Bulldawg Illustrated : Dawg Blog

One (long) Month Until G-Day

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Today, March 10th, brings us exactly one month away from G-Day. Sweet.

The last time most of us were inside Sanford Stadium was for the dreaded UK game last fall. Remember that? Its the game where during the course of the second half we fumbled a kickoff, watched our defense give up 60+ yard screen plays for touchdowns, called an end around inside the red zone, called a pitch play on the one yard line and fumbled, and were subjected to Miley Cyrus music over the PA system. Sheesh. I’m ready to purge those thoughts from my mind and replace them with visions from a glorified football scrimmage; I’m ready to walk out of Sanford Stadium in a good mood.

Speaking of good moods, here is a bit of optimism regarding the advance weather forecast for G-Day. The trusty Farmer’s Almanac says that April and May should be “much warmer and drier than normal” in the southeast.

And finally, since the UK game was the last time that Sanford Stadium was open and available to the public, I direct you to Ryan Scates’ Editor’s note from the most recent issue of BI Athens which is available now. I’m still laughing at the mental image of he and his girlfriend doing their best rendition of the “Trinton Sturdivant Shuffle” in the end zone at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium last week.

Defensive Players who could Make a Jump

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Here are some players who need to have big seasons for Georgia’s defense to make a jump:
DE/OLB Justin Houston – the SEC’s leading returning sacker can make that next step and become an elite defender.
OLB Cornelius Washington – knows how to get after the passer and should be a great fit on the edge.
S Baccari Rambo – big hitter who was Georgia’s best “back seven” player for a stretch before getting hurt.
CB Brandon Boykin – the SEC’s best kickoff returner is also a good corner who can take it to another level.
CB Branden Smith – the electric sophomore-to-be could team with Boykin to give the Dogs a top flight pair of corners.

Issue #5 of Bulldawg Illustrated Athens Beyond the Hedges is out!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Click on the cover below and view page by page of the issue:

Gym Dogs Shatter Season-High, Edge Out UCLA

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

ATHENS, Ga. -— With the Georgia gymnastics team needing at least a 9.9 from Courtney McCool in the final performance of the day, the senior delivered with a 9.925 on floor to wrap up a stellar 197.900-197.875 upset victory for the No. 5 Gym Dogs over No. 3 UCLA on Saturday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia’s 197.900 was good for second-best in the nation this season behind only the 197.950 by Oklahoma last night. UCLA’s 197.875 is now third. Georgia’s previous season-high was its 197.250 on Feb. 19 at Florida.

Georgia set season-high marks on vault, beam, and floor on the day, while the Gym Dogs got 17 season-best individual performances including their first “10” of the season – coming from senior Grace Taylor on beam. Georgia won at least a share of three events, as Kat Ding won vault, Taylor shared the beam title, and Hilary Mauro won floor.

The win extended Georgia’s home winning streak to 33 straight.

“It feels great, it really does,” said head coach Jay Clark. “The team finally showed up and did what we all knew we were capable of. What a great day for both teams. I think what you really saw today was how we knew we could do it, and how we’ve been doing it in the gym, and this will really help us get ready for the stretch run.”

The Gym Dogs (5-4) started out their day on vault, where freshman Noel Couch and sophomore Gina Nuccio kicked it off with matching 9.850s, which marked a season and career best for Nuccio. Junior Hilary Mauro then added a season-high 9.900, while was followed by Cassidy McComb’s season-best 9.875 and Marcia Newby’s season-high 9.875. Sophomore Kat Ding then continued the record-setting effort as she included a season and career-best 9.975 as Georgia finished with five season-bests on the first event on its way to a 49.475 effort on vault, marking their best vault total of the season.

UCLA (9-3) got a 9.925 from Anna Li and a 9.900 from Vanessa Zamarripa to total a 49.300 on bars in their first rotation as Georgia took the lead after one.

Georgia hit the bars next, where the first three Gym Dogs set season-high marks there. McComb led off with a 9.800, followed by Taylor’s 9.850 and Newby’s 9.875. Gina Nuccio posted another 9.875 for the Gym Dogs while Ding added a 9.900 to round it out at 49.300 on the event. The Bruins saw a strong vault effort, led by Zamarripa’s 9.950 and a 9.9 from both Li and Tauny Frattone to earn a 49.500 on the event. That gave UCLA the slim 98.800-98.775 lead at the halfway point.

