Bulldawg Illustrated : Dawg Blog

Let Them Score?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The last time our Georgia Bulldogs lost to the Auburn Tigers was back in 2005. The great DJ Shockley led the Dawgs up and down the field all day and ended up with over 300 yards passing, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Late in the 4th quarter, the Dawgs were on the cusp of beating the Tigers and DJ was about to go through his senior season undefeated against SEC competition in games that he started. Auburn faced a 4th down and 10 from its own 35 yard line and Sanford Stadium was rocking. Our defense was one play away from preserving a 30 – 28 victory against our rivals from the plains.

And then the unthinkable happened. Brandon Cox completed a pass to D. Aromashodu, and the run after the catch brought the ball all the way down to the Georgia 3 yard line with less than two minutes left in the game. A big time hustle play by Paul Oliver actually caused Aromashodu to fumble the ball, but it went out of bounds. Auburn now lined up with a first down and goal from the 3, and Georgia had one timeout left.

“Let them score,” I yelled, as it didn’t take a math degree to know that we wouldn’t have enough time left on the clock to mount a comeback should Auburn bleed it down and kick a field goal. There was no doubt in my mind that should we have done the unconventional and let Auburn score on first down, DJ Shockley would have executed the one minute drill and won us the game; he was clicking on all cylinders. Unfortunately, Auburn bled the clock by running 3 straight plays (2 for losses) and kicking a chip shot field goal with 6 seconds left on the clock. Game over.

If ever there was a time and place to let a team score on you, that was it. At least one person shared my sentiment, as during the Coach Richt call in show the following Monday, someone asked if he thought about letting Auburn score in that situation. Coach replied that he thought about it, but then decided how do you look your players in the eye and tell them to let the other team score on you when a fumble or missed/blocked field goal could also win the game?

To this day I think our percentages would have been higher had we let Auburn score and put the ball back into Shockley’s hands with over a minute left. Am I out of line with this thinking? Is there ever a time to let another team purposely score on you?

- – - – - – DJ Shockley will be signing autographs at the UGA Bookstore from 3:30 to 5:30 prior to the Auburn game on Saturday. I wonder if letting them score in that situation ran through his mind that day? – - – - – -

Beat Tech Food Fight benefits the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

‘Beat Tech Food Fight’ to Kick Off at Walmart on Epps Bridge Rd.

The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia holds its annual ‘Beat Tech Food Fight’ between the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech.

It’s that time of year again! The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia is holding its annual Beat Tech Food Fight where they will try to raise over 50,000 pounds of food between Wednesday, Nov. 11 and Wednesday, Nov. 25. The football competition between the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech has been a long and bitter rivalry that now presents a great opportunity to keep up the competition while also helping the community.

The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia joins The Atlanta Community Food Bank in the competition to see which school can raise the most food for their communities. Last year, UGA won the Beat Tech Food Fight collecting more than 25,000 pounds of food, which translates into more than 19,000 meals for needy northeast Georgia residents.

This year the event is set to kick off on Wednesday November 11, 2009 at 3:00 pm at the Walmart on Epps Bridge Rd. Although the goal is to have community members organize their own food drive, this event gives individuals who want to help an opportunity to participate without organizing their own food drive. Walmart will give a canvas shopping bag to anyone who donates 5 cans or more during this event. Premade food boxes will also be available for purchase at the checkout during this event and barrels for donations will remain on site for the entire two week period. The Food Bank will have a truck on site and hopes to take the lead in this competition before the DAWGS and the Jackets even take the field by filling up the truck. Members of the UGA Spirit team (cheerleaders and Hairy Dawg) will team up with the Food Bank during this event to help make this happen.

Beginning on 11/16/09, out of town DAWG fans can make donations on line at our website; so encourage everyone!

If you should have any questions or need more information please contact Tina Laseter at 706 354 8191 or donations@foodbanknega.org. Visit our webstie www.foodbanknega.org to learn more.

Chic on the Street

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I’ve always been a fan of people watching. Sitting back and letting the world pass you by. Wondering what the lives of these people you’re watching entail. How did they get to this place today? Where are they going? Why are they so dressed up? Why are they so dressed down? What were they going for when they got dressed? What are they trying to portray with their clothing? Do they even care about their clothing?

With the beautiful existence of the Internet, I’ve been able to take my people watching to the next level. The ultimate people watcher, Scott Schuman, has taken me around the world with him through www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com. Celebrities, designers, runways and more industry focused people are covered at www.style.com. And some of my favorite blogs, such as, www.seasofshoes.typepad.com and www.cupcakesandcashmere.com feature their creators’ styles and more. And now, through my friendship with Bulldawg Illustrated’s own Cheri Leavy, we are taking our own people watching to the next level. On November 9, Street Chic Vlog (video blog) will officially launch.

Street Chic Vlog will be my and Cheri’s chronicles on chic on the street. What street? Well, wherever we are. The streets of Athens, St. Simons, Sea Island, Charleston, Atlanta, New York, anywhere we travel and everywhere in between. Our goal is to take our days that are filled with journalism, fashion, philanthropy and a love of people and feature all that we love about style, while also promoting the events, charities, and places that we love and inspiring our followers to explore and challenge their personal style.

