DawgBlog http://www.dawgblog.net/ 12 SEC Championships en Copyright 2008 Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:13:18 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.31 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Georgia Wins Third Straight Against War Tigers It's a testament of how bad Auburn has played this season that Georgia was able to win yesterday. The Dawgs didn't do anything very well, but were able to win. Our offense doesn't convert on its chances, our defense isn't reliable, our special teams makes mistakes, and we keep making stupid penalties. All that aside we're able to beat Auburn for the third straight year 17-13. There's not much else to add to the game. It was ugly, it was much closer than it needed to be and here we are with one regular season game left and we only have two losses. At the beginning of the season I thought two losses would probably be an acceptable outcome. It's the blowout nature of both our losses though that has made this season such a frustrating endeavor. Plus, all the talent we have on offense is being wasted. Yesterday was a perfect example; however, a win is a win.

Dawg Dance

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/11/georgia_wins_third_straight_ag.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/11/georgia_wins_third_straight_ag.html game wrap Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:13:18 -0500 Preview: Auburn 2008 Anytime we play Auburn you can just throw the the stats in the garbage can. This game has produced some of the wildest games I can remember. Even at 5-5 this game scares me because the fight War Eagles have everything to play for and we're treading water in a disappointing season. I would say that there's no way that Auburn's offense can muster up enough points to win, but then I remember how truly awful our defense is this season. I would say our offense can't be stopped, but then I realize that we folded in the first half of the Alabama game, and collapsed in Jacksonville. Georgia's best win came against LSU who barely beat Auburn early it the season.

We haven't beaten Auburn three times in a row since 1982. I don't remember that too clearly because I was three years old at the time. Auburn is down this season, but I think they'll play there best game of the season.

Final Score: UGA 20 - Auburn 30

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/11/preview_auburn_2008.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/11/preview_auburn_2008.html prediction Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:16:32 -0500 Kentucky Gives Dawgs Scare in Lexington The defense didn't play, the special teams were bad, but somehow Georgia held on to win 42-38. Giving up 38 points to the Wildcats is inexcusable. It's difficult to fathom how disappointing this year's team is right now. Our best win is against a now three loss LSU team. We've laid an egg in the two biggest games of the season. We've needed late turnovers to beat both South Carolina and Kentucky.

Next week we play the woeful Auburn Tigers. Expect them to have an offensive renaissance against our terrible defense next week. Fortunately our offense is so good we should win the rest of our games. A two loss season might look good but it's mainly due to the fact that Tennessee and Auburn are having terrible year. I wouldn't be shocked if we lost to the War Eagles. They have everything to play for and it looks like we're just going through the motion out there. Every season our defense gets worse. For whatever reason we make mistakes on both sides of the ball. Stupid penalties, bad special teams, and costly turnovers. It's just not our year.

Dawgs

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/11/kentucky_gives_dawgs_scare_in.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/11/kentucky_gives_dawgs_scare_in.html game wrap Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:57:33 -0500 Everything Goes Wrong In Jacksonville Georgia's offense need to play a perfect game, and it didn't happen. We had more yards, had the ball longer, but we turned it over and missed field goals. Florida took full advantage and ran up the score to win 49-10. No one will remember the bad calls that set it up, or the stupid on side kick play. The score is the only thing that remains. Typically classless, Urban Meyer ran up the score and called pointless time outs to end the game. While I guess his feelings were hurt by last season's loss, Georgia will have plenty of motivation for next year's game.

I didn't think the Dawgs had a chance in this game with our problems on defense, our defensive coordinator, and all the injuries. If Georgia wouldn't have made all those mistakes and got a couple of breaks we could have won. That seems to always happen against Florida though. Receivers and QBs get hurt before the game. The refs miss calls that are apparent to everyone.

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/11/everything_goes_wrong_in_jacks.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/11/everything_goes_wrong_in_jacks.html game wrap Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:25:42 -0500 Preview: Florida 2008 We always knew this would be our biggest game of the season. Even with the loss against Alabama the Florida game has loomed large. Last year's win against the Gators finally ended the hex. Even with a loss on Saturday, Georgia has changed the series over the last four years. Last year's game was a defining moment after a disappointing start to the 2007 season. None of that matters now. Sure there's a lot of talk about the endzone stomp, but the Gators don't need any motivation for this game. A chance at the SEC championship is on the line and possible BCS implications.

What will happen? I'm always concerned with our defense, but during the last two season we've played better defense during this part of the season. While I don't expect Florida to run the ball against us successfully we cannot stop the run. We're ranked 11th in the conference in pass defense which is unbelievable. Supposedly our defense is built to defend the spread. The speed disrupts the timing patters that are used so effectively in that type of offense. While that all well and good, we've been particularly bad at pass defense this season in comparison to seasons past. This is a huge advantage for Florida.

The Dawgs played almost a perfect game on offense last week and will need another strong performance to have a shot at winning this game. My guess is that unless we get some turnovers (huge help last week) this one could get ugly. The Dawgs will have to be determined. If Meyer even gets a chance he'll run the score up. The Dawgs are just too soft on defense to pull this one out.

