DAWGBEASTS and the BIZZARO DOGS

SANDERS COMMINGS – Just like he did on the road in Oxford last week, Sanders lived inside the jersey of the Mississippi State wide receivers on Saturday. Commings finished with three tackles, had two pass break ups that coulda-shoulda been INTs, recovered a fumble and made a nice play to grab an interception for a red-zone stop for the DAWGS.

BRANDON BOYKIN – Boykin is a warrior. Boykin repeatedly answered the call for his teammates on Saturday and made play after play despite taking some dings along the way. After a three and out by the defense on Mississippi State’s first possession, Boykin had a huge punt return to set up Georgia’s first score. To open the second half, Boykin got up-ended on the kickoff return and apparently knocked a couple of teeth loose, only to return later in the half to force a fumble that would lead to a Georgia field goal. Bam finished w/6 tackles (5 solo) including a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a pass break up.

CORNELIUS WASHINGTON – Regardless of what happened after the game, Washington was a monster for the DAWGS on Saturday. The play he made on the first third down of the game was amazing as he rag-dolled the MSU tackle and obliterated Chris Relf in the pocket for the sack. Washington finished with four tackles and two sacks on the day to go along with numerous QB pressures.


Courtesy: AJ REYNOLDS/Staff Red&Black

RAGING BEAST STAT OF THE WEEK – The DAWGS shut down the Mississippi State running game on Saturday allowing only 1.6 yards per rush attempt.

Glory, Glory.

THE PACKING LIST REVIEW: OLE MISS

Well, how does .500 feel, DAWG Nation? One SEC road game played...one SEC road game won. Dig it. Let's look back and see if the DAWGS followed our road trip packing check list for Ole Miss.

FIRST ITEM: *RUNNING GAME* CHECK

The DAWGS rushed the football 56 times for over 200 yards against the Rebs. We called for Isaiah Crowell to get at least 20 carries in the game and that's exactly what happened as Georgia's freshman toted the rock a career-high 30 times for 147 yards, averaging right at 5 yards per carry.

SECOND ITEM: *ISAIAH’S FLAK JACKET* CHECK

Clearly there was no issues here as Isaiah saddled up and carried the mail for the DAWGS on Saturday.

THIRD ITEM: *BALL SECURITY* CHECK

Well, the DAWGS did turn the ball over once with a pick. Aaron Murray went through his read progression, then went back to his first read...which you should never do...and as a result, the ball was batted around and Ole Miss came down with it for the interception. However, Georgia also had two takeaways in the game and won the turnover battle. The DAWGS backs also displayed great ball security despite taking some pretty good hits during the game. The DAWGS took care of the ball and just like we said, "...the production on offense should take care of itself."

FOURTH ITEM: *PRESSURE FROM THE DEFENSE* CHECK

Check, check and check. We said that the DAWGS needed to put the squeeze on the Ole Miss offense as a whole, and if that pressure led to sacks, all the better. Well, that's exactly what happened. The D-line got a good push up the middle and played the run well, the backers flowed to the football and the secondary were in the hip pockets of the Rebs receivers all day closely contesting nearly every ball thrown. The result? The DAWGS allowed only 34 yards rushing, 183 total yards, forced two Bacarri Rambo interceptions and, oh yeah, collected four sacks.

FIFTH ITEM: *PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE* CHECK

Georgia knew they should be able to run the ball against Ole Miss and that's exactly what the did. Georgia rushed the ball 50+ times for 200+ yards and wore down the Rebs. Murray was efficient in the pass game and spread the ball around to seven different receivers on the day.

SIXTH ITEM: *EXPERIENCED LEADERSHIP* CHECK

Being the first road trip of the year, you can never know exactly what to expect. The DAWGS needed leadership from their veteran players and that's just what happened. Although just a second year starter, Murray led a young offense to an efficient and productive afternoon, hitting 17 of 26 passes for 268 yards and two scores. On defense, the DAWGS had a few players that have played a lot of football in the SEC and it showed as Abry Jones and Cornelius Washington anchored the front seven, while Rambo locked down the back end reeling in two interceptions for the DAWGS.

