DAWGBEASTS and the VOLS

Michael Bennett – Bennett continued his stellar all-around play for the DAWGS.  Bennett finished with 5 catches, 70 yards and two scores.  The best thing about Bennett is the way he plays the game.  @MBennett_82 plays with great passion, gives complete and total effort, is as tough as they come and plays for his teammates.  Bennett loves the game and we love him for it.

Alec Ogletree – Ogletree stormed back into the DAWGS line-up on Saturday with a career-high 14 tackles and 3 pass break ups.  The monster that is @B_easy_uga9 was unleashed on the Vols on Saturday and his presence could not be ignored. 

Damian Swann – Swann is becoming a fixture in the Georgia secondary and you don’t have to look hard to see why.  @D_Swann collected his first career interception on a brilliant play on the ball and rolled up six total tackles, including a tackle for loss. 

Sanders Commings – Sometimes it’s not that you’re making big plays, it’s when you’re making them.  Moving back to corner for the first time this season, Commings played physical on the edge finishing with 5 tackles and came up huge late in the game hauling in two interceptions.  @SandersCommings will continue to settle back in at corner going forward and the DAWGS defense will strengthen because of it.

Keith Marshall – Explosive.  That’s the word that comes to mind when I recollect Marshall’s performance against the Vols.  @Truthh4 got loose on Saturday carrying the ball 10 times for a career-high 164 yards and two scores (75 and 72 yards).  Like a lightning fast overhand right, Marshall does his damage before defenses even see it coming.

Todd Gurley – If Marshall was explosive, Gurley was just unrelenting.  The devastating uppercut that is the other hand in Georgia’s outstanding one-two punch at tailback, Gurley wowed again with a career-high 23 carries for 130 yards and three scores, including a 51 yard touchdown run.  By the end of the game, Tennessee defenders didn’t want any more of @TGII3, going low to avoid full contact on nearly every tackle. 

Glory, Glory.

DESIRE...PASSION...EFFORT

If there is one thing we all know about Georgia’s freshman class is that they are talented and very athletic. We have reports from witnesses to practice, veteran players and coaches to speak to the fact. We also know that several of the members of the “Dream Team” are listed on the DAWGS two-deep and will play Saturday against Boise State. Backed by this knowledge, we reached out to the DAWG Nation with a tweet because we wanted to know who y’all expect to show out in the Dome:

Anybody out there think any one of #UGA's "Dream Team" members are gonna ball out vs #BoiseSt Saturday? Who? Let us know! @genxdawg #DAWGS

We got several great responses, proving once again that the Nation is both informed and locked in when it comes to their DAWGS.

Staying on that track, we wanted to take a look at one key way the pups can have an immediate impact on the field for Georgia…special teams.

WE...LOVE...SPECIAL...TEAMS.

There is not one football coach in the country that handles a special teams unit that does not want the fastest and most athletic players on his squad and there is no group of football players on the planet that are more willing to prove what they’re all about than young and unproven players. When it comes to the DAWGS and the “Dream Team”, this sounds like a perfect match. Not to mention the fact that experience doesn’t really matter when it comes to this phase of the game. What does matter is DESIRE…PASSION…EFFORT…and juuust enough crazy to make you WANT to run into a wall at full speed…and that’s what makes it great. If you are fighting for the right to start on a special teams unit, you have got to want it. You have got to crave speed, collisions and chaos…‘cause that’s all special teams are. Simply stated, you have got to love the game.

Players, especially young players, often get caught up in a numbers game in position battles, but special teams are the one place that a young player can break out and change the game. Several Georgia players in recent years have made their name on the special teams units before having the opportunity to be an every down player. Kelin Johnson, Chad Gloer, Sean Jones just to name a few.

Isaiah Crowell, Malcolm Mitchell, Ray Drew and Damian Swann are all names that DAWGS fans recognize and each will have a chance to show their stuff on scrimmage downs against the Broncos, but there will be others that will have a shot to jump up and change the game on a single play thanks to special teams. It could be a freshman, or it may be a walk-on that has earned the right to wear the G and hook it up on the big stage. Maybe it’s a blocked punt, or a key block on a kick return, or downing a punt deep in opponent’s territory to flip the field that changes the game and sets the stage for a DAWGS victory.

So, don’t be so quick to head to the concession stand or to the fridge when those special teams units take the field. You just never know when your next favorite player is going to step up, break out and change the game right in front of you.

DESIRE…PASSION…EFFORT. THAT is what BEASTS are made of. THAT is what makes a great special teams player.

Glory, Glory.