The third event of the day for Georgia was beam, where Taylor shone in the fifth slot with her “10” – the third perfect score of her career and second on beam, with the other coming on March 14, 2009 vs. Michigan. Taylor’s teammates also turned in solid routines on beam to continue Georgia’s day, with McComb leading off with a season-best 9.850 and the freshman duo of Couch and Christa Tanella adding 9.900s – both career highs. McCool then wrapped it up with a 9.900. The Georgia total of 49.550 was a season-best in the event, and after UCLA totaled a 49.425 on floor, Georgia took back the slight lead at 148.325-148.225 after three trips.

The last stop was floor, where the Gym Dogs were started off by Couch’s career-high 9.875 which was followed by Mauro’s 9.950 to mark a career-high for her. Nuccio followed with a season-best 9.875. At that point, through three routines on the final rotation, the score was deadlocked at 168.150. McComb went fourth on floor for Georgia, logging a 9.925 to tie her career-high, while Taylor went next with a 9.900 to tie her season best. That set the stage for the SEC’s Co-Gymnast of the Week McCool, who needed to post at least the 9.900 for Georgia to tie the Bruins. The senior again rose to the occasion, posting the 9.925 to seal the win as Georgia totaled a season-best 49.575 on floor to make it the third event of the day with a season-best score. UCLA finished on beam with a 49.650 – paced by Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs – but the Gym Dogs held on for the slim 197.900-197.875 victory.

“This blows my mind – this is Georgia,” said Tanella. “This is what we’ve worked for. This is who we are and what we’ve been waiting for and trying to show, and finally we did it.”

Georgia and UCLA have combined for the last seven national championships and a total of 15 in their storied histories. The Gym Dogs improve to 33-13 all-time against the Bruins.

UCLA was the fourth consecutive top-10 opponent on Georgia’s schedule.

Today’s meet will air on March 11 at 10 p.m. on CSS.

The Gym Dogs will have a busy weekend in store as they next head to take on No. 12 Michigan on Fri., March 12 at 7 p.m. in Ann Arbor, before returning to Athens to host 25th-ranked N.C. State on Sun., March 14 at 4 p.m. to close out the regular-season.

DIamond Dawgs- FSU Series Preview

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

No. 25 Georgia (6-3) vs. No. 6 Florida State (7-0) in Tallahassee, Fla. (Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium, Capacity: 6,700)

Friday – 6 p.m ET (1340 AM): Matchup: Justin Grimm, RHP, Jr. (1-0, 1.69 ERA) vs. Sean Gilmartin, LHP, So. (2-0, 1.38 ERA)

Saturday – 6 p.m. ET (960 AM or 1340 AM): Matchup: Jeff Walters, RHP, Sr. (0-0, 5.91 ERA) vs. John Gast, LHP, Jr. (2-0, 1.64 ERA)

Sunday- 1 p.m. ET (960 AM or 1340 AM; TV: SUN Sports): Matchup: Michael Palazzone, RHP, So. (2-0, 6.00 ERA) vs. Geoff Parker, RHP, Jr. (1-0, 5.79 ERA)

2010 UGA Stats: http://www.georgiadogs.com/fls/8800/stats/baseball/2010/teamstat.htm?DB_OEM_ID=8800

FAST FACTS ON THE BULLDOGS

*Last Time Out: No. 25 Georgia saw its four-game winning streak snapped Wednesday in Hoover, Alabama as the No. 28 Crimson Tide posted a 13-2 win over the Bulldogs. Georgia made a season-high five errors in the contest. The game did not count in the SEC regular season standings. The teams do not face each other during the SEC season in 2010 or 2011. The neutral site game at Regions Park, site of the SEC Tournament and Double-A Birmingham Barons, is part of a two-year, one-game set between the clubs. In 2011, Alabama will face Georgia at the Gwinnett Braves stadium in Lawrenceville with the Bulldogs serving as the home team.

