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The Junkyard Blawg

The Loudest Block I Ever Heard

I've been feeling nostalgic about the 2002 Georgia Bulldogs this week. This Wednesday was the 20th anniversary of Georgia beating Auburn to win the SEC East for the first time in program history. This nostalgia had me thinking about the 2002 trip I took up to Kentucky. The Dawgs absolutely dominated Kentucky that day, 52-24. David Greene and DJ Shockley combined to throw six touchdown passes, setting a school record (Note: that record has since been matched twice, including by Stetson
Jim Wood

Jim Wood in The Junkyard Blawg

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Dawgs Central Shows

My God a Podcast! Kentucky Preview

Jim and John preview Georgia’s matchup with Kentucky and answer listener questions. Please visit our presenting sponsor, AXIA Time, at axiatime.com. Use code mygodapodcast at checkout for 10% off!   Use our special link zen.ai/mygod and use our code “mygod” to save 30% off your first three months of Zencastr professional. #madeonzencastr
Jim Wood

Jim Wood in Podcasts & Shows

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CFP Central

Week 11 - Getting Closer to the End

CFP Focus Sharpens After the Pac 12’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, the path for a P5 non-champion has expanded considerably.  As we noted last week, the seemingly difficult conflicts (i.e., Tennessee vs Oregon) usually seem to work themselves out.  We remain highly confident (90+% confidence interval) that a one loss B12 champion TCU and one loss P12 champ USC would be in the CFP over any one loss P5 non-division winner (i.e., Tennessee, OSU-Michigan loser).  TCU's path i
MDC-NYC

MDC-NYC in Nerding Out

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Dawg Stats

Monken is Gonna Monken

@Graham Coffeywrote about the run game in his 12 Takeaways yesterday.  And, I don't know what else to add, but I am sure that he and @Jon Tweets Sportswill have a breakdown on that aspect of the Georgia offense versus Mississippi State. But, while it is worthing recognizing that the MSU did absolutely sold out on the run, Georgia did score 38 non-garbage time points and saw key plays made by Jackson, Washington, Bowers, and McConkey.  Here is the offensive output from Saturday: Ok
Josh Hancher

Josh Hancher in Stats and Highlights

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Dawg Stats

Updated National Metrics and Ranks

Hard to argue with the statistical resume that Michigan and Ohio State isn't the game of the year.   Both teams in top 5 of all metrics and only Michigan's offensive yards per play isn't close to being national leader.   Dawgs played sloppy game, but still near top of most categories.   Curious to what the CFP shake up will be.  Tennessee will remain in the catbird seat for the 4th spot.  USC 6th?  Will Clemson jump Bama? My Top 10 Georgia Ohio State Michigan TCU
Josh Hancher

Josh Hancher in National Stats

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The Junkyard Blawg

Last Win at Mississippi State

It's been 17 years since Georgia won a football game at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. To be fair, Georgia has only lost one game at Mississippi State in the same span. The opening stat is really just a function of how infrequently these teams play. It is a little crazy that this is only the 26th meeting all time between these two founding members of the Southeastern Conference. But let's go back to that 2005 game. If you know me, you know that I spend a good bit of time at Fripp Island
Jim Wood

Jim Wood in The Junkyard Blawg

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Riverbend Rundown

A look ahead to the 2023 offensive depth chart

It's November 2022, and Georgia is currently ranked #1 in every recognized poll. They also have an inside track to the SEC Championship game, high odds to make the playoff, and perhaps even repeat as national champions.  After setting a modern era NFL record with 15 players drafted off of last year's championship team, many assumed that 2022 would be a rebuilding year for Georgia. So far that has not been the case.  Reader: "You're getting way ahead of yourself, dude!"   Me: "Buckle up
Craig Lawson

Craig Lawson in Column

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CFP Central

Week 10 Update

CFP Musings Our goal is to convey the statistical picture that teams have painted for themselves to inform readers of their relative strength as the march to the CFP continues.  The in season weekly rankings show is merely TV programming, as the rankings themselves have no bearing on the final rankings.  Further, the committee often contradicts itself week-to-week to rationalize the current order before a TV audience and will have a different rationale for the final ranking.  The reality is
MDC-NYC

MDC-NYC in Nerding Out

1
Dawgs Central Shows

My God a Podcast! Mississippi State Preview

Jim and John preview Georgia’s matchup with Mississippi State and answer listener questions. Please visit our presenting sponsor, AXIA Time, at axiatime.com. Use code mygodapodcast at checkout for 10% off!     Use our special link zen.ai/mygod and use our code “mygod” to save 30% off your first three months of Zencastr professional. #madeonzencastr
Jim Wood

