The VOLS, VIII and the DORES

Although we’ve been quiet for the most part this week, it has been a good week here at the BEAST. Coach Richt and the boys took care of the Vols without messing around last Saturday and that was just the start to an exciting week. Still flying from the DAWGS beat down of the Vols, some time last Sunday I realized that Big Bad Bruce was going to step up and claim the charmed life that awaits him as UGA VIII and I have been excited ever since. Throw in that this week Vanderbilt rolls into Athens (hopefully without hitting anything along the way) for Homecoming and I’ve been smiling pretty much all week.

I don’t buy into all that talk the beating the Vols is no big deal and that was one barb that was under my skin all week. Couldn’t break my stride, but it did bother me a bit until I realized that it brought me back to all the reasons that actually make it a big deal from where I sit in the first place.

The two games I most fanatically want the DAWGS to win every year are the tussles with Tennessee and Florida. This is tied primarily to my age and the time period I was a student at UGA. During those days, it was the Evil Genius and The Great Pumpkin that were ruining my fall Saturdays and my deep-seeded contempt for those two programs remains fiery and vicious to this day. Against this background, factor in that Tennessee had won three of the last four meetings, all three with ugly, blowout-type final scores and I was aching for a DAWGS win last weekend.



As for a more current motivation to be proud of our boys and their win last week, how about this….football games are hard to win. Any win against any opponent should be savored and not taken for granted. Besides, based on the way Georgia had played the month prior, it’s hard to believe that anyone was overly confident heading into that game. The bottom line is this…you just never know when the spark/break/moment will come that turns a season around. In 2007, if not for a late fumble and Georgia recovery deep in DAWGS territory on what looked for the world to be a game-winning drive for Vanderbilt in Nashville, the Sugar Bowl and ending the season with a #2 ranking would have never happened. Just last year, in a game that seemingly most DAWGS fans immediately dismissed, it was against Vanderbilt that Georgia finally settled on the offensive line starting five and began to find the running game that would carry the DAWGS down the stretch of the season. At the time, there were fans that didn’t want to hear about any successes in the rushing game because Vandy was somehow an opponent of no-count status. In retrospect, that was the moment that led to a glorious win on the plains in which Ben Jones ate the turf and Washaun Ealey and Caleb King declared to the world that “We Run This State!” So don’t tell me any successes the DAWGS had against the Vols last week don’t count for anything. For this DAWG, Saturday’s win over Tennessee was glorious. In case you’re wondering…Yes. I am holding out hope that the DAWGS can make me two-for-two this year in my most valued games.

Moving right along, I am absolutely pumped that Big Bad Bruce will take the up the mantle of UGA VIII this weekend. Forget the succession of kings, queens and princesses…this is the only succession I care about. Knowing that UGA VI’s grandson and a true, bloodline heir will be taking the collar makes me very happy. Everything just feels more right in the world. And Big Bad Bruce is a good looking dog too! Kid looks like a tank. I feel really good about the future with VIII at the reins and I believe he is going to be a fantastic ambassador for the University of Georgia and the members of the DAWG Nation.



To wrap up my thoughts from the week, I will just leave you with this. Vanderbilt is Vanderbilt and I suspect we all believe that our DAWGS should show up, play well and get the Homecoming victory tomorrow. With that said, I will never take any team or win for granted, but Vandy is a chance to continue to bail water and pick up some steam as we enter the final two months of the season.

Get after ‘em DAWGS and keep climbing as we make our way closer to the top of this hole that we find ourselves in. For everyone that will be heading to Athens and at the game, have a fantastic day and take a moment to remember what coming home is all about.

Glory, Glory.

GEORGIA WILL WIN THE SEC EAST IN 2010. WHY NOT?

