Mediocrity is NOT an option

Mistake:

(n) an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.

Etc. in this situation could be translated as fumbles, holding in the back field, off sides, and my favorite…delay of game. With 9 penalties that cost us 63 yards, it is evident that mistakes lost this football game!

I could sit here and become a very defensive fan. I would have told you prior to the Miss St. game that I was not as worried about our past two SEC losses, being as they were to nationally ranked teams. I would have told you that I had full faith we would overcome our slump and that I predicted we would win all our games after being 0-2. But all of that is unnecessary after what I witnessed on Saturday. I will tell you that the team I watched was less than mediocre. I don’t quite understand what the problem is. Actually I do, it is called mistakes.

Offense:

I still support Aaron Murray and believe that he has the potential to become phenomenal. Murray completed 18 of 31 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown. He has heart and determination but just needs to get polished. Carlton Thomas did a great job and has the ability to plant and accelerate. He and Murray might be better assets if they were protected! If given space they will make plays. Kris Durham played great. I hate for him that his TD got called back and am hoping that he is well after that hit!

Defense:

They have got to adjust and be able to break the rhythm. Get pressure up the middle and close the gap. Here again, mistakes do not win games. I have said it before and will say it again that I am a girl and I do not fully understand every aspect of football, but I do know enough to understand that when we are on defense, offensively they are 3^rd and 2, they call a time out….guess what? Be prepared for something out of the ordinary. Attention defense, play smart and be more prepared.

Special Teams:

Blair Walsh seems to be the only consistency Georgia has experienced all season. His accuracy and dependability is much appreciated! Brandon Boykin’s determination to play for the entire 60 minutes always impresses me. He had a great run back in the 4^th quarter, but he can only do so much. Not to mention, he still fought for it with 1 minute and counting.

If you want to have a winning team back then don’t be a fan that makes the mistake of placing individual blame on one coach, player or play. Don’t jump on the bandwagon of solely blaming Mark Richt, Mike Bobo or Todd Grantham. First, Richt has announced that he is the head coach and takes full responsibility. Let’s not forget what he has done for UGA over the years. He admits that this is a new position for him and that it is not one he wants or likes. Bobo, while I am not a fan, didn’t call for another fumble at the one yard line or for the holding in the back that cost us the touchdown. Will he be reevaluated after this year? Yes, and rightfully so but you cannot say that we lost this game because of just poor play calling. Those were good plays that if not for mistakes would have possibly produced a different outcome. Grantham needs time. He completely reworked our defensive strategies and perfection cannot be expected without time.

Every time we made a big play it was taken away from us with penalties! This does not win football games! We continue to get beat because we continue to get outplayed. Both physically and mentally! My hope is that we take these mistakes and learn from them. This is not the season that I predicted. I never imagined my Dawgs would be 0-3 in the SEC, our worst record since 1993. (I was five then, so it’s safe to say that I have never experienced a season quite like this). However, we have a long season ahead of us and now is not the time to hang up hope! Our next three games are winnable in my opinion. The coaches and players must readjust, rebuild, learn from their mistakes and fix them. That’s it. This was hard enough to relive. I’m hoping, expecting, and counting on a winning streak! GO DAWGS!

Quit being a fair weather fan

Ok so I am frustrated. The funny thing is I am probably more frustrated with our fans than I am the team. Attention to all fair weather male UGA football fans: The Bulldogs will be hosting walk-on tryouts this week for all of you who think you are so much better than the players on the field. Ok, so I’m kidding, but give the team a break. I mean all I heard was “I could have made that play” and “OMG I so could have caught that pass”. Well, if you think you can then why exactly are you sitting in the stands? Yes, that is what I thought. You’re probably not as good as you think you are. If you want to watch a dedicated, winning team then maybe try becoming a dedicated fan and in turn you will become a winning one too! They still need our support as much as ever and still deserve recognition for their hard work. I am proud of the atmosphere of the team. They had their game faces on and wanted to win. They overcame a lot during the second half and despite the loss, I am still proud.

Ryan Mallet proved to be the true leader of the Arkansas offense. I will give him props because he truly is a great football player. He is smart, quick, accurate and incredibly tall. He looks one way and then bombs it the complete other direction. However, all of you who think they will give Alabama a run for it this weekend….sorry, I disagree. Aaron Murray is still doing great in my opinion. He completed 15 of 27 passes for 253 yards. He has an amazing arm and honestly I had hopes his last minute “hail mary” would have completed. He spent a little extra time in the pocket on that last shot but the sack was unnecessary and avoidable. O Line: please protect him. We cannot afford to lose him. I said last week that even though we were without a key offensive player I wanted to see some other guys have a chance because I knew it was in them. They proved me right. Kris Durham caught 5 passes for 101 yards and Tavarres King caught four passes for 91 yards. Leading the Dawgs in rushing yards, Washaun Ealey produced 87 yards on 18 carries and pulled one in for a touchdown.

Defensively I am still worried. I think most would agree with me that Mallet is a great QB but that does not excuse the missed opportunities on our part. I don’t have much to say besides the fact that I hope adjustments are made. This brings me back to the majority of our fans. Quit saying we are losing because of our defense or because we are without A.J. Green. Most football fans don’t view competitive cheerleading as an actual sport but in my experience we always won as a team and we lost as a team. If you are part of a team then you share victory and defeat. So defense, it is not your fault entirely.

All in all I wish things would have ended differently but they didn’t. You take a loss and you learn from it. You make adjustments and you move forward. There is always one positive to next week. THE BULLDOGS WILL WIN! I just hope it’s my Dawgs and not Mississippi State’s.

