Not only do I think Cam Newton will play, I think Auburn should play him, even if the NCAA ends up recommending otherwise. It’s one thing if we’re talking about the various investigations that were in the news at the beginning of the year. Teams could sit the players under investigation and proceed with the season knowing that the damage was limited to the absence of that player. But at this point of the year Auburn is all in. If Newton is ineligible on Saturday, he was ineligible in September. If the rest of the season has to be vacated anyway, I don’t see the point of stopping now. It would take an actual ruling on Newton’s eligibility status for me to sit him and not a just-in-case recommendation.
With the two offenses getting much of the attention and buildup going into the game, it’s reasonable that the game could be turned by a defensive or special teams play that creates a short field or points. The game features the SEC’s top kickoff return unit (Auburn) against the league’s top kickoff coverage unit (Georgia). Both teams are net positive in turnover margin for the year. Each team has turned it over 12 times on the year, and Georgia has three more takeaways. Cam Newton hasn’t thrown an interception since the Kentucky game over a month ago after throwing five picks over the team’s first six games.
The role of Georgia’s running game will be interesting to watch. The Senator’s point here about the dangers, especially in this game, about being stubborn with the run for its own sake is well taken. But if only to give the defense a chance to catch its breath, Georgia is going to have to find ways, either on the ground or through a consistent passing attack, to keep Auburn’s offense on the sideline.
It’s clear why the ground attack shouldn’t be the primary focus of Georgia’s game plan. Auburn, despite overall defensive rankings towards the middle or bottom of the conference, is 3rd in rushing defense. That makes sense with good linemen like Fairley and Carter, but it also could have to do with the pressure Auburn’s offense puts on their opponent to keep up. In other words, are teams having less success running against Auburn because they have a good rushing defense, or is it because they’re having to pass a lot? It’s probably some of both. LSU ran the ball 37 times against Auburn but only racked up 115 yards. The Tigers are giving up just 3.5 YPC which is still no worse than 4th in the league.
Georgia had a pretty good day on the ground against Auburn last year. Ealey was just short of 100 yards, King added 66 on just 10 carries, and the team ended up with 169 yards and three scores from the running game. Auburn has only given up in excess of 150 yards rushing twice this season: 218 yards to Ole Miss and 187 yards against Clemson. Ole Miss got 83 of their yards on a single run. Clemson did a good job of using the running game and the short passing game to gain an almost 10 minute advantage in time of possession, but few teams have had nearly that kind of success on the ground. Clemson was, though, one of the few teams to hold Auburn under 30 points.
Georgia fans have been beaten over the head with the need to start well. No one wants to get into another situation like a year ago where Auburn jumped out to a 14-0 lead while Georgia struggled to even get positive yardage. But, surprisingly, Auburn’s also had their moments this year where the offense hasn’t been that productive. We saw it last year – after jumping out 14-0, Auburn’s offense didn’t score another touchdown in the game. Whether it was the second half at MSU, the first half against Clemson, or the second half against Kentucky, Auburn’s close calls this year have come where their offense has all but disappeared for a while. They’ve been better at consistency since that Kentucky game, but the Georgia coaches have to have looked at those games to see if there was some common approach that succeeded in keeping Auburn off the scoreboard for extended periods.
Newton’s counterpart, Aaron Murray, has a lot on his shoulders in this game. Georgia really hasn’t seen a crowd like this since South Carolina, and even that was a noon crowd. He was admittedly a little anxious for Florida, and the cold or wind or whatever it was had him missing badly at the outset last week. Conditions should be a little more favorable at Auburn, but it’s still a game in which he needs to come out settled and composed. Murray nearly had his big moment against Florida, but the overtime interception erased a great comeback effort. The Dawgs have been in so many close games this year but have had the turnover or bad decision kill those opportunities to win three or four more games. Murray – and Green – won’t get a bigger stage this year.