When you take a quick, superficial look at the upcoming football season for the DAWGS, you will either see a team riddled with holes and questions or you will see a team that should once again be considered a contender in the SEC Eastern division and therefore a contender for the SEC and national championships. We here at the BEAST can see both, depending on the day…the humidity in Dublin…the lake levels at Hartwell…and which way the wind is blowing in Toccoa. Point is no one knows how the season is going to play out…and that’s part of the fun of it…but today we encourage you to get in touch with your inner head coach, stare down the pre-season media horde and, in your best coach-speak, acknowledge all of the keys to greatness that will be unveiled to the masses as our DAWGS get unleashed in 2010.

Aaron Murray

I know Murray is only a redshirt freshman that has never taking a live snap on game day for Georgia, but we don’t know the whole deal. Late last season, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said that although you can never say for certain, there was certainly a chance that the arm injury that limited Murray’s development last season played more than a small role in the team’s decision to not pull his redshirt. This season, head coach Mark Richt has said that if given the opportunity he (and any other coach in his mind) would take an “Aaron Murray” every year in recruiting. During SEC Media Days, CMR expressed his confidence that Murray has shown all the signs of knowing what he will be asked to do on the field and that he understands the level of commitment necessary to be successful and lead this team and reported that Murray’s teammates see this as well and have rallied around him during the off-season. These men know better than any of us ever will how prepared Murray is to take the reigns of this team. If they feel confident in his abilities and readiness…both physical and mental…then I say tee it up and get it on. Steve Spurrier, who knows a few things about quarterbacks, said this during SEC Media Days: “You put a quarterback with a real good team, he should play pretty well. (pause) If he’s a good quarterback.” I think that sums it up pretty well.

Todd Grantham

There is no denying that there needed to be some new blood injected into the Georgia program after the DAWGS stumbled to an 8-5 record in 2009 and Grantham and his new defensive coaches certainly seem to have filled that need. Undeniably, there is a new energy around the program these days. Although we have not seen the DAWGS new defensive product on the field yet, but we all will soon enough and the frenzied, attacking style of play we will see from Georgia will turn the DAWGS opponents and the league on its collective ear. CMR recently said that the goal heading into fall practice on the defensive side of the ball is to get the guys ready to “Play fast, play physical and play with confidence.” Grantham and his staff will get it done and the DAWGS D will be feared once again.

The Schedule

With no Alabama or LSU on the conference schedule, three of the four out-of-conference games against Louisiana-Lafayette, Colorado and Idaho State and the toughest true road games looking like South Carolina and Auburn, the DAWGS look like they are in position to really make some headway. I’m of the opinion that there are no free skates in the SEC, but when the cards fall your way you had better take advantage.

Kickers Rock

When it comes to kicking the football, you would be hard pressed to find any team in the country that is as set as Georgia. DAWG Legacy Drew Butler led the nation with a 48.1 yards per attempt average last season and won the Ray Guy Award, which recognizes the nation’s top punter. Blair Walsh did his best to continue Georgia’s recent history of big-legged and accurate kickers going 20-22 on field-goal attempts. Walsh was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award which goes to the nation’s top kicker.


Courtesy Georgiadogs.com


Courtesy Onlineathens.com

We Run This State

The offense should be in good hands with Caleb King and Washaun Ealey returning in the Bulldogs backfield. Both are coming off productive seasons in 2009 and with the fires of competition being stoked throughout the year, there is no reason to be surprised if the two talented backs combine to rush for more than 2000 yards in 2010.


Courtesy Georgiadogs.com


Courtesy Onlineathens.com

The DAWG Mollies

Georgia’s offensive line has the potential to be the top unit in the Southeastern Conference and one of the best in the nation. All five starters return and there are a total of eight letterman across the offensive front. That has to make Murray and the running backs sleep better at night. The O-Line is anchored by first-team All-SEC honoree Clint Boling and should only continue to grow together. This is a unit that the DAWGS should be able to hang their hat on, especially early in the season, and they should make the offensive unit look better than it may actually be early in the campaign.


