SB Nation - Justin Houston

Ags Headed To Independence Bowl

miketag — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:08:18 -0000

Texas A&M has accepted an invitation to play the Georgia Bulldogs on December 28th in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA. This was probably the toughest possible matchup that A&M could get, but I think in the long run it will be good for the program. If A&M is to return to the level of success that we all expect, we need to learn how to play with and beat the most talented teams in the nation. Playing a very talented UGA team will help get us to that level. Our freshmen need to see what kind of effort is needed to compete with and beat the Oklahomas and tu's of the world; beating Navy would do nothing to help in that area. Some may argue that a bowl win can do wonders for momentum in recruiting, but I would argue that developing the current players on our roster takes precedence. If we want to be a championship team, our defense needs to improve by leaps and bounds. Practicing for a month against the triple-option, as we would be if we were to play Navy, is not going to help develop our defense for next year.

As I previously stated, we have already won because we have an extra month of practice for our young team to get better. I expect some of our redshirting freshmen to make great gains during these December practices. Preparing for an offense with the athletes that UGA has will help our defense next season against Arkansas and the rest of the Big 12. Playing a defense with the size and speed that UGA has will help our offense perform at a higher level.

On a related note, three members of the UGA coaching staff have decided not to coach in the bowl game. This is suprising to me on many levels. I assumed the defensive coaches would use this game as an audition for future coaching positions. I was somewhat concerned because desperate coaches would likely use an aggressive gameplan in order to catch possible suitors attention. I have no idea how UGA will handle coaching the defense for the bowl game.

On offense, UGA definitely has the athletes to compete with any team in the country. They have a big RB in Caleb King who was nationally ranked coming out of HS. While he has failed to live up to his prep billing, he has had a solid season with 534 yds rushing and 5 TDs on 5.4 yds per carry. He is the type of big back that A&M has struggled to stop the past few seasons. Those of you who were there when we played Tennessee in the 2005 Cotton Bowl may have flashbacks to Gerald Riggs. Washaun Ealey leads UGA in rushing with 639 yds and 3 TDs (5.7 per tote) but has battled injuries. UGA's best offensive weapon and our defensive nightmare is WR A.J. Green. While Julio Jones was the number one rated player in the country in the '08 class, Green has been just as good or better since they both arrived in the SEC. Green had 47 receptions for 751 yds and 6 TDs. The triggerman for the UGA offense is journeyman QB Joe Cox. Cox completed 56 percent of his passes for 2426 yds and 22 TDs with 14 picks. Cox is a mediocre college QB. Unfortunately our defense can make even mediocre college QBs look like world beaters. If we can put consistent pressure on Cox, we can control their passing game and force some turnovers. We will need to win the turnover battle if we want to win this game.

The UGA defense allows 328 yds per game. They give up 200.6 passing and 127.8 rushing. Obviously they have not met expectations since half the defensive staff was fired. Statistically the player that stands out the most is sophomore DE Justin Houston who has had 15 TFLs on the year with 7.5 sacks. We need to contain him if we want to win the game. It should be interesting to see how our OL matches up with the athletes that UGA lines up after having faced Arkansas, OU, and tu this year. Our OL has improved as the season wore on. This game will be a great test and a great opportunity for A&M; hopefully we will be up to the task.

Beating The Bulldogs: A Georgia Blog's Take

Cory Williams — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 05:48:16 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

3 months ago: Georgia's Brandon Boykin, top, and Rennie Curran celebrate after Georgia defeated South Carolina 41-37 in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Browse more photos »

Just like last season, T. Kyle King from the top notch Georgia blog Dawg Sports has agreed to exchange a Q&A. We are grateful for his hard work and insight.

You may read my responses to his questions here, and I recommend joining his blog's GameThread to enjoy a high level of camaraderie with Bulldog fans.

With regard to the Georgia game tomorrow, ASU fans are well aware of the pedigree of the opposition. After the 27-10 thrashing witnessed in Tempe in 2008, Sun Devil faithful can only hope for a strong showing in SEC territory.

After all, it's all about the OOC schedule; with a good game against Georgia on the resume, ASU will find itself confident and prepared to make a run at the Pac-10 crown.

Without further ado, here is the Q&A:

Whom should the Sun Devils fear on offense?

Whom shouldn’t the Sun Devils fear on offense? Last Saturday night, Joe Cox earned national offensive player of the week honors by guiding nine scoring drives against Arkansas, six of which ended in touchdowns and six of which covered at least 57 yards. Orson Charles, A.J. Green, Tavarres King, and Aron White all caught TD passes. Richard Samuel, who had an 80-yard scoring scamper, is being pushed for playing time by newly-resurgent Caleb King.

Granted, all of that came against a suspect Razorback defense, but the Bulldogs tallied four offensive touchdowns against a pretty solid South Carolina D in a game in which Green and Michael Moore each had catches that went for touchdowns and Branden Smith scored on a 61-yard reverse. Right now, the Georgia offense is hitting on all cylinders, and it isn’t just one guy doing everything. The offseason theme in Athens has been that "it’s all about the team." On offense, that’s really true.

Whom should Arizona State fear on defense?

