The Sunday Treatment and A Trip Around the Dawgosphere

Well, I wasn't at the 1984 Clemson game when Kevin Butler hit one from " a hundred thousand miles" away. If memory serves, I couldn't go because I had a soccer game that day. A goddam soccer game! I sure hated I missed the game that everyone said was the greatest ever played in Sanford Stadium, but I think today at least tied it. Man, what a game! Incredible! 

In all seriousness, I honestly don't think I've ever experienced anything like that, from a fan perspective, in the 30+ years I've been going to Georgia games. The atmosphere. The drama. The storylines. The epic play of so many of our DGDs. It just...words just can't really describe what I was feeling after that one. Walking out of the stadium and seeing all the other Dawg fans, I could tell they felt the same way. It was cathartic, exhilarating, inspirational. I just happened to see Mettenberger make a run straight to Richt right when the game was over. The two embraced and shared some words. Later, after seeing the CBS interview with Richt, there could be no doubt that we've got one hell of a head coach. He's a perfect fit for us, and we're the right place for him.

And a quick Trip Around the Dawgosphere: 

•  One of my favs - the Mark Richt Victory Watch from Dawgsports. 
•  As always, great observations from Bernie. 
•  Tyler Dawgden's quick takes here and here. 
•  Seth Emerson's write-up at the Macon paper. 
• Not really Dawgopshere, per se, but I thought Schlabach had a nice write-up about the epic QB battle between Murray and Mettenberger. 

And here's the recap from ESPN. More detailed analysis later, but for now I'll just say this: yes, there are concerns on D. But just like the SC game, they got it done when they had to. Special teams seemed much improved, but more work needs to be done. And can we just get someone who can kick through the end zone already?! Offense, obviously, is just super. Great day to be a Dawg! 

P.S. Saturday's TV schedule was just announced. CBS has picked up the UGA vs. UT game. 3:30 kick.

Breakin' it Down: UGA vs. LSU

Sorry for not posting in a couple of days. Having to do lots of stuff with September being the end of the fiscal year for my day job and all. And thanks for all of the hits. Still not getting many comments, but that's okay. I've really been blown away with the response to this blog. Thank You. And I've got a FB page for GYSB now, so check that out when you can.

It's getting close. I can almost taste it. Can't wait to get to the Classic City on Saturday and do some tailgating, hang out with some great friends, and see what should be the biggest game "between the hedges" in quite some time. It should be one hell of a ball game. Let's take a look at some numbers:

The LSU Tigers have played four games so far and are undefeated. They are averaging winning by a score of 43 - 20. Their offense looks pretty prolific thus far. Averaging just under 500 yards per game, they get more than five yards per run and are obviously getting it done in the air as well. In terms of scoring, they are in the top 20 in the country. They are also pretty good on 3rd down and and do well in the red zone. Of course, our Dawgs are playing some incredible offense, too. Murray is the best QB in the SEC based on passer rating. And we've just got so many weapons on that side of the ball. I can definitely see a high scoring game.

Defensively, the Tigers are also getting it done. Though not as impressive, stat-wise, as their offense, they are pretty darned good. At least their starting 11 is. One thing I've noticed is this: they might have some depth issues on D. I think we saw it in the 2nd half against Auburn. If we can do our thing and put a pretty good number of points on the scoreboard, I think we can start wearing them down with our power-I run game towards the end. At least, that's what we're hoping for.

The Mettenberger situation is obviously a pretty big storyline. And I'm sure CBS will be all over it, just like everyone else. Frankly, I'm over it and it's starting to bore me.
 
The concerns for us? I think everyone is fretting about the special teams. I would have to think that Richt and Co. have got that situation tended to! Another concern? For some folks, it would be our defense. From my perspective, we have improved so much from game 1 to game 2, and from game 2 to game 3, that I think our D is ready to "rise to the occasion." I really do.

Should be an incredible day in the Classic City.

My prediction: UGA 48, LSU 33. 

Potential Poetic Justice: Might Murray Break the SEC Passing TD Record in Jax?

