Archive for November, 2009

David Greene on the sideline at last week's Auburn game. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)

Former Georgia QB David Greene is one of the classiest folks associated with UGA football that I’ve had the pleasure to meet. And the grace that has always characterized No. 14 is coming into play again as he prepares for Texas’ Colt McCoy to take away his NCAA record for the most wins as a starting quarterback.

Both Tony Barnhart on CBSsports.com and our sister paper, the Austin American-Statesman, have talked to Greene about the impending ascension of McCoy, likely to happen this Saturday when the Longhorns are expected to get McCoy’s 43rd victory. He tied Greene’s record of 42 wins last week.

Greene says he plans on making a congratulatory call to McCoy, just as the record holder he displaced, Tennessee’s Peyton Manning, did when Greene took the record away from him.

“I’m like anybody else. You really don’t want to see your records broken,” Greenie told Barnhart. “But if somebody is going to …

Continue reading Bulldog Bites: Greenie ready to give up record graciously »

The Dogs won't have game-winner A.J. Green on hand this year. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)

l wanted to get a Kentucky fan’s view of this week’s game between the Dogs and the Cats, so I checked in with my old friend Herb to see what he was expecting.

I mentioned how concerned I was about how Georgia handling QB-turned-receiver/runner Randall Cobb in the “WildCobb” formation (this was before word came out that Cobb was “questionable” for the Georgia game).

“I think you guys will win by two touchdowns,” Herb said flatly. (Here it should be noted that Herb could teach Vince Dooley a thing or two about talking up your opponent. He said almost exactly the same thing before the game in 2006 … the one the Wildcats won 24-20.)

Back to Herb: “[Randall] Cobb and [tailback Derrick] Locke are both nursing leg injuries, but will probably try to play. We have a couple of others who are unlikely to get in the game, including [cornerback Trevard] Lindley, who we really need on defense. I feel the …

Continue reading A Kentucky fan previews Dogs vs. Wildcats »

The area near UGA's famed Arch is still being trashed by tailgaters. (University of Georgia)

It seems the message that UGA President Michael Adams sent to tailgaters back in September about picking up their trash before they leave campus after a football game has only been partially received.

The Augusta Chronicle reports that while the pleas not to turn the campus into a dumping ground have resulted in improvements in some tailgating areas, things have not improved on the North Campus quads near the university Arch, where the crowd is largely made up of students.

Speaking of last weekend’s Auburn game, George Stafford, UGA’s associate vice president for auxiliary and administrative services, said: “Saturday was a bad day. North Campus was as crowded as it’s ever been and the trash was awful.”

The problem has been exacerbated by the increase in night games in Athens, which means more time for tailgating and drinking.

“We’re very concerned about it,” Stafford told the …

Continue reading Is it time to crack down on tailgaters trashing UGA campus? »

Baylie is the readers' choice as the ultimate Bulldogs fan.

Readers have picked a little girl named Baylie as the ultimate Bulldogs fan. And I think that’s a shining example of the true spirit of the Bulldog Nation.

The photo of Baylie with some of the UGA cheerleaders was submitted in the Junkyard Blawg Fan of the Week contest by her dad Mark Symms, a longtime and frequent commenter on the Blawg under the name of “Cuz.” He says, “My daughter Baylie is disabled and unable to attend many games. She is a fervent Dawg fan and we watch on Saturdays together.”

Baylie, who has had to undergo multiple surgeries in her young life, drew 51 percent of the vote in our online poll and numerous expressions of support from readers in the comments, even from the daughter of one of the other contestants.

The Symms family will get three passes to join me in one of the sky boxes at Sanford Stadium on Saturday for the game against Kentucky. Plus, Baylie’s picture will be shown before the game …

Continue reading Readers pick ultimate Bulldogs fan! »

Randall Cobb runs against the Dogs last year in Lexington. (Associated Press)

Amid all the talk this week about bowl games and a prime-time telecast against Tech, Saturday’s game against Kentucky still looms large, prompting painful memories of the Dogs’ close escape in Lexington last year as the Georgia defense seemed incapable of stopping then-quarterback Randall Cobb’s runs out of the spread much of the time.

Cobb wound up with three scores and 82 yards rushing, and if it hadn’t been for an exceptional touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to A.J. Green and an interception by Demarcus Dobbs, the Wildcats would have upset the Bulldogs. At times, Cobb made the Georgia defense look the worst we’ve seen in the past couple of seasons, and that’s saying a lot.

This season, Cobb is no longer the starting QB for the Cats, but as a receiver and taking direct snaps out of the wildcat (dubbed “WildCobb”) formation, he has seven rushing touchdowns and four receiving. He’s only 2-for7 in …

Continue reading Bulldog Bites: Nightmarish visions of a Cat running wild »

Our panel of judges has selected the four finalists in our Junkyard Blawg Fan of the Week contest, with this week’s theme being the ultimate Bulldogs fan.