The game will go down as the last tie on the record books for both schools, and the 23-23 result was the first blemish on Terry Bowden’s record after a 20-0 start over 1993 and 1994. The Dawgs had to come from behind just to tie the game, and Auburn missed a 44-yard field goal at the final whistle. It might’ve felt like a win for Georgia, who came into the game unranked while Auburn was #3. But an actual win would have been a lot better; the tie meant that Georgia could only finish with six wins on the year, and they missed a bowl game in 1994.
UPDATE: If you don’t watch this for any other reason, do it to see Franklin and Gottfried at their mid-90s best. They were in great form here. You’ll also get to see Hines Ward, Terrell Davis, and, yes, even Will Muschamp doing their thing.
The proposal had met with strong opposition from Georgia Tech officials and alumni who felt that increased investment at Georgia’s lone public engineering school was enough to meet the state’s future needs. The vote was a close 9-8 which reflected how much of a political battle the proposal had become. The governor and certain state legislators had become involved, and it remains to be seen whether opponents will try to find some sort of legislative roadblock when the legislature convenes in January.
But Georgia Tech is only part of the story. It’s also about Auburn, Clemson, Tennessee, and the other regional schools with engineering programs that attract engineering students from Georgia that for one reason or another don’t go to Tech. As Lee Shearer explains in the Banner-Herald this week, state schools are not producing enough engineers to meet the state’s needs. Even though Georgia Tech produces nearly 800 engineering graduates each year, “fewer than half Tech’s graduates remain in Georgia” following graduation. These programs at UGA (along with similar ones at Georgia Southern) will give Georgians quality in-state alternatives to going out-of-state with the goal of keeping more of them at home when they enter the labor force.
Of course there’s also a financial angle. As President Adams argued, “the new degrees will give UGA access to millions in federal grants and research money.” That’s not necessarily a zero-sum game with Tech; it’s likely a net increase of research money coming into the state. With a medical school and now an engineering program coming to Athens during this decade, the University of Georgia will be moving into a different class of public universities.
If none of that matters to you, just know that there are some fuming Yellow Jackets tonight, and count it as the first of several wins over Tech to come in the next month.
Several people found this useful when we did it for the Kentucky game, so we’ll do it again. Fortunately finding the Idaho State game (12:30 kickoff) will be much less complicated.
Do you get Atlanta’s ABC affiliate WSB-TV (Channel 2)?
If so, you’re set. That applies to all cable, satellite, and antenna viewers who can get Atlanta’s WSB-TV. That includes the 53-county Atlanta TV market as well as certain cable systems in Albany, Macon, Savannah, Columbus, Chattanooga, Greenville, and Tallahassee. Check your channel guide if you have any doubt.
If you’re on Dish Network, see if you get WSB on channel 8300 before you order Gameplan.
Note that the game is NOT an ABC production. You won’t find it on any other ABC affiliate.
For everyone else, it’s ESPN Gameplan
The game is blacked out on Gameplan in the local WSB-TV market (see map), but that’s the extent of the restriction. Once you order Gameplan, here are the channels:
DirecTV: Channel 792
Dish: Channel 459/465
Online
ESPN3 will also have the game. The same blackout for metro Atlanta that applies to Gameplan could apply.
The thing that gets me about the Grantham story isn’t the manufactured outrage from the Florida camp or the local media. We expect it from them (but, jeez Tony Barnhart). It’s that a fair number of Georgia fans are so willing to fall into line for the self-flagellation. Here we go forging another sword for the sole purpose of falling on it – there’s no fan base better at it.
I have to admit though that I’m now giving long thought to opting out of the “BLOCK THAT KICK!” cheer this weekend. That’s just not how things are done at Georgia.
Hoops
If you’re looking for a distraction from the football season, both basketball teams will start their seasons with exhibition games during the next week. The men open this Thursday night (an unfortunate missed opportunity with Saturday’s home football game). The women host their exhibition next Wednesday. We learned last week that the men will start the season just outside the national rankings, and the Red & Black reports that the women will open the season #19 in the initial AP poll.