During Saturday's 45-21 win over North Texas, Aaron Murray became just the second ever SEC QB to hit 100 touchdown passes. When it was all said and done, he had also hit 101 and 102 after another very impressive showing by our Heisman-worthy gunslinger. He is now second all-time in the league behind Danny Wuerffel's impressive number of 114. If Murray stays healthy, it's almost a given that he will take the record. But when might he do that?

I think a lot of us remember the unfortunate events of the 2009 UGA/UF game. For starters, that was the one when we broke out those god-awful black helmets. Lord help! We also got our butts kicked. It was terrible. It, unfortunately, was the one when Tebow broke Herschel's SEC rushing TD mark as well. I remember watching that run when he took over the record. It chapped my hide...man, I was pissed! You knew he was gonna break the record, but why oh why, did he actually have to do it while playing against us! It stunk! You remember it. Most of us do...

However, I believe that it is totally in the realm of possibility that Murray will break Wuerffel's mark...in Jacksonville! Against Florida! Wouldn't that be something? Poetic? Hell yes! Based on the numbers, Murray is averaging around two and half TDs per game in his career. Let's say his career number holds over Georgia's next four games - that would put him at 112 coming into Jacksonville. Then two would tie; three would take the mark. I just think that would be a damn beautiful, cathartic thing. We'll see...

Thoughts on the UNT game, and a Trip Around the Dawgosphere

Greetings and GO DAWGS! Well, it might not have gone like we planned or wanted, but I'll take it. 45-21 looks pretty good to me, and a lot of us knew that this was going to be a solid, well-coached North Texas team with some pretty decent talent. I think all of us know that now. I tip my hat to HC McCarney and the Mean Green. They were in it to win it and they played hard.

I'd previously written a preview for this season in a publication I write for and had made a point to mention that while we wouldn't have great special teams play, we would at least be solid. I'm really starting to wonder if I was wrong on that. And folks - that could be a big problem. Like Dooley always said, having a solid kicking game is the key to competing and winning in the SEC. If we don't fix this, we're just pissin' in the wind, I'm afraid. Two touchdowns on ST lapses - not good. With that said, I think we can shore it up and be alright. The coaches and players have some work to do. Let's see how it plays out...

Aaron Murray is a DGD and one hell of a quarterback. Based on QB rating, he is the best in the SEC and I think he may very well be the best in the country. Well done, sir! Our running game wasn't nearly as effective as it had been the previous two games and I think that was by design. Again, let's give UNT credit - they schemed and planned to stop the run and make UGA beat them in the air. Which we did. Gurley got some good, tough yards. Most impressive. I thought the O-line did well and hats off to our TEs and receiving corps.

Defense equaled awesome, in my opinion. Kudos to Grantham, asst. D coaches and most importantly - the players. Thompson is a very good QB and they had some weapons on that side of the ball and I thought our boys did great.

So A's for the offense and defense; a D- for special teams. A repeat of those grades will most likely mean that we'll be 2-2 a week from today. Got to clean up those special teams. I think we will...

And a Sunday tradition on GYSB!:

A Trip Around the Dawgosphere

• One of my favorite Sunday write-ups, Tyler Dawgden's Sunday Morning Comes
• Negativity and bad vibes from the evil one, CCRider - Sports and Grits: North Texas Game
• The Senator's Observations from the 45
• The Sic 'Em Dawgs recap.
• From Seth Emerson at the Macon Telegraph: "We got ourselves into a fight" and the final recap.
• And my all-time favorite reoccurring Dawg Blog feature: The Mark Richt Victory Watch

GO DAWGS! 

Dawgs vs. the Mean Green

Alright, hope all is well out there. I meant to get this post up yesterday. Oh well...

