This one hurts

After a depressing retreat from another defeat in Jax back to South Georgia, here are a few initial thoughts. We’ll have more as we recover and go back to the real world this week.

1. You fear a bad game with a freshman QB. That day was today with Aaron Murray, and it couldn’t have been worse timing. Although Murray was a big reason Georgia had a chance to win, his slow start and turnovers were a big reason for the loss.

2. It’s easy to say, ‘you can’t blame coaching.’ But well-coached teams don’t make critical mistakes in key games. Well-coached teams don’t allow an offense that has looked abysmal for much of the season that all of a sudden roar to life.

3. Let’s stop this business of calling this game a ‘rivalry.’ A rivalry is when both teams are able to consistently beat one another. Until Georgia can figure out how to beat Florida on a regular basis, it may as well be called the ‘annual meeting between Georgia and Florida.’

4. Georgia’s best hope now is ruining Auburn’s season and beating an average Georgia Tech team. The opportunity to mess up other teams’ seasons is becoming an unwelcome annual tradition at Georgia. Not quite the same as playing for an SEC title, is it?

5. Something has to change for Georgia in this rival….woops…annual meeting. Florida appears to know it has a mental advantage, almost as if it believes when the game is at stake, Georgia will find a way to lose.

6. It makes your blood boil as a Georgia fan to see UF players celebrating in front of Georgia’s bench and their head coach doing that idiotic gator chomp toward Georgia fans after the game. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for photos of UF’s celebration to be plastered throughout the UGA workout facilities during the offseason….just a thought.

7. If you think things are bad in Athens, take a look at Austin, Texas, where the cries of Texas are upon the Longhorns.

8. Yes, it gets old losing to Floridia over and over again. But we can’t wait to be in Athens again and be in Jacksonville again next October!

Lugnut Dawg

Heartbreaking

That’s really all I have right now.

In a game full of very high highs and very low lows, heartbreak is what we’re left with.

Hats off to the Dawgs, they gave it a great shot. Special props to Aaron Murray. Though he didn’t have tremendous stuff, he played like a champ at times, and I like that. That 2 point conversion was awesome, and his effort on the pickoff return was admirable (even though he wasn’t the one to get the tackle).

Back on SSI with the crew licking our wounds. It’s still better to be a Georgia Bulldog than a trashy, jean-shorts wearing Florida Gator.

Ucheedawg

Gameday in Jax

The weather is amazing in Jax today. We are kicking of the annual Couples Cornhole Tourney. The Ucheedawgs have got to be considered an early favorite.

Georgia fans seem to have a mixed range of emotions before the game. I, for one, am growing more nervous by the hour.

Lots of tailgating let to do. Go Dawgs!

A Test From Corbindawg

Leave it to Ucheedawg to teach me new technology. Usually, I am the one teaching him about technology. It’opposite day, so the Dawgs must win!

Now I have blogging capabilities from my Blackberry. So this is my notice: I apologize now for any words spelled wrong or any typos-I am not that good typing on the Blackberry. Now I have an excuse.

We are on the way to Jax now. Mr. and Mrs. Ucheedawg, Mrs. Corbindawg and myself are cruising down I-95.

We’ll be at our tailgate on Hill Street by 9:30…it will be a glorious day on the banks of the St. Johns. If we can stop Rainey and Demps on the outside, get the ball to AJ and not turn the ball over, we should be celebrating tonight!

Either way, it will be a fun day with great friends. Go Dawgs! Gators suck!

Corbindawg

“Screw ’em! This is your time!”

It’s gameday! We’re all either en route to Jacksonville or there already!

Enjoy this video to start off the day, courtesy of the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey team which beat a team many of us hate as much as the Gators – the Russians.

It’s Georgia-Florida!

Good morning from coastal Georgia. I love Georgia-Florida morning. Corbin and I are waiting for our brides, but we’ll be headed to Jax soon enough.

A few things for today:
1- Phil Steele likes us, and I like that.
2- There seems to be some confidence among our players heading into this game, and I like that too. But…
3- As Lugnut told me yesterday, he hopes they aren’t too overconfident, because we’re walking into sixty minutes of battle today against a team Corch Meyers will have ready to play.

Who knows how this one will turn out? Vegas likes us, PS likes us- who would have ever seen that coming? But it’s Georgia-Florida, and that’s all right with me.

Go Dawgs! Gators wear jean shorts!

Ucheedawg

WLOCP Weekend Locks

Kensingtondawg

Florida vs Georgia (-2.5)-Hate to do this but as CorbinDawg said I’ve seen this movie before. Hope to God I’m wrong. But, Florida’s had a week off plus they get Rainey and the biggest person in kicker Caleb Sturgis back. Urban Meyer is 15-1 against Tennessee, Georgia, and FSU and an unreal 25-2 against the SEC East. He knows what games are important. On the other hand, our coach is 2-7 against Florida. If you have the heart to do it, take the Gators and the points.

Kansas at Iowa (-19)-The Jayhawks are awful, but they keep the game close against Iowa State they should be flat after a big upset of Texas. Take the Jayhawks.

