Tag: UGA

I have always maintained that ranking signing classes was a crap shoot. You never know how an eighteen year old is going to react in his first year away from home, family, and his sweetheart. Of course you also do not know what happens when kids start “hanging” with the wrong crowd. The real world is just a different situation for some of these kids.

I am not at all surprised to see that Georgia pulled in a mediocre (by their standard) recruiting class. That is what happens in the midst of uncertainty, but hopefully this is just a bump in the road towards ultimate success. It has been a long time since 1980!

“Recruiting is about relationships built, and we knew when we went through a process like we did with our coaching changes, that some relationships were broken,” coach Mark Richt said. “It put a strain on some young men, and we know that some of them changed their minds and didn’t stick with their commitment.”

Still, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham got some nice pieces to play with as he revamps the defense. Freakish athletes such as Jakar Hamilton and Alec Ogletree could contribute quickly and several defensive linemen were added. On offense, the list is short on superstar recruits after missing out on receivers Da’Rick Rogers and Christian Green.

Let’s judge this class in 3-4 years, after the flunkouts, legal issues, and homesickness are resolved. It is one thing to say that the Dawgs now suck – such is the dejection of a 16th overall rivals.com class – but it’s another thing to see how these boys actually produce a few years down the road.

Mark Richt finally convinced someone to take the defensive coordinator job at the University of Georgia. I guess $750K will land someone sooner or later! Todd Grantham, currently the d-line coach of the Dallas Cowboys, is set to become the third highest paid assistant in all of college football.

Now the question that looms for Dawgs fans everywhere – is Grantham a good hire? According to the ajc.com,

Grantham, 43, started his coaching career under Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech (1990-95) and then coached under Nick Saban at Michigan State (1996-98). Since 1999, Grantham has coached in the NFL.

I know next to nothing about Grantham, but he has been under some solid college coaches and from a defensive perspective, Wade Phillips is no slouch. Apparently Phillips thinks very highly of Grantham.

“It’s been great having Todd,” Phillips said. “He’s contributed a tremendous amount to the defense. He’s grossly overqualified to be a defensive line coach. I knew he would be a coordinator pretty quickly or even a head coach. I think he’s got all those qualities. We really appreciate what he’s done and he’ll finish up strong here.”

Knowing next to nothing about the Dawgs’ new DC, I have to say that I like the hire. He is young, and as previously mentioned, has worked under some top notch talent. Keeping my fingers crossed that Grantham is very successful with the Dawgs!

Adding insult to a difficult year, UGA was not ranked in the year-ending polls. This was the first time since 1996 that the Dawgs garnered no respect from the pundits.

I am certainly not going to argue that the 8-5 Bulldogs had a great year, but they did lose to (at the time) #9 Oklahoma St, #4 LSU, and #1 Florida. Of course the Dawgs also took it on the chin to Tennessee (Chick-fil-a Bowl losers) and Kentucky (Music City Bowl losers). Victory highlights included South Carolina, Arkansas, Auburn, and #7 Georgia Tech – all Bowl teams.

The bottom line is that a 5 loss team is not going to end the season ranked, but when you crunch the numbers, it’s not all doom and gloom. Here’s to future days!

Go Dawgs!

I admit that I am a card carrying SEC bigot – all other conferences are second rate at best. This ajc.com blogger thinks that the Aggies performance against the Bulldogs is a sign that that SEC is superior (top to bottom) over the Big 12.

“Aggies QB Jerrod Johnson finished 29-for-58 for 362 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Dogs, but hardly looked like the player who attracted so much attention for his showing against Texas.

What was the difference? Part of it might have been that his performance against the Longhorns was juiced by it being a rivalry game. But it’s hard not to conclude that a bigger factor was that he wasn’t going up against a Big 12 defense. Georgia’s defensive front harried Johnson all night long and while he made some nice plays, he also looked rattled on more than one occasion and made some bad decisions. Johnson only had six picks all season before this game, but Georgia snagged two and could have had three more.”

It is hard for me not to concur, at least to some degree, but I also have a hard time trying to put up a mediocre UGA team against a 6-6 Texas A&M team as a comparison of conferences. I am not sure the Cotton Bowl (Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma St) is all that much better as a barometer. I am also far from convinced that the Tide will roll over the Longhorns.

At times it was not pretty, and the game certainly did not play out how I expected, but a win is a win. Besides, when was the last time the Bulldogs won with such an inspired special teams performance? You could say that A&M imploded, but I like to think that the difference came done to coaching.