We scan the streets and events we attend for well dressed and quirky people, shoot a short video interview and post it on www.athens.guide2.com and www.blog.blondeathens.com for the world to see.

Bike boy (no name, but our fave) struts it for the Street Chic cameras on Broad Street in Athens.

We’ve been doing the street work and it has been a ball! So far, no one has turned us down for an interview and we’ve covered some really interesting people. One lady knits her own clothes, one particularly dapper man admits to dressing to impress everyday and one lady has 1 of 400 necklaces made by the designer who made Holly Golightly’s multi-strand of pearls from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Don’t miss our chronicles and dress your best, you never know who’s watching you!

Stacy Tarver knits her own clothes. Tops, sweaters, scarves, you name it!

Check out the UGA Homecoming streetchic

Tennessee Tech Game Rewind

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Following the expected Homecoming walk-in-the-park against the outmanned Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Sanford Stadium, the Georgia Bulldogs will return to big-time football this Saturday evening when ancient rival Auburn ventures between the hallowed hedges.

After still another bitter loss to top-ranked Florida, the Bulldogs (5-4, 3-3 SEC) had just the kind of breather they needed against the Division 1-AA Golden Eagles, surging into a 21-0 first-quarter lead and a 31-0 halftime advantage before calling off the dogs in the final two periods en route to a 38-0 decision.

Perhaps the highlight of the day for Mark Richt’s team, in addition to the Bulldogs posting their first shutout since 2006, was the 304-yard rushing total Georgia rolled up against the Tennessee Tech defensive unit. Freshman Washaun Ealey zipped for 89 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries including a 44-yard scoring jaunt; freshman speedster Branden Smith raced for 72 yards on only three carries including a 52-yard touchdown run out of the “Wild Dog” formation, and sophomore Caleb King charged for 71 yards on 12 attempts.

And with the Bulldogs amassing 469 yards on the day, senior quarterback Joe Cox snapped back from his three-interception day against Florida by completing his first 10 passes and capped the game with a 10-for-13 showing for 140 yards and two touchdowns, with NO interceptions … the first game all season the Georgia quarterback hasn’t thrown a pick.

Defensively, the Bulldogs completely shut down the Golden Eagles, limiting Tennessee Tech to a minus-13 yards net rushing and just 55 yards of total offense. It was the second lowest output by a Georgia opponent in school history, the record being 39 total yards by The Citadel in 1953.
“It was awesome to get a shutout,” said Richt. “It doesn’t matter who you play. It’s fantastic for the program. I am really happy for our defensive players and coaches.

“We played a lot of guys today,” Richt added. “It’s wonderful to give those guys an opportunity to play. They work so hard, too. I was also proud that we got ourselves into position where guys could go in and have a chance. It added to the excitement of the game. It’s something to build on and move forward with. We had tremendous focus to start the game, dominating really on both sides of the ball. Overall,” said Richt, “I am very happy with the win. It was really good to be back between the hedges again today.”
The Bulldogs actually put the game away in the opening minutes, bolting into that 21-0 first quarter lead on a 7-yard run by Ealey, a 23-yard pass from Cox to freshman tight end Orson Charles and the 52-yard burst by Smith. The lead climbed to 31-0 in the second period via Ealey’s 44-yard scoring dash and a 24-yard field goal by Blair Walsh. With Richt and his assistant staff then continually pouring in the reserves in the final two quarters, Georgia’s only second-half score came on a 6-yard pass from Cox to Michael Moore.

“We wanted to come out and play hard,” stated Bulldogs’ senior defensive tackle Jeff Owens. “This was a stepping stone for us with Auburn coming up. They are going to come in here highly motivated. This win was a big win, and I’m glad we got the shutout. We haven’t had a shutout in a while, so I’m glad we got that.”

What Worked

Offense, defense, special teams … pretty much everything worked against an overwhelmed opponent that had to know it was coming between the hedges to simply pick up a $400,000-plus paycheck to take back to its school in Cookeville, Tenn.

What Didn’t Work

For at least one week, can’t really complain about anything. Oh yeah, guess what? The Bulldogs did commit 11 penalties again for a total of 86 yards.

Top Performers

In addition to the running backs and Cox, kudos go to Stacy Searels’ offensive front, which simply moved the smaller Golden Eagle defenders off the line of scrimmage all day long. Defensively, the younger Dogs really stepped it up a notch in the win with freshman DE Montez Robinson showing five tackles and two sacks, and sophomore linebacker Marcus Dowtin leading the team with seven tackles. Redshirt freshman linebacker Christian Robinson also notched five total tackles. Dowtin, Geno Atkins, Demarcus Dobbs and Cornelius Washington all recorded a sack as the Bulldogs sacked the TT quarterbacks six times.

War Eagle, good buddy?

Anyone doubt that the 7-3 Tigers, who have lost to Georgia for three consecutive seasons, are going to be sky-high when they soar between the hedges for Saturday’s 7 p.m. nationally-televised (ESPN or ESPN2) game?

“We know our fans will be there early,” Richt said. “It’s going to be electric under the lights, and we’re looking forward to it.”

