Resurrection Day
The Georgia Bulldogs did not walk, they ran out of their tomb yesterday. Led on to the field by their Head Coach for the first time ever, the Dawgs responded with an energy not seen in Sanford Stadium in quite a while. It was great to see.
Mark Richt seemingly pressed all the right buttons(Click here), from tougher practices to getting off the bus dressed and ready to play, to the aforementioned run through the Redcoats, it was a great game for the Dawgs. There were many great calls on Saturday, but the best may have been Honorary Captain Boss Bailey’s pre-game speech. It sounds like Boss’s passion for Georgia Football shone through in a way some of the player’s had never, ever seen.(Click here)
Awesome!
If there was a theme for this game it’s “Where preparation met opportunity”. Tennessee did plenty to help the Dawgs Saturday, but the fact that we were in position to take advantage makes all the difference.
Aaron Murray continues to lead the way, distributing the ball 17 times to 7 different receivers. That’s a very important development. It’s only going to create problems for defenses down the road. We do however need to be able to run more effectively and not expect Aaron to carry so much of that load. We don’t need him hit as often as he’s being hit.
He’s a tough nut though!
Now it’s time to turn the page. Vanderbilt is next and I hope the CMR magic continues. Thanks to Bernie and Nama for the tickets and for the other offers to help an old Dawg see this great game! We’ll see you in Athens sometime soon.
A.J. always looks good, even wearing orange!
What’s Red, Black & Green All Over?
I don’t know, but it’s worth $1,000 and a four game suspension apparently. Georgia’s AJ Green has been suspended for three additional games, pending a UGA appeal for selling a game worn jersey to someone technically considered an agent.
The Dawg Nation is beside their collective selves, which is understandable. What I don’t understand is why they consider AJ a victim. He knew the rule and he broke the rule. If you think the rule sucks fine, but don’t place victim status on him.
AJ was and is dead wrong. I have no love for the NCAA, but just as in any real world working relationship, there is the “BOSS” and the “employee”. The NCAA controls the activities and the amateur status of athletes under scholarship at their member institutions.
Unlike other decision makers, the NCAA has chosen to up the ante in order to nip this type of thing in the bud. Four games is harsh, but harsh was what was called for, I guess.
As a Georgia fan, I am convinced that we have plenty of offensive weapons to survive the early slate of games. Our defense is the question and many of those questions have already been answered in a near shut out of Louisiana Lafayette.
The Dawgs will survive this nightmare. I believe it to my core.
AP Lazy Picking All-SEC
The Georgia Bulldogs had three 1st team All-SEC members announced by the AP today. WR AJ Green, LB Rennie Curran and P Drew Butler were easy choices as they were statistically superior compared to other players. By statistically superior, I mean “most” or “highest”. AJ was second in yards per game recieving(83.4). Rennie led the league in tackles(122) and Drew far outdistanced the other punters in gross average by over five yards(48.8). Net punting was a little closer. So far so good.
Kickers as you know are different, all the way down to how you judge who had a better season or career. Obviously the AP voters chose Leigh Tiffin over Blair Walsh because Tiffin had 29 field goals and Blair only made 19. Forget the fact that Tiffin had eleven more attempts than Blair. Forget the fact that Tiffin actually had misses of 36, 39, 43, and 49 yards and three missed PAT’s. He also had a long kick of 50 yards. Forget that Blair on the other hand missed one kick of 32 and one of 55 yards, period. He did not miss a PAT(37-37). He was 4-5 from over 50 yards with a 50, 51, 52 and a long of 53 yards.
Blair also had 17 touchbacks on 67 KO’s(25%). Tiffin had 13 on 89 KO’s(15%). There is no easy and quick way to know how many of these kick-offs were deep attempts, so I’ll just leave it at face value. Georgia fans know Blair was not allowed to kick deep at times, so his numbers could have been even better.
To make a long story a little shorter, Blair got hosed. I’m sure he knows it, and numbers don’t lie. He should have been 1st team.
Tiffin had better not win the Groza Award. That should probably go to Kai Forbath of UCLA, who is 26-29 on field goals. All three of his misses are from over 50 yards. Not bad.
Congratulations Blair on an All-American type year, much less All-SEC.
Spread the Love Folks
The Georgia Bulldogs’ 31-24 win over Auburn was a very pleasant surprise. Particularly after spotting the Tigers 14 points on the first two possessions. It was looking bad for the good guys, but then A.J. Green got hurt. Wait, did I say that right? Like it was a positive thing? I would never wish that on anyone. I hope A.J. heals up quickly, we need him, but to persevere and win without him was huge to me.
Early in the season A.J. was our team, making catch after miraculous catch. To progress to a point where we can beat a pretty good Auburn team without him is immeasurable. The growth of our O-line and running backs is gratifying to see. The young receivers like Israel Troupe having their chance and making the most of it. Tavares King could be an awesome compliment to A.J. Green in the future.
I have to also say that the defense came to play. The Auburn no-huddle offense and what I bet were scripted plays really put us on our heels. The third possession seemed to stop the hemorrhaging and whether it was swagger or something else, it was fun to watch. Even though there could have been more, the two interceptions were a delightful change of pace as well.