McGarity makes a move
Volleyball coach Joel McCartney was dismissed on Monday after a relatively disappointing four years at the helm. The season is still ongoing, and an assistant will take over on an interim basis. This is new athletic director Greg McGarity’s first head coaching change. Some will read a lot into this move – certainly justified by the state of the program – and suggest it’s a signal that the bar is being raised for other coaches and programs, but we have no idea what else went on to bring about a midseason change for a nonrevenue sport.
Singing virus
Finally, UGA graduate student and composer Alexandra Pajak has created a musical composition based on the genetic sequence of the HIV virus. “Sounds of HIV (Azica Records)…explores the patterns of the virus’s nucleotides as well as the amino acids transcribed by HIV, playing through these biologic signatures in 17 tracks.”
On one hand, it was nice to avoid the blowout/collapse that we’ve been treated to during the last two trips to Jacksonville. Instead, 2010 will go down like 1992 or maybe 2002 or 2003 – games in which Georgia might’ve had momentum or an even shot coming into the game but left empty-handed and thinking about a handful of plays, decisions, and missed opportunities.
Florida deserves a ton of credit for the way in which the won the game. They made their chances, and just as Georgia did a week ago in Lexington, Florida cashed in with good efficiency. The game might have come down to overtime, but the game was framed during the consecutive Georgia turnovers and Florida scores that made it a 21-7 game and forced Georgia to, once again, play from behind in Jacksonville. Even with Georgia’s defense standing tough for a quarter, there was only so long they could hold back the inevitable. Whether it was the pressure that caused Murray’s fumble or good recognition to jump the first pass, Florida made their luck. Contrast that with a chance at a fumble recovery or a dropped interception by the Georgia defense – plays they made only a week ago in a much different environment.
So the "overtime game" will go down next to the timeout game and the Edwards drop and the facemask in 2006 as just another year where Georgia had its chances to do something about the dreadful record against Florida but couldn’t. Georgia was again part of a classic Georgia-Florida game and played its usual role in a game between two fairly even teams. Of course Florida’s punter-turned-placekicker would nail two out of three after his 0-fer in the loss to Mississippi State.
But to focus on the mind games and to buy into the role of Charlie Brown to Florida’s Lucy is to ignore what Florida did to win the game. The 450 yards of offense were as many as Florida has put up against Georgia since 2004. A team that had been held under 100 yards rushing in two of its last three games gashed Georgia for 231 yards on the ground. They had the game’s biggest playmaker: Chris Rainey made the most of his return with 241 all-purpose yards. If you had to guess based just on this game which team was riding a winning streak and which was struggling with its offense, you’d have a tough time getting it right. Even with the success Georgia had throwing the ball, the game was played the way Florida wanted it on both sides of the ball.
As for Murray, it’s asking a lot to put a game of this magnitude and the angst of a program on a freshman. His shaky start was the product of something we talked about the other day. "Urgency can lead to intensity and focus, but it can also lead to pressing…and turnovers." He was amped up and tight and played like it. That he kept his head, adapted to the defense, and led Georgia to the brink of victory was a tremendous accomplishment. If this is his "worst" Cocktail Party, he won’t leave with a losing record against the Gators. At the same time, he’s yet to have his first signature moment in a big game like this with the game on the line. Will he get another opportunity in two weeks?
Georgia’s offense should take a good deal of confidence from the game. They won’t face a defense that good as a unit again, and Murray won’t be in nearly as harsh of a spotlight as he was on his first start in his home state. Defense is another story. Georgia’s difficulties stopping the run and dealing with multiple looks from the backfield weren’t encouraging given who the final two opponents of the season are. The Dawgs had to come up with two great performances to get to 7-5 and a bowl game last year, and Florida’s success running the ball leaves us with a clear picture of the biggest challenge facing this year’s home stretch.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Florida is coming into the Georgia game with problems and questions on offense. We know all about the struggles they’re having in 2010, but the Georgia game proved to be a panacea for a Florida offense facing many of the same issues a year ago.
