Gators celebrate, Lindsey runs

From 1980Dawgs...

Win the tailgate. Take care of business. GATA!

Gator hate week - Saturday

From John Isner, a prediction...

floriDuh motorhome

This episode of #hateweek brought to us by Mac.

Location:Frederica Rd,St Simons,United States

Beatin' down the gators -EXCLUSIVE

Not gonna get this anywhere else folks...a kid knocking the s*** out of a reptile. Cuz even at an early age, every young SEC fan knows that the only good gator...is a dead gator.

Friday Misery - soggy, but not soft

Once again, SSI beach goers - clean your shit up!

Next, will someone enlighten me as to the intricacies of becoming a successful Wiki editor? I've been trying for years to get this f---in page corrected to the game's right and proper title to no avail. Really starting to piss me the hell off.

Ok, that takes care of all the announcements on the agenda. Let's get down to business.

Hate for all forecasts
Now, have you hated the gators enough today? You can't answer yes, and you better not answer no. It's a rhetorical question. There is no end to our hate for them. It knows no depths deep enough and it cannot be condensed within any four walls.

We don't hate the gators because it's fun. It's not a recreational activity or a hobby we pick up when we're bored. It's not something we do just one day a year, or for a season as the leaves change. No, it's a function of our inner being. A necessary component of our existence. It's a role we're born into, something as natural as wearing jeans that haven't seen scissors.

via SouthernSass

I know during the normal hate week we just go through the motions and that is enough to get us through. When Ole Miss comes to town next week it'll be Hotty Toddy Goshamighty look at all your GED's and all that. Whenever we play Tennessee a few HillBilly cracks and some in-breeding jokes usually suffice. 

But Florida is different. This is The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party son! You don't just skate through it or else Shawn Williams will call your ass out,. And that ain't gonna be pretty. You can't just go through the motions hoping for the best. That's not remotely close to being good enough.

Look here, lemme break it down a little more. If you are standing under your tent with a soggy, rain soaked cocktail complaining about a few rain drops, you ain't ready for this. Go on back to your hotel, cover yourself in your GamGam's afghan, curl up on the sofa and have some chicken noodle soup while you watch Saturday's Lifetime movie marathon. If you're worried about getting embarrassed by OMG ITS THE BEST TEAM IN THE NATION AND WE'RE GON' DIE!!!, then just sit this one out hotshot cuz we don't need your weak ass shit tomorrow. 

Me...Lord knows I ain't made of sugar. I'm not going to melt in a little bit of rain. I couldn't care less what the hell floriDuh is ranked and it doesn't matter to me what the 21 year record is. It's the WLOCP damnit. Go hard or go home.

Of Germans, Pearl Harbor and a sack of turds
It's hasn't been a great month. We looked like a manic-depressive team well removed from its last dose of lithium against Tennessee. We looked like plain ol' shit in Columbia. Against Kentucky...well, thank God Connor Norman's parents passed 7th grade health. Ugh.

I get it. The last few weeks haven't been pretty, despite the overall record. It's been like sitting on the front pew after you spent all Saturday night sinning - ultimately satisfying, but so very uncomfortable. 

Everyone thinks the gators are this great and fantastic team. They're world beaters and they're gonna do double to us what they did to their old coach. I get it, it's not all vanilla ice cream over warm peach cobbler in here anymore is it? But....

What?!? Over? Did you say "over"?

Was it over on 3rd and 12 on the eight yard line? No, Hudson threw a block, Belue threw a pass and Lindsey ran! Was it over when we were up 37-0 in 1982? No, we still had one more touchdown in us! And was it over when they had us down 17-0 last year? No! Because Will PieceofShit Muschamp doesn't win in Jacksonville. It's an undeniable fact. He couldn't win as a player. He hasn't won as a coach. Hell, years from now when they induct him into the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame for being the absolute worst participant/coach/casual observer in the history of the rivalry he'll drop the damn trophy on his toe as a waiter runs by with the entrees. Just like seasons 1991-1994 while he was in our secondary.

Dumbass. "Stare" all you want. Your Georgia pants still had more shit stains on them than the jerseys had grass stains.

No Dawg fans, this is OUR game. It was taken from us. We grabbed a hold of it last year. Now it's time to wrench it from their tiny little stubby arms and claim it back as our own.  There is only one objective tomorrow. Knock the shit out of somebody. So clench your fists. It's time to get after it.