All in all, Oxford proved to be a very productive trip for Georgia. The DAWGS got that first conference road win out of the way, and that is huge with Knoxville looming in a couple of weeks where Georgia has not won since 2005. Murray put another notch in his belt as the leader of this team and the defense showed how you go to work and get things done when you head out on the road.

Glory, Glory.

DAWGS ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

As you may have seen today, I was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion with a few other bloggers about Georgia football over at College Football Zealots (Collegefootballzealots.com and @CFBZ). I am honored to have been included in such a discussion and I really enjoyed the process.

A lot of good stuff come across in the discussion and it was a lot of fun. You can check out the full article HERE.

Below you will find my answers to the questions posed for the piece. Please comment and let your voice be heard!

Thanks again to Kevin at College Football Zealots for including me in this process. I hope we can do it again soon.


1- Which game is more critical for Georgia to win: Boise State or South Carolina?

At first blush this is not an intimidating question, but when you stop and take a closer look this is a whopper. I’ve gone back and forth on this one for the obvious reasons. I started out with the baseline response that South Carolina is a conference game…the conference opener…and therefore was clearly the more critical win for Coach Richt and the DAWGS. Then last year came back into my mind. Georgia went 6 -7. Six and seven! What would be a better way to grab back some national spotlight and earn a little respect than to knock off Boise State, a top five team that has a history of playing very well on the big stage with the deck stacked against them, with a national audience tuning in? A win like that would be absolutely huge for the program.

That’s when it came to me. I had to strip away the glitz that goes with each of these games and get down to the gritty truth, so I went to the game tape.

When people think of Boise State, they often think of blue turf, trick plays and Kellen Moore arching another long touchdown pass to a wide receiver running wide open for the score. All those things are part of what makes the Broncos who they are, but that is not WHAT they are. In reality, the boys roamin’ the smurf turf are a hard-nosed, power running football team. They do it by disguising their base running game out of different formations, but they can also line up in the I-formation and get down hill. What’s more, the Broncos are a blue collar bunch that has the personality to go with that hard nosed style of play, something that I would say was found lacking in the Georgia squad last season.

Two words and one man was the reason for the Gamecocks success last season….Marcus Lattimore. There was a little good quarterback play and some solid defense, but Lattimore was the difference and the heart of the South Carolina team. A forceful back that ran with a purpose and could beat his opponents into submission, Lattimore is the definition of a power running back. After the dismal performance turned in by the DAWGS defense in Columbia last year, their second meeting with Lattimore and company should tell the tale of what we can expect from Georgia in 2011.

After digesting all of this, the answer to the question had to be Boise State. South Carolina and Lattimore will present Georgia with the basic football challenges that will probably indicate how the 2011 season will go for the DAWGS, but so will Boise State…only earlier on the schedule. Doug Martin may not be Marcus Lattimore, but he certainly is no slouch and Stephen Garcia is certainly no Kellen Moore. The Broncos program knows how to win and will not be intimidated when they face the DAWGS in the Georgia Dome, no matter how much red is there to greet them. If Richt’s boys can take out Boise State on September 3rd in Atlanta and display some mental toughness and a stronger defense against the run, the DAWG Nation as well as the millions watching at home will know that Georgia is back in the game.


2- Other than Isaiah Crowell, which incoming freshman do you think will have the biggest impact in 2011?

There has been a lot of buzz around the possibilities that exist on the Georgia depth chart for a wide receiver to step in and have an immediate impact. Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley both look to be solid candidates to step into the breach and give Aaron Murray another weapon on the outside. However, just looking at the history of the WR position, odds are long that any true freshman wide receiver is going to be able to make too much of an impact early on. Add that to the fact that if you have ever read my blog you know I look at the world from the defensive huddle, my pick should not surprise….Ray Drew.

This young man appears to be ready built for early success in Athens. All reports tell us that Drew has a good head on his shoulders and the proper outlook on the game. Physically, Drew’s measureables indicate that he is field ready right now. Add this to a group of defensive ends that have not yet distinguished themselves from the one another (not necessarily due to their own efforts or lack thereof) and the situation sets up nicely for Drew to earn substantial playing time for Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham early in the season.