The secondary. Just kidding. As much as I’m hoping it will turn out to be Justin Houston, the answer (with all due respect to Jeff Owens) is Rennie Curran. The junior linebacker opened the campaign with eight tackles and a pass breakup in Stillwater, tied his personal-best 15 tackles against South Carolina (when he broke up a fourth-down pass near the goal line to preserve the win), and led the squad with eleven stops and a fumble recovery in Fayetteville last Saturday night.

Curran, whom The Sporting News identified as the SEC’s best hitter, was a preseason first-team all-SEC selection, and he is on the watch lists for the Lombardi Award, the Lott Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Butkus Award, and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Eventually, at least one of those honors will be renamed "the Curran Trophy." He’s that good.

More from Dawg Sports after the jump...

What is Georgia’s biggest weakness?

Where do I begin? The Bulldogs commit too many turnovers and are flagged for too many penalties, many of which are of the "rookie mistake" variety rather than of the "playing aggressively" sort. Although the run defense is stout, the Georgia D is fooled by too many play action fakes. The secondary has failed to take away the deep ball, often getting caught out of position, and the middle of the field frequently is left open, much to the delight of opposing tight ends everywhere. The Red and Black have surrendered 37 or more points in seven of their last twelve games. Georgia’s kickoff coverage is a mess and directional kicking often sends the ball out of bounds to give the other team good starting field position, anyway.

Other than those few flaws, though, the ‘Dawgs are playing perfectly.

How are your new recruits working out and what role will they play in deciding the outcome?

Like all rookies at top-tier programs, they are displaying outrageous talent while committing mistakes born of youth. True freshman Branden Smith is a classic example, as he brought out a kickoff that should have been downed in the end zone and committed a costly turnover against South Carolina, but who turned right around and demonstrated his impressive speed on the aforementioned reverse.

The word is that redshirt freshman Sanders Commings, who was effective in the spring scrimmage, will see more playing time in the secondary, but, so far, the breakout star of the 2009 recruiting class has to be Orson Charles. The tight end from Tampa endeared himself to the Georgia faithful forever by shattering the Florida Gators’ 2006 national championship trophy with his behind while on a recruiting visit to Gainesville, but Charles also has shown early signs of living up to the hype. If he has a big game, the Bulldogs will have a big game. Who knows? Maybe Orson will have his big-time debut against Arizona State this year the way A.J. did a year ago. . . .

Too Much Information: Georgia Bulldogs at Arkansas Razorbacks

T Kyle King — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:06:10 -0000

You asked for it . . . well, all right, Sue asked for it, so here it is: your weekly statistical/historical breakdown of the Georgia Bulldogs’ upcoming opponent, which, in this instance, just happens to be the Arkansas Razorbacks.

In examining the forthcoming clash between the ‘Dawgs and the Hogs, I will endeavor, as always, to provide you not with a dab of data or a smidgen of statistics, but, rather, with . . . Too Much Information.

Odds and Ends:

As noted over at Arkansas Expats, Georgia and Arkansas share a limited but odd history with one another. The two teams have met just eleven times, with all eleven series meeting occurring in my lifetime. (I was born in 1968 and the first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Razorbacks was on New Year’s Day 1969. Like Mike Gundy, I am a man and I am 40.)

The Red and Black have gone 8-3 in the series and have won eight of their last nine outings against Arkansas, including five in a row. Despite their limited track record with one another, the Bulldogs and the Razorbacks enjoy a series with this oddity: their eleven showdowns have occurred in seven different cities. The two teams have met thrice in Athens and thrice in Fayetteville, but they also have squared off in New Orleans (1969 Sugar Bowl), Dallas (1976 Cotton Bowl), Memphis (1987 Liberty Bowl), Shreveport (1991 Independence Bowl), and Atlanta (2002 SEC Championship Game).

Mark Richt is 21-6 against the SEC West overall, 14-2 against rotating Western Division opponents in regular-season meetings, and 4-0 against Arkansas. Lest anyone start to shudder just because this game is away from home and hedge, bear in mind that Coach Richt is 10-2 against the SEC West on the road and 7-1 in conference road openers, with the only loss coming in 2003 to the eventual national champion.

Because of Georgia’s and Arkansas’s limited histories with one another, there are only so many historical minutiae that are applicable. How about this one, though: the only other time that the Bulldogs faced the Razorbacks in a season in which Georgia defeated South Carolina by four points, the Red and Black beat Arkansas in Fayetteville.

The Feel Good Stat of the Week:

Ere Bulldog Nation becomes overly fretful about the prospect of sending first-year starter Joe Cox into a hostile venue after his underwhelming (albeit flu-hampered) performance in Stillwater, I would like to put your mind at least somewhat at ease.

D.J. Shockley faced Arkansas as a first-year starter in 2005 . . . and, despite losing Shockley to injury, the Bulldogs still won. David Greene faced Arkansas as a first-year starter in 2001 . . . and he also led the Red and Black to victory. As a matter of fact, the last first-year starting quarterback to suit up for Georgia in a loss to the Hogs was Ray Goff. No first-year starting QB for the ‘Dawgs has ever been defeated by the Razorbacks during the regular season.

