Wow.

Lots to talk about. I hope to capture most of it in tomorrow morning's Sunday thoughts. But this about says it all, no?

Two keys to a columbian victory

There's no need to worry about running Gurley inside the four on first down in this town. Thanks Bryan Allen. Asshole.

1. Protect the football. Win the turnover battle is always key, especially on the road.
2. Give Maty happy feet. I think we can stop their running game, at least enough. But Mauk's dangerous. So we have to pressure him without losing containment. If he develops a rhythm then we lose the opportunity to force the third and longs.

Chin up Dawgs! Let's get this one.

"They don't pay me enough to bitch."

I'm out. I need about 12 hours off and I'm gonna use it to take the Mrs. to her first Rock Show tonight. No kids. No memorabilia. No overdue work projects. No ncaa investigators (at least none that I'm aware of). No self-righteous talking heads.

No kids.

Given the mood, I've picked one of the Truckers new ones to celebrate. Although I was there for this 40 Watt filming, you won't see me paying the man who levels the floor.

If you're at the Tabernacle tonight and we bump into one another, don't act so surprised. And try not to look so long. Cheers y'all!

Gurley: the rock, the hard place, and the victims

Unequivocally, I think it's downright shitty that every female in the state of Georgia can own a "I'm a Gurley Girl" t-shirt that someone not named Todd Gurley was paid handsomely for and yet the man whose talents begat the shirt's proclamation can't make a buck off his own damn name.

We know Manziel did it, and actually got caught. Everyone knows Cam did it, and got away with it. And we can all pretty much agree that one day (maybe soon), what Todd Gurley is alleged to have done will not be against the rules. Well, maybe. One day.

But, none of that excuses it. Not in the least. I have no doubt that Gurley knew the rules. And if he took some cash for signing memorabilia, he's in the wrong and needs to pay the price. One day, probably in just a few months, we'll talk about what this does for his Georgia legacy. However, today we're stuck with the fact that he's let thousands, perhaps even millions of people down.

And that list starts with his own teammates. This may tarnish Gurley's image, but in the long run it doesn't affect him much, if at all. I'm not saying he's not torn up about this blowing up and having to sit out. I don't know him personally, but from what I've observed, read, and seen I would expect he carries a lot of remorse for the position he's put his team in as they load up for a huge road game. Just think back to the post-game scene in South Carolina. The dude was choked up and pissed off and ready to do more on the field. And now he's not allowed near it.

Gurley's a great guy. He made a bad mistake. Stepping away from being a diehard Georgia fan, I'm sorry he's put himself in that position. I've made mistakes. You have too. They may not have made SportsCenter, but they probably affected people we know and love. And I suspect that is what is hurting Todd Gurley the most right now.

Stepping back into my diehard Bulldog shoes once again, I hurt most for guys like Hutson Mason, Chris Conley, Michael Bennett, and all those big ol' Dawgs up front that were prepared to block and fight and help Gurley get enough yards Saturday to beat Missouri. They're the real victims here. As bad as I feel about this, as embarrassed as I am to face these questions from those around me, as ashamed as I am that my alma mater is in the bad headline column once again, it's those guys that are on their way to suit up tomorrow that I feel the most for in the wake of this news. After all, they're the ones that have invested the most time, energy, sweat, blood, and pain into this season.

Not me. Not you. And definitely not the suits inside Butts-Mehre that don't have the balls to stand up to this nonsense. It's them, the guys that strap on the helmets in the name of Glory, Glory, that have the most to lose and the least amount of time to get over it.

So fans, alumni, Twitterers and BookFacers, gentlemen, and ladies too, let's take a breath. Set aside your shame and anger and frustration. We can't rewrite the headlines. But we can support our team. For its during the good times and the bad that we find out who is willing to stand beside them and yell those two simple words...

Go Dawgs!

Friday Misery - the #WildHONKEY and the Pinkel

[sips on a cocktail]
[writes post leaning heavily on the best football player in the nation]
[phone blows up]
[best football player in nation suspended indefinitely]
[chugs entire liquor cabinet while holding down DELETE button]
[burps]
[repositions fingers over keyboard...]

YGTBFKM
We can't have anything nice. Not ONE gotdamn thing. People are telling you "Well we weren't going to win many games anyway so we might as well start towards 2015." And they're full of shit. Others are telling you "Well, Georgia's just snakebit and full of rotten luck. Was bound to happen this way, honestly." Bullshit. Luck is for losers and gray-haired ladies sitting at the nickel slots.

