Pathetic, or something like it

With apologies to Kenny Rogers, Merle Haggard and pretty much every Dawg fan who had to watch that game.



Initially my one and only thought about this game was "pathetic." But somewhere between the sorriness of the third quarter and the inevitability of the fourth, I began to grasp a sense of nuance about a game that surely marks one of the true low points, from a single-game point of view, of the Richt era.

Tonight was 2008 Alabama bad, without the second half attempted comeback. The better team - the better team by a wide margin - won. But we played poorly.

Our offensive line looked like we should have expected at the start of the season. Our defense is inexplicably mediocre. Aaron Murray is getting harder to defend against the people who say he can't win the big games. I'm not one to bash play calling, but running out of the shotgun against one of the nation's most athletic fronts, on the goal line and elsewhere, strikes me as stupid.

So all around a fairly sorry game, not so much in effort (although the fourth quarter made me question that as well), but in execution.

Long season still to go. Still a good chance South Carolina takes a couple of losses in SEC play. We have a week off. Then Kentucky. Then we damn well better beat Florida, or you can start hoping about 2013.

What we had here tonight was a two-Merle-Haggard song loss. Wake up, Bulldogs. In hindsight, you were bound to lose tonight against a good South Carolina team that came out loaded for bear and ready to go. But you also played like shit. I'd prefer you learn, one of these days, to play like champions.

Malcolm Mitchell's place

During last night's game, when I wasn't just generally losing my mind over the widespread ridiculousness on display, I found myself wondering where Malcolm Mitchell's proper place is in our lineup.

After we pushed the ball to him early on offense, he disappeared, other than to make another bad punt return decision. Meanwhile our receiving corps doesn't seem to need his help. Tavarres King and Michael Bennett are making plays, and we've got Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten as the next options at wideout.

Not too shabby.

Now, obviously Mitchell is talented enough to crack right back into that lineup and play a prominent roll. I hate it for whoever that costs time, but that's football, and we're running enough four and even five wide sets to get everyone snaps.

But ask yourself: Do you feel more comfortable about Rantavious Wooten / Marlon Brown as the third receiver on the field, or about Branden Smith as one of your starting corners?

I'm sure there are things to worry about, but I don't see them

I'm trying hard not to judge too much on a Vanderbilt game, or any of our other early season games for that matter. But, damn, that looked like a complete team last night.

The offense looked like it was entering juggernaut territory. The defense showed more than enough nasty to beat Vanderbilt. We get our last few starters back, and I expect we'll be solid favorites for every game between now and the SEC Title game.

I don't know that I've ever seen a stronger early season performance from The Dawgs, with the possible exception of 2003, when we opened so strong against Clemson and South Carolina, only to fall short against LSU.

I'd still like to feel great about the offensive line. Freshmen kickers aren't ideal. I anticipate development along the defensive line to further compliment Jarvis Jones.

But we seem to have a playmaker, or playmakers, at every level of the defense. We have a strong and balanced offense and an experience quarterback. I believe, for the first time in a long time, my expectations for the Bulldogs were too low, and I'm very impressed with what we've seen so far.

Bulldogs: Help bring GameDay to Montana

A request from Hoppy Hopkins, our man in Great Falls, Montana, which you now know to be a hotbed of UGA support:

There is a Facebook page pushing ESPN's College GameDay to come to Missoula, MT for the annual Cat/Griz game in November. College Game Day has never been to Montana. The Cats (Montana State) are currently #2 in the FCS poll and the Griz have a storied tradition as well. The nickname of this game is "The Brawl of the Wild" and it dates back over 100 years. Would you guys mind plugging the FB page on your blogs? I would just love to see GameDay come to Montana, and I know a big push from the Dawgnation would certainly boost the numbers for this cause.

Hoppy is correct, College GameDay has never been to Montana. Let's keep this newly confirmed Georgia-Montana connection going. Go like that Facebook page and help bring Gameday to Montana Nov. 17.

There are no obvious GameDay-type games on the schedule that date, with the potential exceptions of Oklahoma/West Virginia and Oregon/Stanford, so this can absolutely happen, depending how the season plays out. Let's get behind Montana on this, because Bulldog Nation loves Montana, and Montana loves the Bulldogs.

The Montana Project

I suspect most of you have already seen The Senator's post today on the results of The Montana Project.



I hope folks enjoy the video, and my thanks go out to Hoppy Hopkins and his team for a great job. I hope folks realize how time consuming it can be to edit a video like that, not to mention the time spent shooting.