The Bottom Line:

I, like Doug Gillett, have no clue what to make of this game. It’s hard to know whether the Hogs’ Division I-AA opener and ensuing bye week will make them rested and ready or rested and rusty. At the professional level, an open date almost always helps; where 18- to 22-year-old college students are concerned, there’s just no telling. Is this the game the Razorbacks have had all summer to get ready to play or is this the game in which Arkansas finds out it can’t take a punch?

Even if it’s the former, Paul Westerdawg has a point when he asks what, precisely, the defensive staff in Fayetteville has spent the last several months preparing to face. It’s a mystery, but I like the fact that Justin Houston returns just in time to step up the pressure the Georgia defensive front got on Stephen Garcia . . . and to do so against Ryan Mallett, who has nothing like Garcia’s wheels.

I don’t know if the Bulldogs can win another honest-to-goodness shootout, but I don’t know if that’s what they’ll be called upon to do. I believe the Classic City Canines can continue to bring the heat against a quarterback less mobile than Garcia and the Georgia offense can continue its rhythm against a defense less stout than the Gamecocks’ . . . and, if so, the Red and Black could teach their hosts a lesson from Thomas Hobbes; viz., that life in the Natural State is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

Not only that, but, as long as we’re getting our manufactured hate on, the presidents we produce are significantly better human beings than the presidents they produce. I’m just saying.

My Prediction: Georgia 31, Arkansas 24.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Why Fans of the South Carolina Gamecocks Have No Reason to Feel Badly About This Loss to the Georgia Bulldogs

T Kyle King — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:00:49 -0000

I try to be conscious of, and sensitive to, opposing fans’ reactions to games against Georgia, particularly when those opposing fans aren’t boosters of a program I despise as a rival in the truest sense of the word. Accordingly, I must confess to finding myself baffled by the responses of what I know to be reasonable fans of the South Carolina Gamecocks in the aftermath of last Saturday’s game.

I happened to be seated near several University of South Carolina undergraduates who made the wise decision to drive over to Athens, ~~scalp~~ purchase tickets on the unregulated free market, and attend a thrilling contest in which everyone present got his money’s worth. Once the outcome was decided, we all shook hands and said, "Good game," and it was clear that they were as all right as it is possible to be with a loss. This was the correct reaction.

Why, then, did my colleagues C&F and Gamecock Man react like this and this, respectively?

As I indicated in comments left in response to each of these postings, Stephen Garcia proved on Saturday why Steve Spurrier was right to stick with him through all of his past shenanigans; had any other South Carolina quarterback of the Steve Spurrier era been lining up in the Gamecock backfield that night, it wouldn’t have been close. Garcia extended plays, squirted out of danger when a sack seemed inevitable, and found the seams. He played a great game, and the USC faithful ought to find that very encouraging.

In a podcast interview with C&F before the season started, I predicted that Georgia would start 1-1; either the Bulldogs would win in Stillwater, be jacked up over the big victory, and (much as Georgia did after beating the Oklahoma St. Cowboys in 2007, or as Oklahoma State did in this weekend’s game against the Houston Cougars) lose the next one, or Georgia would lose on the road, have its back against the wall, and get the win against South Carolina. The latter is what happened.

There have been plenty of Georgia-South Carolina games that ought to cause a Gamecock fan to wonder, "What if?" This was not one of them.

This time, the "What if?"s more than balanced out for both teams. What if Roderick Battle had not been hurt? What if Justin Houston had not been suspended? What if Branden Smith had downed the kickoff in the end zone instead of bringing it out and fumbling? What if Joe Cox hadn’t telegraphed his throw by locking onto the receiver on the interception? What if Stephen Garcia hadn’t had by leaps and bounds the best game of his collegiate career so far? What if Spencer Lanning hadn’t had by leaps and bounds the best game of his collegiate career so far? What if the fake punt hadn’t worked? What if the long snapper hadn’t sent the ball over the punter’s head and out the back of the end zone?

What if Georgia had only turned the ball over twice as often as South Carolina instead of three times more often? What if South Carolina had held only an eight-minute time of possession advantage instead of almost a ten-minute time of possession advantage? What if Georgia had gained more yards on running plays than the Bulldogs lost on penalties? What if South Carolina had outgained Georgia by only 100 yards? What if the ‘Cocks had gained only nine more first downs than the ‘Dawgs?

Yes, the South Carolina faithful can list very nearly as many "What if?"s going the other way, but there were several points in this ballgame where it easily could have gotten completely away from the Gamecocks. Without a couple or three unforced Georgia errors, this game wouldn’t have been close and the blocked---not missed, blocked; it was a Bulldog success, not a Gamecock failure---extra point would have been utterly inconsequential. (We will never know this, but it may have been inconsequential anyway. Had the point after try been successful, South Carolina would have kicked a field goal on fourth down, the game would have gone to overtime, and, given how gassed both defenses were, it likely would have come down to a two-point conversion. Had the Gamecocks lost under such circumstances, the wailing and gnashing of teeth would have included wondering what would have happened had the Evil Genius elected to go for it on fourth down instead of playing for extra innings.)