Go Dawgs!

Florida - what to look for

Here's the usual collection of pregame thoughts and observations. At least the ones Sandy hasn't blown away yet.

• Speaking of which...the weather. How does having a hurricane off shore affect things? Keep a close eye on how much rain Jacksonville gets today and tomorrow prior to kickoff. If things get sloppy, just hope that Muschamp uses all of their timeouts before the waning minutes.
• Special teams. Florida has been more disciplined and therefore effective in the kicking and coverage game than we have. For instance, we're last in the conference in punt coverage allowing over 13 yards; The Gators are 4th, allowing under two yards. This has to change tomorrow. We have to at least break even with them and protect our field position better than we have thus far.
• A defensive reaction. It's been a tumultuous few weeks for the defense, capped off by a little controversy the last few days. The first couple offensive series for Florida are the biggest key to this game for Georgia. If they can get a couple stops and at least force a punt, Shawn Williams' words will instantly become a catalyst for movement in the right direction. If they run right through us and score, things could get ugly quick. On and off the field.
• Punchdrunk gators. If the Dawgs are wondering how their team's defense will respond, the Gator's have to be curious to see how their defense handles Murray and all of the weapons at his disposal. Florida's body of work is probably the most impressive in college football, but they haven't seen a dangerous offense like Georgia's. With all the talk of getting punched in the mouth and how teams' respond, hopefully Bobo bludgeons them with jabs and then a few haymakers for good measure.

Gator hate week - Friday

No real surprise that Doug really knows how to twist the knife into hate week.

Don't be shy. Jump in on twitter or Bookface or in the comments. DotheWorldaFavor and SmackaDamnGator!!

Repost: 50 days...into the season

Last homework assignment for the week. This one is from the summer of 2011. I think it both fits the feelings around the Dawg Nation today and preps well for Jacksonville. GATA.

Whether you like Coach Richt, dislike him or are somehow just plain indifferent...you have to give him credit for making some changes the last couple years. Did he wait too long to turn the program around? We're soon to find out. 50 days until toe meets leather in the Dome. 57 until we all meet at Sanford for an early season must win against the Gamecocks.


But today I want to look well ahead of that to 50 days into the season. While Richt is a popular topic of discussion and print, my feelings on him are easily summed up: I like him, I want him around a long time, but it's program first and coach somewhere after that. On this special occasion with just 50 days left before kickoff we need to explore something deeper. We need to get our minds right for the entire season, not just the first game of the season.


Ironically for me, that starts with one game. 50 days into the schedule we'll be gearing up for the biggest game of every season. Jacksonville. The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Georgia - Florida. Battle on the St. John's. Don't think of this season in terms of a number that would make it successful in your opinion. And don't worry about whether our coach will be on the sidelines next year. Richt's the coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. Once toe meets leather it doesn't go beyond that.


Would a 10 win season thrill me to no end? Well, can a black knight score 10 measly points and beat you? I'd love a 10 win season. But I want something more than that. I want once again to cheer for a team that has toughness. Not just at the opening kick and not just on one side of the ball. I want a team that's man enough to stare their arch nemesis in the eye and hunker down one more time despite how much it hurts, how exhausted they are or what the score is.


WLOCP. A one game barometer. A 60 minute reading of the pulse of the program. Beating Boise would be sexy. But proving we can beat the team that's flat out owned us the last two decades is Jennifer Aniston wearing nothing but a Scott Woerner jersey hot! There's no comparison. 


Even beating Carolina as the proposed pre-season front runner of the SEC East would be great and would go a long way towards paving the way to Atlanta. But the road to the GA Dome in December goes through Jacksonville in late October. Always has. The difference between beating chickens and beating gators is like the difference between leasing and owning a car. One's cool. The other is something to build on.


And brothers, sisters...we need hammer and nails, not spackle and a coat of paint. We've been shoveling our own grave for too long. So with 50 days until the season Reader, I'm not gonna ask if you're ready for football. I'm not gonna talk about how cool it would be to beat the Broncos and spoil their season right out of the gates. That's not my mindset. For 21 years we've watched one single game swing in one direction. If the 2011 season is to be considered a success there will be shouts aplenty of Go Dawgs!! from those escalators leaving AllTel stadium October 29th. The drives and flights back to all destinations red and black on the 30th will be peaceful and not tormented like so many of the last 21 times we've left Jacksonville.