3- Who are some under-the-radar guys that you think will step up for Georgia this year?

I have two names for you: Cornelius Washington and T.J. Stripling

Cornelius Washington – After a solid effort in 2009, I thought 2010 might be the break out year for Washington. Washington is a physical specimen and with the move to outside linebacker, I could see the rangy and speedy Washington as a terror off the edge for the DAWGS. However, the move seemed to put Washington’s feet in the quick sand and he often looked to be thinking too much rather than just turning it loose and reacting to what he saw in his keys. I’m hoping that in Washington’s second season playing out in space, the game will slow down a bit and he can become the pass rushing terror off the edge that the DAWGS desperately need him to be.

T.J. Stripling – Stripling suffered a season-ending injury to his right leg in 2010 while playing on special teams. Much like Washington, Stripling possesses the physical attributes that could make him an impact player off the edge for Georgia in the passing game sooner rather than later. Of course, all of this is dependent on how Stripling’s rehab goes as we get closer to the 2011 season. The last I heard, Stripling was on course to make a full recovery and would be ready to go full speed in time for fall camp. Also of interest is whether Stripling will ultimately play defensive end or outside linebacker for Georgia, but I’m sure that will be further determined once fall camp begins. The bottom line is that the DAWGS have to find some heat on the edge that can wreak a little havoc in opponent’s backfields and I believe that Coach Grantham will be looking at every option he has to get that job done. If Stripling is healthy, he’s a natural at getting after the quarterback and he could have a major impact for the DAWGS right away.

4- What makes you most excited about seeing Georgia play this year?

This one is easy for me. Aaron Murray. Without a doubt, Georgia’s sophomore signal caller is poised to make a major move in 2011 both within the conference as well as on the national scene. Now he’ll have to get some help from his teammates, but Murray gives every indication that he is capable and willing to shoulder the load for the DAWGS. Much like David Greene, you could see right away that Georgia had something special in Murray. I’m not going to list all of the stats here to back up my claim. I don’t really have the space here and you can look them up easily enough. There is something more to Murray. He’s a winner, a student of the game and a natural leader. He has “it”, whatever “it” is, and that’s what makes me want to watch him. Georgia will win behind the leadership of Murray. He cannot do it alone, but with a little help from his friends I believe Murray will lead the DAWGS back to the top of the SEC East and the pinnacle of the nation’s toughest conference sooner rather than later.

5- What makes you the most nervous about seeing Georgia play this year?

I see this answer as a couple of things that are one-in-the-same. I have serious concerns about whether the DAWGS defense has shed the habitual and agonizingly poor tackling practices that have plagued them in recent years. Defense is attitude and tackling. Tackling is technique and hustle. Nothing will dishearten me quicker and sink my hopes for the 2011 season than to see Georgia’s defense duck their heads or throw a shoulder while attempting to make a tackle, or fail to run hats to the ball showing a lack of effort to play solid team defense. For me, there will be no clearer harbinger of things to come in 2011 than whether the DAWGS defense is getting after Boise State from the first whistle and playing for each other with a passion and a desire to get the job done, no matter the challenge. I have not consistently seen this from the DAWGS in recent years and until they show me something different on the field, I will continue to be nervous.

6- Athlon Sports has rated the Dawgs at #14 and Phil Steele has them at #9 in their pre-season polls. Both have Georgia winning the SEC East and playing in the Capital One Bowl. What needs to happen for Georgia to live up to these lofty expectations.

In case you can’t already tell, everything begins and ends with Coach Grantham’s defensive eleven for me. If we see a big jump in the level of play by the DAWGS defense from year one to year two, then I can see everything else fall into place for a run to the top of the SEC East for Georgia.

For a second straight year in the East there is a former DAWG in orange, this time in Gainesville with the Gators, and Florida will inevitably experience a few growing pains. Derek Dooley and Tennessee are coming, but still have some things to prove. Vanderbilt is settling back to the bottom of the group and Kentucky will have to find some new weapons on offense. Defending champion South Carolina still has Lattimore but has to travel to Athens with a re-tooled defense, and who knows where the odyssey of Stephen Garcia will lead the Gamecocks.

