, including a 25-foot shot at the buzzer, to lead Georgia on a 12-2 run at the end of the game. But it’s all true. Newman is the improbable hero, and Georgia is as hot as they’ve been in the league since 2004.

Though it was a close game most of the way, Georgia slowly dug themselves a hole as the end of the game approached. Shots weren’t falling, and Arkansas’s seven-point lead seemed huge in a game that had been back-and-forth. After two wins at home, was it a bit much to expect this team to win in an arena where Georgia had won only once before? As we’re learning, this is a bit different Georgia team.

Though Newman’s game-winner at the buzzer was the highlight, the end of the game was a series of big plays on offense and defense. The win wasn’t possible without any of these plays. From the time that Arkansas took a 62-55 lead with under two and a half minutes left, it took this series of events to get the win:

• Newman hit his first three-pointer to cut the Arkansas lead to four.
• After Arkansas made a basket (their last of the game), Newman hit another three-pointer, and the lead was down to three with over a minute left.
• Georgia’s defense clamped down and forced an Arkansas airball as the shot clock ran out with around 45 seconds remaining.
• Gaines stroked a long three-pointer to tie the game at about the 30-second mark.
• Arkansas set up for the final shot, but Gaines tipped the ball away. Takais Brown recovered the loose ball, and Georgia called timeout with seven seconds remaining instead of forcing the ball upcourt.
• Arkansas used their sixth foul with two seconds left which forced Georgia to inbound the ball again, but it also allowed Georgia to bring Newman back into the game.
• Newman caught the pass from the left sideline, turned, and fired a 25-foot shot.

To me, the most significant thing about the win was that Georgia won a meaningful game without a strong scoring night from the guards. Georgia’s formula for success over the past few years has been very consistent: it took a big night from one and often several guards. Think about the Gonzaga win this December: Stukes, Gaines, and Mercer combined for 65. Last weekend against Vanderbilt, Stukes and Humphrey had big nights.

Against Arkansas, Georgia was able to weather a spotty night from the guards and still win a road conference game. Stukes was off. Humphrey didn’t do much in the second half. Mercer had 15, but they were scattered throughout the game, and he didn’t do much in the last five minutes. Before they hit four three-pointers to finish the game, the Dawgs were shooting 5-of-19 from outside. That kind of play from the guards usually spells trouble. But in this game, other players stepped up. Brown was able to make some things happen inside. Newman of course was big at the end. Gaines continues to shine later in his career the same way Rashad Wright did. In this game, he had eight assists and no turnovers. He also had the big three to tie it and made the defensive stop to set up the winning shot. Most importantly, a turnover-prone team only turned it over ten times in this game – quite a change from how they were playing a few weeks ago. It’s a big part of the story that Georgia remained determined and found a way to win in such an environment when their usual path to success wasn’t working.

It’s a positive sign that the team is maturing and learning how to come through in different ways. They’ll need that several more times this year in SEC play. This three-game winning streak will be put to the test immediately at Alabama this weekend. #10 Bama is one of the best teams in the SEC, but they’ve also lost in spectacular fashion to Vandy and Arkansas. There is still a long way to go in the season – we were excited over a few January wins last year too. It’s encouraging that the team is proving not to be dependant on one player or one style to win. That development is a good thing, and we’ll see if it will make the difference in a few more SEC wins and a trip to the postseason this year.

Update: Someone already has Newman’s shot on Youtube with Scott Howard’s call. Great stuff.

Though the usual Congressional proclamations recognizing sports champions are just ceremonial, it doesn’t mean we have to like it when they recognize the Gators as national champions. Kudos to Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston for standing up as the lone dissenting voice. They might be champs, but we don’t have to sign our names to the official ass-kissing. Several others from Georgia, including Barrow, Linder, Deal, and Norwood are at least not among the "yeas". I’m surprised the Idaho delegation didn’t join them.

