Mizzou preview

Kevin over at College Football Zealots has worked his way around the nation doing previews of teams. Yesterday it was Missouri's turn. You might wanna take a look.

There is no doubt that Missouri is a good team that can step up and be a great team on any given weekend. I question whether they can do it on a week to week basis. Missouri won double-digit games in three out of four seasons from 2007 to 2010 but they haven't been consistent double-digit game winners. Can they build off of an 8-5 season last year? They have been 8-5 in two of the last three years. It's difficult to think they can come into the SEC and be much better than that. Three of their first four SEC games are against Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Welcome to the conference.

Hail to Georgia!

The Redcoats are asking for our help. As of today you have 14 days to practice and get the lyrics down. Not too much to ask.

And if I get called in from the bench...cheer your ass off.

Friday Misery - of rust and Russ

Although the college football horizon is in full view now, that doesn't mean we're completely ready. The months of JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyandAugust create a LOT of rust. I can't just expect August 31st to roll up and be completely able to give you a Friday Misery at the drop of a calendar page. That takes a certain energy level that an 8 month hibernation just doesn't prepare you for in the way we all need it to.

I mean, are you just going to show up at the season's first tailgate without checking the tents, giving them a test run, counting the chairs in storage, or cleaning the cobwebs out of the cooler? Are you just going to assume your tailgate buddies will bring the buns and condiments to complement your grilled meats and cheeses?

It's called PREPARATION people! The first cousin of another key word, PLANNING. Throw a few handfuls of it on your face to WAKE. YOUR. ASS. UP. I know it's Buffalo and all, but it's still college football. It deserves your focused energy, your undivided attention and at least a few moments of time to knock the rust off the gameday mindset. Commit to the G y'all!

 Don't hate. Appreciate the brindle y'all!  (via)

C'mon people. Don't put off today what you can already have checked off the list tomorrow. Chan Gailey's coming to town Sept. 1st, without Reggie Ball. That's not so Chantastic.

Don't bite the paw that feeds you
There is no Uga IX, yet. I'm a little agitated with this mess. We keep moving forward and backward in the process of what really amounts to a family choosing their pet. Despite the ties to the University, Uga has always been the Seilers' pet first. Otherwise I'm sure the AJC would paste up pictures of the puppies and Carvell would do mock ups of recruiting pieces and Bradley and his cronies would blather on and on about how Coach Richt has lost control over the bloodline and then we'd all tumble over one another to vote in a poll.

Meanwhile, here's Russ. Does Russ give a damn if he's named the official mascot? Probably not. Just tell him when it's time to wear the sweater and he's ready. As chuckdawg mentions he gets taken off duty and pushed back on whenever UGA needs him. But he doesn't get the glory of being an "official" mascot.

Yet Russ is ANYthing but a stand in like Magillicuddy or Bugga Lou. No, the longest a temporary mascot had to fill in before Russ was the infamous Otto that came to the rescue when Uga IV injured his knee during the 1986 season. Otto's shift lasted four games and he went 3-1. Russ has a resumé that spans 21 games now, if I carried the one in the right spot.

He's earned more than our adoration and appreciation. He's deserves our respect too. Russ is a damn good Dawg!

Speaking of dogs, it's just me and my chocolate lab this weekend. Girls are off to a wedding, which means several things. Most importantly, I'll always know where the remote is for the next 48 hours and my ears won't be ringing from pre-teen pop music. I might just spend the weekend listening to Elvis and watching Fast Times over and over again. You know, "learning about Cuba" and stuff.

It probably also means less leafy greens and more grilled meat. Like I said, it's all about the PREPARATION. Stay miserable Dawgs. Only 15 more days.

Some spotlight for Branden Smith

I see and hear a lot of arguments as to whether certain college football ticket prices are worth the money involved to obtain them. I can see the argument for saving the cash, staying at home to avoid the ever increasing hassles of tailgating around campus and just enjoying the game through the technology of a high def receiver. There's no traffic, no weird contests to determine a designated driver and Prez Adams can't outlaw your smoking grill on the patio. Yes, I get that.

Like a freight train...gone!