Jim Wood in Podcasts & Shows

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Dawg Stats

Miss State Stats Quick Hitter

I dropped a stats overview of the upcoming matchup in the forum and on the Twitter.  Did some more numbers looking at the game and here is some deeper dives.   I was not watching the State and Auburn game and glad I didn't.  And I will not be pulling plays for @Jon Tweets Sports and @Graham Coffey.   Not sure anyone wants to look at two offense who both went under 40% success rate and not sure of it's value.  Working on the State games versus UK and Texas A&M. Mississippi Sta
Josh Hancher

Josh Hancher in Mississippi State

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Dawg Stats

Updated National Data... Dawgs slip to #2 in Offensive Success Rate.

I was not surprised to see Georgia fall from the top rated Offensive Success Rate rank, but I was surprised to see by whom. Here are the Update Numbers Sorted By Wins then Offensive Yards Per Play with Power 5 Ranks   Here are the Update Numbers Sorted By Wins then Defensive Yards Per Play with Power 5 Ranks   Here is a file which I normally share on the forum and the paid members, but I'll share with you guys so you see what we do on
Josh Hancher

Josh Hancher in stats

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Dawg Stats

Dawgs Bury Vols with Early Dominance

Georgia sent a message to college football that the title will run through Athens as Bulldogs jumped on the #1 Volunteers with big plays in first half and 60 minutes of crushing defense.  Tennessee was the leading scoring team in college football averaging almost 50 points a game.  Georgia held them to 3.9 yards per play, 13 points, and 37% offensive success rate.  Seems good. Georgia's offense was humming in the first half.  Monken schemed several big plays and averaged 8.3 Yards and 54%
Josh Hancher

Josh Hancher in stats

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Field St Forum

2024 4* LB Demarcus Riddick Commits to UGA

Recruiting couldn't be going much better for the defending national champions. The Georgia Bulldogs have the No. 2 class in the nation this cycle and have as many as 179 top targets planning to visit for the historic matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers tomorrow. Kirby Smart and company also had the No. 2 class in 2024 until about 30 minutes ago. Now it is the No. 1 class in the nation after four star linebakcer Demarcus Riddick announced his decision to Commit to the G. Riddick is the 43r
Jason Brassell

Jason Brassell in 2024 Recruiting

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Inside UGA With Graham Coffey

Advanced Stat/Scheme Preview: Georgia vs Tennessee

And we’re back… This time, we’re ramping up to preview the biggest game to be played in Athens since I’ve been alive. This game has so many storylines it can be hard to cut through the noise. It has been billed as Georgia’s great defense against Tennessee’s great offense. Unfortunately for the national media, Georgia also has a great offense. Tennessee has a defense as well. Is it great? No. But its style of play is aided by knowing its offense will score points. To this point is has had th
Graham Coffey

Graham Coffey in Advanced Stat/Scheme Game Previews 2022

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The Junkyard Blawg

Unprecedented Territory

For every game preview episode of My God a Podcast, we solicit questions. This week, we got a doozy from our friend Zack. I really struggled to answer this. On the podcast, I said the closest game I could think of was 2018 Kentucky. I'm sure that isn't a popular answer, but here was my logic. That game was after the Florida game, and the SEC East was on the line. My other thought was 2002 Auburn, as we had to win that game to win the SEC East and advance to our first ever SEC Cham
Jim Wood

Jim Wood in The Junkyard Blawg

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Dawgs Central Shows

My God a Podcast! Tennessee Preview

Jim and John preview Georgia’s matchup with Tennessee and answer listener questions. Please visit our presenting sponsor, AXIA Time, at axiatime.com. Use code mygodapodcast at checkout for 10% off! Use our special link zen.ai/mygod and use our code “mygod” to save 30% off your first three months of Zencastr professional. #madeonzencastr
Jim Wood

Jim Wood in Podcasts & Shows

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Field St Forum

Five Most Iportant Visitors for Georgia vs Tennessee

You've probably heard this more than once and you'll probably hear it a few more times. This historic matchup in Sanford Stadium featuring the #3 Georgia Bulldogs against the #1 Tennessee Volunteers is attracting a ridiculous amount of talent. In all honesty, it's probably the most highly rated recruits to ever be in Athens on a gameday..............and we've had some good ones. So who are the most important visitors? Who are the ones to keep an eye on? Are there any who could be on commit
Jason Brassell