North Texas. Don't know much about 'em? Well, neither did I. Not really. But I've been researching them a little bit and I've got a few thoughts:

• This is not the Mean Green from a few years ago - that team was basically awful - only winning a handful of games during a four year stretch. 
• Their HC now is Dan McCarney, formerly the head guy at Iowa St. and considered by many to be a pretty darned good coach. They've won more games in his two years than they did the previous four.He's got old-school sensibilities and we'll most likely see a well-coached team. 
• The Mean Green offense is actually pretty good. Their passing game ranks 28th in the country at right under 300 yds per game and their QB, Thompson, is good. Like real good. Unlike Clemson and USCe, we'll be seeing more power-I and pro-set stuff, and Thompson is a traditional pocket passer. As I've said recently, we should be well-prepared for this type of offense as we practice against it regularly with our own offense. Also, this will be a good run-up for the LSU game.
• They've got a couple of decent running backs as well and by all accounts they have a good group of O-linemen. 
• And they've got a few playmaker on defense. They can bring some pressure and make some plays. 
• UNT is no longer Sun Belt, they've moved up to Conference USA. Whoop, whoop!!! 

I think the key to having a good and successful day is coming out on fire and ready to GATA (get after their asses). Our Dawgs need to play with a passion and intensity, while still playing smart of course, and try to go ahead and take control of this game early. If we can get some early scores and if our D does what it should and we get some pressure on their QB, then we could easily find ourselves up maybe 3 or 4 touchdowns when we hit the locker room for halftime. If we can do that, then we could get a ton of reps for some of our back-ups and younger guys. That would be most helpful for our cause moving forward. We've got the ability, playmakers, and talent to do exactly that, and I think we will.

My prediction: UGA 55; UNT 19 

GO DAWGS! GATA!!!

Florida's Woes on Offense

Some have mentioned that the UF offense needs "more weapons." Here's their strategy moving forward:

A Trip Around the Dawgosphere: 18 September 2013

Let's check the pulse of the Dawgosphere:

From OnlineAthens.com

• Garbin gives some love to a DGD (Damn Good Dog), Scott Adams. I remember watching that very tall lineman block for the likes of Tate, Worley, and Hampton back in the 80's. Rest in Peace, # 75.
• A few days ago I did a post about Tyler Dawgden's terrific post about an alternate reality if we had listened to the haters and cut Richt loose a few years ago. Well, Mr. Sanchez [correction: CCRider - I knew that too, just got my names mixed up -MM] decided to enter the fray in his decidedly negative, contrarian way.
• The Lady Sportswriter, Kimberly Nash, lets us know that Richt isn't taking the Mean Green lightly.
• Via the one and only one, Seth Emerson, over at the Macon Telegraph (the best source for UGA news - why torture yourself w/ the goddam AJC?) - Linebacker Controversy! OMG!
• The North Texas game will be carried on SEC TV. That's Peachtree TV for most folks around here.
• From the AB-H, Aaron Murray is one TD away from 100!
• My obligatory Get The Picture mention. Thought I'd go with this one after what I posted about Texas on Monday. Seriously, if they lose this one - I'd say all bets are off. Brown might not finish the season. 
• And Dawgsports' SEC Game of Interest - Week 4: UF vs. UT. Let's go...meteor?

So as for it not to appear that I'm just completely mailing it in and piggy-backing off of my fellow Dawg Bloggers, here are some of my prior thoughts vis-a-vis the North Texas Mean Green (but see - I'm just linking myself, just like I am with all of the others...ha, ha, ha! I'm such a  hack!) But wait - here's a block quote also:

I don't know much about them [North Texas] other than they're called the Mean Green and they've had a lot of money pumped into the program lately (think a poor man's Oklahoma St.). A few years ago, they hired Dan McCarney, formerly the HC at Iowa St., and the team has posted more wins in his two years (9) than they did the previous four seasons.

But seriously, it looks like North Texas is not your typical Sun Belt C-USA team. It looks like they've got a pretty good QB and can move the ball. It's nice that apparently they run a lot of pro-set and and power-I

type stuff with a traditional pocket passer. That will give us a good trial run for LSU. We should be ready for the Mean Green. I mean - hell - our D practices against this type of O every week. We should be able to GATA, take care of business, and get it done!