But for me there's just something magical about being there that is more than enough to supercede all of that convenience. I remember in Tempe when Knowshon high dived into the endzone, there was a noticeable gasp throughout the stadium. Sun Devils and Dawgs alike were so taken aback by the sheer athleticism that you could hear thousands of people inhale at exactly the same time.

And no doubt there have been many times in Sanford throughout its history that the play on the field creates a buzz in the stands that is palpable, electric. For me the most memorable one was South Carolina 2009. Branden Smith's touchdown was the perfect call combined with absolute superhuman speed. For one, the play call utilized the talent that Smith possesses to perfection. However, the Gamecocks had defenders in position to, at the very least, prevent the score. But once the jets were ignited, they weren't cooling down anywhere inside of 62 yards. Most notably, 92,000 jaws dropped well before any visor touched ground.

I've mentioned before that I'm enjoying David Ching's countdown series Around the Hedges. Yesterday it was Branden's turn and Ching of course mentioned that play as #1's greatest highlight to date. And Groo points out that Smith has been chasing that kind of highlight ever since 2009, all while getting fewer touches and looks on offense.

Will his senior season bring better fortune for Smith? Things are looking up for sure. He was cleared to play the season opener (despite Chuckles playing lawyer in protest) and according to reports has had a solid camp this month. He's played special teams his entire career in Athens, which will only help his draft status next spring. Some offensive fireworks could increase it even more.

It took four years to see the kind of impact Brandon Boykin could have offensively. Could it Smith's skills add an offensive boost to the 2012 season, like they did in 2009? The spotlight's on, it's time to shine.

Theus - a "spunky" freshman

Freshman offensive lineman John Theus will be a starter; almost a certainty to start the season opener against Buffalo. And it sounds like C-Wash is impressed.

"He definitely has a lot of spunk about him, that's for sure," Washington said with a smile. "I can tell because at the end of a rep, I'm done at the end of the rep and he wants to keep going. The rep's over with, so let's move on along. But he's a pretty good guy. I think he's going to be big here."

Seriously, if you still feel like this offensive line is going to be a step back from last year, you're both not paying attention and obviously didn't see much of last season.

via DawgNation's Radi Nabulsi

Erk remembers Happy Dicks

Special shout-out to Kerri and Barry and their new little Dawg (and Jayhawk during hoops season). Congrats! #getaBIGneck

Ok, I'm a bad blogger. We already knew that though right? I meant to post this yesterday and completely forgot to put it in the queue for your morning coffee and doughnut(s). I apologize, but the good news is now you get to enjoy it today.

Probably my favorite entry from his calendar. Leave it to Coach Russell to introduce the "Post-Happy Dicks era" with a joke.

Scrimmage 2: good news, bad news

The second scrimmage is in the books. It was chock full of good and bad, so let's break it down. Here's the stats, as provided ($) by Richt:

via

Gurley 7-87, 2 TD 
Marshall 5-62 
Samuel 6-40, TD 
Malcome 5-35, TD 
Harton 7-31 

Murray 8-14 158 TD, INT 
Mason 8-18 67 TD, INT 
LeMay 2-5 35 INT 

Conley 4-114 TD 
Tibbs 3-32 TD 
Rome 2-32 
Gurley 2-22 
King 2-9 
Wooten, Harton, Lynch, Samuel, McGowan, Hicks all had one catch 

Morgan made all XP and was 1-1 on field goals (42 yards) 
Barber averaged 49.5 yards on two punts 

Vasser 6 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 sacks 
Williams 4 tx, INT 
Rambo 4 tx 
Ogletree 4 tx, 2 TFL, 2 sacks 
JHC 4 tx, TFL, INT, sack 
Drew 4 tx 
Swann 3 tx 
Jarvis Jones sack 
Commings 3 tx, PBU 
B Smith, Gilliard, Norman, Moore, Herrera, Wilson, Bowman, Robinson all had two tackles 

B Smith had 2 PBU, Gilliard 1 PBU, Moore 1 PBU and a great interception according to Richt (Moore said he read a double move by Bennett and picked off a Murray pass in red zone) 

Abry Jones had TFL, J Dawson had one PBU and one TFL, Washington and S Dawson both had PBU

Good
Rushing. All the running backs had a good scrimmage, and there were some big runs added in. Both Marshall and Gurley averaged 12.4 ypc, thanks to a 52 and a 66 yard run respectively. Richt said they were making guys miss and getting extra yards from their hustle. To quote: "But when you’re a good rushing team, you’re going to break a big run. That’s what you [want]"

INTs. Sounds like most were off of bad throws, but at least they were hauled in. Richt credited Corey Moore with making a good play on a ball. And Harvey-Clemons continues to impress. From the last week's buzz it sounds as if he's averaging 1.2 picks a practice.