The opportunity certainly appears to be there for Georgia to reclaim the top spot in the East and the DAWGS should have every confidence that they can compete for the division title. If Georgia can find its soul on the defensive side of the ball, the DAWGS should be in every game and I can absolutely see the Georgia Dome splashed in Bulldogs red to both begin and end the 2011 campaign.

SPRING PROVING GROUNDS

Ah, spring. The time of year when hope springs eternal for each of the 120 full members of Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the last bastion of news of substance for those of us that follow college football 365 days a year until the dog days of summer when fall camps get underway. In honor of the opening of spring camps around the country, especially the one in Athens, we present the first installment of a series of pieces that will take a look at some of the things we here at the BEAST hope to see come out of the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs spring practices.

SPRING PROVING GROUNDS: LOOKING FOR SOME TNT FROM THE DEFENSE

Since arriving in Athens, new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has found sure footing at every step, winning over the fan base and the players as he has prepared us for the installation of his favored 34 defensive scheme. One Grantham quote that got my attention was this one…

"…we're more of an aggressive style 3-4. We're going to play one-gap defense. We're going to attack block up front. We're going to rush the passer. Our outside backers are going to be what we call edge-setters. They're going to be aggressive. They're going to be coming. They're going to be solid setting the edge on the run but we're going to develop those guys as pass rushers. The inside ‘backers, we're going to call them Mike and Moe, they'll be downhill guys to the ball.”

Being a defensive minded guy, this was music to my ears. I hold firm to the belief that while defenders must play their responsibilities within any given scheme, there are certain positions that must have a disruptive impact on the opponent’s offense and the defensive end (in a 4-3 scheme) or the outside linebacker (in a 3-4) is one of those positions. Through the first part of last season, that disruption coming off the edge was one of the key factors missing in Georgia’s defensive attack. Much too often the DAWGS were forced to rely on the blitz to generate any pressure at all. Once Justin Houston returned from his two-game suspension the DAWGS started to get off their chains and get after the quarterback with more regularity. Houston led Georgia in sacks last season with 7.5 and the DAWGS managed just 28 sacks as a team during conference play which placed them fourth in the league. Down the stretch of the 2009 season, the defense began to see consistent pressure from Cornelius Washington, Demarcus Dobbs and Montez Robinson (MR90) off the edge and that carried the DAWGS to their final position in the conference statistical standings.

Everything is new on the defensive side of ball this spring for the DAWGS…scheme, philosophy, coaches and coaching techniques. Word came down just this afternoon that Houston, Washington and Robinson have been tapped to run in the OLB positions in Grantham’s new 3-4 defense and that Marcus Dowtin, Christian Robinson, Darryl Gamble and Akeem Dent will be holding down the two ILB spots with Richard Samuel seeing time at both inside and outside linebacker.

Now that we know the basic distribution plans, I want to see indications that these changes implemented in the spring will lead to an explosion of disruptive plays for the DAWGS defense in the fall.

The players that will be lining up at OLB seem to have all the ingredients needed to become a top-tier unit. Houston seems poised to have an all-conference caliber season in 2010. Washington has prototype size and speed. Dobbs is the productive grizzled veteran of the group and Robinson has already earned conference player of the week honors. I think this group has tremendous skill and a fantastic opportunity to really break out in 2010. There is plenty of speed and strength here and with the right guidance I believe this group can be very special for the DAWGS.


Courtesy Kelly Lambert

Looking at the inside linebacker positions, the options appear no less promising. Dowtin has shown great physicality and tenacity. Robinson impressed when given the opportunity to play last season. Dent brings a physical presence as well as experience to the group and Gamble has displayed a knack for making plays during his time in Athens. Gamble is one player that I think will benefit greatly from Grantham’s aggressive style of play. There have been times when I have questioned whether Gamble is hard-nosed enough to play in the middle, but when turned loose to rush the passer and attack the football, I believe Gamble can be very successful.