For Immediate Release: Another Self-Suspension

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Swirled in controversy over his attempted eye-gouging of Georgia Running Back Washaun Ealey, Florida Defensive Captain Brandon Spikes suspended himself Wednesday for the second-half of Florida’s upcoming battle royal with the stalwart Commodores of Vanderbilt.

“I don’t want to be a distraction,” explained Spikes.

That seems fair, and following Spikes leadership, I too have decided to take accountability for some of my actions this past Saturday in Jacksonville.

First: I may or may not have at one point in the third quarter wished for multiple bolts of lightning to simultaneously strike the entire West side of Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

Granted, putting on my Harry Potter wizardry costume and dictating Latin commands from my seat in section 440, row C did not actually elicit the swift jolt to all wearing orange and blue, but my intentions were indeed harmful, unsportsmanlike, and likely distracting to the players.

Second: I condemned, to hell, no less than 50,000 fellow humans both times the Redcoats played the familiar tune, “Glory, Glory” from their corner of the endzone. I don’t know if that was distracting, but the refs were included in one of those cheers and I therefore was in violation of Commissioner Slive’s rule 425, Section B, Article 4F, Paragraph 7. As to avoid future punishment from the SEC office, I am self-reporting this violation in the spirit of openness.

Third: Upon my boyhood friend and former roommate’s request, I gouged his eyes out with a plastic spoon from the Dippin Dots kiosk. You see, Matt arrived late to the game, and called me for a quick update. “What’s the story?” he asked.

“Well, we are down 14-0, and wearing black helmets and black pants in an apparent attempt to provide extra motivation for our players to beat our most bitter enemy, who also happens to be the defending national champions and top-ranked team in the country.” I responded.

“I would rather live 100 years as a blind man than have my own eyes confirm what you just told me.” declared Matt

I met him outside the air-conditioned Bud Zone. He provided the spoon.

I understand that my actions could be viewed as a “distraction” to the Bulldawg Nation, Southeastern Conference, State of Florida, and United States Justice Department. Therefore, I am voluntarily suspending myself from play for the third quarter of the Tennessee Tech game.

For the First, Second, and Fourth quarters, I will continue to offer my services from Section 312 as a reserve Punter, Quarterback, Place Holder and Tight End. However, if Coach Richt needs me in the Third, I will be undergoing my self-imposed suspension overlooking Reed Quad from the 600 level promenade, where I intend on reflecting on my life decisions and using my iPod Touch to bid on glass eyes for Matt on eBay.

Yes, I understand what kind of impact this decision may have on my NFL Draft status and Twitter trending topic ranking, but just like Spikes I cannot risk being a distraction to my team any longer.

10 questions for Coach Richt

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

1)Why are you 2-7 against Florida and not even competitive the last two years?

2)Why have we failed so miserably at the three things you promised to work on the most during this past offseason: penalties, turnovers, and defense?

3)Why is your record the same as Jim Donnan’s final four years?

4)When will you have us back to where we belong, at the top of the SEC and competing for championships?

5)Why does there appear to be a double standard between offensive players being benched for poor performance and defensive players retaining their roles?

6)Why does the running back get benched for fumbling a couple of times but not the quarterback after throwing 12 interceptions?

7)Why did the quarterback get blamed for the defensive problems last year when he threw a pick and this year the other players are being blamed for the quarterback throwing a pick while the quarterback is excused?

8)Why do you have four Elite 11 quarterbacks on the roster and have such poor play from the position? Have you not been able to get anyone else ready to play?

9)Do our coaches not evaluate talent very well or do they not develop them very well?

10)Why does Mike Bobo have to come down from the booth so he can instill confidence and courage in our team during the game? Are none of the others on the sidelines capable? Shouldn’t this be your role? Isn’t this one of the reasons you gave up play-calling, so you could manage the team better?

Damon Evans and the Florida Game

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Damon Evans succeeded Vince Dooley as the Athletic Director at Georgia on July 1st, 2004. The timing was significant because we were coming off 6 straight losses to the Gators and our record stood at an abysmal 1 – 13 over the previous 14 years dating back to 1990.

Roughly a month after assuming his new job duties, AD Evans joined myself and hundreds of other passionate Bulldog fans at the Greater Atlanta Bulldog Club event at the Colony Square Hotel in midtown. As far as I know, this was the first major public appearance for AD Evans since assuming his new title.

What remains burned in my memory from that day was a confident Evans coming to the podium and saying his number one goal as AD of Georgia was to beat Florida. It caused a loud and raucous ovation from the crowd who wholeheartedly shared in his sentiment.

Fast forward to 2009 and, unfortunately, Evans is 2 – 4 vs. the Gators as Athletic Director. I’m guessing he didn’t expect to be facing that record when he made his comment back in August of 2004.

I can’t imagine that Evans is pleased with the direction our football program is going, especially in relation to Florida. Evans is a Bulldog through and through, with 2 degrees from UGA and a 4 year starter on the gridiron. He understands and shares the passion, the burning desire, to beat UF like the rest of us. It is not just another game for him. It is THE game for him.

For all of the good things that Evans has done as AD, which in all fairness is too plentiful to list here, he is at the current time significantly behind in his # 1 goal. I’d expect it is going to be a very interesting off season with some tough decisions looming.

A view from Tennessee Tech

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Roger Ealey, the voice of the Golden Eagles, offers his insights on Saturday’s match-up between the hedges.