*Banged Up Bulldogs: Georgia’s starting lineup consists of three freshmen and six sophomores, and the infield has yet to feature all four projected starters. Currently, the Bulldogs are without freshmen starting shortstop Kyle Farmer (out 3-6 weeks due to a broken hamate bone in left wrist) and sophomore second baseman Levi Hyams (sore back). Farmer, who is the team’s second leading hitter at .458, has missed the past three games while Hyams has yet to see action this season. Since Farmer’s injury, third baseman Colby May has moved to shortstop while redshirt freshman Kevin Ruiz and sophomore catcher Christian Glisson have split time at third base. Glisson had never played third base in his career while Ruiz saw some time there in the fall. Meanwhile at second base, freshman Todd Hankins has started all nine games this year. Ruiz along with freshman Robert Shipman filled in the first five games at first base while sophomore Chase Davidson was out with an elbow injury. Davidson has returned to first base the past three games. Hyams might see action in the field during the FSU series and could be back full-time by next week.

*Georgia-FSU Series: FSU leads the series with Georgia 31-24 including 17-12 in Tallahassee. FSU has won the last two meetings including at last year’s NCAA Regional here, posting an 8-2 victory. In that contest, Friday’s projected starter for FSU (Sean Gilmartin) tossed a complete game. The 2010 series will mark the third year in a row that UGA and FSU square off and the fourth time in five years. The weekend series is just the second time since 1987 that the programs are meeting during the regular season. Seven of the last nine games have come in the NCAA Tournament, and the Bulldogs are 4-3 in those meetings. In 2001 under Ron Polk, Georgia advanced to the College World Series by beating FSU in an NCAA Super Regional in Athens and then won the 2006 NCAA Athens Regional, under current coach David Perno, by eliminating FSU, en route to the CWS again.

*Grimm Returns For Unfinished Business: Junior RHP Justin Grimm (1-0, 1.69 ERA) gets the start Friday, and it will be the third of his career at Dick Howser Stadium. As a freshman in 2008, Grimm had a no-hitter going against then No. 3 FSU until he was taken out in the fifth. His line that day was 4.0 IP, 0H, 1R, 1ER, 4BB, 1K. He did not factor in the decision as Georgia fell 8-3 that day in the second game of a doubleheader. Last year at FSU for the NCAA Regional, Grimm got the game one start for the Bulldogs and beat Ohio State 24-8 (5 IP, 6H, 2R, 2 ER, 2BB, 5K).

*Verdin Delivering: Sophomore RF Peter Verdin has hit safely in all nine games this season. He ranks second on the team in batting at .333 and has already eclipsed his production from a year ago. In 2009, he hit .316-2-8 in 46 games including 26 starts. This year, Verdin already has a team-best three home runs and ranks second in RBI with eight. Meanwhile, sophomore catcher/third baseman Christian Glisson leads the club in batting at .462 (12 for 26). The early RBI leader is sophomore LF Johnathan Taylor with 10, which matches his total from a year ago. Taylor is batting .324 and is 4-for-7 in SBA.

*Running And Stopping The Run: Georgia lost quite a bit of power off the 2009 club (school record 109 home runs) so it is utilizing the running game. Through nine games, Georgia is 18-for-21 in stolen base attempts. However with three new Georgia catchers, opponents are having success running the bases against the Bulldogs too, going 18-for-23 on the year.

Whatcha Lookin' At?

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Don’t worry Whitney. Unlike the folks at the TMZ website who captured this photo at an airport in Australia earlier this week, I’m looking at the fly UGA track suit on your friend and not focusing on the fact that you look disheveled.

Lyrics from Whitney Houston’s, Whatcha Lookin’ At?:

“Why you lookin` at me”
Don`t get mad at me
`Cause I`m still gonna be me
(Tell me, Tell me, Tell me)
Whatchulookinat
(Tell me, Tell me, Tell me)
Whatchulookinat
I feel your eyes on me
You been telling lies on me
(Tell me, Tell me, Tell me)
Whatchulookinat
(Tell me, Tell me, Tell me)

SEC Football By the Numbers - 2000-2010

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Overall record
1. Florida 100-30
2. LSU 99-31
3. Georgia 98-31
4. Auburn 88-39
5. Tennessee 83-44
6. Alabama 79-48
7. Arkansas 71-54
8. South Carolina 68-54
9. Ole Miss 63-58
10. Kentucky 50-70
11. Mississippi State 42-76
12. Vanderbilt 34-83

Conference record
1. Florida 61-19
2. Georgia 55-25
2. LSU 55-25
4. Auburn 52-28
5. Tennessee 51-29
6. Alabama 46-34
7. Arkansas 37-43
7. South Carolina 37-43
9. Ole Miss 33-47
10. Kentucky 20-60
11. Mississippi State 20-60
12. Vanderbilt 13-68