In 2009 Florida had just come off a stretch during which they scored under 30 points in 4 of 5 games. Relatively narrow escapes against LSU, Arkansas, and Mississippi State had Florida fans grumbling and asking questions not only of their coaching staff but also of the senior Heisman-winning quarterback. They had scored only 7 touchdowns in 25 red zone trips. What led to a 41-point outburst in their second-straight blowout of Georgia? Three things:
Put the ball in the hands of Tim Tebow.
Mixing run and pass, came out firing against a tentative Georgia defense.
Took advantage of Georgia turnovers and penalties.
Tebow. The Florida star threw or carried on 64% of Florida’s snaps. That figure is actually skewed low: eight meaningless handoffs on their last clock-killing drive padded the numbers. Removing that final drive, Tebow accounted for 74% of Florida’s plays. It was one of the better games of his senior campaign.
The start. It hasn’t taken long to figure out how a Georgia-Florida game is going to go lately. When Georgia opened the scoring in 2004 and 2007, the Bulldogs came away with wins. In the other games since 2005, Florida has jumped out to lead by double-digits at halftime. Florida came out swinging again in 2009: en route to a 14-0 first quarter lead, Florida faced a third down just once. They ended the first half with 24 points; they had scored 26 combined first half points in their previous three games.
Georgia mistakes. It started even before the game with Vince Vance’s midweek arrest. Once the game began, it didn’t take long for Georgia to start hurting themselves with some big penalties. There was a Georgia personal foul on each team’s first drive. The 15-yarder when Georgia had the ball killed any chance of answering Florida’s opening score by turning a 3rd-and-1 at midfield into a 3rd-and-16. Georgia got back in the game though and had the ball down just 17-10. A holding penalty killed that drive. The Bulldogs ended up with nine penalties.
As if the penalties weren’t enough, the second half featured four Georgia interceptions. The Gators scored two second half touchdowns to put the game away – both came as a result of one of those interceptions.
So what?
Last year only serves to fuel the pessimism that Georgia fans usually pack next to the golf clubs for this trip. Florida will find its offense again, all of their injured players will rise and walk (for 120 yards each), and Lucy will pull the football away again.
The biggest difference from a year ago is that Florida’s struggles on offense are leading to losses. There’s also no Tebow to rally the troops with his own elevated play. We mock his leadership, but there was no question that it was his team and his offense.
What does it mean for Georgia? We know how important the start has been in this series over the past several years. We also know how much the first few series have meant for the Bulldogs this year. The Dawgs have come out firing on both sides of the ball during this winning streak. It would be a big blow to the team’s fragile confidence to get into the same pattern of early Florida scores. On the other hand, a few early stops by the Georgia defense could test the patience of those on the east half of the stadium.
With a series that has been this lopsided, the mental side of the game plays a heightened role. Urgency can lead to intensity and focus, but it can also lead to pressing…and turnovers. It’s one thing to come out confident and aggressive; it’s another for that aggression to lead to early dumb personal fouls.
While Georgia’s defense had its problems with Kentucky last week, the offense did a very good job of keeping its head and maintaining the team’s control of the lead. If the Florida offense continues to have its problems, Georgia’s offense can have a big impact just by not helping the Gators with a short field, or worse, a defensive score. Whether or not the Dawgs can score against a tough Gator defense, at least make the Florida offense work for what they get. Another turnover-free game would be a very good sign for Georgia’s chances.
I know this post has pretty much all been about the Florida offense, but I come back to the same thing I usually do for the WLOCP. For all of the talk about problems on offense, they still have a formidable defense. It’s important to make sure that Florida’s offense doesn’t have another breakout game because this isn’t Kentucky or even 2007. Georgia’s going to have its hands full getting its own points, and Georgia’s ability (or inability) to put points on the board in this series continues to be as big of a story as any.
After witnessing the horror of a -16 turnover margin last year, I’m glad to finally be on the other side of one of those games.