Courtesy Onlineathens.com

Lethal Weapon 8

A.J. Green. Without question, the DAWGS superlative talent at wide receiver ranks among the best in the nation at his position. Green’s stellar body control, great hands and deceptive speed make him the premier weapon in Georgia’s offensive attack. Green is almost a “no joy” assignment for any defensive back on the DAWGS schedule and one fantastic security blanket for a redshirt freshman quarterback. Although the casual Georgia fan may think Green will be the only weapon in the aerial arsenal, they would be mistaken. The DAWGS return an extremely talented group of tight ends in Aron White, Orson Charles, Bruce Figgins and Arthur Lynch as well as the return of veteran Kris Durham and several yet-to-break-out wide receivers in Israel Troupe, Rontavious Wooten and Marlon Brown. With so many options on an offensive unit that returns 10 of 11 starters, there should be many happy Saturdays for the DAWG Nation in 2010.


Courtesy Onlineathens.com

So, why shouldn’t we members of the DAWG Nation be excited about the 2010 edition of the Georgia Bulldogs? With key new faces in key places that are dripping with expectation and potential, a schedule that is just about as sweet as they come in the Southeastern Conference, one of the premier kicking units in the nation, talent and production returning in the running game, a deep and veteran offensive line and a Heisman Trophy candidate at wide receiver…the DAWGS future looks bright for the 2010 season.

If the O-Line brings a lunch pale at South Carolina and the DAWGS continue the road dominance we have come to expect during Coach Richt’s time at Georgia, there is no reason to believe that this bunch of DAWGS cannot get to Jacksonville in late October (there will be more to come on the HATED Gators at a later date) with a record of 7-1 or 8-0 and the table will be set for Georgia to once again reach double digits in wins and reclaim it’s rightful place at the top of the SEC Eastern Division and get back to Atlanta. CMR is 2-1 in SEC Championship game appearances and if the DAWGS could get that one, well let’s just say bigger things usually follow.

These are not predictions, but rather a glimpse of what to look forward to and what could be in 2010. Regardless, there is no reason to doubt that this will be an exciting season “between the hedges” and the DAWGS will have a chance to win every time they step on the field. Not every program in the country can say that, and you can rest assured that every last coach in the country would take those odds, so break out your red and black and get ready for the ride. GO DAWGS!

Glory, Glory.

SPRING PROVING GROUNDS IV

Coming into spring practice 2010, the widely held opinion was that Georgia’s most intriguing storyline would be how the DAWGS adjust to their new defensive coordinator, coaching staff and scheme OR how the competition at quarterback would play out. ‘Round these parts we believe in bone-rattling, will-breaking slap-yo-mamma and make you like it DEFENSE. Up to this point we have spent much more time talking about defensive line stunts and blitzing linebackers than who will be looking to take advantage of the opportunity to throw the ball to AJ Green or hand it off to Washaun Ealey and Caleb King. However, there is no denying the importance of the QB competition and we are just as interested in who ends up taking snaps in Athens the next few years as any other DAWG fan out there. The right to lead a team must be earned and between the lines…on the proving grounds…is the one and only place to stake a claim to the starting spot as the DAWGS top signal caller.

SPRING PROVING GROUNDS IV: QUARTERBACK

The coaching staff has thrown the competition to be Georgia’s starting quarterback open and it is a three-man race between Logan Gray (Jr), Zach Mettenberger (RFr) and Aaron Murray (RFr). Well, it was.

Mettenberger was arrested recently for underage consumption/possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, obstruction and two counts of possessing fake identification. Although there were times since the end of the 2009 season that I thought I was the only one in the DAWGosphere that gave Mettenberger any chance at all to compete with a real chance of earning playing time in the fall, it seems he has ended that talk all on his own. Given his physical skill set, I believe Mett may be the best pro prospect of the bunch down the line. However, given Coach Richt’s history of dealing with incidents like this one, a suspension is almost definitely in Mett’s future and the only question is how many games it will be. While I still expect Mett to become a fine football player possibly win the starting job outright in years to come, I believe any impending suspension will effectively eliminate Mett from consideration for the starting nod for the DAWGS to open the 2010 season.