In fact, we’d like to see more things in government go along school and conference lines. Rule 3-2-5 should have been vetoed. You want legislation to go through? Talk to the SEC Caucus. Sponsor highway bills to connect Starkville with the rest of the civilized world. Disaster aid for hurricanes? Not if you ran up the score last year. Electoral votes could be awarded based on BCS rankings. Just keep Pac 10 instant replay out of the Supreme Court.

Two Georgia assistants are staying put after their names surfaced recently around a couple of job openings:

• Defensive coordinator / defensive backs coach Willie Martinez is not interested in the Rice head coaching job. Martinez had been mentioned as a "serious candidate" for the job by the Houston Chronicle. Martinez also withdrew from consideration for the FIU head coaching position a few weeks ago.
• Tight ends coach David Johnson was mentioned as a candidate for the offensive line opening at West Virginia, but that position has been taken by Clemson assistant Ron West. It was reported that Johnson was very interested in the Georgia offensive line job before Stacy Searels was hired, so it’s natural that he felt passed over and was interested in another high-profile offensive line position.

Another solid win for the men’s basketball team on Saturday. Vandy wasn’t so much a game that Georgia should expect to win as it was a solid measuring stick for where Georgia might expect to finish in the SEC East. Vandy has noteworthy wins over Tennessee and Georgia Tech, so they presented some solid competition. While the South Carolina game was a test to see how Georgia could come off a losing slide and handle a team they were supposed to beat, the Vandy game tested their ability to sustain a level of play and hold the home court against a relative conference peer. They passed.

While Mike Mercer struggled a bit, it was good to see some other names step up. Bliss was impressive. Stukes was clutch. And once again, Gaines was the glue. Though Gaines didn’t break double-figures, his seven assists and five rebounds were critical. One really nice development was a solid game by Billy Humphrey. Over the past year, opponents had figured out ways to deny Humphrey from setting up shop in a comfortable spot on the perimeter. On Saturday he found ways to get open and even got around the basket some.

Though there were and always are several other individual contributions that matter in wins like this, it’s becoming axiomatic that Georgia will be in most every game where two guards plus Gaines play well. It might be Stukes or Mercer or in this case Stukes and Humphrey, but multiple threats at the guard spot with Gaines orchestrating things is a (and probably the) recipe for success for this team. Though I don’t mean to discount the work Bliss and Singleton have done to become better, it’s no secret that it’s a lot easier for the inside game to make its contribution when defenders are drawn to the perimeter.

As we’ve seen a couple of times this year, we know that this guard play won’t happen every time out, and the frontcourt isn’t to the point yet where they can carry the team. It was still good to see that kind of production in a big conference game against divisional foes. With return trips to Nashville and Columbia still to come, it might be premature to pencil Georgia in as the #4 team in the SEC East, but they’ve done their part so far to make that progress.

It was a much more disappointing story for the women. Losing to Tennessee isn’t necessarily something to fret over; they beat a lot of good teams. But the way in which they lost to Tennessee was the troubling and disappointing part. The upperclassmen simply did not respond to the challenge. Chambers didn’t hit a shot from the floor. Hardrick had a single basket. Humphrey managed just eight points. While freshmen are counted on to be a large part of this year’s team, the juniors and seniors are the ones with all-conference honors who are supposed to lead the way in games like these. They didn’t.

The result was the lowest-scoring output by an Andy Landers Georgia team. In their four losses this year, the Lady Dogs have scored 62, 54, 55, and 41 points. Yes, those losses were to four good opponents, but they found ways to bottle up a Georgia offense used to scoring 70-80 points. Georgia needs to find a source for offense against quality opponents, and they don’t have very long to search. The next three opponents are all quality teams – Vanderbilt, FSU, and Ole Miss.

Marquis “Mudcat” Elmore has always been a bit of a strange story. He was a blue-chip recruit, bounced from linebacker to defensive end to defensive tackle, and has endured several injuries throughout his career at Georgia. He was never able to contribute much, and for that reason many put the “bust” label on him and he became a punchline of sorts as fans wondered when he might break through and live up to his billing.

Steve Patterson has a good story up ($) on UGA’s offseason program, and it includes a few final thoughts from Elmore on his career.