If you look at the statistics, it is clear that Texas A&M had a great offensive performance, but Georgia’s defense managed to get some key third down stops. Of course there was the special teams play and in a rare occurrence this year, Georgia actually won the turn over battle.

According to ESPN, next up is finding a defensive coordinator:

“What it means: Georgia (8-5) can go into the offseason feeling better about itself after knocking off Georgia Tech in the regular-season finale and winning its fourth straight bowl game. It’s not what anybody in Athens wanted or expected, but the Bulldogs showed their pride as a program by not completely unraveling after that bitter home loss to Kentucky back on Nov. 21. The next step is for Mark Richt to settle on his defensive coordinator. It’s obviously a huge hire for Richt and a huge hire for the program.”

That’s all well and good, but the big question for the program is going to be the next QB. I still think it is unfortunate that this team did not get some of the younger QBs some playing time; nothing beats real experience on the field. I can appreciate that Coach Richt did not want to burn a Red Shirt (or two), but they don’t do you any good if one of the QBs turns out to be a stud and leaves after two years.

[Edit:  Oops … how embarrassing!  Not only did I give A&M 3 extra points, but I short changed UGA a point.  Score in title corrected.]

SEC Predictions
There are no SEC teams in action until New Year’s Eve; next installment forthcoming.

Regular Season Record: 46-41
SEC Championship: 0-1
SEC Bowl Record: 1-1
Final Record: 47-43
—
SEC Bowl Record: 1-1 *Actual, not my predictions

Georgia is favored by 7 over the mighty Aggies from Texas. Two things come to mind in this one. First, I don’t think it is ever safe to assume that Georgia will cover. It seems like Coach Richt’s teams always play down to the competition. Second, A&M is capable of putting up points, and the Bulldogs are using grad assistances to help coach up the defense. This does not seem like a recipe for success.

When you are playing in Shreveport, LA, you are either disappointed you have fallen so far in the Bowl rankings, which is the case with 7-5 Georgia, or you are just grateful that you were invited to a party, which pretty much sums it up for 6-6 Texas A&M. This game will come down to coaching. Forget the fact that Texas A&M has a poor defense; remember Georgia does not even have a defensive coordinator! The over/under on this one is 67, and I expect it to be a high scoring affair.

The keys to the game for Georgia:

• Ball control – Keep A&M’s Jerrod Johnson from exposing the defense by keeping him on the bench as much as possible.
• Eliminate turnovers – Georgia has experienced turnover issues all year.
• Limit stupid penalties – The Bulldogs will get their fair share of flags; just hope to keep the silly ones in check.
• A.J. Green – Green is a game breaker; get him the ball any way you can.

Just for grins, I am going to say that each team puts up 27, but Georgia wins by 10 … something along the lines of 43-31.

Regular Season Record: 46-41
SEC Championship: 0-1
SEC Bowl Record: 0-1
Final Record: 46-43
—
SEC Bowl Record: 0-1 *Actual, not my predictions

In a season of disappointment, the Bulldogs went about as low as they can go, accepting a bid to Shreveport to play the Aggies of Texas A&M.

This Georgia team needs the extra practice time afforded to Bowl bound teams. Forget the artificial buzz about sending the seniors out on a high note. The early word from Coach Richt is that he will spend most of his time working some a hodgepodge group of grad assistances to come up with some sort of defensive plan to stop the Aggies. This may not end well.

I wonder how well Georgia will travel, and if the A&M fan base is at all excited about the matchup. The Independence Bowl, Dec 28 at 5PM on ESPN2 will probably feature a ton of empty seats, and be poor represented in the ratings department. Of course I will watch and be pulling for the Dawgs, but it will be more about pride, not a reward for a well-played season.

Congratulations to UGA’s Drew Butler for landing punter All-American honors!

I pretty much summed this one up last night in my comments section to the Week 12 Predictions.

I stunk this weekend, going 2-5: wins included Auburn and Tennessee, while the misses were Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, LSU, and Mississippi. That is a lot of misses! On the year I am now 46-41.

They call this one Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, and with good reason. Any self respecting Bulldog fan cannot stand the Bumble Bees for ATL. After last night’s victory, the Wreck from Tech fans are going to have to wait a few more years to get back-to-back wins vs. the Dawgs. Georgia managed an 8-2 record to close out the decade, and have won 15 of the last 20 meetings. If Georgia can only win one game, this is a good place to start.

I can celebrate with the best of them, but I really did not expect to be claiming victory tonight. Georgia just mauled the #7 Bumble Bees! Hell bells, yes!