If I'm Coach Richt I'm dragging 70 tackle footballers out west, sitting their ass down in the locker room, staring them in the face, and saying "You've heard for two months how you're a one man team. Now's your time to prove you're more than that. We lost with Gurley on the sideline last year. You gonna lose again without him? Well, ARE YOU?!? Are you gonna lose to those guys again Jordan Jenkins? How 'bout you Conley? Swann? 

Now. Right now. NOW's the time to prove we can throw the goddamn football. NOW's the time to prove the Georgia Bulldogs are a team and not just a player on award watchlists and espn highlights and Lou Holtz's tricky tongue. Now get out there and get all medieval on their tiger-striped ass!"

But, I am not Coach Richt. I am just a Bernie. And I'm here to tell you that...

Maty doing a really shitty Johnny
Money Fingers impression.

Serve no whine before its time

...it really pisses me off that the Missouri Eff'n Tigers won the division last year. IN THEIR SECOND GODDAMN SEASON! Are you kidding me? That actually happened? We actually and Honest to Herschel let that shit happen? 

A year and a half after sitting down, officially, at the big boys table, they're at the head slurring their speech while sloshing their zinfandel and drunkenly waving a turkey leg. Sure, there's Pinkel, face down in the macaroni pie with his chinos half-zipped muttering his way through the alphabet. Backwards. And there's Maty Mauk with his cute little name and his douchy halloween costume.

And not one...NOT ONE...Jarvis Jones in sight to bring the damn pain.

What pisses me off more than Missouri setting up shop in Atlanta? Glad you asked. Because it's me. It's you. It's us.

We all piss me off. Bitching, moaning, belly-aching, and whining about this and that. The secondary can't cover. My oatmeal is too hot. Hutson Mason threw two touchdown passes that Brice Ramsey should've been on the field for against Vanderbilt. We only beat Vanderbilt by 24 points because we suck and now Tech fans are saying hateful things to me at work. I think I have a planters wart on my foot and now my oatmeal is too cold.

Lighten up Francis and set your f---king jaw. Muck Fizzou....Okay. That's about enough. But before we close, here's one thing that is absolutely righteous. Take it away Gary:

yes! Love it! #WildHonkey steps in for #WildB3AST RT @Gary_A_Morris: @BernieDawg any chance we line Douglas up in the wild Honkey formation?
— Bernie (@BernieDawg) October 9, 2014

'Cuz you know what Brendan Douglas always brings to games right? His truck motor and iron shoulder shivver. Let us pray...Dear Lord. Bless Mizzou's little heart. And help them make some damn sweet tea. Amen.

Gurley: what I hope and what I fear

One thing I haven't heard anyone ask, if there's a video of someone that's supposed to be Gurley signing autographs, was the person signing said autographs left-handed?

Anyway...part optimism and part paranoid. All speculation:

What I hope...

Gurley misses somewhere between a half and two games. That's about the best we can hope for at this point. To be honest, what I was hearing earlier last evening would probably have put him out the rest of the season. But the internet loves grease fires. Hopefully, it's just a few hundred bucks and the rest of the team doesn't suffer from one poor decision. The only positive I can find in this mess is that it seems this guy was shopping his name and phone number around quite a bit. Hopefully that helps the resolution come sometime before the NFL Combine.

What I fear...

Frankly, AJ Green chapter two. Things get messy and the whole thing drags. I'm sure UGA has had people on this for a while now and trying to decide how long they could wait out in front. So their investigation should be wrapped up soon, if not already. This whole thing sounds eerily similar to the Manziel deal, but somehow whenever UGA plays by the book they call "The Georgia Way", we just get screwed.

I'll be back later with the Friday Misery. Or maybe I'll just go climb back in bed, pull the covers up, and see if this shitbrick's address comes to me in a dream.

Stay classy Nick Marshall

(My bad. Being told this is a parody account. I'm dumb. )

Gurley suspended indefinitely. (UPDATED)

NCAA investigation. So yeh, our worst nightmare.

ATHENS ----- University of Georgia tailback Todd Gurley has been indefinitely suspended from competition by the UGA Athletic Association during an ongoing investigation into an alleged violation of NCAA rules.

"I¹m obviously very disappointed," said UGA head football coach Mark Richt. "The important thing for our team is to turn all our attention toward preparation for Missouri."

UPDATE - Emerson backing up Bruce Feldman's story of whether he accepted benefits for autographs.