Now it’s up to you to select the ultimate fan by voting in the poll. Our finalists include a family that has given its lawn the ultimate Bulldogs treatment, a fan whose Bulldog room comes complete with a Christmas tree decorated with UGA ornaments, a disabled little girl who isn’t able to attend many games but who was thrilled to meet up with the Georgia cheerleaders, and a fan who takes tailgating so seriously that he has coordinated his shirt with the tablecloth. Woof!

The winner will receive three seats in one of the sky boxes at Sanford Stadium for the final home game this Saturday, plus the winning photo will be shown on the stadium’s big video screen before the game.

Who deserves to be our ultimate fan?

Fan No. 1

Fan No. 2

Fan No. 3

Fan No. 4

Who should win our ultimate fan contest?

• Fan No. 3 (52%, 445 Votes)
  Continue reading Time to vote for the ultimate Bulldogs fan! »

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Which bowl would you like to see the Dogs in?

November 16th, 2009 by Bill King

The win over Auburn pretty well assures that the Dogs won’t be bowling in Shreveport (whew!), but where they’ll wind up remains tantalizingly open.

Which bowl game would you like to see the Dogs play in?

• Outback Bowl
• Chick-fil-A Bowl
• Music City Bowl
• Liberty Bowl

View Results

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The Music City Bowl in Nashville still is considered the Dogs’ most likely destination by several prognosticators, with the ACC opponent possibly being Florida State. But the win over Auburn has put Georgia in the driver’s seat for the No. 2 finish in the SEC East, which would elevate their bowl stock.

Traditionally, the Outback on New Year’s Day in Tampa matches the No. 2 team in the East against a Big 10 foe. If Georgia wins out, the Outback would be hard pressed to pass them up, and the Dogs could wind up there even with a loss to Tech, though that might depend on how Tennessee finishes up. The Outback could pass up the Dogs and go with the Vols.

The Chick-fil-A in …

Continue reading Which bowl would you like to see the Dogs in? »

• 444 Comments

Bulldog Bites: A pat on the back for Joe Cox

November 16th, 2009 by Bill King

Joe Cox gets a visit from another Dawg during warm-ups. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)

Quarterback Joe Cox hasn’t gotten a lot of kind words from fans or sportswriters in the second half of the season, but David Hale of Bulldogs Blog, who covers the Bulldogs for the Macon and Columbus papers, hopes that Georgia fans will be enthusiastic on Saturday when Cox is introduced during Senior Day festivities.

“No, he’s not the best quarterback who has ever played at Georgia,” Hale writes. “And yes, he’s made some bad (and dumb) throws this season. … But that kid loves Georgia, and he’s done a heck of a job of keeping his young teammates’ heads in the right places and has led five big comebacks already this season. A lot of what we were told about Cox was probably overstated, but his leadership was not. He’s going to be a heck of a coach one day.”

I think Hale is right on the mark. The drop-off from Matthew Stafford to Cox was quite severe and Cox didn’t prove to be the pinpoint passer that …

Continue reading Bulldog Bites: A pat on the back for Joe Cox »

• 67 Comments

UGA fans still have reasons to feel good and bad

November 16th, 2009 by Bill King

Washaun Ealey and the running game definitely have improved. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)

Georgia comes out of the Auburn game — a very big win for the Dogs — with the kind of mixture of positives and negatives that leaves fans somewhat optimistic but still with a lot of concerns.

Yes, the running game does seem to be developing nicely (if belatedly) this season. The one-two punch of Washaun Ealey and Caleb King was quite effective against the Tigers, and since Georgia finally settled on who’s playing where on the offensive line, the blocking has improved, though it remains a work in progress.

But let’s not lose sight of the fact that the Dogs had every reason to think they could run on Auburn, which ranks near the bottom of the SEC in rushing defense.

The fact that Georgia was able to move the ball and score without the services of the injured A.J. Green is impressive, but again let’s keep in mind that Auburn isn’t ranked very high in pass defense, either. The loss of Green really …

Continue reading UGA fans still have reasons to feel good and bad »

• 90 Comments

Auburn win a costly one for Dogs

November 15th, 2009 by Bill King

Losing A.J. Green is a big blow to Georgia's offense. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)

Some more thoughts and questions the day after the Dogs beat Auburn for the fourth year in a row …

Wow, this was a really costly victory in terms of injuries. Losing A.J. Green is a big blow. Israel Troupe and Tavares King made big catches Saturday night (King redeeming himself after dropping a sure touchdown in the end zone earlier), but they quite simply are not on Green’s level. He’s a game-changer and a constant threat that opposing defenses plan their schemes around.

Without him, Georgia is going to have to hope the improvement in the rushing attack continues and that Saturday’s turnaround in penalties and turnovers is not a one-game aberration. Because without A.J., the Dogs have much less margin for error.

And let’s hope Bacarri Rambo isn’t out long, either. Bryan Evans might have had a hand in the breakup of that last-gasp pass by the Tigers, but for much of the game he looked flat-footed and …

Continue reading Auburn win a costly one for Dogs »

• 193 Comments

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