SB Nation - Keith Marshall

Monday Dawg Bites: September 24, 2012

vineyarddawg — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:00:54 -0000

(Reminder: The New SB Nation United format is coming out soon. If you haven't heard about it, you can learn more here. )

Good morning, Dawg fans! I can not believe how fast the season zooms by. Just think, this Saturday will be our fifth game. And in addition, after this Saturday, we won't have any more home games until November. Think about that. We will have already run through our "gauntlet" of Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida by then, so by the next time we play in Sanford Stadium, we will basically know whether or not Georgia will win the SEC East. It boggles the mind.

At any rate, I'm not here to say maudlin things and gripe about how stuff goes too dang fast nowadays... that's old-man blogging. I'm here to update you on the news stories relevant to the Dawgs and college football in general this lovely Monday. These are your Monday Dawg Bites:

Dawg News

- In case you missed it, Tavarres King called Todd Gurley "Herschel-ish" after the Vandy game, which I disagreed with in my weekly On Notice post. Actually, I might have let it go if Tavarres had called him "Herschel-icious" instead.

- In news that's not exactly earth-shattering, Malcolm Mitchell is happy to be getting more touches on both sides of the ball. Yeah, about that, Malcolm... that number won't keep going up if you play on special teams like you did Saturday. (We need you more on offense, anyway.)

- Seth Emerson says Georgia is through the gauntlet of its schedule. Hmm... he seems to have a different definition of "gauntlet" then I do. Though it might be accurate to say they've run the first gauntlet, and now comes the next gauntlet.

- I actually kind of like how the Red & Black is wringing its hands over the fact that Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall might be too good, 'cause that might mess up recruiting for other running backs. That's keepin' it Munson, right there.

- Georgia is now a solid #5 in both polls this week. Of course, neither Lou Holtz nor Mark May have Georgia in their personal top 15, but if we ever play somebody this century, they'll get back to you. /narrative'd

- The guys at Leather Helmet Blog are funny. (Hooray, Schadenfreude!)

- The ongoing saga of the recruitment of Mill Creek DE Kelsey Griffin is... well, ongoing. The rumor and hearsay that I will irresponsibly pass along (woooo blogging!) is that Griffin "committed," but there had been a miscommunication somewhere, because Georgia had not yet officially offered him a scholarship. So, in essence, he committed to be at Georgia even if he had to be a walk-on. Certainly that wasn't his intention, so he had to back off until (and if) UGA does actually offer him a scholarship. All indications are that this was just a miscommunication, and Georgia's scholarship offer will eventually be forthcoming, at which time Griffin is likely to commit again. (We hope.)

- I will not be talking about Georgia's women's soccer team and their weekend exploits. Nope. Nada. I would, however, like to include this wonderful Toffee-licious link. (Warning: Kicky-ball content. And it's about a team that's probably better than yours right now.)

Other Miscellany

- Turnover margin often decides a game, doesn't it? Well, here's the turnover margin chart for every Division I-A team, updated through Saturday's games. I find neither the top teams nor the bottom teams surprising. (Whew, pig stinky! And War Damn Fumble.)

- And while we're talking about statistics, here's one that should be slightly more surprising for you: Who is the current national leader in total defense? Whatever you said, you were probably wrong. Believe it or not, it's the Fightin' Tommy Tubervilles from Lubbock. Son, Mike Leach is disappoint.

- I ain't normally one to kick a man when he's down, but Johnelle. Oh, my word, Johnelle.

- Ladies and Gentlemen, the residents of New Orleans. (Presented without additional comment.)

Have a good Monday, Dawg fans!

Go Dawgs!

You're On Notice, Dawg! Week 5

vineyarddawg — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 21:00:11 -0000

(Reminder: The New SB Nation United format is coming out soon. If you haven't heard about it, you can learn more here. )

Hi, I'm ~~Troy McClure~~ Vineyarddawg! You might remember me from such "On Notice" posts as last week, and the week before that! I'll just bet you're thinking that, with a beat-down like that in a game that was aching for a beat-down, there's no possible way I can be "Larry Munson-esque" in my pessimism about last night. Well, you've got some nerve, mister. Besides, you're wrong!

Historically, under Mark Richt, we play, on average, one game every year where everything goes "just right" and we blow the doors off of our opponent in a beautiful, glorious beatdown. Last night was that game for 2012... and we didn't really need to play that perfectly to beat Vanderbilt. We wasted our "perfect day," and we still have to play Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida over our next 4 games. I'm calling it right now: we need to be on "upset alert" this week as the Vols come rollin' into town. After a beautiful showing like that, we are ripe for a letdown against a Volunteer team who isn't as bad as you're thinking they are.

But let's be honest, there's just not much with which to find fault this week. This was a glorious game, and seeing James Franklin's bitchface over and over again on my DVR'd TV replay was cathartic and wonderful. The only thing that was missing was a quote from Todd Grantham after the game saying, "No, there are no hard feelings between me and James Franklin. We buried the hatchet. In his head."