Maybe I’m just overreacting to the annoying habit of the CSS broadcast of pointing out Kentucky’s statistical advantage throughout the game. Kentucky was built up quite a bit coming into this game based mainly on their comeback against and upset of South Carolina. Few seemed bothered that Kentucky’s celebrated comeback a week earlier was also fueled by four South Carolina turnovers – or that the Gamecocks had the better stats. A year ago Georgia outgained the Wildcats 487 to 260. All I’ll remember is the loss.
It’s tempting to write off the turnovers as luck, and we had plenty of discussion about that last year when the ball was bouncing the other way. But for the bobbled ball on Kentucky’s goal line, Georgia had plenty to do with those turnovers. Kentucky’s offense had allowed just six sacks entering the game – tops in the SEC. They also came into the game with only six turnovers. Whether it was the sack leading to the fumble on the opening drive, the persistence that caused the second Kentucky fumble, or the huge 4th down stop at Kentucky’s 39, those were positive plays by the Georgia defense that helped the Dawgs, as they say, make their own luck.
Three points: First, Georgia could have made Kentucky’s comeback a lot easier or even unnecessary. A year ago, Georgia led Kentucky 20-6 at halftime. In Athens. It was a 14-point edge instead of the 18-point halftime lead we enjoyed this year. It would have taken a conscious effort to match or beat the four-turnover meltdown that led to Kentucky’s win a year ago, but there’s no understating the fact that Georgia’s offense got out of its own way in the second half. The running game was working, a few high-percentage passes were peppered in, and Georgia made Kentucky work for what they got.
It’s also worth mentioning that Georgia was cashing in these short field opportunities with seven points instead of three – or none. Think back to a key series at the end of the first half of the Colorado game. A Dowtin interception set up Georgia at the Colorado 38 with enough time left to widen a slim 17-14 lead going into the locker room. Instead, Georgia got nothing from Colorado’s lone turnover of the game. That happened also in Lexington as Georgia more or less wasted the second Wildcat fumble, but they got all they could out of Kentucky’s other miscues. It’s potentially a much different game if Ealey gets stood up on 3rd and 2 from the Kentucky 15 on Georgia’s first possession.
Georgia also deserves credit for not letting off the gas. Kentucky’s comebacks earlier in the season were led by defensive turnarounds in the second half that held Auburn to six points and shut out South Carolina. If Georgia fell into that pattern, Kentucky would have been in a position to win this game as well. Instead, Georgia did a great job of putting three second half scoring drives together. Those scores answered Kentucky scoring drives and made sure that the temporary swings in momentum wouldn’t snowball into another comeback. The 8:05 drive midway through the fourth quarter was a devastating use of possession to seal the win.
Throw a big SEC game on a regional cable station, and it’s likely to produce a bit of confusion. Most of us with CSS are used to catching edited game rebroadcasts during the week, but this is something unusual for Georgia fans: CSS is handling the live broadcast. I’ve already received a few questions about availability, and the message boards are full of them this week. So here’s what you need to know:
Cable:
You probably already know whether or not your cable system offers CSS. Even if you don’t have Charter or Comcast, there are a number of cable systems throughout the South – including Cox, Time Warner, and Bright House – which will have the game. Here’s a guide from the SEC if you’re unsure.
For those with CSS, the game will be available in HD. I only know the details for my cable provider, Comcast of Atlanta: the game will be on channel 805 (in addition to ch. 45 in SD). Yes, that’s the CSS-HD channel that always shows a test pattern. But it will be activated for the SEC games.
If your cable provider is one of the few not on the list (such as AT&T Uverse) or if you live outside of the southeast, ESPN Gameplan and ESPN3 are your alternatives. See the sections below for more information.
Satellite
No satellite system carries CSS*, but you will be able to order the game as part of ESPN Gameplan. Call your provider for details and to order. There will NOT be any kind of a blackout for this game. As per the SEC, CSS games are "distributed on ESPN Gameplan with no blackout restrictions."
Dish: If you order Gameplan on Dish Network, the game will be on channel 463.