I have no regrets. I had a great time here, and it was the only place I ever wanted to be. I know that I came in ranked highly, but I had to have surgery, and that is just the way my career went. I was not the first, and I am not going to be the last. I am done with football. I am going to get my degree and go to work. I want to be a coach.

After all of that, he didn’t lose focus, and he’s on his way in life. He’s not bitter, doesn’t place blame, and leaves with his head on straight. Even if the Georgia football program didn’t turn him into an NFL star, it sure seems in this case to have produced a man pointed in the right direction.

Georgia led by double-digits at halftime and by as many as 29 points before finishing with an 80-56 win over South Carolina Wednesday night.

One of the best things about the box score was the turnover number. Only 10 turnovers in the game, and only two of those were by guards. That means that Georgia got into their offense and was often able to get a shot off. They didn’t shoot 50%, but they shot more than good enough for the number of possessions they had.

Georgia beating South Carolina isn’t huge news; it was expected. Andy Johnston talks about this today in the ABH. “(The win) broke no ground. It showed us what we already knew. They beat the teams they should beat.”

I see what he’s getting at. Georgia was favored to win comfortably. It would have been much bigger news and a sure sign of trouble had they lost. Still, I think it’s significant that there are major conference teams, even SEC teams, that fit into Georgia’s “teams you should beat” category. After two years of being the team everyone else should beat, that’s some progress. Accuse me of setting my expectations too low at this point, but this is at least something. Even in last year’s season sweep of South Carolina, Georgia was dragged into two of the ugliest games you’ll ever see. Though the ultimate outcome last night was still the same – a win – the style points from taking apart an overmatched SEC foe counts in my book.

Vanderbilt is next, and they’re an enigmatic team that lost to Auburn and Furman but beat Georgia Tech and Tennessee. Are they on Georgia’s small “teams they should beat” list? It’s definitely a chance to go to 2-1 in the conference and a very important opportunity to hold serve at home. You don’t know quite what to expect from Georgia, but if the turnovers remain down I’ll like their chances.

It’s never a good idea to put too much stock into a single basketball game. Last season, we thought a series of early SEC wins would propel Georgia into a sure postseason bid. Then we watched the season tank.

This year, we were flying high after a win over Gonzaga. But then the Dawgs failed to grab any kind of momentum from that win and have now lost four straight.

Tonight’s game with South Carolina isn’t a must-win in the sense that a single loss can always be overcome at some point. It also isn’t a potential cure-all; Georgia has a long ways to go in the SEC schedule. But as much as a single game at this stage of the season can be a must-win, this is it.

South Carolina has looked pretty dreadful in the few games they’ve played against decent competition, and Georgia is heavily-favored. This game isn’t a sure win by any stretch, as Georgia is not yet to the point of taking any opponent for granted. After coming up short against four good opponents, the Dawgs sorely need a win, and playing a struggling South Carolina team in Stegeman Coliseum is the kind of game Georgia must win if they hope to right the ship and make any kind of noise in the SEC.

The weekend’s announcment that LSU offensive line coach Stacy Searels was coming back to his native Georgia seems to have met with favorable reviews. Searels, from Trion, Ga., played for Auburn and has coached the LSU line since 2003. LSU has had a quality front line over that span, and they’ve been effective running and passing the ball.

Though not many of us know enough about him to really evaluate the hire, Searels looks to have quite a legacy of success dating back to his All-American days at Auburn. So Auburn has a former UGA lineman in Hugh Nall coaching their line, and we now have Searels. Just more cross-pollination for these two programs.

When you lose in the final minute on the road to a Top 10 team that has a 30+ game home winning streak, it’s easy to pat yourself on the back for just competing and having a shot. The dreaded "moral victory" might even rear its head. Andy Landers is making sure that no such thing comes from yesterday’s ugly 57-55 loss at LSU. He was quick to point out after the game that there wasn’t much at all positive to take from this loss, and he’s exactly right. "It was really kind of a poor effort on our part in a lot of ways," he said. "The bottom line is we didn’t play well enough to win."