We'll know then that our Dawgs are not only ready to start a fight, but also ready to finish it. We won't need a funny looking uniform to pump us up before kickoff. We'll see our Dawgs in their usual road gear and the fervor will come naturally. We won't even need unsportsmanlike flags littering an endzone to punch the opponent in the face. We'll do that because that is what our UGA forebears have done for generations. The WLOCP is our game. We own it and it's been taken from us because we've gotten lazy and proficient at coming up with excuses. It's time to reclaim the GA/fla game, and it's gonna take our full concentration. A complete, concentrated effort. Fan, coach...player. Our voice, their guidance and a Dawgs' heart.


So my question is simple this morning. With 50 days until the season, are you ready for 50 days into it?

Red & Black sells out...to Florida

Really?

Florida...beatable, but not easily

I'm cautiously trending towards optimistic. I don't give us a shot in hell if our usual special teams show up and we don't take care of the football. But Florida hasn't seen an offense with weapons like ours. So that gives me a good dose of hope.

I'll preview things more tomorrow, but for now I wanted to point you to some good previews I've seen and read elsewhere. First of all, Socrates lays out how to stop the Gators' offense...

So UF’s offense can be inconsistent despite being very creative, and if our guys can play good assignment football and recognize those same tendencies and react quickly we can stop UF’s offense and keep the game close.

...and then how to beat their defense.

Our offensive line should hold up well in the running game against the smaller UF front. I would not expect any major runs by our backs, but if we can rush in this game for 150 yards or more, to me, that can be a game changer.

And lastly, ol' Schlabach has the turds on upset alert!

Fresh legs late in the game

In his notebook from yesterday Ching points out that Malcome has taken on a "closer" type role in the last two games rushing for 64 yards on 11 carries in the Dawgs' final drives. He adds that this is reminiscent of Samuel last season, especially in Jacksonville.

“Usually at that time of the game, he’s usually a little bit fresher than the other two and he is a very good downhill runner,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “As you observe him, he’s usually always getting yards after contact and even when nothing’s there, he seems to be pushing the pile and finishing runs and he’s done a good job of securing the football. Those are things that you want at that time of the game.” 

That’s the role Richard Samuel played on the Bulldogs’ game-winning drive last season against Florida -- Georgia’s opponent on Saturday -- but Richt does not predict Samuel taking carries away from Malcome or one of the freshmen in Saturday’s rematch. 

“At the tailback position, I don’t know,” Richt said. “We’ve got our rotation right now and I doubt it would change much, although Richard’s always ready to play at the tailback or the fullback for that matter.” 

Gator hate week - Thursday

Shake it Trinton!

via The Anti-Orange Page

The NEW Vandy Tailgate Video

If you can get past my drunken Drive By Truckers "sing-a-long", this Vandy tailgate footage is almost as much fun to watch as the actual game.

All of the predictions were confident, even if they ended up being not nearly confident enough. Jarvis fell a little short of Matt's 2.5 sack prediction, but that was bold as well. Helped set the tone.

And kudos to Mike for being the only one in his group brave enough to stand in front of the camera. Unfortunately, he can no longer run for public office. But that's the price you pay I guess. Welcome to the club.

- - - - - - - 

Thanks to Nama for finally getting this out. And thanks to La Jolla for lighting a fire under him.

Repost: 21 years of bitching excuses

Get our your mirrors. Time to reflect on some of our many excuses.

We've had 21 years as a program to turn this series around. At times though it seems as if we're more concerned with coming up with excuses as to why our fate is what it is. Ugh. Some refer to some sort of curse that exists in Jacksonville. Depending on how the game is lost, we tend to blame specific coaches, certain players, referees, lack of a bye week, all of the coaches, not enough beer, too much bourbon, travel times, all of the players, accommodations, one specific play call, injuries, lack of focus after a bye week, weather, location, humidity, gas prices, every single play call, bad luck, poor preparation...


There's a little salt left in the shaker. So let's look at a few of these and analyze them.