 A source said the investigation involved whether Gurley received money in exchange for his autograph or use of his likeness. That echoes a report by Fox Sports reporter Bruce Feldman.

Missouri fans drink leaded paint

If you're heading out to ColaWest for the first time, I feel obligated to share with you footage of our trip out there in 2012. It was a good time. They are very nice people. Weirdly courteous, overly accommodating, nervously gracious, but nice folks.

Of course, they drink from paint cans. So that might explain a little something^*.

h/t @namaman

^*That's assuming they haven't all turned into a bunch of self-absorbed pricks now that they're the defending SEC East champions.

Coach Lilly, then Legacy

Nice feature by Starrs on Jeb Blazevich. Turns out it wasn't the long line of successful tight ends that Georgia has produced that lured him down from North Carolina.

“He’s a conscientious kid,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “He takes everything serious (and) works extremely hard. Just (look at) that long pass that Todd threw to him; if you go back and look at it, the ball is coming down and he actually catches it and looks that ball in the whole way. (It’s) very little things Coach Lilly teaches — how to play the position, how to block, how to step (and) how to catch. He tries to do it exactly as coach says. He’s got talent, too, and he’s a good player, but the little things have set him apart and made him able to make plays early as a freshman.”

"Sometimes it's just groundhog day..."

Richt shuts down player interviews. Which as a one word verb is called "Sabaning".

“Sometimes it’s just groundhog day, you know just the same guys all the time,” Richt said. “And some guys that aren’t the same guys I don’t want them to talk right now because some of them are young and some are coming off injuries. So I just put a big X through everybody’s name and said I’ll spend extra time with you guys.”

Ahem...what about Bauta?

Look, there's three different camps when it comes to Georgia's quarterback situation. Actually, there's probably four when you include that one that thinks Todd Gurley should be under center. And roughly half of them are serious about it.

But for the rest:

1. Mason is okay. Just needs his full arsenal of receivers and things will be fine as long as he can hand it off to Todd Gurley 25 times a game.

Ok, but I don't think Mason is okay. I was willing to give him time to get okay, but we're five games into the season and just how long were we supposed to wait? From my seat, well outside the arena, it's all in his head. I can still make an argument that there's something physically wrong, but more and more people who see him throw on days that aren't just Saturdays keep saying he's zipping it around the practice field like we got used to at the end of last season. And those people aren't just other players sticking up for him.

Regardless of whether it's mental, physical, or both, again...how long are we supposed to wait?

2. Ramsey is the guy. And the time is now. 

via

This camp thinks that a) the season is lost somehow and might as well start the future guy now, or b) he's the best option regardless.

I'm not willing to throw in the towel on 2014 just yet. I mean, we are 4-1 and control our own destiny. Let's see how Saturday plays out and which team is left in the front seat before we take the whoa is me attitude. However, I would like to see Ramsey press for the starting spot rather than wait for it to fall in his lap. You can see he has the more lively arm. He just has to prove he can manage the game as well as #14. 

And I think he can prove that he should be the game's starter by being the game's finisher. He led the team on a decisive drive in the first quarter of the Vandy game that ended in a touchdown to put us up 21-0. Do something like that in the fourth with the game on the line and this becomes a whole other argument.

3. What about Faton Bauta?

Yes. What about him? This is probably the smallest camp of the three. In fact, it may just be me. But the fact is - this is a run first offense. More than that, this is an offense that wants (and needs) to lean on the run in the fourth quarter. Bobo is intentionally keeping Gurley fresh for the last 15 minutes because he has both the luxury and the necessity to do that.

Bauta is made for the zone read game. It would be absolute money in the fourth. Bauta is likely the third quarterback into the game because his coaches trust the other two more. But as long as Ramsey is getting a series to "wet his feet", why not give Bauta a series to pound the damn rock?

*Yes, I know it's picking nits when the offense is averaging 45 points a game. But eventually this offense is going to need to be more dynamic. I mean, how many tricks can Gurley hold up his sleeve that is already full of biceps?

Humpday Hilarity - Marriage is Bliss, chapter 39

h/t Mac

Those fightin' gators

With each other? Or maybe they were practicing their blocking.

So if it comes down to a kick on Saturday...

I mentioned this briefly yesterday, but this indictment comes from the local media.