When we conceived this idea there were a lot of folks asking to contribute financially. But primarily because of Hoppy and another Dawg in Montana (K. Shockley, who provided the helmet and covered shipping costs) there weren't really expenses worth spreading around.

But because I know the Bulldog Nation is a generous one, and because I believe ridiculous gestures should be paired with meaningful ones, I propose a way for Dawg fans to contribute to this effort, which is really  just about confirming and increasing UGA's reputation. Please join me in making a donation to a Montana-based charity.

Hoppy has suggested the Great Falls Public Schools Foundation, which works with the local schools in Great Falls, where he lives and where the video was shot. If you like, send them a check and write "From Montana's friends at the University of Georgia" in the "for" line. Their mailing address is:

Dave Crum, Community Connections Manager
c/o Foundation Donation
Great Falls Public Schools
1100 4th Street South, Great Falls, MT 59404

Hoppy says it's a worthy cause, helping students and teachers alike.

The season ends, or it gets interesting

Hyperbole?  Sure, a little. You can lose to Missourri and tell yourself it was all the suspensions, then  still win the SEC East. But you won't believe that in your heart, and it certainly won't get you through Atlanta with a win.

Given our expectations  this year, this game is as all or nothing as a conference opener gets, and we need a big game from the offense today. We need to buy time, and can't afford to trade losses for it.

Gurley highlights, o-line a very big concern

Given that I had convinced myself in the last few weeks of the preseason, for about the 10th year straight, that the Dawgs really could win the SEC this year, I was disappointed in what I saw Saturday. Because that's not how Alabama handles its business week one.

It'd be nice if the administration would work to avoid noon games when it's 175 degrees, though. And Buffalo was not as bad as I was led to expect. There were good parts to that team, if not impressive ones.

Speaking of impressive: Todd Gurley is a beastman. Check this interview / highlights package in which Gurley, unprompted, references Herschel Walker, and it comes off as awesome.
 

It's a race between Gurley and Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon for freshman of the year, and I say that with no disrespect to Keith Marshall, who looks like he can get it done, too.

I'll leave specifics alone beyond that, except to hope Aaron Murray has discovered his long range touch for good this season, to be happy Rantavious Wooten is making plays, to note strong games from Tavarres King and Michael Bennett, and to hope the suspensions and injuries resolve themselves quickly.

Because that defense didn't look championship caliber to me, I don't care how many guys were out. And that offensive line performance ain't gonna cut it.

Dear Coach Richt: Don't shave your goatee

There is one, and only one, set of circumstances under which I'd advise someone to wear a goatee. And that set of circumstances is "Your evil twin is needed."

Coach Richt, your evil twin is needed. Do not shave your goatee.













See the difference? Get it done.

The clock just will not stop: Thinking of Munson

Thinking about Munson on a Sunday afternoon.

My favorite Munson call.

The man recorded a eulogy for himself.

Double Caprices point to pimptitude

I apologize for the soft focus here from my camera phone, but those are identical 1990ish Chevrolet Caprice Classics parked together at a house near my neighborhood. And I thought: You just know at least one badass lives there.

Richard Samuel as the punisher

We got offensive line problems, and Isaiah Crowell's departure, more than anything else this summer, just reminds me of them. And as much as I'm looking forward to seeing our freshman get in the mix, for me, hope's name is Richard Samuel. Says Mike Bobo:

“I know after the spring game he was running the ball and had some success running and he was like, ‘Don’t forget about me at tailback.’ He was punishing people and getting yards tough at the end of the game. He has a role for that.

I'm looking forward to more of this in 2012:

 

The song that kept getting us invited back to parties

Do you think you can tell? Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?

Apropos of nothing further, that's beautiful.

Good on ya, C-WASH

Now these are the words of a grown man and a leader:

To: The Dawg Nation I have gotten word that my post on Facebook has gotten a lot of buzz over the past week or so and there are a few things that I would like to say: Although everyone is entitled to their own opinions (even all the people who had negative things to say), I am at fault because no matter how I felt I should never have let those feeling get control of my better judgment. I should have kept it to myself and let the entire situation die down. My biggest regret about the whole thing is that it has cause so much disruption amongst the team. I forgot for a minute that I am here to get an education and play football and that pretty much is the extent of my responsibilities. I am not here to complain about the fanatics and for that I do apologize. I am a leader and I care about the guys that I lead. Believe me, I do know and understand that my teammate made a very bad decision and had to face the consequences, but I rather support him than be negative toward him. I rather help him succeed because I saw all the work that he had put in since spring and I was looking forward to seeing him play! The bottom line is that he has moved on and I’m happy he has found a place to continue his career, but the best thing for UGA football is to let this go and move forward positively. I would like to ask all the fans and supporters out there to help us with this by letting it go also. We have to continue to work hard and do our very best to get to Miami like we planned and I want all of you along for the ride. #beblesseddawgnation

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Go Dawgs.