Competition. The 1s vs 2s structure seems to be creating some good depth. Normally I would rather see the 1s go against each other, but given the depth I think this is giving some backups a chance to show what they can do against some SEC starters.

Injuries. Malcolm Mitchell, Damian Swann, Branden Smith and Ray Drew were all back in the mix. Tight End Ty Flournoy-Smith did not play.

Kicks. Marshall Morgan made his kicks and Collin Barber averaged nearly 50 yards on two punts! If he can get that kind of distance with the hang time that Richt has been suggesting, Barber is heading for more than a starting spot.

Bad
Quarterbacks. Between the interceptions and fumbles it was clear that Coach Richt was least impressed with this group. If a defender just makes a great play it's one thing. But when he specifically tells the media that they weren't well thrown balls...coupled with the fact that the QBs can't be tackled and they're still fumbling...Not. Good.

Hustle. Overall it sounds like there was good energy, but nothing outstanding. As Richt said, an 8-4 type effort ain't gonna cut it. Were some guys just going through the motions? Do they believe certain roster spots are already sewn up? I expect the coaches to light them up a little bit going into the weekend.

Red and Black...dead and red

Lord knows I've been critical of some of their content, but this is just truly sad.

I, Polina Marinova, have resigned as the editor-in-chief from The Red & Black, the student newspaper covering the University of Georgia. The Red & Black’s top editors, design staff, photo staff and reporters walked out of the newspaper building this afternoon.

The Red & Black has covered the University of Georgia community since 1893 and has been independent of the University since 1980. The newspaper has always been a student-run operation, but recently, we began feeling serious pressure from people who were not students. In less than a month, The Red & Black has hired more than 10 permanent staff with veto power over students’ decisions. ......

.....The Red & Black has always been the best experience for student journalists. It’s no longer a place where lessons can be learned without “serious repercussions.” We don’t believe that is a learning environment.

As the former editor-in-chief, I stood by my editors and staff 100 percent and what I found out today was that we all stood together.

There's two sides to every story. This will be an interesting one to follow. But ultimately a good student newspaper, and their readers will lose.

UGA Game Ball Relay

I've been meaning to throw some pub this way for a couple weeks. This is a great chance for fans to participate in something unique and truly special. The UGA Game Ball Relay is set up for UGA lettermen to take part in a relay that will stretch from Atlanta's Shepherd Center at 10am Friday August 31st across 90 miles on its way to Athens at Sanford Stadium in time for kickoff against Buffalo. The cities including on the walk are Atlanta, Stone Mountain, Loganville, Snellville and Athens.

In addition to lending one's support by participating in the "Red Zone March", you can also donate and become a Red Zone Warrior.

CLICK HERE for additional details. And for updates you can follow @UGAGBR on Twitter.

via UGAGBR

Flashback - the 2002 season

There's a lot to remember and cherish about the 2002 season, and this video reminds us of all the highlights, big plays and subplots along the way. One of my favorite side stories will always be Tony Milton,. You'll remember that Milton was the kid Richt basically found living out of his car, gave him a chance and he became a legendary backfield blocker. In fact, he might be the reason a lot of young kids haven't started at running back until they can at least attempt to model a Tony Milton block.

And of course my favorite Munson quip from this video references a Milton run - "We put the WHOLE SCHOOL out in front of him!". Enjoy.

h/t Dawg19

Every time I see that blocked field goal against the Vols I think Boss gets higher than the last time I saw it. Absolutely superhuman.

Back to Milton, he once said "I'm more than willing to do anything to help the team...The coaches came to me and asked me if I would make the move. It's pretty much the same thing as tailback, the same blocking assignments.'' Kind of reminds you of another guy we have on the roster now, doesn't it?