After taking an 18-4 lead, Georgia managed just 37 points over the final 31 minutes of the game. They committed 19 turnovers, allowed 14 LSU offensive rebounds, and only hit 20 shots as a team. You might credit LSU’s NCAA-leading defense for Georgia’s problems, but so many were self-inflicted. After taking a 53-48 lead inside of four minutes to go, Georgia only managed one basket the rest of the way. They were held scoreless during the game’s crucial final two and a half minutes. Good defense maybe, but there were also several missed chances.

It wasn’t so much a factor of inexperience. The freshmen actually had a decent day: Houts had four assists to one turnover. Marshall came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with a perfect 5-for-5 day, though she wasn’t nearly as effective on defense. But in games like this you look to the upperclassmen to lead the way, and they didn’t. Darrah had six turnovers and struggled shooting again. Chambers had only two points in the second half. Humphrey got herself in early foul trouble again and didn’t score in the first half. In the past couple of years, we’ve become so used to just handing the ball to Humphrey when Georgia needed a play, but that hasn’t been the case yet this season.

Chalk this loss up as just another "almost" in a frustrating six-game losing streak to LSU. Since handling them in Athens during the 2004 season, Georgia has watched LSU pass them by in the SEC heirarchy and squandered several chances to reclaim that turf, Sunday’s game included. They’ll get another chance to beat LSU in Athens later this year. Will we be talking about another "almost"?

Cori Chambers and Janese Hardrick combined for 42 points as Georgia trounced Florida 89-57. Chambers had 16 points within about 12 minutes, and Hardrick took over in the second half. Florida’s strategy to pack inside on Tasha Humphrey resulted in a frustrating night for the junior forward, but the outside shooters made them pay for it. The game was over by halftime as Georgia built nearly a 30-point lead. Things got predictably sloppy in the second half as reserves came in and out, but things were well in hand.

I was impressed with the defense. Hardrick in particular was very active. Though not everyone shot well, I thought most of the team was alert and doing the little things on both ends of the court. Angel Robinson impressed with some nice shots when she got loose inside. The bench play of Robinson and Christy Marshall was a good shot in the arm.

The Lady Dogs head to LSU for a 3:00 game on Sunday afternoon. They’ve come up close against LSU in the past couple of years, but it’s time to end a five-game losing streak to LSU and break through and reclaim some position in the SEC heirarchy.

How many times have you or one of your buddies wanted to be a fly on the wall during halftime of a big game? Did the coach peel the paint off the walls? What adjustments were made?

Loran Smith comes through with a pretty interesting recap of the Georgia locker room at halftime of the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Down 21-3 after the first half, I know I wasn’t alone in wondering what the Dawgs did during halftime to turn the game around. Some things that stood out:

• The reassuring calm of Richt. Others did the screaming, but Richt was the steady force this time. I know Richt has a reputation for being too calm or stoic, but this was a time when it was called for. The Dawgs didn’t need a kick in the pants as much as they needed a break. Richt was plenty animated in the second half – if you saw him upset during a fourth quarter pass interference call, you know what I’m talking about.
• Martinez asking for, and receiving, turnovers. He told his defense, "you must make turnovers," and they delivered four in the second half. I didn’t know it was something as simple as just asking for them.
• Bobo stressing the importance of getting a few first downs for momentum. "It is simple. Make first downs." That’s why I called Raley’s catch in the third quarter the most important play of the game. It was Georgia’s first first down since their opening drive, and it began to tip both field position and momentum in Georgia’s favor.
• The onside kick as a rallying point. Hope is a key for anyone trying to overcome an adverse position. The job of coming back from 18 down against the nation’s best defense had to seem pretty hopeless. Sensing that, Richt put the team’s hope in that onside kick. It was a great tactic – it gave the team a visible lift in the locker room, and if it were executed in the game it would mean that the Dawgs had already put points on the board with momentum on their side. Obviously it worked.

Good insights from Loran.

Entering conference play, a basketball team hopes to be hitting its stride. You’ve had two months in which to test tactics and rotations against competition of varying quality. You want to start well because a few early setbacks in conference play can make the rest of the season an uphill climb.

