Heartbroken

Saturday was not the day I expected in Jacksonville. Despite the 34-31 loss, this was by far the most fun, exciting, loud, intense and insane game that I have ever attended. The student section was more fun than imaginable and I loved every minute up until the overtime mishap. My senior year will go down in history as the first time in GA/FL record that the teams have needed OT to determine a winner. Someone had to win and someone had to lose, I just hate that the Dawgs took the latter.

I’m not going to break the game down like usual. It’s simply too hard to relive. There were really good play calls and really poor decisions. There were really good defensive moments with tackles and pressure along with several missed opportunities. I will not point any single player out this week. You win as a team and lose as a team and this unfortunate loss is not one persons fault.

I said from the beginning that this was our game to lose and that we did. The game should not have gone into overtime in the first place but it did. The 3^rd down play called in OT should not have been called but it was. The zebras should have thrown a holding penalty on that same 3^rd down in OT but they didn’t! Focusing on the “what ifs” will do no good though and harping on this loss is a waste of time. We have another game next week and I for one will be happy to be back in Sanford Stadium.

After being mathematically eliminated from the SEC East race the new question is: Can we make it to a bowl game? To become eligible for a bowl we must win 2 of our next 3 games - one of which we will meet the #2 ranked Auburn Tigers (or War Eagles – forgive them they’re confused). I’m hoping the boys learn from their mistakes, move forward and find themselves playing in a bowl game. The season is not over so let’s not act like it is.

I would still rather LOSE A BULLDOG than Win a Gator any day!

Confidence is Contagious

This new found confidence that the Georgia Bulldogs have found is something that I could get used to. This is the team I know and LOVE and it is great to have them back. Confidence is contagious boys - spread it! Since my Bulldogs were on the road, I went home to visit my family. At 7:25 pm my Dad and I realized that CSS was not an option for us. Yes, late planning but we must have been caught up with the Auburn-LSU match up! So we jump in the car, rush to my Grandma’s (to find her watching the game already) and enjoy the rest of the night with her. I usually say that there is no place I would rather watch a game than Sanford Stadium, but this week I can say that there was no other people I would have rather watched it with than my Dad, Mom, and Grandma! My Dad watches Georgia football like we are playing for the Super Bowl each week, call him crazy but I call him a true fan!

Let’s Review

The Offense

Sophomore Washaun Ealey takes the player of the game award this week. He rushed for a career high 27 times for 157 yards while snatching the school record for the most rushing TDs in a game which he now holds at 5! He did a good job at running hard, fast and low and that worked in our favor! Aaron Murray’s arm wasn’t used much but that worked well Saturday. This no turnover streak wins games and will hopefully continue next week! The O-Line did a great job at blocking and allowing Ealey to get through. AJ Green pushed through several UK defensive players to gain 86 yards.

The Defense

Akeem Dent and Justin Houston came fired up and ready to play. Dent dominated with a career high 15 tackles! Houston forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and put up multiple sacks. Sanders Commings got his 3^rd interception of the year and continues to improve. This Todd Grantham defense is setting in and doing so very well! Keep it up D.

Special Teams

After last week, the special teams showed up and showed out with great improvements. Brandon Boykin put up a TD with his 100 yard return (his 4^th career TD return, 3 of which were 100 yards). Drew Butler was a great asset to our dominant field position. Blair Walsh seemed to be slightly off. While he is known for his unwavering consistency he missed his first ever collegiate PAT but only after breaking the school record with 115 PATs last week.

In approximately 96 hours and counting I will be Jacksonville bound. I cannot wait to see the parting of red and orange from the student section! I am a senior so this year as I attend the “World’s Largest Cocktail Party” I will go with a different mindset. Rare I know, but I am not going for the party. I for one am going to watch my Bulldogs dominate inside Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. This will be my last trip as a student, meaning the last time I will get to sit in the student section and most definitely the last time I get a $40 ticket. It is and is going to be GREAT TO BE A GEORGIA BULLDOG!

Forewarning to anyone in “jorts” who attempts to Gator chomp at this girl: SERIOUSLY - DON’T DO IT!