Jason Brassell in 2023 Recruiting

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CFP Central

Nerding Out - Week 9 Edition

Like many of you, I am confident in UGA’s chances this weekend for a number of reasons.  That said, we all know there are a range of outcomes in sports.  While I believe we have a high probability of winning, the scenarios where we don't are more common than most believe.  Thus, we all need to be mindful that outcomes with only a 20%-33% happen regularly in sports.  Let's all hope this isn't one of those times. Before we get into this week’s Relative YPP Analysis, I want to introduce a new
MDC-NYC

MDC-NYC in Nerding Out

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Riverbend Rundown

Overlooking Florida

I should have posted this earlier, and I meant for it to be a more in-depth piece, but we mentally moved on to Tennessee two days ago so I'll be brief. A friend and fellow Dawg, Jacob Hawk, messaged me after the Vanderbilt game and suggested I write something about how nice it is to live in an age where Georgia can essentially look past the hated Florida Gators. Even with Georgia's sloppy third quarter the game was never really in doubt. It wasn't long ago that a trip to Jacksonville was almost
Craig Lawson

Craig Lawson in Opinion Piece

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Inside UGA With Graham Coffey

DAWGS CENTRAL HOT TAKE TRACKER: UGA vs Tennessee

A #1 vs #2 matchup. The eyes of the entire nation upon Athens, GA… These are optimal conditions for HOT TAKES from all sorts of media types.  We at DawgsCentral believe in doing actual research and giving actual football analysis when sharing our football predictions and opinions. This might shock you… But that isn’t always the case in the College Football media space. Normally we don’t get these types of bold predictions until late in the week, but I’ve seen media types predicting a T
Graham Coffey

Graham Coffey in Narrative Check

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Field St Forum

Official Dawgs Central Prediction - Dawgs Will Get a 5* Soon

Is it FINALLY that time? It has seemed like an eternity that UGA has led for 2023 5* EDGE Samuel M'Pemba. Georgia has really made M'Pemba a priority since this spring and has done an incredible job recruiting the 6'3 240 pounder. The Missouri native who is playing his senior season at IMG Academy has been to Athens multiple times this summer and this fall for Gamedays. The main competition right now for the Dawgs is Tennessee. He took an official visit the weekend the Vols played Alabama. E
Jason Brassell

Jason Brassell in 2023 Recruiting

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  • Dawgs Central Blogs

    1. The Players' Lounge

      A blog by Graham Coffey in The Players' Lounge

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      Graham Coffey

      UGA football linebacker Jalon Walker joins teammates Jacob Hardie and Terrell Foster on TPL Georgia to recap G-Day, his versatile role on defense and what he expects in 2024. 

      You can watch the full conversation here!

       

    2. Field St Forum

      A group blog by Dawgs Central Staff in Articles

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      Jason Brassell
      Latest Entry

      July/August Commit Dates and Quick Hitters

      By Jason Brassell,

      July/August Commitment Dates:

      S Jaylan Morgan (7/8) - Will be surprised if it isn't UGA.

      WR Phillip Wright (7/13) - Visited UGA, but we are full unless your name is CJ Wiley.

      WR Travis Smith Jr (7/13) - Believe Tennessee has been the most consistent here and built the strongest relationship.

      S Rashad Johnson (7/14) - Will be surprised if it isn't UGA.

      S DJ Pickett (7/17) - Dawgs in top 4 (probably 4th). Watch Oregon.

      IOL Cortez Smith (7/20) - Will be surprised if it isn't UGA.

      OLB Byrce Davis (7/20) - Has been All-Dawg for a while. Have heard from more than one place (including Graham reporting here) that we won't have room. I kind of want to bet against those odds here 🙂

      ILB Christian Gass (7/20) - This one is the most interesting. I'm going UGA if we have room. Will try to find out more as we get closer. This will include seeing if anything happens with Jadon Perlotte's commitment before this date.

      S Lagonza Heyward (7/28) - Not UGA. Not a take.

      S Anquon Fegans (7/29) - I don't believe we've been consistent enough. His brother transferred to Auburn. Going with the Tigers here.

      OL Juan Gaston (8/2) - Still love where UGA stands here. Tennessee will push hard. Also don;t discount Oregon the way they've been recruiting. But I'm definitely sticking with my Georgia prediction and with confidence.