Therefore, I had to branch out a little bit in letting the following people know that, for Week 5, You're On Notice, Dawg! In no particular order:

1) Michael Adams - Why Michael Adams? Because he's a jerk, has stolen money from and is a disaster for University, and everybody that has ever worked with him hates him. Plus, I have it from a very authoritative source inside the UGA administration that he was overheard saying to someone prior to this week's game, "Sure, I'll be happy to Volunteer for that." What a jerk.

2) The Goalposts - Don't be mad, bros. I know you guys have scored 3 PAT's for us in the last 4 games. But I also know that you're going to turn against us at exactly the wrong time one of these days, and someone not dressed in red and black is probably going to tear you down because of it. Just be warned. It's in your best interest to keep helping us out, alright?

3) People who are continuing to say that Todd Gurley is the next Herschel Walker - As I said in the week 2 version of "On Notice," it really doesn't bother me that much that I have to keep putting these people on notice, because it means that Todd Gurley is good. Damn good. But Todd Gurley is not the Goal Line Stalker. No one is like Herschel, and no one ever again will be. And folks seem to be completely ignoring Keith Marshall, who is a beast in his own right. Gurley might be better than Marshall, but it's only by a very small margin. Both of them are big-time players.

Todd Gurley is the next Robert Edwards, or possibly the next Garrison Hearst. And I'm extremely happy about that fact. In fact, I even tweeted #RunLikeAGurl last night. But he is not the next Herschel.

It's possible that the amount of greatness in this picture just broke your computer. I do apologize about that. (Photo credit: Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

4) Fans leaving at halftime - Or, for that matter, let's also include fans who leave before the 4th quarter. Look, people, even if you're a season ticket holder, you only get 6 chances in an entire year to see the Georgia Bulldogs play in Sanford Stadium. And during one of those games, you're taking an SEC team out behind the woodshed and pounding on them like they were a red-headed stepchild. So, you get bored and decide to leave? Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

I can understand if it's FAU or Buffalo, but this was the beat-down of a whiny jerk that needed to be beaten down. I can even understand leaving when the game well in-hand in the 4th quarter after we put in the backups, since it's a late night game and some folks have long drives back home. But to leave at halftime en masse?? I mean, damn, why did you even come to the game? Unless you have a medical or urgent family issue that requires your attention, you should never, ever leave at halftime. Ever.

Besides, when you leave early, you miss FRANKLINDANCE! (Photo credit: Daniel Shirey-US Presswire)

5) The Pac-12 Network - Ok, like I said, I'm having to branch out a little bit on this edition of "On Notice." And as I read the propaganda issued by both sides of the conflict between the Pac-12 Network and DirecTV, I find myself coming down squarely on the side of DirecTV.

From reading the information that has come out about this disagreement that has kept the P12N off of DTV, it seems that the sticking point is whether or not the P12N will be included with the base DTV subscriber package or as part of the "Sports Pack" that DTV offers.

I'm sure the difference between the two numbers is signficant for the P12N, but their position makes absolutely no sense. The Sports Pack on DTV already includes the Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, NBC Sports Network, and every other peripheral sports channel that appeals primarily only to sports fans and not the general world at large (including every Fox Sports affiliate in the country). So why would the P12N insist on being treated like ESPN, which is the only sports channel(s) DTV does include in its basic subscriber lineup?

The Pac-12 Network is being greedy and short-sighted, in my opinion, and I hope DirecTV sticks to their guns. I pay for the Sports Pack if I want all the sports channels. The Pac-12 Network is a sports channel. What's the problem here, other than "No, we want the money from ERRBODY, not just people who want the sports channels?"

I'm not going to urge the Pac-12 to stop being greedy, because I really don't care if their network ever gets onto DirecTV or not. I just hope DirecTV wins, however it works out.

Sorry, coach. I know you really wanted to see the Pac-12 network and scout out whether or not you want your next coaching job to be bringing culture change to Colorado, U-Dub, or possibly Utah. You're just going to have to wait for now, though. (Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey-US Presswire)

6) Ty Frix - Sorry, big guy. You're a Damn Good Dawg, but you're also basically the only person on the entire team that made a mistake last night. The snap on that botched PAT was too high, and even though the holder could have caught it, the snap was still slightly above eye-level. One bad snap in four years isn't exactly an egregious issue, though.

7) Mama Dooley - I know you have an innate need to support your son, especially since he's in the "getting the resume ready" portion of his current job, but I'm just telling you now, Mrs. Dooley. Don't wear that puke orange into Sanford Stadium. Just don't do it. You won't be quite as unwelcome as Will Muschamp, since you're not technically turning your backs on us, but we don't forget. (Please don't tell Pat Summitt I got onto you, though. She scares me.)

Though I will admit that if you come to the game dressed like this, some of us might just love you forever. (Photo credit: Bradley Leeb-US Presswire)

8) Students with tickets - I actually see progress being made on this front. I'll give full credit to the administration for taking some student tickets and selling them to the public for each of the past 2 weeks. And because of that, the upper deck has looked slightly less empty. But only slightly. And as long as the student sections are, by an order of magnitude, the emptiest sections of the stadium, the students will keep getting put on notice.