DirecTV: If you order Gameplan on DirecTV, the game will be on channel 790.
Online
You’ll also be able to see the game online via ESPN3. Whether or not you get access to ESPN3 depends on your ISP. You can see a list of participating ISPs here. If you really want to make sure, just go to espn3.com and try to watch something ahead of time.
* – there is a possibility that those Dish Network subscribers around the Gulf Coast who have the appropriate package to receive Cox Sports New Orleans on Ch. 421 will get the game for free. I figure the number of interested people that applies to makes it barely worth mentioning.
Chip Cosby of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports today that Kentucky RB Derrick Locke will definitely miss the Georgia game this Saturday. Locke, dealing with a shoulder stinger, missed Kentucky’s game last weekend against South Carolina and had been doubtful all along for Georgia.
Locke burned Georgia for 160 yards of total offense last year – 80 on the ground, and 80 on just two receptions, both of which were short screens that ended up going for touchdowns. He was by far the leading rusher on the team with 574 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, and he also was the team’s 4th-best receiver with 225 yards out of the backfield. The Wildcats managed just 52 yards rushing last week in their win over South Carolina without Locke.
Donald Russell, with 41 yards on 18 carries, was Kentucky’s top rusher last week. Russell is just as dangerous as Locke as a receiving option; he caught 7 passes for 70 yards against the Gamecocks. Randall Cobb of course will be another option to run the ball for Kentucky whether out of the Wildcat formation or on handoffs.
Georgia will also be without their starting tailback Caleb King. King is serving the tail end of a two-game suspension. Washaun Ealey, Carlton Thomas, and Aaron Murray helped Georgia rack up 232 rushing yards in King’s absence last week against Vanderbilt.
If there’s a game on Georgia’s schedule each year which gets fans looking forward to / dreading a nail-biter, it’s probably South Carolina. The competitiveness of those games is a favorite preseason storyline, and the next game in the series usually doesn’t fail to deliver. But trips to Lexington have often been as tight and back-and-forth as any destination on Georgia’s schedule. Georgia is 5-2 against the Wildcats in Lexington since Jim Donnan took over in 1996, but the Wildcats have led well into the game in all but one of those meetings. Another close game is expected on Saturday between two teams with tons of potential on offense, but it will take a lot to top some of these recent Commonwealth Stadium visits.
1996: It was a miserable night to be a sports fan from the state of Georgia. On the same night that the Braves’ World Series hopes circled the drain, the Bulldog defense was helpless against Kentucky’s freshman tailback. Robert Edwards fumbled on Georgia’s opening possession, and it was going to be one of those nights. SEC Freshman of the Year Derick Logan had a school-record 41 carries, gained 140 yards, and scored two touchdowns in a 24-17 Wildcat win. Georgia rebounded from an 0-2 start in 1996 under new coach Jim Donnan to enter the Kentucky game at 3-3, and the Wildcats had yet to win a conference game. The unexpected loss in Lexington all but knocked the Bulldogs from bowl contention in 1996.
1998: This is apparently one of the three games in the “College Flash Classics” library. If you ever want to catch this game, just tune into Sports South on most any summer afternoon. Kentucky came into the game led by star QB Tim Couch and had a host of weapons on offense including receiver Craig Yeast. The Wildcats, en route to 530 yards of total offense, jumped out to an early 10-0 lead and threatened to put the game away in the first quarter. With the ball on Georgia’s 1-yard line, the Bulldog defense held. The play of the game might have been Georgia linebacker Orantes Grant recognizing and stopping Couch on a naked bootleg on 4th-and-goal. Grant’s stop changed the game’s momentum, and Quincy Carter finally got the Georgia offense going with a long touchdown run and eventually a couple of touchdown passes to put Georgia up 28-20 in the second half. Kentucky scored late but couldn’t complete the conversion. Georgia just had to run the clock out, but a Ronnie Bradley fumble gave the Cats new life. Kentucky lined up for a potential game-winning 49-yard field goal, but holder and coach’s son Matt Mumme bobbled the snap. Georgia escaped with a 28-26 win.