Clemson at Boston College(+7)– This is the kind of game Dabo loves to screw up. He gets a couple of nice wins and this his teams fail to show up for a game they should win. But this is what you get Clemson for hiring Tommy Bowden’s protege. Don’t be surprised if BC pulls the upset here but just in case take the Eagles and the points.

Corbindawg

Louisiana Tech at Boise State-FAIL.

Florida State (-3.5) at NC State– Florida State is too athletic on offense and their defense can find a way to slow down Russell Shepard.  I like the Seminoles with the small line.

Stanford (-7) at Washington-I like the Cardinal in this one…Jim Harbaugh’s group is going to easily outman what appears to be an overrated Washington team.  Go Stanford.

Barndawg

Georgia (-2.5) vs. Florida – Bring it Kensington. All this talk about how Urban has a week to prepare, but I think this is the game everyone starts talking about the job Grantham has done with the 3-4. Murray may not have a great game, but does enough to win. Call me an optimist, but I think UGA covers.

Oklahoma State (-4.0) at Kansas State Even without Justin Blackmon, Okie State has a good offense. Expect Kendall Hunter to have another monster game. Good riiiiide Cowboy, good ride. OSU covers.

Oregon (-7.0) at USC I’m jumping on the Oregon bandwagon. No way they lose. There is a rumor that the Oregon band might play Rocky Top when they score. I might or might not be picking them because of that rumor. Oregon covers.

Ucheedawg

Virginia @ Miami (-15) Miami is just better at all positions, and after the loss to FSU a few weeks back have really zoned in. Look for this one to be a cakewalk for the Canes, as Virginia will have a tough time even getting into the end zone against a tough Miami D. Lay the 15 and take the Canes.

Kansas @ Iowa State (-19) I took Kansas with a lot of chalk against GT and it paid off. 19 is just way too many points for an Iowa State team that I’m still not convinced is very good. Coming off a huge win, look for them to lay down a little here. Take the points and Kansas in an ugly football game.

Colorado @ Oklahoma (-23.5) Though you couldn’t tell it against the Dawgs, Colorado is terrible. Oklahoma will come out fired up after last week’s upset loss and handle an overmatched Colorado team easily. The points won’t be enough for Colorado here; Oklahoma wins a blowout.

Granitedawg

Houston  @ Memphis (14)

Oregon @ USC (6.5)

Idaho @ Hawaii (-14)

Test

Trying this out from the blackberry for GA-FL. Bear with me. Go Dawgs!

Update: Corbindawg has caught up and is now mobile too. Watch out Dawgs! Go Dawgs!

As Georgia-Florida games go, this one’s huge for the Dawgs

Since Mark Richt’s arrival at Georgia, there have been some matchups with Florida that have loomed large – games in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007 carrying SEC and National Title implications come to mind.

But then there’s this year’s game, one which is the most important Georgia-Florida game for Mark Richt.

If Georgia wins, Richt will have proven that he can right the ship in Athens after a horrific start and will have the Bulldogs closer to sneaking into the SEC Championship Game. It’ll also even the series between Georgia and Florida the past two years at 2-2 – not dominance, but a step in the right direction for the red and black.

If Georgia loses? Well let’s put it like this. Remember all the talk from certain elements of the fan base questioning why Richt should even be on the sidelines in Athens next year? That’ll come back. It’ll also be a crippling blow to Georgia in its rivalry with Florida. This is the worst Florida team since Reagan was in office. If Georgia can’t beat this team, when will it ever beat Florida again?

You’ve got two teams in Georgia and Florida – both unranked, that have endured more hardship already this season than either fan base would like.

Still, on paper, Georgia is favored, thanks to a three-game winning streak compared to Florida not having won a game in the month of October. Then again, this is Florida, the same bunch of beach bums and swamp lizards, as Dorsey Hill would call them, that has managed to beat the Bulldogs in the past 10 years when Georgia had the talent to win only to come up short – 2002, 2003 and 2005 are games that come to mind.

It’s that recent history that makes this game anything but a walk-away Georgia win. You’ve got a Florida team that’s lost to two fairly good SEC West teams that has had plenty of time to hear their so-called ‘fans’ tell them how bad they are. Combine that with a well-timed open date and Corch Urban Myers valuing respect for laptop computers higher than prevented women’s violence, and you have a game that is far from a sure Georgia victory.

Go Dawgs!

Lugnut Dawg

It’s About That Time

Ahh, the Thursday before Georgia-Florida.

I was on 341 yesterday, from Macon to Jessup and back, and saw droves of Dawgs headed towards the coast as they got their weekend started off early. There is simply nothing quite like Georgia-Florida. It’s the best weekend of the year. It was therapeutic seeing the UGA flags blowing in the wind as Bulldog Nation relocates for a weekend. I just love Georgia-Florida.

We’re getting a slightly later start than normal this year, but we’ll all be on SSI as normal, and head down to JAX bright and early on Saturday.

Safe travels for those of you headed down today and tomorrow. Go Dawgs! Gators wear jean shorts!

ucheedawg