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.

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.

DAWGBEASTS and the REBELS

GEORGIA’S CORNERBACKS – Sanders Commings, Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith were in the hip pocket of the Rebs receivers all afternoon. Ole Miss completed a few balls into zoned coverage, but when the DAWGS were locked up in man completions were hard to come by for the Rebels.

ISAIAH CROWELL – Georgia’s stellar freshman continues to impress, setting career bests with 147 yards on 30 carries. Crowell has a “sudden-ness” about him that, combined with his vision, makes him a pleasure to watch.

MALCOLM MITCHELL – Mitchell has shown to be electric for the DAWGS so far this season and he did not disappoint Saturday in Oxford. The freshman from Valdosta plays beyond his years. Mitchell slyly created separation on his deep ball that would make you swear he was wearing number eight and had a different last name. Pair that effort with a couple of key catches that moved the chains for the DAWGS and you get a very productive three catches for 93 yards.

DAWGBEASTS and the WILDCATS

Justin Houston – The closer we get to Halloween, the more Justin Houston looks like a monster to opposing offenses. Houston finished with 5 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, including 2.5 more sacks to push his league-leading total to nine, but he also forced a fumble, recovered another and even broke up a pass. Georgia head coach Mark Richt said "Justin, he was fired up ready to play…you could just see the look in his eyes.”

Washaun Ealey – Georgia ran the ball when it wanted to against Kentucky on Saturday night and Washaun Ealey reached a new career high carrying the ball 28 times on his way to 157 yards. Along the way, Ealey set the school record with five rushing touchdowns.

Sanders Commings – Sanders Commings continues to come on for the DAWGS and he had another standout night on Saturday finishing with 5 total tackles, a fumble recovery and another interception.

Drew Butler – The DAWGS defense got after Kentucky all night in Lexington and that was due in no small part to the efforts of Butler. Georgia’s punter averaged 50.7 yards per kick and forced Kentucky to start in poor field position most of the game.

Brandon Boykin – Two inches was all Brandon Boykin said he would need to hit the seam on the kickoff return team and when his teammates provided it, Boykin did just that. Boykin made good with a 100 yard kickoff return for TD (the 4th kickoff return for TD of his career) against the Wildcats on Saturday night. Boykin now ranks second in Georgia history in career kickoff return yards with 1,482, trailing only Gene Washington who had 1,637 from 1973-76.

Glory, Glory.

DAWGBEASTS and the RAGIN’ CAJUNS

WEEK ONE
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA vs. GEORGIA


THE DEFENSE and COACH GRANTHAM – The DAWGS new look 34 defense definitely passed the eye test Saturday. If that wasn’t enough, they backed it up with some impressive numbers too. Georgia held UL to a paltry 14 net rushing yards (0.5 ypc) and 128 total yards, nearly half of which came on one play. The DAWGS also racked up three sacks (Akeem Dent, Justin Houston and Akeem Hebron) and three interceptions (Brandon Boykin, Jakar Hamilton and Sanders Commings). But what may be more important, Georgia’s defense seems to have fully embraced Coach Grantham’s philosophy and personality and I don’t believe it’s a stretch to say that the effort we saw on Saturday is a direct result of the DAWGS new Defensive Coordinator’s influence.

AARON MURRAY – The numbers were very solid, but the practice was sparkling. Murray played “very well” according to Coach Richt and led the DAWGS to an opening game best in the Richt Era, 55 points. Murray accounted for four touchdowns in his debut and that was without several of his top weapons. But it’s not just what Murray accomplished on Saturday, but it was how he did it. The RFr. looked very poised and in control throughout the game and made one good decision after another. Even when he was flushed out of the pocket by pressure, it was clearly evident that Murray kept his eyes down field and continued to look to make a play up the field before just taking off on the run. When he did decide to pull the ball down and go, Murray was decisive and got the very most he could get on every carry. With that said, maybe we can teach him to slide every now and again from here on out.