      CB/DB Jontae Gilbert (8/10) - We were off and on with him in the beginning because he wanted CB and we wanted S. He worked out in June in Athens and we started recruiting him as a corner. More than one person has told me to watch UGA here.

      OL Josh Petty - (8/12) - Not a take at UGA, too small. I actually like him better as a defensive end. FSU looks like the team to beat, with his sister already in school there.

    3. SEC Football - Rank the Rooms

      A blog by Jason Brassell in Articles

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      I really like doing this series and I'm glad it led to a good discussion. I love that DC/TPL is a place where we don't even have to ask for folks to keep things civil when disagreeing, it's just that way naturally.

      Some of you disagreed with Arch Manning pushing Texas to the #1 spot over UGA due to me having him as the top backup over Jaden Rashada and Gunner Stockton. Some agreed, but that's the fun in this. We don't all have to agree on everything, except the FACT that The University of Georgia is the greatest school in the universe!

      Let's move on to the running backs and see where they stand in the SEC as fall practice nears:

      1. GEORGIA BULLDOGS

      This is again a battle at the top for me between Georgia and Texas. With the Dawgs pulling in Trevor Etienne, I just don’t see a RB room better than this one. Especially with the way Roderick Robinson has been looking in workouts. With Branson Robinson coming off of a big injury, the Dawgs look towards three scholarship freshmen to round out the group.That could be the critique here, but there aren’t any freshmen running backs like Nate Frazier.

      2. TEXAS LONGHORNS

      Texas has seen a lot of success lately from the running back position, especially with the Falcons drafting Bijan Robinson so high. This room may not be quite as talented as the past couple of years, but it’s strong enough to help them in the SEC. CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue were pretty highly ranked coming out of high school and will now be counted on more. They’ll also look to freshmen Jerrick Gibson and Christian Clark to round out the group..

      3. AUBURN TIGERS

      This is one I may have higher than others and pretty much everyone knows by now how much I hate Auburn, but I’m very high on Jarquez Hunter. He’s their workhorse back and I have them over Alabama mostly because of him and his experience. Damari Alston is no slouch behind him and I was also high on Jeremiah Cobb. I also looked at production and I see Auburn running the ball A LOT with Payton Thorne still in as QB1.

      4. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

      Two things are in play here. You can’t deny the talent in the room. Jam Miller leads the room with former five stars Justice Haynes and Richard Young in the mix. You also have to consider Jalen Milroe as a factor. But you also have to consider the fact that this is a new offense that is known to air it out a lot. Will they do the same in Tuscaloosa? How long will it take for the players to hit their stride in the new offense? How much will they run the ball? As talented as the room is, they’re also unproven. The Crimson Tide don’t have a running back with more than 200 yards rushing. This factor added to the questions above puts them a little down the line for me.

      5. FLORIDA GATORS

      I think some underestimate the talent of Montrell Johsnon. He’s been a pretty productive running back for the Gators, running for over 800 yards the past two seasons. I also have them this high because of the offense they run needing production from the running back room. They can try to spin it all they want, but losing Etienne to UGA hurt BAD. Treyaun Webb is one of their top backups and Georgia fans should be familiar with the former Bulldog commit.

      6. OLE MISS REBELS

      Quinshod Judkins transfer to Ohio State should hurt way worse than what I think it actually will. The good thing for the Rebels is that they look to Ulysses Bentley and LSU transfer Logan Diggs to take over. Bentley split time with Judkins last season and ran for over 500 yards. Diggs ran for just over 650 yards for the Tigers. They also have Henry Parrish back.

      7. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

      Dylan Sampson has rushed for over 1000 yards for the Vols in his two years as a backup to Jaylen Wright and Jabari Smith. Cameron Seldon is also a talented back who should get a lot of carries this season. Many people don;t realize how much Tennessee actually runs the ball in their fast paced offense.I have them over Texas A&M because of this factor and the experience of Sampson.

      8. SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

      It’s hard to put a team this low when they have a running back coming in who rushed for almost 1500 yards two years ago, but Rocket Sanders had an injured knee before tearing his labrum last season. If he comes back and looks like the old Rocket Sanders then I’d probably move South Carolina at least to #5 and maybe over Alabama also. Behind Sanders are Oscar Adaway and Djay Braswell, who are decent backup options.

      9. OKLAHOMA SOONERS

      Gavin Sawchuk is the returning starter for the Sooners, rushing for over 700 yards and 9 touchdowns last season as an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. There are two questions you have to ask here. 1. Can he put up that same production week in and week out against SEC defenses? 2. Can he do the same thing with a new starter at quarterback? Former five star Jackson Arnold is talented, but they’re playing GROWN MAN FOOTBALL now.