2000: Carter might’ve been one of the heroes in the 1998 win, but an injured shoulder kept him out of the next trip to Lexington. Carter’s absence cleared the way for one of the best pinch-hit performances in Bulldog history. Backup QB Corey Phillips torched the Wildcats for 400 passing yards and four touchdowns in a wild shootout that saw both teams combine for four touchdown passes of 40 yards or longer. The Dawgs once again fell behind early and trailed by as many as 13 in the second quarter. Jared Lorenzen lit up the Bulldogs with 528 yards on 39-of-58 passing. The Dawgs took control with 17 points of their own in the third quarter to erase a halftime deficit and take a 27-20 lead into the final period. Kentucky pulled level on a 75-yard strike just two plays after Georgia’s 85-yard touchdown reception by Damien Gary, but Georgia answered less than two minutes later with Phillips tossing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Edwards. Kentucky got within four on a field goal but couldn’t get the go-ahead touchdown. Lorenzen was intercepted inside of the final minute to end any comeback hopes, and Georgia came away with a 34-30 win.
2002: Georgia came into Lexington undefeated and riding high with a #5 ranking after surviving its early-season tests. The big news though was the buzz going around about Kentucky fans making plans to tear down the goalposts when the Wildcats pulled the upset. An enthusiastic Homecoming crowd had plenty of reason to be excited as Kentucky took a 24-21 lead into the locker room at halftime. The eventual SEC champions responded with 31 unanswered points in the second half and breezed to a 52-24 win, sparing the goalposts for at least a few years. One storyline entering the game was the injuries to starters Musa Smith and Fred Gibson. Georgia’s other receivers picked up the slack for Gibson. Terrence Edwards, Ben Watson, Damien Gary, and Reggie Brown all had at least five receptions, and Edwards put up 127 yards and three touchdowns. The injury to Smith gave Tony Milton his first start. Milton had a respectable 78 yards, but his biggest and most memorable play would be a crushing block on a blitz pickup that allowed David Greene to get off a long touchdown pass to Edwards.
2004: This was the lone game in this look back that wasn’t ever in doubt. Georgia’s national title hopes were derailed earlier in the year against Kentucky, but they shook off a slow start to unload on the Wildcats in a 62-17 rout. It was Georgia’s highest point output since 1994. The Dawgs led just 3-0 after one quarter, but they took a comfortable 20-3 lead into halftime. The blowout was punctuated with 28 fourth quarter points thanks in part to a long punt return from Thomas Flowers and a Kelin Johnson interception, both of which set up short scoring drives. The Dawgs exploded for 589 yards of offense and probably could have scored more if not for three fumbles. Thomas Brown led the way on the ground with 130 yards and three touchdowns. The game was noteworthy as David Greene set an SEC and NCAA record with his 40th win as a starter.
2006: The Wildcat fans finally got a chance to go after those goalposts. Georgia and freshman QB Matthew Stafford had dropped 3 out of their previous 4 games, and a narrow escape from a bad Mississippi State team was the lone victory. Crushing turnovers had played a role in Georgia giving up leads against Tennesssee and Vanderbilt, and they’d show up again in Lexington. The Bulldogs took a 14-3 lead thanks in part to a Tra Battle interception deep in UK territory. Stafford was bailed out of an interception deep in his own end by a Tony Taylor pick, but Georgia was unable to open up their lead as Stafford was intercepted again right at the end of the first half. That missed opportunity would prove costly. Georgia’s slim 14-10 lead held until the fourth quarter and the pivotal play of the game. Stafford completed a middle screen to Mario Raley. Raley took a fierce hit from Kentucky DL Myron Pryor that dislodged the ball and knocked Raley out cold for several minutes. Following a tense delay to tend to Raley’s scary injury, the Wildcats took over on Georgia’s side of the field and soon scored for the lead. The Bulldogs were able to answer with a score of their own, but the Wildcats came right back with their second scoring drive of the fourth quarter. The Dawgs had a chance to mount one final drive, but Stafford’s third interception of the day sealed the outcome. Georgia’s four turnovers as well as a missed field goal and extra point were just enough for Kentucky to emerge with the 24-20 win.
