That is How You Finish a Drill
There was a lot of concern in the Bulldog Nation as to how the Georgia Football team would handle the adversity of losing almost their entire defensive staff. On top of that, there were rumblings of growing dissatisfaction among the players. Many fans thought the players were not motivated to play in a lesser bowl game, especially a game that would disrupt Christmas.
I must say the defense answered the call, with a true bend but don’t break effort, holding Texas A&M, the best offense in the Big 12 to only twenty points. The offense did look inept because Joe Kines Aggie defense was not going to let the Dawgs run the ball, but put the game in Joe Cox’s hands. It was working too until the Georgia special teams took the game over.
After Texas A&M scored their first touchdown, the Dawgs immediately reversed the momentum with 17 points created by special teams. Brandon Boykin returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown, Baccari Rambo blocked a punt to set the Dawgs up on the two yard line and then Blair Walsh kicked a 49 yard field goal.
This wave of kicking game excellence, which also included a blocked field goal by Geno Atkins, bought enough time for the offense to finally get going and the Dawgs ended up with 44 total points, a Georgia Bowl game record. Not bad for the “worst team” in the Mark Richt era. The eighth win of the year put CMR at 90 wins in his 9 years at UGA, a remarkable record.
I’ll be honest. With all the seeming negativity swirling about the program this past month, I didn’t know what to expect in this game. Someone deserves alot of credit for putting this team in a position to win. Mark Richt? Sure. Rodney Garner? Absolutely. His D-line pressured Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson all night. Apparently defensive G.A. fill-ins Todd Hartley and Mitch Doolittle did a great job as well. Kudos to them.
But what I was most impressed with was a group of players that exhibited enough pride to rise above all the negativity and doubt to Finish the Drill, one last time. Go Dawgs!
McCollum in the Mix?
Georgia Bulldog fans may or may not know the name Andy McCollum. I will explain shortly why you should. Andy and I both played football at Marietta High School and graduated in 1977. Andy was our quarterback and went on to play for the Austin Peay Governors. He grew out of the quarterback position and played tight end and even some guard before his playing days were through.
McCollum started his coaching career at Middle Tennessee and was there from 1981-1988, coaching all the skill positions on both sides of the ball and special teams at one point or another. From there he went to Texas-El Paso and coached linebackers/wide receivers and special teams from 1989-1993. Baylor hired McCollum in 1994 and Andy became defensive coordinator and associate head coach in 1995. This was when Baylor was good. Middle Tennessee State hired McCollum away in 1999 to be it’s head coach and Andy laid the foundation for MTSU’s present success on the FBS level. He is now wrapping up his third year as NC State’s linebacker coach.
Now, why am I talking about Andy McCollum? Because coaches at Georgia and Georgia Tech are talking to him. In recent days both programs have touched base with McCollum. Why? Because they know he’s a quality coach from Georgia that knows Georgia and recruits Georgia very, very well. Both the Dawgs and Yellow Jackets are looking to retool their defensive staffs although UGA has a head start in the process. Depending on how the DC scenario plays out in Athens, Andy McCollum might be a complimentary piece of the puzzle for the Dawgs.
I certainly hope so.
Tell me what you really think!