If the stat sheet had been even close to balanced---if any statistic (time of possession, turnover margin, total offense, first downs) had been anywhere close to even---it would have been a runaway for the home team. It is to South Carolina’s considerable credit that the Gamecocks hung around after it threatened to get away from them and, for once, took advantage of as many Bulldog miscues as Georgia took advantage of South Carolina mistakes.

The Palmetto State Poultry played arguably the best game they have ever played in Sanford Stadium, but it still wasn’t enough. When a team scores (quite literally) more points on a longtime rival than it has ever before scored in its history, and that team still loses, its fans have no reason to hang their heads.

The better team won and it reflects extremely well on Steve Spurrier’s squad that the visitors made a real game of it. South Carolina fans should feel proud of this game, not dejected by it. Fans should feel badly when their team lets one get away, as the Gamecocks so often have against the Bulldogs. That isn’t what happened on Saturday, though.

The South Carolina students sitting in my section knew the correct way to react. Fans should feel badly when their team lets one get away, but they should take heart when their team almost steals one. On Saturday night, the Gamecocks almost stole one. There is no need for second-guessing and certainly no need for climbing out onto ledges. No matter which way you were rooting on Saturday night, you have cause to view in a positive light the performance of your team.

Go ‘Dawgs!

There Simply is No Basis for Believing the 2009 Georgia Bulldogs Will Succeed

T Kyle King — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:15:11 -0000

(Author’s Note: What follows is, after the fashion of our favorite football coach, somewhat tongue-in-cheek . . . which is to say, the exaggerations that follow are, like Mark Richt’s mention of the relative humidity in the Sunshine State, hyperbolic expressions of beliefs the speaker genuinely holds at the most basic level, albeit not to the extreme extent indicated. If this also happens to remind you of anything else you may have read here recently, well, such a resemblance probably is not coincidental.)

Summer is upon us and optimism is in abundance, from donkeydawg to charlottedawg and from DavetheDawg to Doug Gillett (who is a loyal Bulldog fan, despite not having any variation of "Dawg" in his handle).

Well, I, for one, have tried my hand at viewing the glass as ~~full~~ ~~half-full~~ ~~anything other than empty~~ not broken into sharp jagged shards, and the experienced left me burned, bloodied, and convinced that Larry Munson was overly inclined to look on the bright side. Move over, Wallace "Weeping Wally" Butts; step aside, Vince Dooley . . . the dour doubters, dejected doomsayers, and Chicken Littles of Bulldog Nation are about to crown a new King. (See what I did there?)

Seven weeks ago, I was bold enough to declare that Georgia was going 7-5. I’ll be straight with you, folks: I have the 2009 schedule magnet affixed to my refrigerator, and, every time I look at it, I get a shiver up my spine. I think the bottom’s about to fall out, people.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

The Bulldogs open against a current Big 12 school in a venue other than Sanford Stadium. The Red and Black have done so twice in their history, opening the autumn against Texas in Atlanta in 1957 and in Austin in 1958. Both outings ended in Georgia losses to start seasons that ended with the ‘Dawgs finishing under .500.

The Classic City Canines’ second opponent is South Carolina, which kicks off the campaign in a Thursday night game on September 3 and therefore has nine days in which to prepare for the ‘Dawgs. Georgia’s third opponent is Arkansas, which has an open date the Saturday before facing the Athenians. The Bulldogs’ last opponent is Georgia Tech, which also has a bye week prior to ending the season against Georgia. (The comically soft "gauntlet" the Yellow Jackets must run in the stretch leading up to their date with the Red and Black consists of Virginia, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and Duke, so the Ramblin’ Wreck starters should play a combined total of about eight quarters’ worth of football in the five weeks prior to Thanksgiving, which should give them a lot of clean old-fashioned rest.)

Many other Georgia opponents might as well have open dates before taking on the ‘Dawgs. Auburn faces Division I-AA Furman, Arizona State meets Louisiana-Monroe, and both Florida and L.S.U. catch Mississippi State seven days before squaring off with the Red and Black.

As if all that weren’t bad enough, now Joel’s even got me worried about Lane Kiffin, for crying out loud!

Joel, you had me at Kristin Davis. Adding bacon and "Kyle hates Auburn" was just piling on, really.

The 2009 Bulldogs must replace a number of star players at key positions, so there are bound to be some growing pains, but the new starters had better do their growing in a great big hurry. Georgia opens the season by playing seven straight games without a break and only three of the Red and Black’s first eight games are between the hedges.

That would be bad enough even against a manageable slate, but this year’s schedule is far from manageable.

To make matters worse, we had no sooner begun to feel a modicum of confidence about the defensive end spot than Justin Houston got himself suspended for the games against the Cowboys and the Gamecocks. The ability to apply pressure with the front four without an inordinate amount of blitzing is the lynchpin of the Brian VanGorder/Willie Martinez defensive philosophy; what basis do we have for believing that the ‘Dawgs will be better at it this year than last?

All right, I’m not truly as down as all that, and nothing would please me more than to have the team prove me wrong, but, where Doug sees the possibility of a ten-win season including a bowl victory, I’m beginning to wonder whether we’re staring down the barrel of a five-win season and no bowl eligibility. At best, we could be looking at a 1985-type season, in which a so-called "upset" over the No. 1-ranked Gators (I consider a win in Jacksonville inevitable, making the Florida game the only "guaranteed" Division I-A win on Georgia’s schedule) is required to reach seven victories for the fall.