Non-conference record
1. LSU 44-6
2. Georgia 43-6
3. Florida 39-11
4. Auburn 36-11
5. Arkansas 34-11
6. Alabama 33-14
7. Kentucky 30-10
8. South Carolina 31-11
9. Ole Miss 30-11
10. Tennessee 32-15
11. Mississippi State 22-16
12. Vanderbilt 21-17

Record against other BCS leagues
1. Georgia 20-5
2. LSU 13-4
3. Kentucky 9-5
4. Florida 12-9
5. Auburn 10-10
5. Alabama 7-7
7. South Carolina 10-11
8. Tennessee 9-11
9. Vanderbilt 6-8
10. Ole Miss 4-7
11. Arkansas 3-8
12. Mississippi State 1-6

Record against non-BCS opponents
1. Auburn 25-0
2. Florida 24-0
3. Georgia 21-0
3. South Carolina 21-0
5. Arkansas 31-1
6. LSU 28-1
7. Tennessee 23-1
8. Ole Miss 26-4
9. Kentucky 21-5
10. Alabama 25-6
11. Mississippi State 21-10
12. Vanderbilt 15-9

Bowl record
1. Mississippi State 2-0
2. Vanderbilt 1-0
3. Georgia 8-2
3. Ole Miss 4-1
5. Kentucky 3-1
6. LSU 7-3
7. Auburn 5-2
8. Alabama 4-3
9. Florida 5-5
9. South Carolina 3-3
11. Arkansas 3-5
11. Tennessee 3-5

Florida, Georgia and LSU were the only SEC teams that went to bowls after every season in the decade.

Bulldog Baseball with Big week

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Big week coming up for Georgia baseball … the Dogs taking care of business, going 4-0 against Presbyterian and Stetson – sweeping a three game set from the Hatters. The Bulldogs play Alabama on Wednesday night in Hoover, site of the Southeastern Conference tournament. It is not a conference game, bama the one team in the SEC the dogs won’t face this year in league play this year. Next season, the Dogs and Tide will play at the Gwinnet braves stadium.

After the clash with Bama in Hoover, the Bulldogs will hit the road to take on Florida State in Tallahassee – the Seminoles yet again a favorite to make a run at the ACC Championship.

In David Perno’s highly successful Bulldog tenure – highlighted by three college world series trips and a pair of SEC Championships – Georgia has regularly has played one of the country’s toughest schedules, and that is the case again this year.
Georgia will be without star freshman shortstop Kyle Farmer, who suffered a broken bone in his hand – the Dogs with an extensive injured list, but when everyone comes back healthy, that means this team could be at its best come May, and then hopefully June.

“Getting Close is Not What We Came Here to do.” Georgia 78, Florida 76

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Dawgs tried to give Florida an NCAA-bid assuring win in Athens Saturday, but Florida just couldn’t quite come up with the second half heroics to beat Georgia. Albert Jackson’s huge block with .1 seconds remaining sealed a 78-76 victory for the Dawgs, and sent the home crowd of 9,262 into a barking frenzy.

After the game, Coach Fox remarked, “We were fortunate the clock ran out. (in the second half)”

The victory was the first SEC home game of 2010 where Georgia did not surrender the lead in the second half.

Notes, Quotes, Pictures and Links Below!

1. While playing on the road has been no fun for the Dawgs this year, this week showed just how difficult playing on the road in the SEC has been across the conference. Tennessee, Florida and Georgia all beat teams at home that they lost to on the road this week. With the SEC Tourney coming up in Nashville, I am starting to like the Dawgs’ chances at making a tournament run on neutral ground.

2. There was a very crowded press area for the game Saturday, and why Bulldawg Illustrated was sitting behind publications like Alligator, GatorCountry.com, and FightinGators.com I have no idea. I did get a pretty good view of the Florida press’ sweet mullets though, so I had that going for me.

3. Georgia was coming off of a heartbreaking loss at Vandy that occurred less than 48 hours before tipoff. The two-day turnaround between games may have been the norm for Mark Fox when he previously coached Nevada in the WAC, but was a definite change of pace for his team. After the game, Fox told reporters that he had been saving his timeouts for the end of the game just so the team could make it all 40 minutes. “During shootarounds I could tell that we were very fatigued.” Explained Fox.

