War Tigers show true colors

The age old story of football in the south -win at all cost- was evident in Saturday’s match up. Auburn’s classless display of sportsmanship adds to my bucket list of reasons as to why I don’t like them! I am not blaming Auburn for being excited in their win (I would be too); I am however stating the fact that Nick Fairley is a distasteful football player who should be reviewed by the NCAA. Football is a contact sport and an emotional one at that but this is not the first time that Fairley has been known to play “dirty”.

Despite the loss the Dawgs had some amazing moments during this SEC rival game and gave the War Tigers a run that no one truly expected. A.J. Green showed up and showed out with a career-high 9 catches for 164 yards and 2 TDs. A 1^st half dominating force when you add in FRESHMAN Aaron Murray who bolted those passes down field to Green. Auburn may have Newton this year but we have Murray for many years to come. His accuracy was incredible on several down field passes and his ability to stay mostly calm under a forceful Auburn defense is to be recognized.

More records broken include Brandon Boykin who now holds Georgia’s record for kickoff return yards marking it with 1,655 yards. Bacarri Rambo was able to snag another interception this week and Justin Houston put up some great hits! I am proud of my Bulldogs and their ability to play hard against this top ranked team.

Do I think this game could have easily ended differently? Yes. I think that it was all down-hill after Auburn’s onside kick. Auburn taking the lead after the half when we expected to get the ball was a huge difference in the game for the War Tigers. I think that their 1-yard TD dive was a fumble before the goal line, despite the on field ruling. But like it or not things did not go differently and Auburn was the better team.

As Mark Richt said in his post-game press conference “football is a bottom line game and the bottom line is we are 5-6 right now”. All the Dawgs can do is take this bye week to rest & prepare to beat Tech so we will be bowl eligible!

Lastly, as far as Cam Newton is concerned - there is no denying that he is a phenomenal football player who dominates his opponents in several facets of the game. Ever since allegations have been made against him I have been confused about two things. One regards the “hearsay” allegations involving his father, and the other regarding Florida leaking private information. Regardless of the fact of whether or not the “cheating/stealing” accusations are true or not, it was two years ago and he suffered the consequences…move on and quit looking for a reason to deem him “un-Heisman” worthy. I don’t know him personally and I don’t know if the allegations are true, but that is just it - I don’t know so I’m not going to condone the whole “Scam Newton” name calling. Remember Bulldog Nation, Auburn is supposed to be the one’s lacking class…not us!

Preparation for Domination

A combination of the continual early kickoffs and the chilly temps kept many Georgia fans away, but it did not stop this Georgia team from dominating on the field. The Bulldogs 55-7 win over Idaho State is just what they needed going into next week’s battle. This game was as close to a bye-week as you can imagine and I am hoping it served as preparation for next week’s domination!

Let’s Review

The Offense

The Georgia offense had a slow start but when the 2^nd quarter rolled around the Dawgs brought the heat and it was much needed on this chilly November day. The Bulldogs scored 35 points in the second quarter alone marking the most points scored in one quarter since 1988 against William & Mary. Aaron Murray completed 19 of 27 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns while Carlton Thomas led with 14 carries for 64 yards. Offensive touchdowns were made across the board by Caleb King, AJ Green, Bruce Figgins, and Shaun Chapas.

Richt replaced his starting lineup after the half and gave some young and old players some great play time. Hutson Mason may have only completed 3 of 8 passes for 41 yards but the experience he gained is valuable and that is what these type of games are about.

The Defense

Georgia’s defense put two touchdowns on the board while another interception set up a scoring drive. Bacarri Rambo snagged an interception and ran 39 yards for a touchdown. Brandon Boykin grabbed another interception, which set the offense up for 7 points, and Vance Cuff took one home when he caught the 3rd interception of the day, which he ran 30 yards in for the touchdown. I just hope the defense can repeat these interceptions next week. Alec Ogletree made his defensive debut and got a good tip on an early punt resulting in great Georgia field position. Ogletree also made a big tackle and proved to be a strong asset for the Bulldogs future. Ogletree, and brother Alexander, are one of 3 sets of brothers on the roster this year along with Josh and Blake Sailors, and Aaron and Josh Murray.

Special Teams

Blair Walsh tied his career long field goal with another 53 yarder while also completing a 38 yarder in the 1^st quarter. Drew Butler averaged 42 yards on punts while Walsh averaged 67 yards on kickoffs. This duo continues to be a key asset for the Bulldogs overall.

The Dawgs will enter next week’s game 5-5 for the season and need to win one of the next two games in order to be bowl eligible. I say win them both! Next week they face their oldest SEC rival – the Auburn Tigers/ War Eagles (they are slightly confused about their mascot so I like to refer to them as the War Tigers.) Our defense will be the key to having the possibility to beat the War Tigers. That along with no interceptions, fumbles, and a good running game! Cam Newton IS their team and if our defense can get the pressure on Newton then I believe we have a shot. This would be a season upset and I have faith the Dawgs can bring home a victory!

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!

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!

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.