      10. TEXAS A&M AGGIES

      This one was a hard one because the Aggies’ RB room is composed of some very talented players. They just don’t have the experience of being the lead back that everyone has to count on. Coupled with the coaching changes, I have more questions about this group than answers. With all of the teams above you can point to someone being THE GUY, even if they’re going to rotate some. You just can’t here yet.

      11. MISSOURI TIGERS

      Cody Schrader and his 1600 yards rushing kind of shocked everyone last season, but he is in the NFL now. Can the Tigers pull a rabbit out of a hat again and get anywhere near that kind of production from transfers Marcus Carroll (Georgia State) and Nate Noel (Appalachian State)? If so, they’ll be a tough out again.

      12. LSU TIGERS

      Before researching for this write up, I did not realize the LSU running back room was this inexperienced. Josh Williams ran for over 500 yards in 2022, but regressed to 284 yards last season. He did average over five yards a carry both years though. Kaleb Williams is probably his top backup in his second year, while John Emery is also an option. It’s just a coin toss every week whether the former five star will be in the doghouse or not.

      13. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

      Make no mistake about it…………even though his season ended early last year due to injury, losing Rahem Sanders to South Carolina is a massive loss for a team that needed some good news.That came in the form of Ja’Quinden Jackson transferring in from Utah. He ran for 797 yards and 4 touchdowns for the Utes last season. They also have Rashod Dubinion returning. More good news came in the hiring of Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator (I can’t believe I just typed that). The bad news is that although their schedule is not terrible, Arkansas is still Arkansas. Can Sam Pittman survive the season with a new OC, new QB, and new RB? Things will have to come together FAST.

      14. KENTUCKY WILDCATS

      I’d have the Wildcats lower if Vanderbilt and Mississippi State weren’t in the SEC. Ray Davis had 199 carries last year for 1129 yards and 14 touchdowns. They’re replacing him with a running back who’s never had over four carries in a college football game and four year backup for Arizona State and Ohio State whose best game was 20 rushes for 61 yards and a touchdown for the Buckeyes in their game against Maryland last season. I have A LOT of questions if these are going to be the two main guys former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff is going to be handing the ball to.

      15. VANDERBILT COMMODORES

      Celler dweller Vanderbilt has Sedrick Alexander returning from his 371 yard performance last season and he is the only reason I have them ranked above Mississippi State. That and this might be the only chance I have to not have the Commodores ranked dead last.I do like Chase Gillespie and think he could step up and have a bigger role this season.

      16. MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

      The cowbell people have a new coach who is known for his offensive prowess in Jeff Lebby. The problem is he has one of the least talented rosters in the SEC. I do think Lebby can and will call an offensive according to what he has on his roster, so he’s not just going to air it out no matter what. The Bulldogs have Jeffery Pittman returning, after rushing for 268 yards last season. The big question here for me is Keyvone Lee. He rushed for 438 and 530 yards in his first two seasons at Penn State, then took a back seat in his third year with the Nittany Lions after only appearing in five games due to an injury. After rushing only 25 times for 94 yards in 2022, he transferred to Mississippi State. His stats got worse, as he only registered 12 carries for 75 yards. If he can get back to the old Keyvone Lee, I’d move State above at least Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

    4. UGA Football

      A blog by Jason Brassell in Articles

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      Jason Brassell

      BY GRAHAM COFFEY

      This piece was first written in 2022. It has been updated and republished here for Father’s Day…

      Those of you who have followed my writing at past stops may know a little bit more about my background than some of you who have not. With that in mind, I wanted to use Father’s Day as an opportunity to reflect on both why I am passionate about college football, and why I believe in what we do here at DawgsCentral.