Welcome Uga VIII

In true Homecoming fashion the University of Georgia initiated Uga VIII into the Bulldog Nation on Saturday. I must say he is as good looking as they come and was cheerfully welcomed into his new “home” of Sanford Stadium on Saturday. He attempted to kiss Russ goodbye as he took over his reign as the greatest mascot in college football. Welcome to the family Uga VIII – we are all happy to have you as our new good luck charm. The new Uga slept a lot on Saturday as he got used to his new role. Let’s hope our boys give him something to bark about as the season unfolds!

Let’s Review

The Offense

Aaron Murray completed 15 of 24 passes for a career-high 287 yards. This young QB is proving his potential to be one of the best QBs Georgia has ever seen. I am going on the record now to say he will break many records in the next few years to come. Displaying his ability to perform when truly needed, Washaun Ealey had a great game Saturday as he pulled in a TD and had 17 carries for 123 total yards. Also leading the offense was Carlton Thomas and Kris Durham. Thomas carried for 40 yards and put up 2 TD’s for the Bulldogs while Durham put up a TD and had 4 catches for 112 yards, one catch of which deserves more recognition as he was under a good defensive triple coverage. A.J Green had a 48 yard TD to put even more points on the board for this stellar Georgia offense.

The Defense

With an impressive offensive scoreboard display, more impressive was the number 0. Pulling off a shutout against Vandy on Saturday places more confidence in Todd Gratham’s set-up and style and is to be recognized as an overall defensive victory. Whether you are playing middle school, high school, college or NFL football a shutout is not an easy task-no matter the caliber of your opponent. Holding Vanderbilt to 140 yards offensively and only allowing 1-of-11 3^rd down conversions is the display of a much improved defense and a team determined to succeed.

Justin Houston put pressure on the QB and pulled off a sack, Sanders Cummings put up his 2^nd interception of the year while Akeem Dent recovered the fumble on one of many Commodore mistakes. It is great plays like this that keep your offense on the field, put points of the board, while keeping them off at the same time! Keep in mind that 2 obvious TD’s were called back. Christian Robinson’s fumble recovery and Dent’s end zone recovery (later reviewed and deemed a safety) were also great plays!

Special Teams

Blair Walsh’s consistency was recognized on Saturday when he broke Brandon Coutu’s record of 114 PATs when he put up a consecutive 115 PATs for his career on Saturday. He missed his second FG of the year when he pushed his 31 yard FG attempt slightly right. Counteracting that mishap he completed FGs from the 32 and 25 yard line to help increase the victory gap!

I must touch on the chaos in the SEC this weekend! This Saturday is the perfect example of why I love college football. Absolutely anything can happen during 60 minutes of play. The Bulldogs are back in the SEC East race and a race to the end is exactly what I predict! If you know me personally you will know that I am a pretty opinionated person. My football opinion is nothing I am ever hesitant to share and I will be the first to say that I have confidence that we will play on December 4^th as we represent the SEC East. If this does not happen then feel free to rub it in my face! I could not be more excited for the football season to unfold and I will stay true and cheer for my Bulldogs until the very end! The Bulldogs will prevail. They will impress you. They will finish the drill! Go DAWGS!

And We're Back......

Athens, Ga is arguably one of the most beautiful places to be on a Saturday in October. Okay so maybe I am biased but with perfect weather, good friends and GREAT football…what more could you ask for? The unexpected 41-14 victory over Tennessee was an added bonus. I don’t think anyone predicted that our Bulldogs would prevail with such magnitude. It was a great day to be a Georgia Bulldog!

Let’s Review

The Offense

Aaron Murray would easily take player of the week in my opinion! It’s nice to have a QB who is not afraid to run the ball and one who can so powerfully. To take an early lead, Murray ran in a 35 yard TD. Murray’s ability to escape under pressure and still put up points is what makes him such a key asset to our program! And just think….he will be around for a while! Murray completed 17 of 25 passes for 266 yards. The O-Line still let a few defenders through to Murray but in general showed much improvements! AJ Green continues to impress-his double coverage catch and TD always puts us in a better position. I have said before that you lose together and you win together and I saw an offense that was determined to win and win as a team. Rantavious Wooten and Shaun Chapas also put points up and totaled the offense at 5 TD’s for the day! Assisting, Aron White and Orson Charles together brought about 76 yards and really stepped up this week!

