Predicting Saturday’s TV story line easy as ABC
Considering the preseason crowning of Oklahoma State as this year’s Cinderella team in college football, I was already expecting ABC’s coverage of Saturday’s game in Stillwater to be heavy on Cowboys hype and ready with a story line about Georgia being the Pokes’ first step in a magical season.
You know the drill. Okie State has all those offensive stars and plays television’s favorite style of offense. Georgia lost all its star power from last year and its defense is suspect. Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN’s “Game Day” even made reference recently to the Dogs “limping” into Stillwater. And he wasn’t just talking hamstrings.
Besides all that, ABC loves the Cowboys, and Saturday’s opener will be OSU’s sixth straight regular season game to be televised by the alphabet network.
Then came the topper: I saw that the ABC crew for the game, slated to kick off at 3:36 p.m. Eastern, will have Sean McDonough on play-by-play, Matt Millen as analyst and Holly Rowe on the sideline.
McDonough is easily my least favorite college football commentator who doesn’t work for Fox Sports. I wasn’t a big fan to start with, dating from his calls of some Braves games back in the early ’90s when he was working baseball, but I wrote him off after the way his coverage of the 2005 game between the Dogs and Vandy crossed the line. A touchdown reception by Georgia’s Bryan McClendon was reviewed by the instant-replay official, and despite the fact that McDonough seemed to think the call clearly should be overturned, it was instead upheld. McDonough whined about it the rest of the game.
Looks like it’ll be a good day to turn down the sound on the TV and listen to Scott Howard and Eric Zeier on the radio.
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107 comments Add your comment
RedCrake
August 31st, 2009
10:10 pm
So Georgia is supposed to be Appalachian State in this metaphor?
Okay…
Typical Tech fan logic. 1 win in 8 years means UGA are TEH SUXXORZ.
See Techies….we even speak your language.
macrotech
August 31st, 2009
10:32 pm
DawginLex, I hear ya! I don’t think that Cox is as talented as the last guy, but I think that he’ll do just fine with a healthy O line. Ok St. is going to get smash mouthed by a D that has been in question…they have MUCH to prove and, sadly for the cowboys, they’re the first team up! If Cox does his part, this could be a blow out…time will tell….four days, in fact!
Cuz, LOVE hearing about your little girl!
AceDawg
September 1st, 2009
10:30 am
I don’t think Herbstreet is any more knowledgeable than half of us posting. College football is relatively unpredictable, and with all the extra time he has to analyze teams full time, he doesn’t get things right more than the average joe because the average joe usually knows Florida will score 60 or 70 against Florida A&M too.
shards1967
September 2nd, 2009
11:48 am
The OSU-UGA game will turn into a track meet. Our D and their D are similar. They both simply prefer to watch their Offensive teammates have all the fun.
UGA has Israel Troupe, Rontavious Wooten, Tavarres King, Orson Charles, Marvelous Marlon Brown, AJ Greene, and a couple of very decent tight ends, White and Lynch, and Richard Samuels and Joe Cox and Logan Gray and a seasoned, experienced O line. Couple all of this with Carlton Thomas and Wushuan Easley and Caleb King and the two fullbacks Chapas and Munzemeier and we are set to play up and down the field ball vs a D team like OSU.
IF the UGA D shows up however, ………………….it could be a route.
UGA 38-OSU 32
Goooooooooooooo Dawgs
shards1967
September 2nd, 2009
11:56 am
One comment about Cox vs. M Stafford. What did Stafford do for UGA?
Cox can manage the scheme and that might be good enought to win 9 or 10 games with the talent on board. Stafford did no better. What did he do for UGA?? John Lastinger in the early 80s was FAR MORE SUCCESSFUL that MS. Geeeeeeeeez, so was David Green and Belue and DJ Shockley. Look at the wins for these QBs and look at MS record. Give me a break.
All the talk about MS is baloney. His is in the NFL big deal. I have watched maybe 4 NFL games in the last 25 years incl the Super Bowl year for the Coons.
MS is gone thank goodness and Cox is here and WANTS TO BE in Athens. See? It is called motivation and focus. Two things that MS lacked in every game. Joe Cox is also coachable and MS was not and his teammates saw that as a lack of focus and so they laid down.
Harry Dawg 73
shards1967
September 2nd, 2009
12:13 pm
We ought to be far better this year at d.e. We have new bodies in Martrez Robinson, Marcus Washington ( returning ) and one or two others like Demarcus Dobbs ( not new ) and I believe Cornelius Washington at D.E. AND Justin Houson at D.E. when he gets off suspension. We may be sorry that he missed this game. HE ought to be upset with his behavior costing him this game. I hope it doesn’t hurt UGA badly, his MIA on Saturday.
We should be far superior in the D line in 2009 with two sets of starters. We rotate them and the D ends and wear OSU out ……………hopefully.
Harry Dog 73
Super dog
September 5th, 2009
6:56 pm
I would like to know where are all of these 4 and 5 star players like Marlon Brown Tavarus king I continue to hear and read about year after year. Are they back in athens studying or in the stands watching? I am fed up with reading about how great these guys look in practice day after day and then come game time they are not on the field or not being utilized. I guess the excuse is, like Moreno they just haven’t learned the plays. Thats ok UGA coaching staff, we will just sit back and hope Florida and Tennessee dont win in the east and maybe we will get into the championship game like we have in the past. We won’t beat coaches like Urban Meyer because we are too conservative and are afraid to open up the play book. As I write this there has been no sense of urgancy just run run run, pass on third down and cross our fingers. Oops my mistake its 4th quarter now ok Cox when you need you to pass more.