McGarity learned ‘art of scheduling’ well at Florida
Some thoughts coming out of the UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors spring meeting at SSI …
You want early evidence that Georgia made a wise choice in calling Athens native Greg McGarity home from Florida as athletic director? Just look at the fact that following a losing 6-7 season and an absolutely dismal and dispiriting bowl showing by Mark Richt’s football team, Bulldog Club/Hartman Fund contributions actually increased $300,000 to $23 million this year.
A major factor in that apparently was McGarity’s decision to schedule the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game opener with Boise State. Anyone contributing at least $100 to the Hartman Fund was eligible to buy tickets to the Georgia Dome game and UGA fans snapped up all 53,000 that were available.
McGarity is a smart man.
DOING IT THE ‘FLORIDA WAY’
Speaking of which, McGarity announced that David Perno will be returning as UGA’s baseball coach, which is as it should be. Despite the tragic injury to Johnathan Taylor, the Diamond Dogs improved their SEC record to 16-14 this season. If it hadn’t been for losing too many of those midweek nonconference games, they’d be a lock for an NCAA tourney spot.
And that’s where McGarity will make a difference again. He rightly diagnosed Perno’s problem this season as over-scheduling, noting that SEC teams on average played three to five nonconference games against teams with a Top 25 RPI while Georgia played 17 such games this year. As he told our Chip Towers, “I hate to deal with could-haves and would-haves, but it speaks to what I call ‘the art of scheduling,’”
McGarity said “next year we need to have a schedule that is totally different,” with 37 or 38 home games instead of 28 like this year. As for those tough nonconference opponents, “We’ve got Tech; we’ve got Clemson; we’ve got UCLA. That’s enough.”
McGarity knows what he’s talking about. The University of Florida has perfected the art of devising a national championship schedule.
SAY WHAT?
Among the expenditures approved by the athletic board was $675,000 for a new sound system at Stegeman Coliseum. Talk about money well spent! The echo in the Steg is awful, especially at lesser-attended basketball games and graduation ceremonies. It’s long past time that problem was corrected.
WOOF!
Sonny Seiler was on hand for the St. Simons gathering and provided an update on the search for a new Uga mascot, saying he hasn’t yet found a pup who will “fit the bill” and anticipates stand-in Russ continuing to wear the red sweater for as much as two-thirds of the coming season before a new dog is introduced. Russ, as Seiler noted, is very popular with fans (despite the team’s less than stellar won-loss record during his tenure). Actually, I don’t see why Seiler doesn’t just let Russ serve the whole year and then unveil a new Uga at the beginning of the 2012 season.
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156 comments Add your comment
59bulldawg
May 27th, 2011
1:03 pm
Enter your comments here
59bulldawg
May 27th, 2011
1:07 pm
Oops! What I meant to say was that if a new mascot won’t be ready until 2/3 of the way into the season, let’s just keep Russ this year and let the new pup start fresh in 2012.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
May 27th, 2011
1:08 pm
Hello! I am not defending DONNAN! In the original post it was pointing out CMR road record of 33-6 was largely built on talent DONNAN brought in to the program and talent CMR was able to recruit off of.
Buckeye
May 27th, 2011
1:09 pm
DawginLEx,
Google “Ohio State si article”….you’ll find some interesting tidbits including those about Ohio State joining the SEC because we now cheat with the best of them.
Thereare rumors of a blockbuster/scathing article about to come out from Sports Illustrated. I’m waiting with baited breath.
I think Towers banned me too. I emailed him separately as to why. No reponse. He’s a weenie, un-American and does not believe in free speech. I hope he’s had fun at all the dog club meetings.
DawgByte
May 27th, 2011
1:09 pm
I have a solution to our mascot problems. Ask Crowell if we can borrow his stellar looking Bulldog that he dawned on national signing day. That was one damn good looking pup!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
May 27th, 2011
1:19 pm
Road record since ‘07 12-7
Road record before ‘07 22-3
What has changed in this time? BVG left. CWM stayed to long, the S&C program grew stale. CMB was promoted to run the offense. These are the excuses we use often, but it is not possible that the Recruiting has not fell flat? Really? Donnan did some good things as coach dont forget that. Also dont be so naive as to think that is not possible, that CMR got fat off Donnan players.
dog daze
May 27th, 2011
1:20 pm
Boise is ranked about #5. So, if dog fans think they will beat #5, they must think dogs are better than #5….that right?