4. Florida, Georgia’s most common basketball opponent, leads the overall series 103-96. Florida has one 12 of the last 14 games. As you probably noticed the basketball series is kind of like déjà vu all over again.

5. The Florida Gators have reached 20 wins for 12 straight years, the longest such streak in the SEC.

6. The Florida game marked the fourth Saturday home game in a row for the Hoop Dawgs. Saturday’s contest marked a departure from the previous three games, however, as the Dawgs did not have to overcome a second-half deficit to win.

7. There are two teams I will never pull for in anything, ever, no matter what. Said teams are Florida and Tech, and just being around the Florida hoops fans quickly reminded me why. One look at the gator chomp, the orange and blue, the denim shorts, it all reminded me why I am all about keeping the World’s Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville. I’m not in love with Jacksonville’s rickety municipal stadium, driving 6 hours to the game, scrambling to find a bus ride from St. Simons to Jacksonville and back or the lovely confines of the Touchdown Tailgating lot.

The biggest reason I say keep the game in Jacksonville is that Florida fans shouldn’t be allowed to come to Athens. Our campus is too nice, too historic, and just flat out too good to be polluted with a bunch of booger eatin’, sister kissin’, aloe rubbin’, arm chompin’ nutbags with gelled hair.

Ah, okay I feel better now. Win or lose, it’s great to be a Gator Hater, but even better to be a Georgia Bulldawg!

They Said It:
Mark Fox:
“That was a hard fought, great game. We beat an excellent basketball team, a team I thought was playing as well if not better than any team in the league.”

On using the Georgia bench
“I told them (the Georgia bench) before the game that we were going to play a lot of players tonight…foul trouble probably forced us to play them a little earlier than we would like.”

On playing on a Thursday-Saturday schedule
“We didn’t operate with much authority in the first half, and it was probably because we were feeling a little sluggish.”

“We were fortunate the clock ran out, we were having a hard time getting stops in the second half.”

“I told (The Georgia team) after the game the other night, ‘you are tough enough to come back and beat Florida…I told the team that it’s important to be tough enough to come back and pick yourself up when you’re down. Getting close is not what we came here to do.”

Richt and Grantham about to do great things

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Coach Richt and Coach Grantham talked to the media today and both were pumped about seeing what the guys will do when they hit the field next week

Richt seems well rested and ready for the next chapter of Georgia football. Grantham seems like he never rests, but remains full of energy. The combination of the two is sure to bring about great things in 2010.

Here is audio of their conversation with the media:

Mark Richt

Todd Grantham

Schedule Talk

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

There has been a lot of conjecture about Georgia’s upcoming football schedule and how it is not as tough as last year’s – and that is true. The Bulldogs don’t play Alabama or LSU, two of the last three national champions, and instead of playing Oklahoma State of the Big 12 and the PAC-10’s Arizona State, Georgia plays one non-conference foe, Colorado, in addition to Tech, from a BCS league.

But this schedule is still very tough. The South Carolina game in the second week of the season is so important. Steve Spurrier could have his finest offense yet in Columbia.

The Dogs then come home to face Arkansas and Ryan Mallett. Then comes a two game road swing at Mississippi State and Colorado, before coming home to face Tennessee.
The week of the Colorado game, this past year, is the same on the calendar as when the Colorado Rockies, who play just an hour from Boulder, had a national league divisional playoff game with the Dodgers SNOWED out.

The South Carolina game will tell such a huge story, if the Dogs win it, there’s a good chance that Georgia could be 5-1 – or maybe better – at the midpoint of the season. With a loss in Columbia, the Dogs would be saddled with a big mountain to climb towards an excellent season.

Mike Bobo's growth as a coach is very impressive, Ealey, Green, Smith, White and Durham interviews

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Mike Bobo spoke with the media today and his growth as a coach is very impressive. Should be a fun year for the Dawgs.

Here are other interviews:

Bulldawgs in the Pros

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

There is always a lot of hype surrounding the NFL draft. Which Bulldawgs are going on the next level? How are they going to perform? And it’s understandable considering the success of our NFL rookies. But what about the rest of the Georgia athletes moving forward after their college years of eligibility? Here are just a few others that are successful in the professional world of sports.