Q – What does Tennessee Tech do well?
A – TTU is mostly a passing team, they have struggled running the football, mostly due to injury. Lee Sweeney has broken every passing record at Tech and is in the top 10 all time in several OVC stats. Tim Benford was the freshman of the year in the league a year ago. Henry Sailes when healty is a threat from any point on the field. Defense has been a bend but not break team led by safety Dustin Dillihay, who was national player of the week in FCS football earlier this year.

Q – What’s your take on Georgia?
A – Georgia is a solid SEC team. I know their record is not what fans want to see; however they have the ability to beat anyone in the country. A.J. Green is a joy to watch play the game. The Bulldogs strength is their defense and special teams and those two areas will keep you in most games.

Q – What does it mean for Tennessee Tech to play games like this?
A – It is a great recruting tool to play teams that kids see on television on a weekly basis. It also helps make you a better player going against the best players in the nation.

Q – Who are some players for Georgia to keep an eye on?
A – Tim Benford is the deep threat. Sailes, Tremaine Hudson and Dontay Gay are very capable players. Due to injury these four have only played one game together this season, so keeping this unit together has been a problem.

Q – What teams have impressed you this season?
A – Being a Southerner, I am partial to the SEC, and I think Florida and Alabama are the best week in and week out. I like Texas and USC to be in the mix when the BCS shakes out at the end of the year.

Q – What kind of shadow does Tennessee cast in the state?
A – It is very hard to compete with Tennessee. We have, in the past, played several Thursday night games and those are very well attended. I would love to see our league play on Thursday, however that will never happen.

Q – What are your program goals year in and year out?
A – Our goal is to be competitive. We have had only eight winning seasons since 1978 and these kids are now trying to learn how to win. Coach Brown has brought a new excitement back to Cookeville and the future looks very bright for this team.

Q – What does TTU need to do to win Saturday?
A – The keys to winning are the same regardless of who you play. To shock the world Tech would have to shorten the game by controlling the ball moving the chains. On defense, limit the big plays. They would need Georgia to turn the ball over several times and the Golden Eagles would have to get some big plays from their special teams.

Five keys to getting it back in the road against Tennessee Tech

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

1. Stay Injury Free

This is the one game of the season – what with eight Southeastern Conference contests and games with Oklahoma State from the Big XII, Arizona State of the PAC-10 and the ACC’s Ga. Tech – that the Bulldog faithful could look at and chalk up in the victory column purely on the strength of the Bulldogs superior talent. Getting the win and avoiding what would be an enormously embarrassing upset is obviously at the top of the list, but keeping everyone healthy for the stretch run is vital to Georgia’s chances against Auburn, Kentucky and the Yellow Jackets.

2. Youth Movement

Saturday marks a golden opportunity for the Bulldogs to get substantial game time for a slew of promising young performers. When looking ahead to 2010, areas like the secondary with Baccari Rambo, Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith offer a great deal of hope for the near future. It appears that the Bulldogs are certain to redshirt freshmen quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger. So do the Dogs turn to Logan Gray and let him go the whole way against the Golden Eagles Saturday? If fifth year senior Joe Cox starts every game, then the Dogs will head into the 2010 season minus a quarterback with collegiate starting experience.

3. Work that Running Game

Not surprisingly, Georgia’s running game has been far less threatening in 2009 than it was a year ago. After all, the sensational Knowshon Moreno turned pro following his redshirt sophomore season, was the first tailback selected in the NFL Draft and now starts and is starring as a rookie for the Denver Broncos. But certainly the Bulldogs thought it would be better than this. Amongst the lowlights were a three-game stretch against Arizona State, LSU and Tennessee when Georgia ran for 90, 45 and 89 yards, respectively. This is a chance to get it going and build some momentum for the home stretch.

4. Be Sound

One of the most disappointing aspects of this season has been often dreadful showings in the turnover and penalty department, and special teams breakdowns despite stellar seasons from kicker Blair Walsh and punter Drew Butler. With what Georgia lost with Moreno, Matthew Stafford and Mohammed Massaquoi and with the strength of such a tough schedule, the Bulldogs record shouldn’t be that shocking. But many of the mistakes that plagued the Bulldogs during a disappointing 2008 campaign that began at the top of the polls but ended with losses to Alabama, Florida and Tech, have continued through 2009. Before Mark Richt’s team can get back to consistently beating the best of the best, the Bulldogs must first stop beating themselves.

5. Get Primed for the Final Stretch

Georgia has experienced such great success over the past decade-plus, winning at least eight games in an NCAA-high 12 consecutive years, that this season has come as a tremendous disappointment to the Bulldog faithful. But the Dogs can close on a high note, and it starts Saturday. Two of the big three rivals still remain in Auburn and Tech, plus tough Kentucky. A strong close means a 13th straight bowl and positive momentum heading into the off season and what will be a mighty important 2010 campaign.

Prayers go out to Georgia freshman baseball player Chance Veazey

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Article from Athens Banner Herald

Georgia freshman baseball player Chance Veazey will move to a neurological rehabilitation center in Atlanta later this week to continue his recovery from a vehicle accident last week, the family announced on Monday.

