Committed to Joseph's Wish

Just go ahead, get the Kleenex and watch it again.

Joseph's Wish from Georgia Football on Vimeo.

Bowl spotlight - Idahoans' creepy spud

Each day of bowl season I'll try and feature a game with the most fantastic pic/gif I can find. Today I'm taking SDSU by at least a touchdown and a field goal over Buffalo in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. If I'm wrong, I hope this mascot (??) doesn't hunt me down and kill me with the steak knife he probably has hiding behind that bowtie, or maybe underneath his boxing glove ear warmers (??).

In the other games I'm taking Wash State, Fresno State and LaLaf. Have a spudtacular day of bowl watching!

(Also - absolute last chance to get in on the bowl pool. Kickoff in Albuquerque is at 2pm!)

Projecting next year's offensive line

Really, the last thing I wanted to do was start getting into the 2014 season before 2013 is even over. But Weiszer started it here with his story on how the offensive line shakes out following the departure of three senior starters - Burnette, Lee and Gates. So once the wheels started turning I just couldn't stop.

The short of it in terms of projections is this:

At first glance you have - one consistent starter in Andrews, a former five-star tackle in Theus who's looking for a breakout junior season, his chief competition (Houston), a few guys with some spot duty under their belts (Kublanow, Long, Dantzler) and a group of younger guys we hope can press those already mentioned.

But the fact that Theus started the last six games should help solidify him as one of the tackles. It was also hard not to like what we saw in Kublanow. With another spring under his belt he should be cemented in at left guard by summer I would hope. That leaves four guards to push rising senior Watts Dantzler for the right guard spot and either the left or right tackle spot for Houston, Beard, Ward and DeBell.

This is already the most interesting storyline heading into GDay. Unfortunately it's also the most interesting storyline for several years running.

The greatest story Sexton ever told

I don't believe a word of this, and yet I believe all of it.

Texas Regents decide that Mack cannot coach the team in 2014, but cannot agree on a timeline for his removal.

Respected Longhorns writer/insider Chip Brown breaks a story that Mack Brown is stepping down. Brown’s article is based on a conversation with someone involved in the process of Mack’s removal and Saban’s hiring. Saban leaves town to recruit and avoid the inevitable media circus surrounding the announcement.

Texas reaches out to Saban, tells him the decision is made. Saban’s handlers are adamant that there can’t be a media circus. Mack has to step down quickly so Saban can make the move immediately. Sexton desperately wants to avoid Saban having to publicly deny interest in the Texas job.

Mack denies everything written in the article by Chip Brown, and won’t return calls to the Texas administration. The situation turns into a media circus – exactly what Saban hoped to avoid.

Well, I do believe the part about Terry Saban visiting Austin in October, touring $5 million homes and returning to Tuscaloosa to give Nick her blessing. The rest of it is either beautifully written prose or the masterful Jimmy Sexton's latest epic saga.

Probably somewhere in between.

The tradition of Festivus4theDawgNus begins in Albuquerque!

Tomorrow! At 2:00 PM! Time has all but run out for anyone looking to jump into the bowl pool.

Click HERE! 

It's free to enter and you might even win something if your picks are good enough to pin Frank Costanza in the Feats of Strength.

A total of four bowl games tomorrow. So get your picks in!

Feats of Strength - Coach Richt's perfection

Ok, so I had a moment. Then I gathered a thought together. And now I've read all of your feedback. It's time to summarize - Coach Richt is the perfect fit for Georgia, and is a victim of said perfection.

I've evolved from a believer that the head coach is the sole determinant in a tackle football program's success or failure. It may not be the case everywhere (btw, are there any more programs that still have a head coach that is also the AD, as in UGA circa the 1980s?), but in Athens GA the cream rises to the top. And I believe UGA's success is a result of Richt's hard work, while its shortcomings are a burden lying mostly at the feet of the administration. This begs for some elaboration of course. But for now, it's UGA's policy to suspend student-athletes beyond the national norm and it's the higher ups that keep the tight grasp on the checkbook.

Remember, Richt's on record as far as paying his assistants more money. And do you really think he wanted Josh Harvey-Clemons and Marshall Morgan on the sidelines instead of on the field whilst in Clempson?