      On the eve of the 2019 season, I tried to make sense of why UGA fans get excited for football season year after year. After all, the prior seasons had brought the following results…

      - Terrence Edwards dropped pass versus Florida in 2002 to give UGA its only loss of the season and cost it a title shot

      - A 2003 team full of talent lost 16-13 to a bad Florida team and 17-10 to eventual national champions LSU on a last minute pass, erasing the jubilation of a miracle 91-yard TD pass on a screen to Tyson Browning

      - The 2004 Dawgs got revenge on the defending champs by putting a 45-16 woodshed job on Nick Saban’s #4 LSU Tigers in Athens (still maybe the loudest day I remember in Sanford Stadium). The Dawgs were up 24-0 before 20 minutes of game time had elapsed. This coronation lead to a 19-14 collapse the next week against a Tennessee team quarterbacked by true freshman Erick Ainge... Tennessee 19 - Georgia 14

      - UGA’s 2005 team started off 7-0 behind Heisman Trophy candidate DJ Shockley. Against a bad Arkansas team, Shockley injures his knee and is forced to sit out for the Florida game… UF 14 - UGA 10 (Bonus points here for losing to Auburn 31-30 the next week on a 63-yard pass from Brandon Cox to Devon Aromoshadu on 4th-and-10)

      - Georgia was the hottest team in the country the last month of the 2007 season. They didn’t play for a national championship for four reasons: 1) A 16-12 loss to South Carolina at home where Tony Wilson dropped a go-ahead TD pass on the goal line late. 2) UGA lost to Tennessee team 35-14 in a game where they simply never got off of the bus. 3) Kentucky blew multiple chances to seal a win versus Tennessee that would have put Georgia in the SEC Championship over UT. The Wildcats had FG’s blocked and blew a late lead over the Vols, leading to a triple-overtime loss. 4) Kirk Herbstreit openly lobbied against Georgia playing for a national championship because he believed a team that didn’t win their division shouldn’t be allowed to play for a title. (This was particularly rough for UGA fans because Herbstreit openly lobbied for Michigan to go to the title after losing to Ohio St in 2006. He also was a proponent for a non-division champ to play in the title game when LSU and Alabama faced each other twice in 2011.)

      - The pre-season #1 Georgia Bulldogs started off 2008 looking like they deserved their ranking. Then they decided to breakout their black jerseys for a Top 5 primetime matchup versus Alabama, but their world was torn asunder in one half. The Tide went up 31-0 late in the second quarter. Georgia’s national title dreams were over.

      - The 2012 SEC Championship loss at the buzzer on Murray’s tipped pass that was caught by Chris Conley. I saw grown men cry. It felt like Georgia would never be back in that position again. 

      - “The Prayer at Jordan-Hare”

      - “The Treon Harris Game” ends in Florida winning 38-20 while rushing for 418 yards on 7 yards per carry. Florida attempted 6 passes in a blowout, and the loss kept a talented UGA team from having a chance at playing in the first CFP.

      - 2016 UGA wasn’t winning any big prizes, but against undefeated Tennessee the Dawgs went up on a Jacob Eason bomb to Riley Ridley with 5 seconds left. An ill advised celebration penalty was followed by a poorly executed squib kick and Tennessee was left at midfield with one play left. Josh Dobbs hits Dejuan Jennings, and Georgia fans everywhere got nauseous

      - 2nd & 26

      - UGA is handling an Alabama offense that was one of the most explosive in SEC history during the 2018 SEC Championship. Georgia was getting so much pressure on Heisman candidate Tua Tagovailoa that he gets knocked out of the game and Jalen Hurts rolls in for a chance at redemption. Hurts gets his Disney movie ending, and Georgia gets another blown 4th quarter lead to the Tide. 

      Those are the major disappointments, but mixed between them were many other what-ifs. As the 2019 campaign approached, it was fair to ask if Georgia was cursed or doomed. You only get so many chances to win it all in college football. Georgia had come close so many times that it felt fair to wonder if they would get over that hump. If not, then it seemed worthwhile to examine why so many fans showed up with the same unbridled enthusiasm year after year.

      Here is part of what I wrote at that time…

      “At some point this fall I’ll get on a plane and fly east for four and a half hours. I’ll leave the town where I live with the woman that I love and our dog that we love. I call that place home. I won’t fly far enough east to get to the town I grew up in where parents I love live down the street from the sister and nephew that I love. I call that place home too. I’ll land in a big city and drive about a hour, traffic permitting. I’ll see family, and I’ll see friends that have become family through so many shared experiences over the years. These are the people who double the joy of a win and halve the pain of a loss. I will tailgate in their company and we’ll meet new friends. Some of them may become family too one day. We will eat pimento cheese sandwiches, fried chicken, deviled eggs and many more Southern things. I will not feel alone.