Veazey will go to the Shepherd Center, a hospital that specializes in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord and brain injuries. The Veazey family wants to keep private the details of his injuries and his long-term prognosis at this time.

The family has set up a Web site to provide updates on Veazey’s progress at caringbridge.org/visit/chanceveazey. Well-wishers may also send messages to Veazey and his family through the Web site.

Monday’s update on the Web site said, “Today Chance continues to make improvements. As many of you do know, he’s a tough young man with tremendous determination. The healing process is slow, but we are committed to get better every day and get back every inch of his quality of life that we can, and continue to pray that God will give us a miracle.”

An update on the site from Friday said that Veazey’s back surgery went as planned, but the doctor’s opinion of his neurological condition has not changed.

In lieu of flowers and food, the family has set up a “Prayers for Chance” fund to help offset medical expenses through the Athens First Bank and Trust Company (AFB&T). Donations may be sent to AFB&T, attention Phil Bettendorf, Senior Vice President, P.O. Box 1747, Athens, Ga., 30603 or drop it off at any Athens First Bank location.

Veazey was injured late last Wednesday when he flopped his motorscooter in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid a crash after a car turned in front of him.

The Tifton native enrolled at Georgia in the fall after a standout career at Tift County High School, where he was a four-year starter and team MVP.

Recruiting and Draft

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

If you don’t believe that Georgia’s talent is not what it was in the first half of the decade, perhaps the NFL Draft is a good measuring stick.
The Bulldogs haven’t had a defensive player picked in the first round since the ‘05 draft (David Pollack and Thomas Davis).
Over the next three drafts (’06, ‘07 and ’08), Georgia had only four players taken in the first three rounds collectively of those drafts.
Obviously, the Bulldogs were well represented in the last draft.
Matthew Stafford was the first quarterback from Georgia picked in the first round since John Rauch in the draft of ’49.
Knowshon Moreno was the first running back from Georgia picked in the first round since Robert Edwards in the draft of ’98.
Georgia hasn’t had a receiver picked in the first round since Lindsay Scott in the draft of ’82.

Recruiting and development, no question, both need to improve.

You’ve got to have the horses!

17 of 20 and what of 2010

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I never thought I’d see Georgia lose 17 of 20 games to another program over a two decade stretch – but it has happened, as the Dogs went 1-9 against Florida in the 1990’s and 2-8 vs. the Gators in the 2000’s. The 2010 campaign will be a critical one for Georgia – and for that matter the other teams in the SEC East, of which the Gators have dominated with similar results.

Florida is heading to Atlanta as champions of the SEC East, having wrapped up the division title before the calendar hit November. The Gators the first team out of the East to go to back-to-back SEC Championship Games since Georgia did it in 2002 and 2003. The coach of the Gators then was Ron Zook.

Georgia couldn’t beat Florida in either of those years, when the Bulldogs had the far superior coach and the greater talent. Those two losses proved to deny Georgia a shot at heading to Atlanta with a shot at playing for the national title. Urban Meyer has restored the monster that Steve Spurrier created and arguably made the Gators even stronger. 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow is a senior and Florida’s defense has as many as five potential first round draft choices. It’s easy to do the math.

If Georgia , Tennessee or South Carolina is going to topple the Gators and make a run at being the kings of the East – 2010 appears to be a golden opportunity.

Biking Dawgs Benefit Make A Wish Foundation

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

As traffic stood at a standstill coming into St. Simons Island Thursday afternoon, a Glynn County Police Escort cut through a sea of red and black car flags like a knife.

Who could they be escorting? A celebrity en route to Sea Island? Willie Martinez? Uga VII?

While the bike-riding trip of Joe Lariscy (2007), Greg Stahl, and Leigh Buckens may not have appeared as glamorous as a dark-windowed limousine coming up Frederica Road, this team of former investment bankers have proven their A-List hearts through their bike ride across America to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundtion, which ended Thursday on St. Simons Island.

Benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Lariscy and his two colleagues began their bike ride in San Francisco on September 2, 2009.

In the time that has followed, the team has biked through over 25 mountain ranges, faced 40 mile-per-hour headwinds, and held fundraisers benefitting the lives of children across America.

I had a wonderful opportunity to catch up with Joe Lariscy, an Athens native, on Friday as the team was getting some rest in Jesup, Georgia.

“Greg and I were working at JP Morgan in investment banking when both of us began to feel a strong desire to give back.” Explained the former UGA IFC President, Lariscy, “we both felt strongly about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and decided to use the bike ride as a platform for holding fundraising events across the country.”

And while riding a bicycle across the land of the free has its obvious challenges, (the Rocky Mountains come to mind) Joe explained that some of the most difficult parts of the journey came unexpectedly.

“We have seen all kinds of road kill”, Lariscy reminisced. “It’s tough when you see a cattle carcass laying a couple hundred yards ahead, and you have to fight up wind for up to ten minutes.”

One type of road kill Laricsy would assumingly not be troubled by would be the Florida Alligator. As the team cruised towards their Atlantic terminus at the East Beach Coast Guard Station, a red Georgia car flag could be seen fluttering from Joe’s bicycle.

“It was important for us to be traveling home the entire way. We stopped in Greg (Stahl)’s hometown of St. Louis on the way in, and coming to St. Simons to finish the race feels like home because I have been coming here with my family since I was a kid.” Explained Lariscy.