2008: By the end of the 2008 season, Georgia’s defense was reeling after a disappointing outing against Florida. We were already talking about issues with kickoff coverage. The offense featuring Stafford, Moreno, Massaquoi, and Green was Georgia’s strength, but even it had some problems with consistency. The Bulldogs outgained Kentucky 520-331, but they’d need every yard plus an heroic game-saving interception by Demarcus Dobbs to escape with a 42-38 win. Georgia was introduced to all-purpose wonder Randall Cobb in this game. Cobb was still a quarterback at this point, but his future as a playmaker became clear. Cobb was an ordinary 12-of-20 for 105 yards passing, but he did his real damage on the ground. Kentucky gashed Georgia all afternoon for 226 yards on the ground. Cobb was responsible for 82 of those rushing yards and scored three rushing touchdowns. Cobb’s handoff options of Tony Dixon and Alfonso Smith combined for 121 yards and two more scores. The Bulldogs were able to keep pace thanks to a 17/27/376 performance from Stafford and 123 yards rushing from Knowshon Moreno. Stafford and Moreno each accounted for three scores. Georgia’s 21-14 halftime lead soon evaporated as Kentucky combined a field goal and a Cobb score following a blocked punt to take their first lead. The teams traded scores in the third and fourth quarters, and Kentucky found themselves up 38-35. Two late Massaquoi fumbles put tremendous pressure on Georgia’s defense to keep the Cats from adding to their lead. After a few huge stops, Georgia was finally able to complete a go-ahead drive as Stafford evaded pressure and unloaded a perfect pass to A.J. Green in the end zone. Kentucky had one last gasp and drove inside the Georgia 20 before Dobbs’ interception preserved the win.
The Gators should get a boost from the return of suspended slot receiver Chris Rainey. Rainey missed the past five games after an arrest, but has met the terms Meyer set for him to be able to play again.
“Chris Rainey is eligible to participate in the Georgia game, but I’m not saying he will,†Meyer said. “That hasn’t been determined.â€
Anyone want to lay odds on how that determination will go? On the Meyer rubric of discipline, we have to guess that “eligible-to-play-but-might-not-play” is a big step forward from Rainey’s “he’s-not-off-the-team-but-he’s-not-a-part-of-the-team” status of a few weeks ago.
Highlighting the news is the selection of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie to the preseason first team. Thompkins was also tabbed the preseason SEC Player of the Year, receiving 18 of the 20 first-place votes cast.
The outlook for Georgia in 2010-2011 can be summed up by this fact: despite two first team all-conference players on the roster, Georgia was picked a distant third in the SEC East. While there’s a lot of excitement entering Mark Fox’s second season, Georgia’s top players will only go so far as the rest of the supporting cast allow. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the newcomers, but there are many important roles for them to fill right away.
Georgia should be better than last season’s team that finished 5-11 in the SEC, but the preseason picks remind us that climbing through the standings towards an NCAA Tournament bid won’t be easy. Florida returns all of its starters. Kentucky emptied its chamber and has reloaded with another talented roster. Picked just below Georgia is a Tennessee team that went deep into the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
The new dog grew up with marching band music piped into his kennel, said Swann’s brother Charles Seiler, who has been handling the dogs on the field since he was 15 years old.
He’ll get to hear the real thing on Saturday. Hopefully he’s not conditioned to fall asleep to the Redcoats. His face will continue to fill out over the next year as he matures, but this pup already very much looks the part.
I’m looking forward to being down on the field during pregame…maybe I’ll get within 100 feet of Uga VIII. Meanwhile Dawg fans, just give thanks that you’re not having this mascot discussion today.
Preparing for the biggest challenge of the year
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