I'll be posting a good bit more about UNT the next few days.I'll also be revealing the meaning of life on Friday. So you'll definitely want to check back for that.

Until next time.

GO DAWGS!

Random College Football Notes: 9.16.2013

Apparently it's Mexican Independence Day today. So...happy 16th of September to any of my Mexican readers out there. And how 'bout that 'Bama/A&M game? Wow! That was pretty fun to watch. And I can't lie - I don't like Saban or Manziel, but they do what they do well.

• The wheels coming off over at Texas? I'd say it's pretty darned close. If they end up losing to K-State this weekend, I'd say all bets are off (including Brown, a national championship winner, making it to the end of the season). I'm sure some folks were feeling the SEC love for Ole Mi$$. Not me - I've really gotten to the point where I kind of hate that crowd now. 
• The techies seem to be all "abuzz" about their thrashing of...Duke. I guess you take what you can get when you're in their shoes. 
• I think it's now safe to say that the top-tier FCS (formerly 1-AA) teams are as good as lower-level FBS (formerly 1-A) teams. Bethune-Cookman became, what, the 5th or 6th FCS team to beat a FBS team this season. The difference with this one compared to some of the others is that it seems like Cookman was just head and shoulders better than Florida International. I wonder if C-USA has any buyer's remorse now.
• Georgia State just seems like a completely awful football team. And I can't think of any reason why that will change over the next several seasons. A year away from fully competing at the FBS level, and they lose to a FCS team by four touchdowns? And from what I gather, West Virginia could have probably hung 50 or 60 on them easy.
• Found this little gem today. Seeing Spurrier losing it never gets old. Enjoy! H/T to the Senator.
• Poor New Mexico State. When the conference realignment game of musical chairs finally ended after the implosion of the WAC, they were basically the one team that got left out in the cold. Plus, they seem to be a really awful football team.

And some Dawg stuff:

• The Grit Tree has a very interesting write-up regarding the number of times the UGA defense has given up more than 30 points.
• Some very good perspective from Patrick Garbin vis-a-vis the "Murray Chokes" meme.
• Good write-up by the best UGA beat writer out there - the one and only Seth Emerson.

Alright. So I'm planning on getting a good bit of stuff out there this week. I'm still somewhat looking for an identity for the blog, but I think I'm getting there. And for all of the hits I'm getting - thanks! I appreciate the support. Getting a few comments here and there would be pretty cool as well. Let your voice be heard! Until next time - GO DAWGS! GATA! 

This!

A superb post by Tyler Dawgden: "Fire Richt! An Alternative View" 

FIRE RICKD!!!!1!

Go Dawgs! 

Turning Back; Looking Ahead

Turning Back

Well, I've gotten through two DVR re-watches of the USCe game after seeing it live on Saturday. I'm gonna give a few half-assed insights but you should definitely check out the pros - The Senator's "Upon Further Review," and Bernie's "Sakerlina Recap" as well. 

I will say that I agree wholeheartedly with what many have been saying all week - our O-line work was bordering on brilliant. That's great execution, but that's also great coaching and game-planning as well. And obviously Aaron Murray just had a banner day. Great games also by Scott-Wesley, Artie Lynch, Quayvon, Marshall, and Gurley.

The defense, after some additional review, did a lot better than I originally thought. Our line did get some pretty good pressure and I thought our LBs were great. The secondary didn't do as badly as I originally thought, but it was hard watching Langley get treated like the schoolyard chump on that last SC drive in the replay. I think that kid's gonna be good, though. And as the Senator and others have asked, where in the hell was the safety help? But hey - anytime you get a goal-line stand against a top-10 SEC team, you're obviously doing something right.

One other thing I noticed...other than Danielson, I truly think that Todd Blackledge is probably the best color-commentator on TV. But after seeing his "Taste of the Town" segment, I've come to the following conclusion - dude's a dork, a maybe a bit socially retarded as well. Also, for the record, I think Nessler is the best play-by-play guy out there.