But the Lady Dogs aren’t hitting their stride yet as they enter SEC play tonight against Florida. For reasons explained nicely by Marc Weiszer in the ABH, Coach Landers cautions that it might be at least mid-January before the team really gets into their groove. Off-season surgeries disrupted preseason conditioning and development. Tasha Humphrey’s suspension required a Plan B approach to the first month of the season (which worked way beyond my expectations). When Humphrey returned in early December, you had a team that was marginally conditioned and playing with all pieces for the first time in nearly 14 months.

The SEC isn’t very forgiving, and Georgia will have to find its form quickly. There are some obvious areas where improvement will have to come.

1. Start stronger. Georgia raced out ahead of Rutgers and Stanford in key early games, but they’ve struggled for the first ten minutes of several games in December. That’s fine against Richmond, but it will kill you at Baton Rouge.
2. Production from the point. We’re not only talking about points, though Ashley Houts hasn’t played to her November form in several weeks, but the tandem of Houts and Hardrick must also do better jobs as creators for the other players. The assists-to-turnovers number has to go way up.
3. Where is Darrah? Megan Darrah is in a big slump, and the Lady Dogs can’t afford an outage from the wing. Christy Marshall is looking good but is still a freshman. Darrah can be a real difference-maker when she’s on.
4. Turn up the defense. Georgia is scoring fewer points in large part because they are creating fewer transition chances. We got spoiled with Sherill Baker’s steals. If they aren’t going to be as prolific in creating steals (and who can be?), they’ll have to compensate with better halfcourt defense.

On paper, the Lady Dogs have some great pieces. Angel Robinson is coming along nicely inside. Chambers is a sharpshooter from outside. Humphrey should be free to cause trouble from the inside on out. Role players like Darrah and Marshall bring a tremendous amount of skill, but they must be more consistent. And point guard play must improve a good deal – we’ve seen what Hardrick and Houts are capable of.

Last year’s Lady Dogs emerged from December with an identity forged from off-season attrition, and they were able to roll through the SEC losing only to Tennessee and LSU. Though they were few in number, they had reliable parts – you could count on Humphrey to be strong inside, Chambers to shoot it up from outside, and Baker and Kendrick to control the backcourt. This year’s squad has yet to solidify around such consistent roles, and it could be a dicey few weeks as they try to find that identity.

Junior defensive back Paul Oliver announced on Wednesday that he will return for his senior season. This news might be the biggest shot in the arm for the Georgia program this offseason. Oliver finished his junior season in impressive fashion. He performed a shutdown job on Calvin Johnson to end the regular season and then led Georgia in tackles during the Chick-fil-A Bowl while also causing an interception that led to Georgia’s final score. His return instantly gives Georgia a legitimate all-American candidate at one cornerback spot next year.

It gets really good when you consider what Georgia will have to complement Oliver. Oliver, Bryan Evans, and Ramarcus Brown all have starting experience. Asher Allen played a ton this year, mostly in nickle situations. Prince Miller also saw a good bit of playing time as a true freshman. Don’t forget that Thomas Flowers returns next year from an injury. If that unit can remain healthy, it will be the deepest and most talented cornerback unit I’ve seen at Georgia.

I want to say a word about Bryan Evans. He was a redshirt freshman in 2006 and struggled at first as most freshmen cornerbacks do. Tennessee picked on him. He was making big mistakes as late as the Mississippi State game. But the progress he has made over the past two months has been second to no one on the team. Evans played the Chick-fil-A Bowl with confidence and purpose, delivering sure tackles and some big hits. It’s hard to say who will start opposite Oliver next year. Brown started much of 2006 before getting banged up. You can’t discount the supremely talented Allen. But right now my money is on Evans. You really can’t go wrong with any of those guys, and it’s a great situation for Georgia.

We haven’t even mentioned the safety position where Georgia has produced an all-American each of the past four seasons. Who’s next?