Spurrier
Steve Spurrier changed the landscape of college football, and in so doing the series in Jacksonville as well. He returned to avenge past heartbreak and absolve the demons of coaches Graves through Pell. Florida fans are half right when they believe that college football didn't exist before 1990. Because it didn't exist in Gainseville. The WLOCP was as lopsided as many other rivalries we currently enjoy such as against South Carolina, Georgia Tech and Vandy. They may have won on occasion, but no success was sustained or largely enjoyed.


Analysis - Give me a ______ break! Once the Visor entered the picture confidence shifted, talent was thick under the scripted helmets and the series quickly went south of the border. Spurrier changed the WLOCP seemingly forever. But while Spurrier is guilty of changing the scope of the series, he's been gone for 10 years. The gators have had two other coaches since he left (three by the time we meet again this Fall) that we had no greater success against.


Ray Goff
Dooley was a four letter word in Gainesville. He could beat them as easily as he brushed his teeth. When Goff took over it's pretty well documented that the program took a step back. Actually two. And a half. Goff couldn't keep up with his Jacksonville nemesis on the recruiting trails much less on the field. Despite nearly winning the game twice*, he'll always play the part of the bumbling idiot to Spurrier's evil genius.


Analysis - This headline went out with the garbage...in 1995!! The WLOCP is the a great example of how Ray Goff was in over his head as the head coach at UGA. I know he desperately wanted to win that game but the challenge was too much. Still, you can't blame a coach who hasn't been on the sideline for 15 years.


Shockley's knee
In 2005 the Dawgs were rolling. Leading up to the trip to Jacksonville, Georgia was 7-0 after a 23-20 win at home over Arkansas. But the win was costly as DJ Shockley went down with a sprained knee. That meant Joe Tereshinski III would start under center against the Gators. And as a result the playcalling was scaled back. Still Georgia had chances to win it but couldn't get passed Corch's first Florida squad, losing 14-10.


Analysis - Ok, I get it. But C'mon, really? This excuse has some merit. There's no question Shockley had the talent and resolve to win this game in his only season as a starter. But the truth is we should've won without him.


Talent
Spurrier chided Goff publicly for all the great recruits Georgia got that all of a sudden couldn't play against his mighty reptiles. In many ways I think this has always stuck in the craw of many Dawg fans. It has festered to the point that it's believed that somehow the Gators will always have better, faster players. Georgia is a rich state, but Florida is even richer. And for many of the last 21 years the head coach at Florida has had his pick of them.


Analysis - Still bogus. I simply point to one year: 1997. Donnan had great talent with Champ, Bobo, Ward, McMichael and Edwards on offense; Seymour, Stroud and Champ on defense. But I would argue that Florida was faster and equally deep with the likes of Fred Taylor, Jevon Kearse, Jacquez Green and Mike Peterson. Talent has been a push most years since 1990 and it has swung in our favor nearly as often as it has theirs. Talent will never be an excuse.


I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Repeat with me this time: Talent will never be an excuse.


Jacksonville
Lastly, the city itself. It is much closer geographically to Gainesville than it is Athens. It necessitates a legitimate road trip for the Dawgs...while they get to sleep in their own beds the night before in most cases. It's a matter of logistics and the Dawgs get the scraps in this meal every year. You just can't have one team with that much of an advantage and expect the series not to tilt in one's favor.


Analysis - Ocean front property. In Kentucky. Cheap! Really folks. If you've ever believed any of that crap, find the nearest steak knife and give yourself a labotomy. The distance between Athens and Jacksonville hasn't changed since Herschel never lost to them and the travel arrangements never affected Terry Hoage's play on the field. That's weak sauce. Scrape it off your plate and grow a pair.


Ok. Better stop there. Think I blew a gasket. Gonna lighten the load some tomorrow and put the last 21 years in the rear view mirror. At least as much as my blogging acumen will allow.


* CORRECTION: As 1992 Dawg points out in the comments I omitted the fact that Goff beat Charley Pell's Galen Hall's cheatin' ass in 1989 17-10. Guess I've been too focused on 1990 and beyond. Sorry.

Defending Shawn Williams

Not sure why I need to defend a guy that can hit like he can, but...

I've got two words for those of you who are upset over Shawn Williams comments the other day - Shut. Up. This is football, not a segment of The View.