So what happens when the top two ACC teams are defeated by mediocre SEC opponents? Not only did #7 Georgia Tech fall today to their state rival, but #18 Clemson also fell to their state rival, none other than the Fighting Chickens from South Carolina. What a glorious day for the SEC, and a disaster of a day for the ACC.

A 7-5 season may not be all that special, but it is tons better than 6-6. When the difference is made at the hands of Tech, all I can say is what a way to end the night.

Three cheers for Russ! He is a damn good Dawg!

As we turn into the final regular season weekend of the year, we get all the classic rival match-ups, playing for Boots, Iron, and Eggs! I am 44-36 on the season; let’s see how I finish out, once again against the BETUS.com line as seen on USAToday.com.

2 Alabama at Auburn
The Tigers have had ample opportunity to reflect on blowing a game against the slumping Dawgs, and to get up for a game where they are getting 9.5 points. Everyone expects Alabama to blow Auburn out of the water, but I expect this one to be close. At least for a while before turnovers change the course of the game and the Tide’s rushing attack finally wears down Auburn. I keep staring at those 9.5 points; I think Alabama wins, but Bama will not cover.

18 Clemson at South Carolina
South Carolina is getting 3 points at home, but I do not think that will be enough. When I first thought about this one, I thought the Fighting Chickens would put up a hell of a fight, and they will. With that said, I think the Tigers will just be too much for another South Carolina team that stumbles down the stretch.

Florida St. at 1 Florida
The Gators are giving up a whopping 24.5 points to the down and out Seminoles. This year I have been burned multiple times by taking Florida to cover huge point spreads, which means that I am going in the opposite direction and will probably get burned. I am going to take Florida St. and the points, but Florida will win.

25 Mississippi at Mississippi St
Those other SEC Bulldogs are getting +7.5 at home and will need every bit of it to capture the coveted Egg. Over the last few weeks I have become a true believer in Mississippi so I am taking them to cover.

Tennessee at Kentucky
Not sure who to pick in this one; both teams are fairly disappointing, but Kentucky is coming off an emotional high after kicking the Bulldogs in the teeth between the Hedges. The Wildcats are getting 3 points at home, so the pundits don’t have a clue either; at least it is not just me! The Volunteers have lost all three of their road games this year, but I don’t think the trend continues. Begrudgingly I am taking Tennessee to cover.

Arkansas at 15 LSU
This one should be entertaining. LSU is giving up 3.5 to Arkansas, but the Tigers will cover and capture that Boot.

Georgia at 7 Georgia Tech
This is going to be painful for UGA fans; a Nationally Televised Prime Time thrashing at the hands of the hated Bumble Bees from ATL. I would love nothing better than for Georgia to win, and kick Tech out of the Top 10. A loss puts this downtrodden Georgia team at 6-6, and in danger of a losing season. I am shocked to see that Tech is only giving up 7.5, but they cover easily. When I pick against the Dawgs, it is always based on reality, not my desire for the win.

Go Dawgs!

I am not even sure how to put this one together this morning. There has been a lot of stuff going on (that real life stuff) so I have been more or less sleep deprived the last few days. I decided to call it a day after Georgia took a very safe 20-6 lead into the half. The Dawgs looked good in all facets of the game – the rushing attack was strong, Cox was making good decisions, and the defense was holding a woeful Kentucky passing attack in check. Imagine my surprise this morning when I was putting together this article – Georgia lost 34-27?

I am tempted to look at this one on ESPN360 just to see where it all went wrong. The box score shows that the Bulldogs dominated the game, but KY held onto the ball while the Dawgs turned it over 4 times.

Words cannot describe how disappointing this loss feels, but I guess it was fitting end to a week that saw UGA VII pass away. What a downer of a season this one has been. Instead of being 7-4, and looking for a shot at decent Bowl game, the Dawgs are staring 6-6 square in the eyes. The only hope left to this miserable season is that the Dawgs do not get completely embarrassed by the Bumble Bees on National TV (ABC) next Saturday night.

Making matters worse is that the coaching staff decided not to give an opportunity down the stretch to the QB of the future (TBD). Instead, they thought this team had what it took to be better than .500, but in the end, what would that have been worth? Either way the Dawgs now must face the fact that they could have a losing season (let’s assume they lose out to Ga. Tech, and their Bowl opponent) and next year’s QB will have virtually no experience. So I can picture some early mistakes that are “covered” by the staff as a lack of experience. Excuse me? That experience should have been earned this year during this sad excuse of a season.

Week 12 Roundup
I went 4-2 on the week. Winners were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, and LSU, while my Losers were Georgia, and Tennessee. This brings my total on the season to 44-36. So no matter how bad I miss on my picks next week, I am guaranteed to have a winning season, which is something that cannot be said of Georgia!