Kara Braxton
After graduating from the University of Georgia, Braxton has spent five years in the WMBA. The 6-6 Center plays for the Tulsa Shock and averages 9.6 points per game.

Deanna Nolan
Nolan and Braxton weren’t teammates at UGA, but they are now teammates for the Tulsa Shock. The nine-year professional veteran averages 21.6 points per game as a starting guard.

Sherill Baker
Baker graduated from UGA in 2006 and went to high school at Greater Atlanta Christian School. As a guard for the Indiana Fever, she averages 7 points per game.

Bubba Watson
Watson played gold at Georgia in 2000 and 2001 and helped the Bulldawgs to a SEC Championship in 2000. The left-handed golfer turned professional in 2003, and qualified for the PGA tour in 2006. Last year he was 26th in the FedEx Cup standings and has already played in four events this year.

Gordon Beckham
The infielder left Georgia after helping lead the team to the College World Series. He now plays for the Chicago White Sox as a second and third baseman. He has 14 home runs in his career so far and an average of .270.

It is still a little early to be speculating, but there is already talk about some of our Men’s Basketball team will be taking that next step. Although it will be great to see some Bulldawgs in the NBA again, the only next step I am looking at is their game against Florida on Saturday.

4 on the Floor

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The NFL Combine begins this weekend and 4 former Georgia Bulldog football players have been invited to participate. They are Geno Atkins, Rennie Curran, Reshad Jones and Jeff Owens.

I really enjoy reading what the NFL scouting reports have to say about each of the players. You’ll find a direct link to each report at NFL.com by clicking on their name. After reading each overview and analysis, these questions popped into my head:

Atkins: Would he have had such a productive career at Georgia in the 3-4 scheme? Will a couple of players on the current UGA roster fall victim to the switch? If so, which Defensive Linemen will be squeezed out?

Curran: Will Rennie win a role as an NFL linebacker, or will he be more likely find his meal ticket on special teams?

Jones: Can he be coached up to take proper angles and will he learn to become more consistent as a ball hawk? If so, will he become a perennial Pro Bowl Free Safety?

Owens: Will he be looked at as a run stopper only? Will he be asked to add weight to his 300 lb frame?

Good luck to all four of these Bulldogs up in Indianapolis this weekend and next week. They will be put through a barrage of physical activities and tests of their mental acumen. I can’t wait to hear what they each score on the infamous Wonderlic exam. Last year Stafford’s 38 on the Wonderlic cemented his future as the # 1 draft pick as he outscored Matt Sanchez by 10 points. Click the direct link for a sample test and see if you are closer to a Matt Stafford or a Darren Davis, a former running back from Iowa State who scored a 4.

Lady Dogs need a Win

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Lady Dogs are back in action tonight in Columbia, in desperate need of a win. South Carolina beat Georgia 52-42 on February 7, picking up just its second ever win in Athens in 15 tries. The Lady Dogs raced to an 18-1 start, highlighted by a thrilling Stegeman Coliseum victory over Tennessee, but its been downhill for Georgia since. The Lady Dogs have stunningly lost six of their last eight.

A Sunday setback at Florida was the most frustrating of the losses, as Georgia was beaten badly on the boards and missed out on numerous scoring opportunities.

The Lady Dogs are 7-7 in the league and 20-7 overall – the 25th 20 win season in the program’s history under the watch of hall of fame coach Andy Landers.

The big question with this team is, do they have a second wind?
Unfortunately it hasn’t looked that way.

Georgia has struggled on the road, posting just a 2-5 record in league play away from home. The Lady Dogs will be an underdog tonight, then wrap up the regular season Sunday at home against Arkansas.
Then comes the SEC Tournament at the Gwinnett Arena in Duluth. There will be no first round bye for Georgia. And after that win over Tennessee, no one would have predicted that.

UGA Spring Sports Calendar sponsored by Georgia Spa Co.

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Print a copy of the Spring Sports Calendar and keep up with the multiple Dawg teams!

Bulldawg Illustrated Athens Issue #4 is out and here online, check it out! (best one yet!)

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Click on the cover below and flip page by page and enjoy the issue!

Game Blog: UGA 76, Alabama 70

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

We all have heard the old saying, “There ain’t nothing like being a Bulldawg on a Saturday night!”

…And on this Saturday in Athens, it sure beat being an Alabama man.