      I will walk into Sanford Stadium and head towards those same seats. People I haven’t seen for a year will nod in familiarity and smile. With some I’ll exchange a hug before the game. With the rest I’ll exchange hugs after touchdowns and sacks. They won’t ask where I’ve been because we don’t do that here. They’ll see the right color on my shirt and that will be all they need to know. 92,746 people will gather together in the year 2019 and agree completely on something, a substantial miracle. A single trumpeter will stand in the southwest corner of the upper deck, and belt out the first 14 notes of The Battle Hymn of the Bulldog Nation. I will swallow hard and tears will start to form in the corners of my eyes. A video will come on narrated by Larry Munson, and when I hear his voice I’ll think of the parents I love and how their own life choices gave me the gift of Georgia Football. I’ll cry a little harder. I will be in Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. I call that place home. There will be twenty-two men on 120 yards of perfect grass laid out below me. Eleven in that beautiful shade of bulldog red, and eleven more in a shade that no decent God-fearing person would ever wear, at least not on this day. These men will have a brown oblong sphere, a rubber bladder covered in cowhide and stitches. How and where they move it will control the sounds we make. In-between the snaps of the ball that start the movements of those twenty-two men, and the whistles of the officials that end each play, the normal limiting patterns of our minds will not exist. We will transcend.“

      Where time passes differently

      I went to my first college football game on a rainy night in September of 1996. Jim Donnan was in his first season as the head coach at Georgias, and the Dawgs were staring down their first 0-3 start since 1979. Texas Tech came calling in a torrential downpour. The Red Raiders were lead by a Heisman candidate in RB Byron Hanspard, who churned out 214 yards on the ground that night. Georgia looked lost on offense for almost the entire game. Quarterback Mike Bobo had a fumble and an interception on UGA’s first two trips to the red-zone, and was booed on and off for much of the night. The Bulldogs started the 4th quarter down 6-0.

      It was a boring game until it wasn’t.

      Early in the final period, a Bobo sneak gave UGA a 7-6 lead. Hanspard ripped off a 47-yard TD run less than a minute later, but UGA snuffed him out short of the goal line on the two-point conversion.

      Down 12-7 with 3 minutes remaining, Georgia got the ball back 97 yards from the Red Raiders end zone. Bobo hit Hines Ward for a 28-yard gain to get UGA out of the shadow of its own goalpost, and all of a sudden the Dawgs had moved the ball to midfield. A half-full stadium started to gasp and groan, getting progressively louder all the while. People around us who had been casually chatting all game stood up and focused on the field, but the drive started to stall. A few quick incompletions later, and it was 4th-and-10. Georgia was all but done. One more play, and they’d be gone. Then it happened…

      Juan Daniels broke open and Bobo hit him for a 30-yard gain. Suddenly people were hugging and jumping and it was louder in than any half-empty stadium has the right to be. Just a moment later, Bobo targeted Daniels in the back of the end-zone. Despite having a defensive back hanging all over him, Daniels went up and grabbed the ball for a TD. Improbably, the Dawgs were up 13-7.

      The next play is the one I remember. Donnan called a Fake Option End-Around on the two-point conversion try. Hines Ward took the pitch while racing from his WR position, and headed to the far pylon. Ward had one defender to beat, and took off into the air at about the 3 yard-line. He did a flip into the end-zone. Everyone hugged so quickly that I found it confusing, but my Dad grabbed me and lifted me into the air. If I close my eyes, I can still see Ward being “flipped upside down” on that rainy September night. 

      Everyone would hug again when Texas Tech’s tying FG attempt sailed a little bit wide at the buzzer. I was just seven years old on that night, but I fell in love with college football then and there.

      The Georgia teams of my youth weren’t very good, but I loved how the game brought all of my extended family together. My Dad and I had a ton of great times traveling to football games together as I grew older. I was fascinated at that age by how time seems to pass differently in the space between snap and whistle, and I still am today. 

      The great unifier

      My early-twenties didn’t go according to plan. A lot of bad things happened in my life, and I didn’t respond well to them. I withdrew from friends and family, and I struggled to find ways to relate to other people. I was in emotional pain and I didn’t know how to tell anyone that or what to do to fix it.

      I felt like I lived in one reality and everyone else lived in a different one. That wasn’t true of course, but grief and depression can play tricks on one’s mind. It can feel like our challenges are terminally unique, and that only tends to separate us further. I developed unhealthy habits while trying to change the way I felt, but the things I did to try and forget my problems only made them worse. I moved a lot, bouncing around from place to place. What I found was that the whole world is a house of mirrors- No matter where you go, there you are.

      For a few months of the year, I would participate in a group activity called college football. I would have contact with friends I hadn’t talked to in awhile. I found a sense of connection in the rituals of football season and the shared joy/misery of Saturday afternoons. To be part of them, I was forced to ground myself in some small way. It helped me stay tethered.