Looking Ahead 

We've got an off week so I guess we'll all be looking forward to the 'Bama/A&M game. Should be a good one. Our Dawgs can continue to get healthy and rested and we'll start gearing up for North Texas. I don't know much about them other than they're called the Mean Green and they've had a lot of money pumped into the program lately (think a poor man's Oklahoma St.). A few years ago, they hired Dan McCarney, formerly the HC at Iowa St., and the team has posted more wins in his two years (9) than they did the previous four seasons.

TV Coverage Announced for North Texas Game

According to SicEmDawgs, the September 21st North Texas game will be televised by SEC TV. Here in the metro Atlanta area, it will be picked up by Peachtree TV. The Dawgs are off this week.

GO DAWGS! 

By the Numbers

Thing are looking pretty good for our Dawgs right now. We're back in the Top 10, we've got the inside track and control our own destiny within the SEC East, and we might have just witnessed the best atmosphere at Sanford Stadium since the 2007 Auburn "Blackout" game. Now, we've got a week off to rest and get healthy. Here's the numbers so far:

Aaron Murray is pretty much just killing it right now. Averaging 316 yards per game in the air, with a 71.2% completion rate and a 194.8 QB rating. Just Damn! If he keeps this up, he will obliterate any and all UGA season and career numbers. But - according to many in the Dawg Nation - he ain't the guy to get us there, right?

Todd Gurley is on fire as well. He's averaging 144 yards per game on the ground with a per carry average of...6.9 yards! Wow! He's also scored 3 TDs on the ground with another in the air. Very nice.

Team-wise, things are looking pretty good on the offensive side of the ball as UGA is in the top 20 in FBS in terms of yards per game.  The Dawgs are producing 542 yards per game with a 316 passing / 226 rushing split. Pretty nice...

The defense, on paper, doesn't appear to be doing nearly as well, but as many folks who watched the USCe game will tell you - there has been significant improvement. And obviously you've got to keep in mind that we've probably already faced the two best offenses we'll see all season.

GO DAWGS! 

*All stats via ESPN

The Dawgosphere Round-up: 8 September 2013

Wow! What a game! Big, big win. So many storyline were cast off last night: Murray can't win the big game, Richt and Bobo can't win the big ones, we are a poorly coached team, etc. It was pretty damned cathartic. It is easily one of the best games in Sanford Stadium I've witnessed in many years, and it was quite possibly the loudest I've ever heard the place. So hurray for the players, coaches, and the fans. Let's see what the Dawgosphere is saying:

• The Senator, in the way that only he can, sums it up: "Observations from the 45"
• Bernie, like the entire Dawgnation, is lovin' some Quayvon. 
• Tyler Dawgdon's "Sunday Morning Comes" 
•  Possibly my favorite reoccurring Dawgblog post - Dawgsport's "The Mark Richt Victory Watch."

And from traditional media, here's a very nice write-up from Seth Emerson.

From the Athens Banner-Herald, "Dogged and Determined" 

And the game's box score. 

A quote to carry with you for the rest of the day/next couple of weeks. From Steve Spurrier:

 "It was a good tail-kicking and I have to give Georgia credit, They ran it right down our throat. Vince Dooley probably has a smile on his face with the way they played tonight [emphasis added is mine]," said Spurrier, who fell to 15-6 all-time against the Bulldogs. "I thought we could slow them down and when we did we gave up a big play. … It was pretty obvious that Georgia was the stronger of the two teams out there today."

GO DAWGS! 

A Bit of Perspective

 For what it's worth...  

The starting quarterbacks for the last five UGA SEC Championship teams with completion %  and total yards passing:

• 1980 - Belue - 49% /1314 yds 

• 1981 - Belue - 61% / 1603 yds 

• 1982 - Lastinger - 42% / 907 yds 

• 2002 - Greene 58% / 2924 yds 

• 2005 - Shockley 56% / 2588 yds 

vs. Aaron Murray in 2012 - 65% / 3893 yds

 via TOTALFOOTBALLSTATS.COM

Makes Me Smile Every Time

H/T to the Senator

Turning Back and Looking Ahead

Clemson. What does that word mean to you? Well, I tell you what that word means to me:

Clemson is where our Dawgs lost a close game a few days ago. Clemson thinks they can lay claim to "Death Valley," but they cannot. I've been to the "Red Stick" a few times and there's no comparison. But Memorial Stadium was pretty damn impressive a few nights ago. I'll give 'em that.