Finally, the role of the appropriately-named "Sir Not Appearing in this Article" is being played this week by pretty much everybody on the team that I didn't name. Note that this includes General ~~Curtis~~ Christian LeMay, who played multiple snaps without either throwing an interception or fumbling! That's a step up, General, sir!

That was a great game to be a Bulldog fan, and it showed real progress that we could pound a team that deserved a pounding. We need to keep the ball rolling this week against Tennessee, who will put up a much stiffer challenge. Fans, make sure you show up early, cheering the team on as loudly as you can... and for pete's sake, it's only a 3:30 kickoff, so stay for the whole game!

Go Dawgs!

SEC East First Quarter Report

Year2 — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:00:35 -0000

See also the SEC West first quarter report.

FLORIDA

Well, let's see. The Gators won their first two SEC games on the road, which is always a good thing when you can get it. After entering the season with a quarterback controversy, Jeff Driskel has taken firm control of the position and is getting better each week. Players who did little in the past due to lack of opportunity (Mike Gillislee) or just not playing well (Frankie Hammond, Jr.) are making big plays on offense. The defense is also getting better over time, particularly with its second half dominance. The optimist's case for the Gators in 2012 has been playing itself out so far.

GEORGIA

Yes, the Bulldogs do get a riser score despite coming in as the favorite and remaining so today. Most importantly, they answered the question of whether Isaiah Crowell could be replaced with an emphatic "yes". Freshmen Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall has been spectacular so far, Gurley in particular. His lowest yards per carry rate for any game is 6.5 against Missouri, and he already has a kickoff return for a touchdown on the young season. Running back was the one glaring question mark for the team, but it doesn't look like one anymore. Plus after a slow start, UGA dispatched Missouri with a late surge to take its first SEC game with a measure of authority. It's all been good so far.

SOUTH CAROLINA

The Gamecocks are 3-0, which is certainly better than the alternatives, but it's been a messy road to get there. The win over Vanderbilt in Week 1 was about as ugly as they come. There could be a legit quarterback controversy brewing with Connor Shaw's health issues and Dylan Thompson's good play. Then again Thompson's best work has come against cupcakes, while he didn't look too good against Vandy. Nothing ever seems that it comes easy for this program, and the 2012 season has been no exception so far. They're not a faller with the clean record so far, but they're not a riser either.

MISSOURI

Mizzou has done everything right so far. They demolished their cupcake, they hung in there (or better) against Georgia for three quarters, and they gave the conference a win over the Pac-12 by beating Arizona State (with the backup quarterback, no less). Faurot Field has been packed, which is more than can be said for several other league venues, and the atmosphere for the UGA game was positively electric. A win over the Bulldogs would have definitely given them a rising grade, and a win over South Carolina would do that if we did a First Third Report. For now, they've been what we thought they were.

VANDERBILT

A 1-2 start feels disappointing after last year's 3-0 beginning, but that's entirely an artifact of the schedule. The team easily could have won the opener against South Carolina, and losing on the road to what looks like a pretty good Northwestern team is no shame to this squad. A bowl is still perfectly attainable against what's left on the slate, and that is ultimately the focus of the season. If the Commodores keep their heads up through the upcoming rough stretch, they can still finish where they want to.

TENNESSEE

Expectations for the Vols seemed to ramp up as the offseason went along. They started off as a sure bounce back team, and by August, they were everyone's trendy SEC East sleeper pick. I really am not sure if this team truly deserves this faller's grade given the total body of work, but does anyone still think about the opening win over NC State anymore? The disastrous second half against Florida seems to have drowned all else out. It was so bad, Tyler Bray didn't even bother to watch the film. The offense completely melted down, the defense allowed big play after big play, and it all unfolded in front of the first home sellout in four years. UT flat-out failed its first major test of the season.

KENTUCKY

Everyone knew to get ready for a modest season from this Wildcats team, but losing to Western Kentucky is worse than certainly I thought would happen, at least. The team was also barely competitive against Louisville, which is a good team but isn't up there with the best of the SEC. The team is first in the conference in passing yards per game so far, but teams that fall behind tend to throw it a lot. This is not an encouraging start to the year.

Monday Morning Dawg Bites - 'Machine Gun' Edition

hailtogeorgia — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:13:48 -0000

Good morning, Dawg People. Here we are on our fourth game-week Monday of the season, and our second game-week against a legitimate (read: SEC) opponent. This week, though, is a little different than our SEC-opening game week a fortnight ago. Regardless of how you feel about weapons, if you've ever fired one, I think you'll agree that there aren't too many feelings more liberating than the feeling you get when firing one. Two weeks ago, we were looking forward to seeing how our defense would fare against a high-powered spread offense led by one James Franklin. This week, here's to hoping that, by the end of the game, our defense has been able to thoroughly dismantle a Vanderbilt team led by a different James Franklin (a much pricklier one), and that they're feeling as liberated as if they'd just taken out the Commodores with a machine gun. After this week's (now apropos) musical selection, jump on down and catch up on what's going on in the Bulldog Nation...

In case you were out of pocket yesterday, you missed a content-packed Sunday here at Dawg Sports. First, DavetheDawg shared his fifteen thoughts for the week with us. Following that, The Mayor offered his take on the FAU game, letting us know that the Owls were not what they seemed. Finally, vineyarddawg let us all know who's on notice for the week, and it was nice to see that the students actually were not included!

