DAWGBEASTS and the BULLS

Todd Gurley:  8 carries, 100 yards, 2 TD; 100 yard KO return for TD

The DAWGS freshman tailback burst onto the college football scene Saturday.  Speed, power, vision and attitude…Gurley showed all the necessary skills to be back on the BEAST list several times over the next few years.  Welcome to the party, @TG3II.

Tavarres King:  6 catches, 117 yards, TD

Georgia’s first option in the passing game played like it on Saturday.  The DAWGS left some big plays on the field against Buffalo, but @TKUnoDos did haul in a big one with a 63 yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.

Michael Bennett:  5 catches, 76 yards, TD   

Bennett played his tail off against the Bulls and he is on this list mostly for his efforts when he did not have the ball in his hands.  @MBennett_82 delivered block after block throughout the game and when the ball did come his way, he got the job done. 

Aaron Murray: 15 of 26, 258 yards, 3 TD  

The DAWGS third year starter at quarterback finished with nice numbers after finding his stride in the second half.  @aaronmurray11 threw several nice balls on the day and his receivers did work with the ball in the air as Georgia rolled up 485 yards of total offense.  More importantly, Murray took care of the football on Saturday and did not turn the ball over.

Jarvis Jones: 8 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss

Georgia’s returning All-America linebacker picked up right where he finished last season. If Saturday’s performance is any indication, @SacManJones_29 will continue to terrorize opposing QBs in 2012 and find his way back to the BEAST list.

Glory, Glory.

DAWGBEASTS and the CHANTICLEERS

The game plan is a little different this year Nation, in that I will only be acknowledging DAWGS that go full-on BEAST after victories this season. I mean winning is what it’s all about after all.

Damn it’s nice to get a win.

**BLAIR WALSH – 56 yard field goal and a fumble recovery – Blair didn’t kick all week as he battled a muscle strain and had to shake off the rust a bit, but his swing was pure from long range as he drilled a career-long 56 yard field goal and drove the ball well on kickoffs.

**SHAWN WILLIAMS – Williams moved down into the box and did a good job at linebacker showing the heart of a BEAST, being the first in line to do whatever he can do to help the team. I can’t help but think of the flexibility this gives the defense going forward. I see visions of Thomas Davis wreaking havoc in opponent’s backfields and I just get all giddy thinking about the match-up advantages the DAWGS can create as we go down the schedule.

**TAVARRES KING – 6 catches for 65 yards and 2 scores – TK seems to be getting more comfortable each week as the primary option in the Georgia passing game. There are plenty of young and talented playmakers that are beginning to show for the DAWGS, but those pups need a leader and a steadying presence on the field. If King continues his solid play it will bode well for the offense.

**ISAIAH CROWELL – 16 carries for 86 yards and a TD – Crowell once again showed a nice burst, balance and great patience in the run game, as well as a good set of hands in the passing game. So far so good for the DAWGS freshman as he continues to find his legs in the world of big time college football.

MOVE OVER BOBO, I’M CALLING THE PLAYS

Every year…every game…at the stadium or in front of the widescreen…whether I’ve tilted a few or stone cold sober…every year, every game I try to predict what the first offensive play of the first offensive series will be for the DAWGS in each game. Not only do I test my own advance study of match-ups and tendencies, but I will inevitably (even when I try not to) turn and ask Ali Blue (usually the other best football mind in the room) what her opinion is on the subject and she will usually give some sincere thought to the question and give a well thought out reply. I do this for fun, just to see if I’m right…or if Ali’s right…and of course I want to see if she calls the same play I have called…and if either of us were right, did the play work? She knows I enjoy this and she plays along. Because she knows this means more to me than it ever could to her, she even goes first so I can hear her prediction just to see if her call matches mine. I will then regale her with my play call and will inevitably explain to her why I have chosen that play. She honestly listens to what I have to say. Maybe she really gains some insight from my offering, or it could be because it’s just entertaining. Doesn’t matter. I absolutely relish this tradition between us and it has now become a very enjoyable part of our game day experience.

Hopefully we have the opportunity to do this 14 times in any given season…12 regular season games, the SEC Championship game and a bowl game. I love to attack and I always have to push down the urge to call the post route. To take a chance at landing the haymaker right away. Sometimes I’m just feeling traditional and call the toss sweep. I mean, it is a staple of the DAWGS offense. Old reliable. Other times the advance scouting and film work (Yes, I do that.) figures more heavily and I’ll pick a play that takes advantage of some match-up that gives Georgia a clear advantage. It all depends on my mood.