There are some certainties I can assure you. I still love football. I am still a Bulldog. I will not ever be a fair weather fan and even when we lose there is still no place I would rather watch a football game from than Sanford Stadium.

Welcome to the Marcus Lattimore Show

The outcome…disappointment! I will gladly admit that one of my biggest flaws is that I am a very, very sore loser. I don’t like the word lose. I don’t like the way it sounds and I am not very accepting of its reality. That being said, it is hard to write about a loss. Especially when you have to accept one that most people predicted would determine the outcome of your season! However, I know that in football, as in life, you win some and you lose some. I am still a proud Bulldog and a true believer that “every Dawg has his day.” Saturday was not our day!

The Offense

I am still proud of Aaron Murray but I really want to see a better passing game. Quit with the conservative crap. I mean I understand that we are missing a key player in our passing game but give your other guys a shot. Murray has an arm…let him use it more! Kris Durham proved his ability completing a 55 yard pass, giving us great field position. That did not last long. The pivotal turning point of the game came when Washaun Ealey fumbled the ball giving South Carolina’s Stephon Gilmore the chance to pick it up on the 1 yard line. WOW-that hurt us! Overall, offensively we need to stop playing it so safe! We need to be able to counter-act the other No. 21’s of the SEC. Saturday we were simply not able to make up for the defenses mistakes; therefore, this game was lost because we were physically outplayed-both offensively and defensively!

The Defense

Who knew South Carolina's Offense doubles as the Basketball team too! When you have a line up between 6’2 and 6’5 you already have a head start! Defensively, we did a terrible job at wrapping up! Justin Houston actually showed up to play with sacks and a forced fumble, but he seemed like the only one! Going into halftime I was still confident that all we needed was a good pick me up in order to adjust. Note to the defense (post half-time): No. 21 played the entire game! Yes, believe it or not they were still giving the ball to him just about every time! Marcus Lattimore carried for a total of 37 times and accounted for 2 rushing TD’s for the Gamecocks. This guy is ridiculously talented. Not to mention that he is a true freshman who will prove to be one of the best SEC players for years to come!

Special Teams

I don’t have much to say. Unfortunately, we did not take advantage of your assistance. Accounting for all 6 of our points, Blair Walsh continues to be accurate and dependable. Thanks for not letting us get shut out!

Georgia finished with 253 yards while giving up 354 to the Gamecocks. This SEC match up has been and was a very physical and low scoring game. Am I surprised by the outcome? Yes! Am I hopeful that we can overcome this loss? Most definitely! You play, learn, win & lose and you move forward. The past is the past and now mental and physical preparation for next week must begin. Arkansas is known for their high scoring offense so let’s hope that we make some much needed adjustments on both sides this week in order to prepare!

Lastly, I will have to give Spurrier credit on one thing and one thing alone. He is doing a much better job at hanging onto his visor. I mean it definitely comes off but he seems to contain the act of throwing it. Instead he can’t hang onto his headset. Thank you ESPN for the instant replay – you made my day!

It's Saturday....In Athens!!!

The heat, early start, and new North Campus regulations did not stop UGA tailgaters from being out and about at their finest. Whether you like our dedication to 7am wake-up calls, the fact that we come dressed in our “Sunday Best” or our ability to be loud and obnoxious yet oh so charming at the same time; there is no denying that UGA football season and tailgating is back and better than ever!

Let’s Review:

The Offensive

A very impressive debut for the RFr. Aaron Murray. For the most part he was accurate and protected, and in the event that those two adjectives failed, smart and speedy would be applicable. His ability to redirect when things fell apart in the pocket impressed the Bulldog nation. Why so comfortable you might ask? He is protected thanks to his Offensive Line and that is showing on the field! I am going to highlight senior FB Shaun Chapas. His blocking, as usual, was exceptional, but today he was even able to grab a TD pass! Props to the true freshman back-up QB, Hutson Mason! It was a day for debuts all around as he made his in the 3^rd Quarter connecting for a 26 yard TD pass to Logan Gray. The impressive display by the offense, even without A.J. Green, makes me very hopeful for the season ahead!

The Defense

Let it be known that I was never a fan of Willie Martinez so I welcome Todd Grantham with open arms! It was time for a change and change is what I saw! Three interceptions…way to look out Brandon Boykin, Jakar Hamilton and Sanders Commings. I could call each player out but seriously they all played well! In general, a good job on tackles and getting after the QB! While talent is a key component in success, so is good coaching. That being said, I cannot help but believe that Grantham is doing an excellent job!

Special Teams

Who was not impressed? With the exception of the shaky start, I am very impressed with the talent that consumes our special teams. Having Blair Walsh and Drew Butler on the same team is possibly the best combination that you could dream up. Walsh connected on FGs of 52 and 48 yards while Butler averaged 46.7 yards for his 6 punts. New to the role of PR, I was most impressed with Branden Smith. He held onto the football very well and made some smart decisions-whether gaining yards or fair catches! KO returner Brandon Boykin, as always, did his thing on the field with a 31 yard return. While the additional points were not needed to win the game, their demonstration of skill was just a sneak preview, and in my opinion something that will prove to be needed as we meet SEC rivals!

I can say with full confidence that there is no place on this planet that I would have rather been than in Sanford Stadium this past Saturday! Yes, I am suffering from voice loss, exhaustion, and a pretty attractive tan line, but those are just a small price to pay to enjoy being a senior at the University of Georgia. So I leave you with this football fans, “And now a new breed of bulldog stands ready to take the field of battle; to assume the reigns of their Georgia forbearers and continue that tradition understanding that there is no tradition more worth of envy, no institution worthy of such loyalty, as the University of Georgia."

Welcome back football season! YOU HAVE BEEN MISSED!

GOOO DAWGS!!!!