Two keys to continue Richt's domination

Because we can all remember a time when Kyle Karempelis was in the game to give Carlton Thomas a rest, tomorrow is about the seniors. These guys helped bring the program from the brink of ineptitude. They turned the ship around and have given it their all. I'll get more personal on this topic later, but for now...thank you!

1. Disciplined defense. Stop the dive. Mind your gap. Tackle like grown damn men.
2. Neutralize their linebackers. Use Chubb et al. to keep them honest and then Mason has to throw over them to keep them guessing.

Bonus: from Robert, "come out of the tunnel like we hate those SOB's and they just cussed our mama."

Erk's Legend of MamboGook

As relayed before...

Erk Russell always had a way with communication. Otherwise "GATA!" would've never been born from GTAA, Georgia Tech Athletic Association. Or whatever the hell.

So when the lesson turned to gap integrity, Erk used this story of Mambo Gook to communicate the importance of being where you're supposed to be, doing what you're supposed to be doing. "If you think you're coming my way, that's the wrong hole brother, because you ain't gonna make nothin' here."

So, with that in mind...as promised.

The "Mambo Gook" story goes like this: A young Georgia Tech engineering graduate had been working in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia for around six months. He was about to go stark raving mad because the only women that he had seen in Arabia were those dressed in the long gowns with the veils covering their faces. The women were not very friendly at all. As a matter of fact, he hadn't spoken to one since he had been working there.

He had been used to the feminine pulchritude of Peachtree Street in Atlanta and missed that scenery and his feminine companionship more than anything else. As he was sitting in the little bar at the golf course there in Saudi Arabia, he happened to be seated next to one of the local sheiks.

This particular sheik had spent some time in the United States and conversed with the young engineer as best he could with the little English he could speak. As they sipped on their drinks the young engineer expressed to the sheik that he liked everything fine, except he really missed the feminine companionship that he once enjoyed back in Atlanta. The sheik could get enough out of the conversation to understand what the young man meant. He promised the engineer that he would have, from his harem, one of his wives waiting for him when he got off from work the following afternoon.

Well, the young engineer hustled and worked through the day. He could hardly wait until quitting time. As he approached his tent, he saw this woman standing out front with her long gowns and veil. He figured that she knew why she was there and he surely knew why she was there, so he wouldn't waste any time. He picked her up right there at the tent flap, rushed her inside, threw her down on the cot and commenced to making wild, passionate love to the woman. Immediately she began to shout, "Mambo Gook," "Mambo Gook." She repeated that over and over and over again. The young engineer figured this was an Arabian expression of ecstasy.

Well, it didn't take too long for the young man to finish the first round and as soon as he relaxed his grasp, the woman still screaming, "Mambo Gook," ran through the tent flap and disappeared across the desert, continuing to scream, "Mambo Gook."

The next day the young engineer and the local sheik had made arrangements to play golf and the young engineer wanted a chance to thank the sheik for his courtesy of having the woman there. As they played the first hole, the sheik hit a magnificent shot, straight to the green, the ball hit, bounced and rolled right into the cup. It was a great golf shot and the young engineer wanted to express the greatness of that shot with something more than the usual, "Nice shot," or, "Great shot." The thought of the Arabian expression of ecstasy occurred to him, and he said, "Mambo Gook, sheik, Mambo Gook.".

The sheik turned to him, looked at him with amazement and said, "What do you mean, wrong hole?"

-  pages 50-51, from Erk: Football, Fans and Friends 

The Railroad Track Crowd hated Tech, therefore, so do we.

A salute to a bygone tradition.

Erk hated Tech, therefore, so do we.

From the words of his players, remembering the greatest college football coach to ever blow a goddamn whistle.

I know I've slacked off this week. But before you leave for Sanford Stadium, make sure you read the Legend of MamboGook, which I'll repost here shortly. 

Erk wanted to beat Tech more than any other. If you can't feel that, please stay home.

Guys like Mac hate Tech, therefore, so do we.

I see you there, wallowing in your own misery. Feeling sorry for yourself because Missouri is going back to Atlanta. Some of you are even mad at Arkansas, even though we were first and goal late against Sakerlina...even though we were up 7-0 in the first quarter in Jacksonville.

Wipe those cheap ass tears dumbass. We've got Tech tomorrow!! Our seniors deserve better than your weak, sniveling, pathetic sobs.

I'm an old guy, but young enough that I need to be reminded of a certain rivalry's importance. Mac was kind enough to oblige.

My love with the Georgia Dawgs began way back in 1957 with me attending my first Georgia football game...I was 8 years old.  Our neighbor would load up his Ford station wagon with some 12-14 boys from Cobb Street and off we would go to Athens.  If you were under 18 years of age, you could get in Sanford Stadium by purchasing a high school student ticket for $1.00...sat in the GG section...the Green Grass hill where the flagpole is today.   Even sat on the railroad tracks a few times. I have been attending UGA games for 57 years...have not missed many...even in my Marine Corps years was able to get to many...once all the way from Okinawa.  In this season of my life, I realize I don't have that many football seasons left...but I will always pull for the Dawgs.