Does anyone want to try talking me down (or, rather, up) from that position?

Go ‘Dawgs!

Post-Spring Previews: Georgia

Gamecock Man — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:34:56 -0000

After traveling to Raleigh, the Gamecocks continue their path along one of the nation's toughest schedules when they go to Athens to take on the 'Dawgs. The Georgia game is always one of the defining moments of our season. Most Gamecocks fans consider Georgia our biggest SEC rival, and a win typically marks the beginning of a good season (2007 aside).

On the whole, Georgia is a team full of question marks. They disappointed last year after coming into the season with sky-high expectations. This year, they have to replace a number of significant players, most notably offensive stars Matt Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, and Mohamed Massaquoi. On the other hand, they return significant talent on defense and on the offensive line. Their success will likely depend on whether Joe Cox can be efficient and can at least come to close to matching Stafford's productivity and if their defense can stay healthy and play better than it did in highly publicized meltdowns against LSU, Florida, and Georgia Tech last season. We'll probably know a lot more about Georgia after they open their season at Oklahoma State, a team with an absolutely explosive offense that will probably be preseason top ten.

Let's take a closer look at how we match up against these guys.

Quarterback

Mark Richt plans to start senior Joe Cox, who got significant playing time early in 2006 but since then has been Stafford's backup, only playing in mop-up duty. Cox is a fairly talented player and has spent a lot of time in the system, so the 'Dawgs can reasonably hope that he will be a competent signal caller. However, he lacks Stafford's physical abilities, so his ceiling is probably relatively low. I'd call it a push between Cox and Stephen Garcia; Cox has had longer to grow into his roll and is a more mature player, but he lacks Garcia's natural talent and has less in-game experience than Garcia. Usually, I'd say that means that Garcia has the advantage, but Garcia was hardly impressive in some of his appearances last year. Although he showed promise at times, he has plenty to prove this time around.

Verdict: Push

Running Backs

While Moreno leaves big shoes to fill, Georgia is uncommonly deep at the running back position, with several highly recruited players waiting to become the next Moreno, Garrison Heart, or Herschel Walker. The one most likely to become a household name is Caleb King, a speedy home run threat who rushed for over 200 yards last year as Moreno's primary backup. However, Richard Samuel will also get plenty of touches, and the two backs may form something of a Thunder and Lightening duo. I'd say UGA has a slight advantage over us here; while I like our stable of backs and expect us to field a much improved running game in the fall, both King and Samuel could start at any school in the nation. These guys are monsters and, while we might get the 'Dawgs during a transition period while UGA tries to figure out how best to divvy the caries, I doubt UGA will miss a beat without Moreno this year.

Verdict: Slight advantage Georgia

Offensive Line

UGA returns a seasoned, talented offensive line led by tackles Quintin Sturdivant and Clint Boling. Sturdivant's preseason injury last year caused this unit to underperform last year, but if Sturdivant is able to return close to full strength, this should be a very good unit. I would give them a slight advantage over our line. While I expect much-improved blocking from our guys this year and the play in the spring gives us every indication that that's what we'll get, we simply lack the talent possessed by Georgia at these positions.

Verdict: Slight advantage Georgia

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Georgia returns phenomenal receiver A. J. Green (yep, the same Summerville star that screwed his home state's flagship university by committing to a bitter rival) but loses the aforementioned Massaquoi, and so far it's unclear who will be the second receiver. That could be problematic for Georgia, as Cox could use the benefit of a slew of targets. At TE--a position that hasn't been featured in recent UGA offenses but may be this year--UGA loses ball-dropping machine Tripp Chandler but brings in the highly recruited Orson Charles and Arthur Lynch. Charles is a big, fast player receiving end somewhat out of the Jared Cook mold, while Lynch is more of a traditional end. Either will be a significant improvement over Chandler. I'd call it a push at these positions; after losing Kenny McKinley we don't have anyone like Green on our team, but what we lose in that contrast we gain in better depth.

Verdict: Push

Defensive Line

The 'Dawgs return a very strong couple of players at tackle in Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens. However, they appear to lack a dangerous pass rusher, especially as they'll be without end Justin Houston, who is suspended for the first two games, when they play us. If Ladi Ajiboye plays in this game, I think we have a slight advantage here. While I like Atkins and Owens a bit more than Ajiboye and Nathan Pepper, UGA lacks the sack threats at end that we have in Clifton Geathers and Cliff Matthews.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Linebackers

UGA and Carolina each return one of the nation's best linebackers in Rennie Curran and Eric Norwood. UGA, however, also returns Daryl Gamble, another quality player, whereas Carolina will still be in the process of breaking in Rodney Paulk and Shaq Wilson as Norwood's partners in crime. UGA gets a slight advantage here.