KRIS DURHAM – Playing at home for the first time in 707 days, Durham went right out and carried the receiving load on a day the DAWGS were shorthanded in the WR corps and responded with new career-highs in receptions (5) and yards (83).

BRANDEN SMITH – Is Branden Smith 2010’s Champ Bailey? Maybe not yet, but he’s a special talent to be sure. Smith became the first Georgia player since Bailey to start on three sides of the ball in a game when he lined up with the first unit on offense (WR), defense (CB) and special teams (PR). Smith didn’t just take up a spot on the field on Saturday, finishing with one carry and one reception on offense and one tackle on defense in addition to three punt returns for 51 yards.

LOGAN GRAY – I guess it’s safe to say Gray’s transition to WR is complete. Well, at least it is well on its way to getting there. Gray finished with two catches for 32 yards and a touchdown on Saturday and nearly had a second TD that surely would have made all the highlight reels if he had made the play. Gray acquitted himself well in the run game too, showing great effort when blocking down field. We were happy to see Gray have some success in his new role and believe that he is sure to see increased time on the field at wide receiver as the season progresses.

KEYS TO SUCCESS FOR GRANTHAM’S D: CORNERBACK

Georgia’s had one, everybody wants one and anyone that tells you they don’t is a liar. I’m talking about that unique and rare species known as…the lock down corner.

They are game changers, swagger-oozing dominators and impact players that can shut a player down, blow up game plans and take away one half of the football field.

I’m a life long RAIDERS fan, so I guess it’s no surprise I am so enamored with the in-your-face and aggressive style that a shut down corner brings. Mike Haynes, Willie Brown and Lester Hayes…game changers all. There are a few in the NFL today…NNamdi Asomugha, our very own former DAWG Champ Bailey and the man currently dominating the New York media, Darrelle Rivas and there have been some others in the NFL’s recent past like the poster boy for the term Deion Sanders and Darrell Green. But moreover, I am a fan of what having a dominant cornerback as part of your defensive 11 allows you to do as a defense. Knowing that a player of that caliber is patrolling the secondary gives you the freedom to bring that extra pressure and speed up the clock in the opposing quarterback’s head on every play. You can take more chances, disrupt the offense and that commonly leads to more big plays on defense and more turnovers.

Coach Grantham has brought his version of the 34 defense to the University of Georgia for the 2010 season and we in the DAWG Nation can’t wait to see the results. Grantham has been teasingly verbose about how aggressive we can expect to see his defense play this fall, promising an attacking style that he hopes opposing offenses won’t soon forget. In my view, the only way this vision of the DAWGS defense can become reality is if the players lining up at cornerback are up to the task.

I am not suggesting that there is a lock down corner on the roster, but I’m not saying there is not either. I don’t believe that the players currently at UGA at that position were asked to lock up in man coverage that often in the previous defensive scheme, so I don’t think it’s fair to say who will and who will not be up to the challenge.

Brandon Boykin appears to be a lock to start at one corner and now that Branden Smith is back in the fold, along with Vance Cuff, the DAWGS possess the athletes to have the fastest pair of starting cornerbacks in the nation and speed is the first ingredient when building a lock down cornerback, so there is the possibility that Georgia could develop at least one player to that lofty status. However, there is so much more that is required for a player to be considered a shut down type cornerback….instincts, aggression, hands, technique and conditioning. Whatever raw talent there is to work with on that unit, it falls to Coach Scott Lakatos, the rest of the defensive staff as well as the strength and conditioning coaches to help a player reach his full potential. With Jordan Love, Sanders Commings and true freshman Derek Owens also drawing praise during fall camp, the DAWGS edges appear to be in good shape heading into the season.

The bottom line is that if the DAWGS are going to have the level of success on defense that we all hope they will have, the cornerbacks will have to sparkle in the harsh glare of the bright lights of the Southeastern Conference.

Do the young men lining up at cornerback for Georgia have to be lock down corners? No, they do not, but they will have to be able to square off one-on-one out there on that island and rise to the challenge several times during the course of a game if that “junkyard dawgs” defense that we all want so badly to see is to return to Athens.

Glory, Glory.