57 years has taught me to dislike Auburn and Florida and South Carolina and Tennessee but I genuinely hate Georgia Tech.  And with my memories of the Tech games...I always think of Coach Erk RUSSELL...G.A.T.A.  and  TUCK FECH...Erk was and will always be the original Damn Good Dawg!!!

That's the key. Time teaches us to hate other football teams. Clean Old Fashioned Hate is born right here in our hearts and grown from Georgia's own red clay.

Go Dawgs!

Finish the Fight

Was way too busy with travel, family, and other personal stuff this week to give the Friday Misery justice. So this last video, a fitting tribute to both the 2014 season as well as the seniors that are about to play in their last game at Sanford, will have to do.

Finish The Fight from Georgia Football on Vimeo.

Go Dawgs! Wreck Tech!

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!!

Thanks to AHD for the pic. Hope your day is smothered in gravy!

Mason answered the questions.

We had them. And I say "we" because I include myself. To be fair, we had them because Hutson Mason hadn't given us a reason not to voice our concerns.

That was then, this is now.

The quarterback who some fans wanted benched now leads the SEC in pass efficiency rating. His passing yardage isn’t spectacular, but Mason is verging on putting himself in Georgia’s record book.

Mason has completed 68.4 percent of his passes this season, which would break the single-season school record of 65.0, set by Bobo in 1997.

“He’s probably gotten the most out of his ability than anybody that I’ve ever had,” Bobo said.

Mason’s current pass efficiency rating (158.12) is just behind Aaron Murray for the second best in any Georgia season. Murray did that last year and also holds the record of 174.82 for his 2012 season.

I think Damian Swann has been one of the most satisfying to see come around this season. But Mason is up there. He's just an different dude out there the last couple games compared to September and part of October. And I suspect most of that transformation has to do with trusting his offensive line. Those boys are getting after it.

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/11/25/3434572_georgias-mason-proved-the-naysayers.html?sp=/99/210/222/&rh=1#storylink=cpy

One more timeout for Clean, old fashioned Love

Because many of you were kind enough to leave words of encouragement, I thought I would pass along that Erin passed away yesterday. She was a fighter through to the end. Anyone that knew her expected nothing less.

Sometimes I'm amazed and humbled by the distances my words can travel. If anyone, Dawg or Jacket or somehow ambivalent, finds it in their heart to give to Erin's favorite charity, I know Chris, Alex and the rest of Erin's family would greatly appreciate it. If there's anything Erin loved more than cheering on Georgia Tech, it was making kids smile. I know she always had nothing but encouraging words for my two girls.

Thank you for your time. Now you may resume your vested interest in one of the greatest rivalries in college football.

Ronald McDonald House
795 Gatewood rd, ne
Atlanta GA, 30329

TOUCHDOWN!! MASSAQUOI!!

Tyler is right, Paul Oliver should be remembered as one of the greatest of all bug killers. But today is Mohammed Massaquoi's birthday. What better what to say Happy Birthday than to remember that 2006 drive. Go Dawgs!

Tech to faceplant in Sanford again

Two years ago Tree got medieval on a little pipsqueak. You don't want to miss whatever happens this year. So get your tickets here.

"Boooooo bumblebees! Go Georgia Bulldogs!!"

An important reminder from Gabby, one of the Dawgs' most energetic little cheerleaders.

"I'mma man" wants a tan

via 247Sports

Gundy, 47, is the all-time wins leader at OSU (his alma mater) and has an 82-43 record heading in to today's games. Two years ago he was in the mix for the Tennessee job, which went to Butch Jones, and sources in the coaching community have said he's long been intrigued by coaching in the Southeastern Conference.

They could certainly do worse. But they could do better, right? (Not that I'm complaining thus far.)

Sunday Thoughts on icing cupcakes

It's best to break games like this down into what we learned. And I'll do this in order starting with the most important...

- Lee Greenwood plays some kind of miniature saxophone. Weirdly cute y'all.
- Nick Chubb has a serious violent streak when you try and tackle him prior to when he is ready to be tackled.

via DawgJaytee

- Andrews, Mason, Herrera, Wilson, et al didn't let the rest of the team sleep too late.

- Concession stands ran out of pizza too early. Which made me look bad in front of the kids. Boo. Hiss.

- UGA has some badass members of the military. Seriously, is there anything General James Livingston hasn't done to protect our freedoms? Other than try and tackle Nick Chubb prior to being ready to be tackled.

- Chris Conley uses the force of stretching out for the ball better than the average Jedi.

- We can haz Rumph and Scott-Wesley...in the same game, not just the same jersey.

- Charleston Southern has a really, really good punter.

- Lee Greenwood is shorter than I expected.

- I shouldn't take the 12yo with me to the concession stand.

- No. In actuality, Georgia fans don't spit on opposing fans.

- With (or without) the ball in his hands, Quayvon runs with bad intentions.

- Kyle Karempelis is our most alliterative tailback.

- Richt asked Bobo to allow the Georgia punters to rest this week. He obliged. 

- The 10yo danced with me during Sanford Karaoke. 

Buttercup, don't break my heart. What'd I miss?