Blair Walsh continued to impress with his sixth career field goal over 50 yards, with four this season. This kick moved him into a four-way tie for second place in career field goals over 50 yards. Alan Leavitt, The Blogger himself and Brandon Coutu also had six. If he continues to have the opportunities and stays healthy, obviously he is on pace to break a very special record held by Kevin Butler(11). The younger Butler(Drew) had a disappointing night, only punting for a 47.4 average on 5 punts. His season average plummets to 49.0. I guess being on the Ray Guy watch list went to his head. Just kidding folks.
I tell you, Dawg fans have been super critical of the coaching staff, sometimes for good reason. My belief is when they pull things together you should acknowledge that as well. The sign of good coaching is when a player and/or team gets better over time. This team has gotten better the last four games, the Florida game notwithstanding. They may win out, which I would not have predicted 48 hours ago.
Randall Cobb of Kentucky gave us fits last year and Tech is a well oiled machine, but shtuff happens, as we have seen all too often this year. Maybe we can make some shtuff happen and make someone choke on their Thanksgiving leftovers. You know who I’m talking about!
At Georgia, Team Means Team
The Georgia Bulldogs are 3-1 after Blair Walsh’s last second field goal against Arizona State. The Dawgs kept ASU in the game with turnover after turnover. At one point in the fourth quarter, I was pretty sure no one wanted to win this thing. Then it seemed the Sun Devils wanted it more. Luckily for the Bulldog Nation, A.J. Green wanted it most.
A.J. caught 8 balls for 153 yards which is basically a normal night for this superior talent. I am pretty sure A.J. was recruited for his offensive prowess, but has now proven to be a shot blocker as well. His block of a 37 yard field goal with 4:31 to go in the game, opened the door for Blair Walsh’s heroics.
Ugly does not adequately describe this game. Believe me, I have seen ugly. I played for the Dawgs when winning ugly was raised to an art form. Plus, I went to O’Malley’s many a Tuesday night in 1980-81…..but that’s another blog post for another day!
Believe me, I know how hard it is to watch a Bulldog team where absolutely nothing is assured. Life for these Dawgs really is like a box of chocolates. Too bad it’s Ex-lax. My stomach can’t take this stuff man! One week it’s the offense that struggles, the next the defense stinks and then there’s the kick-off coverage(special teams). On the flip-side, when one is down another picks up the slack, and that’s a very good thing.
It’s the epitome of “TEAM”.
I have said it before. Finding a way to win when things aren’t perfect is a rare commodity. How many times have you seen the Dawgs win games they had no business winning, ten, twenty, a hundred? If you are an “OLD DAWG”, you’ve seen it plenty.
Prepare to see it again soon, at a stadium near you!
What’s that Coming Down the Track?
A serious, full fledged heart attack. If the Georgia Bulldogs continue to ride this roller coaster they’re on, taking pre-game medications will become a part of the tail-gating ritual. Do you want a Beta-Blocker Burger or a Digitalis Dog? Last Saturday I failed to take care of things before the game and by the second half I was feeling my blood pressure soar!
The only good thing about this ride we’ve been on is that we have such an upside. I feel like our defense is like Forrest Gump before the braces came off his legs. They are being held back. Let ‘em run Forrest! To be fair, our guys have been a patchwork of players trying to deal with injuries and suspensions. This week should be better as some of the missing pieces like Justin Houston come back.
Offensively we saw flashes of what could be. Richard Samuel, AJ Green, Branden Smith and Orson Charles all showed signs of fulfilling the promise of their recruiting hype. Caleb King will probably see his first action of the season. The fact that Marlon Brown and Rontavious Wooten are still waiting in the wings, is very exciting. Logan Gray, the one snap wonder, has to be a little frustrated. It would be better to not play at all, than to go in for no apparent reason.
I really believe we need to continue to give these young guys reps because they need to get over any jitters now. Let them build some confidence, so as the conference schedule progresses and Halloween approaches, this arsenal of weapons could be formidable. Sounds like Coach Richt may understand the need to open things up more and more. I hope so.
Georgia Fans…A Little Something Sweet
Georgia Football fans should know. This blog will never “rival” the big boys for news and numbers. That’s the meat and potatoes of an online fan feast. I don’t want it to be like all the other blogs. Many have good well rounded information, like a helping of your favorite veggies. There are a few of these blogs with enough flavor to pass as a really good dessert. But I want Roughing the Kicker to be that place that when you are too full from the main course, you hold off. Then on your way home you stop by for something a little different…a special treat. I call it Blaagen Dazs. It may not be something you want to consume every day, or maybe your metabolism can take a daily helping. Who knows?
Below you will find a listing of flavors you can expect in the future:
*One flavor that has been discontinued is the Rocky Road…too much of that last year* Some new favorites are expected to be the Joe Cox Strawberry… The A.J. Green “Mint Chocolate”… The Blair Walsh Irish Cream… Justin Anderson Vanilla Bean? …and introducing Rookies and Cream for freshman only…. and all Dawg Fans love Bark Chocolate…lol…Boy, I amuse myself sometimes.
Tell me what you really think!