Let me tell you how this plays out: 1) the defense under-performs and looks like they're auditioning for a dance class instead of tackling ball carriers; they're too busy missing assignments to care much how their play is helping to determine the outcome of the game, 2) team meets behind closed doors and has an airing of grievances, 3) Kentucky 4) one player steps up to the mic and delivers the truth.

If you're okay with the team being 6-1 but not living up to their potential, then I can see how Williams' comments might make you feel uneasy. But don't let that cloud your judgment in that it NEEDED TO BE SAID. Your misplaced and misguided expectations aren't going to help beat Florida anymore than the effort we saw on the field last Saturday night.

If his comments about "pay for play" (which I'm sure were both written and read out of context) don't sit too well with you, then blame the coaches for not having the balls to say what NEEDED TO BE SAID. Don't blame Williams for taking it a step too far when we were five steps back to begin with.

If you're upset that he called out some players, I get that. It's makes me uncomfortable too. But you know what? This defense NEEDS to feel uncomfortable. They need to play with an edge and their own teammate just provided it. He offered it up on a silver platter when no one else could find the kitchen. If CRob knocks the shit out of Gilleslie Saturday and at the same time gets some frustrations out, great!! No one ever said these guys have to be best of friends. Again, he stepped up and said what NEEDED TO BE SAID. And it's already paying dividends in practice.

If you're chastising Williams for pointing fingers at other players when he himself has been prone to mistakes, please read his comments more carefully.

"We've gotta stop playing soft. We're playing too soft defensively," Williams said. "That goes for D-line, linebackers, corners, safeties. I don't know, we're not playing with the same attitude we played with last year. I don't know what it is." [emphasis added]

Translation - we're in this together, we're not doing our job and I'm here to hopefully help change that around.

And lastly, Coach Richt. You ought to be ashamed. Criticizing (even in the slightest) your own player for doing something you both handed him opportunity to do and should've done yourself...that's second rate. The first time this season that Williams was available to the media was Monday. You knew what was going to happen. If it was "more public than you would have liked" that's because whatever the coaches have been doing wasn't working and whatever was done behind closed doors failed.

I'm proud of every player that wears the G. Yesterday I was even a little prouder of Shawn Williams.

Gator hate week - Wednesday

Always is. Always will be.

Humpday Hilarity - Marriage is bliss

PSA - check your toothbrushes gentlemen. They're resorting to really shitty tactics.

Repost: GA/fla Rivalrous during the dark days

More homework.

The common era of football in Jacksonville hasn't been kind at all to the Georgia Bulldogs. Ever since Spurrier took his evil genius from Tobacco Road to the swamps of Florida victories in Jacksonville have been as rare as a mud puddle in the Mojave. So...why? Why can't we compete with Florida anymore with any consistency?


Yesterday I pointed out that the 1966 and 1976 contests were two games that Florida should've won but failed to. Then I asked if that sounded familiar. I did that because it should sound very, very familiar.


1993: Soggy Timeout
After withstanding the ridicule of Spurrier for a couple years, Goff seemed to have the Gators beat in 1993. But Zeier's touchdown pass to Jerman with 1 tick left was waved off by a timeout. 

And keep an eye on Spurrier's defensive coordinator in this video, he returns to haunt us more...here....

2002: gettin' Zook'd
This was the season we were finishing the drill, knocking the lid off the program. Richt's team was on their way to the SEC Championship game for the first time and the Sugar Bowl. We went into Jacksonville with an unblemished 8-0 record and the Gators came in at 5-3. To set the stage in three simple words: Spurrier was gone.


But after starting the season owning the entire state of South Carolina...and after going to the trouble of proving we were "man enough" in Tuscaloosa...then completely obliterating two lesser opponents leading up to the trip to Jacksonville...Zooker's squad grew more and more confident as the game went on. The end result was a 20-13 loss.


Nothing worked that had all season. The Shockley experiment was a complete momentum killer and not the change of pace, keep them off kilter plan that had been working pretty well most of the season. The defense played tough, forcing punts and field goals until late in the game when Rex Grossman finally connected on a TD pass that ended up being the difference.


2009: Fake Juice

AYFKM???*

In all honesty, this post should be about ten times as long. There was the Half and Hundred 'Tween the Hedges...the 2008 Revenge game...dropped passes...missed blocks...Shockley's knee giving way to Joe T3...and plenty of heartache to go around. I am just not physically or emotional able to relive the last two decades in their absolute misery. 