Sticking with game recaps, Senator Blutarsky offered his observations on the game, and noted that the Dawgs actually ran a pistol set at one point. Say what you will about Bobo, but in two straight weeks, we've seen the Dawgs use a four wide set as well as a pistol...this is not your same old vanilla UGA offense we've seen in years past.

Following up on that, Bluto also brought our attention to little nugget in a Bruce Feldman article about the Stanford/USC game, where an 18 year old Stanford fan let Lane Kiffin know just where he stands with her. Hey, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Marc Weiszer has an article about the tensions that may be running high during the game this week. Just so I get this straight, Richt admits that the Dawgs will be motivated, as did Sanders Commings, but with Grantham, it's business as usual? If you're willing to buy that, there's a George Strait song I'd like to play for you.

Daniel Kramer writes a nice piece about the impact of Georgia's two true freshmen running backs. I think it's still a little premature to fully buy in on the hype with these two, but they're certainly showing a lot of promise, and they're saying all the right things. Gurley's quote, in particular, "You never know, but I might not be here next year. It's all about taking it one game at a time." is perfect. Think these guys didn't learn a thing or two from the experiences of one Isaiah Crowell? Think again.

Finally, Chris Starrs may have the line of the week from Mark Richt, who noted that Aaron Murray 'really delivered the mail' in his performance against the Owls. This makes me picture Aaron Murray playing the role of the paper deliver in the old video game 'Paper Boy'. Ah, nostalgia. Anyway, Murray's slow starts have been lamented this season, so it was definitely nice to see him come out firing accurately. Let's all cross our fingers that his hot hand continues this week.

Happy Monday, everyone, and, as always...Go Dawgs!

Georgia Bulldogs 56, Florida Atlantic Owls 20: The Owls Were Not What They Seemed

T Kyle King — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 20:50:06 -0000

Before the game began, Russ at long last was given his due: Michael Adams performed the ceremonial collaring that transformed a longtime interim mascot officially into Uga IX. Thus acknowledged, his royal highness immediately turned his back on the camera filming his coronation, filling the Sanford Stadium scoreboard with the image of his big brown buttocks and the confirmation that no gender ambiguity impairs the latest in the distinguished line. The tone for the evening had been set.

After Jarvis Jones made his only appearance of the evening during the coin toss, Marshall Morgan got the proceedings underway with a 65-yard kickoff for a touchback, but the crowd was given cause for concern when the lowly Florida Atlantic Owls converted three third downs in the course of a 46-yard drive. Though the visitors’ opening possession culminated in a fumble forced by Chase Vasser and recovered by Malcolm Mitchell, FAU would convert nine of 19 third downs in the course of a contest in which it felt as though Todd Grantham’s vaunted defense never truly put the clamps down on an Owl offense it ought to have manhandled.

Fortunately, the offense came to play, opening with a Rantavious Wooten end-around that went for 24 yards and carried the Georgia Bulldogs into Florida Atlantic territory on the home team’s initial offensive snap. In went Christian LeMay for a change-of-pace play, picking up five yards with his legs. Following another first down, Todd Gurley tore off 21 of his 111 rushing yards on a ten-carry day, then Aaron Murray found Chris Conley for 13 yards to the one. Murray sneaked it over the goal line for the score, and Morgan made it 7-0.

The Owls’ Graham Wilbert continued to find success in the passing game, particularly on the perimeter, and the visitors converted another third down on their second possession before being forced to punt. Back came the Bulldog O, as Murray connected with Arthur Lynch for pickups of 17 and 20 yards before FAU forced the fumble that set the Floridians up at midfield. On another third down, Damian Fortner gashed the Georgia defense on a touchdown scamper that netted 43 of the visitors’ 135 rushing yards.

The deadlock lasted for 79 seconds. Starting at their own six yard line, the Classic City Canines continued to rip off yardage in chunks, gaining 20 yards on a Keith Marshall run before flying down the field on receptions by Marlon Brown for 34 yards, Michael Bennett for ten, and Tavarres King for 28. Marshall finished off the rapid-fire march with a two-yard touchdown plunge. Undaunted, the Owls overcame another third-down scenario using Wilbert’s 48-yard hookup with William Dukes to put Florida Atlantic in position to snarl the score once more.

A 22-yard rush by Gurley went to waste when the ensuing drive ended in a punt, and the assemblage began to become concerned, not that the Red and Black would be bested by Florida Atlantic, but that FAU would prove to be the new Buffalo Bulls. 2012, after all, appeared to be shaping up to be the year the patsies struck back against the SEC; on the same day that the Bulldogs found themselves tied in the second period with the suddenly unstoppable Owls, the LSU Tigers were playing much the same game against the winless Idaho Vandals, the Auburn Tigers were being taken to overtime by the very same ULM Warhawks who a week earlier took down the Arkansas Razorbacks, and the Kentucky Wildcats were being beaten in OT by the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

Fortunately, what followed were perhaps the best back-to-back series for the Bulldogs of the night. Florida Atlantic went three and out, then Georgia marched 67 yards on eight running plays. Marshall kick-started the drive by darting 28 yards, and his 17-yard pickup on third and one set up first and goal. Another Murray sneak put the Red and Black out in front for good, and, when Georgia got the ball back with 2:33 remaining in the first half, Murray found Bennett for a 67-yard touchdown strike to give the host squad some breathing room at the break.