That leaves Gray and Murray to battle it out.

I’ll admit that when Gray originally signed with Georgia I was excited at the prospect of the DAWGS having another QB with some mobility that would have a couple of seasons to learn the system before taking over as the starter, possibly much like DJ Shockley had done for the DAWGS a few years ago. Although he is a fine athlete, I don’t think I would put Gray in the same category as Shockley. To this point, we haven’t seen anything from Gray that would make those of us in the DAWG Nation clamor for him to be anointed the starter. Then again, Gray has not really had a chance to show what he can do when given a full opportunity to run the show. It is very possible that given the chance, Gray will step up and earn the right to lead the DAWGS this fall.


Courtesy Kelly Lambert

Murray seems to have it all…fantastic prep record (including returning from a broken leg to lead his team to a state championship as a senior), mobility, a better-than-average arm and reports are that he is a tireless student of the game. His toughness and work ethic alone are enough to garner my respect. Murray seems to have that unquantifiable quality known as “it” that makes a player special and it appears he is the odds-on favorite to earn the starting job in the season opener, even without having played a down at the collegiate level.


Courtesy Kelly Lambert

Much like the offensive line situation, quarterback play could prove to be the primary hindrance to an otherwise efficient Georgia offensive attack. If the DAWGS can determine at least a solid front-runner for the starting job during the spring, the more likely a starter can be installed in fall camp and the quicker the offense can find its rhythm once the season starts. In my opinion, this situation calls for decisive action from Coach Mike Bobo and Coach Mark Richt. Although there aren’t as many moving parts as the offensive line scenario, it is hard to argue that there is a more important position on an offense than quarterback. Everyone can say the right things about “doing what’s best for the team” and talk about how “each guy brings something special and different to the huddle” but an offense needs that leader…that one leader…to look to when the game is on the line. The sooner that leader steps to the front of the line and is identified by the coaching staff the better.

I have long held that if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one and I am always uneasy when I hear a coach say that he is open to any kind of quarterback rotation. Coach Richt is on record as saying that he is open to a rotation if necessary, but that he will name a starter if someone steps forward and earns the job outright. I really don’t think that will happen. This competition will head into fall camp. Best case scenario, the coaching staff will see enough in the spring to get a good idea about where the competition stands heading into the fall. From there, we will have to hope that the oppressive heat of a Georgia August will temper the mettle of the competitors and that the DAWGS coaching staff can then shape a leader of men that will be charged with leading the Silver Britches to victory “between the hedges” as well as bearing the weight of the crown of a nation longing to embrace him…the DAWG Nation.

Glory, Glory.

DAWGBEASTS and the 'DORES

This feels like it is coming a little late and I don’t want to needlessly rehash all that has been said already, so this will be short and sweet. Hey, it’s a bye week for us too. To put a bow on what happened in Nashville last weekend, a single prevailing thought keeps coming back…wins should be celebrated. It’s hard to get a win, any win, regardless of opponent. This win over Vanderbilt was a conference win on the road and those should never be taken for granted (see Knoxville one week prior). The players and coaches in that locker room following the game knew that and I would bet that had an awful lot to do with the joyous scene in the locker room following the game. We as fans need to be reminded of that from time to time.

With that said, let’s move on to the DAWGBEASTS for this week.

CALEB KING - This pick says a lot more about the effort, attitude, toughness and pure grit that King played with than anything else. Caleb was making his return to the line-up after suffering first hand at the incompetence of Marc Curles and his crew in the form of a broken jaw. King was a BEAST when he was called on to block during the game and contributed two touchdowns to the overall effort, one rushing and one receiving. By the way, in case you missed it on King’s touchdown reception, AJ Green proved once again why he is one DAMN GOOD DAWG, deserving of being crowned as a DAWGBEAST every week and truly an all around player as he blocked his man right out of the play to give King an alley to the end zone. LETHAL WEAPON 8 is just amazing.