Most of the picks were not really surprising, but how about LSU and their poor clock management in the last 30 seconds? I also had a feeling that Tennessee would not cover, but Vanderbilt has failed me too many times this season.

This will be a short prediction article. I’m using the Danny Sheridan lines this week, and for the two games not on the board, I am reverting back to the Calvert’s Odds which requires the favorite to cover 31 points. Going into the weekend I am 40-33.

Mississippi St at Arkansas
Arkansas is giving up -10.5 to the Bulldogs of Mississippi. For the most part Mississippi St has sold defense, but I think the Razorbacks are too solid at home not to cover. Arkansas is the pick.

Chattanooga at 2 Alabama
Wow. What a late season clunker of a game to have on the Tide’s schedule. Alabama is the pick to cover Calvert’s Odds.

Florida Intentional at 1 Florida
Another scheduling head scratcher. Florida to cover Calvert’s Odds.

8 LSU at Mississippi
Mississippi is giving up -3.5 at home. This one is hard to predict. The Tigers had an off game last week, almost resulting in an upset at the hands of Louisiana Tech, while Ole Miss completely thrashed the Volunteers. I am going to take LSU and the points.

Vanderbilt at Tennessee
Tennessee has to cover 16, and Vanderbilt always plays Tennessee well, which makes for an upset. There has been a lot of off field turmoil coming out of Volunteer Nation over the last couple of week, plus they laid an egg against Mississippi last week. I have sworn off taking Vanderbilt this year, so I am going to have to go with Tennessee, which probably means I am going to get burned two years in a row.

Kentucky at Georgia
Life without A.J. Green begins this week, and Georgia is still favored by 7 points. The Bulldogs are going to be in mourning over the sudden loss of UGA VII, so hopefully they win one for Loran’s Best! UGA is the pick to cover by 12+ points running away!

Not really a good weekend for picks (thank goodness I am not really throwing coin at these games), but a great weekend for the Dawgs! I had more losers (Florida, LSU, Mississippi St, and Tennessee) than winners (Arkansas, Georgia, and Kentucky), bringing my total to 40-33. I am still above .500 and Georgia actually made me proud. I call that a successful day in the SEC!

Week 11 of SEC football gives us a full slate of action, but not really must see football unless you are a fan of the respective teams. Other than the Auburn/Georgia game, I am not sure how much of the action I will catch. Maybe some of the Tennessee/Mississippi game and I will be checking in on Mississippi St to see if they can pull off the upset over Alabama.

This week I am using the SPORTSBETTING line as seen in USAToday. I am 37-29 on the year. It is 1:15AM EST as I write this; I’ll be brief so I can get to bed!

Tennessee at Mississippi
I don’t get the line in this one: Mississippi -6. Tennessee has been playing well of late, and after all the initial hype, Mississippi’s season has been relegated to “oh well” status. The pick is Tennessee and the points.

Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is getting 3 at home. The Commodores have burned me one too many times this year, so I will take Kentucky even if they have to give up 3 on the road.

1 Florida at South Carolina
I seem to be wrong on Florida more other than not, so giving South Carolina 17.5 makes for a tough pick. We all know the Ol Ball Coach is going is going to want this one in the worst way, but the Gators cover. There, I said it. Watch me be wrong!

Louisiana Tech at 8 LSU
LSU is coming off a tough loss to Alabama, so this one has the potential to be a trap game for LSU, who is giving up 23 to La Tech. I guess I have a little Vince Dooley in me. LSU covers.

Troy at Arkansas
Troy will be much better than Arkansas expects, but the Hogs are obviously not Troy’s typical Sun Belt opponent. I do not like the line (Arkansas -13.5), but I think Arkansas covers; just barely. Then again I would not at all be surprised if Troy pulled off an upset.

2 Alabama at Mississippi St
Is there any possibility of a letdown for the Tide? Mississippi St has played very well at times, but on paper they have no chance at winning this one. The line gives those other Bulldogs 11.5. I do not know if they can pull off the upset, but after have an extra week to prepare for hosting Alabama, I think they are going to at least scare the living snot out of Bama fans. I am going to take Mississippi St and the 11.5.

Auburn at Georgia
So it comes to this; the Bulldogs must win to say above .500! Who would have thought that at the beginning of the season? Recent history has favored the visiting team, which makes the like (Georgia -4) less than promising. This is a pick with no real rational behind it. Call it from the heart, homer, wishful thanking … a fool and his money are easily parted. Georgia to cover. Good Lord what is wrong with me?

Go Dawgs!