So, with the season barreling towards us, I got to thinking about how much fun we have with this and I began to wonder if we were the only members of the DAWG Nation that take our shot at offensive coordinator. Surely not. We can’t be. That’s why I want to know about you. Do you or any of your fellow DAWGS give calling the opening play a shot? If so, we want to know about it. Tell us if you do. Do you share your pick with other DAWGS or do you keep it to yourself…even if you’re not alone. How do you choose the play? We want to hear from you and everything about your play calling process. Leave us a comment below or head over to the Facebook page and tell us your story there.

It’s September 3rd and the Georgia Dome is rocking. Aaron Murray leads the DAWGS to the line as the college football nation looks on. You’ve shoved Mike Bobo out of the chair and, for one play, you are directing the Georgia offense. What’s your call? TK to the post? Isaiah Crowell on the zone read? Or, do you like Orson Charles up the seam? Come on DAWG Nation, let us hear ya.

Glory, Glory.

I HAVE NO CREDIBILITY AND NO IDEA WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT

…but, here are a few things I think I know about the DAWGS in 2011:


Tavarres King will catch 50 balls this season

Orson Charles will catch 40

Georgia finished with 24 quarterback sacks last season; the DAWGS will better that number this year

Alec Ogletree will lead Georgia in total tackles this season

Georgia will block a punt in 2011

The DAWGS will win on Rocky Top for the first time since 2005

Aaron Murray will throw 20+ touchdown passes

Jarvis Jones will finish with at least 5 sacks

The odds are better than even money that Coach Grantham gets a Powerade bath this year

Drew Butler will win the Ray Guy Award

The DAWGS will return a punt for a touchdown

Stephen Garcia will be the key to whether the DAWGS beat South Carolina or not

GEORGIA WILL BEAT FLORIDA IN JACKSONVILLE


Glory, Glory.

FEAR IS NOT AN OPTION

Georgia head coach Mark Richt will take the podium Thursday at SEC Media Days and meet the throngs of media that represent the greatest and most passionate fans in the game. We fans empower those members of the media in attendance to pick, prod and pry for any and every piece of information that we have not somehow already found and devoured during the football information famine that is the time between the end of spring practice and the start of fall camp. Richt will be joined by Aaron Murray, Ben Jones and Brandon Boykin for the event. This seems to be a crucible appropriate to harden Richt, the group of DAWGS at his side and other Georgia men that should be taking notes, for what lies ahead for when it comes to the 2011 season for the men that roam between the hedges…fear is not an option.

The time draws very near for Georgia to begin to reclaim the shine that everyone associated with the program had come to expect during Richt’s tenure in Athens. The shine that only comes from the warm light of the adoring spotlight shone on a program that expects to finish every season with double-digit wins, dominates the in-state wanna-be school and competes for league and national championships. It is not until you fall out of that light that one truly realizes just how cold it is out there in the darkness. That darkness is where the DAWGS find themselves after three seasons of declining win totals culminating in last year’s dismal 6-7 finish.

The amount of work and dedication required to battle your way back into the light (and the collective national college football consciousness) can be intimidating. There is no one person that must work harder than the rest, but rather it requires an overall uplifting of focus and effort for everyone involved with the program to achieve this favored spot once more. And it’s too late to start now. If Richt and his DAWGS have not already made the adjustments to their practices and attitude that are required, then this season will much more like the last few than anything the DAWG Nation witnessed from 2001-2005.

Each and every player, coach and yes…fan…that bleeds red and black must not be afraid to do what is necessary to snatch our beloved program by the collar and change the course of the near future of Georgia football. This will not be done by any singular gesture, but in each and every small one. How you prepare as a player, how you game plan as a coach and how you support your team as a fan will have an impact on the ultimate evolution of the process in Athens. Coach Richt cannot be afraid to take that chance to break a game open or put his boot on the neck of an opponent. Murray, who for my money is the best quarterback in the league, cannot be afraid to make that throw through a key hole when the game is on the line. Jones cannot be afraid to demand perfection from his line mates in this league that requires nothing less. Boykin cannot be afraid to break on that pass with a 50/50 chance to change the course of a drive or a game or a season.