Final Score: UGA 21 - UF 35

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/preview_florida_2008.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/preview_florida_2008.html prediction Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:58:12 -0500 Dawgs Win Shootout Against LSU Georgia's offense shined in Baton Rouge as the Dawgs prevailed against the Tigers 52-38. It's a high scoring affair. Thanks to two interception for touchdowns and big runs by Knowshon we were able to pull out a game where our defense was incapable of getting stops. If it wasn't for our unstoppable offense the Dawgs would have been in trouble.

It's a great win, but it's marred by the fact that LSU isn't a very good team on offense and they almost got 500 yards yesterday. Next week Georgia plays a much better team on offense. Our defensive line looked like they couldn't stop the run. We're just not a very good team on defense. Survive and advance!

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/dawgs_win_shootout_against_lsu.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/dawgs_win_shootout_against_lsu.html game wrap Sun, 26 Oct 2008 10:00:32 -0500 Preview: LSU 2008 Well then... what do we know about Georgia? We haven't beaten an exceptional team all season. Our best wins have been South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Neither one of those teams are exceptional. LSU looked more convincing in Columbia than we did. We gave Alabama less of a game at home than Kentucky or Ole Miss did in Tuscaloosa. Georgia has played badly in almost every game and has had a terrible rash of injuries. Making a prediction in this game is nearly impossible given how we've performed up to this point, and the inability for our defensive coordinator to come up with a decent game plan.

I'm taking a guess here but I think Georgia goes down on Saturday. We're just not consistent enough on offense to bail our defense out. The Dawgs have made ordinary offenses look fantastic. Hopefully the Dawgs wake up, but I'm being realistic. Even if we're able to win this one I'm not very confident for the Florida game. I'm normally optimist, but I'm blue for whatever reason.

Final Score: UGA 18 - LSU 31

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/preview_lsu_2008.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/preview_lsu_2008.html prediction Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:05:49 -0500 Dawgs Take Care of Vandy Georgia disposed of Vandy 24-14 yesterday in Athens. Aside from basically getting this game right (see my prediction) there's not much to take from yesterday's game. The offense sputtered, the defense allowed a couple of drives thanks to near prevent defense, and again we made costly mistakes on both sides of the ball. Fortunately, we played better than we did last season and now we're 6-1 with LSU and Florida up next. Our season hinges on both those games and we're capable of losing or winning both.

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/dawgs_take_care_of_vandy.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/dawgs_take_care_of_vandy.html game wrap Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:22:53 -0500 Preview: Vanderbilt 2008 The Dawgs play Vandy on Saturday in which should be a tough game. The last two games against the Commodores have been decided by three points or less. Last year the Dawgs needed a fumble on the last drive to pull out the victory. Given our inability to put together a perfect performance, the injuries to the team there's some cause for concern. Plus, Georgia didn't do any favors by jumping up and down on their field after the victory last season. Vandy had a letdown game last week against Mississippi State and I expect them to be come out guns a blazing. It shouldn't be enough, but it shouldn't' have been enough two years ago.

Final Score: UGA 24 - Vandy 13

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/preview_vanderbilt_2008.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/preview_vanderbilt_2008.html prediction Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:15:28 -0500 Georgia Bounces Back Against Vols Georgia dominated the game, but kept Tennessee around in a 26-14 win yesterday in Athens. This game shouldn't have even been that close. The defense played better and offense played worse. I'm not sure the team can afford any more injuries, but here we are with another offensive lineman out. I really have no idea how this rest of the season is going to play out. The SEC is a bloodfest this season. I figure we have at least one more loss and if I have to pick the game it's against LSU. A loss there and a win against Florida would give us the East if we win the rest of them. Unfortunately our play is so sporadic I can't say with any confidence we won't lose two more games. Maybe that's just pessimistic, but I can't help but think all the injuries won't catch up with us. At least we put the Vols to sleep. This is probably the last time we'll face Fulmer. Good riddance.

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/georgia_bounces_back_against_v.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/georgia_bounces_back_against_v.html game wrap Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:09:26 -0500 Preview: Tennessee 2008 The Dawgs are coming of a tough loss to Alabama and we're a little beat up. The Vols on the other hand have already lost three games and their offense has been a mess. Tennesses has worked Georgia over the past two seasons because their offense coordinator David Cutcliffe was much smarter than our defensive coordinator. Fortunately for Georgia he's moved on to Duke, but surely Tennessee has watched the film of the last two season and our game two weeks ago.

If Georgia plays a soft zone like the first half of the Alabama game Tennessee will be able to score enough point to win the game. The Vols biggest problem has been turning the ball over. If they can manage not to turn it over their defense is good enough to keep them in the game and out coordinator is bad enough to let them move the ball. With a week off before the game I expect the Dawgs to come out prepared to play, especially after the loss against Alabama.