Courtesy: Ugasports.com

GENO ATKINS – Obviously, if you garner SEC honors as player of the week, you must be doing something right. Atkins’ career-high eight tackle effort was good to see. It was a flashback of sorts to his sophomore season in Athens when Atkins led Georgia in tackles for loss with 14.5 and was named first-team all-SEC. You can read the ABH spotlight story on HERE.

HONORABLE MENTION – PRINCE MILLER – Number 23 has had issues in the secondary this season and that has helped us to almost forget what a difference maker he can be when employed in the role of punt returner. Only once prior to Saturday’s performance in The Music City has Miller shown us the impact he can have in the return game. In week one, Prince came up big with a punt return for touchdown that was called back due to a penalty. Since then, Miller’s role in the punt return game has been a revolving door of spot duty due to Logan Gray appearances and bad decisions as to when to catch the ball and when not to, but that was not the case this past week against Vanderbilt. Miller had two returns for 95 yards (long 55) and was just a step away from taking both of those kicks back for touchdowns. Quality work to say the least.

HONORABLE MENTION – MIKE BOBO – Georgia’s much-maligned offensive coordinator made his first appearance on the sidelines in that role since taking over the play-calling duties in 2007 and it would seem he made his presence felt. The move seemingly paid off as the DAWGS racked up 399 yards of total offense – nearly double their tally from a week earlier. Georgia found the end zone four times, too, including twice in the red zone, after failing to move the ball inside Tennessee’s 35-yard line last week. I like this move because it gives the players and the coach a chance to look into one another’s eyes and get a real feel for what’s going on in the game. Football is a game of emotion and handling situations as they arise in a game. I don’t think that this level of communication and truly having a feel for what’s going on with a player in any given game can be overstated.

WTF?!?!? You CANNOT let this slide!

Look, I'm not sayin'....I'm just sayin'. If someone punches your brother in the face, are you just gonna stand there and watch???? I fully understand that these photos might be misleading. We don't know where he is looking. We don't know if his eyes are even open. HOWEVER, the following photos seem to clearly show that DAWGS center Ben Jones has a front row, unobstructed view of LSU defensive lineman Rahim Alem as he LAUNCHES himself at Caleb King, clearly leading with the crown of his helmet with a seemingly fully realized intent to use his headgear as a weapon! I do not remember a single DAWGS player coming to King's aid after the play (full disclosure: I will have to check the tape on my DVR later). Simply stated....WTF!!!! That just cannot be acceptable. We all know that if an opposing player is a bit too rough with a teammate of yours, it is absolutely acceptable behavior for you to come to his aid. Hell, it's almost mandatory! ESPECIALLY when it comes to offensive linemen and a running back or quarterback! A football team truly is like a family. A band of brothers. At least, the ones worth a flip are. There is absolutely no way that Alem should have been allowed to get away with this action without some sort of retaliation. I'm not saying there should have been a fight or that Alem should have been targeted, but someone should have been immediately in his face to let him know that, uh, stuff just won't fly.

Alem's hit certainly had the desired effect. It was made public after the game that King suffered a broken jaw (almost definitely on the play in question) and a concussion. And by the way, HUGE KUDOS to the kid for playing the majority of the rest of the game. This hit is ABSOLUTELY, to the letter of the rule, what the helmet-to-helmet penalty is supposed to punish. THERE WAS NO FLAG. If the game doesn't provide justice, shouldn't someone.

Again, I cannot say definitively whether Jones actually saw this frame-by-frame the way we can see it now, but regardless...I say it's a safe bet that someone saw it...and they should have been Category 4 PISSED! This reaction, in my opinion, is absolutely justified by the laws of brotherhood, team and pride in defense of all that the Georgia "G" on the side of that helmet stands for.

This type of action CANNOT be allowed to go unchallenged and I certainly hope it was just a situation of circumstance that prevented the DAWGS from taking care of their own. For Caleb's sake, I certainly hope so. I would love to know what y'all think.

GO DAWGS!!!