Out scored 685 to 380. 18 losses, 3 wins. Please pass the bourbon.


*further comments withheld for obvious reasons

Bulldog Hotline Redux - Kentucky

Last night's callers/questions were similar to the previous week in that they had direct concerns but were polite in tone. Which made the first exchange a little interesting.

Jordan in Cumming (child) asks about the place kicking concerns. Wonders who is going to coach him this week after his struggles hitting the goalposts. Has heard this is a shared responsibility and there is not a special teams coach. Richt thanks Jordan and says his dad must have put him up to that, he read it verbatim it sounds like. Tells him to tell his dad to call next time. (pauses) Says Marshall Morgan is a good kicker. Has missed a few. But if anyone watched him on a regular basis and knew what they were talking about they would know that he is doing a good job. Obviously he pulled it left some and then over corrected and pushed it right. He’s our kicker, they’ve got faith in him and he’ll be fine.

Now, if you are able to listen in you know that a kid calls in about once a week. And it's not that Richt was at all rude to Jordan. But there was something more direct about his voice, tone in answering the young man's question. Or as the case might have been, his father's question. Listening over the air leaves a lot up to interpretation, but it definitely sounded to me like Richt took offense to the question. Just the words if they "knew what they were talking about" had a touch of venom behind it.

Richt is clearly frustrated. How could he not be. His recruitment of Marshall was pretty personal; the two of them connected and he is definitely Richt's guy. And to see the struggles play out so comically dramatically has to be eating at him as a coach and as a father figure.

All I can say is...we feel ya.

Shawn Williams goes on the offensive

The biggest mystery in Athens is no longer why the students and residents could let an institution like Steverino's die off? The biggest mystery now is what the f--- has happened to our defense?

This is the group that stood side by side and to a man, decided to come back and play together rather than test the NFL draft waters early. They essentially locked arms and said that they had unfinished business. At the time it was considered Richt's greatest 2012 recruiting haul, even though it was weeks before Signing Day.

But now...wtf? Even as recently as the end of September we were thinking this group had their best days in front of them. Coming off a dominating effort against Vanderbilt in which they drubbed the Commodores relentlessly and held them to under three yards a carry, we knew we would finally get all of our starters back against Tennessee and this defense would truly begin to dominate.

Ever since then they've played like jell-o. Don't get me wrong, this Georgia defense wasn't a world beater in September and the level of competition last month was clearly sub par. But we showed an eagerness for collisions and a need for grass stains in the very least. Now we're soft and mushy and seem uninterested in causing any harm at all to the opposing jerseys.

Did the suspensions somehow cause a rift in the defense, or the locker room as a whole? Along those lines, looking back with the power of hindsight, perhaps the starting job shouldn't have just been handed back to those guys. Give it some time to work the "rust" out and avoid "communication" issues. And if guys are just going through the motions to protect their draft status, shouldn't the coaches have recognized this by now? Put someone else in and at least get them some experience "next man up" style. 

And if you don't agree with my words, read Shawn Williams' truth bombs. He has plenty more where this comes from:

"We've gotta stop playing soft. We're playing too soft defensively," Williams said. "That goes for D-line, linebackers, corners, safeties. I don't know, we're not playing with the same attitude we played with last year. I don't know what it is."

Those were the first words out of Williams mouth when he met with the media after Monday's practice. The often outspoken Damascus native said he wanted to speak up.

"It gets frustrating, because I'm sitting here and I'm giving all I got, and I feel like I've got some guys that's not. I feel like that I've got some guys that's in a whole different place," he said. 

Along last week's topic of "fear", perhaps employ Erk's old "The Dangers of Doing Drugs" stunt of throwing rattlesnakes into a room. The message: if you lollygag your way around out there you'll lose your position on the depth chart. 

Simple. 

Two additional ingredients

I neglected two things yesterday in the meatloaf. First and foremost, I enjoyed this post by Streit on looking back at the 2002 game with a "shoe on the other foot" type philosophy.

Jump to today.  Florida is in its second season under Will Muschamp and are undefeated.  They have a strong defense led by veterans Omar Hunter and Matt Elam.  This offense is playing well, with senior running back Mike Gillislee carrying the load and Jeff Driskel quickly improving.  They are ranked near the top of the BCS standings and looking to reassert themselves on the national stage.  Sound familiar?