All the while Mark Richt has raised the program to new standards. Had his teams not come so close to the national stage in 2002, 2007 and 2012, we would appreciate what he's done even more - 74.1% winning percentage, 2 SEC Championships, 13 consecutive bowls, two time SEC Coach of the Year. And through that success he provides the opportunity for the program, athletic office and university to enjoy riches previously unimagined.

Which has made us all fat and lazy to some degree. To the haters, Richt's the guy that "knocked the lid off the program" and "finished the drill", but has been unable to finish the next drill and match the successes and the luck of his colleagues. To the staunch supporters, he's been the face of the program to the point that they've forgotten what it's like to cheer for a team not coached by the state's most popular dude. And to the only people Richt truly answers to, he's a perfect face for the program - nice guy, never embarrasses the university, wins plenty of games, and a cash cow to be milked at every home game and more.

Perhaps I haven't evolved so much as gained a clearer understanding. Regardless, it's your turn. Explain to me how Mark Richt isn't perfect for Georgia. And if he's not, why that's his fault.

Pierce Wallace, Damn Good Dawg Fan!

A belated congrats to @The GeorgiaJoker on being named to the ESPN Fan Hall of Fame! I have no idea how time he (and all those others on the UGA Paint Line) devotes to getting ready for gameday, but I know the fans and the team appreciates it.

Thanks for your spirit, your enthusiasm and your GATAttitude!

courtesy of The Gov

Ol' Ball Coach on Cialis

Soooo...then this happened...

Hey folks, at least he's wearing shorts! Whew!

From Murray to Mason, passing of the "reign"

The lengthy Aaron Murray era passes into the much shorter yet highly anticipated one of Hutson Mason. The similarities between the two signal callers are there...

"I would say Murray has a little stronger arm, but Hutson is very accurate and puts a little more touch on the ball," redshirt junior receiver Michael Bennett said. "He thought his first start was going to be against Clemson [next August], so this is huge for him to get some extra time this year.

"It's the same offense, and like you saw against Tech, we can still be very effective."

...hopefully the results will be similar as well.

Humpday Hilarity - obligatory viral Christmas video

Not sure why Nama doesn't send us one of these each year instead of a card for the fridge.

KiffyBaby "for rent"

Thought this one by @GovernorofDixie was fantastic.

Tramel Terry - potential two-way threat?

Let's be honest, there's not much to read into the freshman working out at safety during bowl practices other than the coaches want to look at his skills in the secondary. On the other hand, there's not much else to talk about this time of year either.

Head coach Mark Richt and other coaches were not available for follow-up comments, on the move, first reported by Dawgs247.com. But Terry last week told Chuck Reedy, his former head coach at Goose Creek (S.C.) High School, that the Georgia coaches wanted to look at him at safety during bowl practice.

"I guess this is a good time during bowl practice just to experiment," Reedy said. "He was fine (with the move). He just wants to play. I don't think he really cares where he plays."

Georgia figures to be deep at receiver next year, with Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley returning from injury, and only one senior (Rantavious Wooten) set to leave. The secondary also figures to be deep, but that unit struggled immensely this season. So even though Terry is believed to have dynamic potential at receiver, the coaches are curious whether he could help more in the secondary.

"He weighs 205 (pounds). He's very strong, and is obviously very fast. He can certainly play there," Reedy said. "We worked him some in the secondary when he was in high school. Didn't play him much. But certainly he's good enough athlete to do that.

Depth at receiver could be one factor. Not satisfied with the potential at safety could be another. The third (and admittedly wildly speculative at this point) is that there could be some unexpected attrition in the secondary. The defensive backs' use and rotation (or lack thereof) was a curious subplot to the season.

Regardless, it seems certain Terry will play receiver. I bet the coaches want to see just how wide and varied his skillset is for future reference. Like Coach Reedy said, now's the time during bowl practice.

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/12/16/2859251/georgia-giving-terry-a-look-at.html#storylink=cpy

One Dream

A lot of emotion tied into this one. You've probably seen it by now. But it's worth my time just to catalog it here. Plus, I could watch it all morning and it still wouldn't be enough.

Cornhuskers talking the talk

I've only seen Nebraska play about 15 minutes of football this season. I think it was their game with UCLA too, so it was quite a while ago. Regardless, I don't know a whole lot beyond what I saw in the last Capital One Bowl. But they sound like they are taking the right approach to this bowl season's rematch with Georgia.