DawginLex
May 27th, 2011
1:22 pm
lowcountry,
none of the kids recruited by Richt came to Georgia because donnan was there or because of anything he did.
They came to play at Georgia and to play for coach Richt. Period.
beebee
May 27th, 2011
1:23 pm
dawgs: I think the Boise game IS the season. Lose it, any way possible, and you’re gonna instantly “panic” at a possible 0-2 start!
WIN IT! and the new season looks brighter than it has for a while now!
If anything, don’t get blown out and later lose to SC, or kids won’t even be able to take tests in their right mind!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
May 27th, 2011
1:26 pm
CMR was successful with CJD players, if he had failed with them would the same calibur of kids still had came to Athens? It was the HIGH level of recruits Donnan had infold for CMR that enabled CMR to build the program like he did. If the talent was not in Athens at the outset CMR would not have the 2002 SEC Title and perhaps not even the ‘05 one. UGA fans should show a little more appreciation for what Donnan did it looks like.
Elliot Garcia
May 27th, 2011
1:27 pm
good thing they got rid of the drunk guy, and hired the guy they should have all along…..
Shawn
May 27th, 2011
1:57 pm
I am through arguing with anyone naive enough to say Donnan made Richt the coach he is. The only thing Donnan ever won was a few fans over by saying he liked to eat grits in the presser announcing his hire.
redneckDawg
May 27th, 2011
2:10 pm
McGarity FLUNKED the art of scheduling.
1- Couldn’t get Ga/Fla game moved to Georgia Dome, signed on to keep it the same
2- Scheduled top 5 ranked team for opener (Meyer never did)
3- Scheduled less away games, where Rict has a better win record
1eyedJack
May 27th, 2011
2:13 pm
Who hasn’t been banned by Chip Towers? Misanthrope. He’s got me at home but not at work.
“But I’m pretty confident that we’re going to spring back, that he made the kind of adjustments in staffing that needed to be made. Now we’ll do what we always do with every coach every season; we’ll sit down at the end of the season.” – Pres. Michael Adams
Translation: Mark Richt is the head ball coach at Georgia for the 2011 season. Deal with it. Quit your griping. I’ve read it all over and over and I’m sick of it.
Go Dawgs!!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
May 27th, 2011
2:28 pm
Not arguing, defending my stance. Know the difference.
What's The Problem?
May 27th, 2011
2:30 pm
Why do we have to wait for 3/4 of next season before we get a new UGA? The man has a kennel full of overbred English bulldogs. Pick one, slap a sweater on him, and get him out there. Should take about an hour. What’s the hold up? Besides, the policy of picking only all-white dogs is racist, anyway. Russ has done a fine job upholding the image of “dogs of color.” Why must UGA conform to Aryan ideals of racial purity and elitist notions of patriarchal succession? Let dogs try out for the “UGA.” It’s the American way!
D Bag Trolls!
May 27th, 2011
2:31 pm
Only two changes needed this year. Run the ball often and if the toss is won, take the ball every time.
See you in DOME in Dec.
Grow up you whining little Buckeye
May 27th, 2011
2:55 pm
“He’s a weenie, un-American and does not believe in free speech”
Chip simply doesn’t appreciate 5 year olds on his blog.
Jeremiah Masoli
May 27th, 2011
3:02 pm
Ludicris???
You can’t be that stupid and gone to UGA. At least not lately.
Dink
May 27th, 2011
3:09 pm
I believe Boise State returns 14 starters (7 on D), including a really good QB (Moore). Man I hope our OL comes together and Crowell proves why he was so highly recruited. UGA 28 – BSU 23
Go Dawgs!
Delbert D.
May 27th, 2011
3:34 pm
This is a repost from April and May on different AJC blogs.. Note that not all of these veterans for Boise St. were starters last year.
—————————————————————————
My own *very* early Boise St. 2011 scouting report:
In 2010, Boise St. returned 20 of 22 starters. Not close to that in 2011.