Georgia moved to 12-13 (4-8) with a big home win over Alabama Saturday. The victory underscored this team’s ability to continually bounce back from disappointing games, as Georgia collapsed down the stretch earlier this week against Tennessee in Knoxville.

Stegeman was rocking for the closing 10 minutes while Georgia scraped, clawed and eventually dunked their way back from facing a 13 point defecit with 11:39 to play, the largest lead of the night for either team.

B.I. Photos from the Scene

Saturday was Mark Fox’s first win over a Western Division team, and your humble correspondent could not be happier about his choice of victim. Notes, quotes and links below.

1. There were a lot of Alabama fans in Stegeman on Saturday. In that sad state to the west, the football bandwagon knows no bounds, how else do you explain so many fans traveling to see a 14-12 squad play Georgia?

I really despise Bama. Since they are no longer annual rivals for UGA, a lot of younger fans see their pretty campus, Greek revival buildings, and little knacks like wearing houndstooth and listening to “Sweet Home Alabama” non-stop as charming. I am not one of those fans.

2. The Late, Great Lewis Grizzard loved to pick on Alabama. His RC and a Moon Pie story is one of my all-time favorites. (The link is to a Grizzard impersonator, fyi) Here are some other Alabama jokes to keep you remembering who the enemy is

What do Auburn and Alabama fans have in common? None of them graduated from the University of Alabama.

In Tuscaloosa, extensive research recently uncovered a new use for local cows: milk.

Photos from the BCS Trophy’s arrival in Alabama

…Alright, I feel better now

3. Crowd makeup: Stegeman’s upper sections were packed, but the season-ticket sections in the lower bowl were more sparsely attended.

What does it matter?

Even at Georgia’s current record, “Joe Georgia fan” is coming out to the games. That hasn’t happened in the past. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Mark Fox’s coaching style has put a shot of excitement in Stegeman, I think the real question is how long will it last?

4. A win tonight will equals Georgia’s 2009 victory total and surpasses the total number of SEC wins from 2009. Last year’s Georgia’s schedule was ranked 74th among 348 Division One Schools, this year Georgia’s schedule is ranked 9th in the land.

5. Georgia and Alabama have been facing off in basketball every year since 1947. Bama leads the series 88-46. Ouch. Georgia is 6-4 against Alabama in Athens since 1992 when the SEC expanded to 12 teams.

7. This afternoon’s game had a football-like feel to it. Stegeman was booming, a big SEC school was in town, and Brook Whitmire was filling in over the PA system. Even the band broke out some solid 4th quarter songs from football games.

And the most tell-tale sign that this program is on the rise? Lots of fans wandering around outside with two fingers up in the air, hoping to grab a last minute ticket.

I loved the intensity and can’t wait to see Georgia basketball games take on a character of their own as this program gets better. The incoming renovations should go a long way towards establishing a distinctively new feel on South Campus.

8. Trey Thompkins posted a double-double, leading the team in scoring rebounds at 21 points and 17 boards.

They Said It…

Georgia Head Coach Mark Fox:

“I was really proud of our team for the determination they showed. We were so determined to come back and win and I was extremely pleased with our effort the second half. We beat a very good basketball team tonight. I have a lot of respect for Coach [Anthony] Grant and the kids at Alabama. It’s a good win for us.”

On Play of Trey Thompkins
“We told a lot of our guys that they have played enough minutes that they needed to play like upperclassmen….Trey finished the game like an upperclassmen tonight.”

Trey Thompkins
“We’re bound to make mistakes and so are they, let’s just hope they make a couple more than we do and tonight it just so happened we took advantage of what they did.”

Old recruiting tales ...

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

There are some curious and interesting recruiting stories which have taken place through the years. One story had to do with a coach who made the assessment that the best way to recruit a kid was through the mother. Every overture, every pitch was directed to the recruit’s mother.

The conclusion of the story brought this punch line. “I did the best job ever with a player’s mother. She, in fact enrolled with us, but her son went to Ohio State.”

A story I like involved my long time friend Johnny Majors of Tennessee. During the fall season, most head coaches host a series of recruiting meetings each week to establish personnel objectives and updates on recruiting. The usual routine is to start with one coach and go around the conference table with each assistant updating the staff on the players in his recruiting territory. He rates each player and explains how the prospect could help the team. How the school stands with the kid is part of the conference table routine along with an analysis of his academic and conduct performances.