On the flip side, fan patience for junior kicker Andrew Baggett is beginning to run thin. While his extra point was ultimately the deciding point against South Carolina, he did splice a 48-yard field goal attempt particularly wide. Baggett is four-for-seven on the season, which is a failing grade for any kicker. The jury may still be out on the junior, but his kicking blunders could very well cost the Tigers again before the season is done.

Steckel wants to grab Gurley's body parts

They're singing a familiar tune over in Columbia MO.

“We’ve really got to grab body parts,” Steckel said. “If you go high, he’ll run you over. If you go low, he’ll jump over the top of you. The key is grabbing body parts. Yes, I don’t care what body part we grab … as long as it’s not the back of the neck or the facemask.”

The Missouri defensive coordinator and his sophomore linebacker understand that stopping Gurley isn't an option, but slowing him down just might be enough.

via

Anything less than 150 yards for Gurley might be considered a victory of sorts for Steckel’s defense. In Georgia’s lone loss, South Carolina limited Gurley to 131 yards on 20 carries.

“That’s probably why (South Carolina) won the game,” Missouri linebacker Michael Scherer said. “What they were doing was they had a group around him every time he touched the ball. There was more than one person trying to get him to the ground.”

And it's the fourth quarter that will separate the men from the boys.

Scherer watched enough film of Gurley during Mizzou’s bye week to recognize one of the most remarkable parts of his game: Gurley has averaged 10.6 yards a carry in the fourth quarter, the best average by any player with at least 15 fourth-quarter carries. Four of Gurley’s nine runs of 20 yards or more have come in the fourth quarter.

“Some teams get worn down by the end of the game, and that’s when he really gets a lot of his yards,” Scherer said. “He’s still running as hard in the fourth quarter as he was in the first quarter.” 

WTF?

Just when I start to say to himself, "Let up on that old defensive coaching staff. Time to move on Bernie."

This shit happens.

Really? Are you kidding me? I left an early morning tailgate to go watch that? And they weren't in it to win it? 

Ok then. We' ve evidently got some work to do. Eleven central time. GATA!

Agent Muschamp continues to deliver (UPDATED)

Whew.

Gainesville source has confirmed that #Gators quarterback Treon Harris is being investigated in a legal matter.
— David Jones (@DaveJonesUFbeat) October 6, 2014

Could've been much worse.

That was a close call. I thought Florida was giving Muschamp his walking papers. Everything is good now, actually better.
— Robert Wolfe (@DawgFan__1980) October 6, 2014

This is a story trying to gather its legs. Mr. Jones even had his post about how Harris was suspended taken down for some reason. Could be that the UF brass is trying to get a handle on it first. And I'm not saying they're trying to cover it up. There's also the possibility that a serious, lengthy, and thorough investigation needs to take place before any rash judgment is handed down that could jeopardize the rest of the team's morale./end snark

So, stay tuned.

------

UPDATE

The original story is back up, but it stops short of saying Harris is suspended.

A source close to the investigation has confirmed that the University of Florida police department is investigating University of Florida quarterback TreonHarris for a possible felony charge.

The source, speaking to FLORIDA TODAY, confirmed that the investigation will take several weeks which leaves Harris' status for Saturday in doubt.

UPDATE TWO

Confirmed to be a sexual assault case from early Sunday morning. Multiple sources saying he's suspended. Here's the UF statement. (h/t Barrett Sallee)

Early thoughts on Missouri

First and foremost, both very disappointed and very pleased in the kickoff time. The fact that it's at noon really put a monkey wrench in my weekend plans. On the other hand, nooners on the road are often preferable, especially with so many young players.

• The trend this season is to first look at the opposing offense. Can they pass the football effectively? How talented are their receivers? How polished is their quarterback? Can they pass protect?
• They are 10th in the conference in rushing the football, averaging 178 yards per game.
• They are a little better at passing, where they rank 9th in the conference and average 222 yards per game.
• This Missouri team isn't missing Henry Josey, who left early after gaining over 1100 yards last season, as much as you might think. Russell Hansbrough is on track to math Josey's 2013 numbers. By comparison, Josey averaged 6.7 yards per carry last year and Hansbrough is averaging 6.27. 
  