      As I got older I learned how to ask for and accept help. I started to heal from the events that caused my life to take an unplanned detour. During that time, I sought to rebuild a relationship with my parents. I should mention here that my folks are great people. They never did anything but love their children. I just didn’t know how to relate to them at a certain point, and I didn’t know where to start.

      It was suggested to me that I try calling them every Sunday to say hello.  Those early conversations were hard, and they were sometimes filled with awkward silence. When that silence would hit, my Dad and I almost always turned to college football. There lied a neutral ground where neither of us were short on opinions or words to say. We’d share the latest news from the coaching carousel, or talk about the latest commitments on the recruiting trail. Before long, we were making plans to attend games together. Not long after that, my Dad became a best friend.

      Time moved on and I fell in love with my now wife. When I got married in August of 2021, my Dad stood beside me as my best man. Our Sunday evening phone calls have gone from an awkward 10-15 minutes of surface level chatter to hours long conversations about everything happening in our lives. I still live thousands of miles away from my parents, but we are closer now than ever before.

      College football is magical to me for this reason. It has the power to tear down barriers and bring people together. In one of the most divisive times in human history, our sport is a great unifier. Fathers and sons are likely to disagree at times. On a fall Saturday, they’re going to agree that the referee is blind. They’ll nod knowingly as one says, “We need to hold them to 3 here,” while glancing at the other.

      What brings us back to this sport year after year are all the ways it keeps old friends in our lives and introduces new ones. We gather around tailgates every fall for informal family reunions. Those who have passed feel a bit closer when the band plays the fight song in the dying light of a September evening. It gives us a reason to gather with generations of our own family.

      I wear the analyst hat much more than the fan hat these days. The internet, NIL and the transfer portal have drastically changed college football since Hines Ward “flipped upside down” on that rainy night in September of 1996. Still, the most important thing remains true…

      22 men are on a field with a brown leather ball. What they do with that ball creates emotions that are strong and simple enough to bring us together in spite of ourselves. Those emotions can be enough to remind us there is a place where we belong. They can be enough to build a relationship on. They can be enough to remind us to spend time with one another.

      There is something magical about that.

    5. Breaking News

      A blog by Will Morrison in Articles

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      Will Morrison

      Georgia returned to the hardwood on Tuesday night for a game against Georgia Tech. Mike White and the Bulldogs entered this one on a 3-game win streak. 

      The Yellow Jackets beat #7 Duke last time out, so there was some hype growing around them. The Georgia offense made the first basket of the game and never gave up the lead the whole first half. At the break, the Bulldogs were up 36-20. This was the lowest amount of points Georgia Tech has scored in their season so far. At one point, the UGA defense held them scoreless for over 5 minutes. Georgia Tech couldn't buy a shot in the first half as their field goal percentage was 26.5% (9/34) and three-point percentage was 16.7% (2/12). Tech also had 6 turnovers. Georgia shot 40% (14/35) from the field and 23.5% (4/17) from three. Noah Thomasson led the Bulldogs in scoring with 9 points, including a huge three-pointer to close out the half. 

      In the second half, Georgia Tech was able to cut it to a 12-point deficit at one point but could never get any closer. Georgia won this game 76-62. The Bulldogs shot 40% (26/65) from the field and 30.3% (10/33) from three. Of the 10 made threes, Justin Hill and Blue Cain combined for 7 of those. Georgia shot decently from the charity stripe, as they made 14 of 21. It wasn't a great shooting performance from the Yellow Jackets tonight. They finished the game with a field goal percentage of 32% (24/75), a three-point percentage of 29.6% (8/27), and made 6 of 13 free throws. 

      Georgia had 4 players score in double figures against Tech. Blue Cain knocked down 4 three-pointers for 12 points. Cain was committed to Georgia Tech before flipping to Georgia. Justin Hill continues to be a weapon for the Bulldogs, as he scored 14 points off the bench. Jabri Abdur-Rahim turned in 12 points and 8 rebounds. Noah Thomasson continues to be the best straight scorer for Mike White. He had 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting and also added 5 rebounds and 3 steals. 

      Georgia's record is now 6-3 following the win tonight. The Bulldogs are currently riding a 4-game win streak and will look to extend that against High Point in Stegman. This game is set to tip off on December 16th at 5:30 PM EST on the SEC Network. 

      Photo Courtesy of the SEC Media Portal. 

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