Secondly, I have been asked by my friends on St. Simons Island to pass along a message. If you're one of the persons that always trashes up their beach on the Friday before the Cocktail Party, please dispose of your waste. Take it away Buddy:

Please remind all the nice people gathering on the beautiful sands of St. Simons Island to clean up their party mess. There is nothing worse than Nerds and Allbern fans giving me crap about how our beach gets trashed every GA/FL.

C'mon people. Do you really want to cause our fellow Dawg fans to have to answer to Nerds and Barners? Do the right thing and don't be a slob.

Gator hate week - Tuesday

A classic pic from a classic game. As noted in last night's homework, the 1966 game between Georgia and Florida was one of crushed dreams and false hope for the gators. Spurrier was their soon to be Heisman winner at quarterback, but he was harassed all afternoon by Bill Stanfill and the Dawg pass rush. The future coach would throw three interceptions before it was said and done and as the scoreboard proclaimed the final to be a 27-10 win for Dooley's Dawgs, Spurrier bowed to our supremacy.

For more on the absolute badass that Bill Stanfill was, check out this piece by Earl from a couple years ago. That guy got after it on every play. Steven Orr Spurrier still flinches whenever the defensive lineman's name is mentioned. And it's likely he'll always carry a grudge for Georgia in part due to all of the grass stains #77 put on the gator quarterback's uniform.

Speaking of him...Why does Steve Spurrier wear a visor?

To hide the circumcision marks.

Repost: GA/fla Rivalrous during the good ol' days

As promised...

Ok now, let's harken back and hunker down. There was a time when Georgia not only dominated the series with Florida, but the gators were largely irrelevant as a football program.* The best cases to make this point... 


1966
Gator QB Steve Spurrier came into Jacksonville as the heir apparent to that season's Heisman trophy. The previous week he had waved off the place kicker and then kicked a 40 yarder himself to beat Auburn and move his team one step closer to their first SEC title. Florida was 7-0 and riding high...right into Georgia's hands. Dooley's Dawgs were 6-1 and undefeated in the SEC. The only loss was a defeat to Miami in Orange Bowl Stadium. 


Still, the outcome was expected to go Florida's way...but from the start it was never in doubt. Spurrier famously threw 3 picks on the way to a 27-10 beating by the Dawgs. We went on to be co-SEC champs and beat SMU in the Cotton Bowl. Florida settled for an Orange Bowl win over Georgia Tech.


Fourth and Dumb
Ten years later Florida was still hungry for its first SEC crown. They had a 6-1 record and were ranked 10th in the country. And this time they jumped out to an early lead. By halftime it was 27-13 Florida. Then, in the 3rd quarter they lost their heads.

courtesy of apgarbin

So in just those two examples (of a series that dates back well before electricity was a billable resource), Florida came in the favorite and played flat in one and had a total and inexcusable brain fart in the other. Sound familiar?

And that was with two different coaches: Graves in 1966 and Dickey in 1976. Since the World's Largest Outdoor Faceplant Party started in 1990, Georgia's had three coaches (Glen Mason's two day all expenses paid 1995 Christmas vacation excluded). If Richt is to not give way to a fourth next season, he's gonna have turn the tides of the St. John's river.

I'm just getting started here. More to come.
* Good luck arguing this point with a Florida "graduate", since football didn't start in Gainesville until 1990.

Monday's Meatloaf - Love, Hate and obstacles

It's a bird, it's a plane...no, it's a
douchebag! (via Anti-Orange Page)

Look Dawg fans, it's gonna get darker before the dawn. We've got to be strong. I don't have anymore answers than you do as to why this team continuously under performs. And although I'm not saying it's impertinent to ask such questions, I am urging everyone to focus on the task at hand. 

Because every season there is one game that stands above all others on the schedule. There is one game that gets our blood pumping a bit faster. There is one game that means more than all the others...Florida.

There is but one solitary thing we have in common with gator fans, hate. They hate us and we hate them. The only difference is that we can actually spell the word correctly. We have to remind them that college football began before Spurrier slithered back to the swamp in 1990, and they remind us of the importance of an actual college education. Hell, an actual third grade education.