• However, it was their senior running back Marcus Murphy that lead the team in rushing against South Carolina. He has a hundred less yards than Hansbrough on the season and is averaging nearly two yards less per carry, but he consistently found space with the football against the Gamecocks - 16 carries and 98 yards.
• Still, it was Hansbrough that scored Missouri's three touchdowns on rushes on 18, 1 and 1 yards.
• But the key offensive player is Maty Mauk. He's the kind of quarterback that can hurt you with his arm, but devastate you with his feet. He's not an electrifying passer or runner, but can extend plays with his mobility. And that's scary.
• However, against SC he did not play well. His completion percentage was a paltry 35%, and the Gamecocks contained him very well as he only had nine yards on the ground. As a result, the Tigers were 2/16 on third down. Somehow, they still won. Quite possibly because they converted on all three fourth down attempts.
• Defensively, their leaders are Kentrell Brothers (linebacker, #10), Michael Sherer (linebacker #30) and Shane Ray (d-line, #56). Ray leads the team in sacks with seven.
• Despite their light schedule thus far, Missouri is a middle of the pack defense statistically. They're 8th in rush defense and 9th against the pass. That comes in the form of wins against South Dakota St., Toledo and Central Florida, the loss to Indiana, and then the win in Columbia.
• With the extra week I think they'll be planning to work on their time of possession, which through five games is just over 28 min/game. They'll want to continue their balance on offense, run both Hansbrough and Murphy a lot to set up some looks downfield. The more they can do that the more Gurley will have to sit and watch.
• They'll also try to create mismatches with our linebackers, most likely with their TE Sean Culkin and Murphy out of the backfield. They'll do this because that's what every team does.
• One key to keep in mind, their kicker has missed nearly as many field goal attempts (3) as he's made (4). However, Andrew Baggett has a touchback percentage on kickoffs that is absurd - 64%.

This is a big game. Will go a long way to determining how the rest of the season shakes out.

Hurry up Bobo

It's increasingly been on my mind, as well as many others, so I'm just going to leave this here after finding it last night. It's from a Friday mailbag, but not at all stale if you ask me.

Andy Johnson: With Georgia seemingly a score often team and be scored on often team why not go with the hurry up for points?

RN: You've got me on that one. You want to see Mason light up the passing game? Go full speed. I said at the beginning of the season that one of the biggest changes we needed to see out of Bobo's play calling would he go as fast as Mason wants to. By his own admission, Mason likes to "grip it and rip it." Look back at the Georgia Tech game. Georgia fell behind until the offense went hurry up. Mason is like Ricky Bobby -- he wants to go fast. Having him sit in the pocket waiting for routes to develop like Aaron Murray is a bad idea. That is not who he is. If Bobo floors it then Mason will respond.

As long as the coaches are tinkering with the QB reps, isn't it worth giving Mason a tempo he prefers?

Sunday Thoughts on Gurley being left-handed

Spectacular day in Athens. But, you knew that already.

• After all the weekdays of belaboring the point, Hutson Mason looked both better, and worse.
• He stood in and threw a couple balls that were clean, decisive and confident.
• He had a few others that were brain farts.
• Bobo allowed Mason to operate in the HUNH some. I faintly remember back when I thought we'd be using that strategy a lot more.
• Never saw JSW get on the field, but Malcolm got a few snaps and looked good. It'd been a long time since we've seen that.
• Conley's long haul from Mason reminded me of a point that Tyler made the other day. I don't recall if Mitchell was in on that play, but Conley was in single coverage and had his guy beat.
• And Ramsey...well, he's not very good rolling out, is he? Had a few balls sail on him
• But Gurley....damn.
• Seriously, if someone came up to your face today and said there was no way Todd Gurley could win dancing with the stars, split an atom, solve atlanta traffic, make a perfect omelet, ride a scooter un-maliciously...would you believe them?
• Like me, on the post game show Richt sounded a little surprised Bobo called that pass from the #WildGurley formation. You know, against Vanderbilt.
• But hey, gives the Raging Pinkels something to think about this week.
• Defensively...I'd give run defense a B and pass defense a C+. But overall they consistently forced the Commodores into long down and distances. And they only converted 2/13 on third down, 1/2 on fourth.
• Hard to complain about a blowout, but the special teams were not, special.
• Poor punts. Bad returns. Blocked PATs.
• Richt specifically mentioned the punting game in the lockerroom. Barber had four and averaged just 34 yards per. Erickson came in and only punted for 32 yards.
• Meh.
• Is it just me or should that last Vanderbilt touchdown have been reviewed?

Back to Gurley. He's the clear front runner now for every post season award he qualifies for. That's cool. And what is even more impressive for Georgia fans is that each week he finds new ways to entertain, amaze, and just generally drop jaws.

What will he do next week? I couldn't even venture a guess really. But I'm anxious to find out.