On the opening possession of the third quarter, Murray again completed a pass to Bennett, this time for 29 yards. Later in the same drive, the Bulldogs faced third and nine in FAU territory, but Lynch hauled in a 36-yard reception that, upon further review, properly was counted as a touchdown. The completion gave Murray his second passing score to match his two rushing TDs en route to a career-best evening on which he hooked up on 14 of 19 aerials for 342 yards.

The Georgia signal caller’s Florida Atlantic counterpart succeeded in passing for 183 yards on 18 completions out of 33 attempts, but Wilbert tossed a trio of incompletions on the next Owl possession, so Murray quickly went back to work, hitting King for a 25-yard gain. Marshall took the ‘Dawgs down to the FAU 38 on three rushes as part of his 104-yard night, then Gurley covered the remaining ground on a run to paydirt.

A Jamie Lindley touchback, three FAU plays netting nine yards, and an Owl punt later, Mitchell trotted onto the field with the offense. The receiver-turned-defensive-back was the only option Murray considered, and Mitchell rewarded his quarterback’s confidence with a 49-yard reception. Murray added an 18-yard run of his own on third and 15 to extend a drive that carried the Bulldogs inside the Florida Atlantic ten yard line, but Murray got greedy and threw an interception in the end zone instead of throwing the ball away on second down.

Bulldog Nation’s collective anguish at this turn of events lasted all of one snap, as Amarlo Herrera picked off Wilbert and took the interception across the goal line for the 35-yard return that made it 49-14 in favor of the Red and Black. The Owls thereafter turned it over on downs, and LeMay picked up where Murray left off by completing a 43-yard pass to Justin Scott-Wesley to start the touchdown drive that made the margin 42 points. FAU went three and out, and the Athenians appeared to be on cruise control until LeMay threw the interception that closed out the scoring and made the final margin 56-20.

The Georgia D had two guys back, Sanders Commings and Chase Vasser, but still there were three guys out, including Jarvis Jones, who proved his worth from the sidelines in the same way Peyton Manning had his excellence demonstrated by the way the Indianapolis Colts collapsed when he was injured. Two of Florida Atlantic’s three scores were the direct result of Bulldog turnovers, and the defense surrendered no points in the second half, but the third-down conversions are worrisome, as is the Classic City Canines’ evident vulnerability on the perimeter. In Todd we trust, yet still Georgia has been victimized for 20 or more points in five straight games.

It is difficult to find too much fault with the offense on a night on which Georgia gained more yards than in any other game in school history, but the turnover and the time of possession disparities ought not to be overlooked. Aaron Murray was sharp from the get-go, seven Bulldogs caught passes, and the Red and Black appeared as adept at kicking plays to the outside on offense as the defense often appeared inept at stopping such plays by the opposition, but the Bulldogs’ penchant for big plays recalled a criticism Vince Dooley had of his team after the Classic City Canines clobbered the Clemson Tigers in 1976.

Following his team’s 41-0 Bicentennial victory over the Fort Hill Felines, Coach Dooley remarked that reserve quarterback Tony Flanagan led Georgia’s only sustained drive of the day. This was so because of a 73-yard option keeper by Ray Goff, a 21-yard Matt Robinson run, a 25-yard Willie McClendon dash, an 85-yard Gene Washington reception, and a 36-yard Steve Davis catch on five separate scoring drives. Likewise, the defense last night might have benefited from a few more possessions, like the run-heavy march highlighted above, that consumed time as well as distance.

This weekend has been a busy one for my family and me, so I had occasion to traverse I-75 through downtown Atlanta earlier this afternoon, passing by the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology one day after the Yellow Jackets defeated the Virginia Cavaliers by the selfsame score by which the Bulldogs bested the Owls who were at their most lively after dark. The upper right-hand quadrant of the Engineers’ matrix board beside the highway was out of order, which caused me a chuckle at the alleged math whizzes’ expense.

The metaphor, though, was hard to ignore, as the Georgia football team, like the Georgia Tech electronic billboard, is largely functional yet just slightly off. The Alabama Crimson Tide are the No. 1 team in the country for the simple reason that they play their best in all three phases of the game for 60 minutes every Saturday. The Georgia Bulldogs are this close to being that good, but they aren’t there yet, partly because we have not seen the full starting lineup take the field together, but mostly because the Classic City Canines just can’t seem to play that elusive complete game. Can you imagine what the ‘Dawgs would look like if the defense we saw against the Missouri Tigers appeared in the same game as the offense we saw against the Florida Atlantic Owls? I’m looking forward to seeing that some Saturday this season, but it hasn’t happened yet. Until it does, Bulldog Nation will continue to hold its collective breath and grouse about 36-point victories that were harder than they had to be.

Go ‘Dawgs!