Boise St. returning veterans:
Defense:
DT Chase Baker, 3L 6-1 296 6.5 TFL 4.5 S
LB Tommy Smith, 1L 6-1 227
S Travis Stanaway, 2L 5-11 203
CB Jamar Taylor 2L 5-11 194 35 T 3.5 TFL 2 INT
LB Aaron Tevis, 3L 6-3 232 43 T 2.5 TFL 1 S 2 INT
DT Billy Winn, 3L 6-4 295 9.5 TFL 4.5 S
DT Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe, 1L 6-3 307 6.5 TFL 2.5 S
Offense:
Kellen Moore, 3L 6-0 191
TE Kyle Efaw, 3L 6-4 242 299 y, 5 TD
WR Kirby Moore, 1L 6-2 206 (2009) 242 y, 2 TD
OG Brenel Myers, 2L 6-2 277
OL Kevin Sapien, 3L 6-4 286
WR Tyler Showmaker 3L 6-1 213 582 y, 5 TD
OT Matt Slater 3L 6-4 267
2011 Spring game
4 8-minute quarters
Defense 21 Offense 13 (Defensive scoring based on 3/outs, sacks, TO, Red Zone stops
RB Drew Wright led rushers in the Spring game with 8 carries 24 yards.
WR Geraldo Hiwat led receivers with 5 catches for 97 yards.
QB Kellen Moore played 3 series.
The defense recorded 11 tackles for loss.
The offense scored 2 FGs and a TD on the last play of the game.
The Truth
May 27th, 2011
3:44 pm
GA Tech Lies & Cheats & Everyone knows it. The Tech athletic program is an absolute joke.
UGA FRIEND
May 27th, 2011
3:46 pm
UGA has an easy schelule and should finish the regular season at 10-2.
Only three games should be close….Boise St./SC/MS.Uga will handle UF
easily this year.
Dink
May 27th, 2011
3:58 pm
Delbert D.
Thanks for the info, saw the name Kirby Moore on their roster. Reminds me of a Georgia great with the same name…
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/8041/index.htm
Go Dawgs!
Lorna Doone
May 27th, 2011
4:15 pm
After the almost certain 0-2 start this season, Richt will be sitting a seat filled with red-hot coals. After the annual beatdown by UFL, he will be as good as gone.
All the years of recruiting low-class players with both on-the-field and off-the-field problems have come back to haunt Richt. He hoped he could win with these goons, but he guessed wrong. All he accomplished was to embarrass UGA and send it spiraling into permanent irrelevancy and oblivion.
Buckeye
May 27th, 2011
4:38 pm
Grow up,
Perhaps Isaiah, The Annointed One II, will grow up after losing two fumbles in the fourth quarter of Boise and USC and falling to 0-2.
Delbert D.
May 27th, 2011
5:43 pm
Dink – Kirby Moore is Kellen’s younger brother. He’s a letterman, but he sat out last year. He is expected to see significant action this year, with the loss of Boise’s 2 premier receivers to the NFL.
The Broncos also lost RB Doug Martin (1,260 yards, 12 TD 6.3 ypa) and his backup, Jeremy Avery; Their best pass rushers, DEs Shea McClellin (9.5 sacks, 13.5 TFL), and Tyrone Crawford (7.0 sacks, 13.5 TFL), and OLB/S Winston Venable (5 sacks, 9.5 TFL. They lost 2 of the 4 top tacklers in SS Jeron Johnson (82) and Venable (53).
Yet the defense outplayed the offense in the spring game. I think Boise St. may be a wee bit overranked at this point.
fpice
May 27th, 2011
5:54 pm
I wanted McGarity. Now his support of Richt makes me puke. Fire them both. UGA fans and alumni deserve better.
DogDog
May 27th, 2011
6:20 pm
Russ in Russ out, Russ in; Russ should now be Uga IX. You can’t spell UGA & GATA with out RUSS. He is like most of us long timers, steadfast, persistant, & always loyal. Go Georgia in everyway!
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
May 27th, 2011
7:01 pm
Mcgarity should learn not to raise prices
dog daze
May 27th, 2011
7:13 pm
guess the dogs did not lose anyone…green don’t count?
Tyree
May 27th, 2011
8:53 pm
You Dawg fans who keep repeating Tech-Georgia scores like a mantra enjoy yourselves all you want. The thing is… Tech alumni and fans have lives that don’t depend entirely on what a bunch of kids does on Saturday afternoons. College sports are fun to follow, but the biggest reason for going to college is to get an education.