The team isn't playing well right now. This is stirring a lot of emotions up we were hoping to avoid this season. But these players need our support. They need our bark if we are to continue to turn the tide along the St. Johns.

So, I'm giving us all homework. Each night this week I'll be re-posting one of my Georgia-Florida Chronicles, the 2011 season preview. I'm asking that you read it before you go to bed. Let it sink in. Because...

We. Hate. Florida.

Today's Ingredients

• The best resumé in college football? The Fightin' FU gators!!
• You're not going to get a more complete recap of what happened Saturday than Groo's laundry list of items he'll one day be telling a therapist. It's no laughing matter, for sure.
• Tyler finds some similarities between the game and his trip to Keeneland.
• ecdawg is urging us to move forward, in a positive direction.
• Speaking of the WLOCP, Blutarsky finds the OBC still has an eye for one side only.
• cocknfire wonders if there's yet another turn in the SEC East race in this week's Topics for Discussion.
• Weiszer runs down the arduous task that is this week's preparation.
• But if you're looking for hope, Lugnut Dawg has that for you.
• Macondawg's Monday to do list includes an abundance of overly eager and all too premature Geno 4 Meisman buttons.
• Lastly, I've discovered some kind of glitch with the comments. I think it's only affected a couple people. But if you ever make a comment and it doesn't show immediately, please email me and I'll resolve the issue.

To close up I have to give a shout out to a very special little boy. My nephew Ryan was born a year ago with a heart defect that puzzled surgeons across the country. Just days old he was flown by helicopter from Greenville to Charleston to prepare for a surgery that would be referenced in all medical books going forward. It's a miracle what can be done in hospitals these days, even on parts that are not much bigger than the tip of my pinkie finger.

Ever since then Ryan's passed every test and aced every checkup. He was walking at eight months. Even more impressive, he manages to hold his own even against his strong willed big sister and much older cousins. Most importantly he's reminded all of us that some obstacles exist for the sole purpose of getting over them, and that life is a precious thing. Embrace it fully!

Happy Birthday Ryan! The rest of y'all gaze a moment into those beautiful blue eyes and then go have a great Monday. 

Bernie

Gator hate week - Monday

Starting the week off with one of my personal favorites.

The challenge, in one quote

Still not sure why we were at all concerned about Kentucky passing the ball, even in passing situations. But this is what the challenge is this week.

Richt echoed what defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said about the big issues in the run defense against Kentucky.

“Defensively the majority of the issues were third down runs,” Richt said. “They had third down situations where they ran the ball into what would be considered more of a pass stopping type of a defense, more two safety looks. At that point, you’ve just got to defeat a block and make a play. We didn’t do a good job of doing that.”

Florida is third in the SEC in rushing at 212.7 yards per game.

Florida has a better pass attack than Kentucky. But the bottom line is the same - you can't let them get loose in the running game.

The good news is it looks like Jarvis could begin practicing as soon as today.

The news on the Georgia injury front is good for outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, but not so good for defensive end Abry Jones.

First Richt on Jarvis Jones and his sprained ankle: “My hopes are he’ll be able to practice as early as Monday…He’s definitely been making progress. I think there’s a very good chance he’ll play, but if he’s not healthy to go then we’re not going to do it. I think there’s a good chance he will.”

And on Abry Jones who left the game early in the first quarter with an ankle injury: “It’s the same ankle (sprained earlier this season), but a different injury, a different type of injury. Right now, he’s out and we’re going to learn a little bit more tomorrow when he sees some doctors. At this minute I would say there’s a good chance he’ll be out.” 

Sunday Thoughts - escaping Kentucky

I'm off towards important business here soon, so this will be brief. Y'all have a great Sunday.

• Much like with Carolina when I said sometimes it's not just losing but the way in which you lose, in Lexington sometimes it's the way in which you win.
• Thank the good Lord for Connor Norman. Whew.
• Congrats to Aaron Murray on a record night. He helped both King and Mitchell to record nights as well.
• Other than Norman's save on the onside kick, special teams continue to be a three ring circus.
• One question for Bobo: where'd the pistol go?
• One question for Grantham: why are we even pretending to defend the pass when their quarterbacks have an anemic 37% completion percentage and a 56 passer rating?
• And is it just me or is our run defense better when Kwame is playing?

Georgia - Kentucky highlights