The “Bike for Wishes” team is associated with the national Make-A-Wish foundation, and can be found via weblink from www.makeawish.org

Another bad one in Jax ... Georgia-Florida rewind

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0400

JACKSONVILLE – On Halloween by the banks of the St. Johns River, the Georgia Bulldogs came out disguised in black helmets and black pants but, once again, for the 17th time in the last 20 years, they were treated black and blue by the top-ranked Florida Gators.

Throwing four interceptions and committing nine penalties for 87 yards – eight of those infractions coming in the first half when the Bulldogs fell behind 24-10 – Georgia was blown away by the Gators for the second consecutive season, 41-17.

The setback dropped the Bulldogs to 4-4 (3-3 SEC) and put Georgia in danger of experiencing its first losing season in Mark Richt’s nine-year tenure in Athens. Urban Meyer’s defending national champion Gators improved to 8-0 (6-0 SEC) and locked up the SEC East crown and another trip to the conference title game in Atlanta.

Richt said the disappointing loss was again a case of the Bulldogs playing well in spots but unable to overcome their own mistakes, namely the penalties and turnovers, against a superior opponent.

“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “There’s only four regular season games left (and) there’s no guarantee of a bowl right at this moment, so will we play a game where we don’t do things that hinders us from being the very best we can be? We haven’t won the turnover ratio in a game this season.

“And I’m responsible for all that,” Richt added. “I’m not doing a very good job of keeping the turnovers and the penalties down. It’d be nice to see what could happen.”

The Bulldogs’ defense got off to exactly the kind of start it couldn’t afford to as the Gators marched 80 and 92 yards for touchdowns on their first two possessions. Tim Tebow and senior wideout Riley Cooper hooked up for both of the scores, Tebow’s first touchdown pass covering 22 yards and Cooper then making a sensational one-handed catch for a 29-yard TD reception. With Caleb Sturgis’ PAT kicks, the Gators bolted into a quick 14-0 advantage.

Georgia would then fight back to within 14-10 in the second period via a 49-yard field goal by Blair Walsh and a 26-yard scoring pass from Joe Cox to tight end Aron White.

However, the Gators then quickly moved to a 24-10 halftime lead on a 56-yard field goal by Sturgis —the second-longest in Florida history — and a 23-yard run up the middle by Tebow, a score that lifted the Gators’ great to a record 50 SEC rushing touchdowns, one past the mark set by

Georgia legend Herschel Walker in his three years with the Bulldogs.

The Gators then came out in the third quarter and put Georgia into a 31-10 hole on the Bulldogs’ opening possession of the half. After Florida linebacker A.J. Jones deflected a Cox pass and also intercepted it at the Georgia 19, Tebow scored three plays later from the five. “That was a game-changer,” said Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. “We had the ball coming out of the half and had a chance to flip the field position on them but their guy made a great play, batting the ball up and then also intercepting it.”

However, the Bulldogs then bounced back and went 79 yards on 14 plays, with Cox’s 4-yard pass to Michael Moore and Walsh’s PAT kick trimming the Gators’ lead to 31-17 with 6:17 remaining in the third. But, as things turned out, that was to be Georgia’s final points of the day as Cox was picked off for the second time by Jones, this time after the Bulldogs had marched inside Florida territory.

The Gators then proceeded to turn the game into another rout, tallying 10 unanswered points on a Sturgis 44-yard field goal and an interception for a touchdown by Brandon Spikes, the Florida senior linebacker picking off Georgia backup quarterback Logan Gray at the Bulldogs’ own 5-yard line and walking in.

What Worked
Difficult to say if anything worked when you continue to get beat by the same opponent year-after-year. To the Bulldogs’ credit, they did rally from the early 14-0 deficit to make a game of it at 14-10, only to fall backwards again due to the penalties and killing turnovers. Georgia did run the football well at times against one of the nation’s best defenses, rushing for 153 yards though totaling 32 yards in sacks for a net of 121 on the ground.

What Didn’t Work
The three interceptions thrown by Cox and the one pick for a TD thrown by Gray were daggers in the Bulldogs’ collective side as were all those penalties in the first two quarters. “I beat our team with my mistakes,” said Cox, who was 11-of-20 through the air for 165 yards and the two touchdowns and the three interceptions. “When our offense is making plays the whole game and something stops the drives, like turnovers and penalties, it’s frustrating.”
And, clearly, Georgia let the Gators set the tone for this one early on as Florida reeled off those long touchdown drives the first two times they got their hands on the ball. This, despite the beleaguered Willie Martinez’s defense having two weeks to prepare for the Gators’ attack.
“It’s very disappointing,” said Georgia junior defensive end Demarcus Dobbs. “We knew what they were going to do but didn’t execute when we had to and didn’t do what we practiced.”

Top Performers
Again, the Georgia kicking game was excellent as Drew Butler, the nation’s leading punter, had four kicks for a 52.5 average, and Blair Walsh converted his only field goal try, meaning he’s now 12-of-13 on the season. Freshman tailback Washaun Ealey continued to make gains, starting the game and rushing for 70 yards on 17 carries. A.J. Green again led the pass receivers but was limited to three catches for 50 yards by the Gator secondary. Brandon Boykin, Rennie Curran and Reshad Jones recorded seven tackles each. Boykin, just a sophomore, also now owns the school record for kickoff return yards in a season with 714 on 28 returns. He finished with 114 yards on six returns against Florida.