UGA fans don’t seem to care about anything but football, and they don’t care if their players are enrolled in silly majors that no parents who are paying the bills would send their kids to UGA for. The very few football and basketball players who graduate have no job opportunities and end up unemployed or working in menial jobs that hardly require a college degree.
Georgia Tech is a real school with serious academic standards, and that includes scholarshipped athletes. UGA has a long history of being a party school, where parents send their kids for an easy degree, even if the degree itself is practically worthless.
Jan Kemp exposed the crap going on at UGA with athletes being enrolled in courses a ten-year-old kid could pass. That was almost three decades ago, and nothing has changed. If anything, the abuses are more blatant today. Way too many illiterate morons are being recruited, and the very high arrest rate shows clearly that Richt does not care if his players have any morals or self-discipline.
The bottom line is that most Tech fans have very good jobs and productive lives that don’t depend on Tech’s football record for their happiness in life. It would be great to beat UGA more often, but when you put scholar-athletes up against dummy-athletes, it’s usually no contest.
It’s pretty pathetic to see UGA fans who typically have never been within miles of a college classroom and who live or die with UGA’s weekly results on the football field.
So keep on posting old scores all you want, especially since you’re home with plenty of time on your hands. I wish you well, maybe you’ll get lucky and get your old job back at the Waffle House before your unemployment checks stop coming.
Bremen Dawg
May 27th, 2011
8:59 pm
Leave Russ for the whole season. Everybody loves Russ.
Shawn
May 27th, 2011
9:11 pm
All these predictions of an 0-2 start will be over 10 minutes into the Boise game. This one will be a laugher, UGA will roll, and that will be that. This one won’t be close folks. Then we will all have to hear about how all UGA did was beat up on an over rated team and BLA, BLAH, BLAH…….
It Ain't Rocket Science
May 27th, 2011
9:21 pm
It seems you can’t please some folks on these blogs. You would complain if the AD scheduled easy teams for the opening and would say, UGA has an inflated winning record because of the easy schedule. Then you complain if the first couple of teams are ranked high, and say that the AD is just setting up the coach or just trying to get more football revenue. You can’t have it both ways.
I would prefer that UGA play a meaningful game right off the bat. If you want to hunt with the dogs, you have to keep up with the dogs. If you win the game, no one can say honestly, that the team you beat was over rated because at the beginning of the season, no team has proved it is rated fairly where it is. It is mostly opinions of journalist, based on the previous years schedule and how the school, in most cases, sells themselves and their players.
Now as for Tyree. I am a UGA fan and nope, didn’t go to UGA. I did graduate in a difficult science and was able to work that degree into a successful military one. I would bet, that even though you do or did make more money than I, that I had a better career than you will ever have. I got to see things and places you will never see. I got to live the full range of emotions a human being can have, from hate, fear, joy, success, happiness, sadness, and just about every emotion a person can have. You, in your own little glass bubbled world, will never experience that. I maybe wish I could have made more money, but I might have missed the opportunity, to help out some people who got flooded out of their homes, helped a poor Vietnamese family, live just a little better, in a god forsaken war. I would have missed spending three years living on the Indian Ocean, working on a scientific assignment that opened up the world of science like I never thought I would get a chance to see, and watched a million darn kangaroos play in the town I lived in and in my backyard.
There is a heck of a lot more to life than graduating from Tech. and feeling so superior to everyone else. We all have the same options, no matter our income, once life is over. You either take the elevator up or down.
Go DAWGS
Pitbull
May 27th, 2011
9:30 pm
.
Pitbull
May 27th, 2011
9:37 pm
Several years ago Ga quit publishing the Team work outs concerning weight lifting records. I believe Coach Richt had the idea that the Team was getting to many injuries from working so hard. At around that same time Van Gorder had left and Richt stopped calling the plays. The rest or the fall of Ga is history. Two of those things have now been fixed. Except for the play calling. Richt doesn’t feel he gets paid enough to put up with that. He likes his new CEO position. His rating as a CEO has been terrible! He appears not interested in putting in the hard work like Saban does to win championships. Money and fame just doesn’t interest him.
Delbert D.