It looks as if pass defense will be solid next year, but even the best secondary can struggle if the quarterback has all day. With wholesale changes along the defensive line, finding guys who can pressure the passer will be Georgia’s biggest question and priority on defense heading into 2007.

It’s official now. You can see the timeline of events here.

I find it hilarious that of all things he’s catching a lot of heat for “lying” and bailing on his Miami commitment for a higher-paying job. Isn’t this the world of sports we’re talking about?

What does it mean for Georgia? There are a few angles.

Recruiting
Saban will increase Alabama’s recruiting presence to some degree. They might or might not get the same caliber of classes they had at LSU, but that’s irrelevant right now. What I think it will mean is a bit more pressure on prospects from the state of Georgia either directly from Alabama or indirectly as Auburn and some others feel the trickle-down from recruiting success in Tuscaloosa.

UGA vs. Alabama
Bama makes a coaching change just in time for Georgia to visit Tuscaloosa. While it’s a bit much to expect Saban to turn things around in the first month of his first season, consecutive home games against Arkansas and Georgia will be his first tests, and of course he will be at his best for those games. 2008 could be even more interesting. If Saban has Bama rebuilt well enough to have the kind of second season that guys like Richt and Meyer had, the 2008 game in Athens with a junior Stafford leading Georgia could be a classic. There is some precedent in Saban’s past. His first year at LSU was decent enough with a trip to the Peach Bowl, but he won the SEC in his second season.

SEC Balance of Power
To be honest, I don’t think this hiring will cause tremendous shockwaves in the SEC. Bama has a ways to go to catch up with Auburn and LSU. Tuberville’s not exactly shaking; he’s 3-2 vs. Saban. Even if they do make up some ground, things won’t be much different than they were in the early 2000s – just swap Franchione for Les Miles. A lot of pressure will be on Arkansas to keep up – that Sept. 15, 2007 Alabama-Arkansas game will be a fight for territory in the SEC West.

There were a lot of big plays by both teams in Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Bowl. Georgia had them on offense, defense, and special teams in the second half. But the biggest play might have been a simple pass on a short drive that resulted in no points.

Entering the third quarter, Georgia hadn’t managed a first down and only two yards of offense since its first drive. They had no running game to speak of, and passes were either intercepted, dropped, or off the mark. Through turnovers and special teams Virginia Tech had scored three times with a short field. The second half didn’t start much better. A short kickoff return gave the ball to the Dawgs on their own 16 yard line. Two plays only moved the ball three yards. Georgia faced third-and-seven from their own 19, and they hadn’t converted a third down all evening.

Then Matthew Stafford hit Mario Raley for a 24-yard pass down the seam. The pass itself was impressive enough. Any flatter and it would have been tipped by a linebacker. Any more time in the air and a defensive back would have made a play on the ball. It was Stafford’s best-thrown ball to that point, and it would be the first in a series of beautiful second half passes. Then there was the catch. Raley was hit and dropped as soon as he caught the ball. This was the same Mario Raley who less than two months ago was knocked motionless and carted off the field at Kentucky after catching another pass across the middle of the field. To most watching it was just a nice completion, but those familiar with the shot Raley took in Lexington know how truly impressive it was that he made this play and hung on to the ball.

Raley’s reception didn’t result in a score; Georgia advanced the ball as far as midfield before they had to punt. But the effect of the play was to flip the field and force a Virginia Tech offense that had operated from midfield or better for much of the first half to start their first third quarter drive from their own 10. It started a series of events that changed the game. Georgia’s defense held. Virginia Tech had to punt from their own 18. Mikey Henderson returned the punt 20 yards. On the next play, Stafford hit Brannan Southerland down the middle for 26 yards, and Georgia soon started an incredible string of 28 consecutive points to beat their third consecutive ranked opponent.

We’ll all remember the onside kick or the many stellar defensive plays or the long pass to Milner, but it all started with a pass to a nearly-forgotten senior receiver who shook off one of the most devastating and scary moments a football player can experience to go back across the middle and come up big in his last game.

If you’ve got another underrated play that featured into the win, be sure to leave a comment.