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Go Dawgs.

Because something's happening, and you don't know what it is

I like how Mark Bradley debunks his question before he even asks it. It's a time saver.

So no, Georgia players aren’t alone in messing up. Pick another campus — Florida, Auburn, LSU — and you’ll find similar examples of excess. In sum, it’s not only Georgia.

That said … Why is it always Georgia?

Another home run, Mark. And just think of the time you saved yourself, not combing through any old reports, not putting together any, you know, numbers to compare UGA football arrests to those at other schools.

It must be wonderfully freeing not to have to do any actual reporting, and finding yourself free to roam with perception toward a lack of conclusion.

Saturday memorial set for Sky

From his family's submitted obituary:

A memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 2nd at 1:00 pm with visitation immediately following at Lord and Stephens, WEST. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Craig Hertwig, "The Sky Spirit Award" to be given to a UGA student. The fund is at the Oconee State Bank, PO Box 205, Watkinsville, Georgia 30677 or can be dropped off at any Oconee State Bank. Lord and Stephens, WEST, is in charge of arrangements.

The Athletic Department also has a nice announcement up, with some comments from Coach Dooley:

"Because of his size, he was not ready to play as a freshman and we redshirted him," Dooley said. "One of the things I remember most about Craig is how big a fan he was during that season he redshirted. He loved to get in the stands with the students and cheer for the team. I don't know if I ever had a player who was as big of a fan as Craig. He matured and became a great player – an All-American – played professionally and came back to Athens. He always continued his support of Georgia football and all Georgia sports in that social way. He was so well known all over Athens and will be missed."

I question James Franklin's judgment

Not only does "do they have a hot wife or not" strike me as a poor metric to use in hiring your football staff, I'm not sure I'd classify most of the wives in Vanderbilt's football media guide (pdf) as hot.

Bulldog, and Athens, All American Craig "Sky" Hertwig: 1952-2012

Craig "Sky" Hertwig, the towering man who was an All American offensive tackle for the University of Georgia in 1974 and became a well-known character in the tapestry of downtown Athens, has died.

He was 60, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Sky owned the iconic Nowhere Bar on Lumpkin Street, catty-corner from the Georgia Theatre. Before that he owned the Fifth Quarter and Sky's Place, which, for my generation, was the diviest dive bar in a town of dive bars.

Sky lettered for the Bulldogs in 1972, '73 and '74 and served as an offensive captain. He played several seasons for the Detroit Lions and had a role in the film "North Dallas 40," the 1979 classic about the pain and wonder of NFL football.

I met him at Sky's Place in the mid 1990's, I suspect. Things were hazier for me then.

Sky was proud to be a Georgia Bulldog, and he was faithful. He took a series of older model RV's, and at least one red and black limo, to road games. I know for a fact that one of his RV's burned to its frame on the side of a highway headed into Lexington, because we saw him there and stopped.

He got in the car, rode with us to Lexington, paid for our hotel rooms and went about the very normal business of beating Kentucky.

Sky was a kind man, but different, and his size set him apart. He was 6'8", according to various reports, and surely far north of 300 pounds after his playing days. I think some people were uneasy around him, and I often thought of what that must of meant in his life.

I will miss the simple knowledge that, should I go to Athens, I can count on seeing Sky. He was as much the city for me as any number of landmarks, and I expect I'm not the only one who feels the town lessened for his passing.

I saw a simple, anonymous and perfect short story about Sky on Twitter as news of his death spread. Some guy said he broke a pool cue in Nowhere Bar.

"Sky put his giant hand on my shoulder," he wrote, "and told me shit happens in pool halls."

That was some of Sky. Friend to the students. Gentle giant. Georgia Bulldog from coat to core. He was a good man, and he is gone too soon.

Image: Bulldawgs Illustrated.

KUBLANOW, KUBLATOMORROW, KUBLAFOREVER

Damn I love football players with awesome names.