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Georgia Bulldogs v. Florida Atlantic Owls: Too Much Information

T Kyle King — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 00:44:58 -0000

Was just looking through Florida Atlantic's media guide. Looks to me as if FAU's most famous alum is Carrot Top (Who I met once. Nice dude)
— David Ching (@ESPNChing) September 13, 2012

It seems like only yesterday I was previewing this game, yet here it is, the day before the Georgia Bulldogs’ nighttime showdown with the Florida Atlantic Owls between the hedges. Though FAU probably doesn’t deserve such thorough treatment, I am contractually obligated to offer you a pregame breakdown that provides you not with a dollop of data, nor with a modicum of minutiae, but, instead, with Too Much Information, so sit back, sip on a Malcome in the Middle, hum a few bars of "The Tiger Hotel," and find out whether the Owls are, in fact, what they seem:

Odds and Ends

You want to see some old man football? How ‘bout this: Florida Atlantic ranks ninth in the ten-member Sun Belt, and 98th nationally, against the run. The Owls concede 213 yards per game on the ground, as opposed to a Sun Belt runner-up 134.5 yards per outing given up through the air. This will be a good game to run the danged ball. I want to see everyone get some carries. Todd Gurley. Ken Malcome. Keith Marshall. Merritt Hall. Richard Samuel. Branden Smith. Kyle Karempelis. Heisman prankster Herschel Walker. Me. ~~Surprisingly sexy ‘70s Barbra Streisand in less than subtle evening wear~~. I want every eligible ballcarrier to tote the rock at least once on Saturday. In 1964, the first edition of Vince Dooley’s ‘Dawgs defeated the Florida Gators in a game in which the Georgia quarterback did not complete a single pass; I’d be just fine if that same thing happened again tomorrow night.

With last Saturday’s win over Missouri, Mark Richt’s Bulldog squads improved to 32-12 in night games. The fact that this weekend’s outing also is kicking off after dark raises a question, however: How often has Georgia played a non-conference night game between the hedges against a visiting team from outside what today are considered the major conferences? Yes, I actually ask those sorts of questions.

It’s happened more often than you probably think. During the war years of 1943 and 1944, the Bulldogs played nine straight night games in Sanford Stadium. (I’m not sure precisely why that is, but it may have had something to do with Eastern War Time. From February 1942 to September 1945, areas adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean remained on daylight savings time year-round in order to avoid disorienting time changes for the soldiers and sailors defending the home front against German submarines actively operating off of the East Coast. After the clocks farther inland had “fallen back,” the time in the Classic City was an hour later than it was in Atlanta, and the fact that Athens was considered a part of the battle zone by the military may have influenced kickoff times as a public safety measure.)

During those two wartime seasons, Georgia hosted night games against Daniel Field, Howard, Presbyterian (thrice; twice in 1943 and once in 1944), and Tennessee Tech. Furman came to the Classic City for evening contests in 1947 and 1949, and Chattanooga also appeared between the hedges after dark in the latter season. George Washington---the university, not the president---played a night game in Sanford Stadium in 1951, as did Utah State in 1999 and Georgia Southern in 2000. The ‘Dawgs went 12-0 in those dozen home nightcaps against visiting patsies, with five of the victories coming by shutout and six of the remaining seven seeing the opposition held to seven or fewer points.

FAU is putrid offensively. Through two games, the Owls are averaging a Sun Belt-worst 12 points, have yet to score a rushing touchdown, have come away with points only on half of their league-low six red zone trips, and have only one player managing more than 21 yards per game on the ground. (Running back Damian Fortner and quarterback Graham Wilbert both have accomplished the feat, if you could call it that, of averaging 21 rushing yards per game, and tailback Martese Jackson, after rushing for nearly 100 yards in the opener against Wagner, did not receive a handoff in last weekend’s tilt with Middle Tennessee State.) Out of 124 Division I-A teams, Florida Atlantic has succeeded only in staking out a three-way tie for 114th place in the country in scoring offense, and the Owls turn the ball over an average of three times per game. This is Todd Grantham’s best opportunity to notch a shutout in 2012.

Incidentally, history appears heavily to favor the probability of an FAU goose egg. Unless I have overlooked some forgotten minor opponent from a century ago, the Owls are about to become the seventh squad from the Sunshine State with whom the Bulldogs have crossed paths on the football field. Since Saturday marks the first series meeting between Georgia and Florida Atlantic, it is noteworthy that, in their respective inaugural gridiron clashes with the previous six (Florida in 1904, Stetson in 1934, Miami in 1937, Jacksonville Naval Air Station in 1942, Florida State in 1954, and Central Florida in 1999), the Red and Black were 6-0, with five of the wins coming by shutout.

The Feel Bad Stat of the Week

The Owls rank second in the Sun Belt in scoring defense, surrendering just 17.0 points per game. It’s all I’ve got, really.

The Feel Good Stat of the Week

Thus far this season, the Bulldogs have made nine trips into the red zone, tied for third-most in the SEC. Georgia has scored on eight of those nine drives inside the opposition’s 20 yard line, tied for third-most in the league. The Red and Black have scored seven touchdowns in those nine possessions, tied for third-most in the conference. Despite two straight shaky starts by Aaron Murray and the Athenian offense, the ‘Dawgs are finishing the drill once inside the shadow of the other team’s goalposts.