Clemson brings back memories. It takes me back to the opening game of 2003 when I witnessed a pretty darned cute Clemson coed projectile-vomiting her sweet little guts out, dressed to the nines in a super cute orange and purple dress. The best part was watching her male accompaniment reacting to the situation. At first he was obviously concerned about her. But then it became apparent that he fully realized the true ramifications of what was going on - this could cost him going to the game! Perhaps the young man realized that he could get one of the girl's friends to tend to her. Then the young man could actually take one of his buddies to the game! It could all come out aces! Did that happen? Who knows? By the looks of him I doubt he was smart enough to play it properly...

So...back to last weekend. Those Clemson fans were just so nice and gracious before the game. They really were. But I have never seen a fan-base flip like a switch like I did last Saturday night. As soon as the game was over they were just out of control. Within yards of the stadium we heard Clemson fans yelling - "You suck you Georgia f*cks! We whipped 'dat ass!" Then a Clemson fan ran up to the folks in front of us and just unloaded a string of profanities on them and then promptly ran away. Then, when we got downtown, random Clemson dude is hanging off a streetlight with a half-drunk bottle of Crown yelling, "F*ck you! You Georgia Bitches!!! Ha, ha, ha!!!"

There were many more incidents. They totally came across as amateurs. Nouveau Riche, as it were, which I couldn't understand - this crew had won a national championship back in '81, right? But, then I realized - they've been in the ACC this whole time. They didn't know how to handle themselves. But they were pretty damn cute, bless their hearts!

What I really got a kick out of was reading a certain Clemson blog this week (I won't link them...they're not worth it). They were talking about how awful the Georgia fan base was and how we deserved everything we got (with a lot of profanity - those guys are "San Diego" all the way!). Well, of course. Hell, we have a song about how obnoxious we are. And you had urine dumped on you back in 2002 when you were in Athens? Shit happens. Get over it! At least Georgia fans are consistent. There's something to be said for that.

Oh yeah - the game. Our left O-line sucked and we botched a FG. There you go.

And now we have the cocks coming to town. I'm not too worried about it.

GO DAWGS!

Welcome to Go You Silver Britches!

Greetings! I hope this post finds you well. And welcome to my new blog - Go You Silver Britches! You may find yourself asking, "do we really need another UGA football blog?" Well, the short answer on that would probably be no. I just felt like this was something I needed to do. I've debated about this for probably about four years or so. At that time there was an absolute plethora of Dawg blogs, but that number has thinned a bit as some have gone dormant. Plus, for purely selfish reasons, I was wanting to get a page out there that had a roll of all of my favorite UGA sites and blogs for kind of a "one stop shop," so to speak. So...there's that.

A few months ago I did a write-up at another blog I operate about that entity that is known as the "Dawgosphere," It got linked by the Senator (GTP) and generated quite a bit of interest. I guess working on and researching that post kind of stirred my passions for finally adding my own cog to the Dawgosphere wheel. There are so many great Dawg blogs out there. In addition to the aforementioned Get The Picture, there is Dawgsports, Bernie's Dawg Blawg, Georgia Sports Blog, and several others. I'm looking forward to becoming a part of that community although I know I've got some dues to pay first.

I'm planning on trying to do a few different things with this site. In addition to posts about games, players and news, I'm also going to be throwing out some of my personal recollections of growing up as a UGA fan. I'm also going to delve into the history of UGA football a little bit and hopefully will be doing some personal profiles with some former players and coaches as well.

To learn more about me or to contact me, please visit the About tab at the top of this page. 

I'm really looking forward to it. I hope you'll check back often.

GO DAWGS! G.A.T.A!