Courtesy www.Life.com

When you add the speed and strength that Samuel will bring to the linebacker corps to the fact that Dowtin has been quoted as saying the 3-4 scheme “is not that hard” to learn, the prospects for the athletes lining up to play at the linebacker positions to have impactful seasons for Georgia really seem bright.

The 34 defense that Grantham will be installing this spring is predicated on an attacking style of play that pressures the quarterback and disrupts lanes and timing in the rush game. Every defensive position on the field plays a role in the ultimate productivity of the unit, but the athletes in Georgia’s linebacker corps are the key to successful implementation of the new plan. If there are signs out of Athens this spring that the ‘backers are finding there way in the new plan and will be able to play fast and free come the fall, I will certainly be pleased and I believe that everyone in the DAWG Nation will be very happy with the on-field results.

Glory, Glory.

DAWGS come up golden at Homecoming

The first weekend in November brought a beautiful fall day and the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles into Athens for Homecoming 2009 and a better all around day would have been hard to come by.

I could not be in Athens for this year’s homecoming festivities, but even listening on the radio the DAWGS level of execution against what was an admittedly inferior opponent came shining through. Couple that dominating performance with a W and you get the perfect cure for the indigestion brought on by a 4-4 start to the season. You can’t do anything about what’s already happened, so it was good to see the DAWGS take care of the business that was in front of them.

Here are a few more thoughts:

I’m not against adding a splash of black to Georgia’s uniforms by any stretch, but it sure was nice to see the RED hats and tops paired with those SILVER BRITCHES.

Two things about the defensive effort today:

1. A shutout is damn hard to pull off regardless of who you play and that fact, as well as the effort it took to finish it off, should be acknowledged, respected and appreciated.

2. Again, I know Tennessee Tech was over-matched, but regardless…the DAWGS held the Golden Eagles to just 55 total yards of offense and that is just beautiful to see. This is the second lowest output by a Bulldog opponent in school history. The record is 39 total yards by The Citadel in 1953.

A couple of offensive pieces of perspective:

1. Joe Cox was efficient: 10-13, 140 yards, 2 TD….that’s a pretty good day’s work.

2. Georgia finished with 304 yards rushing on the day. Did anybody think we would see that number at any point this season? Me neither. Kudos to everyone involved.

It was very nice to hear the young DAWGS have some success…gives me hope. Looks like I may not be delusional for feeling that way. Well, at least not delusional about that.

A whole host of young Georgia players contributed in a big way on Saturday. Orson Charles. Montez Robinson. Branden Smith. Washaun Ealey. Cornelius Washington. That list is not all-inclusive to be sure. Michael Moore was the first non-freshman to score a TD today and his tally made the score 38-0 in favor of the DAWGS. I think that is impressive. Although I had personally hoped to see a lot more of Marlon Brown and Rontavious Wooten today, Coach Richt said that game situations dictated that the game plan change and the DAWGS rode the running game. He added that he liked what he saw from the young WRs and that they did a good job of blocking in the running game . I’ll certainly take his word for it. Besides, if this season has shown us anything thus far, Georgia can certainly use every live rep it can get when it comes to running the football. Not a shot here, just stating the obvious.

On to everybody’s favorite section, the DAWGBEASTS.

MONTEZ ROBINSON, freshman DE - Robinson had three tackles and two sacks in the first half and finished with five stops. These were the first tackles of his career and his two sacks accounted for 1/3 of the team’s total of six for the game.

BRANDEN SMITH, freshman WC - Smith took a direct snap at quarterback and broke loose for a 51-yard TD with 3:01 left in the first quarter. Smith finished with 72 yards on three carries for the game. This was Smith's second TD run of the season after he ran for a 61-yard score on a reverse against South Carolina. Once again, number 1 proved he is a lightning strike just waiting to happen and is the very definition of a game changer.

WASHAUN EALEY, freshman TB – Ealey scored the first two TDs of his career Saturday scampering in from seven yards for his first career TD and then breaking free on a 44-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. Ealey finished with a team-best 89 yards on seven carries in the game.


GO DAWGS!!!