Verdict: Slight advantage Georgia

Secondary

Georgia returns star safety Reshad Jones as well as corner Prince Miller but is a little more uncertain at the other two starting spots. This puts them in a similar spot to Carolina, who returns Chris Culliver, who came into his own as a future star late last season, and Darian Stewart but, after the departure of Emanuel Cook, Captain Munnerlyn, and Stoney Woodson to the NFL, will have to fill the other spots with a host of freshmen and returning lettermen like Addison Williams who haven't always been the best around. I'm calling this one another push.

Verdict: Push

Special Teams

UGA returns a pretty good placekicker in Blair Walsh. However, their return units were a liability last season, and they'll have to prove they can improve in those areas this year. Carolina has similar questions and lacks the returning kicker, so I'll give UGA a slight advantage here.

Verdict: Slight advantage Georgia

Head Coaches

Although he's yet to win a national title, Mark Richt has been one of the most consistent coaches in the SEC while at Georgia and has one of the highest winning percentages in school history. In a way, that makes him a lot like Steve Spurrier at Florida before Spurrier won the national title in 1996, as Spurrier had up until that point been a coach that won lots of games and often got his team in position to compete for national titles but usually ended up dropping a game he should have won. My thinking is that Richt will put together that perfect season one day; a coach doesn't put his team in the top 10 as consistently as Richt does without finally having a season when the ball rolls his way. In terms of comparing the two, you can put me in the camp that believes that Spurrier still has his coaching chops, but the fact that Spurrier hasn't managed to really do much since he left Florida in 2001 means that advantage here has to go to Richt, who still appears to be at the height of his powers.

Verdict: Slight advantage Georgia

Overall

We and our coach tend to be at the top of our game when facing the 'Dawgs. However, Georgia does have more talent than us at most positions. They also have more depth than us, although I think the gap has closed somewhat and, at any rate, depth shouldn't matter too much in the second game of the season. All of that means that a victory in this game, especially considering it's in Athens, would be an unqualified upset. I think the game will be close and that we'll have a chance to win it late, but I can't bring myself to predict a victory at this point. After we've seen how these two teams play in their season openers, maybe we can revise that.

Prediction: Georgia wins by a touchdown

All News Is Bad News

Richard Pittman — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:30:12 -0000

Note: This post was written before news started leaking that Sidell Corley's mother may have been a murder victim in the Mobile area. As of this writing, the reports remain unconfirmed, and I am allowing the post to stand more or less as-is, even though its tone may be seen as lacking an appropriate amount of solemnity under the circumstances. Suffice it to say that we are not trying to make light of tragedy or to suggest an equivalence between that incident and the issues listed and discussed here.

In this post, we talked about how there is really no news coming out of the football complex these days, and how this is good news indeed. All the news that can come out at this time of the year involves arrests, academic problems, or other various and sundry distractions or scandals. "Everything's A-OK" does not make for a compelling headline, so news is only made when it's bad. Let's review some of the stories from around the SEC right now and analyze just how there really is no good news to be made in the month of May (or June for that matter) in college football:

Kentucky defensive tackle Jeremy Jarmon, one of Kentucky's best players, has been ruled ineligible to play this year because of a positive drug test. In this case, it appears that he bought a supplement that contained a banned substance and failed to clear it with his trainers beforehand.
Tennessee's new strength and conditioning coach, only 5 months on the job, has decided to leave the program.
Georgia's Bruce Figgins and Justin Houston, both expected to be important contributors to this Bulldog team, were suspended for 6 and 2 games respectively for violation of team rules.
South Carolina signee Ben Axon, a well-regarded tailback from Tampa, has been arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. It's unclear exactly how much "23 baggies" really is, but it's safe to say it's more than one person can use in one day.
To make things worse for the Gamecocks, cornerback CC Whitlock was arrested at a nightclub for refusing to leave, this only days after he had be reinstated to the team from a previous suspension.
Rumors swirl of impending NCAA discipline for Bama with respect to the textbook scandal from two years ago. Not to mention, whispers about other matters that we aren't going to be putting much stock in unless it gets more serious.
And oh yeah, Lane Kiffin got more headlines by committing a recruiting violation by mentioning a recruit's name on Twitter, a "secondary" violation, but one that is a violation of a very well-known and well-understood rule even among people who don't coach college football: don't mention a kid's name in public until he actually signs. The explanation is that it was a grad assistant in his first day on the job that was given the task of maintaining Lane Kiffin's twitter feed. Of course, this is the same sort of "failure to have procedures in place to ensure compliance" that is supposedly getting Bama in trouble. I would say that giving an untrained and ignorant grad assistant the job of speaking in the coach's name to be a spectacular error in judgment.
Urban Meyer has gotten into an embarrassing public snit of his own devising, in which he seems to have publicly called out former quarterback (pre-Meyer) Shane Matthews, a radio talk show host.
Ole Miss committed a minor recruiting violation by writing an article talking about potential signees without using their names, but giving enough information to identify them. Nothing serious here and there won't be any long term consequences, but again it's bad news.

Meanwhile, LSU just sort of quietly passes the time this Spring, at least so far. Or at least, it did until the Corley situation came to light, which again, is bad news.