Maybe a Sure Win, But Then What?
The Bulldogs should certainly be able to handle Tennessee Tech on Homecoming this Saturday but can’t keep making the same miscues if they want to find a victory over the final three games against Auburn, Kentucky and Georgia Tech.
“We’ve got a good bunch of guys over in that locker room,” said Richt. “We’re going to regroup and get back on the winning track and I’m personally dedicated that we do that. I don’t think anybody is going to jump ship. I’m very concerned we’re 4-4 right now but not concerned about the direction of the program,” Richt said.

It hurts, where to start

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0400

It hurts, though yesterday shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
Let me beat my dead horse again and go back to the quickest solution for beating Tech, Florida, Auburn and Tennessee – identifying and getting the best players from the state of Georgia.

College football is the ultimate chicken or the egg game. There is recruiting which leads to on field success which leads to recruiting, etc. All the while there is development thrown into the mix.

Georgia, like Florida and LSU, is blessed to be in a state where a program live almost solely off of in-state talent and be championship competitive. You’re not going to get them all every year, but think if half of these players wore red and black what a difference it would make? The other killer is that most of these in-state players who got away are playing for rival schools.

DL – Cameron Heyward , Ohio State
DL – Jermain Cunningham, Florida
DL – Lorenzo Washington, Alabama
DL – Allen Bailey, Miami
LB – Eric Norwood, South Carolina
DB – Eric Berry, Tennessee
DB – Morgan Burnett, Tech
DB – Trevard Lindley, Kentucky
DB – Greg Reid, Florida State

Offense
RB – Johnathan Dwyer, Tech
QB – Josh Nesbitt, Tech

A frequent question I get when I speak of the talent level being down is, “how is that the case when we get top ten recruiting classes every year?”

The easy answer is that it is all relative. Florida gets top ten classes too. So does Bama and LSU.

Rivals.com and Scout.com do a good job of covering the inexact science – by the way, the Gator defense which could have five first round draft choices starts seven 4-star and four 5-star recruits.
I went to Rivals and checked their rankings and where Georgia sat nationally and where that was in the SEC.

2006 – That’s the Moreno and Stafford class. Georgia ranked fourth nationally and second in the SEC behind … Florida. They played Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow, the stars of that class and both had a huge impact on their national title.

2007 – Georgia ranked ninth nationally and sixth in the SEC behind Florida, Tennessee (Eric Berry), LSU, South Carolina and Auburn.

2008 – Georgia ranked seventh nationally and third in the SEC behind … Alabama (first overall) and Florida (third overall).

2009 – Georgia’s current freshman class ranked sixth nationally and third in the SEC behind Alabama (first overall) and LSU (second overall).

Just some facts and opinion. But obviously a couple of players can make a huge difference. You’re not going to get them all, but Georgia has to do a better job of keeping more than its fair share.

It’s always a quick road back for the Dogs if they can dominate the state in recruiting. Then comes the development and the chicken and the egg.

Richt on the Dawgs

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0400

In his weekly Sunday afternoon teleconference with the Georgia beat writers, Mark Richt wasn’t about to tip his hat on any possible lineup changes for Saturday’s homecoming game against Tennessee Tech.
“We are not going to say anything like that at the moment,” the Bulldogs’ head coach said. “We just got through looking at film on both sides of the ball and are holding a light practice tonight. We’ll probably get together as a staff and take a little time to look at that and then by Tuesday night we’ll have an idea if we’re going to juggle the lineup here and there. By then, we’ll have a better idea where we’ll line them up. But we look at every position every week.”

A subsequent question to Richt concerned the prospect of pulling the redshirt off talented freshman quarterback Aaron Murray. “You’re not going to get anything on that,” Richt replied.

A few minutes later, however, Richt did say that Murray’s throwing arm is healthy once again after the Tampa native was slowed earlier by tendinitis. “Aaron’s 100 percent as far as his throwing goes and he’s also moving better than he has in a while after having that injury coming out of high school.”

The possibility of the Bulldogs using sophomore Logan Gray or true freshmen Murray or Zach Mettenberger at quarterback in the remaining four games was being bandied about after senior starter Joe Cox threw three interceptions in Georgia’s crushing 41-17 loss to Florida on Saturday.

In other topics discussed today:

Richt said the Bulldogs are hardly in any position to take Saturday’s game with Tennessee Tech lightly. “We’re 4-4, and we need to win the game,” said Richt. “If we’re truly men of integrity like we try to be, when things don’t go well, we have to work as hard just like when things are going great, and we plan to work hard. There have been teams over the years that give in, and we’re not going to be one of those, we’ll keep fighting and practicing hard each week like we have been. That’s our goal, to keep chopping wood.”

Richt said the Bulldogs spend as much time as any team in the country working on getting turnovers and recovering fumbles “but when the ball has come out, we haven’t been able to get on it.”