These men are not alone. It will take everyone. Isaiah Crowell cannot be afraid to carry the ball 30 or 40 times because he’s a freshman. Tavarres King cannot be afraid to be a no. 1 receiver. Coaches Grantham and Bobo cannot be afraid the put their players in position to make that key play that could change a season, even when it could cost the game. The DAWG Nation cannot be afraid that we have been left behind by the HATED Gators or the Chickens in Columbia.

Georgia cannot be afraid of any challenge. There is no reason to be. We are GEORGIA! We are the DAWG Nation! We are the breed of All-Americas, Heisman trophies and championships. We are the breed of Herschel, Munson, Greene and Pollack. We must rise to meet every challenge, for our history demands it of us.

The hour is at hand. We must not doubt. We must not be afraid.

Fear is not an option.

Glory, Glory.

DAWGBEASTS and the RAZORBACKS

WEEK THREE
Arkansas vs. Georgia


THE WIDE RECEIVER CORPS and specifically KRIS DURHAM and TAVARRES KING – After recovering from being thunderstruck by the ending of the game on Saturday, this unit…and these two players…stood out to us as deserving the honor of DAWGBEAST.

**The WR unit as a whole performed very well (whenever given the chance), pulling down nearly every one of Aaron Murray’s 253 passing yards. What’s more, the members of the wide receiver unit were also “football players” away from the ball on Saturday, doing the other things that are required of them in the game like aggressively blocking down field in the running game. Will anyone soon forget seeing Durham ear-hole an Arkansas defender on Murray’s run along the Georgia sideline? Head on a swivel, Nation.

**KRIS DURHAM – Durham stepped up yet again for the DAWGS coming through with huge catches at key moments in the game. Durham had a career day versus the Hogs, setting career-highs in catches (5) and yards (101). Durham has shown in every way that he should remain an integral part of the game plan when AJ Green finally gets back on the field. Durham deserves to continue to see the ball come his way.

**TAVARRES KING – King seemed to finally find his legs for the season, hauling in 4 catches for 91 yards and a TD. King has two career touchdown catches and both have come against the Razorbacks. King’s numbers are solid, but the real reason he makes the list is that his catches all seemingly came at crucial points in the game or to move the chains for a first down. On the first play of the 4th quarter, King lost his footing at the top of his route but still managed to scramble back to his feet to make a great catch along the Georgia sideline for a first down. That’s the type of play that builds confidence and trust in a young quarterback that will absolutely pay off down the road. EFFORT people, EFFORT.



Courtesy UGASports.com

DAWGBEASTS of the week, LSU thoughts and the birth of a nickname...Green, the Domin8oR

A! J! Green!!!! Are you kidding me?!?!? You don’t have to look hard at what happened at Sanford Stadium on Saturday to know that #8 was the Georgia offense. Everything else on the GO side of the ball was so disjointed it’s hard to know where to start. You also don’t have to be too bright to know that the much maligned Bulldog D played what was by far it’s best game of the season. However, great defenses can close opponents out to finish a game. This defense could not, therefore it is not. That doesn’t mean the young men did not give it their all, but it is undeniable that due to a confluence of factors a dominating unit they are not.

DAWGBEAST of the week:

Here is where I join the chorus with David Hale from BULLDOGS BLOG….AJ is absolutely amazing. I think I’m just gonna pencil him in as the DAWBEAST of the week (at least offensively) every week until someone shows me a reason not to. Green, the Domin8oR rocked the game again this week, coming up just one yard short of his third consecutive 100 yard receiving game. His final numbers: 5 receptions, 99 yards and a TD.

(It’s a shame that what could have been a storybook finish to an ugly game has been relegated to no more than a footnote in the end story that is most likely to be dominated by the “excessive celebration” penalty discussion going forward; MORE ON THIS LATER)

I’m a defensive minded guy, so here is your defensive DAWGBEAST of the week:

-- Justin Houston – Houston continues to grow and develop as a difference maker off the end for the DAWGS. Need proof? Thanks to BULLDOGS BLOG for the following info:

After having just 12 tackles for a loss in the first four games, the Dawgs have 18 in the last two, including seven sacks.