Final Score: UGA 28 - Vols 16

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/preview_tennessee_2008.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/10/preview_tennessee_2008.html prediction Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:35:09 -0500 Alabama Kills Georgia's Zone Defense If I had to draw up an offensive gameplan against Georgia it would be simple. Just watch the first half of the last to Tenessee games, the first half of the West Virginia Sugar bowl game, and last night Alabama game. I have never been a big fan our our defensive coordinator. Willie Martinez's soft zone philosophy is terrible. Alabama is a good team, but last night Martinez's soft defense made them look like world beaters. The blame for last night 41-30 beatdown can be pointed at a number of things, but when a defense allows 31 points in the first half the defense is non-existant. Is it a talent issue? No, unless you believe Tulane has more talent on defense than Georgia. It's a coaching issue.

Georgia cannot beat a team that can pass who can also block. We'll rust 4 or 5 guys and everyone else sits in a zone. It's predictable, it's pathetic, and it's time CWM finds another employer. Losing games happens, but our last two losses were over at half because the defense couldn't stop a simple short pass scheme.

Where do we go from here? It doesn't look good. We've lost another offensive lineman and our tight-ends are beat up. It's a testament to our offense that we were able to score 30 in the second half. Our offense did a terrible job of holding on the ball in the first half. With the defense struggling we tried too many bombs and big plays when all we needed to do was get the first down. I don't think Alabama is that great of a team; however, they are coached well. They took what we gave them and were able to kill the game off in the first half. Good coached offenses will continue to beat our bad coached defense.

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/09/alabama_kills_georgias_zone_de.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/09/alabama_kills_georgias_zone_de.html game wrap Sun, 28 Sep 2008 09:01:03 -0500 Preview: Alabama 2008 This is the biggest game of the season so far. Alabama comes in undefeated and on a roll after demolishing Arkansas last week. Their best win came against Clemson in Atlanta at the beginning of the season. After losing six games last year the Crimson Tide looks like they've improved tremendously. How will this game play out?

I think Alabam is a tad bit overated; however, they're still a great team. Are they top 10 material? Probably not, but a win against Georgia in Athens would be a program changer. Alabama hasn't faced a team as good as the Dawgs, while Georgia has faced a great defense in South Carolina and a great offense in Arizona State. Alabama is the most complete team the Dawgs have faced so far and to win they'll have to reduce mistakes. If they have penalties like they did against South Carolina it could be a long day. For Alabama to win they'll have to be able to pass the ball effectively. If they're able to create anything on the passing game it should challange Georgia's rushing defense. I expect the Dawgs to come out with a lot of emotion and grind this one out.

Final Score: UGA 24 - Tide 14

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/09/preview_alabama_2008.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/09/preview_alabama_2008.html prediction Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:04:36 -0500 Arizona State No Match for the Dawgs The Dawgs only needed two quarters to impose their will on the Sun Devils. After Arizona State kicked a field goal to make it 14-3, Georgia marched down the field with help of a big catch from AJ Green and made it 21-3 at half. The second half was a dull affair. The score could have been a lot worse but in typically Mark Richt fashion we called off the Dawgs. The final was a comfortable 27-10 victory.

I'm not sure what we learn from this game. We made some silly mistakes on offense, some were real and others were imagined. The Pac-10 referees were absolutely terrible. We just have a lot more talent that the Sun Devil. They didn't have an answer for AJ Green or Knowshon Moreno. I'm still a little worried about our pass rush. We allowed over 200 pass yards. Fortunately our run defense is awesome. We only allowed 4 rushing yards. Amazing job on the defensive line. That boads well for next week's game. Alabama likes to run the ball.

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/09/arizona_state_no_match_for_the.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/09/arizona_state_no_match_for_the.html game wrap Sun, 21 Sep 2008 09:01:01 -0500 College Football Weekend Blitz: Georgia at Arizona State: Georgia really struggled last week against South Carolina... what's new? The Dawgs and Gamecocks always slug it out, which makes victory that much sweeter. But this week the Bulldogs have to travel all the way across the country to take on the Sun Devils of Arizona State. Ignore the fact they lost to UNLV the Sun Devils will be ready to play. Rudy Carpenter is a prolific passer and the Dawgs showed some flaws in pass coverage last week. This will be a high scoring game which favors the Sun Devils Pac 10 style.
Arizona State 38 Georgia 37 in Overtime.

Florida at Tennessee: The Vols new quarterback Crompton is the key to this game. He will have to have a big game to keep the game close. The Fighting Tebows will put some points up so its time to see if their defense has improved.
Florida 31 Tennessee 21.

LSU at Auburn: This game promises to be ugly. The home team seems to win in this series so got to go with the Tiger/War Eagles in this one. LSU has a new QB who hasn't faced this type of environment. This game should be fun to watch.
Auburn 17 LSU 13.

]]> http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/09/college_football_weekend_blitz_1.html http://www.dawgblog.net/2008/09/college_football_weekend_blitz_1.html prediction Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:10:23 -0500