May 27th, 2011
9:38 pm
Preseason Top QBs from those listed on BleacherReport.com (plus a few more):
(My calculations; top 10 in each metric)
Passer Rating:
Moore, Kellen – 182.6
Luck, Andrew – 170.2
Moniz, Bryant – 159.1
Persa, Dan – 159.0
Murray, Aaron – 154.5
Weeden, Brandon – 154.1
Thomas, Darron – 151.0
Cousins, Kirk – 150.7
Robinson, Denard – 149.6
Lindley, Ryan – 149.4
Yards per Game:
Moniz, Bryant – 360.0
Jones, Landry – 337.0
Weeden, Brandon – 329.0
Davis, Dominique – 305.2
Moore, Kellen – 295.8
Lindley, Ryan – 294.6
Foles, Nick – 290.1
Robinson, Corey – 286.6
Kinne, G.J. – 280.8
Padron, Kyle – 273.1
Completion %:
Persa, Dan – 73.5
Moore, Kellen – 71.3
Luck, Andrew – 70.7
Foles, Nick – 67.1
Griffin, Robert – 67.0
Weeden, Brandon – 66.9
Cousins, Kirk – 66.9
Jones, Landry – 65.6
Moniz, Bryant – 65.0
Tannehill, Ryan – 65.0
Yards per Attempt:
Moore, Kellen – 10.0
Lindley, Ryan – 9.1
Moniz, Bryant – 9.1
Luck, Andrew – 9.0
Murray, Aaron – 8.9
Robinson, Denard – 8.8
Garcia, Stephen – 8.8
Persa, Dan – 8.5
Weeden, Brandon – 8.4
Cousins, Kirk – 8.4
TDs Percentage (Attempts):
Moore, Kellen – 9.14
Luck, Andrew – 8.60
Thomas, Darron – 8.31
Bray, Tyler – 8.04
Moniz, Bryant – 7.03
Murray, Aaron – 7.02
Barkley, Matt – 6.90
Collaros, Zach – 6.79
Kinne, G.J. – 6.74
Weeden, Brandon – 6.65
Lindley, Ryan – 6.65
Nauti-Dawg
May 27th, 2011
9:44 pm
Damn Russ! Seiler should paint Russ’ brown spots white or keep him off the dang field – he ain’t no real UGA dawg….or Ricth should just go to the pound and get the next white dawg – Seiler shouldn’t be the Kingmaker…er royal dawg maker.
It Ain't Rocket Science
May 27th, 2011
9:55 pm
Maybe we need an American Bulldog. I think they have been British ones up to this point. Shoot, I got a full bred Bassett hound, and I can rest assured she would not need a air conditioned doghouse on game day. Just give her an opposing coach or player near her area, and she would represent UGA just fine. She could collect the chunks she would get out of the oppositions butt, and donate them to charity.
Delbert D.
May 27th, 2011
10:06 pm
I’d draw the line at a French Bulldog. Not very fierce looking, those little guys.
Still@theBAR
May 27th, 2011
10:12 pm
It Ain’t Rocket Science
Russ will not get the job and neither will ANY bulldog that is not ALL WHITE. American Bulldogs are rarely all white.
Just have a look at the UGA Cheerleaders and Dance Team. UGA likes its color on the playing field not as its representatives in fan photos.
Sonny and his family will be hard pressed to lose the job of Uga’s breeder.
Still@theBAR
May 27th, 2011
10:16 pm
Delbert D. that maybe all that UGA can get if they have another losing year. I am surprised RUSS is even considering walking the sidelines.
Paddy
May 28th, 2011
6:37 am
RabidDawgFan…..SEC A D’s have no say in the conference schedule.
UGASlobberknocker
May 28th, 2011
7:34 am
redneck dawg is an idiot. He is the “tide roll” of Ga fans. And that aint good.
Idaho Spud
May 28th, 2011
9:21 am
Boise State 67, Georgia 10.
Beginning of a loooooooooooooooooong season!
Mutter
May 28th, 2011
9:27 am
Your mutts have an unfortunate habit of croaking, don’t they.
dawgman
May 28th, 2011
9:28 am
Concerning Russ………you folks need to realize that Russ is now 6 years old. Average life span for an English Bulldog is 8-10 years. He’s been a great sub but we will be searching again real soon if he was tabbed as UGA IX.
Effie's of Athens Boarding House
May 28th, 2011
9:35 am
Bottom line, . . . . . gotta beat Boise State.
Dawgs on Fire
May 28th, 2011
9:51 am
McGarity needs to get the fla game moved back to athens every other year. Fla has all the advantages playing in jacksonville which is the main reason Ga loses almost every year. Move the game ASAP!