That’s impact folks. Houston’s final stat line from Saturday reads as follows: 4 solo tackles, 2 assists, 6 total tackles, 2.0 sacks for -8 yards and 2.0 tackles for loss

I chose to spotlight Houston this week, but Rennie Curran is much like Green, the Domin8oR could arguably be penciled in weekly for this honor, but for this week here is his very honorable mention: 7 solo tackles, 9 assists, 16 total tackles, 0.5 a sack for -2 yards and 1.5 tackles for loss for -3 yards

Another very honorable mention for the defensive DAWGBEAST of the week is Kade Weston. This week more than any other I can recall, we had an attacking presence from the interior defensive line and that effort was led by big Kade. His final line: 2 solo tackles, 3 assists, 5 total tackles, 1.0 sack for -8 yards and 1.0 tackle for loss.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

For all we heard about and expected from a unit that returned so many players that had real playing experience, our offensive line has sorely under-produced. Run blocking is all about execution and attitude and this bunch has displayed very little of either so far this season. The leaders of this group seemingly need to do some soul searching and find an identity….quickly.

Where is Mike Moore? In my mind, this question is nearly as important as the questions surrounding the offensive line. Moore is someone that I championed throughout the off-season as the already present option to Green, the Domin8oR in the passing game, but for whatever reason Ochodos has been absent from the final stats of consequence the last two weeks. I don’t know if Joe Cox is locked in to #8 (by comfort level or coaching), if it's the defensive schemes that are taking him away, but Moore is a proven play maker and we NEED someone that lines up wide to contribute in a meaningful way. Moore seems to be the logical answer for me. As Green, the Domin8oR draws coverage away from the middle of the field Moore (since King is the other wide starter in the two receiver set) and our TEs should be just KILLING teams with routes over the middle.

**As an addendum to the previous paragraph, it is amazing to me how effective the play-action fake still is despite our lack of an effective running game up to this point.

Many others have covered the topic of special teams in great depth so there is no need to say too much here, but there are glaringly obvious issues with the blocking, coverage and overall philosophy of these units. This is particular saddening to me because it has been my observation over the years that you can tell a lot about a coaching staff by how well they perform on special teams. This was a great point of pride for the DAWG faithful early in Coach Richt’s tenure in Athens, but things have changed. We will occasionally still make a big play with a block or random return, but when you have the level of skill that is on hand in Athens right now, that skill should be given a chance to IMPACT every game. This coaching staff has made a point of recruiting a certain type of athlete with a certain type of body over the last few years…think athletic DBs and LBs, Ramarcus Brown and Brandon Miller as examples…and it should be more effective on these teams. Yes, this generally means that you will have a lot of youth on the field in these situations, but if coached correctly that should be overcome and the results should (on the whole) outweigh the concerns of youth. Speed is great, but it is worthless if it is not put in a position to be used. These units should be feared by the DAWGS opponents weekly, but I just don’t think that is the case currently.

On a defensive note, I do believe this is the best pass coverage I’ve seen all season from the secondary….most likely tied to pass rush effectiveness. BRANDEN SMITH is really coming. His technique and recognition get better with every series he is on the field and he is quickly becoming a BALLER and a game changer. There are flashes where I would swear he was wearing a #4 on his jersey as I’ve seen him plastered on a receiver. On that same note, BRANDON BOYKIN is rapidly improving in pass coverage and will be a fine corner for us going forward. Both need to continue to work on their ball skills while it is in the air, but as they become more comfortable with “playing the game” against opposing receivers, the pace of the game will slow and they should be responsible for more PBUs and turnovers as we move forward. At the other end of the spectrum, based on his play thus far, BRYAN EVANS has not improved at all since his first real playing time as a RSFr. I was on the field for the Chick-Fil-A Bowl a few years back and Evans showed flashes of speed and ball skills (even though he was struggling a bit, I chalked it up to inexperience) that led me to believe we would be in good hands. Unfortunately, I cannot see where he has progressed. Baccari Rambo or one of the other young safeties should get every chance to prove they can get the job done.

OTHER FINAL WORDS ON LSU

The wonderfully informative GET THE PICTURE is a very good read this week and you can find it HERE.

And as always, David Hale and BULLDOGS BLOG put a nice, thought provoking bow on this Saturday’s events.

My PRO DAWG of the week is Cleveland Browns rookie and Damn Good Dawg Mohamed Massoquoi. MoMass turned in his first 100 yard effort in a losing cause as the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Browns 23-20 on Sunday. Massoquoi’s final stat line from Sunday: 8 receptions, 148 yards (18.5 ypc)

and FINALLY…..

Tim Brando…well, I just really don’t know what to say about THIS. Check it out starting around 4 minutes 45 seconds in.

GO DAWGS!!!!