The Bottom Line

Let’s not kid ourselves: Georgia is 9-0 all-time against current Sun Belt squads, and that ledger includes a 6-0 record under Mark Richt. The Bulldogs have never scored fewer than 38 points against programs presently in that league, and only once have the Athenians conceded more than 17 points to Conference USA’s little brother. This is a night game at home against the worst team the Red and Black will face all autumn. Even if the ‘Dawgs are disinterested and the coaching staff rests a few injured starters, this one will be a blowout purely by virtue of the talent disparity separating the two teams.

My Prediction: Georgia Bulldogs 48, Florida Atlantic Owls 6.

Go ‘Dawgs!

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You're On Notice, Dawg! WOOOOO FINALLY Week 1

vineyarddawg — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 21:00:07 -0000

Good evening, Bulldog fans. After the long wasteland of no football known as summer, we have finally arrived. Yes, friends, it is finally game week! This Saturday, your Georgia Bulldogs will be taking the field between the hedges in Sanford Stadium to kick off the 2012 football season against the Bulls from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

And with a new season comes new changes in many things, including this regular weekly feature. When I started writing this little piece a couple of years ago, I was riffing off of Steven Colbert's "You're On Notice" segment from The Daily Show, and was using a freely available generator on the internet to create my "on notice" boards. Unfortunately, however, that tool is no longer available, and I can't legally just use a picture of Steven Colbert anymore, so I have decided to lead off this column, instead, with a weekly indicator of my mood vis a vis our team (which, as always, is almost strictly based on wins and losses).

Therefore, when Georgia wins, you will see the following picture:

And if/when Georgia is bested on the gridiron, I will lead with the following picture:

I could expound upon this further, but I think you get the picture. So, without further ado, I'm letting the following people know that, for Week 1, You're On Notice, Dawg!

In no particular order:

1) Michael Adams - Why Michael Adams? Because he's a jerk, has stolen money from and is a disaster for University, and everybody that has ever worked with him hates him. Plus, I have it from a very authoritative source inside the UGA administration that he plans to declare war on Iran and use the resulting emergency powers he receives to name himself UGA President for life.

2) Malcolm Mitchell - There are many changes this year, both on offense and defense, but one of the most notable is Malcolm Mitchell's new role in the defensive backfield. Due to our suspension issues, the coaches have already said that Mitchell will most likely be playing almost exclusively on defense for the first two games. So, Malcolm, please don't get hurt, because I think we'll be needing you on offense again, soon, as well. (And I hope you get a lot of "receptions" this Saturday, if you know what I mean.)

3) The Running Backs - Boo Malcome has been named the starter for Saturday, but we all know that Todd Gurley and/or Keith Marshall will probably see significant playing time, as well. Even with the loss of Isaiah Crowell, I wouldn't exactly call our backfield "depleted," but they are woefully inexperienced as a group. We really need Gurley and Mitchell to step up and get some meaningful experience under their belt as they prepare to step into a raucous, hostile environment in their second game. Step up and make us proud, men.

You my boy, Boo! (Credit: Kim Klement-US Presswire)

4) Mike Bobo - In spite of the fact that this is "just Buffalo," we can't let up on the reins after getting a 14-point lead, as Bobo seems to do far too often. We need to put these guys away hard and fast, and we don't need to let up until the clock says 0:00 at the end of the 4th quarter. We're going to have to play 60 full minutes in at least 11 of our 14 games this year, and we have some very inexperienced players at key positions on offense, so we need to make sure they understand what it means to play 60 minutes in the SEC.

And I swear, if you run this play more than once per offensive possession, I'm going to slap the person sitting next to me in the stands. (No, not Mrs. Vineyarddawg. The person on the other side.) (via RedCrake)

5) Special Teams - It's not a stretch to say that our poor special teams play was a key factor in all 4 of our losses in 2011. We had the worst kickoff coverage in the SEC last year, and our All-American senior placekicker couldn't get out of his funk all year long. This year, we're starting true freshmen at both kicker (Marshall Morgan) and punter (Collin Barber), so we need you boys to hit the ground running. And I honestly don't know how we're going to fix the kickoff coverage, but we need to find a way to somehow do it. It probably won't cost us this game... but if we don't get our problems sorted out early, it could easily cost us game 2 and future games down the road.

6) The Offensive Line - This and special teams are our two primary areas of concern heading into the season. We have some good guys returning, most notably Kenarious Gates, whose experience as a junior will be most valued at the all-important Left Tackle spot. Unfortunately, it's his first year playing at that spot, having previously played at Guard. He's our man, though, and he's the anchor. We've also got a true freshman, John Theus, who is highly heralded, but just between you and me, I don't care how good an 18-year-old is... if we've got a freshman starting on the offensive line in the SEC, I'm going to be nervous. One thing's for sure, though... we can afford exactly zero injuries to this unit. Stay healthy, guys!