“We felt like we had a good chance of beating these guys last year,” Sirles said. “We kind of let it slip through our fingers a little bit. It’s almost a good chance to get back and get a little redemption.” 

“It might be frustration if we just blew them out last year,” Enunwa said, “but we lost.” 

As far as initial impressions go I'd have to give Nebraska an edge in terms of motivation, having saved their coach's job (at least according to locker room talk) and having lost the previous match up. We'll get into the actual on field, physical comparisons soon enough. But for now, is this enough to worry about? Just a little?

Monday's Meatloaf - when bean bags backfire

Any of you older siblings ever look back fondly on some of the pranks you pulled on your brothers and/or sisters? You know, to help prepare them for Life's pitfalls. It's noble work, if you are born into it.

Courage can be fleeting.

Anyway, one of my favorites was to take these decorative bean bags Mom had lying around the house and carefully place several on the blades of the ceiling fan. Then I made up some excuse for my younger sister to stand in the middle of the room. In a pinch this one usually worked like a charm - Just stand there and look at the fireplace. I think Santa is coming...do you hear the sleigh bells?  

Nevermind that it was June. But once the kid was placed appropriately I flipped the switch (note: for maximum effect, important that you toggle the fan speed to it's highest setting prior to setting the scene). The blades carry the weight for a few seconds before dumping their payload. Then you have a toddler who's eyes go from extreme wonderment to OMG What is happening?!?!! The ceiling!! It hates me!!

Then you wait an hour or so and set the scene again. Great fun. Until three decades later when your own kids trap you in your own scheme. I guess I had bragged about the prank once too often. My 11yo can be quite mischievous when she wants to be. And the 9yo can be an eager lemming to her older sister's misdeeds. To make a long story short, the master was done in my his own brilliant blueprint of deviousness. He cowered under a blanket to shield himself from the torpedoes of doom. He cried PLEASE!! Make it stop! THE HUMANITY!!! Their laughter tortured his ears from a safe distance, and he knew, should he survive the destruction, they would spend years reminding him of this pitiful moment when he was reduced to such an awkward display of distress.

On a positive note, at least I didn't need a diaper change after the entire affair. In another couple decades this story may have an entirely different ending.

Today's Ingredients
- Don't forget to register for the bowl pool. You don't want to miss out on the feats of strength!
- Groo is helping us get reacquainted with the Cornhuskers.
- Over seven minutes of Running Back U highlights? Thanks Greg!
- Tyler takes a moment to look forward to the playoffs, takes a left turn and finds a case study for what not to do.
- Of course, the Mack Brown saga has taken a turn since this was posted, but MaconDawg had some grand ideas for the soon to be former Longhorn coach in his next chapter.
- After what's been an anti-climatic yet still very intriguing year for him, Kimberley looks at what's next for Jadeveon Clowney.
- Feeling a bit reminiscent today, so the last few ingredients for today are some of the things I've earmarked and saved throughout the season. Outside of the arena, these are the things I will remember most about the season. I'm sure I missed a thing or two. So feel free to add in the comments.
- One of the brightest spots on the periphery of the actual action were the week to week videos produced. This one tugged a little harder at the heartstrings.
- Another masterful video, but fraught with ignominy.
- Maybe Muschamp should have Jeremy Foley schedule more chalkboards.
- If you're not into the whole brevity thing...In one single post just before the season began, Dawgden combined two of my favorite things to watch - the greatest movie to ever hate the Eagles and SEC football. It was a transcendental experience in Dudeism man.
- Lastly, I think we can all agree that Blutarsky hit the nail on the head when he shared his words and specifically this video as an encapsulation of why we're here. (addendum - he's at it again today)

The last person I'd like to recognize here is a commenter - tbone226. Way back when we were preparing to play at Auburn with a lake, I mentioned and provided a loose description of the picture below. I had been unable to locate it with Google. tbone made up for my lack in internetting investigation. Thank you again sir! That was one of the highlights to my blogging season and I look forward to using that picture again next August.

And the 2013 winner of Best Picture is....

That's a wrap for today Reader. Beware of flying objects. And giggling children.

Bernie

Aaron Murray - Bulldog Legend

I've seen a few of these tribute videos pop up in the last couple weeks. I like this one because in addition to some of his best throws, it features two of the grittiest, toughest runs you'll ever see a quarterback make.