A particular assistant coach explained to the Tennessee staff that he was recruiting a back that would make the Volunteer team his freshman year, “the best back I have ever seen.” The assistant continued with his evaluation and brought up something of a disclaimer at the end. “But…he comes from a bad background,” the assistant said. “Very bad. In fact, he saw his daddy chop his mama’s head off with an axe.”

The atmosphere in the room became still and tense. Majors remembers thinking in a few short seconds that it surely would be a liability for his team to take a player with that kind of baggage. The old head on the staff was George Cafego, former Tennessee star player and a long time assistant.

Majors, who often deferred to Cafego for his sage advice, turned and said, “What do you think, Coach Cafego?” Without cracking a smile, Cafego said, “Hell, I think we ought to recruit his daddy.”

Moving from the light side, one of the most interesting recruiting campaigns for Georgia followed the 6-5 season in 1979. Herschel Walker would be a freshman in 1980, and almost every major college in the country tendered a scholarship offer to Herschel who kept the guessing game going on his decision. Signing day came and went. He didn’t sign in February. He didn’t sign in March. Finally on Easter Sunday 1980 he announced is decision. He would be a Bulldog.

Georgia coaches told Mike Cavan, who led the recruiting effort for Herschel, that he should pay taxes in Wrightsville since he had spent so much time there. There were some skeptics, believe it or not, wondering that with Herschel’s straight ahead speed, if he could run over linebackers in the Southeastern Conference like he did in Class A competition. We know the rest of the story.

An interesting scene later developed with Tom Landry, when he was coaching the Cowboys, who had gone from perennial playoff contender to an also ran, which often happens in the NFL. You can’t stay on top forever. One day I interviewed Landry in his office at Valley Ranch about Herschel. He had planned to build the Dallas team back into a contender with Herschel as the centerpiece of his offense. “If we can find a way to get him past the line of scrimmage, there is not telling how dominant a player he can be,” Landry said. Soon afterwards, Jerry Jones was hired and Landry was let go. Jimmy Johnson, who succeeded Landry, and Jones traded Herschel to the Minnesota Vikings.

While all the fuss was going on with Herschel’s late signing episode, the Bulldogs, with one scholarship left, took their time evaluating a tall, lanky defensive back from Huntsville, TX. Nobody gave Terry Hoage a big rush like Herschel. Hoage didn’t have great top speed, something he didn’t consider a liability when it came to making plays. Coaches however would look at his 4.6 speed and downgrade Hoage’s rating. One Southwest Conference coach said of Hoage. “He has just enough speed to get you beat.”

Vince Dooley, like all coaches, was always concerned about things like speed and quickness. “There is one thing that we knew, however,” Dooley said. “We knew we wouldn’t have to worry about his eligibility,” referring to Hoage’s impeccable academic standing. Bill Lewis, then defensive coordinator, and Steve Greer, after considerable time watching film of Hoage, recommended him for a scholarship. In his career, Hoage made almost as many big plays on defense as Herschel did on offense.

That was the story of the 1980 recruiting class for the Bulldogs. They signed two Superstars: The most sought after running back and the least sought after rover back. Each brought great dividends.

New inside linebacker's coach, Warren Belin speaks with media

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

It’s been a fast and furious hour, as Georgia’s new inside linebacker’s coach Warren Belin had a teleconference with the media at 11:30 a.m., minutes after Tiger Wood completed his first appearance in three months.

Coach Belin’s demeanor seems to be calm and cool, much like Mark Richt.

He said his philosophy on coaching centers around three things:

(1) Honesty
(2) Fairness
(3) 100% effort and attitude on and off the field

Obviously those will go along way to improving the Red and Black defense in 2010.

There were two things that impressed me most about Belin during his teleconference.

In the beginning the first thing he did was thank Vanderbilt and their head coach, Bobby Johnson for the opportunity given to him over the last eight years.

And then at the end, rather than trying to compare the linebacker talent levels of Vanderbilt and Georgia, he simply said he looked forward to working with the Bulldog players. In my mind, which I appreciated, he didn’t answer the question because one week into his new job there really was no way to do so.

Belin did say special teams duties had been discussed and that all the staff members are fine tuning their roles.

Godspeed to all our new coaches. Looking forward to seeing the progression when spring practice begins in a few weeks.