Kyle Gets Contrary: Why Mark Richt is Wrong About Moving the Georgia-Florida Game

T Kyle King — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:00:15 -0000

I trust it goes without saying that I am a huge Mark Richt fan. I believe he is, and history will bear him out to be, the best head football coach my alma mater has ever had. However, this does not make him perfect, and there are certain subjects about which I respectfully disagree with Coach Richt. Inasmuch as I intend to address one such subject, it is time to introduce the latest installment of the popular series of postings in which I get contrary.

Senator Blutarsky thought Coach Richt was kidding, and I hope he’s right, but this is what Coach Richt said:

I don’t know what’s going to happen. But when people ask me the question, "Do you really think [Jacksonville] is a neutral site?", I say, "No, it’s not neutral." When you play in the state of Florida every year –- we fly, they drive; it’s hotter for us, it’s cooler for them. It’s played in a stadium that [used to be called] the Gator Bowl. But what the heck? If nothing else, we’ll make Jacksonville pay more to keep it there. . . . I wouldn’t feel bad having a "neutral site" game in Georgia – in the Georgia Dome.

In Coach Richt’s defense, he was speaking to the Columbus Bulldog Club, so it’s entirely possible he was cutting up with the home folks. I know quite well from my professional life as a lawyer that reading a transcript is by no means the same thing as hearing the words as they are spoken. Vocal inflections, facial expressions, and hand gestures are missing, and these form an integral part of human communication. If Coach Richt was joking, and he may have been, then it’s the fault of those of us who read his remarks but did not hear them for failing to get the joke.

However, since none of the other answers quoted in Tim Tucker’s article sounded like they were said in jest, and since the question whether to keep the Florida game in Jacksonville is a divisive one in Bulldog Nation, and since Coach Richt is on record as wanting to move the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party from the Gateway City, I am operating from the understanding that the remarks were intended sincerely and that, therefore, C&F is right when he writes:

With all due respect to Mark Richt, this has got to be the lamest reason for moving the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party Cocktail Party Cocktail Party away from Jacksonville that C&F has ever heard. For one thing, it's factually untrue -- the temperature in Jacksonville is precisely the same for both teams. Funny how that works. Second, the game is played in late October or early November. It's not usually snowing in Jacksonville that time of the year, but it's usually not blazing hot, either. Is it relatively cooler for Florida players than Georgia players? Perhaps. But -- let's be serious.

While I left a comment in response, the point deserves amplification, so I wanted to iterate what I wrote there and add an extra note or two, as well:

1. It’s not played in a stadium that used to be called the Gator Bowl. The last Georgia-Florida game to be played in the Gator Bowl was in 1993. I know; I was there, sitting in the miserable drizzle while the rain ran down the grooves of the old metal bleachers and seeped up through the seat of my pants until I was drenched from the bottom up rather than from the top down. The old Gator Bowl was built in the late 1940s and replaced Fairfield Stadium. While the 1994 demolition did not take down the old venue in its entirety, the west upper deck added in the early 1980s is the only part of the Gator Bowl that remains in the new N.F.L. arena called Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (nee Alltel Stadium).

For what it’s worth, Cale Conley’s War Between the States reports that Georgia played Florida in the stadium known as the Gator Bowl from 1948 to 1993, a span during which the Bulldogs went 23-22-1 against the Saurians. The Red and Black have gone 3-10 against the Orange and Blue in Jacksonville since the Gator Bowl was demolished. Maybe, just maybe, having the name "Gator Bowl" on the building didn’t have much to do with which team won.

2. The fact that we fly and they drive undercuts one of the most frequently-asserted arguments against keeping the game in Jacksonville. When we discussed the Cocktail Party in a recent installment in this series, Year2 made these reasonable points against the canard that distance is significant:

A) Both teams spend the night before in a hotel
B) 17-21 years olds aren’t affected in the least by a 6 hour bus ride
C) There are plenty of Georgia fans in Jacksonville (and it’s close to all the South Georgia Bulldogs)
D) The stadium is split right down the middle 50/50
E) The stadium is all of 30 miles from Georgia soil

It’s as close to a true neutral site as there is in college football. The only "advantage" Florida has is that its team bus ride is shorter.

To those arguments, I responded:

All good points, but I’m not even sure about the bus ride

Don’t the ’Dawgs fly from Athens to Jacksonville?

I’m pretty sure they do, and, if they don’t, we need to quit complaining about the venue and start asking why one of the most profitable athletic departments in America doesn’t pony up for a charter flight.

Coach Richt has answered my question: Georgia flies and Florida rides. The argument that our team has a longer bus trip to take is false. One of the central tenets of the anti-Jacksonville position has been refuted by the testimony of the most highly-placed proponent of moving the game.

3. It isn’t cooler for the Gators, not even relatively. It gets plenty hot and humid in the Classic City, so I’m not buying that Bulldogs who didn’t wilt on the day of an early afternoon kickoff in Athens in late August are going to wilt on the day of a mid-afternoon kickoff in Jacksonville in early November.

Even if we assume (falsely) that North Georgians can’t take the heat, though, that shouldn’t affect such Red and Black players as these:

Bryan Evans (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Aaron Murray (Tampa, Fla.)

Bacarri Rambo (Donalsonville, Ga.)

John Knox (Statesboro, Ga.)

Vance Cuff (Moultrie, Ga.)

Israel Troupe (Tifton, Ga.)