7) Fans from Buffalo - For those fans of the Bulls who are traveling from up in them Yankee-parts down to Athens for this game... well, welcome to the South. You'll find that we're a welcoming, generous folk who are only too willing to share our BBQ with you, just as long as you don't call the grills on which we also cook hamburgers and hot dogs "Barbecues." Also, if you bring along some of your namesake wings, we might get a good old-fashioned "cultural exchange" going, and we can all be better for the experience.

Fair warning, though... don't mention the war. And be willing to laugh along with us when we call you "Yankees" as a friendly jibe. Because we're not laughing "at" you, see... we're laughing "near" you. (You might also mention that Teddy Roosevelt was sworn in as President in your fair city... we southerners generally like the cut of his jib.)

See, we do have some common ground here. (Via1, used with permission) and (Via2, public domain)

8) Students with Tickets - As we have seen in virtually every home game in recent memory, students almost never completely fill their allotted sections, especially for games against minnows like this one. I've heard many excuses and reasons for why this might be the case and the steps the administration could take to remedy the situation, but the bottom line is this: The student section comprises the only empty seats one can see on virtually every game day in Athens. Students, show up and support your team, or sell your ticket to another student who will!

Just six days until the Dawg kick off, my friends. And it might be the longest six days of the year. Is it Saturday yet?

Go Dawgs!

Wednesday Morning Dawg Bites: Todd Gurley, Man, Is Here to Pump (Clap) You Up! Edition

T Kyle King — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:45:04 -0000

One week from tomorrow, there will be football. It won’t be that weak preseason NFL junk, either; no, it will be actual regular-season college football, and SEC football, to boot, as the clash of the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Vanderbilt Commodores on Thursday, August 30, will kick off the campaign with an honest-to-goodness meteor game for fans of the Georgia Bulldogs. In the meantime, though, you need to get up to speed via your Wednesday morning Dawg Bites, with one of my all-time favorite music videos to set the tone:

Over at Team Speed Kills, they’re playing out every SEC game on EA Sports’ NCAA Football ’13, and the video game predicts that Georgia will boast a 5-0 conference record and a No. 1 BCS ranking after beating the Kentucky Wildcats. Of course, EA Sports hates the Bulldogs, so this is all just a massive setup for disappointment . . . or, failing that, an undefeated season, an SEC title, a BCS National Championship Game berth, and the fulfillment of the Mayan prophecy and the end of the world just prior to the Red and Black’s shot at the national crown. Either way, doom is impending.

It hasn’t exactly been an underachieving summer for Georgia swimmers and divers, but to the Bulldog pool laurels of the last couple of months may now be added Laura Ryan’s high-point finish at the AT&T National Diving Championships. The junior transfer from Bloomington to Athens cobbled together her tally by taking sixth on the platform, placing third on the three-meter springboard, and joining a Texas freshman to win the synchronized three-meter event.

Keith Marshall still is getting his practice carries ahead of fellow North Carolinian newcomer Todd Gurley, but Gurley is drawing rave reviews from his teammates, including a comparison to former Alabama Crimson Tide tailback Trent Richardson drawn by Shawn Williams. The memory of Isaiah Crowell remains too fresh in my mind for me to buy into any such hype, but at least Gurley’s response to Williams’s statement sounded the appropriate note:

Yeah I think he probably compared me to that because [I also wear] No. 3 and I have dreads like Trent Richardson. I have a long, long, long way to go to be like Trent Richardson. But I mean, just for a senior, a starting senior, one of the key players on the team to call me that, that’s big. So I just take that and keep working with it.

It’s just one statement to the media, and it won’t mean a thing on the football field, but at least it was the right answer. While we await Labor Day weekend, it is useful to ask when Bulldog Nation last had this level of enthusiasm for two freshman tailbacks in the same season. Thomas Brown and Danny Ware in 2004, perhaps? Maybe even Keith Henderson and Tim Worley in 1985?

Some Georgia fans are worried about the kicking game; I am not among them. Yes, I know Collin Barber and Marshall Morgan are the probable starters at punter and placekicker, respectively, but, after the disastrous end to last year’s bowl game, their dearth of experience could be a blessing in disguise. As Senator Blutarsky usefully reminded us yesterday, coaches should go for it on fourth down more than they do, and should adjust their play-calling accordingly. With two freshmen putting the “foot” in “football,” lingering criticism from the ultra-conservative second-half strategies that cost the ‘Dawgs a season-ending win, and some signs of the re-emergence of Evil Richt, maybe, just maybe, Mark Richt will be more inclined to follow Les Miles’s strategy against Florida from 2007 . . . which, it should be noted, also was Mark Richt’s strategy against Florida from 2011, as well as in an earlier era. This could be a special season; the Bulldogs should go for it.

Are people “SEC’d out”? Kirk Herbstreit thinks so:

Herbie: "I think people are SEC'd out. [pause; turns to Rece] Not you and me."
— Tim Hyland (@IntelligentCFB) August 21, 2012

Be that as it may, newly-minted conference partisan Bill Connelly is previewing all 14 SEC teams, one at a time. Be on the lookout for the Bulldogs, but, in the interim, check out Doug Gillett’s look at the expectations for the Red and Black in 2012 . . . particularly Doug’s telling comparison between this autumn and 2003.

Go ‘Dawgs!

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