The Defense

A much improved defensive line was also a key element to our victory. Their early stop on Tennessee’s offense brought about a great team morale and forced UT to punt-giving us good field position. I feel like UT took a good look at our past game footage and instead of learning from it they decided to imitate it – not the best choice. As a result of their turnovers we put up 17 points. Snagging those turnovers were Vance Cuff’s tip and Bacari Rambo’s interception, while Derek Owens and Blake Sailors recovered UT fumbles-way to look out boys. Twelve tackles for Akeem Dent tied his career-high for the second week in a row! Brandon Boykin is always a true asset anywhere on the field and he continues to play with force and impact whether he is blocking passes or just playing great coverage! There were still a few missed opportunities but an overall enormous improvement was displayed by this Georgia defense.

Special Teams

Blair Walsh successfully completed 2 field goals from 42 and 20 yards. While he is always appreciated it was good to see a game where he was not the only one putting points on the board!

Keep in mind that Tennessee did not display the greatest effort on the field and that worked in our favor; however, we have played mediocre teams this season who have handed us an upsetting season- so it was great to see a turnaround!

Prevailing over Tennessee this weekend was exactly what this football team and their supporters needed. There are still many games to be played and still many opportunities to snag. We need to use the next two games as preparation for Florida. With unreal upsets in the SEC this weekend, Alabama and Florida losses, it will be interesting to see how things play out. If you are or know of one of those fair weather fans that I like to address, I am assuming you will be back to supporting Mark Richt after this week. Whether it was the all week full pads-full contact practices, Richt’s decision to lead his team into Sanford Stadium, or the overall team consensus that they were determined to get better…all the above worked and worked well! There was no greater sound than hearing the victory bell rung on Saturday afternoon in Athens! It had been a while since I had heard that sound and it was truly music to my ears!

Football and Life

As I reflect on the season thus far, I still feel as though it can’t be real. I will gladly admit that I was wrong in my prediction that we would win the East this year and I will be the first to say that it is simply not our season. We, Bulldog Nation, can try to search for answers to this less than mediocre season and try to make excuses for the losing streak, but at the end of the day none of that is worth our time or effort. In everything in life there are lessons to be learned. I believe God allows us to experience certain things in order to prepare us for what He has planned for our future. That beings said, I still believe that there are great things in store for the Bulldogs future!

Maybe the simple answer for all of you who are so worked up is that there is more to life than football. Yes, I said it! While it seems like football is everything on Saturdays, the truth is…it isn’t. At the end of the game of football and life it is not about whether you win or lose but how you played the game. Mark Richt doesn’t deserve your criticism but rather a thank you. In a world dominated by evil he has chosen to lead in a Godly, respectable manner that should be applauded. Coach Richt, thank you for making me proud to be a Georgia Bulldog. There is still one unwavering fact; he is one of the greatest football coaches this school has ever seen. Just quit with the criticism already and again I add---if you think you can put forth a better effort then quit your day job and go for it!

Aaron Murray continued to play well and demonstrate his potential. Having A.J. Green back was indeed a great asset. His abilities do seem supernatural at times (ranking in as the no. 1 play on sports center.) Green had 7 catches for 119 yard including 2 TD’s. While Caleb King did unfortunately fumble when winning was in sight, he had some really good moments. Everyone did. For the first time since the season opener I felt the offense did a really good job at moving the ball down the field as a group. Look at the last attempt to get points on the board. Murray goes from T. King to C. King to Chapas back to C. King. I for one saw a group effort from everyone to try and pull out a win. The ability is there…mistakes simply continue to prevail.

Defense is the same story. Some really good moments along with some missed opportunities. To keep with the optimism I saw some really good solo stops. Vance Cuff, Akeem Dent, and Brandon Boykin pulled out some great hits! There were many more highs and lows but you guys stood out to me!

Let it be known that I felt compelled to write my post a little differently this week due to an unfortunate experience I had while watching the game at Loco’s in Athens. As the game came to an end and mistakes were made, a young guy sitting behind me proceeded to find it necessary to yell a racial slur aloud regarding Caleb King. Without repeating his ignorant statement I will leave you with this: It’s not football I am worried about, its humanity. The fact that anyone feels they can degrade another human being by the color of their skin is something that I will never be able to understand. I responded to this guys comment to make him aware that I found it disrespectful. However, at the end of the day, I am not trying to change the world I am just trying to make it known that the world will not change me! Maybe if we took the passion that we share for the game we love and applied it to something we find more important, perhaps the world would be a better place. As always, Go Dawgs!