Richt said there were a number of reasons A.J. Green didn’t catch but three passes against the Gators Saturday. “A lot of plays dictate that A.J. gets the ball but at times we had protection issues (of Cox) and then there’s the progression (on passing plays) by the quarterback and so forth. So we aren’t always able to get the ball to A.J. as many times as we’d like,” Richt said. “Now did Florida do a good job against him … yes, they did. They were able to get pressure on the quarterback and that helped them.”

Richt said inserting some of Georgia’s younger players into the lineup right now would certainly bode well for the future but added, “any decisions I make or we make as a staff are ones that will give us the best chance to win this year. I think we owe that to our seniors and our fans as well, to those who bust their tails every day.”

Same as it ever was

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Not much to say at this point. We’re now on our laptops working on our next issue. However we’re guilty of having great days with some of our best friends, so we are very behind.

Nonetheless despite another whipping by the Gators, we will make our deadline tomorrow evening.

Not real happy that we spent the last two weeks designing new uniforms.

Black helmets and black pants when your team was fortunate enough to be the ones in white on a 90 degree scorcher in Jax.

This next week should be interesting for Mark Richt.

Stay faithful Bulldog fans!

Time to Win

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Florida has not lost a football game since September 27, 2008. Since then, they have reeled off 17 straight wins including a beat down over our Dawgs, acquired another SEC title and hoisted a 3rd national championship crystal football. They are ranked # 1 in the country.

During the same time period, UGA has lost 6 games and has dropped from # 3 in the AP poll to unranked. Not only unranked, but unranked and receiving no votes. For some perspective, Rutgers football received a vote in the current AP poll. Georgia Tech is number 11 and South Carolina is number 21 in the same poll. We’ve been blown out 3 times during that stretch and provided the bumbling Lane Kiffin with his marquee win and only SEC victory.

Coach Richt is 2 – 6 vs. Florida and brings our team limping into the game as 16 point underdogs.

It is time to bow up. It is time to change the momentum. It is time to salvage our national reputation. It is time to win.

A win this weekend absolves the last 13 months of agony. A win this weekend starts the healing. A win this weekend and the slate is clean. And as a bonus, we’ll most likely get to see Tim Tebow cry.

Dawgs: get it done.

Nick Franks becomes Tim Tebow

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

So, Nick Franks, how does it feel to be Tim Tebow for a week?

With Georgia working for Saturday’s battle against the undefeated and top-ranked Florida Gators, a walk-on tight end from Bradwell Institute in Hinesville has helped the Bulldogs’ defense prepare to face the fabled Tebow by attempting to emulate the Florida superstar in Georgia’s practice sessions.

Franks, a sophomore and member of the Bulldogs’ scout team is, at 6-2, 245-pounds, roughly the same size as the Gator senior quarterback and has been running Florida’s spread-option offense all week while going right at Georgia’s No. 1 defensive unit.

Franks admitted that he’s never taken on the role of the opposing team’s quarterback before as a member of the UGA scout team but says he jumped at the chance when several of the Bulldogs’ defensive coaches singled him out for the task.

“I had told some of the assistant coaches that this was something I’ve been wanting to do for a while,” said Franks. “I feel like I play football the same way Tebow does. I like to run hard and run into people. I played quarterback at Bradwell and feel like I do a pretty good representation of him.”

And Franks thinks his performance in practice this week has gotten the Georgia defense ready for what it’s about to see Saturday at Jacksonville’s Municipal Stadium.

“We look at Florida on film and get out there and run the same plays they run,” he said. “I think the scout team in general has been fired up this week and has been giving the defense a good look. And I think our defense has responded well. I’ve been trying to be as much of a nuisance as I can to them this week, and I think I’ve kind of gotten on the defense’s nerves a little while playing the part of Tebow. But I think they enjoy the fact that I’ve been bringing a lot of intensity, and they’ve showed a lot of intensity right back when they hit me. I really think they’re going to be ready,” said Franks. “We were going to be in shoulder pads and shorts today, so I know there’s going to be a lot of hitting going on.”

Franks said he almost considers it an honor to take on the identity of the Gators’ Heisman Trophy winner in practice.

“Even though I play football at Georgia, I have a lot of respect for the guy,” said Franks.

“He’s done great things both on and off the field. I just look at it as a great opportunity to emulate Tebow on the field and show my skills to the coaches. You know, they (the Gators) have been kind of survivors this year, and I believe if there’s a team to beat them this season, it’s us.”

Green Hats for AJ

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

As a storefront in Coastal Georgia read two weeks ago: “Come see AJ Green vs. Vanderbilt on our Big Screen TV!”

Its difficult to stomach where this Georgia squad would be without the Palmetto State phenom.

You could mark the South Carolina, Arizona State, and Arkansas games down as losses without extraordinary efforts from the sophomore.

In a week filled with anxious anticipation of facing our top-ranked archrival, take some time out of your day to read this piece on Green by Steve Hummer of the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Through my experiences with AJ on campus and in locker room interviews, he is easily the most genuine, kind and humble player I have interacted with.

He also knows how to catch a football.

To show my support for this Dawg, you can find me wearing a Green baseball cap to Georgia games this season, along with plenty of red and black as not to confuse fellow Dawgs.

I hope you all consider doing the same for one of the best Dawgs to ever trod the field.