Carlton Thomas (Frostproof, Fla.)

Kalvin Daniels (Eastman, Ga.)

Nick Williams (Bainbridge, Ga.)

Justin Houston (Statesboro, Ga.)

Shaun Chapas (St. Augustine, Fla.)

Darryl Gamble (Bainbridge, Ga.)

Jeremy Longo (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Tanner Strickland (Nashville, Ga.)

Geno Atkins (Pembroke Pines, Fla.)

Blair Walsh (Boca Raton, Fla.)

Kevin Perez (Miami, Fla.)

Justin Anderson (Ocilla, Ga.)

Michael Moore (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

DeAngelo Tyson (Statesboro, Ga.)

Jeff Owens (Sunrise, Fla.)

Once again, it may be the case that Senator Blutarsky is right and Coach Richt was just kidding. However, even if he was, his words will be taken seriously by an element of the Georgia fan base which I believe to be devoted and well-meaning, but with whom I must respectfully and vehemently disagree. I believe there are arguments for moving the Georgia-Florida game from Jacksonville which, while still falling short of sufficiency, nevertheless are better than these. Coach Richt is a great coach and a good man who is right about many, many things, but, if he intended these points to be taken seriously, he is, in this instance, quite wrong.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Sprints // 05.11.09

cocknfire — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:11:02 -0000

Are those crickets I hear? Not a bunch going on right now, to be completely honest. Sure, there's the normal stuff -- preparations for summer workouts, conference meetings, Georgia players getting suspended -- but other than that, quiet. We're at the high point (or low point, depending on how you want to look at it) of the summer doldrums.

Dawgs on Drugs. At least that's the reason Schlabach gives for two players spending a few games of quality time on the sidelines. Another player who was already leaving for medical reasons faced undefined "discipline" for the dreaded VOTR (violation of team rules), also the official reason given for the suspensions of Bruce Figgins and Justin Houston.

"I'm very disappointed in the poor judgment of these players," Richt said in the news release. "They'll have to pay an appropriate price and I'm confident they will learn an important lesson from their mistake."

Hydrate, gentlemen, hydrate. Oh, sorry, I think he means another lesson ...

How big could these losses be? Well consider this DawgsOnline post from last week about injuries and potential depth issues along the Georgia lines.

The defensive end position is even more unsettled than the offensive line. Other than the emergence of Justin Houston during the spring, can anyone even pretend to know anything about the rest of the group at this point?

Oops.

'It's hotter for us, it's cooler for them.' With all due respect to Mark Richt, this has got to be the lamest reason for moving the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party Cocktail Party Cocktail Party away from Jacksonville that C&F has ever heard. For one thing, it's factually untrue -- the temperature in Jacksonville is precisely the same for both teams. Funny how that works. Second, the game is played in late October or early November. It's not usually snowing in Jacksonville that time of the year, but it's usually not blazing hot, either. Is it relatively cooler for Florida players than Georgia players? Perhaps. But -- let's be serious.

Going, going, going, going, going, going, going, going, going, going, gone. Boy Wonder's regime has seen 11 players leave since he took over. No need to fear.

In fact, it would have more cause for concern if the Vols hadn't lost players.

UT has lost 11 players since Lane Kiffin replaced Phillip Fulmer as coach. Some were booted, some quit over the raised expectations and demands, and others left because the depth chart they had in mind didn't coincide with the one assembled by the coaches.

Will the attrition hurt UT? In the short-term, maybe. In the long-term, no.

In fact, this will help with RECRUITING. And if there's one thing Lane Kiffin knows how to do, it's RECRUITING. Winning football games? Who cares? He's good at RECRUITING. As Tennessee fans will tell you, that's all that matters.

Mr Irrelevant could make the Chiefs. Whether this is good or bad for Ryan Succop, I suppose, depends on the value of being on a very bad NFL team.

Albert Einstein anticipated this. This being the Big XII coaches sticking with their tiebreaker. (Who wants to bet the vote was 11-1?) Anticipated here.

South Carolina Takes Series from Vols

Gamecock Man — Sun, 10 May 2009 23:29:38 -0000

It wasn't the sweep we were hoping for, but the Gamecocks did get a key series win over the Vols in Knoxville on the strength of a powerful outing today. The win clinched an SEC Tournament berth for us. The highlight of the weekend was Saturday's come-from-behind thriller. We're now at 32-19 overall, 14-13 in the SEC, and still 3rd in the East behind Florida and Georgia. With UGA coming to town this weekend, we have a chance to finish second with a series win. (The Dawgs continued to slide over the weekened with a series loss to Vandy, while the Gators lost their series to LSU in a battle of Top 10 teams.) I still think we have a slight chance at hosting a regional if we win the two mid-week games against USC-Upstate and sweep UGA.

Not too much else going on this weekend. Ryan Succop continues to get some attention as Mr. Irrelevant, and Mark Richt suspended two UGA players--TE Bruce Figgins and projected starting DE Justin Houston--for drugs. The loss of Houston, who was one of UGA primary pass rushers, will have a significant effect on them when they play us. Also, this Gator writer believes we'll beat 'Bama in Tuscaloosa. My reaction: cautious but optimistic.